[Zei the MOM] My choice!

I'm happy that I have a hand at choosing Zia's toys... for now, that is. I'm pretty sure in 2 to 3 years, I won't have that luxury anymore. But for now, I'm making a career out of buying toys for my 1 year old. funny how most of her toys really reflect more of my personality. Zia doesn't have any favorite character yet so all the toys I buy her are the ones I like for her to like. She's into plush toys now so for Christmas, we got her these cuties:

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(L-R) Twinkle Toes, the singing ballerina doll; Lalaloopsy Swirly Figure Eight, the ice skater doll and Lalaloopsy Mittens Fluff n Stuff, the snow loving rag doll

Also got her other plush toys like Petty the Penguin and Bitbit the Rabbit

This lovely ballerina rag doll is handmade in the US and is a gift from my SIL. Love how her hair is black, just like baby Zia's. Photo grabbed from my SILs blog, check it out! Can't wait for Zia to play with this too.

I research about toys and books a lot, some of Zia's toys and books are the ones on the list of top toys and books for the year, but most are just chosen based on their cuteness and my liking of course. 

As of late though, I've been observing the darling daughter and she's not actually as girly as I thought she'd be, she's more of a spunky tot, so I'm not sure how long she'll be entertained by my choices of toys for her, which are, as you might have noticed, very girly. Nonetheless, I can't wait for the time when she will enjoy visits to the toy store with us.

[Zei the charmed one] I love Christmas!

First of, Happy Christmas to one and all! I hope and pray you enjoyed today as much as I did. :) And since it's Christmas day, I find that it's fitting to write about Christmas, of course! I've always loved Christmas, for many many reasons, and here are some on top of my list.

The decorations - Yup, the lights, the tree, the socks and many more that bring much color to the season. :)

The gifts - Mostly the gifts for baby Zia this year, but yup, I strongly believe that no one is too old for gifts, especially on Christmas!

The get togethers - Christmas is one of those occasions that call for reunions with good friends. I'd take a simple meal with good friends and great stories and reminiscing any day. :)

The food - It's the Christmas Ham actually that's the star of the Christmas feast if you ask me, and for some reasons it tastes yummier on Noche Buena.

The love of family - of course, nothing spells Christmas more than spending it with your loved ones.

The 'Belen' - The iconic display that reminds us of the reason for the season - the birth of our LORD.

Again, here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Now to countdown to the new year! such happy times call for so much thanksgiving. :)

[Zei the MOM] Holiday High!

Today marked the first day of my almost-two-week vacation from work. And while some tagged this day as the end of the world, I simply put this day on my calendar as my Christmas shopping day. :) Yup, I love the Christmas rush, I don't mind the lines and the momentary panic, to me, the Christmas rush is all part of the merriment that is the holiday season. :) This year I had my baby girl tag along with me, and it was even more fun. I had a mission and I accomplished it with stride with my list on hand and my poor wallet with no choice. Haha. I went crazy toy shopping for Zia as well since this year is her 2nd Christmas and I think somehow she'll appreciate opening her presents, unlike last year when she was just 4 months old. I think holidays have become even more special now that Zia is around. She's added real joy and wonder to the season and that's why I feel even more blessed.

Enjoy the Christmas rush guys! Happy holidays!

[Shopaholic Zei] Christmas Wishlist 2012

I know I had this forever Christmas wish list until I get it post before which you can check here, but somehow, now that I'm reading back on it, I feel that I don't need them anymore, save for the master bedroom makeover and other home stuff. I think it's mostly because I've been a mom for 15 months now (on top of the 9 month infanticipation) and my shopping habits have changed along with my wants and needs. For example, I was gifted with $100 for my birthday last September - had I been my old single self, I would've mentally spent it all in clothes, bags, shoes, etc, but instead, I spent it all on Zia in one day. :) I still know I'm a shopaholic, but mostly for Zia's stuff and anything for our home, and food. So I am making a new Christmas wish list, in case I forget.

1. Master bedroom makeover
2. Bamboo fence and a trellis for our backyard
3. Lots of parakito pellets refill for Zia
4. A small LCD TV for our kitchen
5. Another small LCD TV for Zia's room
6. Zia's nursery makeover
7. Lots of T-shirts and shorts for when Zia plays at Gymboree
8. Cotton On shopping spree (Yes, my allegiance to Forever 21 has waned)
9. Silver Casio Illuminator watch
10. All colors of ballet flats from Payless
11. And all the Japanese food I can eat

So there, those are the things I'd love to have soon. :)

It's actually more of a list of the things I'll buy/have done once I have extra money than a list of things I'd like to receive from other people. :) Except for the Casio Watch, ballet flats and T-shirts pala.

Calling on the husband, need you to pledge on a thing or two on my list. LOL. :)

I can sooooo smell Christmas! And it smells oh so yummy and wonderful! :)

[Zei the MOM] Babypalooza!!

