Looking For A Tent Poj?

Saturday 31 March 2012

We were out the whole day getting some stuff we needed for our up coming trip and for Papa E's birthday. But before going anywhere, we dropped by the post office to drop off my daddy's birthday card (fingers crossed it gets there in time). After that we bought our plates, cups, cutleries etc for the picnic party. 

Then we dropped by this camping store to look for picnic table and chairs but little Poj had better ideas. He wanted to look at tents! He was so amazed at the big tents such as this one that has two or three rooms each. He keeps saying this one's my room, that one's yours Ama and that one's Ina's =) He looked at and explored all the tents before we were able to persuade him to go back to the store so we can find what we were looking for. 

After getting what we came there for, Papa E surprised us by taking us to a beach that his colleague suggested to him. It was already late in the afternoon and it was grey and cold so we didn't stay there for very long. It was beautiful and there were a lot to do there.  We promised Poj that we would go back when the weather is better. We may even celebrate his birthday there, weather permitting!

I'll blog about the beach on my KP blog soon. I'm keeping this short coz I'm tired and I still have work tomorrow, boooo! Never mind, it's only till 1pm so it can't be that bad =)

Friday at Last!

Friday 30 March 2012

Thank God it's Friday. It has been a long week for us. Papa E had to drive to Nottingham on Monday for 3hours each way to attend a course and I have to wake up early to make sure he had breakfast before the long drive - he left at 5am that day. And on Wednesday Papa E and Poj had to drop me off to the train station at 630am to catch the 7am train to London and I didn't get home till 10pm. Though tired, we were both glad that we learnt a lot from our days away and made this week a tad more interesting that usual. 

Luckily, Papa E was able to leave work a couple of hours earlier today and he spent this time by buying this week's grocery, collecting his prescription and picking up Poj. They were then able to pick me up on time which gave us a lot of time to go to the park, have dinner at our fave Chinese restaurant and even popped in the mall before it closed for the day.

Whilst I was window shopping, Poj noticed that that were zoo animal rides on Level 1 and he excitedly asked if he could go. I said yes when I saw that there was no one else there. He had fun going around with Ama that he kept waving at me and laughed throughout the ride which lasted for 5 minutes. He didn't want to get off and just as I was about to approach him, the operator said he would give Poj a free second ride. That was really nice of him, and after Poj said thank you, they were off again. Poj's free ride must have given the operator a bit of closing down luck as a family with 3 kids saw us and had a go too!

It was a lovely end to a busy work week! Have a lovely weekend everyone =)

Si Boss

Thursday 29 March 2012

Here is Poj with his merienda while I was washing our pots and casserole  - parang boss lang na nakabantay sa ginagawa ko.  He offered to help me & I usually allow him,  but I didn't this time coz I know that he won't be able to lift Papa E's heavy Le creuset. But he stayed with me and entertained me with his stories about his day and his friends. 

I love our little talks and I am always really impressed that he can tell me about his day at pre-school and about his friends. Today he told me that he can now climb the toy mountain in the nursery's garden by himself. It scared me a little coz from memory I'm sure that mountain was at least 6 feet high! I made a mental note to look at it tomorrow and to remind him to take care when he is playing. Hay gulay ang mga nanay talaga lagi na lang nagwoworry, kaloka! But I can't help it, it's part of the job description I guess.

Pero teka, kelan ba natutong magdekwatro ang batang ito, haha - kalerky!

A Work Day in London

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Today was a long & full on day. I went to London today with 2 work friends to be assessors on a trainee pharmacists simulated exam. The day started at 7am when we met up at the train station. We had a good catch up on the way up coz even though we work in the same department in Pharmacy we work individually in the wards and do not see each other regularly.

We were blessed with another beautiful day (shame we spent most of it indoors) but we enjoyed the walk from the train station through the park until we arrived at the venue. I was really impressed that it was in the centre of London - literally with a view of the Big Ben!

