Day 33: Day and Night

I was able to get RL a small Pororo plush from a toy supplier. Now, because I know Pororo is in demand among little kids, I thought of getting a few extra pieces to sell. I had announced it with a photo on Instagram Saturday night.

7.5" Pororo Plush, P150 each.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I had sold out! Galing, diba? Early blessing!

I had to teach at Children's Church that day and we introduced Power Truths to the preschool class. Power Truths are short phrases that summarize the day's lesson. Our Power Truth that day was: "God Takes Care of Me!"

The kids and I had a really, really long day out of the house that Sunday (no nanny, etc), and we were feeling particularly stressed with the day's tiring events that I had forgotten about that morning's early blessing. That night, while in bed, I whispered a prayer to God and asked Him to take away the stressful feeling. I also asked for Him to remind me that He is always in charge, and that I can count on Him to take care of me. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling too happy with my "tired" situation (being a single parent takes its toll on the body, heart and mind at times).

Right before drifting off to sleep, my phone gave another "squawk"!

Squawk! Another screaming text from Mia. LOL!

Yes, "we" had won another two tickets to see Wilson Phillips! It was a great reminder that God truly takes of us - this was His immediate answer to my prayer. It was God's way of saying, "I shall take care of you. I will not only bless you, I will pour out My blessings 'til your cup overflows."

Extra blessed. 

Day 32: Babysitter!

Our nanny had to go home to her family for the weekend. It was her husband's birthday. So I was alone with  the kids - only, I had a ton of errands to run.

I was contemplating on taking RL downtown with us to get supplies. I was low on ribbons, tulle and NappyCake stuff, plus I had to look for toys for a special cake. But I didn't want him getting lost in the fray of crazy shoppers, especially since he's at that age where exploring is a must.

So I took a chance and asked KY if she could babysit for me.

And she said YES!

RL and his "achi" KY. Hehehe. Best babysitter in the world. No charge! LOL!

Yay! That solved a million and one problems, plus I had the best babysitter in the world! Blessed! 

Day 31: We Have a Winner!

The girls and I have been praying extra hard for tickets to go see Wilson Phillips. We're low on budget so we've been counting on God. See, we were set on getting those discounted Upper Box (yes, Upper Box lang, sniff!) tickets from a coupon site, but missed it by a few hours!

When Random Minds first announced they were bringing in Wilson Phillips, Mia, Lara and I already knew we wanted to watch. We just needed to decide on how much we were willing to spend for it (c'mon, we work hard for our money, plus we have responsibilities - insert sheepish grin here).

Last week, we joined a couple of online contests and kept our fingers crossed. Figured that maybe we can win ourselves the tickets, just in case they don't put anything on sale anymore. Then, mid last week, Lara decides she was gonna sit this one out. She has a 6-month old baby boy (an adorable one at that) and can't leave him for long hours as he is exclusively breast-fed. She also didn't think it would start so late (8pm). So we agreed we'd meet for dinner before the show and that Mia and I will use the tickets in case one of us wins.

Then Friday morning, I woke up to this screaming (well, if text messages could scream, that is) text message from Mia...

Notice how she sends the text at 5:24am?!!!

Yes, Lara won us tickets! And Mia and I get to use them! I cannot believe it! Counting on God. WOW.

Extra blessed. I can't wait for October 12!

Day 30: A Gift for RL

I had to rush over to a supplier over lunch Thursday as I suddenly had five NappyCake orders. I haven't been actively making these cakes since we had moved out of the Ortigas area, but I do get a few per month. But God has a way of giving you what you need, when you need it, and I suppose He knew I needed the extra cash. Alas, within a period of one week, these orders came pouring in.

So yes, I had to rush to a supplier to get stuff. I've known this supplier since I first started making diaper cakes. She loves my kids and saw them grow up. She was surprised to see how fast RL has grown. The first time she saw RL, he was barely a month old, and she held him for a good hour while I ransacked her stock room.

So it was a delight for her to see him again (the last time I think was early this year). She gave RL a couple of shirts, just because. I love how she took these shirts out of the pile and gave them to RL as gifts.

RL with his gifts from Manang V. 

Blessed!

Day 29: Starting a Collection!

Well, maybe. I have a number of friends collecting those Starbucks Mugs. I, on the other hand, collect shot glasses (too bad I no longer drink). But these mugs are pretty cool. So I was thinking, okay, maybe I'd start collecting and display them in the office.

