Adventures in D.C. + Mother’s Day Recap

Last month we’ve had the wonderful honor to witness two of our dear friends in the D.C. area pledge their love to each other in marriage at not one but TWO ceremonies!

My husband’s best friend Jomil, who was a best man at our wedding–and incidentally Miguel’s godfather–married his lady love Stephanie, whom we just simply adored from Day One.

Miggz witnessed both the civil and formal ceremonies with us. Here are some photos from his Uncle Jomil and Auntie Stephanie’s Big Day (or should I say, Big Days)…

Rogers-Madrid, The Civil Wedding Ceremony on May 11th

Rogers-Madrid, The Formal Wedding Ceremony on May 12th

It was quite difficult for us to take some decent photos with Miggz on both days. As expected of a two-year-old, he showed no interest in taking pictures. He either made silly faces, or did not hesitate expressing his boredom.

Case in point:

Bored + Silly Miggz = These Pictures!! Still priceless.

On Mother’s Day, May 13th, Terrence, Miggz and I had a chance to really explore the D.C. area.

And EXPLORE we did!!

Thank God the museums and monuments were open on a Sunday. Well…the monuments ARE always open, LOL! But I did not think the museums would be. A little make-ahead research on my part before we left (just Google “top ten things to do in D.C.” or “best D.C. sights for kids”), and we had a little wish-list D.C. itinerary that included:

– The Whitehouse

– The Monuments/Memorials (Lincoln and Washington definitely, Jefferson and MLK time-permitting, WWII, Veterans, etc.)

– The National Air & Space Museum (I marked this a must-see for Miggz)

– The National Archives (a question mark…Terrence and I, or at least I, thoroughly enjoyed this on our first visit to D.C., but it might be a little too advanced/boring for Miggz at his age)

– The National Museum of Natural History (another must-see for Miggz, even if it’s just the Hall of Dinosaurs)

– Bureau of Engraving and Printing

– Smithsonian National Postal Museum

I added the last two to our D.C. tour wish list out of curiosity, but it was not a big deal if we couldn’t get to them (and we didn’t…they required advanced tickets to be picked up the morning of, and they were not open on a Sunday).

The awesome part about touring in D.C. is that most (if not all) sightseeing spots + the museums cost nothing. That’s right, these national treasures are free to be explored, though you can pay for guided and more detailed tours if you choose to.

With the exception of The Whitehouse (a tour for this–FYI–requires advanced registration and contacting your Member of Congress for tickets. Click here for details. I COULD have advanced registered us, but after careful thinking decided against it…imagine two-year-old Miggz running around The Whitehouse!!), The National Archives, and both the Bureau of Engraving and Printing + Smithsonian National Postal Museum, we were able to go to all the other ones on our tour list in ONE day!!

That required a lot of patience in finding parking in D.C. on a gorgeous day in May, a little bit of luck finding the perfect parking spot on Madison Ave. right in the middle of where we wanted to be, a whole lot of walking, and an attitude of really wanting to explore a little bit of everything, even if it means not seeing literally every thing.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our D.C. trip…

The three of us in front of The Smithsonian.

On the grounds of The National Mall, overlooking the Washington Monument.

Same spot, different direction. Turn around from this very spot every which way, and you’ll see The Capitol (as seen here), The Washington Monument, The Smithsonian, and The National Museum of Natural History.

Miggz in AWE at the Dinosaur Hall in The National Museum of Natural History. Again, priceless.

Missile Pit at the National Air and Space Museum. Five years ago, Terrence and I were in the same spot!

Walking the grounds of the World War II Memorial.

The long–but beautiful and tree-lined–walk to the Lincoln Memorial.

Atop the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the Washington Monument.

Priceless Mother-Son Moment.

To sum it up, it was a fantastic first time in D.C. for Miggz, and an even more fantastic way to celebrate and spend Mother’s Day for me.

One CRAZY Month!

I’m back from more than a month of (unintentional) hiatus.

May has been one heck of a month for this Mamma. Well, April into May, actually, but I still managed to blog in April whereas this month has just been bananas…resulting in no blog post at all, save for this one =)

Let me start off by saying in April I finally took a dive from being a full-time at-home Mom to an official work-at-home Mom (!!) In April, I started not one, but TWO independent contractor work (more details on those in future blog posts).

Mid-May has been a busy travel month for us as we visited the East Coast once again. Our travels (with Miggz of course!) took us into Washington, D.C./Virginia for a dear couple friends’ wedding, and then New Jersey with some quick stops in NYC and Philadelphia in between (again…more details on these–and PICS–in future blog posts).

