HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I received a couple of gifts last Friday for Mother's Day.


This one is from Anton. They made macaroons in class. Anton pulled out the card agad before he gave it to me.

And when I got home the guard in our condo gave me this big bunch from my sister and her hubby from the US.

And what will my hubs give me? No flowers this time unlike last Valentine's when I got the surprise of my life when he gave me red roses for the first time ever. But we are flying here this afternoon with Neal's family and I can't wait to share this beautiful place with Anton.

To all the moms I hope you all have a blast today.

WATCH THOSE SCANNERS

We mommies really have to be on our toes all the time. I did my grocery shopping this morning at Shopwise Makati. As usual I would just let the cashier scan all my purchases while I was busy putting my other purchases on her shelf. When I got to my car and looked at the receipt I noticed that the rice I bought registered 4 kilos when I just bought 2 kilos.

I immediately went to their Customer Service and they verified with the cashier that the item was indeed scanned and not manually typed. They said that the bar code, when folded does get a wrong reading. The girl said it rarely happens it's just because of the folded bar code. Hmmm still sounds fishy to me. If the bar code is folded it should read error instead of doubling the purchase I made. Oh well what can I do but blog about it here.

ANG BILIS

I'm not talking about how fast Pacman knocked out Hatton last Sunday but how fast the DVDs are now available in Seaside Macapagal where we had dinner last night. And from what I saw they were selling like hotcakes. Na tempt din ako pero I'll just watch it again sa You Tube.

CANYON COVE BEACH CLUB

Canyon Cove is one of the best beaches in Batangas. The beach is pretty clean and I appreciate the hotel service (though still needs some improvement) and atmosphere. I do not like to rough it up when I have a makulit toddler in tow so it is perfect for family outings. Of course this is not Boracay but I thought their beach is better than Punta Fuego's in the sense that their shoreline was much longer.

The caterer for their restaurant is Makati Skyline and the food is not so bad. The only thing I want them to do is to have an al fresco dining area. We are in the beach right so it figures that we are always wet. But you have to dine inside the restaurant which do not of course tolerate wet clothing. Oh and when we were there the first time and it was Saturday lunch time they did not offer the ala carte menu. Everyone had to order the buffet inside the resto which was not very good or the grill outside. That made me inis and I saw a lot of guests who did not appreciate this too but had no choice but to eat the buffet.


But over all this is still a very good place. A great escape without having to pay for airfare. You can check their websites here and here.

Our room

Wonderful view from our balcony

BEACH BUMS

Anton has asthma :( We just found out last month and it's so sad. He is so likot and so active and it's not really bagay. I still decided to bring him to his homeopathic pediatrician. I almost went to a pulmo just so Anton's cough and wheezing will go away asap but I waited patiently for the natural medicines to work. We also went to the beach a couple of times already and it seemed to help Anton get better faster. We are definitely going to be beach bums this summer. We want to get away at least every other week. We love going to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu. I feel like we're in Cebu it's a really great place! We dont have much pics yet cos I was tamad to take pics but we're going back soon and I'll be posting pics of our room and the resto.

Tali Beach

Anton's first time at the beach this summer.


Canyon Cove pool


Canyon Cove playground

Canyon Cove beach with Mamu

SUMMER LOOK

Anton was such a good boy at the barber shop today! For the first time ever there was not one cry from him while having his haircut. He even wore his kapote without resistance. This was his 3rd time here at this small barber shop in BF Paranaque and he seems to like it more compared to the ones in the mall. Or maybe he's just getting older. Look he can now even laugh while watching Backyardigans on TV :) This is really a big deal!

MOVING UP

Moving up day at Toddlers Unlimited was last Tuesday, March 24. Anton's class did not exactly have a 'graduation'. That was only for the 5 yr olds. They just had a dance number like the one they had last Christmas. They danced to a song by Hi-5. This time Anton was not in the mood. He was probably sleepy and it was too hot in the Santuario Forbes Social Hall. At first he was dancing a little then he couldn't take it anymore and went off the stage before the song ended. Oh well he was still cute though :)

Before the program. Anton was very clingy. Really not in the mood.

We left the celebration right after Anton danced. It was really too hot. We had lunch at Banana Leaf Rockwell. Anton as usual had his fave beef pho noodles at Pho 24 across BL.

