The problem with still living with your my parents...

I am a single mom. I got pregnant by my then-boyfriend - who's 10 years older than me and who I was going out with for a total of 3 months when it happened - but in the end, I decided against marrying him. I broke it off 2 years ago because, for the most part, I just stayed in the relationship because I thought that's what's best for my daughter and only then did I realize that's not the case. Not in that relationship.

Anyway, fastforward to 2015. I'm 26 now and I'm still living with my parents. I have enough money from online rakets (eh?) to move out and support Brianna and I for a few months - I've done, like, countless of budget computations and such - but I've this weird thing about money that I will only spend it if I have extra money. Pag saktuhan lang sa budget, no deal...  Yes, I am a scaredy cat like that.

Going back, I am thankful for the freebies and all. I mean, there are a lot of things that we get to have for free like a roof over our heads and water and stuff but alongside all that is one huge problem - at least for me: I don't get to make a decision without hearing the "Di mo man lang naisip mararamdaman namin" speech.

I am a pretty sensitive gal. A lot of my decisions, actually, are made by taking other people's emotions into consideration. Where I eat, what I do with my hair, everything. From time to time, yes, I decide on something that I feel is good for me - and it's not that often - but whenever I do, that's when I get the extended dance studio remix of the same song. I mean, yes, I understand that they're just looking out for me my daughter and I am thankful for that but I always tell them - because it's the truth - I won't do anything that will harm my daughter physically, emotionally, psychologically, etc. I have a couple of things in my head that they might be thinking of as reasons for me to be on the receiving end of such a sermon but I can assure them now that that is not the case...if only they could actually stop pretending that I'm an up-to-no-good teenager on a rebellion phase.

I am sure I don't have the answers to everything and I am most especially sure that I am going to need a lot of help in the coming years but I am also sure that I am capable of doing great things, if given the chance and that I am old enough to make decisions on my own, for me and my daughter, without ANYONE making me feel about them. I mean, she is MY daughter.

<End of Rant>

(I am so sorry for the run-on sentence right there but I want for you to read it that way because that's the way I would say it out loud.)

I don't know why I want to publish this here instead of in my personal blog. I guess I'd like to hear what other people has to say about the situation I am in. I know there aren't any details in here which will make it seem like I am just acting up - and maybe I am - but whatevs. I am just at the point in my life where I want to actually take control of my life, the way that it's meant to be.

Doc McStuffins' Big Book of Boo Boos

This Big Book of Boo Boos stationery set is part of the prizes we won in Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins Hugs and Snugs Contest last October (I think). I wrapped this alongside one more Doc McStuffins prize and put them under the tree, which she opened during the holidays.

The cardboard covers are colored purple and its pink ring is made of plastic. As opposed to the cover we have, there are no bandages on it. Brianna was just too excited to use it, she put a couple of stickers on the cover.

There were several pages in the Doc McStuffins Big Book of Boo Boos and they all look like this:

To tell you the truth, I'd prefer for it to have more pages than it actually has. Brianna could easily finish all the pages in one sitting...which she almost did had I not stopped her from doing so. Yes, I'm kind of controlling like that.

The book comes with these crayons:

The one on the right is a pink crayon while the other one is apparently violet. I had to test it to actually know what color it is:

Before writing that, I thought it was black. I might be color blind. What do you think?

This is quite a useful 'toy', which is what I normally look for in toys. After Brianna uses up all the pages, she can use the crayons to color her homework and stuff.

Christmas Gifts Review Part 2: My Little Pony Equestria Girls Dolls

Brianna got 3 My Little Pony: Equestria Girls dolls last Christmas and two of them were from me. She loves My Little Pony so much, as we've all established here, so I thought that getting her the Equestria Girls dolls would freak her out - in a good way - and it did! She can't stop carrying them everywhere we go.

To be quite honest, I found these dolls cute so when she requested for these, I didn't flinch one bit. Hehe.

Pinkie Pie

The dolls are a lot smaller than Barbie and a lot thinner. I think they're made of hard plastic like those mean girls in the greatest chick flick ever made. Their skins are the same colors of their pony counterparts and they have pony ears on top of their heads so they kinda look weird in a way. They also have their cutie marks tattooed on their faces. All of them have lapel microphones on their heads which you can remove and put on the other dolls.