My youngest brother went to Cebu recently and I had asked him to get me a Starbucks Cebu Mug. He never really gets me anything, so I was surprised he actually went out of his way to get me one!

My very first Starbucks Mug!

Voila! The first mug to start off my Starbucks Mug collection!

Brothers are cool. I am blessed to have two!

Day 28: Nano's Here!

Tuesday, right during lunch, I received a text from Senco Link...

Text from Senco Link Tomas Morato

Yes, after less than two weeks, my spanking NEW iPod Nano 6th Gen is here! And the best news is, it's FREE! Well, not exactly, given that I had to surrender my no-longer-working-battery-is-dying iPod Nano 1st Gen to Senco Link. But does it matter? It's here and it's new! And it's mine! All mine (insert crazy canned laughter here, LOL)!

Look! 8G in exchange for my 1st Gen 2G! Nice exchange!

The unit (replacement of unit only for the Nano Recall Program) is brand new and is 8G (I blurred parts of the serial number, just in case you were wondering)!

This girl went from zero gadgets to too many. God must love me so.

EXTRA BLESSED!

Day 27: Moving Forward!

I've been waiting for final confirmation on revisions I made to a contract with a foreign principal. She's had the revisions for a while (2 weeks, I think) and hasn't replied. We're at that point where we're doing a last review, then we finally get to sign them.

Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get past the point where contracts have finally been signed and notarized. So I was getting a tad antsy. I sent her an email before leaving the office Monday evening.

That night, I received a reply.

Actual screen capture of her reply. Good news!

Our contract has since been signed!

Isn't God good?

"So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34 (NCV)

Day 26: Tayo!

My little boy is crazy over Korean animation - Pororo, Chiro, Cocomong, Tayo, etc. Because of this, I've been trying to find Tayo toys for him for over a month now. Apparently, there are no sellers, and if there are, they rob you of your hard-earned moolah (mahalia!).

Well, my SP friend CP went to Korea last week and got her little boy a ton of Tayo toys. She posted photos on Instagram and I asked her about the toys. Turns out, she knows of a seller here! So I went to this secret place owned by a Korean last Sunday to check out this seller's store... Lo and behold, Pororo heaven!

And she sold Tayo toys, too. Her prices are okay, pricey compared to other toys, but way, way cheaper than those selling original Korean toys online. All her items are original and from Korea.

Tayo, Tayo... Tayo, Tayo... he's a friendly little bus!

This was actually the highlight of my Sunday, aside from finding the Yum Yum Bento Box book at the Fully Booked! Booth at the Manila International Bookfair. I got A really excited with this book. She loves it when I make time to make her lunch.

This made the trek to SMX (on MOA's sale weekend!) all worth it.

It makes me happy to see my kids happy. What makes your day?

Day 25: Sleep!

Friday's bad headache overstayed its welcome. I woke up in the middle of the night, just to take Advil. I suspect it is because of those odd waking hours during the work week. I try to be in bed by 11PM, but mostly doze off around 12 to 1AM. Then I have to get up at 2AM to bring RL to the potty. Again at 430AM to wake A up and another potty break (if RL took in another bottle of milk). Then again at 7AM for work.

I don't know how to remedy this without sacrificing those tasks in the middle of the night. So yes, I pay for it during the day.

The weekend is time for me to get all that back. I sleep. And I sooo look forward to weekends because of that.

Like Garfield, sleeping is my favorite past time. LOL! I love to sleep, don't you?

We, however, had a Leaders Convergence scheduled for Saturday. I received a text from Pastor L that it would start at 9AM. Now because I lived far north, that means getting up at 7AM at the latest. I was looking forward to attending the conference, but hated the fact that I had a bad migraine to go with it. I was actually praying for the migraine to go away. I woke up at 7AM to Pastor L's text informing everyone that they were canceling the convergence because of the weather.

What timing! That was my blessing for the day. I slept off the headache and got myself up and renewed for the weekend.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God..." - Romans 8:28

Day 24: Small Change

We had an event Friday night, and I had promised my nanny she can go watch the concert with the kids, while I worked. So I lugged everyone to V-Mall in the middle of the afternoon to catch Hello to Heaven, a worship event featuring Acel Van Ommen, Yeng Constantino, Barbie Almalbis, Emman Vera, etc.

