Picnic and Kalesa Ride...

We decided to go on a whim to Luneta Park.  Since we’re going to Caloocan to visit my Dad we figured we might as well take Z to Luneta because it’s on the way.

I didn’t want to eat out in the usual fastfood chains that we frequent so I hurriedly ask Bam to prepare a packed lunch for us before we went.  Yes, we were going to have a picnic!

Our plans changed when we arrived there.  Upon the instructions of my FIL, hubby parked the car at the Quirino Grandstand which is just in front of Luneta.  We were so famished that once we saw there were tables and chairs there we decided to just eat right there and then.  Hubby couldn’t believe his eyes when I took out our baon.  We had a lot of leftovers from the day before so we feasted on lechon manok and pancit canton.  I even brought apples for dessert.  Next time I’ll be more prepared and would prepare a real treat for dessert!   For our drinks I bought a pitcher full of ice tea which was still cold.  Z was so happy just eating outside and I so was I.  Hubby asked me if I like eating out like that and my response was, “Absolutely!”  It’s really different when eating  you’re outside.  So note to self, we would have picnics more often!

Our original plan was to go to Luneta after we satisfy our stomach’s cravings but one look at the kalesa and I knew Z would have to have to ride one.  He can’t take his eyes off the horse I tell you!  I asked the kutsero how much and he said P100 around the grandstand but if we want a 30-minute ride he can take us to Intramuros for P250.  We opted for the longer ride and went around Intramuros in style.  I would have to upload the pictures later.  Mamang Kutsero acted as a tour guide and pointed out the historical places.  We had a long ride and after 30 minutes the driver deposited us back at the grandstand.  When it was time to pay it turned out we had a little misunderstanding.  The price the driver quoted me was per person!  I thought, “Oh no, we’re going to pay P750!” but manong said it’s free for Z so we only paid P500.  It’s still too expensive for hubby but I knew Z would dream about the kalesa in his sleep if we didn’t ride one that day.  Back home just before he slept he was asking me if we could ride again next time. Good thing his Daddy didn’t hear him because I know he’ll have a heart attack if he did! haha

We were just an hour over there but it was an hour well spent.  I promise we’re going to be doing this more often and much longer next time.  It’s definitely better than going to the mall every Sunday.  I am already making a list of all the places we’ll be going around the metro.  We can’t have an out-of-town vacation but that doesn’t mean we would have to sulk all year long.  There are so many places to see here in the capital after all.

A History Lesson Too Early...

For two nights now I have been sleeping late.  I would like to take some sleep aids but I guess that’s better because I’m more productive now.  I’m glad I’m gaining back my momentum.  The first trimester of pregnancy was harder than I expected but I thank God it’s all over now.  Aside from this persistent cough that I came down with a couple of days ago I’m on the road to recovery and ready to work again.  I have so many things I need to do before I give birth in December and that’s why I need to keep really busy.

I’m also happy that I get to spend more time with Z now that my schedule is more flexible. We get to do a lot together like watch his favorite shows, play his favorite games, and talk about all kinds of stuff. You won’t believe the stuff we talk about -  he’s just so curious! Like the other day, he started asking about Andres Bonifacio again and how he became a hero. So since I’m a person who’s into details I just can’t give him a one sentence answer so we opened his history book and started browsing from the beginning until almost to the end. So now he knows more than he needs to know like Spaniards, Americans, and the Japanese who came to occupy the Philippines and the sacrifices that our heroes did to defend us from them. We searched for pictures of Rizal being imprisoned in Fort Santiago and because little Z has visited that same place a year ago we searched for his picture there.  I showed him the footsteps of Rizal from his prison cell all the way to Luneta where he was shot.  He was delighted that he had a picture of himself walking on those same footprints.

Z walking on Rizal's footprints at Fort Santiago

Of course, after that I had to show him a picture of Rizal being shot by firing squad and we even watched a video of the World War II.  Geez, I really don’t know when to stop, do I?  Now my five year old knows more than he needs to know!

