Merry Christmas!

Here's how to say Merry Christmas around the world:

English - Merry Christmas! (Marry Christmas!)
Danish - Glaedelig Jul! (Glad Yule!)
Dutch - Vrolijk kerstfeest (Merry Christmas!)
Brazilian - Boas Festas! (Good Holidays!)
Finnish - Hauskaa Joulua! (Merry Yule!)
French - Joyeux Noel! (Joyous Christmas!)
German - Frohe Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)
Italian - Natale allegro! (Merry Christmas!)
Portugese - Christmas Alegre! (Merry Christmas!)
Spanish - Feliz Navidad! (Merry Christmas!)
Swedish - God Jul! (Good Yule!)
Swiss (French) - Joyeux Noel! (Joyous Christmas!)
And ofcourse Philippines - Maligayang Pasko! (Merry Christmas!)

Saan mang lupalop tayo naroroon, naway maging maligaya pa rin ang ating pasko!!!

Mula sa aking pamilya para sa inyong pamilya: Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!

Busy busy busy...

It's been almost a month since my last post... i have lot of things to blog - my training at Oakville last Nov 1-5, my son's upcoming 1st birthday party slash "opening" of our business on Dec 9, my mom's canada adventure (he he), my life as a Mom which is getting busier & busier each day as my son's approaching 1... but I can't really find time to blog all of these... hopefully when things here are less hectic (crossed fingers!)... I just drop by to say HI to those who are still visiting this site... Salamat sa patuloy na pagbisita!

Tigger on the loose...

It's been a month now since Audric is attending a "Stay&Play" program here in our community. It's a playgroup for children from birth to 5 years old. It starts with an hour of free play which includes many toys, play structure, play house, play dough and more! Then followed by a snack and a craft . And finish off with a sing song. I can say that Audric's enjoying so far. There are 15-20 kids (mostly 2 years old) every session. And it's a great way to meet families in our neighborhood and form long lasting friendships. Besides, mahirap din ang nasa bahay lang especially pag winter.

Anyway, yesterday was their halloween costume party . At first, James and I didn't pay much attention for the party. We even plan of not getting Audric a costume. He's just almost 11 months anyway. We thought he might not know it or not appreciate it. He's too baby for a trick or treat . He's still a baby (well he's almost 1 year old but for me he's still my baby, forever my baby :D) and it's getting cold outside. But what the heck! I'm a mom . Ayaw ko syang magmukhang kawawa pag siya lang ang nde nakacostume so James and i went to Wal-mart the day before the party. There's limited costume for his size. Actually pang 12-18 months ang meron. Pero pwede na rin sa kanya. And only three costumes to choose from: vest type thomas the train costume, incredible costume, and tigger costume. We chose the tigger outfit kasi pwede pa nyang gamitin ulit as pajama. Our last minute decision to get him a costume paid off. If not, he's the only one not in a costume. At hindi sya nagmukhang kawawa sa group picture! hehe! Syempre, ang papel ng ina ay isang dakilang photographer. Kuha dito kuha doon! Muntik ko ngang makalimutang magpakuha ng picture naming dalawa. Hope maappreciate nya itong pinaggagawa ko...You can view his pics here

Till next time! Happy Halloween Everyone!

Giving Thanks...

Today is Thanksgiving Day! No work, it's a holiday! It's also my brother-in-law Brian's birthday (plus Audric's 10-month birthday, he-he!). To celebrate thanksgiving/Brian's Birthday/Audric's 10-month birthday (he-he), we all went to Foodie Goodie, an all-you-can-eat chinese restaurant. (yum yum the siomai! i can't count how many pcs i ate!)

Then we went to church to hear the 5:30pm mass. The homily is all about giving thanks especially to our parents. I can say that me and my siblings are always grateful to our parents. We know that whatever we do is nothing compared to all of their sacrifices. Whatever they've done is immeasurable but we do as much as we can. We show, tell, and let them feel that they are loved and taken cared of. Another way of saying thanks to them is by trying to become a good parent ourselves. Now that we only have our mom, we make sure that she's always ok. She deserve all of our love. She's all we got. (Don't worry dad, you'll always be in our heart. We love you just the same.)

***

I'm counting my blessings. Really, I've lot of things to thank for: having a loving and patient hubby; Audric is healthy (and malikot and makulit); soon to open home-based business; good food & yes, the money to buy good food; good health; my 2 brothers and their family are well; friends (meeting new ones and keeping in touch with older ones); my dear mom is enjoying her stay with us, we'll celebrate Christmas & Audric's 1st birthday with her; supportive in-laws; nice and clean environment & friendly neighbourhood; and tarannnnnn I am becoming more patient (i guess. ha-ha!). Oh I almost forgot, we may not have savings right now and not have our own house yet, atleast we can still pay our rents and have a place to call our home temporarily.

