At Home With MrsC

Our Unexpected Easter Staycation at St Luke’s Medical Center

April 2, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

Our family celebrated Easter weekend with an unexpected staycation at St Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City. We had to rush to the ER at 1:00 AM on Black Saturday due to intense swelling and numbness in the little boy’s left hand. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen my play-by-play photos from right before we left for the ER until we finally were discharged three days later.

The swelling actually started on Thursday morning, while we were in Fishville. It was his right pinkie finger that started to balloon first, and on the first day he said it was really painful. Thank goodness for my doctor dad who told us what to do and what medicines to make Little MrC take while we were at the beach. That day, MrC and I went home ahead of the rest of the family because it was my girly time of the month and I was already uncomfortable to the point of crankiness. The little guy stayed behind with his grandparents and my siblings.

We originally suspected it to be a bug bite on his finger that was causing the swelling. He is allergic to mosquito bites, and gets really huge, nasty red spots each time he gets bitten. Friday morning, dad posted this photo on Facebook. See how puffy the little guy’s fingers were?

Baguio Birthday Weekend: La Trinidad’s Strawberry Fields

March 27, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

Cue Beatles music! Let me take you down coz we’re going to… Yes, I know, I’m corny.

The boys and I visited the Strawberry Fields at La Trinidad, Beguet on the second day of our Baguio weekend escape. We went while the rest of Baguio City was still at Session Road for the float parade, and so there weren’t that many people during our visit. I read that it can get really crowded so we planned our schedule well, and I am really happy we did that.

LaTrinidad-19 — Welcome to the Strawberry Fields!

When we got there, the first thing I noticed as soon as I got out of the car was that I could smell the strawberries from the parking lot. I kid you not. When we approached the closest stall, I wasn’t surprised at how yummy the whole place smelled. The strawberries were super red, super big and super ripe. Just thinking about them now makes my mouth water.

After seeing those boxes of strawberries, we got even more excited about picking our own. And so, we were realy disappointed when the first person we asked informed us that strawberry picking would cost us Php400 per person. That’s Php1,200 for the three of us. That included only a kilo of strawberries in our baskets, and we’d have to pay extra if we get more than one kilo’s worth. Ouch right? So we backed away from this stall and started to walk around.

My biggest concern was how I would explain to Little Mr C that we could only walk in the fields and not pick our own berries. He was super excited, and I knew that he would be disappointed for sure. It’s a good thing Mr C thought to ask someone else for the strawberry picking rates. The second person told us that the group rate Php350, and that included a kilo of strawberries. So yay, off we went to the middle of the field with our little baskets!

LaTrinidad-2 — Little Mr C leading the way!

LaTrinidad-1 — We were blessed with good weather that morning, with just the right amount of fog so it was nice and cool.

When we finally arrived at our little patch of strawberries, our guide explained how to properly pick them. You apparently should twist the stem and not pull. If the stem breaks off easily then they are sure to be nice and sweet. Of course, the little guy asked if he could taste one as soon as he successfully plucked one out of the ground. Our guide explained to him that the berries needed to be washed first before they can be eaten because they’ve been exposed to dirt and bugs.

LaTrinidad-4 — My whole outfit, except for the sneakers and the bag, was sponsored by my in-laws. They always send me nice clothes from the US. 🙂

LaTrinidad-10 — See my super full basket? I really made an effort to collect as many as I could!

LaTrinidad-8 — Getting some help from Ate.

LaTrinidad-9 — Yay for two full baskets!

On our way back to the selling area, I noticed that you can also pick lettuce. Our guide told us that we could even pick flowers if we wanted to, but we decided we’d try doing that another time. It was close to noon and we were starting to get hungry.

We ended up paying a little over Php600 for our 2++ kilos of strawberries and that super fun experience. Super worth it, if you ask me. After we paid, we checked out the stalls around the area. They were selling basically the same things you would find in Minesview and in the market – brooms, knitted and crocheted stuff, and those icky frog wallets, among other things.

I wanted to make the most out of our experience, and that included trying all the strawberry flavored stuff they were selling. It was quite uncharacteristic of me to have my kid eat taho (super sort tofu with syrup and tapioca pearls) and sorbetes (ice cream, usually sold on the street and also known as dirty ice cream) because he and I have sensitive stomachs. The yummy experience is usually not worth the risk. Maybe it was the fog, but somehow my usual precautions were thrown to the wind that day, and the three of us happily enjoyed strawberry flavored taho and ice cream. Of course, when my dad saw our photos afterwards, he just had to point out that we didn’t get sick from the unknown/possibly unfiltered/unfamiliar Baguio water that they used.

LaTrinidad-14 — The happy, hyper vendors of La Trinidad.

LaTrinidad-13 — Strawberry flavored sorbetes, aka dirty ice cream.

LaTrinidad-12 — He thinks it’s super yummy!

We made one last round of the fruit and vegetable stalls after our snack. I really wanted to buy veggies to bring home, but since we would be staying in Baguio for another full day, I was worried that they might wilt. We did buy a couple of bags of oranges from one stall. We just couldn’t say no because they were so sweet and juicy!

