Harriet Lake playdate

The weather was great today! The sun was out but the air was cool. It was perfectly timed for our playdate at Harriet Lake with my friend Susan and her one year old son, Cale.

I was so excited to catch up with Susan again after a long time and left the house in such a hurry that I forgot to bring my camera (as usual, right?). Good thing she's such a girl scout and had one in her bag. Here are some snapshots from this morning taken from Sue's camera:

sun and sand

let's play ball

"more sand time, please, mom"

happy baby = happy mommy

Sue was actually Bud's teacher. We saw her every week since the year started and that made our transition here so much manageable . She was my first (and so far still the only) American friend since we moved to the US. Too bad she's not Bud's teacher anymore and we don't get to see her on a regular basis but in a way it's also a good thing because now we can just be good friends. We get to spend time with her on her days off instead.

Happy weekend!

DIY inspirations

I've been very busy ... reading blogs and getting ideas for craft activities Bud and I could do together, haha!

Last week was paper plate art week. We made a fish bowl (with cutout fish, of course), an elephant and a lion. They were very crude (so I didn't bother to take photos) but Bud enjoyed playing with them nonetheless. And mind you, he could identify the animals even if they were not professionally done.

This morning I stumbled across this blog where I got my inspiration to make home-made finger paints for Buddy. The recipe I used was:

2 cups white flour
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Put water into a large bowl. Slowly add the flour, while the children are stirring. Once it's all mixed together, divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring.

The finger paint idea was amazing! It was so fun yet very easy to do. I wasn't able to take photos with my hands all messy from the paint mixture. Will try to take some shots when we do our painting session again tomorrow.

It was funny how Bud was more curious with the new sensation and texture in his hands. He was dipping his hands in the paint then he would open and close them. Maybe tomorrow he will be more comfortable with the idea of painting with his fingers.

Finger Paints from Homemade Mamas

Here are more great ideas that we will be trying out very soon....

Oatmeal Playdough from The Life of Jennifer Dawn

Felt Car Mat from Serving Pink Lemonade

I can't believe the week is almost over! How fast time flies when you're with people you love.

feeling girly

I recently purchased a a cotton top with floral embellishment from Charlotte Russe. Here's how I envision to wear it for the weekend. This is just a fantasy ensemble though, since I don't have the skirt to match yet. I know it seems over the top with the flowers and bows but i don't mind looking fru fru.

top: Valentino
skirt: Forever 21
sandals: Forever 21
bracelet: Dorothy Perkins

highlights of the weekend

I always look forward to the weekends. It's the two days in the week we spend sampling the different restaurants and exploring the numerous recreational parks around the twin cities. And if I'm lucky, we squeeze in some time for shopping.

Last Saturday, we started our little city adventure with lunch at Champps Americana. It's a sports bar chain that looked more like a restaurant you would find in Napa Valley if not for the large tv screens scattered around the dining area. The interior looked very bright and relaxed with its high ceiling, glass walls, brick panels and natural wood finish. Food portions were very generous. The Pulled Pork Sandwich exceeded expectations, yum! Definitely a place where we could bring guests to enjoy American food.

After the hearty lunch, we hit the mall for some shopping. I wasn't really looking for anything to buy for myself. My only agenda was to get new toys for Bud. But then I found these ballet flats in Gap for $5 a pair! What a steal, right? They were so darned cheap that I got 2 pairs, one in silver and another in blue denim. Bargain price aside, they were great shoes. Chic and comfortable. The leather was really soft plus it came with rubber soles which is a preference for me these days. I was giddy with delight when I walked out of the store.

To cap off the day, we went to Lyndale Park Rose Garden. It's the second oldest rose garden in the country with more than 250 varieties of roses and other flowers. The garden was so vibrant and lush yet serene. The atmosphere was so relaxed and unpretentious. It's like stepping into a secret garden in the middle of the city.

Phelps (turtle) Fountain.
Photo courtesy of wikepedia.