Memorial weekend has been eventful, with Miguel’s first ER visit. Thank God it was just a visit and not a stay…

Miggz had a sudden spike in fever the Friday before Memorial Day, which lasted until Sunday. The poor guy had steady 103 fever the whole time!! It only dropped one or two degrees for a little bit Saturday with some intense sponge bathing and acetaminophen, but when Sunday morning came and his fever went up to 104, we decided it was time for the ER.

They gave Miggz IV fluids there and also took some tests. All came out normal, and we were sent home same day. Sunday afternoon, his fever was gone, but Monday into Tuesday was just all out crankiness. We just knew he still wasn’t himself. Only when we took him to his doc for a follow-up visit on Tuesday that we found out he has roseola. He is fine now (except for some irritability, which gives us a sense he’s still not completely better). There is no specific treatment for roseola. It usually gets better on its own without complications and medication (thank GOD–because Miggz is one tough kid to give medication to!). For more information on roseola, in case your child exhibits similar symptoms, click here.

So this has been my April-into-May adventure. It’s so far been exciting (EXCEPT for the ER part). Lots of changes and adjustments, and lots of new lessons too.

It’s kinda been like that thing called MOTHERHOOD.

I guess once you become one, it just keeps on building up from there.

So raise your heads up high, Mammas! New Mammas. Veteran Mammas. You all deserve a break for all the hard work, whether it’s at home, outside of the home, or in the home as a full-time Mom.

Motherhood does not stop when you clock in to work. It does not pause, even when you are at your busiest.

Motherhood is for life.

Related articles

• The Miggie Report: Halfway to Three (newmamma.wordpress.com)
• Can you say “mamma”…”Dada, dada”. Baby mind games! (momslittlejugglingact.wordpress.com)
• Super Women: 5 Amazing Facts About Motherhood (livescience.com)
• Moms Inspiring Moms (newmamma.wordpress.com)

Travel Log: Our Philippine Homecoming…(Almost) One Year Later, Starting with FOOD!

I miss traveling.

It has been almost one year since Terrence and I, along with Miguel, went home to the Philippines. We were there from November 27, 2010 to February 12, 2011–a full two-and-a-half months! I knew once that trip was over it would be a while before the three of us can travel that way again. I promised I would blog about our escapades while we were there, and here I am–many months after coming home–with only a few posts about our trip instead of the detailed renderings that I wanted to write about.

I guess you can say that, with so many things we did while we were away, I just didn’t know where to start.

I browse iPhoto for the hundreds of pictures that we took, and I decide to break my blog recollections down into these categories: Food, Fun, Family, and Friends.

And so I start with FOOD.

The food trips that came with our Philippine travel can be summed up into a couple of thoughts: a revisiting of familiar tastes we missed for the past 15+ years, as well as an introduction to the many new eateries, carinderias, restaurants, fast-food joints and cafes that opened up while we were gone.

It was fun having Miguel along with us on this journey. Someday I hope he’ll remember this trip (if only through this blog!) and recall how much he just LOVES sipping fresh mango shake, having his first taste of sorbetes (a.k.a. “dirty” ice cream), and eating Vivian’s tapsilog at the crack of dawn in Lola’s bedroom.

Below is a food & drink slideshow, not to be watched on an empty stomach…

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Be on the lookout for related Philippine Travel Log posts on Fun, Family and Friends!

Rejuvenation Proclamation

Two months ago, in early June I got to get away with my awesome girlfriends from New Jersey. I met up with fellow New Mammas Cathy, Jen and Relenie, along with Rachel and Joyce (all godmothers to Miguel) in Cabo San Lucas, at the Riu Santa Fe Resort. It was such a chill vacation…a well-deserved break that allowed us six to re-connect, relax and rejuvenate.

It was the first time I was flying all by myself, and the first time I was leaving Miggz and his Dad behind. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive. For the impending lonesome travel. For being in a different country than my son and hubby. But I was super excited too!! It’s been months since I last saw my girls, and I so needed this vacation. For my sake and my sanity.

I travelled from Phoenix to LAX, then LAX to San Jose del Cabo going there. Coming back I did San Jose to San Diego, then San Diego to Phoenix. It was weird having to stop over airports that are fairly close to Phoenix airport-wise. The lowest fare I could find gave me layovers that are at least three hours each. I didn’t mind it though. Time flew by at the airports quicker than I had expected. What felt even weirder for me was traveling without a stroller and a baby, going to the ladies’ room not for a toddler diaper change, but to freshen up (imagine that!), and having luggage that is loads and loads lighter than what I’ve gotten accustomed to carrying around in the past two years. Travel was such a breeze sans diaper bag/milk bottle cooler/baby toys, and I’ve forgotten what that felt like.

