Scholastic Summer Warehouse Sale.

If your kids are into books, then this is the perfect summer sale for them.

Scholastic Summer Warehouse Sale
All displays on sale up to 80% off
May 4 - 10, 2009
Monday- Sunday 8am-8pm
Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse
#70 C. Raymundo Ave. Rosario, Pasig City

Children's books, reference materials, teacher resources, educational toys and gadgets, science kits, gifts, and more!

Zoom in this image to view the map and other details.

Camella Homes Bulilit Commercial.

After the Knorr Meaty Makulay ang Buhay sa Sinabawang Gulay commercial, the Nido Look at Me Mom, Colgate Brush Brush Brush 3x a day, Selecta 3-in-1 plus 1..here comes another commercial that drives my Asher crazy every time it's on air.

It's the Camella Homes Bulilit Commercial. It never ceases to catch his attention. Upon hearing just the first line "Bulilit..bulilit..", he goes ecstatic and waves his hand and bangs his head like crazy. His eyes are glued on the screen until its ending. Here goes the lyrics.

Bulilit bulilit
Sanay sa masikip
Kung kumilos kumilos
Kay liit liit.
Bulilit
Kung kumilos
Kay liit liit.

Di Siya Salbahe..Okay?

13 Months Week 4.

My Toddler This Week according to Babycenter.com:

Spirited and mild-mannered toddlers alike will experiment with ... how shall we say it? ... undesirable behavior. If your toddler indulges in fits of screaming, hitting, and biting, you can take some solace in knowing that his development is right on track. Discipline can be a challenge with kids this age, so try to build a little personal time into your schedule each week as a way to refuel your patience tank.

And I reiterate it again...his development is right on track. Meaning it's just normal that toddlers undergo this stage.

Period.

Mommy Moments: Daddy!

These are the pictures that capture the perfect daddy moment...it's not actually just a daddy moment but more of a daddy-and-son moment. I just love how my boys adore, love and treasure each other. Daddy makes it a point to bond and play with him at the end of the day so he tries to go home from work early. Certainly, it makes me one happy complete wife and mom. These are my boys and they are the love of my life.

The Talker.

According to Babycenter:

How your life is changing: Communication with your 13-month-old is getting more sophisticated all the time. She's probably got the hang of "Dada," "Mama," and a few other recognizable words, though she's still quite good at making her desires known without much vocabulary. When she wants down, she'll point down; when she wants your attention, she'll tug your shirt. She's also understanding a good percentage of the simple language you use around her every day, so be sure to talk to her and read to her as much as possible.

12 to 18 months
At his first birthday, your child will likely use one to five words meaningfully. By 14 months, that working vocabulary may grow to seven real words, though he may have up to 20 "words" (these may be more like sounds) that only he and someone close to him can understand. He'll even practice inflection, raising his tone when asking a question. He might say "Up-py?" when he asks to be carried, for example.

Your toddler is realizing the power of talking as a means of communicating his needs. Until he learns more words to get his ideas and desires across, he'll likely combine his speech with gestures to show what he wants. He'll reach his arms toward his favorite toy, for example, and say "ball." In fact, some toddlers develop a whole sign language of gestures to communicate with their parents. Your child might cover his face when he's embarrassed, for example, or pound on the table when he's mad.

Don't worry if he struggles to get his meaning across now and then. This frustration is actually a healthy sign that he's trying hard to communicate and cares whether or not you understand him.

Asher babbles a lot. He's 13.5 months now and at the moment, here are his recognizable words or sounds that he frequently says and associate with a thing or person:

"mama" - me..I prefer and I'm training him to call me Mommy though.
"dada" and sometimes "dadeh" - his daddy. He more babbles dada than mama. But prefers to be with me all the time.
"bu" - ball, balloon and bee.
"sssshh" - fish
"tsk tsk" - lizard
"deh deh deh" - he will find his way to me and ultimately to my breasts.
"ayayee" - his yayay/nanny
"ta ta" - his tita
"bah bah" - when he wants to get off from cradling or go downstairs
"wah" - with matching open palms to say "wala na" (no more)

He can now also imitate some other animal sounds like monkey, cat and dog.

Sooner or later, he'll learn more words and fill his own dictionary book.

I'm wishing that I can get a video of him babbling these words. I swear I wouldn't mind filling our laptop memory with videos of his milestones and development.