More than my shoe(s) purchase, the highlight of the day for me was watching Bud play in the Turtle fountain in the garden. He was cruising around the rim of the fountain and trying is very best to climb into the cool water (good thing he was still too short to get in by himself). Then he made some new friends and they threw pennies in the fountain. It was too bad we didn't bring a camera to capture that lovely evening.

And because Bud loved the water so much, the next day we took him swimming in the sand-bottomed lake in in Bryant Park. It's the next best thing we have to a beach. Again, we forgot to bring our camera.

The days just go by so fast. Before I know it, it will be the end of the week and the start of another adventure.

Hassle-free trip to the DMV

One of the upsides of living here in the US is everything is so convenient. Government agencies are so efficient. I went to the DMV this morning to have the address on my driver's license changed and it only took 10mins! No hassle. No red tape. No need to pay extra to get ahead in the line. They even had a kids' play area for moms like me who have their kids in tow (all the time).

This really makes me think twice about going back home. Why should I settle for poor service in Manila when I can feel relaxed and stress free while running errands here? But then again, how many times do I need to go to LTO in Manila?

Hey, that gives me an idea! Will make a list of pros and cons of living in the US and living in Manila in my next post.

Making time

For weeks I've been trying to find time to update my blog but errands and chores just keep on getting in the way. To be honest, I am also stalling as I can't seem to organize my thoughts and string them into something that makes sense.

I remember starting this blog as a way for me to document all my insights. I had a lot of time in my hands and I was very introspective. I guess, with how my life has evolved, I don't have the luxury of being lost in my thoughts anymore.

These days, the little free time I have is spent on running, keeping in touch with family and friends on facebook, and reading blogs. I don't even get to run everyday. I wish I could. I still need to lose inches around the waist. It's been a year and a half since I gave birth and I still haven't been back to my pre-preggy form. Maybe it doesn't happen for everyone. I breastfed for 15mos and even then, I still have a few extra inches around the waist. Sorry for digressing.

As I was saying, I spend a lot of my free time reading other people's blogs. I admit, it's a guilty pleasure. An escape. I waste away precious minutes everyday reading about what other people wear, where they eat, how they spent their time. It's addictive! I should probably redirect my efforts to something more productive like updating my own journal/blog. I read my previous posts and I'm glad I wrote them . It's a good way to remind me of all the wonderful places I've visited, people I've met and food I ate. It's interesting to remember what kind of person I was back then.

I have so many things I want to share and write about. I should stop using the lack of time as an excuse. I should make time.

Bolognese recipe

A friend of mine served Spaghetti last week during our weekly playdate and I just couldn't stop raving about it. She was kind enough to wrap some up for us to take home after the playdate. It was the sweet Jolly Spaghetti-type yummy. I loved it. Bud loved it too. He ate it for dinner that night and lunch the next day.

I was inspired to come up with my own version of Bolognese to add to Bud's repertoire of meals. After checking the pantry, I realized we were out of tomato paste and we don't have any bottled spaghetti sauce. It was P who pointed out that we still have some canned tomatoes and i could use that. My though balloon was: "Hmmm... a culinary challenge! Let's see if all those hours spent on watching food network will be put to good use."

Well, indeed it was. The Bolognese turned out quite yummy if I may so myself. Here are the readily available ingredients from our pantry that i used:

1/2 lb ground round beef
1/2 onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 small carrot minced
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp butter
1 tbsp Ketchup (substitute for tomato paste)
1/2 can whole tomatoes
3/4 can campbells condensed tomato soup (substitute for tomato sauce)
1 slice american cheese
salt
sugar

Procedure:
1. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots in olive oil and butter until soft
2. Add the seasoned ground beef to the sauteed vegetables. Cook until brown and fat has been rendered. Take out all extra oil from the pan.
3. Add ketchup and diced canned tomatoes (this is the substitute for the tomato paste)
4. Add the condensed tomato soup and the juice from the canned tomatoes (this is the substitute for the tomato sauce)
5. Add cheese. Add salt and sugar to taste. Let mixture simmer until sauce has reduced to your desired consistency and flavor.