MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan

Homemade Air Fresheners

May 21, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 8 Comments

If there’s one thing I am certain about myself it’s that I can live in a messy place, but not in a stinky one. Because of this, I actually end up spending a lot on commercial room scents and deodorizers. The ones I choose are quite pricey too, because I find that the cheaper ones smell like buses and bathrooms, and I don’t like them much.

So, a few days ago as I was blog hopping, I found this great tutorial for homemade air fresheners by Sharon on the Make It Or Fix It Yourself blog. The best part about it was that you only needed two basic things – baking soda and fragrance oil or essential oil, both of which I have at home. Yay!

The World I Want For My Little Boy

May 20, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Ever since I became a mom, my concern for the future of our world has grown a lot. I now try to keep myself updated on current events, understanding them and knowing what is going on and how they affect us. I pay attention to the leaders that we choose for our nation, and I’ve made sure to vote for those whom I really believe in. We also have been trying to be as eco-friendly as we can be at home, and we continue to try to learn about how else we can help preserve the environment.

It’s enough for me that I do my part, no matter how big or small. But when I found out that the UN was giving us an an opportunity for our voices to be heard, for us to make a stand on what we feel global leaders ought to prioritize in the coming years, I jumped right at it. Finally, an opportunity opened up for my little voice to become a part of the big picture.

The World We Want is a project of the United Nations, which in a nutshell, is a global survey that they are running, through online and offline methods, among people all over the world whom they would not otherwise reach. People are to vote on which 6 among 16 issues they think would make the most difference in their lives. Now, citizens of all ages, races, and backgrounds the world over can express their needs and wants to people who will actually listen.

The process is simple. All you have to do is visit this link and vote for the issues that you feel our world leaders should focus on for our future, and the future of our children. Here are the issues that I voted for.

Here's are the things that I believe we need for the bright future. — Here’s are the things that I believe we need for the bright future.

My vote may only be one among millions, but at least I know that by choosing the issues that I believe need to be addressed, I will be able to somewhat make the future brighter for my family, and more importantly for my son.

Go and make your voices heard. Visit My World now and vote. if you would like to know more about this movement, visit and like the World We Want Philippines Facebook Page. I’d love to know what you guys voted for, and if we share the same opinion on which issues matter, especially for us here in the Philippines.

MrC’s Amazing Homemade Italian Birthday Feast

May 19, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Just so you know, this post is really just me patting myself on the back.

For MrC’s birthday dinner, his one request was chicken parmigiana. This is something I’d never made before, so I turned to the Food Network for help and inspiration. I also had to look for a pasta dish to go with the chicken. I wanted to go with something light and that wasn’t too saucy and not too tasty.

I ended up choosing two recipes by Giada de Laurentiis. I thank God that I love watching cooking shows so much so I knew exactly where to go to find recipes! I of course failed to take proper photos like I always do. I posted these on my Instagram right before the dishes were devoured.

IMG_20130516_202151 — Tricolore Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Lemon

IMG_20130516_202454 — The Main Event: Chicken Parmesan

The pasta was based on this linguine recipe. I made some changes though, to suit my taste. I chose not to include lemon zest in the sauce, and I also used fusilli instead of linguine, as requested by the birthday boy. I also tossed everything in olive oil and garlic instead of just mixing the sauce into the hot noodles. Pasta needs to have garlic, as far as I’m concerned.

I did the chicken recipe exactly as it was written. I even made the tomato sauce myself. I got too lazy to blend the sauce after it was cooked though, so I ended up with a chunky tomato sauce, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The recipe makes a big batch of sauce and I actually still have some in the freezer. I’m planning to add Italian sausage and meatballs into the leftover sauce and serve it with noodles. Yum.

The meal was a total hit, and I now wish I had taken better photos because these just don’t do them justice. Oh well. There’s always a next time. I’ve already promised to make this for my next get together with the girls.

Do you have a show-stopping Italian dish that you make at home?

Four Things I Miss From When I Was Growing Up

May 17, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

It might be because I just turned 30, but I’ve been feeling extra sentimental lately. I noticed how much our house has changed over the years, and all of a sudden I got to thinking about the little things that I miss about it from when I was younger. This house was a great home for my siblings and I to grow up in. Oh how I wish I could bring back some of these old stuff so that my son can experience them too.

Family Computer / SNES / Playstation

We love our video games. I think the best part about having gaming consoles at home was having a brother to play with. I seriously play video games like a boy, and I take pride in that. My brother and I were partners in Contra and Donkey Kong, tag team partners in WWF, and enemies in Mortal Kombat, Mario Kart, Tekken and Medal of Honor. We would eagerly wait for the other player to die in Super Mario 1 and 3 and Super Mario World, Adventure Island and Ice Climber.

I tried playing video games recently, but the games now aren’t the same as those we had as kids. Or maybe it’s just the feeling of gaming nostalgia that I long for. We no longer have a gaming console at home, but you can be sure that I’ll set one up when we have our own house. You guys are welcome to challenge me to a game of your choosing. Lol. [Read more…] about Four Things I Miss From When I Was Growing Up

Five Things I Love About Being Married to MrC

May 16, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Forgive the cheese. It’s my husbandry’s birthday today, and I just thought I’d post the list of things that I appreciate most about having him as a husband. In case you didn’t know, he and I have been together since high school. Yup, that long. This is the 14th year that we are celebrating his together, and to be perfectly honest, I’ve run out of gift ideas hahaha. This post is a sort-of gift to MrC. Appreciation in the form of words.

So here are the five things I love about being married to MrC.

1. He makes me coffee every morning.

I am well aware that morning coffee is usually the wife’s responsibility, but since MrC is very particular about his coffee, he usually takes care of preparing our morning pot every day. That’s an absolutely wonderful thing for me since I have a hard time functioning early in the day. He knows exactly how I like my coffee prepared, and on mornings when we are out of beans at home, he knows exactly what to get for me from the nearest coffee shop. Sometimes he even comes home with pastries! These are simple joys that help start my day right, and I absolutely love him for it.

Kid In A Toy Store

May 11, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

A few days before my kiddo’s 7th birthday, I won Toy Kingdom gift certificates from Breeze Philippines. Super giant YAY!

BreezePh BreezePh on Twitter — I almost never win anything, so this was just amazing!

The day that the gift cards arrived at our house, I asked Little MrC to think about what he wanted to get. He had his mind set on some Hexbugs and a new Hexbug Arena, plus whatever else he’d find interesting at the store. I wanted to get a board game too, but he actually received a lot of those as presents during his birthday party.

We were finally able to go on our shopping spree last Monday at MOA, after our passport renewal appointment at the DFA. We had lunch first at Holy Cow, which was pretty good and not too expensive. After that we headed to Toy Kingdom. I only had my camera phone with me so all of these photos are actually from my Instagram.

IMG_20130507_123810 — Yeah, Toy Kingdom!

IMG_20130507_124053 — He got a whole bag of goodies that day

IMG_20130507_140202 — We ended up buying a Hexbug Arena, Ninja Turtle Raphael gear, Word Factory (which was my request heehee) and a Hexbug Warrior

IMG_20130507_140811 — Trying on his Ninja Turtle stuff

We actually didn’t spend all of the gift cards yet, because he was already satisfied with his loot for the day. That means there will be more shopping in the near future, something we both can look forward to.

Thanks so much, Breeze, for giving me the ability to treat my son to a fabulous birthday shopping spree!