13 Months Updates.

Asher celebrated his 13th month birthday last April 2 but I never got the chance to list down his updates for this month yet. Anyway, here they are before I totally forget about them:

1. As of his last well baby checkup last Saturday, he now weighs 10 kilos. Finally, he reached the 2-digit mark. It was also a kilo gain from last month's and I'm just relieved that despite his diarrhea two weeks ago which was caused by an infection, his weight gain is tremendous compared to his previous months average which was just about a half kilo.
2. He looks thinner but grew taller. His slim looks is more likely attributed to him being so active.
3. We can now say that he's walking..as in he's taking his steps on his own steadily now by a distance without falling or slumping down. He certainly has a sense of direction as well. He also can turn sideways and even turn around while maintaining his balance. While this may be his biggest milestone for this month, this frets us because it means we have to double our vigilance and alertness aside from the fact that this would also mean more backaches for us. Geeezz..good luck to us!
4. Rode his first carousel ride in Timezone Trinoma.
5. He points correctly to the following body parts when asked: head, nose, eyes, tongue, tummy and birdie. I'm slowly teaching him at least 1 new body part each week.
6. He amused us again and showed that he knows what combs and headbands are for without us teaching him. Yes, headbands...alangan naman ituro namin yun sa kanya di ba? He's such a keen observer talaga. Kaya itatabi ko talaga ang make up kit ko.
7. He dances well to upbeat sounds and music. Yun nga lang headbang style. Or, stomping feet or waving hands.
8. His favorite commercials: 3-in-1 plus 1 by Selecta and the new Milo commercial. He keeps on saying "bu" as he sees the soccer ball being kicked.
9. Has become stubborn na rin. Yikes! He fights back and sometimes hit when he's scolded or when he's refused. So when someone just mentions the word "tigas ang ulo", he hits his head with both hands as if checking if it's really hard.
10. Aside from the dog and lizard, he can now also imitate the sounds of the following animals:
cat - he says "Awwuuuu" with matching pataas na note.
monkey - he says "ah ah ah ah".
bee - he says "bzzzzzzzz".
fish - he says "sshh sshh" to call them.
Courtesy of his LeapFrog toys doing animal sounds.
11. His vocabulary, syllables and sounds are increasing as well:
mama, dada, tata (pertaining to his tita), baba (when he wants to get off from being carried or if he wants to go downstairs), dede (my milk or his bottle), yayay (his nanny).
12. Loves climbing up and down the stairs while holding on to us.
13. Since he's more than a year old already, the food variety given to him has expanded as well. He has tasted chocolate and honey (Cerelac flavors) and egg. He's also less maarte now in terms of food texture. I seldom use the blender now.
14. He still has 8 teeth. Wala pa ring nadadagdag. I think at 10 months, 8 na teeth niya, until now 8 pa rin.
15. He already has a sense of self-confidence. When asked "taas ang kamay ng pogi", he raises his hands..yes both hands even.
16. He also now has favorite stuffs and he conveys them. His fetish...his blue walking sandals. One time he was already wearing his brown sneakers which is his regular footwear when we go out. When he saw his blue sandals, he handed them to me and didn't stop crying and nagging until I removed his brown sneakers and put on the blue sandals.
17. I think he'll be potty trained easily, when the right time, comes. For now, he sometimes tells us ahead that he wants to pee by touching his birdie and will stare at us. When he poops naman, he also tells us kaso pag tapos na. But at least he knows to call our attention at once.
18. Starts to baby sign. He shows his palms upward and says "wa" (for wala na) when asked for a missing thing or person.

Online Degree.

Just one school year to go and my youngest brother will graduate from college. Right now, he's completing 200 hours of his On-the-job Training course in an image consultancy firm. So that's what's keeping him busy this summer break and he loves it. He said that he's so excited to graduate and work in the corporate world which reminded me how also anxious I was onset of my senior year then but at the same time I was having thoughts of pursuing a masteral degree. But I figured I don't have the means yet to support my desire and the time to do so. If only I have known about Capella University way back then, I would have enrolled myself in one of their online degree programs. Capella University is Minneapolis based online university that offers bachelor’s degree programs in business, information technology, and public safety. Students come from all 50 states and 45 other countries and provide quality graduate education for working adults. Recently, one of their alumni, Jeannie McGuire, was awarded with Sunny Andrews Award for her commitment to social work.

**This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

Random Questions # 24.

1. If you were given a paper and a pen, what would be the first thing you’d draw or write?
I'd write about my blogging assignments.

2. Have you ever done something you said you would never do?
I said that I will wake up this morning at 6 AM but I slept more for an hour.

3. Do you have piercings in other places aside from earlobes?
None.

4. Who would you allow to read your thoughts for one day?
The husband.

5. Anything you’re giving up on?
Nagging the husband to set an appointment with the Frisco Dentist.

6. When you go to the beach, do you write your name in the sand?
Yes. It gets washed up anyway by the waves.

7. If you could wish for something over a birthday cake what would it be?
The first thing that crossed my mind at the moment is an iPhone.

