Little Mister Heartbreaker.

I can't believe I'm already looking for a pre-school for my little boy. Those three years flew by a bit too fast. Soon, he will be socializing with little people and will have a taste of the real world. I really hope that the real world would be kind to my boy and I really hope that he loves it out there. Okay, okay, he is not going to college yet but it sure does feel like he is. I am starting to get more emotional about this but I still have a few months to collect myself and get used to the idea that kids do grow up.

hat:Target
jeans:children's place
toys: Barnes and Noble
shirt:H&M
vest:Baby Gap

I am so glad I was able to raise a good respectful boy. Yesterday, he patiently waited in line for his turn to go down the slide at the park. And he would apologize when he would bump the kids on his way down. Some kids are so arrogant and would even say the nastiest words you can hear from such a little mouth but I honestly think that they get that from their parents. So, I can't blame them. We are the role models and whatever we do in front of a child is what they will do and say. So, hats off to the parents out there who mind what they do and say because bad words ain't cool specially if it's coming from a child.

In other news, I can't believe how sunny it is in L.A. It feels like Summer. And I also realized that I am not 'physically' ready for summer clothing. I need to start working out more and eating less and I also need warm weather appropriate clothes because all I have in my closet are fur coats. If you look into my closet, you wouldn't even think that I live in sunny Los Angeles. You would think I live in Antarctica!

Have a Happy Thursday everyone!

Swatch Love

I rarely see shoes or accessories that make my mouth drop open, for like 5 minutes. I have a very odd taste when it comes to watches and shoes, the weirder the better. I was one of the first people who was wearing the infamous pop swatch back in the day. And I really enjoyed strutting something so unusual that time that no one had, well for a while, until everyone else got one and I had to ditch mine. Lol.

This is my kind of watch. Weird-check, character-check, swatch-check, price-check... I really, absolutely love the black and the white one! Available at your nearest Swatch shack.

Hello Spring

I am so happy to see the flowers around our neighborhood, the sun shining, blue skies and the warm air against my face. It had been a wet and dreary past two weeks and now it's  nice to know that Spring has finally sprung. It was quite a late arrival but what matters is that it came.

As a welcome for Spring, we took out our pretty English tea cup set and had some Jasmine tea this afternoon.

Have an awesome Spring!

Photo Love {Breakfast}

I am in love with breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day. I love it so much that I can eat it for lunch and dinner. Imagine how thrilled I am to see a blog dedicated to breakfast and it's magic.

Yum.

The day you stop learning is the day you stop living.

I love reading unusual facts. In fact, we have a big vintage book in the bathroom (such a cool thing to have in that room) called 2001 Interesting facts you should know.

So you probably have an idea how happy I was when I saw this new website with very cool images and unusual facts rolled into one. The website is called Learn Something Everyday.

So clever, I just can't stop reading them.

Our Weekend

Our weekend was all about food! and good company of course. My cousin spent her birthday at our house and lots of people came over.

We took the turntable out in the backyard where we were having a barbecue and it was awesome to listen to old songs while we enjoyed being with family.

Too bad, I was too busy to take photos.

It was also a very wet week. The rain was pouring like crazy. I'm so glad to see the sun out today.
I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Biker Girl

I have a prediction. Soon there would be more bikes in the streets than cars. Isn't it more practical? For the environment, financially and health-wise? The sky-high prices of gas is no joke. My mom is thinking of returning her Rav 4 (no more furniture shopping, sniff) and would take the bus to and from work for a whole season and would get a car when the gas prices go down a bit. It does make sense. My mister works from home now (sorry I didn't mention that before) so he isn't really affected by the high price of gas and we rarely go out now so getting a bigger car which we initially planned isn't really necessary.

My mister got a hand me down, almost brand new beach cruiser from our good friend who moved to NZ and as he cruises around our neighborhood, I am left on the side of the street to watch him drive by.

I don't have one. It would have been great if I could use his. I do know how to bike but his bike is so big that I would need a step stool to be able to sit on it (I'm really short, you know) and when I finally get to sit on it, my feet does not touch the floor so it's hard to control the bike. So I am thinking of getting my own, actually I've been wanting one for sooo long now. But now, I can't decide which one to get.

 I found this website with really cool bikes and an affordable price to match. Free shipping and no tax too. Here are some of my favorites.

only $154.99

Though I like the two bikes above, a folding bike seems more practical because it would be easier to store in the house but I think I have to see it in person and see if it's easy to ride and fold. It is also more expensive than the two bikes above.

$214.99

Do you have a bike? What do you use? Do you like it? Do you recommend it?

