Oatmeal Cookies

i've alread said too many times that i cringe at the very thought of cooking. it's just not for me. technically, i can cook. but i cant cook TASTY FOOD. and for that reason alone, i try not too. i hate disappointments. not for me but for the one eating my food LOL. so to even think of baking, well, let's not even go there!

my hubby tried guilt-tripping (how he envies us whenever we eat cakes/cookies/sweet little treats and he cant because he's diabetic and there's not a lot of diabetic treats available here in uk) - that didnt work much LOL! he even used the kids to get me to bake. that didnt work either =D. his last resort, to bribe me with a back massage. i agreed because 1) im a sucker for massages and it's too expensive to pay for professional service and 2) he's diabetic so he's used to bland food so it doesnt matter if the snack i'll bake is tasty or not =D

i originally baked him mocha chocolate chip cookies. he liked it. admittedly, it tasted good. that boosted my confidence. and for the longest time, i'd bake him these everytime he requests for treats. well, he tried pushing his luck by requesting me to bake something else. maybe he got sawa na but he had to choose his words carefully, lest i get discouraged to "bake/cook" lol. he bribed me with a foot massage in addition to the back massage. ok, fine. im not that pakipot =D

i used the recipe i found here. the original recipe only included walnuts and raisins but as an added treat, i put in dark diabetic chocolates. they tasted good although i prefer them without walnuts. and i didnt chill the dough (supposedly to make them extra chewy) because we're a little impatient like that! lol

slowly, im feeling more "capable" lol. but i dont think i'm that good enough to let others taste my baked goodies just yet. in time, perhaps =D

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Cayden's Puzzles

good job, baby!

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Thursday Fun

the kids' kindermusik class commenced today. we saw some familiar faces - cayden's former classmates from first term. we changed days/venue in the second term and now back to the original sched and place. it was nice catching up with them, and of course, allison, who handles the classes. it was a bit surreal because during cayden's first term, kian was still in my tummy and now he's participating in the activities. how time flies!

the kit

kian was nonchalant and was just happy chewing on the toys given them. cayden on the otherhand, has really improved on his social skills. in his very first kindermusik class, he used to be just an observer. he didnt participate much and would just sit on my lap. but now, he joins in every activity with much gusto. so so proud of him!

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after kindermusik (class ends at 12:15pm), we rushed home, had a quick lunch then cayden and i headed out again to go to romsey rapids for cayden's first little creators class (starts at 1:30pm). it's a once a week (1 hour) arts and craft class. initially, i thought it's free for members. it's not. members get a small discount though (₤4.50per session for non members and ₤3.90 for members). but tantan and i decided to give it a try. if we like it, we'll gladly pay for cayden's fees. if not, at least we got to find out.

when we got there, i was so surprised to learn that cayden was the only pupil booked for the session. i was more shocked to find out that last week, there were no participants (the service is fairly new). i didnt bring cayden because i had kian weighed and the two coincided on the same time slot. it was early days and they are still testing the water. they're hoping to get more kids in and they are devising ways on how to advertise the activity. not all parents are keen on the time and day (but no date/time will ever be the right one for everyone!). plus, the fee kinda makes the parents think twice. imagine the price of membership, then this on top of that!

anyways, despite being the only kid booked, the whole place was set up with the whole shebang! there were lots of activities prepared, cayden didnt know where to begin! there was the water play area, foam table, painting area, plasticine area, crafts table where you can make badges and little penguins. the service is worth every penny! cayden didnt want to go home! i had to entice him with "going to see the swimming pools" but that didnt go well because when we got there, he wanted to swim and didnt want to leave either! tsk tsk!

foam table where they pretended there's snow

cayden choosing the colours he wanted to paint with

my little picasso

baking with his plasticine

little penguin

washing thomas after "ploughing" through some snow

anyways, we're booking cayden in this arts and craft class for as long as it's available. we do hope they get enough participants so it wont be scrapped. imagine messy play + creativity + imagination without the clearing up. win-win!

if you want to book: contact the romsey rapids: 01794 830333

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On Track

the past week has been really hectic. mornings were the busiest. it was the first week into our health club membership and we were still trying to find our groove. so far, tantan's happy with my efforts to maximise our membership. we've been to the gym everyday for the past week, except thursday (because we've got lots of house chores to catch up on).

