Year: 2017

How to make Christmas Shadow Box

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ho! ho! ho!  December is my absolute favorite month   Head over to our photo tutorial on the Pretty Paper Studio Blog to see how we made this beautiful Christmas display. I really hope that the easy crafts we make will inspire you to do crafting with your kids. Chloe and her friends had fun making this month’s craft. We had glitters everywhere and sang carols up until we were done. Once you’re done, make sure to tag our social media handles @PPSUAE and @cuddlesandcrumbs with the hashtags #ppsuae #prettypaperstudio #madewithppsuae.

How to make a Butterfly Canvas Wall Art

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I have always loved making crafts but was never good at doing and finishing it. My mom and sister however has an eye and hand for creating beautiful things. They take one look at something on display then their imagination start working and recreate it without any instructions. I need clear instructions (that is why I love baking) or someone to show me how they do it before my creative imagination kicks in. The kids and I used to make a lot of crafts together, Daddy C’s office is adorned with things that we created but we stopped. So when Neelu of Pretty Paper Studio invited me to be part of the PPS Design Team 2017-2018, I was excited and scared. Excited to start crafting with the kids again and scared that the outcome would not be mmm well pretty. Over the next few months we will create easy Mom & Child projects that we hope you will also enjoy making at home. For our first project we created a Butterfly Canvas Wall Art, super …

#LetsMakeLunchFun Box with the Colors of the UAE Flag

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Our second home, the United Arab Emirates is celebrating it’s National Day on the 2nd of December. A few weeks back, I pack a #LetsMakeLunchFun box with food representing the colors of the UAE flag. Packed inside our lunch box are apples, edemame, olives, yoghurt chicken & rice, and dates.   The flag colors represents the following: RED  – symbolize the sacrifice of previous generations who laid the foundations for the Union & sacrifices of the nation’a martyrs to safeguard UAE, its achievements and gains GREEN – symbolizes growth and prosperity WHITE – symbolizes UAE’s charitable contributions and the states approach to supporting the security and peace in the world BLACK – reflect the strength of Emirati citizens.     This post is part of the UAE Mom Bloggers Blog Hop for UAE’s National Day on December 2. Do check out other posts from our bloggers: 7 things under 20 dirhams that I love in the UAE – Nayel and Mummy Indonesian Taste on UAE National Day – Ayutanimoto Oatmeal, Carrot and Apple Muffins – …

Friday Farmers Family Brunch at Bab Al Shams

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We have heard great things about Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa from friends who have spent a weekend staycation but we have not been there ourselves. While it may seem like a stressful long drive just to have brunch it became a fun scenic trip once we found ourselves driving in the middle of the desert, we played spot the camel first which made journey pass in no time. Driving in the resort took our breath away and immediately regretted not visiting the place before this brunch invitation. The resort look similar to the old forts we visited at Fujairah, it was just beautiful. Friday Family Brunch is held at the resorts Al Forsan Restaurant which won the Shorlist Award for the Best Family Brunch for 2017. The place had a beautiful outdoor area overlooking the desert, a big area for the kids to run around. Join us for brunch in the video below. Food Al Forsan’s brunch had plenty of yummy dishes to offer from fresh farm produce, in house cheese, sushi, …

We ate Uok at Angono, Rizal!

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One of the things we made sure to accomplish during our vacation back home in the Philippines this year was to explore the province of Rizal. I have lived in Rizal for 10 years and it has been our home base whenever we are back home. The province of Rizal has a lot to offer, it is after all the Art Capital of the Philippines. Some of the top things to do in the province is to visit art museum, old churches, spend a day at nature parks and explore food scene. We accomplished two of the suggested things to do – eat and relax. First on the list is FOOD. Balaw-Balaw Restaurant located at Angono, Rizal is well known for serving local delicacies and exotic dishes. I have been to this restaurant twice however a first time for my Daddy C, kids, my Mom and siblings. This restaurant was also featured at Andrew Zimmerman’s show Bizarre Foods. We chose to have lunch at this restaurant for us to try out some exotic food. Here are …

Free UAE School Calendar

FREE 2017 – 2018 UAE School Year Calendar

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One of the things I like most during the season of back to school (new year) is the fresh start everyone get to have to organize stuff. I have been trolling Pinterest looking for ideas for a less stressful school year, I found tons! I chanced upon a school year wall calendar but it had marked Saturday and Sunday as weekends, which will not work for Middle East folks because our school/work day begins on Sunday and we have Friday and Saturday for weekend. Helen of ThMothershipDXB shared a wall calendar her family use which is very useful only if I had it printed last January! Took matters to my own hands and made myself (US!) a SY 2017-2018 Wall Calendar with Friday and Saturday greyed out. Paper size set is A3. Download 2017-2018 UAE School Year Calendar. I have checked all the weekend twice but in case you find a mistake, please let me know so I can edit and upload a new file. Hope this helps!  

P&G Great Moments

I want to spend my “Great Moments”

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Everything so fast paced now it is important for us to take it slow, step back a moment and think about the important people in our lives. Great moments does not really have to be extravagant, it could be as simple as getting off social media and just be in the moment listening to your kids stories. School break is a perfect time to spend as much time with family –  spending extra cuddles in bed, sharing new experiences or teaching them house chores. I have been busy getting the kids involve at home, they have been assigned responsibilities like setting the table, watering plants, washing dishes (more for my 9 yrs old) and loading dirty laundry on the washer. That is why when I got an email about sharing your “Great Moments” campaign of Procter & Gamble and Carrefour, I knew we as a family should participate. P&G is a company that is part of our household, I grew up using their products, up till now that I have my own family. In partnership with …

sikwate

Tsokolate or Sikwate (Filipino Hot Chocolate Drink)

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Lately, I have been reminiscing the summers spent at Tagum with my Lola Mommy (Papa’s mother).  As soon as the school is over I commute via public bus and travel for 1 hour and 30 minutes to Tagum, Davao del Norte. I have this vague memory of walking under cacao trees at our ancestral home looking for ripe cacao fruit. Once I spotted one and get a confirmation from Lola that I did find the right one, we would break it open and enjoy it’s fresh white meat. “Oh wag mo itapon yung buto” (Don’t throw the seeds) Lola would remind me. I was tasked to gather, wash and dry the seeds under the sun making sure that birds won’t steal them away. Once the seeds are dried, Lola would roast and grind it before she makes tsokolate or sikwate. The house would smell amazing. We would always enjoy our tsokolate with Tagum biko – a rice cake with a sweet glaze on top. The biko we get from Tagum is like no other, I have sacrificed luggage …