Bento Birthday Parties

Both my children celebrate their birthdays during the first quarter of the year. We usually do a joint birthday celebration for them and invite all of their close friends and family members.  This year, I decided to make their parties separate but to keep them very small. For Dawn, she was turning 5 so I asked her to only invite 5 of her friends to our house.  For Troy, on the other hand, I asked him to invite 8 friends, also following his birthday age.  We decided to keep his party in school separate since he also wanted to celebrate with all his classmates.

Dawn wanted a My Little Pony themed party while Troy wanted a Star Wars themed party. With that, I ordered fondant cakes from Jennie of Love Desserts for the two separate occasions. I also decorated our place with pastel balloons for Dawn's party and long 'light saber' blue and white balloons for Troy's party. 

Now here's the fun part. I ordered themed Bento boxes for the kids and they all loved it! We served this in Troy's school party too. It's the easiest way to instantly up your game for themed parties. My kids were ecstatic when they saw their meals. I did not tell them until the day of the party so that it will also be a surprise for them.

I love Bento Mommas! It looks good and tastes great! We had cheese sandwiches and nuggets for Dawn's party and Spaghetti and nuggets for Troy's. I also appreciate the fact that they were very accommodating with our special requests. They created a special box of Pomodoro spaghetti with cheese sandwich for our vegetarian guest.

Check out Bento Mommas' other creations through their Instagram page @bentomommas . You may also inquire by writing to them at bentomommas@gmail.com

 

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Random Thoughts on My Son's Eight Birthday

Troy turned eight yesterday. As I was having breakfast, I thought about the day he was born. I was reminded of his beautiful loud cry in that operating room and the congratulations from visitors that were not present during my first delivery.  It brought me back to the many nights I stayed awake wondering whether I will ever get pregnant again, or those days when I would allow myself to think about the empty crib in the beautifully decorated baby's room and wonder whether we would ever use them. Then I saw a photo of my now eight-year old boy. Then I cried.

 

From the time you decide you want to have a baby to the time the healthy baby finally arrives, Motherhood is never easy. Somewhere in between, there's always a story to tell. Whether it's about the fear of infertility, going through miscarriages, or perhaps experiencing infant loss, a lot of us have walked that path. The threat of unfulfilled dreams is, a lot of times, the hardest to accept.

 

The past 10 years has been quite a journey. There were those difficult days in 2006 when I just wanted to sleep all day until I wake up from a seemingly bad dream. Then there are happy days in 2016 when all I want to do is to enjoy all 24 precious hours with my children.  This is where 10 years has brought our family. I look at my children now and I am reminded of how much God has been with us through the years. He did not allow me to stay in that black hole I have placed myself in ten years ago. And the miracle in all of this is that all I needed to do was to simply trust in Him.

 

Whatever stage you are in right now, do know this. Pray and trust in Him even when facts tell us otherwise. Trust in His good plans for your life.  Because I tell you, once you decide to surrender your worries to God, you will experience the joy of living that abundant life that He has always intended for you.   

 

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 

 

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Fun Lunch at Gengki Sushi, BGC

Last Tuesday, my sister Tammy and I decided to celebrate her birthday with a lunch date in the newly opened Gengki Sushi in BGC. We have actually eaten at a Gengki Sushi branch in Hawaii earlier this year and was not particularly impressed.  But the rave reviews of the BGC branch were hard to ignore so we decided to give it a try.

 

The moment we walked in, we already knew the experience was going to be far from the branch in Hawaii. The place looked very vibrant with its white and red interior. The branch in Hawaii is probably the older Gengki Sushi set up with the sushi conveyor going around.

Each table is set up with its own menu tablet where you can place your order, plus a faucet for your matcha green tea refills.

Ordering is done by selecting the items listed under the different tabs on the tablet. You may place three orders at a time which will be reflected on the bullet train icon found at the bottom right hand side of the screen. Click on the red ORDER button to place your order and wait for a few minutes for the bullet train to deliver your food.

Food is delivered quite fast. Good service, bullet train!

Shrimp Kakiage for the birthday girl!

What I also love about the place is the bottomless matcha green tea. You get the matcha powder and have a hot water faucet for unlimited refill. I must say the matcha green tea is sooo good!

Here is a portion of our fun Japanese lunch. I was not able to take a photo but the tablet can also show you your running bill. A great way to avoid surprises upon billing out. Note though that there is a 10% add-on fee for service charge that is not indicated on the running bill review.

The food is good though nothing really exceptional taste-wise. I will definitely be back for the experience though. The kids don't eat sushi but they would love to see the train delivering the food. They have rice toppings and tempura anyway which are perfect options for the children. Try it out and tell me what you think.

Gengki Sushi is located at the 2nd level of the newly opened dining hub, Bonifacio Stopover, at the corner of Rizal Drive and 31st street in BGC.
 

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Remembering 2006




http://www.punchbowl.com

They say 7th birthdays are special. I wonder why. 