***

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Training 101

Tomorrow is my 3rd day of training (it's via phone/internet for now until such time I'm familiar with all the themes. We covered 6 themes last Thursday and 4 more themes yesterday. Simultaneously, there's a lot of business related happenings these days. The initial opening inventory package will arrive at the end of the week. We're closing a good deal with another franchisee for his 2 almost new inflatables. My official email address will run up soon. It's already indicated in the website that Par-T-Perfect Winnipeg will open this coming Winter. Isn't that exciting? Then I'll fly to Toronto (I thought it's Vancouver) on Nov 1-5 for the actual training. I'll get a chance to observe an actual event. I'll meet all the franchisees in the annual conference. Now I can say that we're really getting there. It's not a dream! This is for real! We're having a business. I'll manage our own business. I thought my bachelor's degree which is BS COmmerce major in Management (and my 24 units earned in MS Business Administration) will put into waste. Now is the time to bring out all those learned theories. Let's see if I was able to retained them. :P

With the ongoing training and conference next month, I really need a hand in taking care of Audric. James' a hands-on Dad but he got a daytime work. It's good that my Mom is here. And it's also good that Audric likes her so much! Starting next week, we'll practice putting Audric besides her during nighttime. :D And I'll refrain breastfeeding him at night. My mom suggested to offer him bottled breastmilk instead. I think i'll be the one to suffer separation anxiety here. Audric and I is together 24/7 for almost 10 months now (not to mention his 9-month stay in my tummy. :D) There were 2 instances that we left him at my father-in-law's place. I went to have a haircut and James & I went grocery shopping. But those were just for an hour or two. And the other Friday, Audric was left with Hubby & Bro-in-law until 11pm. I had no choice but to attend the PGM's (Pangasinan Group of Manitoba) annual party. Father-in-law reserved 2 tickets (and paid them eventually and said it's his "treat" for his "balae") for me & Mom. I also wanted my Mom to have a night life :D But this time, it will be 5 days 4 nights!!! Until this very minute, I'm still considering to bring Audric with me but can I concentrate in the training? Well, either way I know I can't really concentrate. It's hard just the thought of me being away with Audric. But we have to do this :(

On the onther note, my maternity/parental leave will end last week of November so aside from the training, I'm also looking for a part time job. This is in preparation for a full time job come December. Yup, that's right I'll maintain another source of income while developing the business. Maybe a year would be enough. I hope so.

That's all for now, I still have few pages to read for our training tomorrow.

p/s: I'll blog about my Mom's adventure here in Canada in the next few days. She's enjoying it so far. And yes, masasarap ang ulam namin ngayon :D

What's New?

...Here in my blogsite, I put a sitemeter and a tagboard. I added some in the links, too! Im planning to bring back the tickers I created. Whatelse?? For the nth time, I changed my blogtitle. Di ba napaka-original ng dating??? hahaha!!! Speaking of my napaka-original na title, abangan ang 3rd season ng Grey's Anatomy. Hopefully matapos ni Hipag yong binili nyang 2nd season DVD bago magHuwebes. Para mahiram ko at mapanood ulit.

...Mga palabas sa TV. Daming bago. Nagseason premier ang fave ko na Ellen two weeks ago. Tapos this week, halos lahat eh bago ang mga palabas: Oprah, Dr. Phil., CSI, etc etc. Buti naman para hindi na puro replay ang napapanood ko.

...Sa business. Nareleased na rin yong loan namin galing sa bangko. Mayroon na rin kaming business permit. We can proceed with the next step. Training, buying of equipment, setting up the office and storage area, at kung anu ano pa. Sana talaga by December may mga events na kami para naman may pumasok ng pera at hindi laging palabas.

...Audric's milestone. Ambilis bilis na nyang magcrawl. Napapasunod na namin papuntang kwarto or washroom. Tipid kami sa buhat. hahaha! Hindi pa sya nakakalakad pero kayang kaya na niyang tumayong mag isa basta may mahawakan gaya sa gilid ng sofa or sa kanyang playpen.

