Family

A Movie A Day For Summer, Year 2

March 26, 2017 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

It’s officially day two of summer vacation for us, and we are super excited! We started the school break on full-blast with a year-end party for MrC’s class. We both had so much fun that we were among the last few to leave the party that day.

mrspcuyugan — Fun in the sun on the last day of school. Thanks for an awesome year, kids and moms of 5F!

MrC’s dad is arriving from the US in a few days, and will be staying with us for three whole weeks. That means the kiddo will have someone at home that he can bug all the time, and I know for sure that he is looking forward to it. Then, the birthdays of my two boys are coming up, and you all know how I feel about birthdays. Lol!

In between, we have museum visits, day trips, and play dates planned. Of course, me being me, I’ve also accounted for lazy days at home. Because, really, what school-aged kid doesn’t want to just spend time at home playing and watching TV during the summer? I know my siblings and I really enjoyed the do-nothing days when we were growing up. I’m excited for my kiddo to experience the same.

#Crowdsourcing! Guys, I need #book recommendations for my kiddo. He is now on book 6 of Harry Potter, and once he’s done with the series I don’t know what to make him read next. Ready? Go! Comment below.

A post shared by Patricia 🌸 At Home With MrsC (@mrspcuyugan) on May 26, 2016 at 6:35pm PDT

(Can anyone recommend books for 11-year olds, too, please?)

As with last year, my boredom-busting plan for lazy days is to be ready with a new movie for Little MrC to watch. By new I mean a movie he hasn’t seen before, and not newly released. I’ve listed a bunch of my old favorites this year, like My Girl and The Karate Kid. He’s at that age where he understands and appreciates films better, which is why I am extra excited about our at-home movie dates.

Before writing this, I looked at my post from last year and saw that I was only able to list 10 of the movies we watched. Galing ‘no? This year, I will really make an effort to make note of them all. I know I should since it can help me make sure there are no duplicates when it’s time to plan for next year, and the year after that. Assuming the kiddo will still want to watch movies with me at home, that is. Huhuhu don’t they just grow up so fast??? *Sigh*

So anyway, here are the movies on our watchlist for this summer. I’ll be adding more as the days go by. You guys might want to check these films out, too. 🙂

Ghostbusters (2016) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 11+
Ghostbusters (1984) – Rated PG, suitable for age 11+
Ghostbusters II (1984) – Rated PG, suitable for age 8+
The Last Airbender (2010) – Rated PG, suitable for age 9+
Back to the Future (1985) – Rated PG, suitable for age 10+
Back to the Future Part II (1989) – Rated PG, suitable for age 10+
Back to the Future Part III (1990) – Rated PG, suitable for age 9+
Star Trek (2009) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 12+
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 12+
Star Trek Beyond (2016) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 12+
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 12+
My Girl (1991) – Rated PG, suitable for age 11+
Speed Racer (2008) – Rated PG, suitable for age 8+
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) – Rated PG-13, suitable for age 14+

Do any of you have recommendations for great family movies that we can watch? Please share in the comments? 🙂

Out and about on Mother’s Day weekend

May 12, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 13 Comments

Fact: We don’t usually go out on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or any other commercial holiday. That’s because we aren’t too fond of crowds.

#habanghair Thank you, MrC for the mother’s day bouquet. #latergram

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on May 10, 2015 at 8:42pm PDT

I also don’t get flowers often, but this year MrC got me a nice big bouquet. So, as you can see, our Mother’s Day celebration was really far from our usual.

Instead of the typical brunch at a nearby restaurant plan, the boys and I actually headed out over Mother’s Day weekend. Fortunately, we weren’t faced with large crowds in each place that we went, so yay. Pretty strange, or should I say lucky, considering that our first stop was Megamall.

Earlier today at the #ScottsPH event in SM Megamall, I got to listen to some of my favorite mommies share their #momazing stories. They literally had everyone in tears! So touching and inspiring. What a great way to start off mother’s day weekend. You guys should drop by the SM Megamall Event Center at the Lower Ground Level, Mega A if you’re in the area tomorrow. There are lots of fun activities and booths there for moms and kids. A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on May 9, 2015 at 7:06am PDT

Believe it or not, we braved EDSA on a Saturday so that I could attend an event. So unlike me, but really worth it because it was a great event to be at. Little MrC and I were invited to check out the Scotts Vitamins #Momazing event, along with some other mommies.

I’ll be writing more about this activity in another post, but for now I just have to say that it was a really inspiring experience. I always learn so much whenever I hear stories about motherhood, and the women on the Scotts panel were definitely worth listening to.

