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His New Best Friend

Buzz Lightyear: Your chief, Andy, inscribed his name on me.

Rex: Wow! With permanent ink too!

(Toy Story,1995)

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Christmas Eve 2012

It's (Not!) The End of the World

Today is December 21st, 2012. And, the world did not end. We have survived another 'End of the World" prophecy. Thank you, Jesus. 

Photo Source: Bizzaro Blog

eDiaperCakes.com $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Today, I'm so excited to give you a post-birthday and Christmas giveaway!

Last week, Liz, the owner of eDiaperCakes and a new mom (she gave birth to a baby girl last year), reached out to me and introduced me to their awesome selection of diaper cakes. I recently have a cousin who just announced that she and her husband are expecting and I cannot wait to send them the cutest diaper cake.

EDiaperCakes make the most beautiful diaper cakes I've ever seen. I’d recommend visiting their website if you haven’t seen their cakes. I found them to be different than the other companies out there. Instead of having generic diaper cakes, they utilized popular characters that we’ve all come to love.

Some of the more popular characters they have are Eric Carle, Pat the Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You, the Lion King, Mickey Mouse, Winne the Pooh and so much more. 

They also include books with some of their diaper cakes. They put approximately 75 diapers into their cakes and they stand 4 tiers. They have a sweet mix of diaper cakes that are made specifically for boys, girls and neutral ones.So they would make a great choice if you’re planning on buying one. 

EDiaperCakes is a mom-owned company that’s located in Michigan. Their diaper cakes are assembled in two business days and the shipping is $5.

Since it's the season of giving, eDiaperCakes is generously giving away a $25 Gift certificate for one lucky reader of this blog. (Thank you, eDiaperCakes!) 

To know more about eDiaperCakes, you can visit their online shop. You can also follow on them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. 

How to win? It's so easy! Just follow the required tasks in the Rafflecopter form below. This contest ends at 12:00 am on January 2, 2012 and is open to US residents only. The winner will be notified via email 48 hours after the contest ends. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bento Box No. 2

Here's my 2nd attempt at a Bento Box lunch for the little boy. I haven't had the chance to buy shaped cutters or bento accessories yet. So, I only made what I can do with the good ol' kitchen knife. 

What's Inside: Grapes, Apple slices,
Rolled sliced bread with Cheese Whiz spread (his favorite!) &
2 pcs. of Hershey's Kisses

I really enjoyed making this for him. And I think it's a big improvement from the first one. Preparing a Bento lunch for him ensures me that he has a healthy meal even in school.

Friday Bento Box

I've been meaning to this for a long time and finally I did it. I prepared a bento lunch for Henry! 

Over at Pinterest, I have been searching for creative ways to prepare nutritious school lunches for kids and they all come in bento boxes. Bento is Japanese for "lunch in  a box".  According to WikiHow, The goal of bento boxes is entice children to finish all their food when they're in school.

Most of them I saw use silicone muffin cups. Luckily, I found them easily at Cooks Exchange in SM Megamall. I got a set of 20 for Php 250 only. (Hopefully, I to get use all of them for baking as well.)

Here's a look at my first Bento Box attempt. I gave him grapes, goldfish crackers and a PB&J sandwich cut in small squares.

First Bento Box Attempt

 I was a bit nervous at first thinking that he would not like the lunch I prepared for him. But his lunch box was empty when he got home. And he thanked me for the goldfish crackers. (Happy dance for me!)

Hopefully i make this a habit. I plan to squeeze in vegetables in his next bento box for a healthier meal. 

Now it's your turn to share. How do you usually prepare your kid's school lunch? How do you ensure they eat healthy? Please do tell. 

Bringing Out The Best In Your Yaya & Househelper Seminar

Hello there mommies and daddies! As parents, we believe that our kids deserve the best of everything - the best toys, the best food, the best education. But do they have the best yaya? 

Last October, VentureLab Business Resource Center has started the "Bringing Out The Best In Your Yaya & Househelper" seminar. It is a one-day seminar for yayas and househelpers that focuses on household etiquette, child care, first aid and hygiene. Since then, it has been available every Saturday.

Discussed are the following topics:

1. Self worth (Self-worth to better working attitude, love yourself, who are you working for, love what you do) 

2. Manners & Etiquette
3. Responsibilities/Housework (Cleaning, Food-related Concerns)
4. “KID”-centered (Stages, Care, Hygiene, Social Opportunities, First Aid, Emergency Situations)
5. Combating Stress

The seminar fee is PhP 2,500 (inclusive of lunch, 2 snacks, beverages, seminar kit)

For more information, you can visit their website at VentureLab.ph or email them at info@venturelab.ph.

Facebook Group 2 Hidden Hills Getaway Giveaway

Please LIKE the following FB pages. Thanks!

Yes Mommy Workshop: How to Talk so your Child will Listen and Understand

Isn't it frustrating that even if how many times you say "No!" to something your kids would want to have or do, they would not stop making kulit until they get it?

Often times, I would explain to Henry why he can't do this or that. But still, he would not listen and I in turn would lose my patience and start raising my voice. At this point Henry would give me this heartbreaking look, smoothen my angry forehead and say, "Mommy, please don't get mad." Oh, the many times that I wished it would not get to that point and that I would not see that sad look on his face that makes me feel like a bad mother.

A couple of months ago, I came across Optimommy.com, a website that focuses on positive parenting. Jayme, the Optimommy, encourages parents to practice patience with your children and gives tips on how to communicate with children persuasively and lovingly. Since then, I've been following her blog and sometimes when Henry is makulit and I feel like I'm about to lose my temper, I take a moment and ask myself, WWJD? (What would Jayme do?)

Now, Jayme, together with Manila Workshops, presents to us Optimommy.com's advocacy of positive parenting with a workshop called, "Yes Mommy: How to Talk so your Child will Listen and Understand". This will happen on December 15, 2012 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in Pasig City. For more details, check out the poster below.

"Yes Mommy" will focus on practical tips and tools to build a foundation of good communication with our young children. Topics include:

• Self Talk for Mommies: Why positive communication begins with you
• How to understand your child’s personality
• How to adjust your communication style based on your child’s personality
• The Three Elements of Positive Communication: Crucial factors to encourage your children to listen and understand
• How to say "no" by saying "yes"

Interesting, isn't it? If you think this will help you, do join  and sign up through this form. I know I'm going. Hope to see you there too!

UPDATE: Good news! Since it's the Season of Giving, Jayme decided to give you, my blog readers, more than 50% off. Just type OPTIMOMMYDITAS in the discount code box and you get to attend for only P500. 

Workshop fee already includes lunch and snacks plus give away goodies from their generous sponsors.