We frequently spent out-of-town trips this month to beat the summer heat. Nobody wants hot days but everybody loves summer vacation (raise your hand if you agree, hehe). Speaking of summer vacation,
we take advantage the season by going to cold places and taking some days off from our hectic work. In fact, over a month ago, we went to Bukidnon where my older brother resides to spend there our Holy Week Vacation (sorry I failed to blog it but I wrote about Dahilayan Adventure about 4 years ago).
In addition to our summer escapades, over the weekend, we explored Loleng's Mountain Resort to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We almost round all the resorts here in Davao so this is what is left in our vacation bucket list. The resort is 20 minutes away from where we live and easily accessible to those who have private cars. Here are our pictures.
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| Outfit of the Day |
I was looking forward to many adventures at Lolengs but I got disappointed when they stopped the fishing and boating as seen on their Facebook page. Next time, don't rely too much on social media posts. However, we were so amused feeding and playing with the friendly white doves.
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| Dove Feeding |
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| Overlooking Davao City |
Aside from dove feeding and sight-seeing, the day could be boring if you wouldn't go swimming. The water source is from the spring so it is just flowing freely.
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| Wearing swimsuit brings out the curves and fats in you. But hey, do I have fats or bones visible? |
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| Ate Chesska bravely swam the 7-ft portion of the pool using her swimming gear. |
These are some of the Loleng's resort amenities.
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| swimming pool |
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| free use of tables and chairs |
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| some of their cottages |
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| cafe |
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| children's playground |
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| chapel |
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| lake |
Our brief stay at Lolengs Mountain resort was not as fun as in Eden Garden resort but if you want a get away that is friendly to the pocket and at the same time relax your senses, I would highly recommend Loleng Mountain Resort.
Entrance fee: 100 pesos
Swimming pool fee: 100 pesos
It's been more than a week since Chesska's Moving Up Ceremony. My girl is so happy when she learned that the school is finally over as she often complains that she's tired
na daw. If she just only knew, that's not yet the end but it's the starting point of her school life.
Even though she shows small interest towards school, I am still amazed that she manages to be part of the honor students. What we only expect from her from the start is she'll just finish the entire school year, that's it! But she gave more than what we expected.
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| St. Rafael Class with the School Administrators |
She received two awards - 3rd Honors and Most Diligent. Last year, she got Most Behave award but not this year anymore. She wasn't able to break her papa's record who had been most behaved since grade 1 to grade 6. Probably, she inherited two traits from us - most behave from her papa and most diligent from me (hehe).
Summer Vacation
When the school ends, it means summer vacation is about to start. As much as I love summer vacation, I hate hot weather. So I want to welcome summer in Bukidnon where the climate is cool all year round. We probably stay there for one month and get back as soon as the enrolment for grade 1 starts. How about you, how would you spend your summer?
Since our new car arrives, our feet have always been itchy which take us here, there and everywhere. So over the weekend, we invaded the northern part of Davao. In fact, that was a sudden decision as we're supposed to reserve our strength (to be honest budget, hehe) for our next vacation to Bukidnon this Holy Week. But since Randy, my husband's cousin mentioned about his sibling's birthday in New Bohol, we decided to go there as we've never been to this place before.
We departed from the house very late in the afternoon. It took us one-hour drive to reach Tagum and we stopped by at their city hall to take pictures. As you can see, the heat of the sun was scorching. I can feel the heat of summer, by the way.
Then, our next destination was New Corella as it is one of the passing points going to New Bohol. We stopped by and took pictures to this landmark. There's nothing so special about the place except the ricefield that I can barely see in the city.
Finally, we arrived at the New Bohol by 3:30 which is very late, and one of the popular resorts to enjoy into whenever you get to this place is the Matin-ao Inland Resort. I have been reading good reviews about this place but we didn't bathe because it wasn't included in our plan.
Then, we arrived at Rodel's house. The smell and ambience of a province reminds me of my childhood years where life is simple. When the rice is not available, you'll just eat what is being harvested from the farm - banana, vegetables from the garden, and coconut juice.
I enjoyed a lot our escapade, though it happened instantly, the joy and experience it brought us cannot be exchanged with any penny. A memory that lasts a lifetime!
I haven't discovered these healthy products until I careered being healthy, which officially started just last year. In fact, I have been juicing for four months now and it feels awesome to have supplied my body with the proper nutrients it needs. Aside from my
juicing recipes taken every morning, I have additional supplements too to get me more healthy and energized. I thought these products are hard to find because I cannot locate them locally. Until a friend of mine told me that there is a store selling imported healthy products, named Healthy Options, located at SM.
I wasn't aware that the table salt we used to use is refined and processed which isn't good for our body. While the sea salt (picture below) is purely taken from the ocean and it's rich in trace minerals which are essential for our health.
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| Price: P171.00 |
Never had I heard about flax seeds and lentils before but during our
14th-Day Lifestyle Medicine Seminar, they are a good substitute for protein. Since I no longer eat pork, chicken, and beef, I already included them in my diet.