the kids went to creche, as me and my mom attended a class or went to the gym to workout. actually, getting everyone ready is already a workout in itself. but honestly, i didnt mind. i was quite happy to be up early and out the house by 10am (and some days, 9am). i dont know why but i really feel motivated. i hope this isnt just in the beginning!

paparazzi shot lol

im happy and quite surprised really that cayden didnt mind being left with strangers in creche. as soon as we enter, he goes to the toys or crafts table and he'll be doing his thing. it's like we dont exist! kian on the other hand, is a diff story. he usually cries due to the fact that he's got stranger anxiety and it's nap time. he sleeps on the drive there and doesnt appreciate being woken up to be given to strangers. and staying with them for at least an hour! but as soon as he's in the buggy, pushed around the room, he dozes off.

my mom and i had our gym induction. we have the same goals - build up stamina and endurance first, then lose the tummy then tone up. our programme is fairly easy and i can already feel the burn in my abs! the class that we go to, body balance (a mix of tai chi, yoga and pilates) reinforces those goals. tantan goes to a body balance class too, at night and sometimes, i accompany him. im trying zumba next with my mom (so hard to book this class, always fully booked!) and aqua zumba with tantan. and once we've improved our stamina, we'll be joining other "higher level" classes.

mom sweating it out

watching the news while walking on the treadmill

ready for body balance

thursdays and fridays will be our most toxic days. thursdays, from the gym, the boys will be attending kindermusik. after lunch, cayden and i will be heading back to the gym so cayden can attend an arts and crafts class. fridays, the kids will be attending their swimming class after mine and mom's gym date. sounds tiring but really manageable.

view of one of the pools

there are lots of other things that we have yet to explore and take advantage of. i dont know where to begin! im really thankful that we decided to enroll. imagine, lots of activities for the whole family at an affordable package! downside is, these will certainly make our days go by even quicker lol

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7M

happy 7th month, baby! your sweet sweet smile always brightens up our day. you babble a lot and you are very good at imitating the sounds that we make. you have the stranger anxiety but we hope that you'll get over it quickly. you are very clingy to mommy, always crawling to where i am. you even know where to find me when im not in the lounge with you! i hope you'll always feel secure in knowing that mommy will never ever be far from you. i always have "the mommy's eye" on you and kuya, despite being busy with other things.

you now know how to throw tantrums when you dont get your way! remember, those tears wont get you anywhere! lol. still, you're very easy to appease and distract. your first tooth just erupted and we were surprised, though really thankful, that besides the love of gnawing things, you didnt show any other signs. sorry we had to blow your candles a few days late but rest assured that we didnt forget your day. we greeted you and showered you with lots of cuddles and kisses. but we do it everyday so you might not have noticed =D. we've just been very busy as of late. we love you so so much! cant wait to celebrate your 1st birthday, and it's coming up really quick!!

edit: at 7M6D, you weighed exactly 9kg! kuya was 1Y1M old when he weighed that much lol

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Touchpad

you must have heard about HP deciding to end the production of their webOS hardware about 3 weeks ago.  this resulted in the very significant price drop of the HP touchpad. From around $300+ for a 16gb and $400+ for a 32gb excluding tax to just $99 (16gb) and $149 (32gb) - some stores including tax already. insane, right?!

tantan read about it when the news first broke but it took him a full day to decide that he wanted one. the fire sale started in canada and spread like wild fire in the US (a few days later, it reached the UK, which sold for ₤89, 16gb and ₤115, 32gb). by the time he made his decision, most retailers have sold out their stock. fortunately, amazon(dot)com hasnt brought down their price yet when tantan checked. he phoned their customer service (yeah, he was that desperate!) and asked when they will reduce their price, if ever they will. they said they already heard the news but they're still waiting for the in-house memo. tantan then asked if he'll be refunded the diff if he buys at full retail price if and when they decide to slash their price. they said yes but they couldnt say when that will happen or if it will happen at all (the latter is a bit far fetched but on the safe side). tantan was told, however, that he can return it for free if the price drop doesnt happen. he took his chances. he was billed almost $500 for a 32gb version and prayed that the risk he took would pay off. and it did!

the next day, amazon brought their price down. no refund necessary as he was only charged the discounted rate. the touchpad sold out within minutes! good thing tantan was a step ahead. it's the same story for every store which brought their prices down. the touchpad would sell out within MINUTES!

hp touchpad (black)/ipad 2 (white)

so i guess the kids are lucky their dad was able to score a very cheap tablet for them to play (and hopefully, to learn) with. and developers are trying to make android work with the touchpad (yipee!). im lucky too because i know i would have to share my ipad with them had tantan not been able to get another tablet for them. and im sure i would have cringed every single time!

