First-Time Mom

Aside from a family weekend getaway, it's actually a birthday treat for myself.

I had been wanting for a road trip in Buda before due to its cold weather all year round - in fact, the folks there called it a little Baguio - but I always feared that our old and cranky car could hardly maneuver the steepness of the road. But when our new car, Toyota Vios, arrived a couple of weeks ago and finally replaced our old model car, KIA, we chose Buda for a test drive.

But before we went to Buda, we first researched online what places we would be going. We scratched off Seagull Resort because we'd been there two years ago. Also, we installed a GPS on our tablet so we wouldn't get lost however it lost its function. So here's what we did, aside from our mental notes, whenever we passed by any resort, we got off and explored the place. Here are the places we visited.

1. Golden Gate Resort

It wasn't mainly on our list but when we asked the folks there from Marahan, a place where passengers got off from the bus to eat, they pointed us to Golden Gate Resort. Nothing so really special about the resort because it is currently "work in progress" status. But what is new to us is the hanging bridge where my family and I were having fun trekking and taking pictures.

Entrance: 10 pesos

Pool: 30 pesos

2. Benwa Farm

After Golden Gate resort, our next visit was Benwa Farm. This resort is highly popular there due to its organic farming of lettuce, herbs, and strawberries. I noticed an influx of tourists from different places, taking pictures and enjoying the cold weather. Since the entrance fee is consumable, I exchanged my tickets with two bags of fresh lettuce for 100 pesos and strawberry jam for 100 pesos also. So affordable!

Entrance: 50 pesos/ consumable

3. Highway 81

If we had just decided to stay overnight in Buda, I would have chosen Highway 81. Though they don't have so much amenities to offer except the classy cafe, I dearly love the ambiance and the serenity of the place. It is called Highway 81 because it is 81 kilometers far from the heart of Davao city (just correct me if I am wrong.)

Entrance fee: none

4. Adrian and Alice Place

One of the trademarks of this resort is the big shoe structure. Some of their plants were planted in boots and shoes. Since it was already 11:00 am, in time for lunch, we got off to this place to eat. Also, Chesska was so eager to swim, so we allowed her to bathe while the rest of the gang was just resting and making chika in one of there rental houses, just nearby the swimming pool.

Entrance: 20 pesos
Pool: 100 pesos

5. Reel Place

Right across the Adrian and Alice Place, is the Reel Place resort. We were supposed to eat here but no one entertained us so we moved to Adrian and Alice Place. Sceneries are as the same as the previous ones I mentioned so we found it already boring.

Entrance: 20 pesos
Pool: 50 pesos

The gang

You will never get bored when in Buda. As a matter of fact, lots of resorts have been sprouting there so a one-day trip is not enough in order for you to round all of them. We're supposed to go to Cloud 99 and Highway 88 but they don't offer a day-tour and prior reservation is required. Anyway, we are planning to visit again Buda, making sure to go some other places we haven't been over the weekend.

Life is here!, is our city's slogan that every Dabawenyo is very proud to say. Living in Davao for over two decades, I have witnessed through my naked eyes how our city has boomed in terms of economics, education, and tourism. And talking about tourism, the first thing that often enters our minds are the tourist destinations that are nice to visit. If ever you would ask my two cents, I would definitely recommend the places listed below.

Here, I have compiled a list of 9 best places my family and I have visited:

1. Davao Eden Garden and Nature Park Resort

I clearly remember when I first explored this place. I got nervous while traveling way up the hill as the road was very steep. But when we got there, my nervousness vanished right away as I was calmed down by the cold breeze gently kissing my skin, tall pine trees dancing with the wind, and the sweet smell of the different flowers. Some of the things that I cherished the most were the horseback riding, botanical garden tour, early-morning trekking, and mouth-watering foods. Click to learn more.

2. Seagull Mountain Resort in Buda

Seagull is located in Marilog District, known as little Baguio of Davao, which is a perfect destination for your family this coming summer season. I absolutely enjoyed watching and hearing the waterfalls as the water pounded the rocks. One thing I couldn't forget about Seagull was when we were terribly shaking while taking a dip in the ice-cold swimming pool. Click to learn more.

3. Japanese Tunnel Family Resort

If you opt for historical sites, you may want to consider Japanese tunnel in your trip when in Davao. I literally went inside the tunnel and discovered replicas of Golde Budha, Japanese soldiers, golden bars, and the cage where the Filipino soldiers got imprisoned during World War II. My fur stood upon hearing the story of the tour guide of how the Filipino soldiers died there. But there's more than the tunnel that the resort has to offer. They have a hotel, restaurant, and swimming pool too where you can indulge after your tunnel adventure. Click to learn more here.

