The Home Depot: Free Workshop for Kids


I found out that The Home Depot holds regular free kiddie workshops every month. This month it was about building an EMS truck. It will be held on Saturday October 4, 2014. It's open for kids from 4 to 12 years old. They will need a hammer, glue and paint brushes for the project but all these materials are provided by The Home Depot workshop leaders. Kids should be accompanied by an adult. 

There was an online registration but sadly it was already filled up. However, the site did say that we can still come to our chosen branch and register in person. The workshop starts at 10:00am. I guess depending on our schedule on Saturday, we can try to drop by our nearby branch Edmonton South Common at 2020-101 Street N.W., Edmonton. 

photo from homedepot.ca

First Time to Ride The School Bus


Bea has been attending a Catholic school here in Edmonton for a month now. Thankfully, she seems to have adjusted pretty well. Everyday, her English is getting better and better plus she's making new friends. When we first registered her, we also signed up for the school bus. However, since by the time the school office returned from summer vacation, the roster of students to be picked up by the school bus was already finalized. The secretary told us that they'd be able to accommodate us by the next month. So, today, on the first day of October, Bea got to ride the bus for the first time! Her wide smile can barely contain her excitement, Back in the Philippines, her school was only walking distance away from home so she never got to experience to ride a "service".

Today she got up earlier, finished her breakfast faster and kept on repeating the bus number of the bus from Stock Transportation that will pick her up. When the bus came (promptly at 7:45am) she got on excitedly! By the way, she wore her new skirt that I got for her from Target. =)

Later, I'll be picking her up on the designated bus stop. I'm as excited to hear how her ride went and how her experience being all "mature and grown up" felt. =)

Toy Shopping at Walmart


Toys Aisle at Walmart

When we first arrived in Canada last June, we stopped by my cousin's in BC for a visit. She worked at Walmart and Bea asked to see the store. While still in the Philippines, Bea spent countless hours watching youtube videos about new toys and they'd often feature toys bought from Walmart. I think she thinks of Walmart as a sort of Disneyland full of toys. So just as she was starting to miss our family back home, we visited a Walmart. Boy, was she happy! She squealed with delight when she spotted the toy aisle. They were selling all kinds of dolls, but she zoned in on one particular doll, the Elsa Doll. It was still a bit steep at $18 (on sale too!) but I still wanted to get it for her anyway. A little welcome to your new country sort of gift. Something to keep her mind off the toys and loved ones we left in the Philippines. Thankfully, when we were about to pay for the toy, my cousin paid for it, with an employee discount too! 

We are so grateful for so many blessings. Thankful for wonderful family with generous hearts!

Of course now, we can also conveniently shop online on walmart.ca. They have free shipping too! The only hitch is that we still don't have a canadian credit card so.... online shopping will have to wait, And I tell myself... this is a good thing. Right? Right? 

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

My Little Pony

My little one just went completely gaga when she found out that there is a movie showing her current favorite characters from My Little Pony here in Edmonton. Of course Queen Elsa, Anna and the rest of the Frozen gang is still number one in her heart, but lately she's been very interested in these magical little ponies. In the movie,  Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy are going to be performing with their new band, The Rainbooms. Then a rival group, The Dazzlings thought of turning the competition into an all out Battle of the Bands. Tensions mount and discoveries are made. One thing can be sure though, it will be a very magical, colorful and musical adventure!

I hope hubby's schedule allows some time for us to watch this movie at the Cineplex. If not, we'll just have to wait for the DVD! =) Thanks to this movie, my daughter is all hyped up and excited about My Little Ponies characters once again.


Photo from Cineplex.com

Tips on Surviving a Long Flight with Kids. Bea, and Our Move to Canada




Last June, our merry family of three left the Philippines for the promise of a better future in Canada. The processing of our application as provincial nominee took almost 5 years. It was a long wait. We were even thinking that nothing will ever happen to it. Then one day, we got an email from the Canadian Embassy saying that we should schedule our medical exam. Wow! From then on, everything was a blur! Everything happened so fast. Of course we still had to attend to our family business, Bea still had school activities and then we also had to think about settling our affairs in the Philippines in preparation for our new life in Canada.

We attended several seminars in preparation for our move: the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) and of course the Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) by the philippine government.

The seminars talked to us about the transition we will experience as a new comer to a new country. They gave tips and suggestions as to how we can settle in our new environment. They talked more about the adults. They told us not to worry about our kids. Children adjust better than adults they say. Just give them 2 weeks playing outside and they'd have a Canadian accent already. That was good to know, but I was still a bit worried. How will Bea adapt? She can be a bit shy when meeting new people. It's a good thing that she has 3 cousins there, at least she already has playmates to look forward to.