Tomorrow marks my maiden attempt at bazaar-ing. :) Will be one of the mommy vendors at the Babypalooza Bazaar tomorrow 9am-5pm at the Walter Hogan Conference Center at Ateneo. Will be selling mostly Zia's pre-loved stuff which are in mint condition since she used most of them once or twice only. Feeling both excited and nervous. Really hope I get some sort of profit, kahit small lang. :) 

I love how bazaars are evolving - like there are special bazaars like Babypalooza that provide moms a venue to sell their preloved stuff (others will be selling brand new stuff too). Hopefully lots of people drop by. :)

[Zei the charmed one] These two

These two are the reasons why I have a skip on my step each and every day, a smile on my face and an optimistic outlook in life. Because I have them - my husband and our daughter, Zia, I feel I have everything. :)

And because Christmas is just around the corner, I can't help but feel so giddy to be spending it with my favorite people in the world. :)

So to my husband and baby girl, thank you for being my happiness. Always. :)

Hope everyone's enjoying the last few weekends before Christmas!! :)

[Zei the charmed one] My take on weekends

This will be a quick post. I'd just like to share with you guys my simple take on weekends. I think weekends were made to make us feel how blessed we are. If on weekdays our life is all about work, the little stresses in between, some whining and asking and everything you could think about that doesn't involve the calm and relaxation that weekend brings, weekends give us that needed break to clear our minds and bring us back to the basics - the essentials - Family, love, fun and faith life. So there, I'm thankful for weekends -- but then again, I should feel blessed everyday and not just on weekends. :) You guys should too. :)

[Zei the MOM] Halloween Highlight

I've never been fond of Halloween... until this year. You see, to me, Halloween was just a marker that my favorite holiday -- Christmas, was just around the corner. But this year, because of our sweetheart, who manages to be more adorable by the day, Halloween has become a legit holiday for me. :) It's actually not Zia's first Halloween, although she was too little last year, we dressed her up as a caterpillar and a ladybug, but she seemed cranky and uninterested. Fast forward to this year, she more than obliged to have us dress her up. She went trick-or-treating like a pro despite being a first timer. Add to that, she knows how to walk on her own already and she likes clutching on to anything, so it wasn't difficult to get her to walk around and ask for treats. :) No tricks for this little girl. :) So here are some photos of our little Halloween Highlight, also known as Zia. :)

(L-R) Zia sporting her Batgirl costume for trick-or-treat at her cousin's place; Zia delighting  her audience as a Starbucks barista while trick-or-treating at my office 

Zia's jack-o-lantern bib bought online

Our baby girl - as bat-cheeks. Hehe. :) 

This is just the first of many Halloweens our sweetheart. We still have a lot of years to decide her costume for her until she chooses to be a sexy devil or a sexy pirate, which I saw teens don this Halloween - until then, we shall stay away from those and stick to the cutesy ones. :)

Hope you had your own Halloween fun and hope you also had time to spend with your family and loved ones for All Souls and Saints Day.

[Zei the foodie] Wishing for a jolly jeep renaissance

I love watching Eat St. in Lifestyle network whenever I catch it after work, never mind that the show always leaves me hungry and wishing I could be transported to the streets of San Francisco, California and New York to get a bite of all the yummy and interesting food they feature.

The show features the food truck invasion in the US wherein different cuisines from all parts of the world are sold by food trucks - food so yummy, the goers sometimes line up for quite some time just to buy these hunger busters that they say could easily rival food from fine dining restaurants. 

Watching Eat St. has made me wish for a revamp of our very own Jolly Jeep. I worked in Makati for 2 and a half years before and I used to buy lunch and merienda from these Jolly Jeeps, but I truly believe in my heart of hearts that these fast food on wheels could take their game a notch higher. Wishing that someday maybe the best Greek Gyro, Mexican Taco, New York Cheesecake or other what-have-yous could be bought from our very own Jolly Jeeps and just like in the US, eating in the streets might never be the same again.

Just thinking out loud. :)

This post has gotten me hoping to cap off this weekend with yummy food. =p 

[Zei on Career & Passion] Bangkok Files Part 1

I'm lucky to have a job that allows me to go to different places. My most recent out of the country trip for work took me to Thailand for the first time. =) And as a first timer, here are some of the things I think one should do when in Bangkok:

Photo collage made using www.photovisi.com / All photos were taken by me

1) Shop, shop, shop - I didn't do much of this since I was out on official business, but if I had the time and extra money, I'd shop to my heart's content. Platinum Mall is filled with lots of trendy and cheap clothes while Siam Paragon has the upscale shops for your designer fix.

2) Eat Mango with Sticky Rice - It's super yummy. It's like our native suman, but sweeter and more sticky with sweet yummy mango and rice crispies on top. =)

3) Have Tom Yum - Yup, there's nothing better than eating Tom Yum in its country of origin. Yum! Indeed.