Next stop was lunch at Wingstop in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons. We wanted to make the most out of the fact that we were already beyond Makati, so we chose to have lunch here before heading back home. I had originally wanted to eat somewhere in Megamall, but I saw how the crowd was starting to get bigger, so Plan B it was.

I absolutely love buffalo wings and bleu cheese dressing, so I was happy with our choice of restaurant. The boys were too, and I know this because everything that we ordered was completely wiped out.

We actually ended up getting an additional order of chicken wings coz what we initially got wasn’t enough. We chose Hickory Smoked BBQ for the wings we added, but I have no photo because we attacked as soon as it was served.

The following morning, we found ourselves off to Makati for brunch at Yardstick Coffee. Thankfully we didn’t hit any traffic, and when we got to the cafe at around 10:30 AM there weren’t that many people. I think we may have just missed the breakfast crowd and we were early for lunch.

I’ve heard a lot of nice things about the coffee that they serve at Yardstick, and I’m happy to say that they didn’t disappoint. Because the weather has been so hot lately, I chose to go with an Iced White. MrC, on the other hand, ordered his default Double Espresso.

I really wanted something salty, so I chose a Tapa Sandwich for my meal. I loved this! It was nicely toasted and covered with cheese. Super yummy. The little boy ordered a Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffle, which was served with a huge scoop of ice cream on top. The waffle was really, really heavy, so I had to help him finish his food. Lol.

MrC ordered the Apple Pie Waffle, which was also really good. The pie filling on top of the waffle was perfect with the vanilla ice cream scoop over it. This felt more like dessert than breakfast, though, but I’m not complaining.

After brunch, the husbandry and I went window shopping for the new house at Wilcon and Abenson’s. We did quite a lot of walking, and it was really hot throughout the day, so you can imagine that we worked up quite an appetite for dinner. Yes, like I said before, we love to celebrate with food.

Wilcon, round one. #lipatbahaychronicles

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on May 11, 2015 at 6:56am PDT

For dinner my siblings, the boys and I took mom out. She was craving for burgers so we chose to eat at The Farm Organics. This restaurant used to be in Alabang Hills, but they recently moved to Commercenter.

Mother’s day dinner. Mom wanted burgers, so we went and had burgers! #thefarmorganics

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on May 10, 2015 at 8:01am PDT

There have been many rave reviews about the food here, but I also remember reading someone complain about the noise at the Alabang Hills restaurant. Well, the Commercenter restaurant is pretty noisy too when full, and that was the one thing I didn’t really like about our dinner experience.

Anyway. We all chose to order burgers, but there are a lot of other items on the menu which I hope to try soon, like their organic steaks and fresh pasta.

I chose the Three Cheese Burger which had cheddar, mozzarella and bleu cheese. It was good, but I would have wanted a bit more bleu cheesiness in my burger. The kiddo had a Bacon Cheeseburger, which he happily ate all on his own.

Double cheeseburger, The Farm Organics. #thefarmorganics #InstaFood #Instakaw #yummy #latergram

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on May 12, 2015 at 5:52am PDT

MrC ordered a Double Cheeseburger, which was also yummy. If you like your burgers beefy and charbroiled, this is the place for you. Prices are a bit steep, as you would imagine, because their meats are all free range and organic. I say it’s worth the splurge every once in a while. Oh, and when you do visit, choose the sweet potato fries over the regular ones. So good!

All in all, it was an amazing Mother’s Day weekend filled with food, fun and family. I couldn’t have asked for more. Now make me kwento, how did you guys celebrate Mother’s Day?

MrC and the Bachelor Party

October 13, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 11 Comments

Last Saturday after a very long day, the kiddo and I dropped MrC off at a nearby McDonalds so that his high school buddies could pick him up on their way to an out of town bachelor party. Imagine that, a bachelor party, and an out of town one! I had no qualms about him going because I knew all the guys that he would be hanging out with, and their wives and girlfriends, too. These were friends that we grew up with, and I am actually really excited that another one of them is finally tying the knot. It’ll be fun having more married couples to hang out with!

So anyway, while MrC was off with the boys, I figured I would get a bit of writing done. I was gonna be home alone with a sleeping child on a Saturday, after all. So I picked up a coffee float at the drive through on our way home, tucked the kid in, and proceeded to work. I got some drafts out, plus a blog post. At close to midnight, I decided I should try to get some sleep. I knew I would be taking the kiddo to football in the morning, and I refused to be a zombie for that.