Exactly this day Seven years ago, i was walking around the Mall of Asia trying to induce my 41-week old pregnant belly. The crib has been set up in our room, the new baby clothes washed and folded inside the white plastic drawers. My parents monitored their phones for that text or call from me to say 'I'm in labor!'. Their first grandchild was going to be born anytime soon. I remember the cool breeze as Dens and i walked around the bay area. Talking about our dreams for the little one that was going to change our lives forever.

Then my contractions started. We made the text announcements to our family as we excitedly drove home. My mom met us at home and we went to the hospital together. Twelve hours of painless labor later, i only dilated to 7cm. Baby's heartrate was dropping so we had to do an emergency c-section. When Tyler came out, i caught a glimpse of him.  He did not cry. He weighed only 4 pounds and 13 ouces. Such a tiny fighter. My mom knew something was wrong. I didn't. Then I fell asleep in the operating room.

Dens and my dad were waiting for the good news outside the operating room. My mom gave my dad a call on his mobile phone and he told Dens that there seems to be something wrong with Tyler. Dens said he felt weak in the knees.  My Dad and Dens stool still, trying to absorb the unexpected news.

A few days later, they shared the news to me. Two short months later, we lost Tyler.

Tomorrow is October 6. Seven years after our first child was born. They say 7th birthdays are special. Yes, that's true.  But to me, 7th birthdays are just as special as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and beyond.  Every year spent with your love one is another year to celebrate. 

On Sunday, i will wake up and embrace my two children a little tighter. Lie in bed with them a little longer. I will bask in the moment and remember it forever. Cause life is too short to miss a day. Cherish your blessings. Let go of past hurts. Enjoy the gift that is today.

God bless.

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Movie Stars Cafe

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law was telling me about a newly opened concept restaurant near Mall of Asia. She said it had a movie star theme very similar to Planet Hollywood in the states. I was intrigued and honestly thought that since it's a local version, it will feature local artists and movies. When she mentioned actors and actresses will be serving our food, i was even more intrigued...really, mga artista???

It turned out, the servers all wore costumes from hollywood movies. From the likes of Spiderman to Darth Vader, it was really a fun experience. We brought Troy there on his 5th birthday last March 7 and he was truly star-strucked! The place displayed a lot of Hollywood memorabilia which they say are authentic pieces from the states. They had shows every couple of minutes which was both entertaining to kids and adults. It was indeed so much fun for the whole family!


 

Buffet Area (You can also just order ala carte)



Dawn, Tammy, and the girl from Nightmare Before Christmas

Dawn, me, and Snow White



Power Rangers

  

Darth Vader and the crew



Troy's best buds that night. Optimus brought Troy with him while he was serving the other tables.



Surprise song number for our birthday boy





 

Bumblebee constantly visited our table



Our emcee: Gingerbread man!

 

Troy's dinner chats with Optimus Prime. He also had a lengthy conversation with Black Spiderman.



Dawn and her dancing partner that night



Atom from Real Steel was also a really good dancer



Green Solder from Toy Story and my mom-in-law



Check out the two videos below and see Darth Vader and Spiderman doing Gangnam Style!

 

Check out their menu and business hours here.

Best to make reservations before you go since the place is almost always packed even on weeknights.

Movie Stars Cafe

Seaside Blvd., SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines

0905 277 9999, 0908 200 9999

info@moviestarscafe.com

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A SPArty at Pink Me Up Nail Spa

A few weeks ago, one of my good friends, Jon, decided to throw a SPA party for his wife, Roanne.  Jon did his research and went scouting for the best place to hold a spa event for Roanne's birthday (he claims he did not 'road-test' the treatments himself. Jon, you seem to know a lot though...hmm...). After much consideration, Jon finally decided on Pink Me Up Nail Spa located along Shaw Boulevard near WackWack Golf & Country Club.

The spa was on the second floor so it was a little bit difficult to find. But once you find it, it's like finding a beautiful gem in some obscure place. The place was just so dainty and beautiful!

Couches for the treatment

TV with a wide selection of movies to watch during treatment

My friend had BIZU cater the event



Reception area (hello ate!)



Pink Me Up personalizes your event by allowing you to place your pictures inside their frames



Karyn, Robs, Candy (TheCorporateHousewifeMom), Lyn, Tammy (Mustela), Michelle 

Let the treaments begin!

Hands spa

They even have treatments for little girls



After our treatments, we had lunch catered by Bizu and had a few games prepared by Jon (award ka na talaga, Jon!).



Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday again, Ro. You're blessed to have a wonderful husband who goes over and beyond to make you happy. We're happy to have experienced this unique celebration with you.

Pink Me Up Nail Spa

2/F Lee Gardens Condo,

Shaw corner Lee St.,

Mandaluyong (near Wack-Wack, across Paladium Village)

358-2412, (0915) 139-2234, (0947) 965-0507

pinkmeupbeauty@gmail.com

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