...Our life here in Winnipeg. Patapos na ang summer :( Official na mag-uumpisa ang Autumn/Fall sa Sabado. Medyo malamig na ang simoy ng hangin. Parang Baguio. Umulan kahapon at umaambon ambon ngayon. Nagfog pa lastweek. Hindi kami masyadong nakalabas this summer like pumuntang magbeach or mag ikot ikot sa park pero ok lang naman (Mas maappreciate ko siguro next year pag mahigit isang taon na si Audric). But Im looking forward this Fall. Well aside from fave season ko ito, darating Mom ko sa Martes. Makakasama namin sya until December or kung magustuhan nya pwede namin irenew temporary resident visa nya and she can stay for another 6 months. I can't wait! Matitikman ko na ulit luto nya. hahaha! Unahin ba ang pagkain! For sure maninibago sya sa buhay dito pero sana mag-enjoy sya. Nakaplano na nga mga balak naming gawin at gustong puntahan.

Ano pa nga ba? Wala na akong ibang maisip. Next time ulit! Be safe everyone :)

been busy lately...

hayy buhay mommy... at 8 months & 20 days :D, ang likot at ang kulit na ng anak ko (at syempre not to mention cute na cute :D). he wants to explore everything. lahat gustong isubo. halos ayaw ng maglagi sa exersaucer. nasisikipan na sa playpen. gusto laging may ginagawa either gumagapang or kung anu ano ang hinahablot. mahilig mamintana. mahirap ng palitan ng diaper ngayon (hindi pa nailalapag eh gusto ng kumawala). pahirapan na kung magmilk (since nagsolid, lagi na lang may tira). madaling magsawa sa mga laruan (yong mga totoong laruan). mas naaappreciate pa yong boxes kung saan galing yon mga toys (usually bigay ng mga in-laws ko). para sa kanya, "laruan" ang mga: remote control, celphone namin ni james(kahit may laruan syang plastic na cp), keyboard (we have a spare for him pero after few days eh inaabot pa rin yong totoong nakakabit na keyboard. wais!), calculator (hindi naman obvious na puro de-pindot ang gusto nya), books (not necessarily na books nya), papel (either isubo or punitin), nadiscover nya lately ang camera (mas gusto na nya ngayong hablutin ang camera kasya ngumiti sa camera), pati vacuum cleaner/cp charger/alarm clock pinadidiskitahan), tuwang-tuwang sa reflection nya sa mirror, laging gustong puntahan at kunin yong mga DVD/CD collection (alam na nyang alisin yong mga nakaharang na unan, wais talaga!). pag nasa kusina kami at busy akong nagluluto, naghuhugas ng pinggan or kumakain, nilalagay ko sya sa highchair or exersaucer or playpen. ito naman ang mga laruan nya: paper towel & tissue rolls, plastic na baso (yong mga gamit namin pangpicnic), measuring plastic cups, empty plastic bottles, empty cartons ng cereal, at kung anu-ano pa just to keep him occupied. kakapagod ang stage na ito. i'm really exhausted at the end of the day. sometimes umaga pa lang pagod na ako. kaya naman lagi kong sinasabayan ang nap nya(2x or 3x a day for 1 hour each nap). ito na lang pahinga ko. pero kahit anong pagod ko i am not complaining naman! nagkukwento lang. hehe! mahirap maging magulang (or maging nanay),pero walang kasing saya naman ang dulot nito. :D bath time is always a bonding moment for the three of us. enjoy syang maligo sa bathtub (in his bath ring). ako ang in-charged sa paligo while james is waiting with the towel. sya na ring bahala sa pagbibihis. at bilang isang magulang walang kasing saya kung ang baby mo ay: marunong ng mag-embrace, magturo ng nose, eyes, and lips (ni mommy and daddy), magclap, mag-align, magba-bye, at palangiti (or in audric's case eh bungisngis. nakakawala ng pagod!) pero syempre hindi maiwasang umiyak (or ngumawa)ang anak mo but i know how to handle this now unlike the first two months na talagang nangangapa ako bilang isang new mother. now i can tolerate more and i can say medyo mahaba na ang pisi ko ngayon. (si james kasi natural ang pagiging pasensiyoso since day 1) :D