The exams finished at 5:30, by this point we all felt that we've lost the will to live already! Luckily it was still bright & sunny when we got out of the building and enjoyed our walk to London Eye. We found a nice pub and stayed there for a bit to enjoy a couple of pints and a lot of gossips and laughs! At this point it felt more like a girlie London trip rather than a work one =)

I got home just before 10pm and I now feel shattered! So forgive me if this does not make sense, I'm typing this from my iPhone and I promise to proofread/edit it tomorrow.

It was a great day, tiring but productive and so much fun! Thanks a lot girls for a fab time Xoxo



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Poj Enjoying Spring

Tuesday 27 March 2012

I could get used to this weather! I love waking up to a bright morning and being able to enjoy some time with Poj in the garden. I also love the smell of our washing after they've been under the sun. The long days also means more mag-Ama bonding outside the house after coming home from work.

I think Poj also loves the sunny days we've been having. He'd say "look Ina, it's a sunny day!" Today he came up to Papa E and said "Welcome home Ama, hehe - pero may kasunod yun na "Can i play with my scooter please."

He had a fab time and is getting really good at it. Makes me want to delay buying him a proper bike. This could well be his Christmas pressie instead.

I hope the good weather holds specially for the next 3 weeks coz we have special plans for Papa E's big day... Keeping my fingers crossed!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Picnic With Poj For 2012

Monday 26 March 2012

Happy Monday! It was gloriously sunny today. A lot of people were out basking in the lovely sunshine.

Poj and I went to the park for lunch. It wasn't planned so we just brought what we could find in the fridge. We filled our cooler bag with cheese, bread, grapes, bananas, orange juice, water, Pringles and ice cream.

Poj rode his trike to the park while I walked beside him. The park was only 2 minutes away from our home. He enjoyed running around the park while I lay the picnic mat and prepare the sandwiches. He then played with his trike after eating.
We did this a lot last year and it's one of the reasons why I always look forward to summer - I love picnics! And I'm already looking forward to a lot more picnics with Poj & Papa E =)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Poj Attends a Kiddie Party

                                Sunday 25 March 2012

Today is a special day for Poj's close friend Imogen. She turned 3 today and threw a party at Play Shack - a soft play & activity centre.

Imogen is one of Poj's friends from nursery. Hers is one of the names that Poj mentions the most. We were looking forward to meeting her parents as well as the other kids' too.

It was our first time there and we really liked it. It was big enough and has a good layout. The leather sofas as well the wooden dining chairs & tables were comfy. The foods being sold looked good and they even serve Starbucks coffee! Yay =) 

They have 4 party rooms, Surf Shack, Pirate Cove, Princess Room and the Fairy Room which was the one we were in today. The decors and murals are lovely & the size of the room was spacious enough. The kids enjoyed the food and drinks. 

The kids had fun playing there too. Poj had a blast running around with his friends that he didn't want to go home, bless him. He must have thought they were at nursery and were there the whole day! 

I promised Poj we'll be back to play there. It was not far from our home and they've already given us a discount voucher which we hope to use soon. Who knows we may even organise a birthday party for him there too. =)

Minnie Mouse Gift

Saturday 24 March 2012

Our Saturday was spent at home. It was warm and sunny today but we wanted Poj to rest and get better coz he really wanted to go his friend, Imogen's party tomorrow.  He said he feels a lot better, although he was still tearful and clingy - classic signs that means Poj is not feeling too good =(

But we are being optimistic that he would be well enough to go though, it would be such a shame if he miss it - he's so excited bless him, it's all he talks about! We already prepared his gift for the celebrant. We don't know her that well so Papa E went for the safest toy, Minnie Mouse thinking hoping that all toddlers love Disney characters specially Mickey and Minnie. Fingers cross she likes it.

Poj, Library & the Walk In Centre

Friday 23 March 2012

Today is not one of my favourite days. It started with Poj complaining of pain behind his ear, I also noticed him waking up with sticky and puffy eyes plus a raised temperature. It looked a lot like the viral infection that I had before. The only thing with a viral infection is that you can't take other meds apart from pain killers and you just have to rest and wait for your body to cure itself. We rang our GP surgery (clinic) and that was the advised that we received.