8. Are you satisfied with what you currently have in life?
Yes!

9. Do you think boys truly understand girls?
No..they never will.

10. What’s something you really want right now?
a nice pampering and relaxing massage session in a spa.

Thanks Chikai.

Sunday Stealing: The Green Meme.

Sunday Stealing: The Green Meme.

1. What is your current obsession? :: blogging, photography and window shopping.

2. What’s a good coffee place? :: Starbucks and nothing else. :D

3. Who was the last person that you hugged? :: my little Asher

4. Do you nap a lot? :: when I have nothing to do or just simple bored, yes!!!

5. Tonight, what’s for dinner? :: kaldereta. My MIL has made it extra spicy though.

6. What was the last thing that you bought? :: we did grocery this afternoon but the last item we picked up from the rack and put into the cart was a bottled distilled water for the little one.

7. What is your favorite weather? :: sunny days but not to much heat please.

8. Tell us something about one blogger who you think will play this week? :: well, since online works abound these days, I'm sure there are a lot of them who'll play along this week.

9. If you were given a free house that was full furnished, where in the world would you like it to be? :: somewhere in the US like those Outer Banks rentals perhaps.

10. Name three things that you could not live without. :: laptop, modem and electricity.

11. What would you like in your hands right now? :: same with kathy, new lens for Nikky.

12. What’s one of your guilty pleasures? :: pigging out

13. What would you change or eliminate about yourself? :: my being overly sensitive

14. As a child, what type of career did you want? :: I dreamt of becoming a doctor

15. What are you missing right now? :: long uninterrupted sleep

16. What are you currently reading? :: Still on the New Moon

17. What do you fear the most? :: losing my family

18. What’s the best movie that you’ve seen recently? :: You Changed My Life

19. What’s your favorite book from the past year? ::Twilight

20. Is there a comfort food from your childhood that you still enjoy? Choco Mallows!

Mommy Moments: Sentimental Moments

I must admit that I had a hard time browsing my flickr gallery to come up with my most favorite sentimental moment picture of me and Asher. It is because I have tons of Asher pictures and each has its sentimental moment of its own. But then as I look back, nothing beats the joy, delight, excitement and the love that is exuded in this particular photo:



Pardon if you've seen this already as I've posted this before. But this truly remains my most cherished one. Why? Because it's our first ever picture together and it was the day that I started to believe in love at first sight. This was the day when I first saw him and no expensive material thing, not even a precious jewelry can equate the prize I got in him.

Stocks. Stocks. Stocks.

Stocks. Equity. Derivatives. High. Low. Exchange. Broker.

These are just a few of the most common terms and lingo that are used in a stock market day-to-day activity. I did take up Business Administration back in college but I do admit that I now know less about Investments. Let's just say that I took a different field after graduation, still in line with Commerce but a bit distant from Investments. I do recall however that given the right skills, know-how and attitude, one could make it big with stock trading. All the more if you are assisted by PowerOptions through their options express . They have a patented technology that will enable one to easily find, compare, analyze and get rich with stock trading option. Now that's indeed an easy way to earn money.

Fascinated.

Yes, he prefers to play with boxes, water bottles, chairs, hampers and even the Samsonite luggage of his grandma. Well, to satisfy his curiosity, we just let him play and explore the world. Of course, we're just behind him all the time and we try to babyproof the house to avoid accidents.

Mommy Moments: Kids In Costume.

Asher actually has lots of photos of him wearing a costume.


These were taken when he was 10 months old and were used for his 1st birthday party invites, tarpaulin backdrop, welcome banner, thank you sticker, personalized chocolate wrapper, etc. His party was was Jungle-Safari themed.



Asher as Baby Chef taken when he was 7 months old for his October pictorial at The Picture Company.

Asher as Orange Baby.

This was Asher's costume during the Halloween Trick or Treat activity at his Daddy's workplace last November.


Well, I know he's costume-less here but he's the cutest baby hunk, isn't he?

Asher's Jungle Safari 1st Birthday Party Supplier Ratings.

A long overdue post and just a warning: a very loooong read. Due to busy sched, it actually took me more than a month to draft and post 4 installment entries on my main blog. Hopefully, this will be helpful to all Mommies (especially GTalker Moms) planning their kids' safari birthday parties. Anyway, here it is.

For the party pictures, check the details, the celebrant and the program and guests in my multiply album.