then, hayy buhay may asawa... being a stay-at-home-mom&wife,nakakabit na ang househould chores...not to mention na hindi naman talaga uso dito ang magkaroon ng yaya and maid. lately, paghuhugas ng pinggan at pagluluto na lang lang ang nagagawa ko. wala munang linis linis (or say general cleaning). ang paglalaba eh kung talagang kailangan lang (kung malapit ng maubusan ng damit si audric, kung walang underwear ng maisuot si james, hahaha! or kung hindi na pares pares ang mga medyas or kung ang mga natirang medyas eh yong mga luma or butas na, hahaha!) Two weeks ng nagoovertime si james (which is good kasi dagdag income). downside, saglit na lang nya naalagaan si audric kasi pagod nga. Pagod sya, pagod ako kaya apektado ang loving loving. :D embrace embrace na lang. hahaha! hay buhay...lots of things to do: soiled clothes are piling up, have to clean the washroom, kitchen needs general cleaning, clothes in the closet need to be sorted out, etc, etc. i can't wait for my mom's vacation. i mentioned in my previous post that she's visiting us. she's supposed to be here this august. but the entire month of august is fully-booked. september 19 ang flight nya. 23 days to go. sana bukas andito na sya. i desperately need her. :D

lastly, hayy buhay ng magiging businesswoman... we're venturing into business, a home-based franchised business. hopefully we'll start operating before the end of the year. we were planning this wayback february pa. it all started when i searched the net for a small business. after having audric kasi parang ayaw ko ng bumalik sa workforce, 8-5 that is. it's either i work at night or have business (kahit small lang).then i stumbled upon this site. i browsed the site, then par-t-perfect caught my attention. it's really perfect! hindi kalakihang investment (well, compared to other franchised businesses), it's a home-based then it caters children's parties. i inquired via email then the day after the owner phoned me. we started from there. filling up of applicaton form (para din akong nag-apply for work), business plan, franchise agreement, interact with other franchisees, meeting personnaly with the owner, paying of the deposit (part of franchise fee) then sa bank naman for our loan madami ring requirements -- credit history, net worth, business number, gst number (tax), operating license, criminal record, etc etc. but we've been busy especially for the past 2 weeks. we're finalizing everything. list of equipment, final payment of investment, gathering info's for marketing and advertising. :D by mid-september we'll start the actual marketing and advertising. then set-up office, set-up storage area for the equipments (yong dati naming kwarto at my father-in-laws house), then after that i'll fly to vancouver for a training at the main office and observe actual events. tapos we'll have to train party leaders (employees) din. i can't wait for our first event. i'm excited, nervous, & anxious at the same time.

did i say i'm exhausted? really exhausted! nevertheless im happy and contented. goodluck to me! :D

Jaime Sison Cruz, Sr.
(February 8, 1939- August 15, 2004)

It's been 2 years, Daddy! I miss you. I will always will. I wish that when I go home, you're in the airport waiting for me like you did when I left. But you're gone. I can't hug and kiss you anymore. I can't show how much I care for you and how much I love you. But there's one place I can do all of these -- in my dreams. So long, Dad! I know you're happy now! No more pain, no more sufferings...

A Saturday Treat!

Nag-almusal kami ng oatmeal (spicy and cinnamon flavored), naglunch kami ng sinigang na baboy, nagmeryienda kami ng brownies (which I baked), then nagdinner kami ng burger patty (home-made na gawa ko din).. puro pagkain.. :D and last but definitely not the least (at hindi ito pagkain)-- a long warm bubble bath followed by a long shower. Halos 1 oras akong nasa banyo. At bilang isang stay-at-home-mom, ito ang tinatawag kong panalo sa lotto. I can't even remember when was the last time I soaked in the tub. Before pregnancy pa yata. Exaggerated pero totoo! Ngayon kasi with Audric, hindi ko talaga hawak ang oras ko. Imagine I'm already in and out of the washroom for just 5 minutes (maximum 10 minutes). Hopefully, this "treat" would become a Saturday ritual, the bubble bath atleast!

Ang Pancit Palabok, Bow!

Nagluto ako ng Pancit Palabok kanina. Wala pa talaga akong balak magpalabok kasi hindi pa kumpleto ang mga ingredients ko. Hindi ako nakabili ng chicharon. Yong hipon naman na binili ni James nung weekend inulam na namin.:D Wala din lemon or calamansi. Kaya lang yon ang gustong kainin ni James. Sabi nya eh daanin ko na lang sa pagluto. Basta daw bukal sa loob ko na magluto at masaya ako for sure masarap ang kalalabasan. Salamat na lang kay Mama Sita naglasang palabok pa rin (or gutom lang siguro kami ni James:D). I just sauteed garlic, added tinapa flakes and the Mama Sita palabok mix. Then I mixed the bihon I cooked earlier, garnished green onions and eggs, and viola! In fairness masarap talaga sya. :D For 6 servings daw. Dalawa lang kaming kumain. Pero hindi naman kami ganun katakaw kasi hindi naman isang kainan lang eh. Lunch and dinner! Palusot pa ako, eh! Pero kahit napurga na kami ng palabok kanina I still crave for more palabok. Mas masarap siguro kung kumpleto rekados na. Hayy, bigla tuloy akong nagutom :D