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@mcdo_ph #Coffee Float-ing on a Saturday night coz I have lotsa writing to do. MrC is off to an out of town bachelor party and the little boy is about to sleep. Work mode, on! #WAHMLife #NoGimikForMe

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Thing is, I couldn’t sleep. And, ironically, I found myself missing things that I would normally be complaining about. The bed suddenly seemed so spacious with just the kid and I. Normally I’d be cranky in the morning because I wouldn’t get much space to myself. My blanket was on, nice and snug. There wasn’t anyone at the other end, rolling himself into it like a piece of tuna in the middle of sushi, pulling it away from me. The room was cold and quiet, with no annoying teeth grinding or snoring. It was a completely ideal setup for sleeping but I just couldn’t sleep.

Siksik in bed at Taal Vista Hotel during our anniversary last year

I guess that MrC’s Saturday sleepover served as life’s little reminder that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Lucky for me, it wasn’t really gone. In fact, less than 12 hours after we had dropped him off, MrC showed up at our front door just in time to greet everyone good morning. He was home a lot earlier than we had expected, and it was a really pleasant surprise. Guess he must have missed us, too.

Our Spiderman Movie Date with PLDT Home DSL

May 11, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 15 Comments

The boys and I rarely catch a movie on opening week because I don’t like crowds, and I’m not fond of crowded movie theaters. I was more than happy to make an exception for The Amazing Spiderman 2, though, when my friends Millie and Janice asked if the boys and I would like to attend a special screening that PLDT Home DSL was setting up. Of course our whole family said yes to that! I love family-oriented events like this one, and I love how PLDT Home DSL is an enabler of family-sized connections.

I was so happy about being invited to this event that I actually made the super mega effort of driving to Makati with the kiddo on a post-football afternoon, and with a fussy stomach, to pick up MrC from work so that we could make it to Eastwood Mall by 7pm. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we were really pooped because we had just arrived home from our Pico de Loro escapade the night before.

One of the highlights for me was seeing little Diego and his mom Lara, members of the Ledesma family who are featured in the PLDT Home DSL TVC. My son loves watching families and kids on TV, and I noticed that he really is influenced by them. He picks up jokes, shows an interest in things that they have and do, and even wants to try out the activities that he sees them engage in onscreen.

I like that Little MrC sees Diego interact with people online in these commercials through his Ask Diego Fan Page. See, we have a lot of family members who are abroad, and it’s only through the internet that they get to watch him grow. We’re on Skype often, and we make an effort to share photos and stories on Facebook also. I share stories here on the blog. MrC and the little boy like to shoot short videos that they share on a secret YouTube page that family members can access. Yep, we like to keep our kiddo’s videos private as a sort of protective measure.

Similarly, Daddy Paolo and Mommy Lara screen Diego’s page to be sure that the stuff he gets to see are all age-appropriate. Before he sees the questions, Paolo and Lara delete offensive content, and sometimes answer the more difficult questions themselves. Then they help him type out answers, especially when he asks about how to spell words. On occasion, Diego also gets ideas for answers from his Ate Trisha. I think that monitoring the age and answering the questions also provides their family with a fun bonding activity online.

In this sense, we can totally relate to the Ledesmas, who are a tight-knit family that enjoys doing things together online using multiple gadgets simultaneously to help one another out. And for us to be able to keep up with our online lives, we need limitless sharing with the strong reliable family-sized connection, exactly what PLDT Home DSL provides.

To sign up for your own strong, reliable family-sized connection of PLDT HOME DSL, visit pldthome.com.

Oh, and no, I’m not posting about the movie because I don’t want to be a spoiler in case any of you haven’t seen it yet. Just know that we LOVED it, and we are so glad we came to the event. Since you won’t get any movie info from me, #letsaskdiego about it on Facebook if you really wanna know!

Parenting and the Art of Flexibility

March 26, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 9 Comments

Why is it that parenting is filled with so many “unexpecteds”? Please tell me that this isn’t just true for me. It just feels like life enjoys throwing curve balls so often at parents. Or maybe it just feels that way because we not only need to think of our own lives, needs and wants, but also those of our children and our spouses as well. Oh, and sometimes those of our parents, too, and even siblings for some. Am I right, or am I just ranting? Okay, this is coming from someplace, and it’s also going somewhere, don’t worry.

So finally, it’s the last week of school.

Time to celebrate, and be all merry and summery, right? Well, yes and no. See, after our super fun Saturday at The Mind Museum (which I was supposed to blog about yesterday), my kid woke up on Sunday with a fever. This is not unusual for Little MrC, who often gets sick for a couple of days after a full day of activity.

