[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.

[Shopaholic Zei] Excited about my new go-to store!

You probably all know that I love shopping for Zia and now I'm even more excited about shopping for her in my new-found store - F&X. It's been around for awhile and I've passed by it a couple of times already without bothering to go in. But I'm glad I went in this time. I found super adorable clothes for kids - from Carebears, florals, Disney and Hello Kitty. They have it. I love the Vintage vibe and most of all, I love how the clothes are very resonably priced. I can't wait to shop there again - maybe this time I'll also throw in stuff for me and for the husband. I'm loving their SM Masinag branch because it's well stocked an it's the closest to where I live. Check out Zia's new loot from F&X, all for Php 1,300. Not bad at all. :)

[Shopaholic Zei] My 40+ days without shopping

The Lenten season is over, which means, Lenten sacrifice has been lifted too. I was successful in sticking to my promise not to shop for myself for more than 40 days. It was Feb. 22 (Ash Wednesday) when the 40 day count begun. And as of Easter Sunday, I was already up to 46 days with no shopping, but my streak ended a few minutes ago when I decided to reward myself by purchasing something for me online.

For a person who loved shopping very much, it wasn't actually as hard as I expected it to be - maybe the loophole that buying stuff for Zia and our house softened the blow. But yup, I think I should go on this sacrifice even long after Lent, my husband would be glad for sure.

I'd like to say thank you to my friends/colleagues who all made sure that I stuck to my promise the whole of Lent. For now, I shall gradually withdraw from shopping for myself unless I seriously clean out a handful never-been-used stuff from my closet. Maybe someday, I won't be a shopaholic any longer. Hooray for more savings!

So why care to share? Well, this meager triumph of resisting the temptation of shopping for moi for more than 40 days has inspired me to change my (evil) ways. Let this be my public declaration that I will limit my shopping for me to 2 times a month and that I will set a ceiling for my monthly spending (amount is still TBD).

That's all.

[Shopaholic Zei] Of loopholes and happiness

Rich and I have banned ourselves from shopping until April 8 as our Lenten sacrifice, but in most restrictions, there are loopholes. In our case, shopping for ourselves may be a no-no, but shopping for Zia and our house is a definite yes. So yesterday, since we were in the Shaw area, I had a valid excuse to go to Shangri-La (Read: Zara) and go shopping happy for the baby girl. I love it when it's spring/summer season, since the clothes are carefree, colorful and cheery - just perfect for Zia. I ended up getting her 4 dresses, 3 of which are of the same style but with different colors and 2 pairs of leggings. If I had it my way, I would've bought some sneakers too, but the more disciplined husband of mine stopped me.

Oh, and to add to our shopping loot for Zia, I asked Richmond to buy her the doll I've been wanting for her, this Lamaze Princess Sophie doll, which Zia would love for sure because her whole skirt crinkles (Zia's fascinated with the sound). She squeaks too and the loop she's holding could be used as a teether too. ;) So there, no shopping for us, but yay, still, for Zia.

The shopaholic mom strikes again (as always!)

My mini me with all the pretty stuff mommy bought from Baby Gap and Peppermint!

As you may well know, I'm a shopaholic since birth. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you get my drift. And when I was pregnant, my shopaholic self doubled - I shopped for myself and for the coming baby. And now, with Zia with us already who is becoming more and more of a delight at 5 months, the shopping seems to be more exciting. Simply put, I just can't stop myself from buying - so many cute stuff!!! So last Sunday, Rich & I set out for Megamall and mommy went crazy clothes shopping for the baby girl. If I had more money in my wallet, I probably wouldn't have stopped. It was a happy shopping day for our family - aside from Zia's clothes, I got some stuff for me too and Rich bought himself headphones too!

Don't you just love shopping? =) I think I'm loving shopping even more now that I'm a mom!

New year, new shoes!