On the day of our flight Bea was really excited, but I can also tell that she's a bit sad about leaving her Ninang and Lolo in the Philippines.

Bea was really a good girl during the flight. We had to fly on 3 planes. It was really tiring as it was, imagine if you had to travel with easily bored kids!

Here are some tips on surviving a long flight with kids:

Orient your child. Before the day of the flight, talk to your child and tell her what to expect during the flight. Tell her it would involve a lot of sitting down and waiting. Children get bored easily especially if they're all excited to go to new places. Expect the "Are we there yet?" question a lot. But at least they'd still know what to expect.

Research. Ask whether the planes you are riding had TV screens where your little one can watch cartoons or her fave educational movie. I think most planes do, but just in case they don't, be prepared with movies or games on your phone or tablet.

Bring toys and books. Don't bring toys with little parts that may fall off and get lost in the aisles. Just bring something like his favorite toy car or her favorite doll. Something that can keep her pre-occupied without making too much noise. Remember to be respectful of those sitting near you. If it's a long flight, it can be awkward having to deal with hateful glances from strangers. Better bring books too.

Bring snacks. The airline might have snacks to serve but these may not always be to your child's liking. Bring something you're sure your child likes. This will keep her and her tummy happy.

In our case, it helped that the planes also had individual TV screens where Bea watched cartoons. They showed The Lego Movie at that time and she loved it. When she got bored, she'd play with her toys. When she got hungry, she snacked on some cookies we brought from home. Good thing we brought snacks, Bea didn't really like the food they served on the flight. It wasn't that it was bad, she just wasn't familiar with chicken pita and salad. hehe..She wasn't a bit scared even during our flight from Vancouver to Edmonton where we experienced a lot of turbulence. Good thing we were prepared.

So far, Bea is adjusting pretty well here in Edmonton. She's attending school with her cousins. Language is not much of a barrier. Everyday she gets better and better in speaking English. She's also acquiring more and more of that Canadian accent. I'm just so proud of her!

Read our post about our last day in the Philippines here.

Pretty Stainless Steel Earrings


Bea lost her earrings a few months ago. We've been planning to get her another pair. We usually get her the earrings for babies bought from the drug store since they're hypoallergenic. We initially bought earrings from our pediatrician, but then we found out that Mercury Drug Store also sold earrings with birth stones. We don't really get Bea's birthstone, we just buy whatever color she likes. 

However, we kept on forgetting to get a pair, and we were worried that the holes of her earlobes will close already. So I lent her my smallest hoop earrings, which was still too big for her. =) I kept on telling her it's just temporary but she got stuck with the hoops for months!

So finally, when we went to the mall a few days ago, I remembered the earrings! We went to my favorite stainless steel jewelry shop, Imono. I figured that since the material is "surgical steel" it follows that it is hypoallergenic. Plus I cleaned it with alcohol first. 


Heart-shaped Earrings

Beautiful earrings for the beautiful girl

I got her the cutie heart design with a faux diamond in the middle. I didn't get her something super expensive, just in case she loses this one again. =)

Buying New Rubber Shoes

After a blogging hiatus, I’m back to tell you about Bea’s new milestone. A few days ago, we got her first “big girl rubber shoes”!  We went to the department store to look for new rubber shoes for her. We went straight for the children’s section and tried to look for something that suited her. When she finally got to pick a style that she liked, we asked for the biggest size in that style. When Bea tried to fit the shoes, it was too small! The sales lady then directed us to the ladies’ section, she said we should try the smaller sizes there. Awww… my baby’s feet are no longer fit for a baby…

With a heavy heart, we trudged on to the ladies’ section. Our first reaction: everything was expensive! Unlike in the kids’ section where we can still buy something below P1,000, here almost everything is 3k up. Waaah. We're apprehensive to invest in expensive shoes, knowing she'd outgrow them soon. Then we found the World Balance corner. Finally, something we could afford! Hahaha! Being still obsessed with Queen Elsa of Frozen, Bea chose a colorful style, mainly of blue color but with accents of green and purple. It was adorable!!! And it only cost us P1,499.




Here she is wearing her new World Balance Active Grid rubber shoes. My baby is really growing up so fast!


Our Princess Is Eight!


