Thursday, January 24, 2013

Dinner at Sofitel's revamped Spiral Restaurant :)

Earlier this week our family had the chance to dine at the revamped Sofitel Spiral Restaurant which reopened last November after their rumored P500 million renovation which they spent for the extensive repairs that had to be done after waist-deep floods from typhoon Pedring ruined the restaurant.

The last time we ate there was around two years ago and to quote my cousin Pat, they have truly "leveled up" the dining experience. The restaurant now offers 21 food stations that they call dining ateliers. These stations give diners a wide range of cuisines and cooked food  to feast on, whether it’s xiao long bao or chicken tandoori, foie gras or tom yum and sea weed soup, or Gruyere, Brie cheese, assorted wine  and lots of hams and appetizers to choose from.

They even have their own cheese room with so many fine cheeses to choose from along with the world's best hams, we especially loved the Serrano Ham!  What I loved most about their spread is that its a la minute buffet. Everything is done before you and not cooked beforehand, all you have to do is ask any chef at any given station and they will cook anything you want on the spot. They even have a meat storage you can open and choose from, almost everything you want to eat they can make for you.

The dessert station was also something to look forward to from the halo halo station to the crepe made on the spot and their famous special ice cream with loads of flavors and toppings to choose from. They also had three giant chocolate fountains, fresh fruits cut on the spot as well as freshly made truffles and all the gummy candies you can ever imagine. My sweet tooth definitely had a great time!!   

The wonderful dining experience comes with a hefty price of course at P2,800++ per head, but its ok to live it up once in awhile and enjoy life, good food, fine dining ambiance as well as great company.

With our cousin Beth, Mama and my sister Maita

With Yay and Beth and my sister again :)

Another picture with Yay and Gilbert :)

At our table :)

The dessert spread: Halo halo station and fresh fruits :)

The had a separate room for their cheese and ham collection :)

The three chocolate fountains :)

Thai cooking station :)

Indian cooking Station :)

Japanese Cooking Station :)

Seafood Station :)

Salad Station

Steak / Meat Station :)

My dessert plate!! Yum!! :)


We asked for Oysters made ala Rockefeller :)

Their special ICE CREAM :)


Meat Storage

Chinese Station

Soup Station
What I wore that night.. finally got to wear my sparkly skirt! :) 



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Best Eye Cream I've Tried so Far!!

I've tried a lot of eye creams!! I read somewhere that at age 20 it's best to start using eye cream to help minimize and prevent wrinkles and fine lines to form around the eye area which is often the driest part of the face. So that's what I did, I've been using eye creams for quite awhile and I've never been faithful to any single brand since I feel I haven't found the best one yet. Believe me I've tried them all from high end to low end brands and the search continues up until now. Lately at our household we've been trying our best to go green, so I decided to give Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Cream a try! They claimed its made of 98.2% all organic ingredients.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Royal Jelly, one of nature's most nourishing substances, and bee pollen naturally replenish and renew your skin's essential nutrients, restoring a smooth, youthful appearance. This highly-concentrated formula also contains chamomile, cucumber and rosehip extracts, which are known to promote skin renewal and reduce puffiness and swelling. Natural mica diffuses light to minimize the look of fine lines.

I use the Radiance Eye Cream morning and night. What I love about this cream is you need very little of it and it truly performs! It sinks in quickly and yet has staying power. I've noticed a brightness around my eye area and the puffiness and lines decreased dramatically. I've been using it for two months and I'm satisfied with the results and every time I use it I still feel the minty relaxing tingly after effect that refreshes my under eye skin. I'm in love with this product!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Fashion Week: A week's worth of outfits by the Mid30smom :)

Over the past few months I've been taking pictures of my daily outfits on Instagram, it's a new hobby which inspire me to dress up for my day to day activities as well as special occasions .
I'm reposting them here at my blog so I can delete them from my phone. :) these pictures were taken at my sons playroom. Why there?? Because the only time I can take selfies are when my husband is in the bathroom getting ready too and when the kids are either getting dressed or eating :)