LaTrinidad-17 — Lots of fresh veggies for sale.

There was one last thing I just had to do in La Trinidad, something I did during my last visit, and that I had been dreaming about since then. Take note that my last visit was in 2005. Lol. I just had to have some sweet corn! It’s still the best sweet corn I’ve ever had, but honestly, I don’t know if it really is that good, or if it just tastes extra yummy bundled with our great La Trinidad experience.

If you find yourself visiting Baguio anytime soon, do plan a trip to La Trinidad. It’s only a few minutes away from the city by car, and you’re guaranteed a really fun time, specially if you’re headed there with kids.

2013 WAHM Goals Self-Audit – Q1

March 25, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 3 Comments

After I attended the WAHMderful Life workshop last January, I made a list of the things I learned. I promised myself that I would use those lessons well, and in effect, they also became my WAHM goals for the year. March is coming to a close, and with it, the first quarter of 2013 is ending too. I thought this would be a good time to do a self-check on my progress with those goals.

WAHM GOAL #1: Save Money

I committed to make a conscious effort to save after learning at the workshop that savings should be deliberate. The good news is, I’ve actually become more aware of my spending, and I’ve learned to keep tabs on money that comes in and out of our bank account. We’ve also started plotting a budget for our small family, but of course, a lot of it will change later on once we have a place of our own. I’ve become more conscious of due dates for my monthly bills, and I actually set aside money for them now using the envelope system. Yes, that actually works for me.

The bad news is that, while I do have a little bit of extra money now compared to last year because of my new found budget awareness, I’ve yet to put some aside in a place where I’m certain not to touch them. Money has been tight the past few months, and so I’m a little bit afraid of not having that extra amount in our revolving fund, even though I know that I’m better off transferring them to a savings account. I know I should, and I promise to do so once our finances are more stable. But for now, I promise not to touch the extra cash unless it’s for a real emergency.

WAHM GOAL #2: Learn More

While I haven’t gone and enrolled in any classes or workshops since the WAHMderful Life, I have been doing a lot of reading, and through this, I have managed to teach myself a few things. I try to pick up SEO or blogging tools online whenever I can, and just recently, I’ve signed up for MailChimp, and I plan to figure out how to setup an email newsletter for this blog. I’ve been learning new recipes too, mostly from browsing the internet and from watching the Food Network. I’ve taken my yarn stash and crochet hooks out of storage, and am learning new designs and experimenting with new patterns. Through my own efforts, I do learn a little more each day. Eventually, I will take classes and join more workshops too. But yes, I can put a great big check in the Q1 box for the achievement of my goal to learn more.

WAHM GOAL #3: Stick to a Schedule

I think I’ve been doing pretty well at keeping procrastination at bay over the last few months. I’ve even cut down on video game time in a major way. I have also started preparing early and leaving early when I have to be somewhere, so I’ve been on time or early for most of my appointments. This is a big deal for me because I am one of those people who are always late. Ask any of my former office mates. I’ve been suspended due to tardiness a number of times before. So, yes, the fact that I am on time more often is really a big deal. I also can now squeeze more things into my day, meaning I have less idle time, and am generally more hardworking. Yay. I’m so proud of myself.

WAHM GOAL #4: Dream Big, and Always Aspire to Be Better

I’ve really surprised myself at how I’ve managed to make the last few months work for us. I’ve taken on more responsibilities at home, I’ve taken on bigger work projects, and I am learning to market my skills better too. I’ve finally started setting up my professional/portfolio website, something that is long overdue. I know I can do so many great things if I try hard enough. I had a small taste of that recently, when finally I had the opportunity to work with an agency that I love and admire. Of course I grabbed my chance, and really I hope that it was only the first of many projects we will do together.

Like I said in my blog post about the WAHMderful Life workshop, I am part of an amazing community, and that makes everything a million times better. I am so lucky I got to learn so much that day. I’m so lucky that I met all of those amazing moms and dads! Ever since then, things have been so different in such an amazing way.

So, I invite moms and dads and parents-to-be, whether you have a regular job or you work from home, or you’re planning to leave your day job to work from home, sign up for the next WAHMderful Life workshop. It’s happening on April 13 at Studio SnR in Ortigas, and will feature two breakout sessions – one for freelance writing and one for virtual assistance. Click here to register.

Visit Manila Workshops for more details about the WAHMderful Life Rerun.

Believe me when I tell you that it’s all worth it, and trust me when I say that you will not leave that venue empty-handed.

Moving Up Day and Little MrC’s DIY Munchkin Costume

March 21, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

My little boy has just concluded his last few days of Senior Prep. Just like last year, our whole family came to his moving up day. He is, after all, the one and only kid in our home, and so everyone gets excited whenever he has activities in school. The Senior Prep Moving Up Day theme this year was “Kids Premier”, and the children performed song and dance numbers from popular movie musicals.

