Events & Parties

After Ivan’s McDonald’s Party last Sunday, we made a quick trip home to freshen up, then went straight over to Alabang Country Club for Sophia’s 7th birthday celebration. The little guy was very excited about having two parties to attend, and he was really looking forward to spending time with his classmates outside school. That’s why Mr C and I really cleared our schedule last weekend to be able to accommodate both of our little boy’s scheduled events. What a busy 6-year this one is!

Sophia’s party was ballerina themed, and everything was pink and white and just lovely. Oh the joys of having a little girl! Every time I attend events like this one, I thank my lucky stars that my kid is a boy. Had I given birth to a girl, I can’t even begin to imagine all the stuff I’d want to buy, from clothes to accessories, toys, school stuff, decor, EVERYTHING pink, purple, glittery and pretty! So yeah, thank goodness I have a little boy!

We were one of the first among the school people to arrive at the party, and Sophia and her mom greeted us right when we got there. Her mom is such a cheerful, fun person. I totally love her already! Once we were seated and some of the other kids arrived, the party host came in and started the party off with some games.

There’s the birthday girl in her cute pink and white polka dotted dress.

Goofing off while the kids were dancing in front.

The host asked the kids to get one of their parents, and the little boy chose his daddy LOL!

It’s a good thing the game was really simple. It was sort of like a treasure hunt where you were to bring everything you own that’s color purple. I have so many purple things in my bag! Everything from my wallet, card holder, hairbrush, even my driver’s license case is purple!

This is Mr C’s “We’re so gonna win this game” look.

Thought I was off the hook until the moms were called for another game. I had to dance. Twice. Haha! It was fun.

The party lasted until past sunset. Everyone was just enjoying the games, magic show and puppet show that were part of the program, and of course the yummy buffet prepared by the club. Before the party ended, there was a nice slideshow of photos of Sophia from birth growing up, and she also performed two ballet numbers. So cute! Oh, if I had a little girl…

More games!

Puppet show, then pabitin!

We had a blast! Thanks to the Matsuo family for inviting us! I really hope all the kids can join us when we celebrate my little boy’s 7th birthday next year.

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

You’ll know that the holidays are fast approaching when notice your schedule getting filled up with parties. One annual holiday reunion that I look forward to is a pre-Christmas dinner with my high school friends. We started this tradition in college, so that we were sure to spend at least one day out of the year together to catch up on each others’ lives. We made it a point to really free up our schedules  over the years for this one important evening, and so we’ve managed to keep it going for the last 12 years.

With all the other parties, entertaining in our own homes, plus the gifts and giveaways we spend for each Christmas, my girlfriends and I decided we should make our celebrations as budget-friendly as we possibly could. We’ve just started planning this year’s get-together, and it’s going to be another pocket-friendly holiday potluck. Here are some budget saving party tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years that we’re definitely doing again this year.

Organize a dinner at someone’s home and make it a potluck!
Choosing to have a potluck party in someone’s house is definitely cheaper than dining out, specially for groups of families. In our case, a bunch of us are already married with children, which means we would have to pay for three heads instead of one at a buffet, or choose to order three dishes if we go ala carte. On the other hand, having a potluck lunch or dinner means you only need to prepare a dish or two. At the same time, it doesn’t put too much stress on the host of the affair, since everyone pitches in for food.  You can have a lot of fun with your food this way because you can choose to theme your entrees, like maybe having a Mexican or Italian feast, or traditional holiday fare.

Plus, potlucks are always fun because they give you a chance to share your showstopping recipes with others. It’s also an opportunity to try your friends’ specialties, and maybe pick up a recipe or two while you’re at it. This year, I will be bringing chicken ala king, a dish that my father-in-law taught me to prepare. The nice thing about this is you can just serve everything in a nice dish, or you can choose to go a little more fancy by getting pastry shells for everyone. I usually get pastry shells from French Baker. They’re the best!

Making this for our potluck in December

If your group of friends aren’t really fond of cooking, opt to have food delivered, or find an inexpensive catering service. Many restaurants offer group meals these days. We actually opted to do this on one year that we were lazy to cook. We ordered a huge family-style Chinese feast and just split the bill.

Kris Kringle and Secret Santa
No holiday get-together is complete without presents. One way to spend less on presents is to set up a Kris Kringle activity for your event. You can now do this online through websites like Secret Santa, so your exchange gift is more personalized, and you don’t need to worry about getting together beforehand to draw names. It also adds a fun highlight to your celebration when everyone starts opening the presents they receive.

Also, if you are hosting the dinner and want to give individual presents, why not make them “hardworking?” Use your gifts as place markers for your guests. Or you can also arrange the gifts into a nice centerpiece to create a nice accent on the dinner table. At a recent event, I saw small, colorful food keepers used as vases for floral arrangements, and then after the party, guests could take home the flowers as well as the nice food keepers. Great idea, right?

