While there are many modern steel buildings built in my home province, Negros Occidental, but nothing beats visiting historic buildings such as the ancestral homes in Silay and the most popular one in Talisay City, The Ruins.

This mansion was built around 1900s by the sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma for his first wife, Maria Braga. It opened its doors to the public last January 2008, and we were fortunate to visit it in December of the same year. It was an unplanned visit though, and we were in a hurry so we really didn’t get to see the structure from inside.

What remains of the house in just the skeletal frame after American forces burned it to prevent the Japanese forces from making it as their headquarters but even so, its beauty still stands out.

A comeback to this enchanting place is mandatory. Have to plan it soon!

*Thanks to Aileen Tee-Gee for the pic.

For two days already my dad hasn’t been feeling well. He was complaining that his head was aching; the next day, it was his hips. I was wondering what caused this. He has been taking health supplements and following a healthy diet so my guess is that he probably lack sleep or got tired from from playing with the kids. eheheh He’s my little girl’s favorite. She’s always looking for her Papa Ed when he’s out of her sight. But with my mom and sister back at home, Caity will probably turn her attention to them.

Dad with his little helper…

Its important for a person to be healthy especially for elderly like my dad. But taking daily health supplements can be expensive. That’s why its advisable to buy discount vitamins using vitacost coupons to save a great deal of money. One can save up to over 70% off from vitamins, minerals and other important health supplements.  That’s being a wise shopper. And taking care of our health is another wise move.

For now, dad has been resting, trying to regain his energy.

I’ve been recently looking for a nice place for our family to visit, have a picnic or tour just within our province. I found in a friend’s Facebook pictures of their visit to a monkey sanctuary. I messaged her and asked where it was. She told me it was in Calatrava, a municipality that is about five hours drive from where we live. Whew! That’s quite far. My Caity would have enjoyed watching the monkeys in real. I’ll keep on looking online for places to see, we still have lots of time anyway. I’m glad that I can get information online especially from blogs by ordinary people without having to go out and inquire from travel agencies. It really helps big time. Learning through Online Schools, shopping in online stores, researching from websites, paying bills online and connecting with family and friends are just some of the perks that the internet has given us. How about you?  What is the most important thing that you’re grateful about the internet?

I’ve wanted to create slideshows of little Adie, but with so many things going on, my plan has been disregarded. The past three weeks since we arrived in the Philippines was spent together with my family- outings, dining out, and even when we’re just staying at home, we’re all always busy. Then one by one, they started leaving, going back to their respective countries of residence. The last of the guests flew yesterday, its only me and my kids who are left. After all those frenzy filled weeks, its finally time to slow down and get back to normal life. And yes, time to finally make the long overdue slideshow for Adie. When his sister was his age, I was diligent in doing this activity. Hopefully I can catch up and DO IT!

For the information of Filipinos with foreign spouses and kids: your family don’t need visa if they’re traveling with you!

We almost made a mistake of getting a visa for M during this trip of ours. He went to the Philippine e
Embassy in Czech Republic to apply for a visa, and the embassy didn’t even advise him that its not necessary. M knows that Czech citizens are allowed to stay in the Philippines for 21 days without visa but since he’s going to stay for a month, he thought he’ll need it. Fortunately my friend L told us that on their recent trip to PH, her husband didn’t even get a visa and he also stayed for a month. We were spared from paying uneccessary fees and also getting cheap insurance, which is required when you apply for visa.

I think the embassy staff isn’t aware of this information. If the foreign spouse and kids are traveling with the Filipino partner or parent, they can stay in the country for a year without visa. BUT if they enter the country by themselves, they should get visa if they plan to stay more than 21 days.