4. Malagos Garden resort

Don't you ever miss a Kalesa ride that will bring you around the Malagos garden resort? Plus you've got a chance to interact with the birds during Interactive Bird Show which is held every Sunday. You will be filled with tons of information, especially about how to take care of our mother nature. When going home, don't forget to buy their best-seller chocolates as they themselves manufacture the said product made from quality cacao beans harvested directly from their farm. Click to learn more here.

5. Villa de Mercedes Resort

Situated at 535 feet above sea level, you will be delightfully greeted by the hypnotic view of Davao Gulf and Davao city that instantly eases away your stress and worries caused by working so hard and meeting numerous responsibilities from home. I was fascinated by the view of their infinity pool as if connected to the sea, the picture-perfect landscape, and most of all the serenity of the place that can help soothe your body and mind. Everything was really amazing! Click to learn more here.

6. Crocodile Park

I am quite certain that your tots will surely love crocodile park as what my 3-year-old had experienced then. The said place is not mainly raising a hundred crocodiles, but housing exotic animals too that we've only seen for the first time. I suggest you visit the park beginning at 3:00 pm so you would see an array of shows including bird shows, tiger climb, crocodile feeding, and other fun-filled activities you and your child will totally enjoy. Click to learn more.

7. Rancho Palos Verdes Sports and Country Club Resort

After your crocodile adventure, head straight to Ranchos Palos Verdes Club resort to get refreshed by their beach-typed swimming pool and enjoy their buy-one-take-one pizza. The resort is just five minutes walk from the crocodile park. If you are a member of the club, you will enjoy the lifetime use of the swimming pool and other amenities such as billiards, lawn tennis, badminton, etc. Click to learn more.

8. Paradise Island

If you want to go further the boundary of Davao city and look for a great beach to escape to, I would highly recommend Paradise Island (it's already part of Davao del Norte, at least still Davao, lol...) for it boasts its fine white sand and clear blue water. A trip to Paradise is never complete without trying their numerous water sports activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, banana boat riding, island hopping, and most of all scuba diving. Click to learn more.

9. Camp Holiday Beach Resort

Still, nothing beats the beaches of Davao. Much like Paradise Island, Camp Holiday has fine white sand and clear blue water, too. It is a must-visit beach resort for those who want to escape from a hustle and bustle of city life. Click to learn more.

It's safe to say that I've been to more than 10 places in Davao but I just failed to document them due to my super hectic schedule (hehe), but I promise to add more to this list as soon as I go into an adventure again as you know I am an adventurous gal with itchy feet who constantly craves for travel. Well, thanks for reading.

From a mother and teacher instinct, I knew, Chesska would receive this award. By the way, rain has been pouring all morning while writing this blog post.

Over the weekend, during the card-giving day, I personally went to school to get Chesska's card and had a chance to talk to the teacher regarding Chesska's performance in class. Well, I heard the same feedback as the previous gradings like she said that Chesska was not answering in oral recitation. But on the other side, she stressed that Chesska started to mingle already with her other classmates. In other words, her socialization skill has improved.

So, a couple of days ago, she greeted me with this certificate stating she ranks second in the third grading period. I forgetfully mentioned to you previously that Chesska also placed second in the second grading period. Meaning, she maintains her rank in the 3rd Grading. Although I haven't paid much attention to her since her younger sister was born, she continued to excel in her academic performance. I adore my husband ( as my substitute) for being patient in teaching Chesska almost every day. The credit goes to......no other than - my awesome husband!

I actually digressed from the original plan. We have long planned to go in Samal because Chesska's birthday falls on Saturday - would have been a perfect day - and her favorite outdoor activity is no other than - swimming all day. However, I was a little skeptical traveling across the city with a 4-month-old baby, which is not convenient at all. So we ended up celebrating at home with simple snacks prepared for children and adults as well. In spite of the simpleness, the celebration was still a BLAST!

Before I share photos, let's take a look at Chesska's past birthdays from first to fourth - and spot the difference.

Dora-themed 1st Birthday

2nd Birthday at KFC with Angelina Ballerina theme

Frozen-themed 3rd Birthday

4th Birthday with Sophia theme

Fifth Birthday

A day prior to her birthday, we rushed to SM ( since it was also a rush decision ) just to buy a handful of balloons, loot bags, and her dress as I promised before (great thing I got 50% discount). As you can see her tarpaulin is designed in Little Pony as she's a big fan of it right now. She claimed she is Rainbow Dash while her younger sister, Psalm, is "Spike the Dragon" (poor baby Psalm).

Chesska's friends from the neighborhood

Chesska and her ninang

Simple meals prepared for dinner for our relatives

Ronan's relatives

I apologize for not writing very often. I am so busy ever since I gave birth to my second child. But don't worry, I'll try my best to make up this year.

