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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 easy and would only require few materials.  

DIY Butterfly Wall Art

 

November theme was “Anything Goes” which was actually difficult for me because my mind was busy with all the possible projects we can make. I decided to let Chloe take the lead and she suggested we make something with butterflies because she missed seeing them hop from one flower to another.

NovPPSPunchPaperButterfly

 

We searched for butterfly crafts and she fell in love with a wall art. I insisted on making a purple ombre kind then she argued back with “butterflies have colorful wings, Mama.”

NovPPSFoldPaperButterflyWings

Head over to our photo tutorial on the Pretty Paper Studio Blog to see how we made this beautiful art canvas. I really hope that the easy crafts we make will inspire you to do crafting with your kids.

Once you’re done, make sure to tag our social media handles @PPSUAE and @cuddlesandcrumbs with the hashtags #ppsuae #prettypaperstudio #madewithppsuae.

 

Happy crafting!

 

 

#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

Oatmeal, Carrot and Apple Muffins – Thoughts Over Chai

Popsicle Stick Flag Craft – Stars In The Desert

The Spirit of the Nation – Explored by Mafaza

UAE Flag Paper Pinwheel – Mumzy Notebook

UAE Keepsake Box – Sand In My Toes

 
 

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.

Bab Al Shams Friday Brunch

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, salad, seafood and a lot more. They offered a lot of choices but it did not feel overwhelming for us, maybe because the setup easily flows from one area to another.

Farm Produce & Cheese
Farm Produce & Cheese
Smoked Salmon
Smoked Salmon
Cold Cuts
Cold Cuts
Pastries
Pastries
Fruits
Fruits
Beef Ribs & Wagyu
Beef Ribs & Wagyu

Our favorite was definitely the scallops station that they cook as you order and popular with other guests as well. Kuya V kept going back for more Buratta and Wagyu Beef. Chloe on the other hand really enjoyed the barbecue corner and ask for more lamb chops and chicken refills. I had a bit of everything and all was good but I kept coming back for more chaat

They have a dedicated kids food area which had mac and cheese, fries, chicken fingers, smoothies, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream.

Fun Activities

They have various activities to keep the little guests busy and have a big outdoor area to run around.

Al Forsan Brunch Outdoor Area

Bab Al Shams Guess the Weight Game

 

Every week they have a “Guess the Weight” competition, guests need to give an estimate on how an item weighs. The week we visited was the corn on the baskets. If you guessed it right, prizes included a brunch voucher, pool access and a lot more.

BabAlShamsBrunch_KidsActivities
BabAlShamsBrunch_CamelRide
BabAlShamsBrunch_PettingZoo
BabAlShamsBrunch_PonyRide

As soon as the kids were done eating, they headed out to have fun. A dedicated shaded corner to pet farm animals, face painting, got their hands busy with some arts and crafts, ride a camel and pony.

 

If you’re looking for a place away from the city with a beautiful view of the desert and spend some quality time with the whole family, we definitely recommend the Family Friday Brunch at Al Forsan. The Entertainer has a buffet voucher for Al Forsan for some savings.

 

Friday Farmers Brunch’ is available  from 12:30pm to 4:00pm and is priced at AED 345 per person (including food, still water, soft beverages and 4 types of fresh juices); at AED 515 per person (including food and selected house beverage). Children until 4 years enjoy complimentary brunch, 50% discount for children from 5 until 12 years old (AED 175 per child). Telephone: +971 4 809 6498 or email BAS.Restaurants@meydanhotels.com

 

Disclosure: We were invited for the Friday Family Brunch at Al Forsan, Bab Al Shams. All views and opinions are my own. 

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 some of the unusual food Balaw-Balaw has to offer.

Listed are crocodile, kabayo (horse), kalabaw (water buffalo), kuhol (escargot), palaka (rice frog) and Uok (coconut beetle larvae).

Growing up in Davao and with an adventurous Ilocano family I pretty much tried a lot of dishes which some might consider exotic – tokak (frog), balut (duck embryo), rabbit, sawa (snake) and baywak (monitor lizard). I was quite an adventurous kid, if you tell me it’s good food I would probably eat it! However, I draw the line on animals that I consider family.

 

Uok Tempura

Uok Tempura (PHP 300 / AED 22) had a crunchy exterior, the larvae skin was so tough it was a struggle to bite but when you manage to cut through the skin it had a gelatinous gooey insides! We ended not being able to chew the skin and had a spoonful of vinegar dipping to get through the “fat” inside.

