Last Valentine's Day, M and I decided to celebrate the day over our favorite past time, FOOD.  And what better way to devour (lots of) food than to experience it over buffet, the- Chef Laudico Guevarra's Buffet - way!

I admit, I'm not a contender to the Most Valuable Domesticated Mommy award.  Because as a full-time working mom, I rarely have time to cook or bake anything.  But like any other working mom, I'm kind of sure of this, I wish I could stay more at home and fulfill the domesticated roles like, first and foremost, take care of the kids, next cook all meals for the family and maybe sometimes bake or prepare dessert for them.   But don't get me wrong, I do cook, and my family says I cook well (they're a fan or they must really love me that much).  Unfortunately, I only get to cook real meal on weekends and desserts occasionally.

Such as this one time.

I checked the refrigerator, found two packs of all purpose cream and a can of condensed milk.  So I said why not whip up something my kids love, Mango Float!  It's very easy to do and no baking needed, only the ingredients, a good piling mechanism, and refrigerator.

So here's my Simple Mango Float Recipe!

What you'll need:

• 2 cups of Ripe Mangoes
• 2 tetra packs of All Purpose Cream
• 3/4 cup of Condensed Milk
• 1 pack of Grahams Cracker

Since the time I became a mom, bath time for my kids has always been a pleasant and fun experience for them and me as well.  I love the scent of the oil I use to massage them before bathing, their shampoo and their baby soap as well.  More than just cleansing, I really have seen bath time as a time for bonding, playing and having fun with the kids.  A lot of singing, bubble playing, bath time story-telling going on in the bathroom.

After attending Johnson's Baby So Much More global launch event a few weeks ago, I found out that while treating bath time as a bonding time with kids and cleansing, it's also important for the child's congnitive development.  I guess I belong to the whopping 45% of the parents surveyed in the Philippines who didn't see this importance hence, Philippines has the shortest bath time duration for babies - 15 minutes vs. the global average of 23 minutes.

For a parent of two boys who adore LEGO endlessly, I got very excited when we were invited to spend a lovely LEGO Sunday Brunch at Spectrum, Fairmont Makati Hotel.
LEGO is my younger one's current (if you consider one year and a half still current) favorite toy and he's the number one fan of Emmet of The LEGO Movie.  So just imagine how loudly he shrieked upon seeing this giant Emmet display in the middle of Spectrum.

Hello!  Since it's the love month and I am pretty much excited to experience with my loved ones (that includes my sons) like you, I'm compiling a super hit #WhoGoat and Pick-Up lines which could surely tickle the love bones of your lovey-dovey!  Are you ready?

Since I have a hang-over of the "That Thing Called Tadahana" movie, I'll start with:

UPDATE!!! CLICK HERE TO SEE 2016 LIST OF SUMMER WORKSHOPS, LESSONS, AND SPORTS CLINICS FOR KIDS IN METRO MANILA

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Being a mother is not just a title, it’s a role which not everyone could carry out with a breeze.  It’s both a blessing and a crazy life mission.  But one thing is for sure, it’s the most beautiful thing that could happen to a woman.  I could talk about craziness all day, but it’s a beautiful kind of crazy.  I wasn’t as OC as I am now, before being a mom.  But when I became one eleven years ago, being organized and making sure everything is complete are what kept me on toes even up to this day.

Dandre has just turned seven when Wes was born in 2010. :)  They complete me!:)

I know the feeling of most moms who are damn proud to see their child perform on stage during a school activity, or finish first in a swimming or running competition or even get recognition for academic excellence.  Who wouldn't right?  For a mom, her child is the best among the rest, agree?

Let me tell you a story about this feeling I felt recently when I heard my first-born play his cover or "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran.  Flashback to his birthday last year, he told me at the start of the year at that, to already save up for a Nike basketball shoes as his birthday gift.  So we did.  I even reserved a pair a month before his birthday to ensure we have his size.  But when his birthday month kicked in, he changed his mind.  He was sure that he wanted a guitar.

The day we bought his first guitar.  September, 2014

No matter how sleep deprived, tired, sometimes abused (physically, mentally, financially, and even psychologically! lol), I would never trade being a mother to anything in this world!  I am a little bit sentimental lately about my role as a mother to my seven-year apart sons.  I feel like I regularly have to check on myself and assess how I fair as their mother.    

Parenting style and communication are different for these two stages.  They are almost a decade apart.  So when we're together in a room, I consciously shift my tone and even the extent of my patience to both.  But one thing I am mindful at all times is how I express my LOVE, admiration, and fairness to both boys.  I don't want any of them to think or feel that one is more loved or that I pay more attention to the other.   I know it will be a continuous process until such time when they are both mature enough to know the magic motherhood tricks I do all their growing up life.
ADJUSTING AND BALANCING ACT

MOTHERHOOD AND PARENTING ARE BLESSINGS
I can say that no parenting style is exactly alike because no child of any parent is alike, at all.  I always say, to each his own.  As long as what you are teaching and doing for your children works for their positive physical, mental, emotional, and psychological development, then you're doing a great job.  Every child entrusted to us by God to nurture, to protect, to teach, to mold, is a blessing.  Therefore, parenting these little humans formed inside our wombs miraculously, is indeed a blessing.  No matter how hard you think it is, (because it really, truly is) it is a wonderful gift from God.

I love my children so much and if you're a parent too, I can just imagine how you always wept tears of joy whenever your child says "I love you" back, kisses and hugs you or reaches a milestone.  It's pure joy, an indescribable amount of internal happiness, when you always think of and prioritize what's best for your child.  It's a blessing to witness these gifts of God grow and learn with you.

They will not be with us for as long as we want them under our care, but by surrounding them with LOVE and teaching them well, our children will make us proud and will forever make our hearts full and happy.