Our little family celebrated new year's day at the mall. It was Zia's first mass and mall day out and the little one seemed to enjoy every bit of it. But that's a separate story. This post will be about why I enjoyed every bit of our mall day that 1st day of 2012. Remember how I said in one of my older posts how I'm a shoe girl and that I haven't bought any new pairs since I got pregnant. Well, I broke that shoe dry spell and shoe shopped to my heart's content and my wallet's dismay. Credit also goes to Mhel, the friendly sales personnel who entertained me, whose current pregnant state added to her convincing power. Allow me to tell you the tale of my new shoes. It started out with me egging the husband to buy me a new pair of shoes for the new year. With my insistence, we, Rich, me and Zia in tow, trooped to my go-to shoe store, VNC. I found a pair I liked but I ended up buying 4 - Thanks to VNCs promo - Buy 3 pairs and get the 4th one for free! It wasn't really hard to convince me. I was one happy shopper plus Zia seemed to enjoy being around pretty shoes while mommy tried on shoe after shoe. Check out my new sole loves. =)

Isn't shoe shopping to kick off the year simply divine?

My mother, the P.O.

P.O.? It stands for purchasing officer, but mom prefers P.O. so it sounds cooler. It was her who gave herself that title, no one else, so I guess with acknowledgement comes acceptance. Anyway, my mother finds joy in shopping, not just for herself, but mostly for my dad, my brother and me, of course and some times for her friends and friends of friends. And now, the tides have shifted and she has found her most beloved client. She proclaimed herself her grand daughter's P.O. (Hooray for me, the mommy). Above is a photo of Zia with her grandma, the P.O. Thanks mom! Keep on shopping! Hehe!

Yesterday's happy list

I finally set foot on mall grounds yesterday after more than 2 months of taking care of Zia at home when my mom obligingly took me shopping mostly for Zia's stuff. And here are just a few things that made it to yesterday's happy list:

This groovy looking elephant microbeads pillow was a steal at just Php 399 from the SM department store. It looks great in Zia's room plus the bold colors will definitely fascinate Zia.

Got some charming coasters for the house too from Papemelroti. LOVE. DREAM. LAUGH. LIVE

Even if the shopping day was for Zia, my lovely mom gave me a strictly Php 1000 ONLY budget for myself at Forever 21. And since we were pressed for time (had to go home to the baby), I decided to buy accessories instead of scouring for an outfit that fit the budget given to me.

And because we shopped quite a lot in Baby Company, they gave me my Mom Card for free. Hehe. I'm not keen on collecting points, but hey, it won't hurt having a rewards card.

My happy list doesn't stop at the finds I got from the mall, this was also waiting for me at home. Zia's 5th and 6th pair of crib shoes from Tot Couture (www.totcouture.multiply.com). Aren't they super cute? Can't wait for the baby girl to wear them.

Also part of my happy list not pictured here is the Milk Tea with Pearls 70% sugar I drank from Gong Cha and of course, the person who taught me to shop and shop til I drop, my mom, who now calls herself Zia's purchasing officer. Thanks mom! Zia says thanks Lola. Love it!

Why don't you make your own happy list? =)

Forever 21 withdrawal

Technically, it isn't withdrawal since I haven't given in to the urge, but just now, a few days shy of 38 weeks, I found myself missing shopping for new clothes (for me). It's been awhile since I last set foot in Forever 21 at Megamall because whenever I'm there I find myself towing away a bag or two of new purchases.

But now that I think I've stocked up enough of the cutesy baby stuff (for now), I think it's time to revisit my roots. Maybe since my OBs already recommending me to walk walk and walk, I shall pay a visit to my long-ignored go-to store and buy something pretty for me - post baby bump - won't be long now that I get to wear my 'normal' clothes again. Hmm... now my only challenge will be convincing the husband to take me to the mall and give in to my withdrawal syndrome. Wish me luck. =p

Photo credit: www.localphilippines.com

Baby shopping 411 - neophyte report

We just got home from a whole day at the mall for some baby essentials shopping. It was every bit fun and exciting as I expected it to be. :) We're almost in our 8th month and though baby is still in utero, I think I've gotten a knack for baby shopping quite early actually, I started shopping for baby stuff at 4 months along to be exact and I've become very good at it (to my husband's unsaid dismay). Here are some of baby's essential loot all from SM Dept. store. We just got the essentials like a couple of tie-side tops, bottoms, burp cloths, booties, mittens, wash cloths, hooded towels and blankets, etc.

