BIRTHDAYS: AC's Colorful 4th Birthday Celebration

A little story about AC's birthday this year, my English skills are just kinda off today, sorry sa bisdak inato blogging. It's September 1st, the first day of the “ber” months, meaning, it’s my chid’s birthday once again! But few days back, just when I was so ready to prepare for our firstborn's 4th birthday party, on payday, hubby's card was 'eaten' by the ATM and sweldo is a week delayed. Yes, no sweldo, and he only had pocket-money left on hand. If only you saw his face, he was like a little kid na kahilakooooon kaayo ka wa gitagaa'g candy.haha Grabe twist of fate and change of plans, this isn’t new naman so keri lang. There was one time that hubby had a VA (vehicular accident) a few days before AC’s birthday and I felt the same awful “zero-balance” feeling.  And knowing me, as a very strict treasurer (a.k.a. sigurista, wa-is, kuripot, barat), I would not let our 'untouchables' (savings account) get touched, that's for our bunso's 'always-moved' baptism & next year's tuition fee, I am always a fan of full-payment kasi. So yun, a little budget has become our daughter's simple (family lunch date) celebration for her birthday, plus of course w/ the help of the beloved grannies.

Photos

Again, special thanks for the grannies to back us up. The “kinakusgang apo” enjoyed her “party-party”, as she has been talking about this even a few weeks back. 

Last week, she even made a drawing of her own birthday party! Starring ang family. Can you see baby Coy (the small stick-figure), Mamita (with the big eyeglasses), and daddy (the curly one)? haha With all the balloon galore, party hats, cake, etc. that she has been repeatedly talking about. And, here's the party... The drawing turned into reality. ;)

As for the acknowledgement… Thanks everyone! 

Hubby's parents (MommyLa & DaddyLo) bought the delicious lechon manok, drinks, ice cream & cake from S&R and some “pampahaba ng buhay” delish pancit from Gorio’s.

S&R shopping

Simple handa.

It was a hot day, so our cake icing melted.

My parents (Wowa & Papa) bought the balloons, hats & candles from Panolee’s. These were AC's requests, including the gift: her very own android tablet from DCLA but it’s super Ok, AC can now play her fave games and apps & soon, she’ll be on Instagram too!

And of course Mamita's presence is still here, as represented by the boneless pork belly from Beko’s Biik. Of course, AC's great grandpa wouldn't call it a birthday w/o a litson, who would anyway?

Thanks to the grannies, we had food on the table. It's funny when our only visitors came (two nuns, our family friends), wala pang laman ang table, only empty plates. haha Good thing, the food arrived just right on time & we had a pina-abtek lunch party. We had some photos (sorry lang talaga, most are blurred, we’re kinda little hungry. hahaha)

It is a party indeed, my artistic team helped making the dining room look awesome. Hubby (& AC) pumped balloons then my mom & sister put-up the balloon-filled backdrop. Sister also got the chance to have a solo pic coz as the photographer, she wasn't included in the group pictures.

Few weeks ago, I already made a hand-painted “happy birthday” bantings/banner out of old art paper & used my recycled tarpaulin layout for her 3rd birthday (2012), AC's toddler photo collage tarp, good until her 6th birthday (ibang layout na naman sa 7th birthday party). Sulit, tipid, memorable.

Hubby and I had fun manuaIly pumping these balloons that I bought at Panolee's after attending one of Coy's playgroup session. It's just near The POD, where we have our play group. The assorted (size & colors) balloons are aroung P1 each (tag piso, coz a pack of 81 pcs. is worth P85). And so, while DIYing the balloons (whe two kids are awake, coz they love to join the fun), I also discovered another talent: balloon arrangement, & it's not easy pala talaga ha, as in! I now know why balloon decor fees are so $$$ but we had fun. Kahit papaano, I made these decors, some smiley that can stand on the floor and a flower-flower arch. Ok lang ba? I could have made more if wala akong kalong-kalong na baby while DIYing these.