Mind Museum Saturday! Blogging about this soon!

Thing is, Monday came and he was still feverish with bloodshot eyes and patches of rashes. By Tuesday morning, his fingers started to swell up. With the memory of our 2013 Easter “staycation” at St Luke’s still fresh in our minds, we decided to not take any chances and just go ahead and take him to the doctor already, especially since last year’s sickness also started with swollen fingers.

As seen on our pediatrician's office wall. — As seen on our pediatrician’s office wall.

The good news is that we are home and there was no need to be admitted. It also doesn’t look like it’s the same virus as before, but it is a virus nonetheless. The doctor requested for some tests, and I hope that we can find out tomorrow what the partial results are. Meanwhile, this little person is restless and hyper even though the virus comes with a low-grade fever that comes and goes. We were told that until the fever has been gone for at least 24 hours straight, there will be no going to school. Ah, but tomorrow is the last day of class, and the fever was still here today. So that means…

We need to take make up days some time next week.

Unexpected occurrence #1. That’s okay though, because I can take care of enrolling Little MrC for next school year while he’s taking his makeup days. Thing is, I’ve had him with me all week so far and he will be with me all the way until Friday (unexpected occurrence #2 and #3), which means I’ve been a little unproductive where work and blogging are concerned. Thank goodness I have nice, understanding, easy to talk to partners and clients. (Thanks, guys!)

Fortunately, the doctor said that as soon as the fever is gone, we can continue on with our normal activities. That means that soccer is a go for us beginning next Friday. There’s still one more test result that we need to wait for though, and that won’t be out until Thursday next week. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that there won’t be any more unexpecteds until then and afterwards. We’ll be going back to the pediatrician for a follow-up checkup on Tuesday, which means I need to cancel the plans that I previously made on that day. Oh well, needs vs wants. Mommy duties come first.

They needed four vials of blood for all the tests!

Since summer basically came early for us, I guess it’s time for me to activate my planned summer schedule and adjust already. I do need to get work done, after all. That’s the thing with parenting, I think. We need to be flexible. We need to learn to think on your feet and adjust on the fly. It’s not easy, but we just have to learn to go with it. Sometimes I think that maybe if I were a bit more organized, if I could actually be a step ahead of everyone else, or at least think that way, that things might be easier to manage. Then again, if I end up being a control freak, then the constant need for change would drive me nuts, too. It’s really not a matter of being one or the other then, more than it is learning how to dance to the beat. Ah, metaphors.

There are good unexpecteds, too.

Yes, there is a silver lining. There always is a silver lining. Today I got an invitation for the boys and I to share our story about a certain something. Yes, I know, that sentence was vague. Anyway, I love it because all three of us are involved, and it’s exciting, and it’s gonna be super fun. I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it, but that kwento is gonna have to wait until Saturday. I am also enjoying the time that the kiddo and I are getting to spend together now, since he’s on house arrest. I may not be getting work done, but that’s something I can make up for. I chose to work from home so that I can spend time with my kid, and that’s exactly what I’m getting, so yay.

Really though, in parenting and in life I guess it’s really our perspective that makes all the difference. And when it comes down to it, I would always much rather choose the sweet side. That’s why my Darna balls are Maltesers. Not just any bato, but chocolate bato! Sorry, that is an inside joke. I promise to tell you about it if we ever get to chat.

Have you been hit with unexpecteds lately? Are they good or bad? Oh and yes, I know that “unexpecteds” is not a word. Kthanksbye!

Halloween, A Homecoming, and A Recipe for Sinigang

November 26, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 5 Comments

Two weeks ago, I excitedly announced my return to my online world with a post about Blogapalooza. Guess what? I ended up missing that event, and going another couple of weeks without being able to post anything here. Yep, I’ve been a very busy bee. The good news is that since I’ve been busy living my life, I now have a whole collection of stories to write!

October ended on a super high note for me with two fab workshops, quality time with family, and a much-awaited homecoming. One of the highlights was a Tunisian Crochet for Beginners session that I attended. I love when I get to be a workshop participant instead of an organizer, for a change. The week after, our Manila Workshops team pulled off a successful, first-ever WAHMderful Weekend, which, for me, was the day that I became a certified WAHM.

The last day of the month was extra special for our family. During the day, the boys and I did our usual rounds of the village for Halloween. Here’s a photo of our little Ben10 going around for candy, plus a few other interesting costumes we saw that afternoon.