All a girl needs for long lay-overs: a book, a mag, an iPhone, and some chocolate!

Our days in Cabo didn’t disappoint. It was four glorious days of girls bonding with the sun, the sand and the sea. We had no one but each other to share the toils and triumphs of our current lives. To say we had fun would be an understatement.

We had a blast.

I’ll let the photos tell the story of our time in Cabo…

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This was all my luggage coming home…a carry-on suitcase, my LV Palermo, and a little blue present for Miguel. In my heart and mind though are many wonderful memories shared with these girls, and I cannot wait for our next getaway.

Wherever, whenever that may be.

My luggage was light, my heart and mind full of many wonderful memories from Cabo.

The Day We Missed The Sunset at Grand Canyon National Park

A day after our big family reunion, the whole gang set out to see the Grand Canyon–about five hours drive from home. I woke up early Sunday morning, amidst the campsite that is our bedroom–with siblings still asleep on the floor–so I can pack our stuff for our two-day trip.

The good thing about doing a lot of traveling is, eventually, you get the hang of packing luggage, even if said luggage has to include diapers, wipes, and a whole LOT of other stuff you normally would not include, if, say, only you and the hubs were traveling. It’s actually become second nature to me now…packing for travel with a little one. I used to OVERpack, bringing ten days worth of clothes for a six-day trip. You know…for the IFs, WHENs, and the BUTs of life: IF we get stuck at the airport. WHEN it rains. BUT I just want to bring my boots just in case. Now I pack just right, just enough (though my husband would probably still disagree).

I quickly checked the next two days’ weather forecast for the Grand Canyon: highs in the mid-40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. That’s cold for people used to Arizona warmth. In addition to the staple items we tote along on road trips (day clothes, sleep clothes, toiletries, essential electronics and their chargers, Miggie’s bottles, bottle cleaner, milk, snacks, cooler with water and soft drinks, and pillows for sleeping in the car), I made sure to pack Miguel’s winter coat, as well as mine, and also wear my Ugg Cardy’s (feeling quite giddy inside that I get to wear them for the first time this year).

We were on the road by 1PM, along with four or five other cars with the rest of the family who decided to go and see the grandness of the Grand Canyon. The agenda for today is to make it to Grand Canyon National Park by 5:30PM so we can all witness one of the finest things to see at the Grand Canyon: sunset.

Our drive was not without stops. About one-hour into our journey, mom’s party (composed of my parents, uncles and aunts) requested a restroom stop, which was fine, because the people in our party (Terrence, Miggz, and I, plus my siblings and their other halves) were getting hungry, and Miggz also needed a diaper change. So into McDonald’s near the Anthem Outlets on Rt. 17 we went. After this it was straight driving to Grand Canyon, only slowed down by a road closure that just re-opened on Rt. 40. I was pleasantly surprised to see snow-capped mountains and wintry-wonderland roadsides about two hours north into our trip.

We got to the park with some time to spare before the sun was about to set. But if you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon before, you’ll know just how vast the “National Park” part of it is. At the South Entrance, where we entered and paid our park entrance fee ($25 per vehicle for a seven-day pass), the park ranger/gate attendant handed us a map and guide to the Grand Canyon South Rim (both map and guide were pretty expansive also…not ones you would bother checking if you and everyone else in your party were trying to catch the sunset).

Our entire party itself was pretty big. We literally needed a leash to keep everyone together, and unfortunately, that was quite impossible to do. We all ended up getting somehow separated in the park. At the end of the night, I believe only one or two parties ended up seeing the actual sunset at the Grand Canyon that evening. My mom’s party got lost and ended up taking an “Orange Route” bus. They run free shuttles with different routes in the park. The buses take you to various canyon overlook points. My parents lucked out, because the Orange bus took them to an overlook just in time, and they were able to get there just as the sun was setting on the canyon.

Our party, on the other hand, ended up in a “Blue Route” bus. This bus took us through the village, lodges, marketplace, etc. Anywhere but near the canyon rim, which was where we wanted to be that evening. By the time we got through the bus’ round trip and back to our lodge, it was pitch black (and freezing cold).

We had missed the sunset at the Grand Canyon.

So let this be a lesson learned: Never get on a bus if you don’t know where it’s headed (even if said bus has half your family members in it…LOL!).

In the morning, when the rest of our family set out for Las Vegas, our little party (Terrence and I, Miggz, and my siblings + their other halves) set out to see the Grand Canyon on our own. Two things we made sure of that day:

1. Stick together.
2. Take the ORANGE ROUTE bus.

And this, folks, is what we saw:

They were pretty serious when they decided to call it GRAND.