And as much as I would like to look after Poj myself unfortunately I haven't got any carer's leave left. So Papa E took the day off to be with him.
Work was pretty rubbish too, it was busy and it felt like I was defeated before I began. I even left with unfinished work & I hate that.

When they picked me up from work Poj was still complaining about the pain so we decided to take him to the walk in centre. The health system here is free which is great in a lot of levels but on the down side there are procedures you have to follow and you can't go straight to a consultant to be checked. When the GP surgery is closed you have to go to a walk in centre. Obviously if it is really serious you can go to the A&E (accidents & emergency) straight away. In both the walk in centre and the A&E they prioritise each patient based on the severity of their condition. So even if you're the first one to arrive it does not necessarily mean that you're the first one they're going to see. And that's what happened to us.

The centre was still closed when we arrived so we waited at the library where Poj played with the toys and read some books with us. It's a good thing that he liked it there coz the last thing we want is for him to be bored. 
At last it was time to go to the walk in centre. We were the first ones there since the library was just across it. But there were a lot of patients with more serious problems/illnesses and they were the first ones that were seen. We were called after over an hour and by this time it was already late. Poj was tired and sleepy while we were starving. They said his tonsil's were a little inflamed and his temp was raised. I was told that it was definitely viral and just continue with the pain killers. His ears were fine, so no ear infection to worry about even if he has the sniffles.

We are just glad to have it checked, again better safe than sorry, right? But Poj was really tired because of the long wait and it was past his bedtime when we got home =( He didn't have an appetite for dinner coz all he wanted to do was to go to his Thomas bed and sleep.
Hay, I hope he feels better soon, it's never nice when someone is poorly but it is always worse when it's your little one.…

 

Our Latest & Most Important Gadget!

Thursday 22 March 2012

Those who know me are aware that I love gadgets. I don't necessarily have to buy new "toys" all the time (not that I could afford them, lol) but I enjoy reading and learning about them. The ones that I have suit my needs and make me happy. But something happened last Sunday that made me realize that we need a new gadget....

Papa E is a diabetic, but we never found the need to own a meter before as his diabetes is well controlled. Last Sunday, we went to Brighton to celebrate Mother's day. We ate breakfast before heading off, although it was only a light one. We found that there were a lot of road works which made the journey longer.  We found ourselves getting hungry halfway through the drive. It was busy everywhere when we arrived as it was bang on lunch time, so we ate at the first place we saw which we think was the least busy - a burger joint. At that point we didn't care coz all we wanted was to eat anything! But unfortunately, their burgers were disappointingly small - parang di pa papasa na pang kiddie meal!  I wanted to order Papa E something else but there was already a long queue at the till. Plus Poj at this point was excited to start our pasyal. Papa E said he was fine and would just eat again when we get to a cafe for our merienda.

We walked around the city and the beach and for our last stop, went to the Choccywoccy Bar du Chocolat. I ordered a cake and hot chocolate for myself but he insisted that he only wanted hot chocolate. He is always worried about eating too much sweet stuff because of his diabetes. He said that the hot choco should get him going until we get home (plus we have some fruits in the car).

Halfway through the drive he started to feel really hungry. I offered him fruits first but they didn't seem to help. Then he started to feel nervous, shaky and light headed. OMG he was hypo! I asked him to stop and get something to eat but insisted that he was fine. Good thing I have biscuits and water in the car which I leave there for emergency. Thank God we got home safely and I quickly prepared dinner for him. He felt better but still not right. 

The following day I asked my friend for some advice about what happened and he told me that basing on the symptoms, it sounded like hypo. But without a meter to check he can't tell for sure. When I saw him at work he gave me this new blood glucose monitoring system for Papa E. Apparently there are programs here where diabetics could get free testing meters. He now needs to check with his GP if he could add the strips and lancets on his prescription as get his medicines for free. He then asked me to make sure that I have glucose tablets or chocolate bars in the car in case it happens again. 