I had a bad migraine that day, and after having downed two Advils, I didn't want any more meds in my system. Never mind the knocking headache, I just wanted to sleep. But I couldn't leave, and we were to stay 'til end of the night. So I thought I'd get myself coffee. Alas, I only had a 100-peso bill (for parking!) in my wallet. The stores were closed and I didn't have enough change for the vending machine.

Their Caffe Latte (my favorite) is P14.00, and I had thirteen ones. I went through the junk in my bag and found four 25-centavo coins. Right. The vending machine didn't take small change. So I went to look for my brother to ask if he had coins to spare. But I couldn't find him in the crowd.

I had resigned myself to the fact that maybe regular coffee was the way to go, only to see that the vending machine actually accepted 25-centavo coins! Woot! You won't believe how happy and thankful I was (babaw ko, I know, but I was so happy) that I was able to get my favorite Caffe Latte.

T'is the vending machine outside VCF-Greenhills. Caffe Latte is my favorite.

Thank You, Lord, for the small stuff! Are you thankful even for small blessings? COUNT IT ALL JOY! 

Day 23: No Charge!

I work for the music industry. And about twice a month, I have to place orders for manufacturing parts, particularly with a very strict principal/ label. If you miss their canvassing deadline, you have to pay a late fine of US$100.00 for artwork and another US$100.00 to get the audio sent to you. But only when you're late.

I had previously ordered finished goods from them for a particular release. We were okay with just having a handful of imported stocks because this band isn't well-known. But that has changed since, as they are coming to Manila for October's SAVED FESTIVAL.

Abandon will be here for this year's SAVED Festival at the SM Arena!

So I sent an email last week for pahabol parts. Just the artwork since I can use a finished product as audio master. I kept my fingers crossed as I asked my contact if she could maybe waive the US$100.00 fine (aba, P4,000+ din yun a!).

Lo and behold, she replied with an "of course!" Apparently, if a group or band is visiting to do a show, you can request for parts for their past releases, at no extra charge (I didn't know this!). Yay! I'm thankful I was able to save the company money. Thank You, Lord, for this!

Day 22: The Unexpected

Was thinking about him today, and even spoke with my bff J about him because it bothered me that much. Then this afternoon, in the middle of doing my recon for our shipping fund, I get a call from a number I didn't know.

It was him.

The ties that bind.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo. 

Blessed. Thank You, Lord.

Day 21: The King and I... Yes!

I stayed home today with a bad headache that brought me to tears (Yes, I get bad migraines). *Sniff!* Which turned out to be a good thing because KY needed a car to go see her OB, so they borrowed mine. Because of this, I got a FREE carwash and vacuum, courtesy of my mom's old driver/ houseboy (LOL). Yay!

Also today, KY told me that mom got us tickets to see The King and I at Resorts World! Woohoo!

Look! Directed by Freddie Santos! He's my fave theater director! 

Thank you, Mom, and thank You, Lord, for my mommy!

Day 20: Mooncake!

I'm a simple girl. It doesn't take much to make me happy. Today, I was craving for Mooncake, and whaddyaknow? My dad left me one on my office table!

Simple joy. I AM BLESSED!

Day 19: RL for GetBlued!

RL once modeled for GetBlued - the official Ateneo Shirt company owned by K-Cube. When he first modeled their I "Heart" Ateneo shirt, RL was just a year old, and could barely fit into the smallest shirt. So my brother and his friends made adjustments (more like they used clips to hold the shirt back, just so the photos would come out good, LOL!).

He hasn't worn the shirt since. Well until yesterday, and I was blessed to take great photos, while we were enjoying our "FREE" Strawberry Mango Fruit Slush from the Fruit Magic Cafe at Shopwise (well, not exactly FREE, but I didn't have cash on me because it's tuition week at A's school and I am trying to save up! And I remembered I had purchased Metrodeal coupons for Fruit Magic back in the summer!).

I had posted the photo on Instagram and Facebook, and tagged my siotis from GetBlued. After which I get a text from my brother that they're posting his photo on the GetBlued page.

My handsome little boy modeling the I ♥ Ateneo shirt for GetBlued. 

Needless to say, I am proud. Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with a handsome, and smart little boy!

Day 18: Token Prize!

The kids and I attended a party Saturday afternoon. After which, I decided to take them to a nearby mall to check out Daiso. RL, who hates shopping, was pretty bored and wanted to go home. I had no nanny over the weekend, so I had no choice but to take the kids. After 10 minutes or so, RL was ready to throw a fit, exclaiming all the excuses about how he was bored, sleepy, tired, etc. Until he saw Tom's World. 

