A Million Thanks!

I stopped blogging for 3 weeks for a good reason. God blessed us with tons of work and gave us a wonderful opportunity to serve our kids ministry in the best way we can. Below are the top three reasons why I am so thankful and blessed:

1) High School Musical On Stage!
Stages and Trumpets Playshop are doing a 2-month run of the popular Disney's High School Musical movie phenomenon, and our design company My Left Hand was tapped to do their souvenir program. It was a wonderfully unique (and stressful) project, as the entire concept was to turn the usual program into a colorful teen magazine! We did an entire 64-page full color magazine from concept, writing, design and layout up to printing of 3,000 copies in just 2 WEEKS! It was difficult, tiring, challenging (faith testing!), but truly rewarding in the end because the client was so HAPPY! No, more like elated! Partly shocked also because they didn't expect that we would be able to pull off delivering the full quantity on the day of their first show. The magazine got so much positive reviews -- the sleepless nights, the working on weekends till early mornings, the worry, the tears, and the frustrations were definitely all worth it. Thank you to the Good Lord for entrusting us with this project and giving us the talents, skills and capabilities to give client more than what they expected. Thank you SO MUCH to the MLH team - Allan, Jennie, Kax, Dan - bravo! See sample pages below:






2) Noah's Ark Musical
Our youth ministry which Allan and I are a part of organized again this year a musical production, this time with Noah's Ark as the theme. It was a huge production (huge given our ministry budget), and we were blessed with twice the number of participants, elaborate costumes, set design, props and sound equipment, a FULL HOUSE (even sold Standing Room Only tickets!), and of course, the involvement of our dear son, Nicky. This year he played a turtle in Noah's Ark, and he had so much fun doing the show. It is Nicky's 3rd year of performing on the big stage, and I am so proud to say that he is really getting the hang of it! Our company, My Left Hand was also tasked to produce the souvenir program, and we also had some really great feedback from the people who bought them (they ran out of stock on opening night!). I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunity for my entire family to be a part of such a big evangelistic event for the youth. It also gave my extended family (parents and in-laws) the chance to spend time together for an evening of fun, food (we had dinner at Oyster, Oyster that night -- yum!) and entertainment.

Opening number

Nicky's the green turtle!

Noah doing an Elvis impersonation

Whole cast closing number

Little animals

3) Martin's 7th Birthday Party
My good friend Claire and her family came home from Singapore to host a birthday party for her son Martin. It was a grand event held at Palms Country Club, and it was a wonderful opportunity for all of us in our cell group to come together in fellowship and spend time with our kids. It was a costume party, and Nicky went as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (uhm... notice the costume???) and Keira as Wonder Woman... er, Baby! I am thankful for the fun, the fellowship, the food, and most of all, for Nicky winning the costume contest! Not bad for a recycled costume! haha!

Nicky won 1st prize!

Wonder Women

Tita Claire with Keira

Thankful Thursday: All's Good

I have been EXTREMELY busy, tied up with work, family and baby-sitting (my maid's on leave and so the nanny is the maid for now...). But despite the load, I am still very thankful for all that the Lord has provided me.

• I am thankful for new projects. Right now, I am happy that work just keeps pouring in -- from both old and new clients. God has blessed our company with talented and hard-working people, and the clients are now appreciating the service that we are giving them and seeing the value that they get for the money that they pay. Quality is very important to us, as seen in the the 6 years of work that we've done (view our work here), and our business continues to grow because we make sure we deliver what we promise.

• I am thankful for my computer. If not for this machine, there will be no artworks delivered to our clients. I will continue to pray for two more Macs -- a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro. It will definitely make work faster for everyone!

• I am thankful for good health. I cannot express thankfulness enough for this. It is so hard to be sick. We had a health scare the past 3 weeks. With Jennie and Rein down with viral infections, we needed to keep our resistances up by taking our daily dose of Vitamin C. Thank God, we were all spared from any illnesses (especially Keira) and He continues to protect us from any bodily harm.

• I am thankful for another year in my mom's life that she will be celebrating. My mom's birthday is on Saturday, and I am glad that she is well and happy. We will be celebrating her birthday, together with all the other June celebrants in the family at a new resort, Club Manila East. I am hoping to make the most of whatever's left of summer by letting the kids enjoy a cool swim.
  

Newest Pokemon Member

Pikachu meets
KEIRACHU!

Water Babes

Summer is so here and the heat is driving us mad! Keira is not happy with her new experience of heat and has been crying and complaining every minute of the day (we cry and complain along with her because the heat is truly unbearable...). Last May 14 was Election Day here, thus it was a non-working day for everyone. I thought it would be fun to have Nicky and Keira dip in a pool to beat the summer heat. I bought them a nice big inflatable kiddie pool and bought blow bubbles for them to play with. They had tons of fun, and i didn't have to leave the house! Keira got to wear her really adorable new swimsuit (which almost didn't fit her!) and enjoyed splashing around with her big brother. Check out their cute pics below :-)

My little mermaid showing perfect form

Marasigans cool off

Thankful Thursday: Grateful to be a mom

My good friend Claire sent this Mother's Day message to me this morning, and I thought it befitting to re-post as my Mother's Day blog entry, as well as my Thankful Thursday post.