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Whatdyaknow!

if you were offered an ipad, would you refuse? i did! initially. i even twitted many moons ago about me being weirdly abnormal because i declined an offer for an ipad in return for NOT ironing our clothes. that should be a win-win situation for me but didnt grab it. i know, right?! lol.

i didnt want an ipad alright but i didnt say i didnt want a tablet. i love my macbook pro, but it's too heavy and big to carry around especially with two young kids waiting to pounce and have a go at the very inviting lit-keyboard. i do most of my net surfing on my mobile. i love my phone to bits. wait, i love ANDROID to bits. but my phone's too small and it's not doing my vision any good. i decided if im going to get a tablet, im going with android. so i told tantan i want the samsung galaxy tab 10.1, excellent reviews, btw. plus, my phone's a samsung galaxy s2. figures, right? =D. he discouraged me from getting an android tablet, saying it's still unstable. i dont really know what he meant by that but eventually, he got me changing my mind about it (but sometimes still wishing i hadnt, seeing all the positive reviews about the galaxy tab).

anyways, tantan went ahead and bought me an ipad 2 (surprise! surprise! my prize daw for being a super mom =D). he ordered it in the states, where it's cheaper *ahem*, before my mom came back here (she was there, on holiday, for a couple of months). convenient, right? =D

so, andito na nga, makakatanggi pa ba ako? lol! this is really not what i wanted but it's a handier version of my macbook pro, so pwede na (ingrate much?! =D). yeah, beggars cant be choosy lol! and by the way, i dont have to worry about the competition (the kids) because they have their own "play thing".

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The Loot

as expected, cayden being the "cars" addict, he got mostly cars paraphernalia. he was overjoyed! and the look on his face when he saw his lightning mcqueen plush toy was priceless!

my mom arrived late, the kids were already asleep. we placed this pillow/plush car beside cayden while sleeping bec we wanted to surprise him! he was a happy bunny the next day!

lightning mcqueen for cayden and mater for kian =D

lent him my old toolbox to put his cars in, so he can carry them around

it goes everywhere he goes!

cayden's

kian's

i love these shirts =D

the whole lot! comprised of my online orders and gifts from my mom and relatives (thanks a bunch!) - super dami clothes! 

i only got a set of clips and a shirt. whaddap?! when i still didnt have kids, i used to get a lot. now, it's all for them *sour graping* lol. just kidding, ok? im really grateful! oh, my mom bought me munchkins from dunkin donuts. i always request for a box. she bought them fr the airport.

gutay gutay na! layo ng byahe e =D

these, i ordered for myself:

8gb, 3rd gen flip mino hd

japonesque mini eyelash curler, burt's bees tinted lip balm, mustela soothing comfort balm

the mustela isnt actually mine. bought it for the kids but so far, only kian has used it. i read about it in daphne's blog. the kids sometimes have difficulty breathing at night due to blocked nose. and it usually happens during autumn and winter. so good timing that i read it on her blog before we feel the change in season.

so far, it really does what it says it does - eases breathing at night and aids when they have a cold. only, it's expensive for something so small. i ordered 2 in the states for $14.99 each (roughly ₤9.44) with free delivery. then i found a store selling here online for ₤6.99 each but with ₤5 delivery (so it'll be cheaper if you buy more). i thought it's cheaper in the states as most things are. i already bought them before searching here. it's nice to know that the price is about the same because though a little steep, im willing to buy because it does make kian breathe better at night.

anyways, really happy when my mom goes to the US and acts as my courier. as i've said, it's both a blessing and a curse (but more on the former =D). i usually write down my "wants" and "needs" for her next trip. but not this time coz i get to go myself!!! mental note: save save save!!!!