Because I knew a small plush (yes! another plush!) would give me at least half an hour of peace, I gave in and bought P50.00 worth of tokens. This is what we won! A 6-inch Stitch in Bee Costume Plush (from the claw machine) and an Angry Birds Bath Towel (from the Cube Machine)!

Yay! We won these! And spent only P50 playing!

My little boy went home happy, and Momma and A got to shop at Daiso in peace. Hehe. Thank You, Lord, for family Saturdays.

Day 17: Multiple Blessings!

A lot happened on Friday. I'm glad I started writing on this blog again, because it has developed the habit of being made more aware of God's provisions.

I finally went to Senco Link (licensed Apple dealer) to have them check my iPod Nano 1st Gen 2G. I called them first to ask for any requirements and was told that the unit had to have power. And that was all they needed to check on to see if you were qualified for the trade. I plugged in my Nano and couldn't get it to charge. The screen merely showed the Apple logo at first, and later showed the message "Battery very low".

I called my brother to my room and he explained that as long as the screen is up, that means the unit has power. And that the battery probably died (as is the usual prob with the Apple iPod Nano 1st Gen, hence the recall).

So over lunch, I drove a few blocks to Senco Link. The lady at the counter wasn't sure about my unit as it wouldn't turn on. She had to take it to the back office for checking. After what seemed like half an hour (but really just about 3minutes or so), she comes back to have me fill up a form.

"Three to four weeks, Ma'am. Papalitan po ng 6th Gen."

The old Nano will be shipped to Singapore. After 3-4 weeks, I get a 6th Gen FREE!

Woohoo! Thank You, Lord! That went without hitch!

~~~

After Senco Link, I went to check out the Korean Grocery on Mother Ignacia. Wanted to see if this particular store (a big one) had stock of any product with any of the Iconix characters (Pororo, Tayo, etc).

I had just locked my doors when I noticed my car moving back. It was sliding back to the street! Thank goodness for presence of mind (and for watching the movie, Courageous), I was quick to open the door, jump in and pull up the hand brake. Odd because the brakes were actually up! Good thing there weren't a lot of cars and that the slope wasn't steep. Nevertheless, I still ended up in the middle of the street.

Thank You, Lord, for keeping me safe!

~~~

My brother decided he was going to clean out his office (we have a guest coming on Monday). Alas, he gave me a mug full of candies and books for the kids - his junk, my treasure! These are products from recent trips to ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) in the US.

My Teacher's Assistant Mug. Hehe.

Books for the kids - a devotional for A, and a book on Virtues for RL!