We celebrated our only daughter's birthday two days ago. We woke up early and heard mass. After mass, we rushed home so Bea can finish her breakfast and go to school on time. We didn't have any party planned this year, but we wanted her to feel special on her day so I let her wear her crown to church and school. Actually, she wore it the whole day! So that she'd feel princess-like the whole day!

We fetched her from school and bought some food for our simple lunch. We bought a small chocolate cake from Red Ribbon. Then we bought some DIY decorating flowers and sprinkles from Goldilocks. When we got home, Bea had a grand time decorating her own cake!

We also got some left over Cinderella cupcake toppers and put them on the cake too. The finished product was beautiful! 






Happy happy birthday Princess Bea!!!

It's Only Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs for Bea

Bea "cooking" the hotdogs

Earlier before this evening, Bea told me she wanted hotdogs for dinner. Good thing her Lolo bought some for her a few days ago. As always, she was so eager to help me cook the hotdogs.

First, she got them from the fridge herself. She took two pieces, peeled off the clear plastic covering of each hotdog and then waited for further instructions. I got a small non-stick pan and heated over a low flame. I told Bea to put some warm water in the pan. This is how I cook my hotdogs, just like I cook tocino. I cook them in water instead of in oil. This way it's healthier and the finished product looks better, smoother and not at all wrinkly. =)

I put the hotdogs in the water and stirred them constantly as Bea looked on. I rolled them from one side to the other as the water evaporated. This should continue for about a minute, don't stop, because the hotdogs will burn since the pan has no oil. I then transfered the cooked Tender Juicy hotdogs on a clean plate as Bea excitedly took it to the table to start her dinner.  I knew the hotdogs tuned out quite good, the big smile on her face told me so! =)

Shoe Shopping with Bea at Payless Shoe Source


Bea's cutey black shoes 

Just before the year 2013 ended,  I had a big revelation.  As a mother this is pretty big news.  My sweet 7 year old daughter now has her own opinion when it comes to buying her stuff.  

The other day,  I took her shoe shopping since her pink sandals' straps broke.  We went to SM Masinag.  We were supposed to go straight to the department store but when we passed by the Payless Shoe Store Bea just wanted to go in.  I've never bought shoes there myself.  I did buy earrings from them since they have stylish and affordable fashion accessories like earrings,  bracelets and even wallets and sunnies.  
Once inside,  Bea immediately touched shoes that were either for babies (Dora the Explorer and other characters) or too mature for her (as in stilettos and platform wedges).  I tried to sway her to look at safer pumps but she would just look at them,  shake her head then go to find another high-heeled pair.  Argh! I realized that days of imposing what I wanted her to wear is now coming to an end.  Kids nowadays really do mature faster!  I remember my mom fixing what I will wear until I was in gradeschool...  Or maybe that's just me.  Hehe. 

Anyway,  we finally compromised on getting safe black flat shoes,  with glitzy,  glittery ribbon across it.  Plus it was on sale!  We got it for only P500++. Win-win! 

My little girl is really growing up fast! 

Shopping after Christmas



On Christmas morning,  Bea eagerly checked the stocking that she placed on the Christmas tree the night before.  She was soo happy to find P50. Then her grandfather's friend dropped by and gave a little red envelope.  When I asked her how much was inside,  she nonchalantly said P50 only,  but when I checked,  it contained P500! When I explained to her that this is actually more valuable than she initially thought,  she got really excited!  I guess she's only beginning to grasp the value of money. 

A few days after Christmas,  we all went to the mall to attend to some errands.  Bea came along because according to her,  she wanted to do some Christmas shopping too.  ;)  Us girls both went straight for the bookstore while her dad looked for some place to sit.  He knew we were going to be in there for some time.  It has finally happened!  She is now as excited as I am to go to the bookstore!

I told her to go and get what she wanted to buy,  but she should choose wisely since we will be spending her P550 that she got for Christmas.  She happily went off,  picking stuff then putting them back down, as if assessing if they would fit her shopping spree budget.  Hahaha!  My little smart shopaholic in the making. 
After what seemed like an hour,  she finally approached me and said she was ready to pay for her loot.  We went to the counter and guess what?  She was just P47 short!  Amazing!

Her daddy couldn't resist laughing out loud when he saw his two girls approach him from where he was sitting.  We both had a big paper bag from National Bookstore each! Like mother like daughter I guess!

She bought some puzzle books, coloring books, a clay modeling book,  24pc Crayola Twistable crayons,  a memory game and a tub of cotton candy we saw outside the bookstore. See how happy she is with her goodies!



She has since then declared that National Bookstore is the happiest place in the world!  I'm so proud of her!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...