There are so many ways to save money while entertaining over the holidays. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you have fun and that you get to reunite with friends and family. Spending less while spending quality time with those you love, that’s a winning combination for the holiday season!

Annual potluck with the girls through the years. One of the highlights of my holidays for over a decade.

What are your money saving holiday party tips? I’d love to hear from you!

Discover more ways you can save during the holidays by checking out the other Spend-Less Christmas Carnival participants!

• Domesticated Goddess
• The Learning Basket
• Apple’s World
• A WAHMs Life
• Changing Nappies in High Heels
• Savvy Saving Couple
• Kids Party Hub
• My Life in Letters
• Super Mommy Wannabe
• The Frugal Fil-Am
• Henry’s Mom
• Roller Coaster Ride
• Saved By the Miracle of Baked Mac
• Mommy Journey
• City Girl, Country Home
• Ate Maui
• The World is Our Classroom
• Lique’s Antics
• Mommy Bares All
• Consumer Queen
• Truly Rich Mom
• Dainty Mom
• Saving Well, Spending Less
• Mrs C’s Sugarcoated Life – that’s me!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

… and I am a happy little mommy! Mr C got me the loveliest dress to wear to my friend Jonnah’s wedding this December! Yay! I’ll post a photo of myself wearing it when I actually wear it, but just so you see what it looks like, here’s a photo from the Erzullie Multiply Store.

Love, love, love this dress to bits!!!

ERZULLIE
http://erzullie.wix.com/shop
erzullie@yahoo.com
@erzullie on Twitter
Like I said on Twitter, where has this store been all my life??? I was born chunky, and being plus size is not something I see as a negative trait. So I really get excited whenever I find plus size shops that don’t sell clothes that look like they were tailored for your great-aunt or a very old school principal. Erzullie’s pieces are the complete opposite of the drab and often tacky plus size clothes you usually see in the mall. They have pieces that are fierce and fashion forward, and others that are dainty and classic. I just love them right now! (Isn’t it obvious?) And the prices are reasonable too! I’m browsing their online catalog as I write this. I kid you not. And you guys should to if you are a pretty plus-size girlie.

Anyway, moving on…

So my boys and I were at the Global Pinoy Bazaar earlier. I was given three passes by the wonderful people of Yabang Pinoy because I took part in their MayOPM Twitter/Facebook activity with amazing zest and gusto. One great thing about this bazaar is the merchants actually sell their products at special discounted prices. So if you have the cash to spend, go ahead and buy stuff while you’re there. But if you’re like me who is still waiting for her cash to come in, pick up their flyers and business cards for later, because most of them have online stores.

These were my favorite booths (apart from Erzullie, yes I just had to mention them again!):

www.kapemaria.tumblr.com

We are big coffee drinkers in our family, and recently Mr C and I have shifted to buying locally grown beans instead of our former spoiled Starbucks beans purchases. Our daily brew is usually from 18 Days Coffee. At the bazaar, we got to try Kape Maria’s Calauit branch, and it was really good. The beans are affordable and would make good gifts to coffee fanatics. And it’s always nice when you buy local, giving more business to our farmers in the provinces.

As you see in the photo, this stall gets the Finn Thumbs-Up Seal of Approval from the little guy!

SHOPINAS.COM
www.shopinas.com
support@shopinas.com
This stall sells PBA-issued jerseys of oldschool teams and players. They had Jaworski, Lim, Patrimonio and lots more. The guy Mr C spoke to said that they were even going to come out with Crispa jerseys soon. These are great gifts for Pinoys in the US.

Oldschool San Miguel and Purefoods jersies.

LOTUS BLOOM HANDCRAFTED SOAPS
www.lotusbloomsoaps.weebly.comP
#/lotusbloomsoaps
Because my little boy and I both have sensitive skin, we really choose to use soaps made from natural ingredients. Two things I like about Lotus Bloom Soaps – the bars are bigger than the other handmade soaps you usually see, and they smell so good. They even had dishes of natural lavender and chamomile at their booth next to the soaps of the same scents.

Their soaps are packaged nicely in boxes. These are great gift ideas too!

At the same booth, there were Planet Noah Oasis products on display. I tried their Soothing VoCo cream on my problematic eczema and it really kept the itch away the entire afternoon. Amazing! I did some research and found Planet Noah on Multiply. I’m really interested to find out more about them.

Oasis Baby Oil and Oasis Soothing VoCo Cream

MESSY BESSY
www.messybessy.com
+63917 5607871
messybessyinfo@gmail.com
http://messybessy.multiply.com
This is a brand that I’ve been seeing everywhere – in all the bazaars, weekend markets, Rustan’s Flower Shop, Sesou Nature Source, and in various other shops. I love how Messy Bessy is safe for kids and safe for pets, and how everything just smells so clean and fresh. They have great gift sets for the holidays too. Plus the staff at their booth are so cheerful and accommodating. They’re the first booth you’ll see to your left when you enter the Rockwell Tent. There’s a big chance I’ll be purchasing some stuff from them to give away this Christmas through their online store.

