Me, Myself and the rest of the world: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

JANUARY 2012 BOOKS

A collection of the books I've read for the month of January.

1Q84

Haruki Murakami

Read: Nov. 22, 2011 - Jan. 29, 2012

Rating: A

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

Read: Jan 29, 2012 - Feb. 01, 2010

Rating: A+

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

101 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR TODDLER

I saw this in one of the posts in Pinterest. This is such a great reference most especially when there are times I am totally lost on what activities to do with Hael.

Credits to: http://counting-on-me.blogspot.com/2011/05/101-things-to-do-with-your-toddler.html

Color
~~Blow Bubbles~~
~~Play Hide-and-Seek~~
~~Peek-a-Boo~~
~~Play Chase~~
Do Finger-plays
~~Sing a song~~
Collect rocks in a basket
Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
Go for a Walk
Make a Car out of a Box
~~Read a book~~
~~Go to the park~~
Finger-paint
Play with Play-Dough
Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
Play the shell and pea game
~~Dance to music~~
~~Download games for toddlers from the Internet~~
~~Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags~~
Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
Put on a puppet show
Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
Make a Horseshoe game
Make a Shape Puzzle
Play paper basketball
Run through a Sprinkler
Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
Play with a kazoo
Wash windows together
Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
Brush each other's teeth
Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
Make a playhouse out of a large box
Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
~~Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.~~
Go on a Smelling Hunt
Frost Cookies
Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
Have a splash party together in the bathtub
Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
~~Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)~~
Make and try on paper hats
~~Give a piggy-back ride~~
~~Play "Horsey"~~
Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
Play tug-of-war with a blanket
Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
Make a camera and go on a Safari
Play games with frozen juice lids
Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
String large beads onto or along a shoelace
Squirt each other with squirt bottles
Glue shapes onto paper
Make sock puppets
Make paper puppets
Fill an old purse with toys
Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
Act out a story from a book
Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
Do the Hokey Pokey
Make a super-hero costume out of household items
Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
Learn numbers from a deck of cards
Play the matching game with a deck of cards
Make a domino chain
Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
Make a nature collage
Mirror each other
Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
~~TAKE A NAP!~~

MOMMY CAI CHECKS OUT: MANILA HOTEL (A REVIEW)

If there's one thing I love most about Manila Hotel is that the Filipino hospitality and warm welcome can be easily felt and seen upon entering their doors.

A welcome fruit basket for their guests...

Upon our arrival in Manila Hotel last Dec. 30, 2011, we were welcomed immediately by a valet service which they surprisingly offer for free.

The room was lovely...

View of the Intramuros

King Size bed

I love how they spoil their guests with lots of pillows. Most hotels would only equip you with a maximum of four. Pillow fights can be really fun in this room. :D

The room was spacious, comfortable and the amenities were impressive.

Ipod Dock

Waterproof LCD TV in the bathroom

The bathroom was also spacious. They have a separate walk-in for the shower and bathtub. Just like Sofitel, they also use L'Occitane for their toiletries, which is a favorite brand of mine. ;)

I love how comfortable the place is. Since you can't keep my kids off their laptops and iPods, the free wifi connection was a plus factor for our 3-day stay.

They don't have a pool as huge as Sofitel but this didn't hinder us to try it out. Too bad, the water's icy cold. :(

It literally took minutes before they dived in. It was really that cold!!!!

Nonetheless, this was truly one of the best stays we ever had as a family and we truly can't wait til we go back to Manila hotel.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

WEEKEND SHARE: NEW YEAR'S EVE/DAY AT MANILA HOTEL

We were all surprised when Yab asked me to book at any hotel for our New Year's Eve. I initially went to Sofitel's website but unfortunately, they were already fully booked on that day. After some discussion, we decided to have our reservations at Manila Hotel and figured we could watch the New Year's Eve countdown at the Mall of Asia.

We arrived at the hotel on Friday, Dec. 30. Hael was sick a day before that and I was concerned that he might not enjoy our stay throughout the weekend. I was wrong.

We officially broke our tradition of spending New Year's Eve at home and it was a good thing. I could definitely see the kids having a grand time.

It was a perfect weekend for me, too. A weekend free from the worries of meal planning. :D

My Getup: Ladybug print sleeveless dress from Zara, Braided Belt from H & M

On the night of Dec. 31st, we headed to the Mall of Asia for dinner and spent the New Year's Eve there as well.

My New Year's Getup: Light Gray Sleeveless Top Tank from Forever21, Long Knitted Cardigan from Forever21, Neckpiece from Love Diva, White Eyelet Shorts from PICC Bazaar

We headed to TGI Friday's for dinner...

Seafood Platter

Baby Back Ribs

Chicken Tenders

Right after dinner, we decided to head out to the parking lot as opposed to the restos and the park across since it was packed with lots of people.

And by 12am....

CHRISTMAS EVE 12.24.11

Just like every year, we spent our Christmas Eve and Christmas day at home. This time around, we decided to make the our Noche Buena food prepartion simpler. I decided to bake a Lasagna (Anin's favorite), bought some garlic toast from French Baker, placed the Ham in the oven and bought a classic moist chocolate cake from Conti's.