By the way, how's your New Year? Ours was celebrated as normal as regular and quiet days due to firecracker ban here in Davao city. Aside from that, my brother and his family already went back to Bukidnon after their Christmas vacation here so I didn't have a sing-along buddy anymore(hehe). So we just slept early and when the clock struck 12:00 midnight, I just got up quickly and peeked through the window to see what our neighbors were doing. Some of them were beeping the horn of their cars while some of them were hitting their pans and cans to shoo away bad fortunes.

Now as we kick off 2017, I would like to begin my blog with my random memories during last year. Here we go!

1. January - Chesska's 4th Birthday

Normally, it's the first month of the year where we all started tightening our belt because we had just celebrated the Christmas and New Year which made us all broke (hehe). Almost all of our budget was generously spent to gifts giving, noche buena, and family gathering. But we assured to set aside some money to celebrate Chesska's 4th birthday.

This was the simplest birthday celebration ever yet the most memorable one.

2. February - My Birthday

I celebrated my 34th birthday last year! Oh, how I hate to reveal my age online. But I love the fact that God has given me another year to feel his goodness through the love of my family and friends. I was also grateful that my employer gifted me extra dollars for me to buy something new for myself.

3. March - Nothing Special

Nothing was so eventful with this month.

4. April - First Church Wedding Anniversary

I specifically mentioned "Church Wedding Anniversary" because I got married twice with the same man, of course. In 2010 November, I got married through the civil ceremony which took place at Hall of Justice Davao. And we officially tied the knot before the eyes of God in April 2015. So last year, we celebrated our first Church Wedding Anniversary at Villa de Mercedes Resort. This was the best outing I've ever had with my family.

5. May - National Election

The national election would have been the craziest event that ever happened in my entire life. I became an avid supporter of Mayor Duterte, now President (Yay!). I followed his campaign trail online, promoted him over social media, and even fought for him from his detractors that resulted in a word war. Well, I felt no regrets and it's all worth it. I am a proud Dutertard, anyway!

via: www.imgrum.net/tag/PHelection

6. June - Chesska's First Day of School

I had been homeschooling Chesska for almost a year before she set foot in a regular school. She found first day of school very exciting but as the days went by, she refused to attend school due to separation anxiety. In spite of that, she still managed to get high scores in the exam and even received a certificate of recognition.

7. July - SSS Woes

SSS inefficient system has caused a delay on my maternity benefit's claim which made me so disappointed. You can't believe that until now I didn't yet receive my maternity reimbursement. I called them up several times today and they vowed to take care of my papers. I thought, with the new Duterte administration, change is coming?

8. August - 8th Month Pregnancy

I didn't mention anything about my pregnancy until 8 months for me to surprise my friends and relatives who are living far away from us. The question is, were they really surprised?

9. September - Giving Birth to Baby Psalm

I gave birth to my second child, Psalm. This was the early Christmas gift we have ever received from heaven last September. Thank God I survived the CS operation despite some complications that I had been through. Yes, I am still alive and kicking hehe!

10. October - Baby Psalm Loves Bathing

I was wondering why Psalm cried every time I took her out of the bathtub. I soon found out that she did really like bathing.

11. November - 6th Civil Wedding Anniversary

We typically go for an outing every wedding anniversary, unfortunately, I just newly gave birth to my second baby so we opted to celebrate at home.

12. December - Baby Psalm's Baptism

The highlight of our Christmas celebration was when baby Psalm got baptized on December 25, in line with Jesus Birthday (which was almost cancelled because one of our Ninongs failed to attend the pre-baptism seminar for some valid reasons ). Also, my brother, along with his family came home to celebrate with us.

Nine days left before Christmas, and we're pretty excited! Seems like it just happened yesterday, didn't it? While you are all catching up with the Christmas sales anywhere, I also would like to catch up this post, which should have been published a couple weeks ago (Sorry I am crazy busy!). This lovely and colorful activity is called Christmas Sensory Bin, which is connected with graphing and sorting Christmas activity.

Here's what we used for this activity.

• 1 kg rice
• food colors (green and red)
• alcohol
• Christmas decors

Here's what you need to do.

Divide the rice equally and put them into separate bins to color. Then wet the rice with alcohol and mix the food color. (Sorry I did not take pictures.) Why alcohol? So the rice will easily dry up. Let the rice dry for 20-30 minutes, and you are ready to go. Put some Christmas decors as desired.

When my child feels bored, sensory play always comes to the rescue. It's great to keep my child busy for hours. Likewise, it helps soothe an anxious and frustrated child. While playing, I named the Christmas decors and asked her to count the number of balls, bells, candy canes, and stars.

She added some animals and buried them into the colored rice. I just let her imagination play.

I hope you'll try this at home. I can assure you it is perfectly enjoyable for your kids. Merry Christmas!

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