All smiles at the Messy Bessy booth!

FROSTED DESSERTS
+63926 7397377
frosteddesserts.ph@gmail.com
#/frosteddessertsph
@frostedph on Twitter
We sampled the Bibingka Cupcake and everything about it was good. Even the buttery icing. And this is big for me because I don’t really like butter. I don’t even butter my toast or my pancakes. So there. I’m a sucker for cupcakes, and these ones are really good. Too bad they’re so far away, they are based in UP Teacher’s Village in Quezon City. But they said they can deliver to Alabang, so yay!

This one gets the Finn Thumbs Up Seal of Approval too!

YABANG PINOY
www.yabangpinoy.com
sales@yabangpinoy.com
#/yabangpinoy
@yabangpinoy on Twitter
I can think of a number of our relatives in the US who would love to own these shirts. The designs are unique and witty, and unlike the ones you usually see in Greenhills or other bazaars. This group is doing a fabulous job at promoting anything and everything Filipino. Their dedication is amazing, and I’m happy I am able to support them in my own little ways.

Great shirts promoting everything Filipino

I’m glad we made the trip to Rockwell to check out the Global Pinoy Bazaar. I usually just go to the ones in Ayala Alabang since they are closer don’t charge entrance fees. But this bazaar was really worth the effort of crossing the highway for (we’re really south people), and I’m happy we chose to go. Looking forward to the next one, and to the coming Yabang Pinoy projects!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

Since Mr C wasn’t able to go trick or treating with us, we decided to pass by Westgate Center in Filinvest for more Halloween fun after picking him up from work. When we arrived, there were a lot of kids standing in line for loot bags and at the photo booth area, and even more participating in the games. I was glad to see the place full since I really love going to Westgate, and I know how much work the Marketing Team puts into their activities.

We got there with just enough time for TLC to join some games before we had dinner. There were quick Q & A and simple trivia games, and a girls versus boys game where the kids acted out a scene dictated by the host, and a dance-off.

It was so nice seeing TLC interacting with the other kids. I forget sometimes that he’s almost 7 years old, and I get blown away at how much he’s grown and matured. My mom tells me that I now understand how she feels, that your kids will always be your babies no matter how old they are.

Boys vs Girls!

Acting out a scene from a cartoon. I think they are supposed to be animals.

Planning their next scene

Zombies!

Explaining what their group did

The boys win!

Spooky pose!

Halloween at Westgate is always fun. We’ll definitely visit again next year. They also have a lot of great activities coming up this November and December in time for the holidays. If you’re on the look out for a nice place to have dinner and enjoy the cool Christmas air while listening to great music, you might want to drop by Westgate for Sessions @ the Cul de Sac on Wednesdays and Fridays of November. We’re definitely going to the Cooky Chua / Color It Red show, so if you stop by, come and say hi!

Sessions @ Westgate Center Cul de Sac

After the activity, had dinner at Tokyo Bubble Tea, which opened in Westgate a few weeks ago. Yum, yum! You’ll be able to read about our first time there real soon. I hope you’re all enjoying the long weekend. We sure are!

Mr C and Me! LSP and Jake the Dog!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

Celebrated my birthday the best way I know how, at a bar gig with one of my favorite bands on Earth.

When I found out that Razorback would be playing in SanMig Alabang, I asked the husband and best man to reserve a table for us right away. My brother and his girlfriend joined us as well, along with a couple of my best friends.

As I’d expected, the night turned out to be a reunion of sorts, and I’m really happy I got to spend time with some good friends whom I’d not seen in a while.

With my best friend in the whole world!

Me and the only remaining 28 year old in our group.

Pao, Mars, Me – Together in rakenrol since 2004!

A lot of people get surprised when they find out that I actually have some friends in the music scene. I had the privilege of meeting most of them at my first job, where I learned the ins and outs of organizing concerts and music events. I have such fond memories of those days, and I’m happy and proud to say that I worked with the best. I learned from some of the greatest in the industry.

Mr C and I with Kevin Roy

With my former big boss, and the best bassist in Manila, Louie Talan

I totally enjoyed the show, and I’m glad that Razorback played my faves Nakaturo Sa’yo and Diwata. Bonus feature, my forever crush Basti Artadi sang a few songs too, so I got to play fangirl for a night.

Mr C!

Not looking at the cam hehehe!

Wolfgang + Razorback

Of course I had to get everything on video

Razorback, still as good as I remember!

Highlight of the evening – I actually dared Mari to take a photo of Basti holding up a sign that says HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATTY if he happened to be at the gig. Didn’t think she’d actually do it (with a little help from Pao and Mr C)!

I’m still unable to act like a grownup in front of this guy hahaha!

I totally missed this. Thanks, guys, for a fun birthday!