I do hope it doesn't but as the saying goes, it is always better to be safe than sorry. As for Papa E, he has now booked for a review with the specialist. 

It was scary as hell seeing him like that, I really was worried that he might pass out! I told him that if it happens when he is alone, he should stop, eat something and test his sugar level!

Thanks Mr Y for sorting this out for us =)

Poj & Ice Cream

Wednesday 21 March 2012

So happy that spring is now here. The weather is getting milder and the days are getting longer. It means more trips to the park and lots of outdoor activities for the family. Poj's bike and scooters are out & he is rearing to go!

Another thing that little Poj is looking forward to is enjoying ice cream!  I have got a sweet tooth but since Papa E is diabetic, we try to control his sugar intake. Sweet stuff are minimised and are given only as treats. He is doing so well at pre-school, with his meals, with sleeping  & learning etc that we felt he deserves one. So imagine his glee when I came out of the kitchen with a glass of ice cream! 

And no, this serving is not just for him! We shared this between us and he simply indulged me with a pose =) Thanks Poj!

Roll on summer!!!

Apple Pie & Custard

Tuesday 20 March 2012

I know I promised to give up baking for a while, and I have kept that promise. To be honest, I am not in the mood to bake anything these past few weeks. In fact I still haven't baked the Victoria sponge cake that I promised my colleagues, sorry guys baka matagalan pa, hehe. 

So Papa E bought an apple pie and another cake in case the weather is bad for Mother's day and we are unable to go out. Papa E loves the Apple Pie that I usually make for him. I am not a big fan myself but I make one on his request. 

Papa E bought this from M&S so I had high expectations. So imagine my disappointment when it was really sharp. Luckily I still had custard in the cupboard, the pie with custard and coffee made it 10 times better! Haha parang girl scout, laging handa!

I'll post my own recipe here when I find it. =)

My Baby Poj

Monday 19 March 2012

Poj and I went to his room to go through his baby stuff. Poj played with his old toys while I tried to sort out which ones we could bring with us if we ever decide to go "car booting" in the summer. 

I saw his old bath and put some of his old toys and shoes in there. Poj asked me what I was doing and I explained that I'm sorting out his things, segregating the ones he is no longer using to make room for his new stuff. I told him that he is now a big boy so all his baby stuff must go. That's when he became protective of his old things, lay down on his moses basket and said he still fits and would sleep there tonight, lol =)

I can't help but feel a bit sad as I sort through his toy boxes. How can he grow up so fast? I can still remember decorating that very room while we patiently await his arrival. And now we are removing his baby stuff coz he would soon be 3, big boy na daw, soon to be a pre-schooler... 

In the end he agreed to let go of his moses basket but hung on to his soft toy, Ely (the elephant). I wouldn't dare get rid of that, it was one of his comfort toys as a baby. 

I hope to get some more clearing out done in time for summer. And Poj, don't grow up too fast =)

Mother's Day Gift

Sunday 18 March 2012

Today is Mother's Day here in the UK. Papa E coached little Poj, and was awaken by his kiss and was greeted with "Happy Mother's Day, Ina"

My boys bought me flowers and gave me a new Cath Kidston bag as a gift. The celebration did not end there, we also went to Brighton in the afternoon. They played at the beach while I happily took pictures. And before going home we had hot chocolate and cakes at Choccywoccydoodah cafe (they are well known for their bespoke Belgian chocolate cakes).  I would post about the shop on my main blog soon.

I had a fabulous day and was spoilt rotten by my boys. Thanks so much Poj and Papa E, I love you both so much.

Read all about it here =)

Sea City Museum Pass

Saturday 17 March 2012

The SeaCity Museum is opening in April and they are giving away free tickets to all Southampton residents. 

The museum will tell the incredible story of the city over the last 2,000 years. It would also host visiting exhibitions every year, the Titanic the Legend is in place until 2013. 

Our post card arrived today. I've already put a date on our diary. We are looking forward to visiting the museum and I'll share it all here after our visit =)

TGIF!