I am thankful to the Lord, for giving me a great mom and for giving me the opportunity to be a mom (as great too, i hope :D). It is the best role a woman could ever play in her lifetime.

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want
to put them down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Thankful Always

• I am thankful for the work that I do. It may tire me, stress me out, bring tears and frustration to my eyes, but it is my passion and I am glad that if I had to make sacrifices in areas in my life, it would be for the work I do now.

• I am thankful for my wonderful officemates (that's you Allan, Jen, Kax and Dan!) who make work easier for me, as well as making it fun and exciting.

• I am thankful for my babies. They give me a million reasons to smile each day.

• I am thankful for the Lord's provisions.

• I am thankful for weekends and holidays. :-)

They're Growing So Fast!

My kids are growing up so fast! They say (well to me, at least) that the less you see your kids, the faster they seem to grow. Well, I see them the whole day nearly every single day and I still get shocked at just how fast they've grown in the last few months! Time is indeed the most precious treasure of all....

For all of you who would like to know my kids better, here are just a few of their descriptions:

NICKY:

• 8 years old
  
• 2nd grader this coming schoolyear
• Chess enthusiast
• A voracious reader of Philippine history, and the lives of national heroes and Philippine presidents
• Math and Science wiz
• Prehistoric genius particularly in the area of dinosaurs
• Pokemon trader and collector
• Artist / performer
• Book Talk champion

KEIRA:

• 7 months old
• Weighs 22 pounds and very tall for a Filipina baby girl (only clothes that are for ages 12 months and up fit her)
  
• Started solid foods last month and loves Gerber Applesauce, Squash and Sweet Potatoes. "Dislikes" any Cerelac flavor but eats them anyway
• Sits up on her own, crawls crazily around her playmat and can stand up on her own when holding on to outstretched arms or bedposts
• laughs and squeals out loud when watching the Bear in the Big Blue House
  
• Can say "mamamama!", "dadadadada!" and "grrrrrr!"
• Can make a mean "keirachu" face

Nanny Nuisance

No I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth again. I'm still very much here. I just haven't had the chance to blog lately because my hands and feet have been tied due to my nanny's long absence from the household. I was quite upset for the past 3 weeks because she asked permission to go on a vacation to see her family for 10 days, which we readily agreed to because it fell right on Holy Week and her arrival was supposed to be on the day work resumed. Cunning that she was, she managed to come up with a story that a family member had passed away and that she now had to stay another TWO WEEKS for the wake and the burial! Amazing how that dead body stayed well-preserved for 3 weeks....

I just realized how difficult it was to not have a nanny around, and have to work full-time still! Good thing I had the help of my loving hubby, my mom and my officemates, who more than willing offered to take turns in playing with Keira while I tended to Nicky and the other concerns in the house. But realizing after a few days that I couldn't go out on meetings if I had the baby with me, I had to resort to hiring a part-time caregiver. It was a very expensive decision, but it was the only option I had. It was difficult at first to leave my baby with a total stranger, seeing that Keira was also uncomfortable being held by a newcomer. But because the lady was a trained caregiver and had nursing skills gave me more confidence to let go and to let her do her own thing. It did help that the caregiver was also nursing a baby of her own, so taking care of mine was not a new thing to her. It only took a day for Keira and her to become fast friends. Because I finally had the chance to turn over the baby-sitting duties, I was now in a hurry to catch up on all my past due client deadlines. I had so much to finish that I had no time to blog.

My caregiver left last Friday and it was a sad farewell (haha, sentimental!) because she grew quite fond of Keira, and we all enjoyed her company as well. She was an angel sent to us at the perfect time, and I am just so thankful that there are people who are available to help out in times like these. My "nuisance" nanny is back (I shall refer to her as such until I get over what she did), and things in the household are slowly going back to normal. I now realized how much change can happen just three weeks in the life of a baby by how long a list the nanny had to make to keep track of Keira's new developments and feeding schedules (Keira was not eating solid foods yet when she left!). I am hoping Keira will be able to adjust back to a new caretaker, and hopefully will not need to meet a new one any time soon. Right now I am happy that I can get my much needed rest back and hopefully have the time to blog again.