Audric Turns 8

8 Months na si Audric ngayon. Tamang-tama naman na walang pasok (Civic Holiday) kaya nakapagbbq (chicken wings and hotdog) kami sa likod ng bahay nila Father-in-law. Bumili din si Father-in-law ng lutong ulam (caldereta and adobo) kaya solved kaming lahat :D

Tapos binilhan ni Sister-in-law si Audric ng cake (icecream cake ulit from DQ) :D

Syempre, hindi mawawala ang group pictures. Nakakatuwa kasi nagkataon na parehong suot ni James at Brother-in-law yong t-shirts na bigay ni Mother-in-law. Parehong damit magkaibang kulay nga lang.

You can view some pics here. For some reasons, I can't upload pics here in blogger :(

Missing a Family Affair

At this very moment, my family in the Philippines is busy preparing for my brother's wedding. In an hour, he'll exchange vows with his long time gf. Finally! :D Well, I'm happy for them but too bad I'm not there to witness their union. Too bad I'm not there to celebrate and enjoy an event like this. But it's ok! I can still be with them in spirit. I can still be happy even we're miles miles away simply by thinking them and our happy moments together. At saka buti na lang may video (pakonswelo) I can still view their wedding ceremonials.

Poor Mitzi

Mitzi is our everdearest 2 year old vehicle. Eversince, we (especially my husband)treat her well. Hindi yan mapakali kung marumi si Mitzi so regular ang paligo nya sa kanya. Pinakaiingat-ingatan talaga. Lagi nya check if may gasgas. Kaya naman mukha pa ring bago. But just last week, naibangga ko sya sa wooden fence while backing up. Buti na lang hindi nagalit asawa ko. Nagpapasalamat na lang sya at hindi ako nasaktan. Mitzi is scheduled for a repair next week.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Today is my Mom's 66th birthday! How I wish we're together to celebrate this wonderful day with her. I terribly miss her! Our phone conversation once a week is not enough. hehe! Hindi bale malapit na bakasyon nya dito sa Winnipeg - this coming August. I can't wait!

We love you so much, Mom!!! -- from the 3 of us (Grace, James & Audric)

Midnight Snack

The picture is not that good but I can tell you it's yummylicious. hahaha! This is a portion of lasagna I cooked/baked yesterday. We had lasagna as dinner yesterday then lasagna ulit kaninang breakfast so out of 12 slices we still have 6 slices . I transferred 4 slices in a smaller baking dish then I individually packed the other 2 for James' baon and put them in the freezer para nakaready na kung feel nyang magbaon ng lasagna. Pero kani-kanina lang after watching a movie pareho kaming nagutom ni James so hayon instead na kumuha ako sa baking dish ng 2 slices kinuha ko yong para sa baon ni James. Ayusin ko na lang bukas yong baon nya. Now it's getting late. It's time for bed. Good Morning, everyone! :D

Pahabol: ito yong mga pictures nung 7th month ni Audric.

Lucky 7

Audric is 7 months old today. We just had a simple celebration. I cooked spaghetti, James bought chicken from KFC & icecream cake from DQ. Then we invited my in-laws to come over. I can't think of any other way to enjoy the moment than by being with the whole family. I'll share pics next time.

O Canada!

Happy 139th Birthday, Canada!

You've been my home for over 2 years now. I still miss my Motherland but I already like it here. They're times that I crave for longganisa but you have sausages. They're afternoons that what I want for meryienda is Mister Donuts but you have Tim Hortons. A steamed dahon ng kamote and okra would be nice as a side dish but you have varieties of fresh salads to choose from. I miss riding a jeepney but you have transits. My pancit is incomplete without calamansi but you have lemons. My favorite is Purefoods hotdogs but Maple Leaf will do. My kababayans enjoy celebrating Piyesta ng Dagat but only here that I witnessed the love of water even what you have are just man-made lagoons. And the list goes on...

As one of your many adopted children, I'm grateful you treat me as your own. I have roof over my head, I have food to eat, I have clothes to make me warm especially during winter times. [I have my medicard, maternity benefits, and child tax benefits. hehe!] I couldn't ask for more. Mabuhay ka, Canada!

Going Online [Again!]

Here I am again, creating a new blogsite. Hopefully I can manage to update it atleast once or twice a week. I love to blog. I really do but sometimes I just don't have the time, or I just don't know what to write, or simply I'm just lazy to update. But now, I'm determined to make this happen. So welcome to my new space!