"Trick or Eat"

We only look forward to Halloween for the goodies that the kids will get from trick or treat and not the costumes, in fact I don't remember them having other costumes than Superman and Batman. I guess they will only let go of these costumes if they're already worn out. This year will be different. I baked some goodies for them and for those whom we will be visiting this weekend in Mississauga. Kyle's version of halloween is "Trick or Eat" because he always eats the candies and chocolates as soon as he gets them.

This is the second time I made Oatmeal cookies for them. Oats are good for the body because of the fiber content and it's an opportunity to give my kids some healthy food. Thanks to Pinoycook.net for the recipe. The first time I used raisins instead of choco chips as added ingredient. This time I used M&Ms Peanut butter and Jam flavor and Hershey's Chipits in separate batches. Kyle loves peanut butter while Miggy likes the chocolate chips. I think the yield is good enough for our own consumption so I made Cheese Cupcakes as our treats to Tito Nilo, Ani and Wei. I'm sharing the Cheese Cupcake recipe:

Cheese Cupcake
Yield: 2 dozens

3 1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 bar butter
1 cup white sugar
3 pcs eggs
1 can condensed milk
1/4 cup water
cheese (grated)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Sift and Mix all dry ingredients.
3. Cream butter, add sugar, add eggs one a time. Beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add milk and water.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
6. Grate cheese in the battered mixture.
7. Pour in muffin pan with cupcake liner. Top with grated cheese.
8. Baked for 15 minutes.

My little grown up boy (Me Binata na ko!)

Today is class photo shoot day and Miggy requested that he wears his tie for the occasion. I cannot find the old tie we brought and he didn't have a long sleeved polo that's why Lito had to purchase a new set of wardrobe for him. When he slipped into his new red polo with a matching tie and his new trousers, I was surprised to see a young man in front of me. My first born has grown up. Me binata na ako!

Now I wonder why did he want to be "japorms" (looking cool) in his photoshoot day, is it a girl or girls? hahaha. When we arrived in school this morning, the girls from his class swarmed him to check out what he was wearing and I heard remarks like "Wow, Miggy is wearing a coat and tie!", "Ohh, Cute!", "You look like a college boy", "I wanna be seated beside Miggy in our class picture". The girls never left his side until the bell rang, the boys just looked at him in awe. His look made him the envy of his boy classmates or was I just imagining a scene from a movie hahaha.

Here's my GQ model and an onlooker:

How to carve your pumpkin (Jack O Lantern)

Miggy made a new project out of the pumpkin that he brought home from the fieldtrip at Riverdale Farm. I was planning to cook a pumpkin soup but he said he will make a jack-o-lantern out of it. This is our first time we're making this in time for our First Halloween here in Canada. Here's how Miggy carve the pumpkin (with the help of daddy):


"BEFORE"


1. Make a hole on top of the pumpkin. Position the knife in 45 degrees angle before you carve. This will make the top stay in place. Remove the meat and the seeds.


2. Draw the face of Jack on a piece of paper


3. Copy or Trace the face you drew from the paper to the pumpkin.


4. Start carving, use the drawing as your guide


5. Complete the face by carving all the details.


6. Ask someone to hold the pumpkin while you carve the corners


"AFTER" - the finished product

Alexus @11 months and walking

He is 11 months today and I'm happy that he is able to make several steps enough to say that he can walk. He started attempting to walk when he was 9 months old but he can only make 2-3 steps and I have to make him stand up by holding his arms. Now he can stand up on his own and cruise around the center table and also in his playpen. Sometimes he can make 4-6 steps but gets conscious and crawls when we applaud. Here's the evidence that he can really walk, it's just a matter of time and our next challenge is to follow him around and catch up :)


Other milestones:

"I can sit on my own"

"I've got four upper teeth"

Autumn walk in E.T. Seton Park

Autumn is the perfect time to visit one of Toronto's parks and trails. The cooler weather also means that going for a hike or walk or bicycle ride is much more comfortable than in the summer months. Last Wednesday, Aloysius requested that we go to the park this weekend so he can play in a pile of leaves of different colors. Good thing the weather today is great, Mr. Sun appeared so after our early lunch we headed to Elizabeth Seton Park, just a block away from our place.

I learned to love walking here, so with the kids wagon and stroller, we were there in no time. Our autumn walk is not only an exercise but also an enjoyable family affair. We enjoyed viewing fall colours and the hike along the trails. Going there thru the Ontario Science Center entrance, we already enjoyed the view. We saw many hikers and cyclists travelling the Don Valley Trail. The park is connected to a network of trails leading to Edwards Gardens (which I vowed to visit next time) travelling south through Sunnybrook Park, Wilket Creek Park and Serena Gundy Park, on the other side going to Thorncliffe Park up to the other end Victoria Parkway.

I love the colors of autumn (green, brown, deep red, orange, yellow) which we saw in the park from the trees that shed their leaves in fall. Maple and oaks are samples of that kind of tree. They change color due to the shorter days and cooler temperatures. With less exposure to sunlight, leaves stop producing chlorophyll (which makes the leaves green) and each leaf's true colors come out. Aloysius didn't have the chance to play in the pile of leaves (we didn't see one, an opportunity to try the other trails :), but the trip was worth it. Enjoy the colors depicted in our pictures as we did in our autumn walk:

Putting thanks into Thanksgiving

Thankfulness has more to do with who you are more than where you are. I thought Thanksgiving celebration here is the same in the US but we celebrate it today. It really doesn't matter where you are and when do you celebrate it, what's important is you recognize who you are, what you have become and realize where all the blessings in your life came from. For some especially those still recovering from calamities, it will be harder for them to see life as something to be thankful for but the reality is we have been given all the things to be thankful for - our day to day survival, the food we eat, every breath we take, our life - no matter how it turned out to be. Maybe this is a time to reflect and think about God and our purpose in life, have we been thankful everyday? Let us take this opportunity to give thanks to the One who made all things including our existence - God.

My firstborn sang in church today. Part of the song says "You took my sin and my shame. You took my sickness and healed all my pain. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord" I'm so happy that he did this in front of hundred plus people. I'm a proud mom and thankful too. Well, we didn't have turkey in our first thanksgiving dinner but I'm glad we have put thanks into proper perspective. You deserve our Thanks Lord God!

Artscow items finally arrived

I'm so excited. The artscow items arrived today. I was not expecting them but the shipping took less than 2 weeks. Galing! I was happy with my orders but they are supposed to be surprise gifts for our anniversary and christmas, Lito opened the package and spoil the surprise LOL. Now I need to get him another one, he likes what I got for Irvin and Faye and he wants the same too. We need to have our family portrait taken in a studio for the project. I hope I can find a mala The Picture Company studio here that is not that expensive.

I cannot show the artscow items here because it will spoil the surprise but I was really happy. Here's the link to one of them. Although there is a tag that was not centered and almost missed Miggy's face but it's forgivable good thing it doesn't cost much, I can order again. Online shopping is cool! LOL