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| Price: 214 |
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| Price: 270 |
Lastly is the Aloe Vera juice. Based on my research online, aloe vera juice is a good remedy for acid reflux. I usually dilute it with juices and drink every morning.
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| Price: 570 |
I must admit that to be healthy is a little expensive. But if there's only one option left in my life, and that is to be healthy, then I would embrace it. Ultimately, I will be the one who can benefit from it.
We know Chesska really loves swimming but we tried to give her some options including Mc Donald's party for her 6th birthday but she insisted to have it on the pool or beach. So our newly-turned-six girl celebrated her birthday at Eagle Ridge Resort, Ulas, just a few minutes drive from where we live. Her wish was granted and here we are!
As you see, we were the only ones who bathe on the resort at that time. It looks like we had an exclusive birthday party. The area is small, just perfectly right for kids.
Chesska was having fun bathing in the pool alone. The pool is safe because it is just only around 3 feet deep.
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| The resort's hotel just beside the kid's pool. |
Happy New Year! This post has been sitting on my draft for a month now. That's how busy I am. I have many things in mind to tell, but I don't really have time to tell it. Well, as my first post for this year, I would like to share with you my goals for 2018. What's yours? Here's mine.
1. Cultivate a much deeper relationship with God.
Action: Continue our Bible-study which takes place every week with our new friends whom I knew from a close neighbor of mine. They are Seventh-Day Adventists though, whereas my family is Catholic but the bottom line is we are worshipping one God. It's not about the religion, it's about Him after all.
2. Create more happy memories for my family.
Action: We do love recreations like spending a night at the new resorts we haven't been before to do away from stress and responsibilities at work or home. In fact, I documented our
outings here. I am looking forward to more adventures this year.
3. Pay close attention to my kids.
Action: I am guilty of not paying close attention to my kids even though I am just working home-based. I promise to spend more time playing, reading, and making kulitan with them.
4. Date my husband once a week.
Since I have already a nanny for baby Psalm, we can already spend a quality time together without the bugs. hehe
5. Love my job even more.
Action: I am so lucky to have found a decent job online with a kind-hearted employer. I promise myself to be more loyal, hard-working and dependable as my act of gratitude to her.
6. Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
7. Save more to buy a brand new car.
Action: We've just actually bought a second-hand car just last week. Yes, we have long planned to
loan a new car but paying a monthly amortization per month is an additional burden.
8. Have a closer relationship with friends.
Action: Friends are as important as family. So I will try to reach out to friends more often.
9. Always practice gratitude.
Action: Stop complaining, instead count my blessings.
10. Always ready to lend my hand to those who are in need.
Action. I plan to set aside a fraction of our income to people who need money for an emergency.
Time Check: 4:40 P.M.
Six hours and twenty minutes left until Christmas, the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ is almost upon us. Christmas for me is insignificant without recognizing first the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. We felt His love through our loved ones or our family. My Christmas is as meaningful as last year because I spent it with my whole family. Before Christmas eve arrives, here are the things we prepared for.
Earlier, I blew up balloons and set them up on our ceiling, and arranged the gifts and Christmas tree.
Then, my sister-in-law, all the way from Bukidnon prepared the foods for our noche buena.
We had kinilaw, tilapia sweet and sour, grilled tuna belly, lumpia, spaghetti, buko salad, and some chocolates and candies for our kiddos.
At 10 p.m. we attended a mass in our chapel, but before that we took pictures.
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| Me and my family. |
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| My brother and his family. |
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| My mother and all her grandchildren |
After church, we had exchange gifts and we ate together our noche buena. This is the best and most memorable Christmas I spent with my family. How about you, how do you spend your Christmas?
One of the perks I get as a Work-at-Home mom is I receive 13th-month pay without any fail for 5 years straight. Some of my friends who are working in the government and receiving the same benefit said that I was so fortunate to have found a job online with that kind of benefit. That's very rare. I responded, "exactly"!
Since 13th-month pay is something I am always looking forward to when December comes, I see to it that it goes to something tangible. Like in the past years, I used to spend the money on different projects, house makeover for example. Or if I wanted to reward myself for the hard work I've done in the past 11 months, I allocated a certain amount to treat or pamper myself. One thing that I made sure of was I set aside an amount to buy some groceries and give to our poor neighbors or native carollers who were asking for foods or gifts.
However, my incoming 13th-month pay this year will go directly to our savings. Ronan and I have long wanted to buy a second-hand car with an age less than 5 years because our current car is super cranky now. There were several occasions that our car broke down in the middle of the road and we had no choice but to call our friend to help us tow our car.
Loaning a new car is also possible but we have to contemplate yet because it will be an additional expense for sure.
Though my 13th-month pay will go to one purpose, it doesn't mean that it will hinder me to do the things I used to do every Christmas. I will still continue my mission by sharing my blessings to others and helping those who are in need.
How about you, how will you spend your13th-month pay?