4) Ride the tuktuk - This one is just for the experience I guess, since they charge differently especially if they notice you're not a local.

5) Visit a temple - I didn't get to visit the old and big temples since I was in the city, but I was lucky to chance upon this holy place in the middle of the city while walking. The temples were small, but grand none the less.

6) Ride the Skytrain - It's the easiest way to get around Bangkok, I think, since traffic is bad when you take a cab.

7) Go to Terminal 21 - For a unique shopping experience, this new mall, Terminal 21 is a great destination. Though the stuff sold are a bit pricier, the ambiance is worth taking the trip. It's designed like an airport and each floor is designed like a different country or city. Every floor transports you to a different place - from London, US, Japan to Rome and Paris.

So there, that's just my bit from my trip to Bangkok. Would love to go back for leisure soon. =)

[Zei the MOM] Sweet & Nautical for our sweetheart!

This is a late post, but blog-worthy none the less. =) Just sharing with you our Zia's 1st birthday blowout in pictures. Yep, will let these captured wonders speak for themselves. =)

{The Setup} - styling by Pink Tie

{Food & Table setup} - by VS&F

{The wonderful guests - big, small, young and young at heart}

{Our happy family}

{The celebrant}

And just like that, our baby girl is now a year old. And I shall end this photo blog with a line from our video message for our daughter which we showed during her celebration - 'we may not be the perfect parents, but we promise to love you, our Zia, every second of everyday, the best way we can and the best way we know how to. =)

Have a wonderful wonderful weekend everyone!

All photos by Owi of The Stork Studio.

[Zei on Home Deco & Design] Project... yet again!

Photo from Robin's Roundup

Now that Zia's 1st birthday is done, I can now save up for new home projects, which makes me feel giddy just by thinking about it. And so, to get me started, as in my previous projects, I shall list them down and look forward to each and every ones completion.

1) Yellow accent wall mini-project

2) Backyard fence project

3) Master bedroom improvement

4) Outdoor Lanai project

5) Kitchen overhaul

The above are big projects compared to my previous ones, but I figured that I've been wanting to do them since we moved in 2010 and that I should start the groundwork ASAP. I have no target date in mind except that everything should be done by the time Zia turns 2, so that gives me a year. I put in the kitchen overhaul last because it costs the most. =p

But aside from the big projects, there are some things I'd like to purchase within the month to satisfy my pursuit for prettifying our home. And these things include:

1) Modern Vintage throws from Our Home

2) Matching floor rugs from Divi

3) Different sized topiaries from Divi

4) More wall decals from Nu Dekor Wall Stickers

That's it. It's quite a lot, but I'm excited to take on these 'for-me-but-technically-for-the-family' projects. It makes me happy.

What are your latest home projects?     

[Zei the charmed one] It's Friday and I'm inlove!

With these two. :)

And just by looking at my husband and baby girl, I realized, yet again, that I should stop whining and just keep on saying thank you because which ever way I look at my life, I am blessed.

Long weekend, see you in a jiff!

[Zei the Charmed one] Cloud Nine!

On the eve of our 9th anniversary as Rich & Zei I just want you to know this, Love...

After so many changes we've gone through - from first jobs to third jobs; from going out on dates to walking down the aisle; from dreaming of our own place to building our own home; from being just the two of us to being Zia's mommy & daddy; my love for you has stayed the same, maybe it's grown even more. I want you to know that each and everyday I call you 'LOVE' isn't just out of habit - I call you 'LOVE' because I mean it. And I mean it each and everyday. 

Happy 9th Love! I love you! :)  

[Zei the charmed one] Weekend highlights!

Just some of my weekend highlights in photos. I simply love how weekends make me feel twice as blessed. 

Zia enjoying going out with mommy and daddy more and more! She's wearing the cute shirt I bought for her from Bangkok! So cute!!

Zia has found a new way of getting around the house - via her brand spanking new activity walker. She's actually more interested in all the activities, but she indulges us by taking enthusiastic steps while pushing her walker. 

Was saving these shoes for when Zia's already 1, but apparently, they already fit her. Gone are the days of Mary Jane socks and soft sole shoes. Zia's onto big girl shoes now. Sniff.

Here's hoping everyone had a fun and restful weekend! 

[Shopaholic Zei] Divi, we meet again!

After 2 years or so, I finally found myself back in Divisoria. I love going to 'Divi', I always have even if it means I have to take the always jam packed LRT 2. :) I love how you can shop where all sellers know you're shopping on a budget otherwise you could've just gone to any mall. 

