ISYC Father and Child Coachella at Marikina Convention Center

ISYC held its annual Father and Child Day coachella style at the Marikina Convention Center on August 9. It was loads of fun! The other moms and I agreed that this was so much more fun than the Mother and Child Day activity. 

ISYC's Mother and Child Activity: Film Showing of How to Train Your Dragon 2

ISYC held its Mother and Child Activity today, July26th, by having a block screening of How to Train your Dragon 2 at SM Marikina cinema 1. 

The film showing was pretty early; the cinema opened at 8:30 and we got there at around 10am. The trailers were already starting and because the cinema was almost full, Zoe and I just shared 1 seat.

Our tickets came with snacks (popcorn and water) which unfortunately Zoe didn't like. It's a good thing we were able to have heavy breakfast before we went to the cinema. 

It was Zoe's second time to watch a movie at the cinema and I was a little bit nervous that she would get bored and walk around or would want to step out, however, we were able to finish the movie peacefully. 

There was a photobooth right after the movie and it was a good thing that Zoe and I stepped out immediately after because we were able to get in line early. Overall, it was a really nice experience. Dan's now looking forward to the Father and Child activity in August.

Old Navy at Bonifacio High Street

Old Navy opened its first store in the Philippines at Bonifacio Global City, just a few blocks away from my office (queue wicked smile). Since I love buying from the Gap and Old Navy online store, I decided to check the store in BGC to see if the prices are reasonably comparable to the great deals I get online.

I told my friend who is in the US now that I will buy stuff online and ship it to her house so she can take them home in August but I decided to go to the store first. The Old Navy store is three storeys high and chock-full of goodies for shopaholics like me who are clever enough in coming up with reasons to shop. Honestly, I've been looking for a nice hoodie for Zoe since she already grew out of her Gap sweater that I really love.

The second floor is dedicated to kids and I seriously wanted to go crazy. Good thing I was able to talk myself out of a shopping hysteria. The prices are pretty close to the online prices especially since you need to factor in taxes and shipping. For example, the hoodie that I got Zoe is originally priced at Php 995 but it was discounted at Php 750. It's price online is around around $14-$16 (or around Php 600-700) without taxes yet. I also got two other tops for her for around Php 400 each. 

Got this hoodie in pink

I wanted to explore the store some more because I seriously got excited with the prices but I was already over break; yes, I was just on lunch break and I was nearing the 3 hour mark. Good thing my boss was on a meeting when I got back teeheehee.

I dragged my husband to BGC on the weekend so he can check out some stuff for him. He bought 3 shirts and a sweater from Benetton. Me? I honestly wasn't able to buy anything which was why I was a little bit depressed when we went home. Wait til I get my next chance.

School Snacks

Before Zoe started school, I've been researching on baon ideas for her. I want to make sure that I pack healthy meals for her instead of resorting to the usual hotdog-rice combo that most kids eat in school. Good thing that ISYC is also an advocate of healthy eating and they actually forbid processed food for snacks. Although I have yet to know what they do if they notice kids eating such all the time. For the past week and a half, here's what I've been preparing for Zoe:

- peanut butter and strawberry jelly (no sugar) sandwich
- pancakes
- seedless grapes and mandarin oranges
- homemade french fries
- cupcakes 
- cookies

I cut her sandwiches and pancakes in cute shapes using cookie cutters and she actually loves them. In fact, she always shows her snacks to her teachers before eating. 

Since I'm a working mom, I've come up with a system on how to organize Zoe's weekly menu. I prepare the menu 2weeks in advance and I shop for the ingredients. Then, I prepare most of them in advance (on the weekend) so that I would only need to reheat or to assemble them. The things I bought for the next two weeks are:

- pancake mix (in a squeeze bottle for easier cooking)
- sliced bread and spreads (Nutella, PB&J, cheese)
- corn and carrots (made from scratch)
- chicken fingers (chicken breast coated in flour, egg, and jap breading)
- San Remo mac and cheese
- assorted cupcakes, wafers, and cookies
- apples, seedless grapes, and mandarin oranges
- homemade french fries
- eggs

Here's a sample menu plan:

Mon: corn&carrots + nutella sw + sticko
Tues: rice + chicken fingers + grapes
Wed: fries + pancakes + oranges
Thurs: rice + ham + scrambled egg + knick knacks
Fri: mac n cheese + wafers + grapes

Mon: corn&carrots + pancakes + knick knacks
Tues: cheese s/w + fries + apples
Wed: rice + ham + scrambled egg + knick knacks
Thurs: nutella sw + grapes + cookies
Fri: rice + chicken fingers + oranges

This week, she will start taking the school bus by herself. It breaks my heart to do this but we've got no choice since we both have work and don't have a yaya yet. This will be a good learning experience for her but I'll ensure her safety by keeping in touch with the bus mother and her teachers. 

Zoe's First Day in School

Our preschooler :)

Preschool Orientation

Zoe's preschool orientation was held on June 7th, Saturday morning. I had a night shift schedule but I made sure to drag myself out of bed after 2 hours of nap mostly because I was so excited :)

We were given a packet as soon as we got inside the school grounds. Since we were quite early, we let Zoe play for a bit first. Afterwards, we headed to the second floor to claim her uniforms and to sit in the multipurpose hall. Zoe met another kid who was seated behind us. She introduced herself and they immediately hit it off. We were delighted to know that the girl is also her classmate, although I couldn't help but worry a little since they're both extremely talkative. Yikes.




The orientation basically discussed the contents of the handbook. An hour later, we were asked to visit the classrooms and meet their teachers. We had a chance to meet the parents of the others kids and we each shared our kid's personality and behavior. The meet and greet concluded with a snack.

Countdown to School

Last Mother's Day, we shopped for Zoe's school things just because I hate having to compete with last-minute shoppers at the mall. We actually ended up having to make three separate shopping trips because I always figure something to add to our list of necessities.

Here's a list of things that we bought for our first time preschooler:

• Crocs backpack (ordered from the US in early January)
• Florsheim leather shoes
• 6 pairs of knee high Bio Fresh socks
• 6 washcloths (to be used as hankies)
• 6 gauze diapers (as towels)
• Lock&Lock food container
• Playtex insulator cup
• hair clips and ponytails
• Spoon and fork with case
• Hello Kitty vanity pouch
• Small bottles of powder, cologne, and alcohol
• baby wipes

I also ordered customized bag tags and name stickers from Elise Ronquillo of Fun Prints Factory. Each bag tag costs P100 and the regular sized stickers are P120 for 30 pieces. She has soooo many designs to choose from that it took me days to decide.