t's that time of the year again when parents and kids get giddy excited about the Halloween month!  Who wouldn't be?  Imagine cute children dressed up as their favorite or popular cartoon/TV/movie character, babies in adorable costumes, and even adults get a chance to be another persona on Halloween!  That's why it's already tradition for me and this blog to release a list of Halloween Trick or Treat Events in Metro Manila for kids.  It's also one of the most awaited and most demanded posts among my readers.

Here's an initial list, hope you bookmark this post so you could come back for more.  I surely will update the list as more and more extablishments announce their Halloween activities.

Active Fun
Spooktacular Halloween Party
WHEN: October 26 (SM Megamall), October 27 (Fairview Terraces), and October 28 (Bonifacio High Street) at 3:00 PM
WHAT: Trick or Treat Parade, Costume Contest, Mascot appearance, magic show, loot bags, raffle, snacks, and unlimited play at Active Fun.
FEE: Php 650 (Regular), Php 600 (Fun Club Member), and Php 250 (Companion)
For more details like them on FACEBOOK

What do you understand about smart saving and about investing?  I know a bit but Security Bank opened my eyes about Unit Investment Trust Fund a lot more when I attended their event a few weeks ago.

Our dearest baby Damien already received the sacrament of baptism last weekend at the Pilgrim Chapel of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Manila Quezon City.

I still remember clearly how I carried him for nine months in my womb.  I still remember how much in pain I was during my 20 hour labor and how I almost lost my life postpartum due to internal hemorrhage.  I was just 24 when he made me a mother for the first time.  I wouldn't ever forget the first experiences of being a mom with him.

As I've shared in this blog before, I was a single mom to him.  So I played the roles of both a mom and a dad.  From a stay-at-home-mom I took an entry level marketing job to be able to support him.  I didn't complain that I was earning little because what's important for me was I was able to spend a lot of time with him in the morning before going to work.  Since it was an entry-level job, I didn't have to render overtime so I always went home early to bond with him endlessly.  I was a young mom and had a lot of energy for play.  I could say he got the best of my younger years because I carried him a lot, rolled on the floor with him, went to many places even when we commuted, and played so many games from rough to quiet board games.  I was never absent in his school activities.  Those were very simple and happy times bringing him up as a child.

What does MaxiMom mean to me?  It simply means being stretched and going beyond limits just to keep my kids healthy, safe, and loved.  It's also MAXimizing everything in me to be able to give everything I have for them, one of which is to have a happy, a safe, and a clean home.

In the recent event I attended in La Creperie, Salcedo, LYSOL and 100% Whole Mom made me realize that being a MaxiMom is easily achievable by being organized at home, embracing our beauty as a mom, and nurturing our heart while we nurture our family's.

I have three children now.  Yes.  For some, that means more wisdom in parenting, more motherhood experiences, and qualified to be called an expert in child caring.  While those could be true in other areas of my motherhood journey, in other areas I'm still in the learning curve.

Just recently, I made a big mistake.

That mistake cost my baby's first ever hospital confinement and my and my husband's first ever experience having our child confined, worse as young as two months old in age.  None of our children were ever confined due to illness or accident, but my big mistake broke that record.

Here's the diagnosis: Acute Gastroenteritis.  

Whenever we host a gathering of family or friends, one topic never fails to come up, home-cooked meals.  Well, I do cook the usual family favorites, but my husband cooks the meanest special meals which his family and friends applaud him for!  I admit to that fact, even on our wedding vows, that he's a better cook than I am.  One example was his special recipe last weekend which I am going to share with you today, his healthy Chili Cheesy Pork Lumpia Pesto.
How could a Lumpia be so healthy?  It was fried using Filippo Berio Olive Oil.  And wait a minute, did I hear Pesto?  Yes you're correct, that's the twist to this recipe, a different variety of Pork Lumpia.  We used Filippo Berio Pesto for this new Lumpia recipe.  Wait, there's more, did you also say Chili and Cheesy?  YES I did.. it may seem like a confusing mix of ingredients but I tell you, not that I'm being biased, it's bursting with flavor which you'd need extra rice to go with it.  Now, let me share with you our special recipe.

Chili Cheesy Pork Lumpia Pesto