I went to Divi because I was on a mission - to buy cheap but nice giveaways for Zia's 1st birthday. Boy did I accomplish my mission (and in just a little over an hour)! I canvassed in 168 first but the toys were a bit more expensive than I hoped, so I decided to walk a few more kilometers to get to Divisoria mall. And the prices started going lower. Luckily, I found this toy store that had so much variety of toys, and most importantly, they sold them at the prices I budgeted for. They had everything a mom throwing her kids' birthday needed; from bubbles, balloons, masks, toy vegetables, puzzles, stress balls, blocks, magic slates to wooden toys. I was content. I stayed there and decided to get everything I needed from that store, I didn't canvass anywhere anymore since it would've taken me longer to decide. I got around 150 assorted toys which cost me just Php 2,744 to be exact. Really not bad, I could've scrimped on some of my choices but they were too good a bargain not to get. I got wooden puzzles that normally retail for more a hundred pesos for only Php 15 a piece; mini puzzle mats for just Php 10 and colorful pails for Php 15 as well. 

If I had more time and more hands, I could've ended up buying some more stuff - not for Zia's birthday. Hehe. I wanted to buy topiaries for the house - the ones we have were bought by my mom from a designer shop worth around 3,000 ++ for three, while the ones I saw in Divi which looked exactly like the ones we already have cost just 100 to 180 a piece, miles away from the profit rich cost of its mall shop counterpart. I would've also bought rugs for our bathroom, there were so many cute designs. Maybe when I go again next time, I'll make that trip for house stuff.   

I'm glad I got to go to Divi again. Will definitely be back soon because in Divi I never go home empty handed. And yes, the extra weight and baggage from Divi sure is worth it. :)

When was the last time you went to Divisoria for your shopping fix?

[Zei the MOM] Time REALLY flies

The crazy weather made me change my Saturday plans. I was supposed to take a trip to Divisoria to buy some stuff for Zia's 1st birthday, but decided not to push through for my fear of being soaked and stranded. And since today is also Zia's 11th month, it's just right that I'm home to be with the darling daughter (and husband) the whole day - so this also explains why I found extra time to write this post while the two of them are fast asleep. 

Today is Zia's last monthly birthday, so please allow me to be a bit sentimental and nostalgic...

As the cliche goes... it seems like only yesterday when we first brought our baby girl home. Today, more than ever I realized how time flies so fast. The funny thing is, I realized it when I was rummaging through Zia's unworn clothes. I've been shopping for her even before she was born and when she was about 3-4 months old I kept buying stuff that were for 12-18 months or bigger thinking that she'll use it when she's 'older' - those days too felt like they  were only yesterday. As of this writing though, at 11 months, Zia is already wearing those clothes I bought before and one-by-one, the clothes I've stored for the 'future' are finding their way out of the storage bin because my little one can now wear them. So yes, my little baby is growing so fast. I used to be so paranoid about cradling her because she was so tiny, and now I can barely last an hour carrying her because she's become quite big for her petite mom. *sheepish*

From this tiny baby (she weighed less than 6 lbs when she was born

To this sweetheart who's fast getting big for mommy (she weighs 20 lbs already)

I guess I just want to share this to tell all new moms and moms to be, to savor every second with your baby, from the utero to day 0 in the outside world, it'll fly so fast. :) I guess that's the reality, time flies and babies grow up so fast. 

To my darling Zia, I want you to know that even if you'll soon be (really) too big for me to cradle or carry, I want you to know that you'll forever be my (little) baby girl. Happy 11th month sweetie! Mommy loves you so much! :) And Though we won't celebrate your monthly birthday anymore because you'll be turning 1 next month, I'll always make sure that your everydays will be worth celebrating. :)

[Zei on home deco & design] Master bedroom project

[Zei on home deco & design] Master bedroom project by z-e-i on polyvore.com

Traditional White Nightstand and Bedside Table
$309 - bassettfurniture.com

Beachcomber Baskets
$129 - potterybarn.com

Chandelier with Gems Peel and Stick Giant Wall Decal
hayneedle.com

JOHN DERIAN COMPANY, INC. Love Paperweight
$60 - calypsostbarth.com

Storage Baskets- Set of 3 in Natural - Personalised Toys & Gifts -...
£220 - mamasandpapas.com

Family Vinyl Wall Decal Wall Quote Saying Where Life Begins and Love...
$39 - etsy.com

Fabric Organizer Bin Storage Container Basket - Ash Gray and White...
$18 - etsy.com

[Zei on Fashion] Caped Crusader

[Zei on Fashion] Caped Crusader by z-e-i featuring orange t shirts

Orange t shirt
$27 - yesstyle.com

McQ by Alexander McQueen cape coat
$645 - net-a-porter.com

Black cape
$39 - romwe.com

Long skirt
$99 - bqueenshoes.com

Madewell flat shoes
$108 - madewell.com

Givenchy leather bag
$1,050 - ln-cc.com

By Malene Birger plastic bangle
£34 - bymalenebirger.com