 

Uok Adobo

Uok Adobo (PHP 300 / AED 22) was more pleasurable to eat because of its rich adobo sauce. We managed to chew some skin but it was still tough.

After sharing photos to family members I learned that my Great Grandma used to eat Uok and Abal-Abal so did my Aunts/Uncles growing up. Apparently it is a good source of vitamins that is according to my Lola.

What is Uok? Uok is a coconut beetle larvae which can be found in coconut logs. According to our server this one is best eaten RAW! this creepy creature is apparently a good source of protein.

Andrew Zimmerman ate Adobong Uok at his show, Bizarre Foods.

Crocodile Sisig (PHP 480) tasted like chicken. This one we really enjoyed and sadly I can’t find the photo.

Ginataang Kuhol (PHP 170) is Stewed Escargot in Coconut Sauce. This is a familiar dish since we always have it every Sunday when in season. Kids are also used to eating this, please don’t tell Chloe she ate this.

Ginataang Kuhol

Sinagang na Kanduli sa Miso (PHP 200 / AED 20)  I have no idea the English name of the fish, mom said it is a cousin to the cat fish. A fat fish that complemented well with the rich sour sinigang soup.

Sinigang na Kanduli

 

Balaw-Balaw is not just a restaurant it also features some art pieces.

BalawBalaw Restaurant B
BalawBalaw Restaurant C

 

We did not have any room for desserts but they have some delicious choices of Filipino snacks like turon and ginataang bilo-bilo.

Balaw-Balaw Restaurant

 

Food may take time to be served but you can use that to explore the place and admire the art pieces. Servers was very pleasant and patiently answered all our questions about the food. I will update this post soon with a video blog of our dining experience.

Balaw-Balaw Restaurant and Art Gallery is one stop you should not miss when you travel to Angono, Rizal.

Balaw-Balaw Restaurant

16 Doña Justa Subd. Ph. I Angono, Rizal
Contact Nos.: +63 2 651 0110; +63 2 295 2698; +63 923 714 4209

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.

FREE 2017-2018 UAE School 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!

 

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.

P&G Great Moments

In partnership with Carrefour, P&G is giving UAE consumers the chance to both share their great moments of happiness with their families and loved ones and create new ones by winning family experiences. From July 30th until August 9th consumers can take part in the world’s largest campaign to express joy for moments of togetherness.

During the campaign consumers who visit Carrefour at Mall of the Emirates or Dubai Festival City Mall and who express who is part of their Greatest Moment can become a part of the Guinness World Record attempt for the longest line of photographs. The Greatest Moments campaign was conceived to help consumers in the UAE both show their appreciation for who makes them the happiest, as well as enable them to make new moments together that they’ll cherish. The photographs shared by shoppers will be used to form the world’s longest line of photographs, which will be put on display for family members and loved ones to see at the end of the campaign. On August 9, Guinness World Records representatives will be invited to Dubai Festival City to verify the record.

In addition to the record attempt, consumers that visit any Carrefour hypermarket or supermarket across the UAE and purchase AED 100 worth of participating P&G products from selected brands will have a chance to make new moments of happiness by winning family experiences to attractions such as Ski Dubai, iFly, VOX Cinemas and other Majid Al Futtaim attractions.

Make sure to visit P&G’s Great Moments booth to have your photos taken!

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.

tsokolate

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 space to bring some back here in Dubai. Another story to tell…

While I still work my way on recreating biko, we settled for a different kakanin (Filipino dessert) to pair with our sikwate. You can enjoy this drink with puto or cassava cake.

I have been looking for a tablea that would measure up to what Lola use to make me, tried several brands sold on groceries back in the Philippines but many of what I tried did not taste good. Mama recently discovered a chocolate brand from my hometown called Cacao de Davao. The packaging says they only use the finest cacao beans that are harvested and sundried from Davao.

Tsokolate drink is traditionally prepared on a pot over medium fire and stirred using a batirol to make it frothy. Alternatively you can boil milk or water on a pot then add shaved tablea so it easily melts.

Tsokolate or Sikwate

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water or 1/2 cup water mix with 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablea
  • brown sugar to taste

Procedure:

  1. Boil water or milk on a pot.
  2. Once liquid is boiling drop 2 chocolate tablea. Add more tablea if you want a richer chocolate taste.
  3. Add sugar to the sweetness you like. Enjoy with your favorite kakanin.