Our class got Wizard of Oz as a them, and the boys and girls were all supposed to dress like Munchkins. One girl was also chosen to be Dorothy, and three other boys were the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion. I was actually happy that the little boy’s costume was simple enough to DIY. Some of the other parents from other classes had to have costumes made, like those with The King and I and Cats as their assigned movies.

Here’s our DIY Munchkin costume. My mom and I worked on it together. What do you guys think?

This was the peg that we were given, plus we were told to add big buttons.
Photo source: Family-Friendly Halloween Movie Countdown

Ta-da! What do you think?
Photo originally posted on Instagram

Baguio Birthday Weekend: Panagbenga at Hotel Elizabeth

March 19, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

A week after our Hotel H2O staycation, the boys and I headed up north to spend my birthday weekend in Baguio. Coincidentally, our trip also fell on the parade weekend of Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival, the annual fiesta of the city. I was excited to be in the City of Pines during their most festive season because I really had a great time at Panagbenga years ago, and also because the strawberries in Baguio are the plumpest, juiciest, and sweetest during this season.

We left for Baguio bright and early on a fine Saturday morning!

We had lunch as soon as we got to Bagiuo, and right after we proceeded to our hotel. We arrived a little after 2PM, just in time to check in. Unfortunately, we were advised by the front desk that the room we were supposed to stay in hadn’t been cleaned yet because the previous occupants were stuck in traffic and still weren’t able to check out. They apologized and served us coffee and juice at Cafe Flora, the hotel restaurant, while we waited. Luckily, since we were there during Panagbenga season, there was a lot going on at the hotel lobby and so we didn’t really mind waiting. They were showing movies on a wide screen at Cafe Flora, there was a cultural presentation at the lobby, and a design your own cupcake activity for the kids.

We finally got to check into our room at a little past 3PM. We booked a Deluxe Single Room through Agoda, and it was the perfect size for our small family. The room was fairly simple, but was really clean and smelled nice. Being that we were in Baguio, there was no airconditioning in the room, and instead we had a nice big window and a ceiling fan to keep us cool. I love that the three of us can still fit into one big bed. At the rate that our little MrC is growing though, it won’t be long until we’ll be forced to spend on an extra bed for him.

The Deluxe Single Room comes with the following basic amenities:

Queen-sized bed
21″ Cable television
Telephone
Ceiling Fan
Electronic safety deposit box
Vingcard/Electronic door locking system
Mini-bar refrigerator
Imported sheets
Covered duvet/comforter
Private toilet and bath with hot and cold shower
Hair dryer
Coffee / Tea maker

In the room

Before heading to the hotel, we had lunch at Cafe by the Ruins.

In the bathroom

Bathroom. Me in the mirror. Behind me is a closet.

Our room came with buffet breakfast for two at Cafe Flora on both days. We didn’t mind paying for an extra buffet coupon for the little boy since the price was super reasonable. They have a pretty good spread with rice and several viands, bread, pancakes, soup, salad, fresh fruits and cereal. They also offer juice and coffee with your meal. I wasn’t able to take photos of the buffet because there were a lot of people dining on both mornings and I didn’t want to be a bother.

Our first morning in Baguio was the day of the float parade along Session Road. I had absolutely no plans of braving the crowd at Session, and so I was really happy that the hotel was projecting a live feed of the parade on their big screen during breakfast.

Breakfast on our second day in Baguio. — Having breakfast while watching the parade.

MrC's breakfast plate. — MrC’s breakfast plate.

With a guitar made of flowers at the hotel lobby. — With a guitar made of flowers.

We took a few more photos of ourselves goofing around in the room before we head out to do what we planned that morning.

A week before our Baguio trip, we stayed overnight at Hotel H2O.

I think that the prettiest part of Hotel Elizabeth is the garden in front of the hotel. That and the small cluster of gazebos located out front as well. Everything looked so picturesque from the street that we had to take photos there after we checked out, before we set off on our long journey home.

View from the garden fronting the hotel.

Hotel Elizabeth-11 — We literally parked on the driveway just to take photos.

Hotel Elizabeth-12 — Thanks for a wonderful stay, Hotel Elizabeth!

+Points
+ Super helpful staff. They even gave me a map when I asked for directions.
+ Clean and comfortable room.
+ Good selection of breakfast items in the buffet.
+ Secure basement parking.
+ It’s on the quiet side of the city, so you really get to rest.

-Points
– I can’t think of any! I really enjoyed staying at this hotel. We’ll be back for sure.

Hotel Elizabeth Baguio
# 1 J. Felipe Street corner Gibraltar Road,
Baguio City
Phone: (074) 619-0367
Fax: (074) 442-3940
Central Reservation: (632) 912-2691 & 912-8000
Email: reservations@hotelelizabeth.com.ph
Tweet: @hotelelizabeth
www.hotelelizabeth.com.ph

Sleeping with the Fishes at Hotel H2O

March 17, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

Luca Brasi isn’t the only one who sleeps with the fishes. We’ve (literally) done that too, twice! Actually, the first time it was with fish, and the second time we were surrounded by jellyfish. Both were really fun staycation experiences we’ve had at Hotel H2O in the Manila Ocean Park complex.