Friday 16 March 2012

TGIF! It's been a long week. Lots of things happened at work. I'm so glad I don't have to think about all of it till Wednesday.

We originally have a lot planned for the weekend. But according to the weather forecast, it would be raining the whole weekend! I reckon we would end up staying at home instead =(

Good thing I brought this mag home with me today. It would do for a light read it on Sunday => that day is mine. I'll tell you about it on the day =) 

Active Kids 2012

Thursday 15 March 2012

Just like in the Philippines, the competition amongst supermarkets here in the UK is tough. So they all come out with different ways to lure customers to their doors.

One of the promos that I love is Sainsbury's Active Kids vouchers. Their aim is to inspire kids to get more active. 

As a customer, you earn a voucher for each £5 spent in store. You can then give these vouchers to nurseries, schools, Scout and Guide groups and sports clubs. They can then redeem these vouchers for a wide range of activity and cooking equipment, sports kit and professional coaching sessions. 

They do this every year and we usually donate our vouchers to Poj's nursery. But before we had Poj I used to donate our vouchers to one of the schools here. 

It's a great way to give to the community. You are helping them get new toys for the kids, to encourage them to be more active. And you don't even have to do anything apart from make sure that you collect your vouchers after paying for your groceries! 


What a great promo, don't you think?

Another Party Invite, Poj?

Wednesday 14 March 2012

We were surprised to find another party invite inside Poj's bag when we got home today. Oh no, our little Poj's social life is more active than ours, lol.  At the moment he's already got 3 birthday parties lined up, one for this month and two in April. 

We are happy that he is making a lot of friends. We always get invited to birthday parties of friends' kids, we would go but Poj would play by himself. These kids are older than him and somehow he is out of place. It would be great for him to attend parties of kids he actually knows and are of the same age as him =) 

This invite is from Willow, and it would be a Princess Party. They are asking the kids to come in Prince and Princess outfits, cute! We are excited for him and can't wait to meet more of his friends from nursery.

Poj & Puzzles

Tuesday 13 March 2012

One of the things that Poj loves to do is rotate his toys.  He is really into Thomas but once in a while he would tidy up his trains in a corner and play with his toy cars, building blocks, toy kitchen etc. Every Monday or Tuesday I would have an idea of what I would like him to do. But this would of course depend on him - I don't want to force him into doing something he does not want coz that would definitely end up in mega tantrums! 

Yesterday was music day where we played with his toy piano, drums (improvised using an empty milk can and his pens as sticks) and there was singing and dancing with glee playing on the background (MJ week to be precise). 

Today was no-TV day! We drew and practised writing, played with his trains and rail tracks and puzzles. He is so happy whenever he finds the right piece of the puzzle. It may have taken us a while, but the satisfaction in his face when he finished was priceless. =)

Shame I had to go to work for the rest of the week, I'm a little sad that he has to go to nursery for three days a week. But I know that he is happy there, making friends and learning too. Shake off it Krizzy! Bilis lang ng oras it'll be Monday again soon =)

↪ Kausapin daw ba ang sarili! Kaloka!!

Turkey Al Forno

Monday 12 March 2012

Don't you just love the magic of cooking? Only a few minutes before starting, these were just ingredients. And in less than an hour you end up with something warm and scrummy that the whole family can enjoy. 

Tonight we had Turkey Al Forno with spinach and mushrooms. It was easy to make and was an instant hit with Poj. And he didn't even notice that it's filled with vegetables! I know I love eating out once in a while, but nothing beats good home cooked meals =)

Paper Cut-Out

Sunday 11 March 2012

We always hear the mass at St Edmund's Catholic Church here in Southampton. Little Poj is so used to this Sunday routine that when we get up in the morning he knows exactly where we're going. 