Aside from shopping in the mall for baby stuff, I've also added online shopping to my repertoire. Just in case some moms-to-be happen to read this post, here are the online shops I've bought from:

http://www.brusselsprouts.multiply.com/ http://www.easyfrugalshop.multiply.com/ http://www.thespoiledgirl.multiply.com/ http://www.beberepublic.multiply.com/ http://www.facebook.com/#!/babiescornershop http://www.chillycakebaby.multiply.com/ http://badabadaboo.shopinas.com/ http://www.zebebe.com/ http://www.kidsrepublic.multiply.com/ http://mystylemyclothing.shopinas.com/

With less than 2 months to go, I've decided to stop online shopping and wait for the gifts to come (they say people will always give lots for the new arrival). Haha. I consider myself an expert in baby shopping because I've got so much passion for it (already! uh-oh). And just as I said pre-pregnancy, as long as it makes you happy and you've given it an amount of thought (around 10 minutes of contemplation), and you have the (extra) resources to purchase it... GOOOOOOOO =p And if you feel guilty after your purchase... well, no sense in fussing over it since it's already spilt milk. Bright side is, you'll emerge wiser after, perhaps?! These are just my 2 cents worth. And for those against shopping (impulse or not) per se, no judgment please. To each her own and this is how I stride (pre-baby, baby-on-the-way and surely even when baby's with us already).

Sun's up... will shop!

After days of not seeing the sun, waking up to sunshine on a Sunday already made my day. ;) Thank you ever so much Lord! Can't wait to finally go out and do some shopping for baby. So from the grumpy and gloomy rained-on cartoon from my previous post, I'm happy now. :)

Have a sunny and blessed Sunday everyone! :)

*** Photo credits go to www.kinderdeer.blogspot.com and www.happydoodleland.blogspot.com

Baby's first big ticket item

It's funny how the stroller we bought for baby wasn't even in our early shortlist. Our shortlisted brands were just Aprica, Mamas & Papas and Safety 1st, but the Italian brand Peg Perego emerged as our final pick. We got the Peg Perego Pliko Mini in Neon. It's still black, just like all the strollers in our shortlist, but with colorful stripes. It's really light weight and very compact when folded, but still has a big enough sun shade. It's just an umbrella stroller but it reclines low enough to be used for newborns up to 3-4 years old. Cool, right? So here's baby's 1st big ticket item. Hope Zia would enjoy her future rides in it. Shoutout to baby's amazing grandparents-to-be for the early gift. =) Now I'm onto baby's crib since it looks like we could be setting up the nursery soon. =) Exciting times!

My kind of Havaianas

Can I just say that I want to have a pair of these to call my own even if I have more than enough pairs of Havs? :) It's part of the Missoni heart Havaianas collection. *Gushing* Background: Missoni is a luxury Italian fashion house that boasts of its super colorful patterns and knitwear.

And aside from all its colorful glory, it comes in a knitted bag too. Now that's neatly chic of them. :) Hoping I get one of the super limited 200 pairs to be sold here in the Philippines. :)

Shoe-in, Baby!

I've always known that when I have a baby of my own, her shoe collection would rock, well, as of this writing, I can't say I'm not giving our little sweet pea a great head start --- or should I say, footstart. Haha. :) I know they say that babies feet grow super fast, so I bought sizes that could be used until 12 months. Hopefully our baby would share mommy's penchant for pretty shoes someday. Thanks to Brusselsprouts (http://www.brusselsprouts.multiply.com/) and Bebe Republic (http://www.beberepublic.multiply.com/) for baby's mini shoe collection.