Starbucks is after your big bucks...

The last Starbucks gift card is spent. So I have no more excuse to visit our neighborhood Starbucks. Prior to the gift cards, I was not really a fan of buying expensive coffee. I was perfectly fine with my southern American coffee beans, freshly grounded prior to french pressing then I pour some creme brulee coffee creamer. The best coffee for almost nothing.


The red velvet whoopie pie was pretty, I fell for it, yet again. The price for this cookie could have bought me a whole box of apple turnovers that was on sale at the pastry section of our local grocery. This Starbucks was located inside that grocery. So I was standing there looking at the red velvet cookie and on my right, a whole display of fruit turnovers. Since I could not spend my gift card on the turnover, I had no choice.

 

Oh my, I was so lucky I didn't have to spend real cash on it (like I did with the cake pops). It was very bland but I guess that was because of the uber sweet, uber spicy chai I was drinking prior to eating it. It was so tiny too.What is up with Starbucks and their miniature pastry fascination? Most of their pastries are so tiny that it's perfect for a little girl's tea party. 

 If that little girl was Suri Cruise!

I am fine with my homemade creme brulee coffee indulgence in my super pretty vintage cups. 

Photo Love {more kid photos}

I made these photos today. I am thinking of doing custom pieces for people that might be interested. I have so many concept in mind that I think people with children will surely enjoy hanging pictures of their kids in whimsical situations on the walls of their home. What do you think?

House Talk

Here's how our music room/lounge area looks like for now. It isn't topsy turvy anymore but it isn't quite done yet. I am thinking of painting the walls to make the space cozier.

This isn't really my style. My style is more eclectic/old world Paris but this space is quite relaxing and the kids love it.

This side is still not up to par. A lot of guitars are hiding behind the sheer curtains and I am thinking of hanging them on the walls ( All 11 of them!) to save some floor space. I don't know where the bike goes and one more bike coming soon! Any suggestions?

I really can't forget how cozy it is in Anthropologie stores that I am so tempted to redecorate my kitchen and living room, probably paint my furnitures and other things. I love how calm I get when I am in their stores and I really can imagine myself living that way. It is possible but it will take a lot of time and effort. My living room and kitchen is very dark, dark walls and lots of dark furniture... What do you think? Should I go for it?

Photo Love {kids}

I played with my friend's kid's photos today. I love how they turned out.

Like they came straight out of wonderland. More coming soon!

Bookworm

My son is hilarious. He just learned how to talk and he can't stop. He repeats everything we say and he says the funniest things. He also enjoys reading.He could read even before he could speak. He was sounding out the words or acting them out. He started reading when he was 2 years old. Now, he's three and he enjoys reading his books out loud. I'm a proud mama.

Our Weekend

Our weekend was spent indoors. We rented some movies from Amazon instant video and realized they were too expensive so we decided to get the rest from our neighborhood video store. The cost of one video from Amazon got us four from the video store. We watched Unstoppable, Black Swan, Legends of the Guardians, Dinner for Schmucks and 127 hours.

Of all these movies, the one that struck me the most and the one I might never ever forget was 127 hours. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!! It was awesome, the cinematography is superb and the story is remarkable. It is one of the most unforgettable movies I've seen and this is coming from someone who watches 5-10 films a week all her life.

It was raining all weekend. I woke up Sunday morning with the loud sound of thunder. That was quite frightening, I couldn't go back to sleep so I just watched 'The Antonio Treatment and 'Secrets from a Stylist' that I recorded on DVR.

I love watching these shows because we recognize the shops they go to and one time my mister saw his co worker on the Antonio Treatment having her bedroom done by Mr. Ballatore himself.
Oh the perks of living in L.A.!

 How was your weekend? I hope it was spent with people that matter most.

Yesterday's Tea

I didn't blog yesterday to observe the blogger's silence for Japan. Thanks to all the people who did the same thing. I am also thanking everyone who visited the website of For Japan with Love and donated money for our friends there. I wish I can do more.

Today, we will be staying at home with our kids and will watch movies from Amazon Instant movies. We have an Amazon gift card and it is quite convenient to use for watching newer videos. We haven't been going out of the house because of the sky high price of gas. I really do hope that you too will try to conserve gas and opt to have fun at home instead. Children will enjoy playing board games or watching movies, you will be surprised.

I am wishing you an awesome weekend. I am quite excited to go out tonight and see how beautiful the moon is.

Let us all show we care, shall we?