Till next post! :-)

Thankful Thursday: REFLECT, REFRESH, RESTORE

I am thankful that we had a whole week "vacation" to commemorate the passion of Christ (what we call Holy Week here). It gave us a week to REFLECT, REFRESH and RESTORE our minds, hearts and spirits. Below is a glimpse of how the Lord allowed me to rest, reflect on my life and my service to Him, and to reconnect with people who are dear to me:

• ALONE AT BELLEVUE - I checked myself into a hotel overnight so that I can spend time alone. It was an amazingly wonderful experience! Not because I wanted to be away from my hubby and kids, but because I felt I needed to "find" myself again. I gave birth last Sept 28, and just after a week of recovering from a C-section I went back to work! Shocking? Yes. Because when you own a business like mine, you can't be away from it too long otherwise nothing will get delivered as scheduled. And I've been working straight from that time on till now. The stress and lack of rest (due to work, taking care of the baby, taking care of Nicky and Allan) has taken its toll, and I was almost on the brink of a burnout. The time out I took was indeed what I needed. I spent my whole stay at the hotel scrap booking (finished Keira's baby scrap book, finally!), reading a book while dining in a dimly-lit fine dining resto, watching TV till late night alone in a King-sized bed, having lunch by the pool and reading some more. It was great! I should do this more often. It gave me a chance to gather strength that I lost from months of un-rest, and enjoy being with myself again. I came home a happier and more complete woman :-)
• EASTER EGG HUNT - Bonding time with my son again! I brought Nicky to an Easter Egg Hunt at the AAV Country Club last Easter Sunday. It was extremely HOT that day (sweltering is the word!), but Nicky had fun, nonetheless.
  
  
  Nicky at the entrance of the club
  
  
  

The hunt begins!

• BLAST FROM THE PAST - I feel like I've lost touch with the outside world ever since I got pregnant and gave birth. My friend Don came home from the States for a visit, and it gave everyone the chance to meet up and reconnect with high school friends.

In His Loving Arms

This lovely photograph was taken by Keira's beauteous ninang Jennie

I see this picture and I think of how Keira has allowed her daddy's loving arms to surround her and how she surrenders to his protection and comfort -- trusting that he is in control, that he loves her and that she can find peace in believing so. How wonderful it must be to be an infant once more, innocent and trusting, in the presence of our heavenly Father! I look at this picture and I close my eyes.... imagining that I am Keira and my papa God is carrying me with the assurance that He is in control, that He will protect me, and that I have nothing to be afraid of. I am a baby again in my papa's loving arms. I am safe :-)

My Boy is 8!

Nicky celebrated his 8th birthday last March 19, but treated his closest school buds and Friends of Jesus playmates to a one-of-a-kind "Pokemon camp" the Saturday before right here in our front yard. It was a huge success despite my doubts that Allan and i could actually pull it off. I had never ever planned a kiddie birthday party from scratch (read: conceptualized, cooked, decorated, planned the games and craft activities, entertained guests). It was actually fun, but VERY TIRING!

Here's a brief summary of the activities that we planned and succeeded in executing for Nicky's party:

1) Pokemon trading tent - This was the highlight of the party. Kids brought their trading cards and did the "official trading" of cards inside the tent. Nothing extraordinary about this but they seemed to be thrilled with the idea that they have some sort of hideout to do their card trading.
2) Paper clay arts and craft station
3) Thomas the train toy station - We set up large Thomas the train tables with tracks and a scenic mat of Sodor. Kids loved it!
4) Ball swim station - The younger kids loved this. They dived into an air-filled tent with colored balls all over where they could "swim" in.
5) Fishing game - We filled a kiddie pool with tons of chocolates and snacks, and the kids tried to fish them out using fishing rods with magnets attached to them. I never thought I would get these kids to follow the rules, but they did! They filled their lootbags with the goodies they fished out!
6) Chocolate fondue station - This was an instant hit with both the kids and adults. I've never seen children go gaga over eating fruits until that day! They ate everything they could cover in melted chocolate. Kudos to my mom for suggesting this yummy treat!
7) Street food vendor stop - Everyone lined up to get free freshly cooked street food-on-sticks! Kikiam, squidballs, fishballs, crab balls all deep fried and dipped in sweet and sour sauce! Yum!

I was worn out and my legs were throbbing by the end of the day. But hearing Nicky's heart-warming "this was the best party ever, mom! I love you and dad so much. thank you" words made it all worth it. My baby boy is now a young man. It was a party he definitely deserved :-)

Nicky's Mr. Bean cake. I couldn't find a Pokemon cake. Nicky didn't seem to mind.

Nicky's blows the candle.

Entrance to the Pokemon trading tent.

Kids "fishing" out their goodies.

The star of the buffet table - the chocolate fondue fountain!

Thankful Thursday: Everyday Joys

My Left Hand website launch!

The new My Left Hand Creative Solutions website is up! It's fun, it's dynamic, it's packed with tons of our creative works! Check it out quick!

For people interested to avail of our services, visit our Contact Us page and fill out our inquiry form.

CLICK ON THE PIC TO VISIT OUR SITE!

Thankful Thursday: Keira's Christening!

I am thankful for all the people who welcomed Keira into Christianity! She was baptized last March 3 and was amongst family and friends at the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish. A thanksgiving lunch was thrown at the Congo Grille for everyone who our dearest to our hearts, and who constantly pray for our family and for Keira's health.

Below are photos of Keira's memorable Christening day :-)