[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.