My DIY and Upcycling Day

Today was one of those days when creativity clouded my mind and the best outlet for me was upcycling! what triggered this mood were a box of Trader Joe's Cocoa Baton(which I highly recommend! it's so yummy!) and empty Pringles container. I needed a pouch for my colored pencils and something to organize my cookie cutters in my small cupboard. I was cleaning up the house and almost threw the empty snack containers in the trash when I had the aha moment.

I took my dusty artsy kit out to play where I always keep a jar of Mod Podge, and a pad of scrapbook paper because you'll never know when you need to decoupage! :)

I used one of the kids' plastic tray to hold my coloring pens, but not anymore...

Now I regret throwing the other Pringles containers because the height fits perfectly in my cupboard which means I'd be able to organize small, baking gadgets (e.g. piping tips, polvoron molders, muffin liners) while utilizing the vertical space. 

Other than upcycling, I was also able to do some DIY with my very own homemade apple chips! I love Bare Apple Chips but it just pains me to shell out $3.50 for each small bag every time I crave for it, which is almost always everyday. I read in the bag that it's baked, so I thought maybe I can make one myself instead because we still have green-apples-in-waiting in the fridge. 

I googled for recipes and I chose this for it's simplicity, I just like my apple chips plain and simple without cinnamon powder or glaze on it. I followed the recipe to the letter and voila, my very own Apple Chips. 

bare Fuji Red Apple Chips vs My homemade Green Apple Chips

Nothing beats freshly made and not a pinch of preservatives added.

The kids and husband loved it too!

Mommy's School

After a week in preschool we decided to pull out our little boy from the program because we were not happy with the coop setup. I can't list the reasons why we didn't like it in this post but to make it short, it may be cheaper but it's not worth it. It just didn't work for us.

And so my little boy is now an "out of school" toddler for the rest of the summer. I never planned to home school, I never thought I have the skill for it but as they say, "when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade". My lemonade is to step up to be his teacher, as in seriously make a lesson plan and goals. I made use of Google and Youtube for ideas, as well as applying what I've observed in his big brother's preschool. I started by explaining to him that Mommy's School is going to be a serious school where he has to follow a certain schedule and routine even when he is home.

I started on Monday after our San Diego trip and as most of you already know, whenever a family comes home from a vacation the house will be in a state of World War III mess. I don't have a nanny or a cleaner, and I needed to clean ASAP, add to that I had to cook, drive to summer camp and karate, bathe them and myself. It was the real Manic Monday, and in pictures let me tell you how I managed to do all of it because just like any regular school, a teacher can't be absent just because she has to clean her house.

Here are few ideas for activities that tots can do independently while learning.

Design and Drill activity while mommy eats breakfast.
He follows the pattern on the card, developing his motor skill, color recognition,
and understanding grid. This is a very good toy
 I bought this from a garage sale but here's the amazon link.

Cutting activity while I clean the living room.
Cutting develops their fine motor skill that's important when learning how to write.
Got this Cutting Activity book from The Dollar Tree.


After we pick up Big Brother from camp, it's Lunch time!
One reason we enrolled the little boy in preschool is for him to learn
how to eat independently. But since he doesn't go there anymore, he has
to learn it in Mommy's School. I leave them eating by themselves in
the room while I take my lunch at the dining area. After this, the little boy has to
clean up his own mess under the table so next time he will be more careful
not to drop too much food on the floor.


While little boy is still finishing his lunch, big brother busied himself
with writing practice. Dry-Erase writing board I got from The Dollar Tree.


When they are both done eating lunch, it's fun activity time!
We cooked some Gummy Fruit Snack and played Ice Smashing.
Got these ideas from WhatsUpMoms Youtube channel.


Cutting Activity and find the hidden pictures
 while I bathe each of them and while I take a quick shower too.
(I found a very good Bible Hidden Pictures book from The Dollar Tree
that is also available in amazon)


Snack time with TV while I clean the rest of the house.
Big brother has to rest and fuel up before his karate class.


When daddy comes home, each of the boys has to stand in front of daddy
to narrate what they did for the day. The goal for this activity is
to practice their speech, vocabulary and "public speaking".

My Summer Favorites

L-R: L'Oreal Silky Sheer BB Face Lotion, Coppertone Sheer, Trader Joe's Head to Toe Balm,
Victoria Secret Lip Balm Stain, The Faceshop me;ex Touch My Lip Liner,
Burt's bees Lemon & Vitamin E Bath and Body Oil

The government has already declared El Nino here in California which means we have an extra hot summer this year. Summer months has barely started yet I can already feel the sun burning which lead me to look for skin essentials that will help me survive this unusual heat for months to come especially with my kids' scheduled summer camps, i expect to spend more time outside.

I've been looking for a good sunblock that doesn't feel sticky and doesn't leave white spots or residue. Thank God for free samples in Target, I discovered Coppertone Sheer and L'Oreal BB Sheer. True to their name, they are really light and sheer you can top it with face powder without looking like a ghost. Between the two I like Coppertone best.

While paying for my grocery at Trader Joe's I found their Head to Toe Moisturizing Balm by the cashier. I bought it mainly for my cracked heels because it's the season to show off smooth heels with sandals and flip flops. I use it every night before going to bed, aside from the heels, I slather it on my hands and lips and I love how moisturized it feels in the morning! During the day I also use it to tame my frizzy hair. Smells great too! Totally a multitasking product.