Theme: Jungle Safari
Date: March 1, 2009
Venue: Makati Park and Garden

**Venue: Makati Park and Garden (Artist Pavillion)
Location: JP Rizal Extension, West Rembo, Makati City
Contact Person (Reservation): Mr. Rolly Medina (Old City Hall Building)
Contact Number: 899-8915
Contact Person/Head Security (Makati Park): Mr. Maligaya
Contact Number: 881-7849
Rating: 9

We initially planned to have the party in a venue somewhere in Quezon City but decided to have it in Makati Park instead when we learned that it would cost us lesser to hold it there. We’ve attended a kiddie party in the same pavillion two years ago and we fell in love with the place. It is easy to locate (just near our home), it has an ample parking space, serene and well maintained park, spacious, uniquely shaped and air conditioned pavillion. The semi-indoor fountain and indoor plants in the middle were a plus and were so apt with Asher’s Jungle Safari Theme. Venue rental and peso power wise, I give it a 10. Rate is Php 5000 for Makati residents and Php 7000 if otherwise. Customer service wise of those persons in charge, never mind (that’s why I don’t give them a perfect 10). Since it’s a public park, reservation or permission must be sought from the City Hall which is about 15 minutes drive from the park. The OIC could hardly be reached and his female colleagues weren’t approachable (typical government office mood/setup..you know what I mean..no offense to the government office workers out there). The first time we went there at 2:30 PM, the OIC is on a lunch break still and no one (not even his assistant) knows what time will he be back. Nobody could entertain us so we decided to come back some other day. On the party day itself, the head security was difficult to talk with. Days before the party, I asked permission to set up as early as about 8-9 AM. They permitted that we can start with the setup early since there’s no booked morning event. When Jacque’s staff came at about 8 am, they prohibited them from starting to setup saying, initially, that there MIGHT be a baptism event at 11 am. Funny, noh? I asked them over the phone if there’s such a thing as an unconfirmed reservation on the day itself. They just retorted that we can only start at 11 AM sharp. After hearing the mass, we hurried to the venue at 10 AM and checked Jacque’s staff. I was able to talk with the head security himself, this time, he’s saying that they prohibited them from starting early because there might be a surprise audit by the COA. All the more that I was displeased with their reasoning inconsistency. At any rate, I didn’t argue with him anymore and I refused to get stressed that early. I just hope that they will be clear and true to their word next time.

**Venue Styling: Partyboosters
Site: http://www.partybooster.multiply.com
Contact Person: Jacque Tan
Contact Number: 0917-898-5227 / 0922-888-7739
Email: partyboosters.inquiry@gmail.com
Rating: 10++++

Ask the guests how they find the dressed up venue and they will answer in unison….it’s “bongga”!!! And I owe it all to a good friend, Jacque of Partyboosters. Jacque and I have been friends since our W@wie days (a wedding e-group). We were both December 2005 brides then and even after our weddings, we constantly exchanged e-group mails and regularly meet together along with our CWL barkada. And so when she ventured into this balloon business last year, we knew right then that the CWL babies need not to worry about their parties anymore. Friendship aside, I would give her a 10++ rating for the services she rendered for Asher’s party. I couldn’t think of the perfect superlative word that can best describe of how she turned the pavillion into a colorful, festive and jungle-lific party venue. She perfectly understood my OC-ness and kaartehan and she gladly infused my ideas and suggestions to hers. The guests keep on saying that the setup was “bongga” but actually, it’s not as expensive as they think. The kids loved the balloons especially the mylars, squiggles, tree pillars and shrubs, the centerpieces and those latex safari print balloons which Jacque pooled into big bunches. In fact, the guests, specifically the adults, started grabbing the balloons even if the party isn’t over yet. It’s just funny to see everyone going home with gigantic tree pillars in tow and friends texting me that their kids are sleeping that night with animal mylars on their side. True to their business name, thanks Partyboosters for “boosting up” Asher’s party with your brilliant setup.

**Caterer (Adults): Queensland Catering
Number of Pax: 150
Site: http://www.queenslandcatering.com/
Contact Person: Micca Yee
Contact Number: 401-9955 / 820-7223
Rating: 10

I’ve pooled three well recommended caterers from fellow N@Wies and GirlTalkers as our choices but since they are all at par food quality wise, cost was the deciding factor and Queensland stood out to be the most economical. Another advantage is that they have a satellite office at nearby Glorietta 3 where I dealt with Micca, their courteous AE everything from booking, to food selection to payment. What I like about them is that they’re flexible in terms of menu selection; they don’t demand exclusivity or bill corkage fees. Micca was also proactive in advising the things that are exclusive of their package so we can allot for it: vegetable dish, softdrinks, water, plastic and styro disposables for left over foods, etc. I’ve read previous negative feedbacks about their waiters some not wearing uniforms so that’s what I emphasized with Micca. Their waiters were all presentable and courteous, especially the head waiter who took actions right away when I give out instructions or I request something. Queensland regularly caters at Makati Park so they already know where to setup everything, the restrictions and others. And of course the food, it was superb especially the Pork Spareribs in BBQ Sauce. I could’ve gone for a second round but since I, being the party host, need to attend to and entertain the guests, I just assured my tummy that I’ll devour the left over foods we’d take home. I had about 150 guests and truly, their buffer was more than what they said as we were still able to take home tons of them.