But there's actually a bit of a history behind my love for shoes, you see I've always remembered having different pairs of shoes for every school day back when I was in nursery - my shoes always matched my uniform (which was a pajama style uniform that came in 5 different colors) because my mom loved buying me stuff. But more than just buying me lots of shoes, this is just one of the many mini stories in my life that show how my parents always made sure I had the best in life. So, thanks mom and dad. :) Will try our very best to give our baby what you've always given us - just the very best. :)

From Forever 21 to Baby Gap: My version of shifting priorities

As you may have already read in my previous posts, my name is ZEI and I'm a SHOPAHOLIC, but thanks to the Mega 3-day sale, I now know that my shopping repertoire could be altered - it all used to be clothes, shoes, bags and other what-have-yous just for me (and occasionally for Richmond), but now, it seems to be all about our (coming) baby. :) Yup, the winds have blown me from Forever 21 to the realm of Baby Gap, which is just a skip and a hop from each other in Megamall. I bought a couple for our little sweet pea and I'm sure she'll absolutely look adorable in her new wardrobe. I think this will be the story of my so called shopaholic life, my priorities are slowly changing, but I don't feel a tad bit sad, in fact it makes me really happy because baby shopping is a whole new field and Im thrilled to take it on. Here are some photos from yesterday's loot. Also bought a couple cute outfits from SM Department store since I couldn't resist their super cheap items after having shopped at Gap. Haha. :)

Baby's Gap outfits (...so far)

Not to be beaten, cute outfits (i love bloomers on babies) from SM Department store

Now what I really need is additional closet space for baby. Haha. Will probably just take that on in the coming months. For now, I'm just so giddy with all my purchases. My name is ZEI and I'm a SHOPAHOLIC. *Curtsy*

Dear daughter, you'll have one heck of a wardrobe and more

What do you expect from a mom-to-be who's a shopaholic? Well, not much holding back, I guess. Or should I say I know instead. For the past few weeks I have been on a pseudo shopping spree, online and on foot, not for me, but for our baby. You see, I've never denied that I'm a shopaholic - thanks to my mother who introduced me to the happiness that is shopping at a very early age. *Hi Mom!* And now, instead of basking in the glory of Forever 21 or Charles & Keith and VNC, I found myself conquering the baby department of various malls. Just sharing photos of our little darling's loot as of week 21 in the utero. :) Hehe. :)

Quirky and unique onesies from http://www.googooandgaga.com/

Pilipinas onesie from my favorite, SM Department Store

Pretty dresses from local wonder, Peppermint (also in SM Dept. store)
Lisa Frank backpack courtesy of dad Richmond from Toys 'R Us

Manhattan Snuggle Toy and Sleep Sheep Sound Machine ordered from http://www.zebebe.com/ along with the Houdini Woombie

Bestselling children's books from Fully Booked

So that's it so far. As of press time though, I kinda promised the husband that these will be the last of my purchases since we're assuming that a lot of people will give us baby stuff as the due date nears and even after the baby is born. But for now, I just want to tell the consumer world that my foray into baby shopping has begun and it's gonna be another great adventure - for me and for my bank account. Haha. =p

And the 1st batch of finalists are...

Rich and I spent Sunday hopping from Megamall and Galleria and with my insistence we scoured the malls' stroller selections. I'm lucky that Rich is as thrilled as I am to look for possible strollers for our baby. So here are some photos of our stroller shortlist... for now:

Aprica Stick

Aprica Laura Guild

Mamas & Papas Urbo (which isn't available here, but we like nonetheless - wishing someone could hand carry it from the US or somewhere it's sold)

And the last we saw was the Safety 1st Advancer...

Which eventually became sort of the winner because it came with a car seat / carrier already that could also be attached to the stroller, making it a parent-facing stroller in a way

So those are the ones we like so far, will check out Duty Free's selection soon. Haha, but the color scheme should still be along the lines of the above photos, mainly black and white. Haha. Even in baby gear, I still believe that neutrals are the way to go. :) Excitement. :)