Meet the Tornado

Lately, I have taken to calling Tina, Tornado Tina. The minute she's up, she tries to climb down the bed and walks all over the room, touching this and that. I'm pretty sure our neighbors are used to her laughter and screams. She's so energetic and everyone who has to follow her ends up dead tired. That's why I'm able to maintain my figure. hardyharhar! But seriously, I'm glad she's like that and such a happy kid.

More of My Cooking

The other weekend, I decided to cook for the family.

Saturday dinner, I made a chicken veggie stir fry and couscous. Very healthy and this delighted the hubby a lot. It was my first time to cook couscous and I placed too much broth so it wasn't as fluffy as it should be.





Sunday night was meatloaf night. I got the recipe from Tyler Florence and the recipe had tomato relish which packed a lot of flavor to the meatloaf. Easy to make yet filling and very tasty.



The pics aren't too good, but the food was.

A Yummy Treat

It’s a rare Saturday or Sunday that I get to sit down, leisurely eat a snack and just sit back. Last Saturday, the little girl simply refused to take her nap. She was up and about like a little tornado which just left me tired out. But I got a bit of a respite when she behaved herself when we had our afternoon snack.

That morning, as the hubby and I did some grocery shopping at the Landmark, we passed by Mrs. Fields and I bought for the hubby his favorite peanut butter dream bar and some nibblers for myself.

That afternoon, I laid out the goodies on a plate with a small cup of espresso just in time for the hubby who had woken up from his nap. Even the little girl shared in this snack and her mouth was covered in chocolate. It was a mess but she was grinning from ear to ear!

Bullseye!

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. — H. Jackson Brown

I can’t seem to find where I copied this from. It was just saved in my draft folder.

Anyway, isn’t this so true? And doesn’t it just hit you?

It’s nice to be reminded of this now and then, especially when I’m feeling so stressed when there’s so many things to do and so little time.

Nighttime Is My Time

I read somewhere some tips for busy moms. One tip particularly caught my eye. Once the baby has been put to bed, forget about household chores. The baby will appreciate a well rested mom over a clean home.

I’m guilty of this. Every night when I put Tina to sleep, I rush around the house trying to sort the laundry, pick up odds and ends lying around the living room, checking on the kitchen, etc. Now, the minute Tina is asleep, I minimize my nighttime cleaning. I only do things that can’t wait till the weekend.

What’s the result? I have more time for a slightly longer and more leisurely shower, time to read a chapter or two of a good book and the luxury to sleep a little earlier.

Kindermusik, Here We Come

I got a text this afternoon from Teacher Ian at Kindermusik that the new session of Village will start this Saturday already. I replied straight away to reserve a slot for us but the little girl won’t be able to attend the first session. The little girl will be in Baguio at that time.

I’m so happy because the class and my schedule are in sync which means that I will be able to accompany Tina in all of the classes. And what’s even better is that this class is offered at the school so near our place. It’s so convenient. But it just might interfere with her afternoon nap because she usually gets sleepy around 2pm when the class will be in progress. I’m not so worried though. Once Tina sees all the kids, she won’t think about sleeping.

Could I Really Be?

My officemates and I were looking over this delivery sheet from one of the restaurants in our area for our lunch. When I finally decided on what to order, they asked me for the size. I said regular, of course. And one guy quipped, “matakaw yan.” Yes, I confess, I can eat plenty. Sometimes, I eat more than the guys I hang out with at lunch. Even the hubby kids me that I’m a bottomless pit. Yet, I remain as thin as a pole.

But I digress. One girl said that I’m gaining weight Really!?! Could it be true? I hope so.

She just made my day! Whoopdeedoo!

Cyma!

I had dinner with a friend at Cyma, Shangri-la last week. At long last, I finally got to eat here!

For starters, we had htipiti which is creamed feta cheese with roasted peppers. After trying this, I have a renewed liking for feta cheese. I never liked the stuff till now, with this dish. It was spicy with a hint of tanginess which offset the creaminess of the cheese. This alone would’ve been enough to satisfy me.

We also shared a salad (chopped greens) which although was good, there were other salads on the menu that was even more appetizing.

Then we had a seafood entrée which had broth that instantly became comfort food. The guy who took our orders was surprised because he said that his dish could feed four but we ordered away. The guy left our table with a grin on his face. This dish reminded me so much of my dad’s bouillabaisse so I wished we ordered something else.

But it was all so good and hearty! I loved the menu and the little side notes that they added. The interiors are cozy and so authentic. It’s just that the tables are so close together that you can hear the conversations from the other tables. Cyma for me is more laidback compared to Mati which is a bit more formal but which I should probably be patronizing more. Lol. (inside joke)

Sorry, no pics. I still have to get the guts to take pics of food.

But it was a great food experience shared with a good friend!

Something New

I've been reading a lot lately about happiness and how to achieve it. It's not as elusive as we think it is, but our harried lifestyles make us forget that happiness happens to us every single day. It's just a matter of recognizing it and seizing the moment. Carpe diem!

So here, I intend to jot down events and things that made me smile... No matter how mundane. It can be big or small, just as long as it brought a smile to my face.

If no one reads this blog, it wouldn't matter. This is not about page ranks or popularity. It's all personal here. But maybe I'll share some of my happiness with others. We'll see how it goes...