I take the health of my kids seriously.  That's why as I've been sharing a long time ago on the blog, I make sure I give them proper nutrition to keep them free from diseases.  Proper nutrition means giving them balanced diet by incorporating fruits and vegetables in their meals.  I'm lucky my boys are not picky eaters.

Bawal kasi magkasakit talaga, lalo na it's already their summer vacation!  School season may be out, but this doesn't mean they get to stay at home doing nothing.  I keep them busy by enrolling them in summer activities which they will truly enjoy.  But if they get sick like having colds or cough or allergies, they miss a lot of opportunities.  We sometimes think that because it's summer and the weather is hot, the less likely they could catch cough and colds.  Naku, mali.  When the temperature rises, it brings with it a variety of diseases and exposes our kids all the more.  I can't let these diseases stop my kids from enjoying the sunny season.

My healthy kids are not allowed to get sick especially during summer.  :)

Before we finally decided that we'll have our wedding in a garden in Antipolo, we thought at first we were sure about having a beach wedding in Batangas, and then it changed to a garden wedding in Tagaytay.  I know, we were so undecided seven months before our wedding.  But believe me there's a good reason behind this indecisiveness.

During our wedding venue search which included, online research, email or call coordination, and actual venue ocular trips, the main deciding factor was if it will answer YES to this question "Will it fit our wedding budget?"  It was a NO to our first preference for a beach wedding and another NO to our second option to have a Tagaytay garden wedding.  But we still want a feeling of out-of-town-ish kind of wedding.  We thought Antipolo was a perfect venue for that.

To help soon-to-be-weds out there, who are considering Antipolo as their garden venue, you may conveniently refer to this list of Antipolo garden venues we considered or checked out:

L' Aquinum Garden
Charlemagne Street, Kingsville Executive Village,  Marcos Highway, Antipolo, Rizal
Contact Person: Dan Napa 09277497879 or Meg Tuazon @ 09173167517
Email: LAgardenevents@gmail.com.
Check their Facebook page and their garden rates, photos, catering partners, and updated schedule here: www.antipoloeventvenues.weebly.com

I put this first on my list because this is where we had our Intimate Rustic Themed Garden Wedding.  What I liked about this venue is that you book the whole garden AND an option to get the open tiled space or closed and air-conditioned tent for your reception.  There's also a small air-conditioned room inside the open space which you could use for storage or make-up retouches or for putting little kids to sleep.  It's not too far from Metro Manila, it's easy to locate as well.  It's about 15-30 mins away from Eastwood (where my pre-wedding preps took place).  There's an enclosed parking space for the guests and a separate entrance at the back of the garden for the suppliers.  The package comes with one (1) Free day for pre-nup photography session if you wish. Another bonus is, their garden rate includes free use of their sound system.  The garden is perfect for an intimate affair, it's not too big and not too small.  We were lucky that during our booking, they had a promo which saved us Php5,000.00.  The whole garden plus your option for the reception venue (open area or air-conditioned tent) cost Php 25,000.00.

I still remember vividly how I, just like all other brides-to-be, was searching for a perfect venue for our civil wedding.  The choices were: Beach or Garden.  Originally, my husband and I was 100% rooting for a beach wedding in Laiya, Batangas.  I started searching online for beach resorts offering wedding packages and also of past weddings which took place in those resorts.

I stumbled upon one beautiful beach wedding, which overwhelmed me that it left me crying reading until the last paragraph of the post.  It was the beautiful wedding coverage with a beautiful love story of Arlene Briones-Hidalgo.  I cried because I instantly connected and related to her heartfelt wedding story.  Theirs is a story of second chances, of resetting, and of bringing God in the center of it all.  It is also our story, with almost exact circumstance.  Something in me made me email her just to say how much she touched and inspired me with her wedding story.  I cried again when she replied.  And I cried again upon learning that Arlene is the main superwoman behind The Perfect Grey Photography, which we got to cover our wedding.  That was the moment I knew that our partnership is a match made in heaven.

When I was a little girl, I've always fantasized about looking like a princess on my wedding day.  I imagined a ballroom gown showered with shining sequins, gems and stones meticulously sewn into my lace dress and six feet lacy train.  As I grew older (and wiser), my fashion sense and interests lean more towards the simple, elegant, classic, and comfortable.

For my wedding last November, I considered buying an RTW simple gown..  I also considered looking for a couturier in Divisoria based on recommendation from friends who had their gowns made there.  We were working on a budget, and the wedding gown budget was only Php 10,000 or less.  Here were my wedding gown pegs:

Photo Source

Last weekend, my baby reached his 28th week milestone!  Hurray!  I'm on my third - and FINAL - trimester!  I've been on bed rest for the past three weeks already.  So one of the things that kept me busy is reading books or online about anything pregnancy related.

I read that by the end of the seventh month (28 - 31 weeks), my baby will have more fat deposited under his skin and other features like the iris in his eyes, nails in his fingers, and hair are more developed.  With the fats depositing under the skin, the baby's features could now be more appreciated under 3D Ultrasound.

I learned to appreciate going to spas with an inviting ambiance which offer great massages ever since I started working, a budding 20 something career woman.  When I was single, other than shopping, I indulge myself in spa visits.  I carried this habit until today and was even able to influence my husband to have regular massages as well (first time he went to a spa was with me!)

Now that I'm pregnant with my third baby and after having my OB's clearance, I wanted to try a prenatal massage which I wasn't able to experience during my first two pregnancies.  Of course I wouldn't do this without my husband in tow.  While searching for known spas for giving a good prenatal massage, BlueWater Day Spa came up on my list.

I'm on a month-long bed rest which means the family couldn't really go out of town during the Holy Week.  Besides, it's during this time when Metro Manila traffic is also on vacation.  So we decided to have a hotel staycation in Luxent Hotel, which is situated right in the very heart of Quezon City.  Don't worry, I asked my OB's clearance before I went out with the family.  She said, make the staycation, really a staycation by staying in bed. :)

Luxent Hotel's facade along Timog Ave., Quezon City

I missed my scheduled check-up last March 12 because my calendar's full that day.  I originally planned to squeeze in my check-up that afternoon, but my dad's advance birthday celebration extended until six in the evening.  So I thought, I'll just reschedule.

School break is just an inch away from my kids and finally summer is here!  In our family, just like how I was brought up, school break doesn’t actually mean idle time for them.  The break also signals the perfect time to enroll them in summer workshops or sports clinics or to whatever activities they’re interested in.  It also means family vacation to beaches or nearby hotels for relaxation and recreation.