What’s Inside Your Grocery Cart?...

I was so amused when I read this comment yesterday.  I made a post about our grocery shopping habits a couple of months back and someone left a comment just yesterday in response to my post.  He (yes, he’s a daddy) narrated in detail what’s inside his grocery cart.  If you haven’t noticed I’m a person who loves details – the smallest and insignificant the detail is, the better!  I just love knowing a person through those little details which I probably got from reading Sherlock Holmes’ books when I was a teenager.

Anyway, so if you’re like me and you’re curious at what others are putting in their grocery carts well here’s what one of my readers had to say:

“I do prefer buying 2 pcs whole chicken, 2kilos ground beef, 2 kilos liempo, 1 kilo chubbycheese hotdogs, pampangas best tocino, skinless longganisa, longgadog, then i buy chicha for kids 10 pcs any… and i’d buy 3 boxes of zesto and cheesecake para sa extra baon ng bata..sabon, shampoo, detergents, i think wala pa ko sa 4,000 nyan. but i do the grocery twice a month.”

I love how he enumerated it all even to the number of kilos he buy for each and the number of pieces of chichirya for his kids.  Now because he was kind enough to post this on our next grocery shopping I will definitely be on the lookout for the longgadog because we haven’t tried that.  Is that like the one in Jollibee breakfast meal the hotdog that looks like a longganisa?  I wish I knew what brand that was.

If you think that’s detailed enough well, he was not done yet because he added this second comment.

“i have forgotten the noodles pancitcanton, beef, chicken, and also de lata 12 pcs. bluebaytuna hotnspicy/Fresca Tuna, 8 pcs 777sardines/green and red and 6 pcs lig0 cornedbeef.”

So now this comment got me curious with the bluebay tuna because we have never tried those too.  So  now you might have an idea why I love details.  We get to learn a lot from those tidbits we learn from other people.

So I would like to thank the person who left that comment for that delightful insight to what’s inside his grocery cart.  Too bad he didn’t leave a link.

Granite Sinks...

We have the ordinary stainless sink in our home.  I like that it’s easy to clean but I have to admit that the look gets pretty much boring most of the time.  That’s why every time I see a beautiful granite sink when I’m out I always pause to admire it.  I really wish we can afford one of those lovely granite sinks in the future.

I’ve been looking particularly at MT Direct sinks and I really think they are a reliable brand of kitchen sinks considering they are better business bureau accredited. Buying this kind of sink is a big investment because it’s more expensive than the stainless steel sinks that’s why it’s better if we get it from a reliable manufacturer.  That’s the first criteria that I would have in choosing a manufacturer.  Second is of course the price – although granite sinks are more expensive they do offer competitive prices that’s why I’m really leaning towards them.  Although I want to beautify our home I would not pay more than I should have that’s why it’s always better to research first before making a big purchase.

A Trip to the Dentist...

Z took a break from playing with his toy cars and admiring body kits on the road and went to the dentist last Friday. We have visited the dentist a couple of times to familiarize him but this was the first time something was actually done on his poor teeth. We were always hesitant because we’re afraid that he would scream loudly and the dentist won’t be able to finish the procedure but this dentist was quick and before Z knew what was going on she was able to drill holes on his four teeth and filled it with teeth fillings.

Poor Z!

As if that wasn’t stressful enough the dentist lost no time and started the procedure on extracting one front tooth.  Z wasn’t able to do anything when she stuck the needle into his gums.  When the he finally felt the pain he tried to cry out but it was too late as the dentist already had a firm grip on him. LOL!  I was shocked too that the dentist was able to do so many things in such a short span of time.  His Dad, who arrived a few minutes later, was also shocked at what happened to his beloved boy.  We really baby him too much but it turned out we had nothing to worry about as he was able to successfully complete the procedures and bear the pain.