FAMILY DAY

Anton's school had their family day last Sunday at Tagaytay Highlands. It was drizzling a little when we arrived but the sun came out just before we got out of the car. Talk about perfect timing. As expected it was a very exhausting day for me and Neal. But Anton enjoyed his first time in a farm and that's what matters. His favorites are the birds and the snake. He not only touched the python, he squeezed it! Oh and we were wearing green shirts cos we were part of the green team. We were not able to join any of the games since the crowd's clapping and the megaphone were making Anton cranky. But it was a fun day and hope we visit another zoo soon cos Anton loves the animals.

ORGANIC RESTOS

While I was waiting at the dental clinic I read an old article on Wolfgang Puck. I love this guy, his TV show and I hope to eat in one of his restaurants one day. Now I love him even more because he only serves organic vegetables and free range meat in all of his restaurants.

Here's some excerpts from an article in his site.

Chef Wolfgang Puck Takes Eating Well to New Level
Benefiting Farm Animals and Customers

Implements “First-of-its-Kind” Humane Farm Animal Treatment Program Aimed at Worst Abuses and Lauded by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
Shifts Other Food Ingredients to All-Natural and USDA Organic

LOS ANGELES (March 22, 2007) – Wolfgang Puck and the Wolfgang Puck Companies announced today they are taking what they are already known for -- creating the most innovative tastes and style in natural, fresh and organic cooking – to a new level with a comprehensive program that formalizes Puck’s healthful culinary philosophy, ‘Wolfgang’s Eating, Loving and Living’ (WELL)™. The new program will affect the culinary standards and methods in all Wolfgang Puck Companies, including 14 fine dining group restaurants, more than 80 Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express fast-casual restaurants, and 43 catering venues across the nation, where 10 million customers dined in 2006.

Making the announcement, Master Chef Wolfgang Puck said: “Our guests want to know the meals they eat in my restaurants are made with fresh, natural, organic ingredients. They want to know where the produce comes from and how the animals are raised. In short, they want to eat healthy food in good conscience, and they know that we can make healthy taste delicious.”

Puck went on to say, “Our guests are interested in the same environmental issues that have long concerned us -- sustainable farming and fishing, humane treatment of farm animals and reducing the amount of hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and pesticides in the food we eat. Using fresh, seasonal, organic produce and naturally raised animals enhances and sustains the quality of life, and that is what Wolfgang’s Eating, Loving, and Living is all about.”

The Wolfgang Puck Companies’ evolutionary program will include a commitment to sourcing only from purveyors who treat their animals, produce, and the earth in which they grow it well; to better nutrition for children and teaching children about healthy eating; and to providing the public with information on shopping and cooking well.

Raising the Bar on Treating Farm Animals Well
A key initiative of Wolfgang’s all-natural and organic evolution is a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind humane farm animal treatment program created in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and with advice from Farm Sanctuary. This historic nine-point program aims to stop the worst practices associated with factory farming, and positions the Wolfgang Puck Companies as the first food establishments in full compliance with all of the HSUS’ progressive recommendations. In the next few months, Wolfgang Puck Companies and dining venues will:

1. Only use and serve eggs from cage-free hens not confined to battery cages.
2. Only serve all-natural or organic crate-free pork. Crates prevent pigs from turning around.
3. Only serve all-natural or organic crate-free veal. Crates prevent calves from turning or walking.
4. Only serve certified sustainable seafood
5. Eliminate foie gras from its menus. Force feeding swells ducks’ livers up to 10 times their normal size.
6. Only serve all-natural or organic chicken and turkey meat from farms that are compliant with progressive animal welfare standards.
7. Continue to feature and expand certified organic selections on all menus.
8. Continue to offer and expand vegetarian selections on all menus.
9. Send a letter to suppliers regarding methods of poultry slaughter that involve less suffering.

Chef Puck said, “We want a better standard for living creatures. It’s as simple as that.”

Sounds really good. I hope there will be restaurants here in Manila who will do the same. If there will be more demand for organic and healthy food the prices can go down significantly. But let's start with getting organic produce first. So hurry, grab your organics at your nearest organic market now!

ABSENT

Anton was absent from school last Tuesday to Friday. That's 4 days for me taking care of a sick toddler and no alone time whatsoever. Anton was extra fussy and defiant and my patience was really tested. He didn't want his temperature taken (I hope I get my Exergen from my sister soon!), he didn't want to eat, didn't want to take his medicines and just wanted to nurse the whole day. For the first time we didn't go the the pedia. I just used his old homeopathic meds and I think I'm getting better at giving the right meds because Anton recovered fairly fast. He was well by Thursday afternoon but I still didn't send him to school Friday morning so that he can rest some more.

I swear I thought I would go crazy. Well this is the choice I made so I just have to accept it. Good thing everything will be normal again on Monday. Yipee!