Rarity

The first two dolls right here have rubber tops and shiny skirts while the last doll has one huge puffy dress:

Twilight Sparkle

All of them have lapel mics and shoes made of the same material as the tops. Best of all, you can mix and match the parts - which is Brianna's favorite part:

Here are what the dolls look like wearing clothes different from their own:

I love Pinkie Pie wearing Twilight Sparkle's dress! Okay, I might be biased because I love the Pinkie Pie doll itself.

Brianna has 3 dolls now and she's requesting to get the 3 remaining dolls - Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash - on her birthday...which is in February. Haha! Gusto talaga niya kumpletuhin.

All in all, I love these dolls. They're so much lighter than Barbie dolls so carrying all of them in my purse is not a big deal and this is probably better than the mix and match thing. At the rate Brianna's going, I might have to carry all 6 dolls all the time once she completes them.

How To Deal: Tinkling on the Bed

Brianna is at that age when she doesn't have to wear diapers anymore. I am one proud mom, hearing her say that she needs to peepee or do number 2 and go to the toilet instead of just doing it anywhere right when she feels it coming. But alongside this milestone is a problem...tinkling on the bed. So here's my question for the week:

How do you deal with kids tinkling on the bed in the middle of the night?

Not that Brianna does this every night but she does every once in a while even though I make her go before she sleeps. I want to end it altogether so I don't get all weepy over newly-changed sheets in the middle of the night.

So, do you have any tips for me, mommies?

PARADIZOO: POWER OF THREE “Festive Bloom of Agriculture”

This 2015 experience, one of the most anticipated annual festivities in the field of agriculture will re-unfold, Paradizoo: “Power of Three" (floral, vegetable and agri-livestock fair).

Join us from January 10 until March 14 as we feature an amazing animal parade. See different breeds of sheep in the parade as an homage to this year's host animal. Also develop your understanding towards agriculture as you learn the best practices in agriculture. We will exhibit and display farm produce, sale and auction livestock like imported breeds of goats for milk and meat, several pig and sheep breeds, animal feed, and a whole lot more. There will be briefings, discussions on breeding programs, and free seminar on flower, vegetable, and livestock care.

Be mesmerized by a variety of breathtaking floral designs, formal hedges, and topiary during the Flower Festival that will take place on January 17 up to February 6. Witness a stunning haven of farm and garden that everyone would wish to experience. Additional attention-catching topics to look forward to is The Knowledge of Bonsai. As we open the eclectic bonsai garden, learn about orchid and flower arrangement and listen to an I love You, Mother Nature seminar.

Get a chance to interact with animals from February 7 to February 27 in the Livestock Festival and know the basics of farming on February 28 to March 14 in the Veggie Festival. Once you get to know how to milk a goat, ride a horse, witness a chicken lay an egg, or plant coffee, cabbage or flower, you can opt to buy the farm produce.

Located in Mendez, Cavite, Paradizoo is ideal for picnics, educational trips, outdoor, and group outing activities. It is a fascinating paradise that showcases the beauty of flora and fauna. Have a taste of this magnificent theme farm with its latest attractions.

This would be one fruitful experience you surely wouldn’t want to miss. So for those who yearn to have this wonderful experience, you can visit our website at www.zoomanity.com.ph for details or call us at 8999828 or 8999808.

Get more discounts with iPrice coupons!

I am an avid online shopper. I have been doing it for a long time, even before Brianna, browsing through numerous online shops for days on end that sometimes an e-mail confirmation is all that I can show for the day.

I frequent online shops in Instagram and Facebook but only because they are in there whenever I check my messages/stalk people (hihi) but my best-bet online shops are Zalora Philippines and Lazada because of their efficiency and the quality of the brands that they hold.

Now, since Zalora and Lazada are trusted - and legit - online shops, you can actually use codes when buying from their websites. Most of the time, I wait for them to send coupons or hold flash sales. Yes, I have too much time on my hands. That is the very same reason why I've decided to check this website out:

iPrice is a coupons website that offers coupons for several online shops that are available in the Philippines. So if you're someone like me who loves online shopping, I'm willing to bet that you're gonna love browsing through this user-friendly website. What's great about their coupons is that you can actually use them even if there's an existing promotion in the online shop you're browsing! The same is true for sale items! I mean, wow, right?

Now, if you're planning on shopping early for Laboracay or something, head on over to your favorite online shop and use iPrice coupons for a more discounts on your purchase. You won't regret it.