**Caterer (Kids): CCME Homemade Food Stuff
Number of Pax: 50
Site: http://www.homemadefoodstuff.com/
Rating: 10

I didn’t order the kiddie foods from Queensland because it was way beyond my budget and so I scoured for alternatives. I thought of ordering Jollibee meals but my calculator yielded a message that ordering from CCME would be more economical: more food at less cost. Ordering and dealing with them was fast, easy and hassle-free. I’ve tried and tasted their food before so I know they won’t disappoint me. Their group packages are inexpensive and flexible likewise. They also delivered on time. I also ordered Chopseuy from CCME since my chosen Queensland meal package didn’t have a vegetable dish for the adults. Queensland was generous enough to provide for free extra chaffing dish for the chopseuy.

**Host/Magician: Flooch
Booked through Partyboosters
Rating: 10++++

Flooch is one of the major reasons why the party was a HUGE success. He surely succeeded in entertaining (to the fullest) not only the kids but also those young at hearts. He is very articulate (English speaking), very spontaneous, very much skilled, absolutely no dull moment with his entertainment. The kids loved each second and every portion of his magic tricks and other antics. I wasn’t able to watch fully the program proper as I was busy entertaining and chitchatting with some friends and guests but nevertheless, everyone was all praises for him after the party that it got me so anxious to watch the video. Luckily, John sent the edited video yesterday and I was amazed with his tricks. Nakakatuwa talaga and I can’t help but laugh with his pranks and jokes. His games were also one of a kind and I love that he had every kid participated by holding games according to age bracket. Overall, I give him two thumbs up for his service. Days before the party he informed me (through Jacque) that he might arrive a little bit late because he has a booking before ours. He arrived about 15 minutes before the party call time but we still started on time. He was so swift and was able to setup his sound system and props quickly. We were also able to discuss the program flow but unfortunately I wasn’t able to emphasize that we’d have a thank you speech towards the end of the program. (I thought kasi standard na yun in every program.) Well anyway, I can’t blame him entirely kasi the crowd got a little bit unruly na at the end part at pinagkaguluhan ang mga balloons, decors and the cute cupcakes. Nevertheless, the program was a big success and kudos to Flooch for that.

Photo and Video: John Aguas Photography
Contact Person: John Aguas
Website: http://www.johnaguas.com
Contact Details: johnaguas@yahoo.com / 0920-983-2364 / 0922-257-3469 / 994-0345
Rating: 10

John isn’t obviously any of these subjects since he’s the one behind the lens and captured these candid moments which are his forte.

If you followed my party preps entries, you would remember that John wasn’t my first choice. I first inquired from a popular and very demanded photographer among my fellow n@wies but I was dismayed with how this supplier corresponded to me via email. John, on the other hand, was otherwise. He was very prompt and courteous either email or text. And because of that, I was inclined to get him since mabagal nga yung isa magreply. Later, fate has it that we’d get John talaga kasi Photog A was booked. We were pleased with John’s output: both the pictures and the video. He was able to take shots of everything although I should have emphasized earlier to get plenty close up shots of the party details. Nevertheless, okay lang since my reliable all-SLRed-twitter buddy guests-turned-back up photographers were able to capture more photos (especially Jojo and Alpha..the next Karl and Mimi tandem). They arrived in the venue early and were able to capture each guests as they came. If I saw and remember correctly, his team consists of 2 back-up photographers and of course the videoman. Initially, I only booked his photography (labor only) services as we didn’t allot a budget for the video. But later on, we realized that having a video of the party is a must to document this once in a lifetime event fully. One week before the party, we contracted his video services as well. I so loved the editing of the video. We received it yesterday and I had fun reminiscing the party. Nice music selection (jungle-themed kiddie intro song as well) and for the rate we have paid, it’s all worth it.