Before our planned trip to the Philippines, I informed only few friends back home about it. I know our schedule will be very tight and family will be the priority so I wasn’t even sure if I can meet my friends in Cebu. But still I agreed with some to meet, but unexpected things happened and was beyond my control. I had to cancel seeing them and I am glad that they understood. But for those whom I didn’t inform beforehand and probably were offended that I kept my coming home a secret, I’m so sorry. My siblings from the other parts of the globe all came home and we converged in Cebu. The two days we were in the city was spent with them. It was difficult to squeeze even a little time for friends and having little kids made it all the more challenging to get from point A to point B in a quickest possible time. It was probably easier to make Blog Marketing Chicago than being in my position. My apologies dear friends.  It’s not that I don’t want to meet you, I simply don’t have enough time. huhuhu

The tension is high as we’re getting closer to our flight! We not only need to pack our things, but also make sure that the house is all tidy and clean.  The ref has to be cleared of contents so food items has to go (either for giving or throwing!). Luckily our flight is at night giving us more time during the day to finalize everything. If I we can only bring the whole house, then traveling wouldn’t be stressful at all. Sighhhhh! I plan to sleep early tonight to avoid any acne breakout.  It is the last thing I would want to happen! And it would take time to look for the best natural acne treatment to fix that problem. Huh! Prevention is still the way to go.

It’s time to hit the sack! Dobrou noc everyone!  Please pray for our safe travel.

The clock is ticking and we’ll soon be flying home to Philippines for our vacation. I’m feeling a lot of stress with the preparation. Since Monday and today, I stopped doing anything that has to do with packing! There’s one thing that looks exciting for our trip and that is Caity’s new Trunki!  It’s one of the things that I think will make the trip easier.  Caity can ride on it and she can even bring her toys, and place extra clothes in it.  That was my concern at first, having to carry either two bags (one for Adie’s things and the other one for Caity’s) or a big bag that will fit both their hand carry items.  Trunki solves my dilemma. The little girl will have her share in bringing her own luggage. 

We searched for Trunki last night in online stores and was lucky to find which probably is the last piece in the whole Czech Republic. hahaha And we already have it! Caity had a blast riding on it. She looked like a girl who had found the greatest weight loss formula!  Ahhh it will be more fun in the airport where the space is wide and floor is smooth! Yep, she’s definitely happy and I’m getting confident that our trip will be a good one. So tomorrow I am inspired to pack some more. teehee!

I always miss going out with my friends since I had kids.  I always have the kids in tow, or the places we go to is restricted to parks or my friends’ houses.  But on this particular day, my mother-in-law was kind enough to watch the little tots while I went gallivanting around Prague with my friends. The weather was perfect - Not too hot, not too cold.

We met at the St. Wenceslas Square, and as usual, there were many people loitering in the area. Most of them were tourists, posing for pictures with the statue, or with the pretty landscape in the background. We too couldn’t resist not taking pictures, afterall it was a special moment for me, mama’s day out that doesn’t happen often.

If I only have the time, I can just sit there and observe people. There are teens in their hip hop clothing, couples holding hands, groups of Asian-looking tourists, fashionable girls, you name it and you’ll certainly find people of different shapes, races and sizes.

We headed to Palladium mall for lunch, and after that, we did what most girls love to do… shopping!!! But on the way, we posed for a pic with the Powder Tower.

It was a long day which ended when the sun went down, and if you don’t know, it doesn’t get dark until 9-930 in the evening during summer in Prague. 

*Dekuju mam!

Hello again! It’s 36 minutes past 8 in the evening as I am typing this, swimming in the deafening silence around me. I am already sleepy but I still haven’t finished even half of what I am supposed to do. Huh! In case you didn’t read my previous post, I am not doing ab workouts my dear, but I am preparing for a long vacation with the family which includes an infant and a toddler. It’s extra tiring packing up for the little tots especially for their carry-on baggage. Yes they’re little, but the amount of things a mom has to bring for them is surprisingly plenty! Huhuhu I have a dandy checklist of the important items to bring, thanks to the internet! I’m still in the process of completing that list.

I have traveled already many times with my first child when she was still a baby, but mannnnnnnnn I still need to be reminded what are the things they’ll need for travel. I want to rest now, but it’s still too bright outside.  If I sleep this early, I am afraid I’ll be awake at 4am and won’t be able to go back to sleep. I’ve got a situation!