Then the celebrator also took part. She personally hand-painted that #4 (just used masking tape to form the number) and also painted her name ''A-L-o-i-S-e'' while we were reviewing "name writing" for her exams last week. And so on her birthday, that's what we made as her name banner. She was also the one who volunteered decorating it to our backdrop, hanging them using a ribbon & sipit ng sampayan. As in she grabbed a chair and insisted that she do the decorating. Ayos, potential DIY assistant na 'to! ;)

Isn't it fun? Things happen for a reason & it isn't always 'how' or 'how much' we celebrate, but 'why' and 'what' we celebrate. Thank you Lord for the gift of life (AC) and of 'family', that's something great to celebrate. We may not have everything we wanted but we got just everything that we need. It’s up to you how you add colors to life.

MOMMYDIARIES: Beating My Kadayawan Blues

Kadayawan... Festival, Feast, Festive.. But this 2013, I spent it asleep at home with my baby. Everybody else in the family, including my firstborn kid went out on their different trips to check out some 'kalingawan' (happenings) around and just celebrate the city's biggest festival. It's okay coz I'm learning to be a "home buddy" now. It's just that I (super duper) wanted to go to DavCon for The Great Kadayawan Trade Fair and Bazaar, to shop, eat, see my  friends' booths. Through the years, I always check-out the Trade Fair there but since it was cloudy/rainy and I'm all alone (with my baby), I didn't risked it. I also wanted to see my kid crush Daniel Padilla (haha, don't laugh, but I fancy him).  But it's okay. As long as I have eaten a lot of duryans at The Durian Festival! (haha). It's okay for me, really, although i am teasing myself for slightly pretending. I did this last year too, I was so pregnant, just behaved, but at least last year I had photos of some floral floats, exhibits, etc. This 2013 is kind of a "Rest Year" for me, if there's such a term.

But I still got to admit, a tiny part of me is screaming inside, that I hated it this way. When I was a student, it was a 'tragedy' for me if I'm on night/graveyard shift for hospital duty during kadayawan week. I see the Mall Sale spotlights calling me, the cheerful music outside and the text invites of friends partying & these are all killing me. It's kind of a big deal for me, yes, it's because Kadayawan for me is not just about shopping on sale galore, eating unli durian, or food tripping. Kadayawan Nights, as I call it, were the best nights of the year, well, for me. When I was younger, and a party animal too, kadayawan for me means being out with my gay friends, looking out for our favorite celebs on malls (it's a shame to admit but i dare to go w/ a stampede of fans just to get starstrucked.haha) and when the moon is up, I spend the entire night drinking out, bar hop with friends anywhere and i only go home during sunrise (mom wants me safe so she would prefer 6am than 2am. haha Yeah, cool mom!). I sleep all day and wake up with a hangover and freshen up a bit and do it all again. Young, wild, carefree. That's just me. Well, as for an UPDATE-- that 'was' me.

It WAS my life, way back when there's no Ace and no Coy Coy waiting for their mommy at home (but today, i could NEVER imagine life without them, EVER). Of course, along with my early pregnancy and marriage, I am aware of the consequence that my youth would not be fully shut-down in a blink of an eye so i had to double my effort to update/upgrade myself into a 'proper' mom & a wife. After I gave birth with firstborn daughter Ace, sometimes I pump and throw breastmilk after having a 'mommy break'. I did that silly thing just to go out to take a 'night off' from my new & strange job called motherhood, then just party, drink, smoke. I even hang out with guy friends (i used to pefer to be with dudes than girls) but with permission w/ hubby of course, who is the one watching over our baby at home. I dared to do those stuffs, really, (right now I can't also imagine myself that I was once like that but i do have evidences on my old Friendster photos. haha It's a different version of my latest self now.) Yeah, upgrade indeed coz years passed by, my urge to do those stuffs gradually decreased. I finally had the strength to decline (& endure doing that) the invites of my single friends. The last time I went out for a drink was during those nights I probably conceived my latest baby, Coy. That's around January last 2012. Hooray for me, I'm vices-free for 1.5 year and EBF is a major factor for my clean-living now. Yay!

I now find inspiration in the quote ''Sorry I suck as a friend, I'm too busy being an awesome mom.'' (hehe, it's cute!) Now that I fully embraced mommyhood and I see my gorgeous, gifted children, I say, there's always a Kadayawan, a party, a celebration some other time. And you beer, you can wait for me (wink) but this time, I'm a 'Family First' kind of gal and let's just have a feast on that.