Cake: Sugarbox
Contact Person: Emily Uy
Contact Details: 4952065 / emilyu@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.ilovesugarbox.com
Rating: 10+++++

The birthday cake is one of my least concerns during the party preps because I knew then that I’m covered. I didn’t have any other supplier in mind other than my ever reliable cake maker, Emily Uy. She made our wedding cake in 2005 and she also did Asher’s baptismal cake last year. Suki na kumbaga…tried and tested. I knew that I wouldn’t have a hard time booking and availing her services. So the moment I saw the Jungle Mania cake in her gallery, I emailed and texted her right away for a quotation and booked her consequently. The cake has all the exact details I have in mind…the bright jungle colors, the animal concept, the satellite/tiered style..everything. It’s perfect period. The rate she gave me is also way below I expected the cake to cost, much to the “manager’s”/husband delight. The cake consists of 100 pieces of cupcakes, each with gumpaste animal toppers, plus a round one that served as the main “topper” of the satellite cake. As always, Emily was easy to deal with and I’m so glad that she accommodated my order as I’ve heard she’s busy and overbooked as ever. She also gladly obliged to my request that we just settle the balance on the day, when normally it should be fully paid a week before the event. Her uniformed crew also arrived early and so they had ample time to setup the cake. I don’t know if they stayed or just came back towards the end of the party as there were two of them who assisted in repacking each cupcake for distribution to the guests. Even before Flooch was able to wrap the program up, they were already stormed by the over eager crowd each asking for cupcakes. The cupcakes were chocolate flavored and the guests’ verdict: yummo! I wasn’t able to taste the cupcakes since there were nothing left for us. What we have though is the bigger round cake which is the yummiest butter flavored cake I’ve ever tasted. I also love the green frosted icing she made into grasses and tree leaves…it was not too sweet but just right. Buti na lang, I have a skinny figure so I can load up sweets as much as I want to without any diet pressure or worries. ‘Til the next birthday cake, Emily.

Now on to the smaller knick knacks of the party:

Chocolate Fountain: c/o Asher’s Ninang Paula
Rating: 10+++++++

Just as the song goes, the best things in life are free. And definitely, this gift of Ninang Paula to Asher was heaven. A week before the party, I received a text message from my dear friend informing me that she’ll sponsor the chocolate fountain and it will be her gift for his beloved inaanak. Of course, I was ecstatic because I didn’t avail any regular party food booths so this would do, I figured. She owns this 4-layered machine and she gladly lent it for the party. She together with his fiance Joseph, were the ones who set up and prepared everything from the choco melting/diluting, dippers slicing and fruit coating (check out the choco coated apple picture) and up to packing up. There were a lot of guests who came in early so even before the party started, the chocolate was drained up to the last drop. The husband and I didn’t even get to taste it. It was a hit that my twitter buddies are now craving and wanting for a chocolate fountain party for our next meet up. But ironically, they’re also stashing some weight loss pills now.

Facepainter: c/o Partyboosters
Website: http://www.partyboosters.multiply.com
Rating: 10++++

Another knick knack that was a hit for the kids. A lot of the kids had their faces and arms painted, even little Asher managed to have one in his arm. Actually, itinakas ng brother ko from me. The program’s through already and yet, there still was a queue of kids waiting. Poor face painter he wasn’t able to eat so I just gave him a take home meal plus a tip, of course.

Back-up Photographers: My Twitter Friends
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++

The friendship and bonding with my Twitter buddies (whom I get to chat with everyday) is one of the nicest things that I’m most thankful for in my online world. Not only we get to read each others’ blogs, chat, share and listen to rants and raves, exchange mommy and wifey thoughts, enjoy our common interests in moolah earning blog entries, digiscrapping, online shopping and photography everyday in the Twitter World, we are also one in our miseries and triumphant for every success and celebrations we jubilate. Haba ng intro…haha! Well, they aren’t actually our suppliers because I didn’t book them in the first place (because I want them to come and enjoy the party as guests). Even without me asking, automatic yan they are equipped with the SLRs so just imagine how everyone was busy uploading, commenting and waiting for each uploaded pic in our Flickr galleries right after the party. Photography and Digiscrapping are two of the things that bind us..after all, it is in our Bebot digiscrapping forum where we started and met. So what do you expect, artistic silang lahat and they all have the eye for photography especially the husband and wife tandem of Alpha and Jojo. As mentioned previously, John took a few snapshots of the party details but Alpha, Jojo and the rest of the gang compensated it with magnificent shots. Even John Aguas was amazed and delighted to see a group of (sexy) moms each busily focusing and clicking their SLRs. By the way, Alpha and Jojo are planning to take photography to a higher level so should you wish to get them as back up photographers for your parties, do get them.