MID30sMOM NOTE: I intentionally don't mention the brands or where I got my clothes and accessories because I encourage all moms out there to buy their clothes based on their personal styles and wants and to not be dictated by brands and labels :)
But If you want to ask where I got something and what brand whatever it is I'm wearing I'd be more than happy to share, just post comments and questions below if ever :)







Thursday, January 17, 2013

MID30sMOM TIP: Baby Potatoes versus Regular Potatoes

I've made a recent discovery! Baby potatoes are yummy! I don't usually cook but I do all the grocery shopping and the day to day menu planning at home. Once when we needed to buy regular potatoes the nearby grocery didn't have any but they had baby potatoes so I bought a bag and told our cook to use that instead. I asked her to just wash the baby potatoes thoroughly and don't remove the skin and use them as if they're regular cut big potatoes. It turns out they are yummier than regular potatoes and I think they are healthier too since you get to eat the skin. The kids love it because they feel they are eating crunchy marbles. Its been months since I bought regular sized potatoes and its working for us. What's best is we get to save too since baby potatoes are much cheaper than the regular potatoes :) try it you might love them too!


Regular Chicken Afritada with baby potatoes instead of the usual cut regular potatoes :)

I bought this bag of baby potatoes for just P19.50!!

Try baby potatoes stir fried in butter add onion chives, bacon bits and top with melted cheese, healthy and so yummy!! You can add sour cream if you want it to be a bit creamier and tangier! :)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I took an online IQ Test and was shocked!!

Online IQ Test
Online IQ Test

According to the test I'm a genius! I'm still sick today, it's been three days and I am bored bored bored at home! I took IQ tests online and I am posting my highest score of course hehe! Try it its fun but tiring... I need to go back to sleep now, all the thinking made my head hurt! :)

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How I wore the same dress from AM to PM :)

It was a lazy rainy Sunday but we had two occasions lined up for the day. I decided to wear the same dress from our afternoon party to our semi formal dinner party. Check out the pictures below to see how I got away with it! :)


For the AM event: I wore my basic black dress with red and navy blue belt, simple accessories, and red and navy flat shoes

For the dinner party: I wore the same dress, put my hair up in a bun, changed my belt into something with shimmer and gold details, used a clutch bag, added gold accessories and champagne pearls, them finished it off with sky high beige heels :)
The two ways I wore my black dress side by side :) Your Little Black Dress can be your best friend, you just have to be creative and don't be afraid to accessorize! :)

MID30sMOM NOTE: I intentionally don't mention the brands or where I got my clothes and accessories because I encourage all moms out there to buy their clothes based on their personal styles and wants and to not be dictated by brands and labels :)
But If you want to ask where I got something and what brand whatever it is I'm wearing I'd be more than happy to share, just post comments and questions below if ever :)

Monday, January 14, 2013

My top 4 MAC lipstick picks!!

Finding the perfect shades of lipstick is like finding your best friends, there will be plenty of acquaintances but only a precious few will be lifelong friends.

For MAC I feel I've found my four best shades, but first let me give you a background on my lipstick knowledge. I've only started using lipsticks since 2011, and even then I used them sparingly as I was happy just using lip gloss from Kiehls, Bobbi Brown and this Aussie brand named Bloom. I felt lipstick was meant for sophisticated women and that I wouldn't look good wearing all that stuff on my lips. But I was so wrong, the first ever lipstick that I really used was from MAC. A friend gave me Hot Tahiti, I dabbed a little of it on my lips the first time I tried it on because it looked shockingly dark in the tube but I was surprised to discover that the finished color payout was a soft romantic Red not too shocking but just the right Red. The color my lips would be after I ate something real cold and refreshing!

From then on I was hooked!! I've then acquired a mini-collection if lipsticks even from other makeup brands which I hope to feature here soon.

