A MOMster Life

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary last March 16 - which is also our "relationship" anniversary (not sure what to call it haha).

We didn't really have any concrete plans asides from watching the sunrise somewhere. Unexpectedly, even without planning it, on our first wedding anniversary we have visited a lot of places for the first time.

Here's a short summary of how our day's been.

We arrived at West 35 Eco Mountain Resort at 6AM. The resort opens at 7AM, so we headed to D' Village Antiquehouse and Diner to have some coffee and breakfast. It was really very cold and foggy.

After breakfast, we went back to West 35 and took a few more photos before the guard finally let us in. The views were breathtaking! There is a camping site, a small playground, a cafe, and a viewing deck.

There was nothing else to do so we drove all the way to Poblacion Balamban to see if there would be anything else in there. We arrived at Wild Wild West which offers (as per their signage) horse backriding, and fishing activities. Unfortunately, there was really nothing to do there. The pond has dried up and we saw no horse anywhere. Either we were too early, or they aren't in business anymore.

We went back to the mountainous side of Balamban where we saw the signage for Buwakan ni Alejandra.

Just across it is JVR Island in the Sky where our GoPro fell off on our first cable car ride.

We then had our lunch at Adventure Cafe. I recommend their Baby Back Ribs.

We then passed by the spot where we had our prenuptial. We would have wanted to take photos there to compare with our prenup shoots, but the grass all dried up and there is really nothing good to see there.

We proceeded to Sirao Flower Garden where we encountered some kind of drama which I am not willing to share yet (haha! But yep all was good, we even took a groufie lol).

It was only 12 noon and we already felt like we've already done a lot. So we took a quick break at Temple of Leah before we headed back to the city.

We took a package from the post office (which was supposed to be delivered a few weeks ago). Then we realised it was already afternoon! Traffic is really time-consuming.

We had tuna salad and coffee at Go Go Cafe before we went to Watever Family KTV to sing our hearts out.

It was definitely a day well spent. We didn't plan any of this (except for the sunrise), and we have visited a lot of places! All of them for the first time (except for the ones in the city).

I will be sharing more details of each visit in different posts soon.

Our itinerary for the day:

• Breakfast at D' Village Antiquehouse and Diner
• Cold Morning at West 35 Eco Mountain Resort
• Our First Cable Car Ride at JVR Island in the Sky
• Photo Diary: Buwakan ni Alejandra and Sirao Flower Garden
• Anniversary Lunch at Adventure Cafe
• A Short Visit to the Temple of Leah

Making shrinky dinks is a fun activity to do with the kids.
It brings out everyone's creative side. And since this activity requires supervision by adults, this will be a great way to spend some quality time.

The shrinky dinks can then be used as bracelet charms, necklace pendants, or accessories for other projects. :)

There are activity kits that are ready for coloring and heating.

But since I love to doodle, I have decided to make shrinky dinks from scratch.
And good news! We don't need to buy shrink films - which are quite pricey for me - just to make these cute little charms. We could recycle plastic containers.

Here is a list of the things we need to make shrinky dinks:

How to Make Shrinky Dinks with Recyclable Plastic

1. I drew the design I want for my shrinky dinks in a paper. For this post, I drew letters to spell out my children's names.



2. I then traced them on the plastic.



3. I then added patterns and colors.



4. I carefully cut them and punched a hole.



5. Put them on top of an aluminum foil or parchment paper to heat in oven. I used oven toaster. I suggest to preheat the oven for 2 minutes and heat the plastic for 1 minute.




6. The plastics will begin to shrink. Don't worry if they begin to curl, they will just flatten back.
If after heating it's still curled up, you may put another aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of the shrinky dinks and place a book or something flat and heavy.



7. Tadaaan! And the shrinky dinks are now done!



They can now be used as bracelet charms or pendants! ♥

PS: I have to be careful next time that the edges aren't too sharp once the charms have shrunk.

I started this blog simply because I love to write. I love to write about stuff I am passionate about. I love to keep record of my life experiences. I love to dump random thoughts somewhere and someday be able to read about them. I love to have an outlet to express my feelings.

I didn't care about the number of readers back then cause all I thought that time was just me writing.
And even if my blog was just a dump of my musings in life, I did had readers that time.
And I was happy with that.

Then came all the pressure.

Earnings. Traffic. Statistics. Niche.

I feel like I had to make some major change for my blog for it to "become successful" - for it to belong with all the new blogs out there.

I decided on a niche, I changed the theme, I renamed my blog, I joined blogging groups - all just to feel that my blog belongs.

And then it made me realize that by deciding on a niche itself, I feel like I'm limiting myself from writing stuff that doesn't have to do with my niche.

I do receive comments but it's all because these people are required to comment. Though I am happy that they take time to read my posts, they would just forget about this all and won't probably come back here in my blog.

I want this to change.

I just want to be able to write freely again - without having to worry if this post would give me traffic or not.

For now, I am still unsure of which direction my blog should be taking. It's been 10 years (almost 11), and my blog is still work in progress. And I think it will continue to be a work in progress. :)

What I'm sure though is I want to continue writing.
To continue writing about the stuff I love, to write about my life experiences, to have someplace to dump random thoughts

Even if these things doesn't have anything to do with my niche. :)

I don't know how to start this post as I'm still trying hard to contain my excitement.

It was Valentines Day and I was making this doodle for the husband. Suddenly, my coworker came to me and handed me bouquet and chocolates.

My husband is not the type who gives flowers and chocolates or even surprises during Valentines or any other occasion.

My heart was racing but I kept my excitement level low. I have this thought that maybe my coworker was just joking with me and that the gifts aren't really for me. I had to read the note first to make sure they are for me.

When I saw my daughter's name on it (telling me to share my chocolates), that was when I got confirmation that the gifts are indeed for me. ♥


My hands were literally shaking while I continued to color the doodle I made for the husband.


I'm sure people would think I'm making such a big deal out of this, and I sound like some highschooler who just received gifts from a long-time crush.

Well, yes! This is the first time someone has ever did this to me.
The first time to have someone who accepted me despite all the wrongs I have done.
To have a man who chose to stay and love me despite all my shortcomings. ♥

I love you, my Mr. Kulot! You are definitely one of the best blessings God has ever given me. ♥♥♥