 

I find it surprising how famous bloggers can keep quiet and not even mention what happened to Japan. These bloggers are so powerful and imagine how many people they can inspire or influence to help out. I wish I was a famous blogger, I wish I was a gazillionare, I wish I was somebody so I can do something big to help out over there.I wish I can go there, If I could, I would. It is heartbreaking that I can only sit here, watch and pray. I wish I can do more. I wish that people who can do something would step out of their comfort zone and try to make a change in someone's life there. I know some people might not like what I'm writing here but I can't just keep quiet about it anymore. How can some people still go out and buy expensive purses...that purse would have fed so many people in disaster stricken or third world countries, how can some people party, get drunk or complain about the smallest of things when people are grieving about their families that have died or what they would eat and the fact that the ground they are standing on would not stop shaking. If you care and you are not this kind of person, thank you so much. 

I saw this ad on Our City Lights (she has such a good heart,thanks for bloggers like her), please donate if you can, you don't have to give if you can't afford to but if you really want to, you can sacrifice one starbucks drink and donate the money instead, skip a club visit or anything that you can sacrifice if you don't have money to shell out.

I apologize if I am a bit emotional when it comes to this issue. I was once in their position when the big earthquake struck the city where I lived, back in the Philippines. And I saw first hand how these people are going through right now, only what they have gone through (and still going through)  is 10 times worse than what happened to us.

Please check out this site to know how you can help out in Japan. And for all the bloggers that want to help out, please try to raise awareness to your readers and invite them to help out, every dollar counts, every single prayer matters. Tomorrow is blogger silence day for Japan. I will not be posting here to pay my respect for everyone affected by the disaster. If you care, please do the same.

Downsizing

Remember this post? Our good friend who moved to NZ gave us almost all his belongings, he left with only two suitcases and a guitar. Here's what our music room looked like (and some of the other rooms in the house looked quite the same)

sofa, all the tables, bike,wooden blinds, floor lamps,morrocan mirror and so much more

It is still a work in progress. It changes everyday and I am getting rid of almost all the old stuff we have. We have been doing yard sales and craigslist listings and everything else that we can't dispose, we are donating.
I haven't gone to the thrift store in weeks. I think I wouldn't be going for a very long time. Upon cleaning and reorganizing the house, I've realized how much stuff we have and I must really stop buying.

Seeing the houses that had been ruined in Japan changes how I look at stuff. I learned how to let go of things I do not need easier than I used to. Why do we need so much stuff anyway?

Either way, I am happy that we are blessed with so many things that we didn't even have to spend a single dime on. I am grateful for things that I've bought for almost nothing and for all the free stuff we get from people, companies or other people downsizing. If I tell you how much stuff we get for free each year, you'll be shocked and you might not believe me. Hmmm, I might do a post on that next time.

How about you? Do you have a lot of stuff? Please don't throw them away, your trash might be someone else's treasure. You can do a yard sale, list on Craigslist or ebay or schedule a donation pick up from the Salvation Army. Or why not make a friend happy and give stuff he or she might like.

I will post pictures when the house is finally done. I hope it's soon.

Oh Hello Cupcake

When we dropped off mail to the post office yesterday, my husband and I sneaked a mini cheap date. At 7 eleven! We had chili dogs with tons of chili and cheese. And I also had this red velvet cupcake. How can I resist?

It's huge and only $1.49. The taste was also good enough to relieve my Sprinkles craving for a little while longer.

A Toy Story

My boy has a lot of toys. Were talking hundreds! We got a bit carried away about having a boy and now we are overwhelmed by all the cars, the stuffed dolls, the trikes, books and so many other things.

There are way too many that I think he is overwhelmed himself. The room is not messy but there are just way too many toys! I was ready to donate some of them until I saw TOY STORY 3!
Oh that movie! That changes everything! That was some stressful film that got me all depressed. Now when I go to his room, I feel like everything should remain untouched.

These are his ultimate favorites, Not shown is Kailan of Ni Hao Kailan, the characters of Dora and Yo Gabba Gabba, oh he loves these little creatures that we even sleep with all of them sometimes. 

I am currently cleaning up the house and organizing things here and there but I am quite afraid to tackle his room. I am a bit sentimental when it comes to his stuff but I know I must soon face the fact that I would have to let go of some of the things in there, specially those that he doesn't really play with anymore.


How about you? If you are a mom, do you have a hard time letting go of your baby's stuff? 
If not, what do you do with them? 
Do you buy a lot of toys too like I did? ( I don't buy anymore) 
Please share your own toy story.

Rainbow Love

The prettiest camera!

Pretty rainbow hair

A real house inspired by 'UP'

Colorful seats in a cinema in Lisbon

Alexander Mcqueen dress, Imagine this as a wedding dress, I love it!