Ice Cream Cart: Pagsinohin Ice Cream
Rating: 10++++

We’re so lucky to spot Mang Junior a few days before the party. He’s the ice cream vendor who regularly rounds our village in the afternoon and just lives nearby. When I inquired and learned that his services are less expensive than those of the party planners, I immediately booked him. I paid Php 300 DP and we exchanged contact numbers. Since he has another morning event on the party date ( ha daming bookings din ni kuya), he sent his son to serve and man their ice cream cart. They arrived one and half hour before the party, super aga. Hehe! Aside from the chocolate fountain, the ice cream was a big hit too to the kids and older ones.

Giveaways for the Adults: Personalized Chocolate from Choclittalk
Website: http://choclittalk.com/
Contact Person: Rico
Contact Details: choclittalk@yahoo.com.ph / (632) 744 3223 / 0910 9106243
Rating: 10+++++

One of Asher’s party suppliers who were easiest to deal with. With the help of my Twitter friend, Caryl who I consulted as I initially planned of designing, printing and wrapping the chocos myself, we stumbled upon this custom made chocolate supplier a month before the party. Rico was polite, flexible, prompt and very patient with my inquiries. Actually, their site, as is, is already very informative and helpful but Rico’s customer service all the more made them a commendable supplier. I’ve collected a number of personalized chocolate local suppliers but Choclittalk stood the cheapest. Since I was an OC party host, I was the one who made the design (including the nutrition facts) to concur and harmonize with the other DIYed stuffs like invites, tarpaulin backdrop, etc. I just sent the layout via email and Rico was the one who fitted it to their template for printing. They also did the chocolate themselves…it’s home made. The printing and packaging was superb. Payment and shipping arrangements are flexible. Nice colors, wrapper quality, packaging..all in all it was superb. And the taste? Of course it was heaven (premium brown flavor)! I ordered two variants: premium brown and cookies n’ cream. Too bad, I didn’t get to taste cookies n’ cream, I heard it’s the best. I knew that it would be gone in an instant so I hid a few for myself even before I distributed them. And oh, Asher’s name was also imprinted on the chocolate bar itself. Cool!

Guest Sheets: c/o my Bebot and Twitter Buddies ate JennyL and Diane
Rating: 10++++

Asher is truly blessed because I have artistic friends who volunteered to scrap his party guest sheets. I would have done them myself but my hands were already full of the party preps so I was glad that ate Jen and Diane came to the rescue. Ate Jen created 3 layouts while Diane was so inspired that she made 8. Unfortunately, the shipping from Artscow for Diane’s layouts didn’t make it on time at Kathy’s place (who ordered it for me at Artscow). If you like their designs and should you wish to hire their services, just let me know and I’ll forward their contact details.

My DIY projects:
Rating: 10++++
1. Jungle Safari Themed Invitation
Digital Kit: Sweet Safari Kit by Misty Cato (from Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Software used: Photoshop CS2
Invite Photo Printer: Artscow

I have to be biased and give it a perfect 10 because it was me who conceptualized and designed the invitation and the husband who drew the jungle-lific map. Aside from the remarkable savings that we got from this party detail. It’s been a while (as in months due to busy mommy schedule and online works) since I last touched my digi kits but glad that my creative juices came up with such a simple yet cute invite. May personal touch kumbaga. Thanks to Aggie for the kit referral. I was able to use this kit in all of my DIY projects for uniformity. It has the perfect soft blue and brown colors that I exactly wanted for the invites, guest sheets, thank you sticker, name tags, chocolate bar wrapper, table name labels and tarpaulin - the things that I DIY’ed. Cost wise, this is one of the details where we saved a lot since I availed the monthly promo of free 50 pcs 5R printing at Artscow so it was just the shipping cost of $7.99 (roughly about Php 384 or Php 7.68 each copy) that I paid for. Yes, a lot cheaper compared to that of Digiprint’s or Kodak’s. I think their 5R prints cost Php 13 each. The husband drew the map with jungle landmarks on a parchment paper and burned the sides a bit for an added effect. We sealed the envelopes (bought at National Bookstore) using the animal stickers which comes in pads (at Php 8/pad) that were bought at Divisoria.

**Regarding Artscow, be sure to sign up now to avail 1200 free prints credits, 3 pcs of 8″x8″ photo books & other great photo gifts credits. Yes free, so it’s just the shipping fee that you’re going to pay for. Artscow’s lab is based in Hong Kong but yes they do ship internationally. They accept credit card and paypal payments. Depending on your postal office, the parcels are sometimes delivered straight to your house but in my case, I always get mine from Makati Central Post Office upon receipt of a parcel notice from them. Parcel fee costs Php 35/package and since these are just photo prints and won’t be for commercial use, there no more customs taxes and duties will be further collected.