Christmas Gifts Review Part 1: Disney Books

Brianna received a whole lot of gifts this Christmas, mostly from my dad's side of the family, and most of them are toys but I am so happy to say that some of them are books. I love reading myself, so I teach my daughter that reading is a fun activity that she could do when she needs to pass time...or want to travel.

Anyway, here are two books she got last Christmas:

Both books are made of cardboard, just the way I like my children's story books. The Disney Princess Ballerina Beauties book was sooooo girly with all the pinks, the flowers, and the ballet shoes while the Toy Story 3 What A Team book is the exact opposite with action scenes from the Toy Story 3 movie.

The Disney Princess Ballerina Beauties is a book that describes the princesses in their ballerina poses in a sort of sing-song kind of way. Let me make it easy for you by saying that the lines rhyme. It's kinda cool (for me) because the recall is easy and somehow, that one's important for me.

This book is Brianna's favorite as of the moment just because Jessie the Cowgirl is in it. The Toy Story 3: What A Team book crammed a 1-hour, 40+-minute movie into 5 small boxes in 10 cardboard pages. Whoever summarized the movie into this book is one helluva editor. Hands down talaga ako!

I would've loved for Brianna to have received more books than toys last Christmas but that doesn't mean that I am not thankful for all the gifts and blessings that were bestowed on us over the holidays.

Hello, 2015!

I know I haven't posted anything in weeks. I just started with blogging again and haven't had the chance to schedule posts since 1.) we don't normally go out, and 2.) we don't buy/have a lot of things. Add those to the fact that I crammed my Christmas shopping/wrapping/reunions/what-have-yous into those number of days so I didn't have time to actually just sit down and write.

Anyway, before I get all chatty, I would just like to greet everyone a very happy new year!

How was everyone's holidays? Mine was, in all fairness, good in contrast to the past year's events. I guess there really is a silver lining in every rain cloud.

Brianna and I will be staying put these coming days to recover from the countless online (read: Zalora) and actual shopping we did these past few weeks - you don't know how much time I've spent here trying to find the perfect gifts for the men in my life - and from the fat that I don't think I'd lose as fast as I did after I slaved for it for months! So that means that y'all should brace yourselves from all the toy reviews I'm about to post these coming days because Brianna got millions of toys for Christmas.

Happy New Year once again to all of you! Hope we all have an abundant 2015!

A little too crazy over My Little Pony.

When Brianna saw the ad for the My Little Pony meet and greet at the SM Megamall Events Hall in the Toy Kingdom catalogue, she immediately wanted to go. After her school's Christmas party last Tuesday, we went straight to Megamall.

Can I just say that I got a bit disappointed to learn that the "meet and greet" didn't happen because all there was to it was a booth with My Little Pony - The Littlest Pet Shop and Baby Alive, too - toys that you can play in the venue. I was expecting to see pony mascots or girls wearing the Equestria Girls costume, who the kids could interact with (Oo, ako talaga ang nadisappoint! Haha).

Good thing Brianna (and Alfred!) enjoyed playing with the toys there, we killed an hour sitting on those little red chairs near the SM Megamall Foodcourt.

After playing, Brianna wanted to have her picture taken with the My Little Pony display in the area:

She really loves these girls. She even asked me to get the whole series set of the My Little Pony TV show. Magsasawa kami kakanood nito, I'm sure.

How To Deal: Afternoon Naps

Laro tayo ng tulug-tulugan!

Christmas break is upon us which only means one thing for Brianna and I: Afternoon naps. This is one of the few things Brianna and I disagree on at this point of our lives. I don't know how to make her sleep when all she wants to do is play with our neighbors. I usually lose my cool when we've been lying on the bed for an hour and she still hasn't slept a wink.

My question for today is this:

How do you deal with afternoon naps with your kids?

There are some parents who don't make their children take a nap in their afternoon while some goes through a very stressful ritual every afternoon with their kids. What's you take on this topic? Do you have some tips on how to do it or some advise to 'strict' parents who enforces this to their kids like some kind of law in their homes?

For me, I ask her to take an afternoon nap as often as possible but whenever we're out, I just let her sleep earlier during nighttime. But, as I've mentioned, once a month, I lose my cool if she takes too long to sleep (PMS y'all). On a normal day, though, I'm pretty cool. :p