Finding the best meant I also bought a few that didn't work for me, either I looked like a corpse or I looked like the Asian version of Nikki Minaj,but its all good the thrill of the hunt made it fun.

Below are the pictures and swatches of my top 4 MAC lipsticks!

MID30SMOM Note: For reference I'm a MAC NC25 and cool toned. I am also not into matte and shimmery formulas so I often stick with creme and semi glossy finishes :)

From L-R: Hot Tahiti in Glaze Formula, Craving in Amplified Creme, Creme in your Coffee in Cremesheen and Lustering in Lustre

From L-R: Hot Tahiti in Glaze Formula, Craving in Amplified Creme, Creme in your Coffee in Cremesheen and Lustering in Lustre

Swatches of the lipsticks swiped twice :) see how lovely they all are :) I'd love to provide you pictures of me wearing these four fab shades but I have yet the courage to take pics of my own lips then post them here.. Maybe next time! :)

If ever you decide to purchase a MAC lipstick I'd recommend you visit their stores and try as many shades as you want then narrow down your choices and choose the best one you like. Don't get pressured to buy at once they have testers for us to test and test all we want! Good luck in finding the best shade for you, do let me know if you find something you love so I can try it out too!!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

TEN things I learned as a parent of TWO!

I've been a mother of two boys for only five short years and I know Veegee and I still have a very long way to go when it comes to bringing up the kids. So far I've learned a few things about parenting and I'd like to share my top ten things to know when raising children.

NUMBER 10. Never shave your baby's head, they say shaving a baby's head make their hair grow back thicker and faster. That's totally true but nobody mentioned that it will grow back curlier and coarser too which means you can say goodbye to the soft baby texture of the original hair they came out with. We never shaved Miguel's hair off at the advice of my Uncle who is a doctor and had three sons.. he said all the hair will eventually come and so it did. We totally love and enjoyed his long soft straight hair and we did the same routine all over again with Jaime. BUT..
Do CAREFULLY cut your baby's lashes as close to the roots as you can, once if you have a boy, twice if you have a baby girl, the best time to do this is when they reach around two months then around six months, after which don't touch their lashes anymore as it will not grow back as fast as it did on the first few months of their life :)

Miguel when he was one-year-old and when he was two, we never touched his hair! Now at 5 years old his hair is still soft :) 
Jaime at 10 months and still semi-bald, by two-years-old his hair became thick and long and still baby soft! :) 


NUMBER 9. Sometime its best to buy clothes for your kids that fit well and not always say that they will eventually grow into them...being in the baby apparel business this is one thing I've learned: try as much as you can to buy clothes that generally fit well and not always buy big sized clothes thinking that kids grow up fast anyway. Always doing this will make you end up with tired looking loose clothing that never caught up with your kids. Then your kids will look like they borrowed their clothes, their shirts will always fall off, the neckline would be too loose, and their pants will look like long "tokong" shorts that fit terribly. Then to top it all off their "baggy" look will be forever immortalized in pictures where in the future they will see how they looked and how they eventually never fit into the clothes that we bought for them.

My boys! I make it a point they wear clothes that fit and are not too loose or baggy :)
NUMBER 8. Never unnecessarily expose your kids to direct sunlight, at this stage they still have very young skin and they easily darken, once their skin shade goes up a few notches you can never take it back. Gone are the days when kids were allowed to stay as long as they wanted under the sun.. these days sun protection is a must!

NUMBER 7. Your child will turn out to be who you are now... I believe that children learn by example and not by long lectures and talks, its as simple as setting a good example and then hoping that your kids pick up on all the good things that you do.

NUMBER 6. Expose your child to all kinds of people let them mingle and talk to as many types of people as they can. Teach them to respect all types of people in all walks of life. I remember having a classmate way back, she used a different tone of voice when she spoke to their household help and she had a different tone of voice when she talked to us, I realized how tiring that could be having to adjust my tone and personality depending on who I'm talking to. Wouldn't it be easier to just be plain nice to everyone.