I love it that I have been blessed with a thoughtful and generous brother!

~~~

I also got to buy the kids Phineas and Ferb figures without shelling out a dime. Used the GCs from Toys R Us to pay for these!

RL has a wild imagination. He can play with just these 4 figures for hours.

Wasn't that a Shower of Blessing? God must have decided to open a floodgate, just for me! I AM BLESSED!

Day 16: iPod Nano Verified - Qualified!

Woot! Today I found out that my old, almost lost, iPod Nano 1st Gen is qualified for the iPod Nano Recall and Replace Program!

My long, lost iPod Nano 1st Gen. Now to find KY's from the old condo...

I've been trying to find this old gadget since they announced the recall late last year. Alas, I wasn't the one who packed it when we moved, so I didn't know where to look. Thank goodness, our old nanny J is back with us. I had asked her to look for it over the weekend, and finally got to check its serial number today - VERIFIED and QUALIFIED! Woohoo!

Tomorrow, I shall call Senco Link and maybe bring my old Nano to their Tomas Morato office to start the replacement process. I've read accounts of local bloggers, and they got a cool, iPod Nano 6th Gen as replacement. I can't wait!

Thank you, Lord, for this unexpected blessing! Yay!

Day 15: One 2 One +

I've been trying to purchase the Campus Edition of the One 2 One book, but our V-Mall store has been out of stock for some time now, pending a final agreement with Every Nation. So I did the next best thing. I asked my good friend, G, who happens to work at Every Nation to get me one. G has been so nice to give me the book for free (that's what friends are for? haha!)

Well, after two weeks of missing each other at church, my brother went to get it from G at the Fort (he had a meeting with D, the head pastor's son).

First step to Victory Weekend - the One 2 One book! Thank you, Ganns!

When I finally got the package, imagine my surprise when he also included the regular One 2 One book. When he called to let me know he got my package (exchange deal kami), he also told me great, great news (news I can't share at this point until we're 100% sure-sure). So yes, G, you were my blessing yesterday! Thank you!

Don't you love friends who think of you and your happiness? Oh joy! Bless G a thousandfold in return, Lord!

Day 14: New Connection

Well a new friend, actually.

I was invited by my Kuya L to go meet his college best friend for dinner yesterday. See, we've actually been searching for a baby clothes supplier, not for NappyCakes, but for Worship Generation. We only print in small quantities, so it was pretty hard to find one who didn't require so much a minimum order.

Alas, KL's friend V turns out to be a local distributor of not only baby feeding products, but baby clothes as well! We actually met about something else last night, but this was great news! I consider this my blessing for yesterday. That, plus I got to eat at Red Kimono for free, as their family owns it. Hehe.

New Friend? Hehe. (Photo from cutestpaw.com)

Thank you, Lord, for new friends! Have you made new friends lately?

Day 13: The Freebie Almost Didn't Make It

Well, yeah. ALMOST.

I recently got a new Citibank Credit Card, and had purchased the iPad with it. A few weeks after the purchase, I had received a text informing me that I had qualified for the FREE Rudy Project Viaggatore luggage, worth P8,500.

I had filled up the voucher requirements online and made mental note to get it a week after I had printed out the claim voucher.

Alas, I had only noticed the fine print yesterday. Nyar.

The Voucher states that I "may only redeem on the date specified".

I had specified Saturday, September 1, as my date of redemption. But because of all the things we did Saturday, I had forgotten about the voucher. I was praying for consideration when I called up their Trinoma store last night.

"Walang problema, Ma'am", the nice guy on phone replied after I had asked about my dilemma.

So after meeting a friend after work yesterday, I rushed off to Trinoma to claim my Rudy Project Viaggatore luggage.

The FREE Rudy Project Viaggatore Luggage from Citibank.

This carry-on bag is made of Polycarbonate, and has spinner wheels. A was delighted to see that she no longer has to drag the noisy Samsonite carry-on the next time we travel (the wheels need repair).

Thank You, Lord, once again for never letting me down! And for considerate hearts. And yes, for this FREE bag.

Day 12: I Spy an iGuy!

We've been saving up for an iGuy for the iPad. I haven't been able to leave the iPad at home with RL (who practically owns it, given that he's on it more than anyone else) as I am scared he might accidentally drop it.

It's been out of stock for a while. So it was a cool surprise to see new stocks available (and for the New iPad, too!) at Digital Walker, V-Mall! I wasn't even planning on checking out the store. We were snacking on fresh lumpia, kwek-kwek and french fries (yes, what a combo!) when I decided to take a peek.

Hi-5 on the iPad, safe in the iGuy.

I still don't tell RL that the iPad is sitting in my closet at home, safely tucked inside the iGuy, but I have given instructions to Ate J to give it to him when he'd ask. Somehow, the cat also loves the smell of the iGuy and has been trying to bite it. So RL can only use the iPad on the bed, inside the bedroom with the door closed. LOL.

Nevertheless, I am thankful we were finally able to get one!

Day 11: Coupon Saturday

I've been holding on to a coupon for months now. But because of work and a full schedule, I couldn't take the kids to use the coupons. Last week, my schedule saw some light, and I was finally able to use the coupons (which were expiring over the weekend, by the way).

At Fun Ranch's Playdium.

After a weeknight using the Fun Ranch Playdium coupon, the kids were excited to use their coupons for Wowowheels. I had initially thought we weren't going to make it Saturday afternoon, since Kuya Kim had said 80% chance of rain. I said a little prayer and drove to Eton Centris.

Broom-broom! I had to ride with RL, but stepped off to take this pic.

Alas, we got to ride for a good hour without rain, then the next hour with a little drizzle. But Eton has those big shades that keep you from getting wet, so we were able to ride at ease.

That evening, we went to get Mickey groomed at Furry Tails. Used a coupon I had purchase for P990 for 5 sessions. We almost didn't make it to the evening's cut-off, but the owner graciously allowed us to get Mickey groomed.

I love how God makes a way, even when there seems to be no way.