At the start of the mass the priest would ask all the kids to go with the lady church volunteers to one of the rooms where someone would read the gospel and explain it in a way that the kids would understand.  When this is finished they would ask a few questions regarding what was read.  Poj was so cute as he raised his hands to imitate the other kids who were keen to answer the questions. =)

They always have an activity for the kids at the end of the reading, before they ask everyone to join the mass in time for the offertory. This time they asked the kids to decorate a human cut-out and write what they would do for Jesus on the heart. Poj may be young but he already understood what to do. He asked me to go to one of the quiet tables and we did one each.  He used the green and brown marker pens and asked me to draw the face for him. He was so proud of his work and was excited to go back to Papa E to show it to him. We are proud of him for interacting with the other kids and for participating in the activity even if he was one of the youngest in the room. Well done, Poj =)

Ice cream

Saturday 10 March 2012

We've been blessed with a sunny day today! Hooray! After a long winter, sana ito na ang umpisa ng spring. The temp was 16℃ when we left to go to the park, a huge difference to negative or single digit temps we had for months. There were a lot of people around, most of them were basking in the sun. Ang lakas nga ng benta ni Mr Whippy ng ice cream, lol. Poj enjoyed running around the park and playing in the playground. 

One of the things I love about living here in the UK are the huge free parks where kids (& kids at heart) can go to relax and play.  I'm pleased that Poj loves to play in the garden or park coz Id hate for him to grow up glued to the tv or video games. Kaya roll on spring & summer, we've got loads of plans and we can't wait to get started =)

Party Invite

Friday 9 March 2012

TGIF! Papa E and I were excited to pick Poj up from the nursery. He was playing in the garden when we got there. They told us that he had a good day, really happy - the happiest they've ever seen him. We were so pleased to hear this. Having to leave him to be cared for by others was a difficult decision that we obviously had to make. But seeing him happy and learning so much makes it all worthwhile. I love it when he talks about his friends and what they did everyday when we get home =)

And one of the names that always crops up in Poj's stories is Imogen. So you can just imagine how excited he was to show us his party invite to her birthday party! Kaloka, may social life na talaga ang baby ko! We've yet to RSVP but judging with Poj's excitement, we definitely have to go.  He is well excited and could not stop talking about it, lol =) Sweet!

Hot Choco

Thursday 8 March 2012

I love hot chocolate. (Adik ang lola sa kape but there are moments where I prefer this over coffee). I love the comforting feeling it gives when you hold a hot mug of hot chocolate on a cold morning. It always reminds me of my childhood days when my dad used to melt pure cocoa tablets to make us these wonderful hot choco. 

I normally go for Green and Black's Organic or Cadbury Hot chocolate. But since I love Twinings tea I have decided to try out their Swiss chocolate drink when I saw it on the grocery shelf. It was still nice but it was not as good as my usual brands. It must be a new release coz it was on offer so all in all it was still a good buy. =)

Birthday Cupcake

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Today was one of my colleagues 40th birthday. She brought coffee and walnut cupcakes and brownies for everyone. We were surprised that she brought cakes coz she dairy and gluten intolerant. 

And it must have been a rubbish day coz all the brownies were gone when I came back to the office! Brits love their teas and chocolates BIG time! But more so on busy days like today.

Thanks for the cakes and Happy 40th Birthday, Janice =) 

Back in The Box

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Isa ito sa Christmas gift sa akin ni Papa E. Lagi kasi akong nagbe-bake ng cakes and he's always very supportive of the things I love. But since having this plus being given a recipe book and a piping set - I suddenly found myself baking more than usual. Hanggang halos every weekend I end up trying a new recipe. 

While this is good coz it makes me happy, I realise that I need to stop for a bit because of its downside. Usually Poj asks for merienda and I offer him fruits first and he'll eat them. But since I started baking weekly he now asks for cake before he eat his meals and for snack. I of course would refuse and this most of the time ends up in a meltdown. 

The other thing that's concerning is that we both gained weight! And that's not only because of the cakes, we know. But if you have a slice of cake after a hearty meal- most days of the week, the calories would sure to pile up. It has and now we have to do something about it. 
This is the start. All our chocolates and dry baking ingredients have now been put away. I will make a big cake soon to use up the ingredients that I can't keep and I'll bring this for my colleagues to enjoy. =)
Hayz, good luck to us =)