NUMBER 5 Let your children make mistakes and praise them as many times as you can for all the good things they do. Let them touch things,smell things, experience things and go about their own way.
My boys insist this is the correct way to use a swing! :) We know someday they will figure it out!
NUMBER 4. Be as child-like as much as you can because your kids will love seeing you go crazy sometimes.. for me these are the memories I hold dear when we played and danced with our kids like we were kids too.. doing this will look terrible when we turn 50 something but its cute now that we are still in our 30's
Having a tickle fight with my boys before we sleep!! I seem to be the one losing!! :)
NUMBER 3.Treasure every moment and spend as much time as you can with your kids. Be there to witness as much of all the "firsts" as it will never happen again the same way it happened the first time. It is for this reason that Veegee and I are firm believers in letting our children sleep with us, we can have as much couple time as we want when the kids are all grown up, but for now its best we enjoy every moment we can with them while they are still young. On the flip side its also good to spend total couple time at least a few hours a week with just your husband then go back to enjoying the kids 100% of the time.

NUMBER 2.Breastfeeding is the best gift you can give your child. I can never stress this enough, the benefits that a baby and a mother receive from breastfeeding are limitless. It makes a huge and positive difference on a child's present and future health. While breastfeeding the bonding time and one on one time spent with your baby is priceless, according to my experience the eyes of a breastfed baby are much clearer and happier compared to formula-fed babies.
Breastfeeding Miguel in the car, he was around six-months-old here :) Breastfed babies are happier and healthier babies!
I had the pleasure of breastfeeding both my boys! :) This is Jaime at 7 months!
NUMBER 1. Parents are guardians not dictators.. we are here to guide them and provide for them, I hope never to impose anything upon my children as this breeds resentment, hate and blame. For me my role as a parent is to be there for them at all times and to help them make important decisions for themselves.

We still have a very long way to go but for now these are some of the things I've learned from being a newbie parent of two boys :)


" 25 things I learned at the RIPE old age of 36!"

The night before my birthday I felt inspired to write down and share with you the "25 things I learned at the "RIPE old age of 36!" Read on:

25. Try everything at least once but know when you need to stop.

24. Laugh out loud, be silly and enjoy life, stop taking everything too seriously, no one's judging you.
 
Veegee having fun with the boys! :)
23. Don't wait for miracles to happen MAKE them happen! Don't expect anyone else to support you, save up for the future!

22. Health really is wealth!! All the money in the world won't make you feel better after you've ignored your health.

21. First love never dies or shouldn't die because I married mine :)
On our wedding day :)
20. When in doubt always buy! Actually, get it in all colors or you'll regret not buying it the next day.

19. Don't save the best lipstick, the best perfume and jewelry, the best dinner-ware for that "very" special occasion LIFE IS SHORT make every day special!

18. Find the time to pamper yourself at least once a week no one else will make the effort to scrub your feet but you.

17. Never end ties with anyone you know you'll never know who you'll need down the road.

16.Treasure your friends as much as you can, the older you get the more they seem like family.

 15. If your kids are sleeping on a separate room get them now and co-sleep. The best memories I have of my boys are when they first open their eyes and see me smiling at them and they give me back their sweetest smile. Melts my heart everyday!!

I wake up everyday next to my husband and these two cutie pie boys!!  I love it! :)
14. Try to use cash instead of your credit card, avoid debts as much as you can it will result to a simpler and stress free life. If you feel you can't afford it then you probably can't.

13. Conquer your fear at all cost God knows I still shriek like a little girl everytime I see a cockroach! But I am trying my best!
My boys playing with a fake cockroach, they know how to test my limit! :) 
12. Spend as much time as you can with your family and loved ones, I lost my father at 23 years old and I still feel cheated. I feel the years we spent with him wasn't nearly enough.

11. For me the secret to best looking skin is a big umbrella and facial sunblock not lower than SPF37 worn daily.

10. I should have worn that two piece bathing suit when I was single and had smaller hips :) I realize now I was thin when I thought I was fat!!