When you like a lip balm with a cooling effect, I highly recommend Victoria Secret Lip Balm Stain! You get that minty feeling to relieve you of the summer heat + it leaves a light red tint on your lips + you get the sexy Victoria Secret pout with its signature gloss. It has replaced Burt's Bees lip shimmer as my most favorite.

wearing Coppertone Sheer Sunscreen under my powder,
ex: me Touch my Lip Liner under Victoria Secret Lip Balm Stain,
Trader Joe's from Head to Toe Moisturizing Balm to hold my bangs

I didn't use lip liners but I bought The Faceshop me:ex Touch My Lip Liner because of its cute pink packaging. Now I regret not buying many colors of it when I was in Seoul. It's not just a lip liner, it has a built in brush so you can spread the color making a lasting lip matte lip stain. 

Last but not the least, Burt's Bees Lemon Bath and Body Oil, it is LOVE!! A friend asked me to order some vitamins from Walgreens and she needed another $6 purchase to qualify for free shipping and I just picked this for its price-- good decision. I spread this all over my skin right after I turn off the shower and just pat the towel to dry. I love the fresh lemon scent and how it keeps your skin glow and  moisturized the whole day without the oily and sticky feeling.

Learning About God

I grew up in a catholic country, went to a catholic school for twenty straight years. Religious teachings were practically spoon fed to me by the school that's why I never thought i'd ever put an effort to teach it to my kids. My son goes to a non-secular preschool, and United States is pretty much a mixed bag when it comes to religion. So when my eldest son started asking me questions like "who is God?", "who made us?", "who made God?" I realized I have a big responsibility of introducing God to them.

First we taught them how to pray, just a spontaneous prayer every night thanking God for their day. They can tell God whatever they want, later when they can fully understand what a prayer is, I plan to teach them The Lord's Prayer .

Then we've signed them up to a Sunday School in a Christian Church near our house where they learned about the Bible and its verses by storytelling and playing with their classmates. I honestly thought the Sunday School is enough but it lead to more questions from my five year old. I realized, if I want to raise God-fearing kids, I have to prioritize teaching them about God before the lessons on numbers and letters which they will learn in school anyway.

For a start, to answer their "who made us?" question, I made them watch a video about creation. Where they learned about Adam, Eve and the forbidden fruit, I figured I have to followup on the Ten Commandments to instill to them that God is our Creator and He has rules that we have to follow. That's what we are working on this week, from here I will just follow on their lead on what I will teach them next based on the questions that may pop up along the way.

cut the small pictures and let the kiddo paste each commandment to each finger

to make them memorize easier, teach them that the left had holds rules on God and Family
while the right holds the rules on how to treat other people.
(they asked me why there are only 10 commandments, and I answered because we have 10 fingers!)

UNDERSTANDING: make scenarios and let them figure out which commandment
was in the picture.

But for now, more than memorizing the 10 Commandments, I have to make sure they understand each rule so I made paper activities like in this video.

Unlike 123 and ABCs, God and religion are too profound to teach to young minds so I hope this post will give you an idea on where to start. 

Starting Them Young

My husband's coworkers couldn't believe that our three year old can clean up his own room by himself. But i'm proud to say he does! Just like today, I made him cleanup his playroom while I take care with the rest of the house.

Just one of the advantages when you don't have help or nanny.

Puzzle Saves the Day (or night!)

It's 8 pm and i'm really exhausted! Did some heavy errands today, biked 3 miles long to bring my kid to his gymnastics class (he insisted on biking instead of going by car), then biked back home with groceries hanging on the front and baby on my back. 

After dinner, my husband went to work in the backyard and left me to entertain the kids without TV or tablets. 

So I made the two play the piano while I lay on the couch, yep that's our piano lesson for the day. But after that they needed more, and what else is the most mellow activity for toddlers that makes their brains work at the same time-- Puzzle!

I pulled out their puzzle box and let them pick and build whatever they want while I stay on the couch as I don't have the energy anymore for Math and Reading lessons.

Good thing they enjoy it and have the attention span for doing jigsaw puzzles. Other moms hate it because of the mess it creates but I found a way to keep it organized and tidy. First I sorted out the puzzles and put each in a ZipLock, then stashed everything in one clear box. I strategically place the clear box in the living room where they often play so it's more accessible to them than their tablets. Of course after they play they had to put it back in the ziplocks and box. Well, ideally that's what supposed to happen. I know i'm still going to clean it up myself after move on to another activity. But for now...quiet time.

Trip to Zurich (Failed!)

husband: "i need to go to Zurich ASAP for a business trip. Let's go! We'll just bring the kids along"
me: "i have to check our schedule because there's Derek's graduation, classes..." (choosy pa)
husband: "let's just cancel their classes"
me: "ok. But wait, we need to get Visa! And it takes 7 days"
husband: "oh yeah..."

husband: "Visa processing can be expedited to 2 days!"
me: "let's go!"
husband: "wait airfare costs $1,500 x 3 = $4,500 plus pocket money."
me: "oh well. Plan abort."

It's okay honey, when the kids are in college we can have that spontaneous travels any time we want! 15 years na lang! ;)