At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

Travelogue: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

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I don’t remember if it was in late December or early January that I asked my dad if he would be interested in a CNY long weekend family vacation. Now that MrC is working again, I want to really be able to make the most out of long weekends, hence the proposal. It actually works for everyone else, too, because we’re all older and working now. It’s usually my dad who has to adjust his schedule, since his rotation at the hospital varies. Luckily, he agreed, and was able to switch his shifts around. And so, last Friday, we were off on a trip up north to Bataan!

Like I said before, the boys and I visited Las Casas last year for my sis-in-law’s prenup photo shoot, but I never got to blog about our stay. I’m making up for that now.

 

The long road to Bataan [Read more…] about Travelogue: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

28 Grateful Days: Feeling the Birthday Vibe

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In 21 days, I will stop being 30 and officially turn into a 30-something year old.

Celebrating Me-day in 2010
Celebrating Me-day in 2010

Birthdays are a huge deal in our family, and to be honest, this year’s birth month has not failed me yet as far as awesomeness goes. The first of the month found us in the gorgeous Las Casas in Bataan, and day two was family-fun-filled too. Yesterday, I received a box of happiness from Boracay, courtesy of my brother’s girlfriend – Six calamansi muffins from Real Coffee, something I’d been craving for, for a while now. Today, one of my favorite restaurants, Yabu, sent me an early present – a gift certificate for a free katsu set that I can claim any time within February. Amazeballs. [Read more…] about 28 Grateful Days: Feeling the Birthday Vibe

San Fernando Stopover: Everybody’s Cafe

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I believe that every good road trip needs to have at least one good food stopover. Our latest family trip was a north-bound one, which meant that we got to pass through Pampanga, which is said to be a Filipino foodie’s happy place. And when you’re in search of good local food in the city of San Fernando, you go to Everybody’s Cafe.

We’re at Everybody’s Cafe!

#OOTD [Read more…] about San Fernando Stopover: Everybody’s Cafe

Back in Las Casas, and This Time I’m Blogging About It!

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I first visited Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar last summer, when my sister-in-law invited us to join them for a quick stay on the weekend of their prenup photo shoot. Me being me, I never got around to blogging about our actual stay. I’ve been trying to figure out how and when I can write about that trip, since it was too long ago to actually be relevant. Luckily, my dad treated our whole family to an amazing 3-day stay at Las Casas for the Chinese New Year weekend (THANK YOU, DADDY!!!), and yes I plan on blogging about it this time! Yay! The best part about it is I get to use photos from both trips. Double yay!

Here’s a sneak peek, while I get my new batch of photos together. 🙂

Las Casas 2013 Trip
Las Casas 2014 Trip

What did you guys do over Chinese New Year weekend? 🙂

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I’ve Been Taken Over By E-Books and Virtual Bookshelves

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I once said (forcefully, I might add), that I would never go for e-books, that I would only read books made out of real paper. I found myself eating those words when MrC got me a Kindle for Mother’s Day two years ago. Honestly, I have never been happier. I have so many books stored in this single device! I no longer need to worry about pages getting ripped or folded in my bag. It’s light, easy to carry, and ever so convenient. I am completely hooked. Oh how amazing it would have been if I had one of these back in the day when Sweet Valley was an obsession!

Yes, I have always loved reading, but for the most part, I’m a fiction reader. I am challenging myself to read classics and more non-fiction this year, and so I have been filling my virtual bookshelf with both. I also started on a Good Reads reading challenge, and I’ve committed to reading 24 books in 2014. To tell you the truth, I’m a little behind on my reading. January is ending, and I’m not done with my first book yet. But I know I can catch up. [Read more…] about I’ve Been Taken Over By E-Books and Virtual Bookshelves

When Should You Start Giving Your Kid An Allowance?

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After picking up my son from school today, I literally parked the car, sent him to the bathroom to take a shower and sat down at my computer. You see, something’s bothering me, something urgent. Not life-threatening or world-moving urgent, but definitely mommy urgent. I need your advice.

My son asked his friend to buy him an ice cream cone

When I got to school, the kiddo was at the pickup area eating an ice cream cone. Some of his classmates get sent money when they go to school, and they like to go to the cafeteria after class to get snacks. I know this because there have been a couple of times in the past when my son told me that his friend bought him a treat.

Thing is, my son doesn’t have an allowance just yet. MrC and I talked about it, and we decided together that we can give him small amounts of money when he asks, but not a regular weekly allowance. In the beginning, I thought it might be a good idea to give him maybe a hundred Pesos at the start of each week and see how it goes from there. When we discussed, though, MrC pointed out that the kid gets a packed lunch and recess too, and that it might be a little too much to send him money regularly. So we agreed to only give him cash if and when he asked. Which he never did.

I asked if his classmate offered to treat him, or if he asked for money to buy the ice cream. Unfortunately, he asked. He said that he just really wanted to buy ice cream. I told him that he should have asked me for money this morning, and that I would have given it to him if he asked.

But wait, there’s more [Read more…] about When Should You Start Giving Your Kid An Allowance?