9. Over kiss, over hug and have tickle fests and pillow fights with your kids as much as you can, that's how you make wonderful memories.

Goofing around with my little boys!
8. Always try to go out looking good and wear your best clothes, you never know who you will bump into today!

7. NEVER look or talk down on ANYONE regardless of who they are, what they do or where they come from. NOBODY deserves to be treated like s--t!

6. Never compare yourself to models, celebrities and royalty they have stylists, makeup artists and most of them are airbrushed :)

5. Don't spend today worrying about tomorrow or the past, you are just wasting precious brain cells and time you can never get back.

4. Forgive as hard as you can but never forget!

3. Envy is worthless, there will always be someone richer, prettier, younger and more talented than us.

2. Now that I'm also a mother I truly believe: MOTHER REALLY KNOWS BEST!!

1. Make the most of what you have, expect the worst and hope for the best and then leave it all up to God :)

There you go, all I've learned in my 36 years of existence! The best is yet to come! Looking forward to making my list longer! :) Have a nice day!! :)

My FAMILY! :) 

My love-hate relationship with dresses!

I've never really been a dress wearing kind of girl, but lately a lot of new dresses in different styles and cuts have been coming out that I've decided to give dresses a shot! The past few months I've been sporting dresses more than usual and now I feel I should wear dresses more often! It's very comfy and I look like I bothered to dress up even of it just took me seconds to put on. Below are pictures of me in some of my favorite dresses :)

Mid30smom TIPS:
1. Belts make a huge difference! Thick or thin belts can help create a non-existent waist like mine hehe :) Cinch your waist with a belt to instantly create a flattering shape.
2. A dress in one solid color will hide imperfections.
3. If you are tall then you can get away with all sorts of dress lengths but if you are petite like me then above the knee or knee length dresses are your best bet :)
4. Don't underestimate the power of shape wear! My SPANX are my best kept secret when it comes to hiding the bulges :)


Friday, January 11, 2013

WHY START A BLOG NOW??

My answer to that would be..why not! I've been surfing around the past few weeks looking at other blogs and it's sad to see there are only a few blogs for my "age group" hmmm are we too old to even bother? I think not .. In here I will try to document my simple life. My love for fashion and makeup and my day to day adventures as a Mompreneur.
Once and awhile I'll try to feature the best part of me, my precious sons and my loving husband!
I hope you could join me as I unravel how to tackle all aspects of being a mid30s mom, wife and business owner in Manila!

NEW BLOG, NEW YEAR AND MY BIRTHDAY!!

So here it is my very own blog... I've been planning to set this up for years but I've always been unsure about publishing personal information via the World Wide Web. Facebook and Instagram helped me get over my so called "internet shyness" so I'm ready to give this a try :) Also this is the best time to start something new since we've just ushered in the new year which means its also my birthday!
My birthday has always been a sign that the holidays are officially over.. falling on the 7th of January it usually means all the festivities that we celebrate over the holidays are done and most of us are starting to go on diets and are still hung over all the parties we've attended the past month.. which explains why I always try to keep my birthday low key.
2013 is the year I turn 36! Hence the title of my blog MID30sMOM, I've sort of lost count when I turned 27 believing in the saying that age is just a number. This is also the year that I've seen multiple white hairs on my head which got me thinking about aging as well as wrinkle prevention... but that's a whole new blog entry which I will work on soon!
Going back to thinking about being the ripe young age of 36 I've realized I've accomplished quite a lot, all of which I'm proud of and all of which you'll read about in this blog which I hope will be one of those things I've started and eventually finish... you see I have two very active sons and a hyper- active husband who keeps me busy and uses up all my time! I am also a mompreneur and the proud owner of TINY TOTS!
All that I am and everything that I want to be I will try to document here so when the time comes that my sons want to get to know more of me all they have to do is log in! :)
Posting my birthday outfit below! I forgot to mention.. I love fashion! So you'll be seeing more of that here too!