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Swim Swim Swim

our postponed plans finally pushed through this afternoon. a week late! the kids had fun. surprisingly, cayden seemed confident swimming about. well, mostly jumping (in shallow water), sliding, walking and piggyback-ing on daddy in the lazy river. swimming lessons started yesterday but we didnt go because we're an adult short. hopefully, the experience earlier helped the boys become familiar with the swimming venue so come next swimming session, they're ready.

aside from the swimming, we finally signed up for the health club membership. paid for the whole year too so there's no backing out now (if not, that'd be serious money down the drain. tantan wont be too happy =D). that means, im obligated to go, as much as i can should (according to tantan!). im excited though, unlike the last time we joined (diff gym), because this club offers more. im really looking forward to booking their tennis and badminton courts. plus, there's arts and crafts for the kids, all inclusive! those and the other things i mentioned previously.

even the kids have their own card

i've booked mine and mom's induction on tuesday. we'll also be able to try out their creche and see how the kids will take it. funny though, i cant seem to shake off the thought of having buffet food after working out! of course, i wont succumb to temptation *fingers crossed*. that would defeat the purpose of this whole health club thing =D

anyhoo, happy that i'm finally a step closer to my ultimate goal - having a sexy body! *insert evil laugh here* =D.

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Busted

a few days ago, tantan was looking for a usb cable. instead of finding the darn thing, he discovered my secret stash of "useless" stuff. okay, okay, i admit, i have a pathological addiction to online shopping. im pretty sure i have a need for everything that i buy. but according to him, i DONT lol

useless stuff #1

6th gen ipod nano

he said i dont need this because my phone can play music too.

my defence: my phone's too big but i admit, this is a little bit too small lol

useless stuff #2

govinci doodle display back pack for the kids

he said the kids have loads of bags already and they dont need another one

my defence: this one's for art supplies =D

useless stuff #3

kor delta water bottle**

he said: not another water bottle!

my defence: none. other than it's orange and i am into orange lately *oops*. oh wait, it's bpa free? =D

useless stuff #4 - Mango clothes and accessories
he said our loft is full of boxes of my clothes alone and i have loads of new, still with tags, clothes, i dont need to buy anymore FOREVER

my defence: i dont buy designer bags and shoes. mango is not even that expensive! a girl will never have enough clothes (i really have a weakness for mango clothes, sorry)

useless stuff #5 - Gap and RL clothes for the kids
he said the kids dont need that much clothes (im turning them into me - dont know what that means lol). my mom will be arriving tomorrow from the US and she'll be bringing in lots of new clothes/toys for the boys, things that i bought online and gifts from relatives

my defence: they were sale items. how can you resist that?

useless stuff #6

8gb 3rd gen flip mino hd**
pic fr google

i dont have this one with me yet because i ordered it in the states. i have wanted to buy one for ages but it's very expensive (at least to me). i always wonder why (almost) everything is so cheap in the US. my mom's trips to the US are both a blessing and a curse lol! i bought this for only 93$ (roughly 57₤) and it's retailing here for over 100₤. its price has now gone up to 109$. but you see, i only bought it because the price was ridiculously low!

he found out about this when he was looking for something on amazon(dot)com and unfortunately, i was still logged in =D

he said i can use my phone taking videos and we have a camcorder i can use
my defence: we cant find our camcorder's charger and my phone's camera, though it has been very useful, isnt really as good as this one. sayang ang memories!

**i should stop bloghopping because i always get tempted with all the products i see being advertised =D**

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to my defence, i never ask him for money. whatever i buy, i buy it with my own money. and i always remind myself that i deserve all those "useless" stuff because i worked hard for the money i buy them with. and we all deserve a little treat once in a while, dont we? (in my case, a little too often for the hubby's liking =D). besides, i dont shop just for myself. i shop for the kids too (i mostly shop for them na nga e)! i would have shopped for him too if only he'll let me! and the important bit is, i only spend what extra i have left, AFTER all the expenses and SAVINGS have been accounted for. so he cant really accost me. im still contributing my share and i have a fat savings to boot =D

sorry if i sound a little boastful. but i just want to reiterate, I.WORK.HARD. ok, maybe not that hard (LOL) but I WORK (period) so i can afford some of the things money can buy. nobody can take it against me. i dont owe anybody anything, bills are all paid in time and in full. sabi nga nila, reap the fruits of your labour. im doing just that.

BUT always remember, set your priorities first. if you still have something left, then there's no reason why you shouldnt splurge and give your ego a little boost.

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he found the usb cable eventually and im happy to say that he's gotten over my purchases, though he still teases me about them from time to time. but i should say, it feels soooo good to be out in the open =D

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