2. Thank You Card

- printed on a paper sticker with 2″x2″ dimension

3. Tarpaulin
Printer: Arkigrafix
Address: Quezon Ave (in front of National Bookstore-Crossings), QC
Tel No: 3765693

I initially wanted a styro backdrop but decided to digiscrap my own tarp when I came to know about the whopping rental price of a styro one. I made a layout with a dimension of 84 in x 144 in at 100 dpi to come up proportionately with a 7 ft x 12 ft printed tarpaulin. The printing costs Php 25/sq ft and the tarp was ready for pick up after 2 business days. For the welcome banner on the other hand, I had it printed at 1.5 ft x 3 ft. The tarp material and printing quality are nice and worth the price.

4. Table Name Labels

To add some more jungle safari effect on the party, I scoured the internet for 15 safari and african related words for the table name labels. I came up with: Mt Kilimanjaro, Lion’s Den, Leopard’s Lair, Savannah, Elephant Rock, Samburu Tribe, Boran Tribe (got it from Survivor Africa), Watering Hole, Zambezi River, Hippo Pool, Fox’s Burrow, Jungle Lagoon, Grassland, Wildlife Preserve and Native Guides. These were printed on a special paper (sorry forgot the gsm) and Jacque just stuck them on the balloon centerpieces.

5. Chocolate Bar Wrapper

Choclittalk could actually design the wrapper but again since I prefer that there should be consistency on the print works, I designed the cover and even the nutrition facts myself. Forwarded it to Rico and the rest (formatting on their template for printing and packaging) were done by them.

Giveaways, Loot Bags and Prizes
Bought from the following:
Oriental Trading (animal party bags, safari visors, animal masks, animal stamps, safari print fans, animal notepads with googly eyes, jungle print pencils)
Toy Kingdom (animal foam capsules)
SM Baby Company (bath toys, face towels, animal ring teethers)
Goodwill Bookstore (animal books and workbooks, crayons)
Mercury Drugstore (cotton buds, baby oil)
Divisoria Mall (animal stickers, safari sunglasses, animal keychains, tiger skate sharpener, various animal plushes, coasters, tin cans, etc)

I purchased almost all of the stuffs from Divisoria - the party supplies haven in the metro. But since I couldn’t find some more jungle-themed stuffs, I bought some more from Oriental Trading (OT). Since OT doesn’t ship internationally, I asked a US-based friend (thanks Chris) to shop for me and ship my ordered stuffs to me through LBC. I bet you would likewise agree with me that OT has the best, cutest and unique themed party supplies and stuffs. The fact that the pricing isn’t that costly is also a plus. Chris also added some tootsie roll candies for the loot bags to maximize the LBC shipping box allowable weight.

Other Decors:
Safari Print Balloons - Oriental Trading
Monkey and Frog Plushes - Divisoria Mall (at Php 35/plush)
Animal Mylar Balloons - c/o Jacque

Thanks to Glo for ordering the safari print balloons at Oriental Trading for me. I would have ordered these from a local multiply seller but upon the computation of cost with shipping and all, ordering 50 pcs of these from OT turned out to be cheaper still. These balloons were nicely made by Partyboosters into topiary balls and were one of those that were rowdily snagged by the guests even before the program came to the last part. The croaking frog and monkey plushes were bought from Divisoria Mall. I ordered a few animal mylar balloons from Ebay but unfortunately, they arrived late. Days before the party, I ordered a few from Jacque to make up for the undelivered ones. So if you or if you know someone who’ll be having a jungle safari themed party, I still have with me the unused animal mylar balloons that were bought from Ebay and I’m selling them at a much lower price just so they will be disposed already. Please let me know if you are interested. (Edited: All mylar balloons are sold already.)

(30 inch LION, 30 inch ZEBRA, 30 inch ELEPHANT, 26 INCH MONKEY - all double sided, self sealing re-usable mylar balloons) - -- SOLD

Jungle Safari Costume
Asher’s hunter costume: Spin and Florsheim
Mommy’s Safari Dress: from Ebay
Daddy’s cargo pants: SM
Mommy and Daddy’s Hunter Hats: Divisoria

Asher was gifted with a khaki polo and shorts for the party and he dressed up ala-Kuya Kim Atienza or hunter style. He also has a khaki hat but he refused to wear it. For the shoes, we bought a pair of brown sneakers from Florsheim which I love to bits because it’s soft, comfy and easy to wear on him.

Again, thanks to everyone (guests, families, friends and suppliers) who made Asher’s first birthday a very special and memorable one. We hope that you enjoyed the party as much as we (Paul, Asher and I) did.