Here are a few more photos to chronicle our first time–including Miguel’s–seeing the Grand Canyon:

Miguel and I inside the Orange Route bus.

First overlook stop on the Orange Route: Mather Point.

With Daddy and Uncle Tedi (Miggz was not happy being stuck in his stroller).

Fam shot overlooking the Canyon.

Miguel with his aunts, uncles, and Daddy.

Family shot.

All of us.

Just the boys.

Another family shot.

Auntie Rose and Uncle Tedi.

Auntie Anna and Uncle Jon.

Terrence and I.

We may not have seen the sunset the previous night, but we didn’t feel like we missed a thing!

Philippines: On My Visit After 16 Years

I’ve been wanting to blog about our travels since the day we got to the Philippines. I’ve mentioned before that I have so much to blog about (travel reviews being the main thing on my mind). Now my hubby, Miggz and I are back to the States, enjoying the comfort of our familiar home (but not the jet lag). I have yet to write my detailed travel logs, but here’s a short list of what we’ve done during our past two-and-a-half months in the Motherland:

– Celebrated Christmas and the whole month of December with my grandmother 🙂

– Braved the crowds and bargain-shopped at Divisoria, a shopping district notorious for its dirt-cheap goods (with prices less than 50% off or more than those you’d see at the malls)

– Ate at our old-time favorite places to eat (Jollibee, Chowking, Shakey’s, Greenwich, Goldilocks, Red Ribbon, The French Baker, etc.), and tried a million-and-one other food stalls/eateries/restaurants (Mang Inasal, Shawarma, House of Minis, Racks, Breadbox, Bibingkinita, Tia Mare’s, Cygma, Kogi, Conti’s, Vivian’s, and a few more I’ve yet to recall)

– Visited relatives from both Terrence’s and my sides of the family

– Shopped some more at Manila’s many malls (from the posh shops of Eastwood, The Fort, Podium, to the mid-range stores of SM Megamall, Robinson’s Metro East, Sta. Lucia, and even the bargain stalls at Tiendesitas and Greenhills)

– Visited our old neighborhoods in Kaimitoville VV2 and in Marikina, if not just to see what has changed on the outside edifices of the places we used to call “home”

– Met up with childhood friends, old schoolmates and cherished acquaintances

– Visited popular Philippine vacation spots (Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Camarines Sur and Albay) and enjoyed what this country is all about: its natural beauty

– Experienced Philippine traffic and pollution, though we could have really done without those…

– Watched a local concert by the ASAP Sessionistas

– Flew nine flights with a toddler (Phoenix to Honolulu, Honolulu to Manila, Manila to Caticlan, Caticlan to Cebu, Tagbilaran to Manila, Manila to Naga, Naga to Manila, Manila to Honolulu, Honolulu to Phoenix), rode a SuperCat ferry somewhere in between (Cebu to Tagbilaran), and SURVIVED each one!

– Learned to pack our luggage within the constraints of Hawaiian Airlines, and carry them through check-in, security and customs with finesse, I must say, thanks to my hubby

– Had the trip of a lifetime

When a friend of mine inquired through email how I felt about returning to the States, she asked if I were “excited? sad? or satisfied?” In a sense, I was all three combined. I felt excited about coming home to our usual comforts (the main things being our well-appointed bathrooms, wide roadways and Miguel’s high chair), but I was also extremely saddened by the fact that we were leaving (though THIS did not hit me until we were at the airport…saying good-bye to my grandma was tough!).

All in all, I was…satisfied. A couple of friends and relatives questioned why we chose to stay there that long, and after this experience, I must say that I would not have had it any other way. I am happy for the chance we were given to come home and enjoy every single aspect of our trip, and have enough down time in between to just, well, LIVE there. Having Miggz enjoy the company of my grandmother is probably the biggest “pasalubong” I can give her, and the memories of which the best one I can bring back.

For myself. For my family. And for Miguel.

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Waking Up (with a Toddler) in Vegas

I’ve been meaning to blog about our recent Vegas trip. It’s a milestone trip in many ways. My Mom–Miguel’s Gramma–turned 55; it must have been my fourth or fifth ever visit to Vegas (it never gets tiring); and it’s a significant trip for Miggz.

Our little man has been VERY busy traveling it up, with Nevada being his 10th visited state. Not bad for being only almost 15-months old. I’ve lost track of the places we’ve taken Miggz to. If it weren’t for our archived photos, I probably would not be able to figure this out. Let me see, there was New Jersey (the state where he was born, of course), Connecticut (visiting family at almost six months old), New York (Museum of Natural History, NYC – six months old, and the annual Auto Show at eight months old), New Hampshire (snowboarding trip in Vermont – seven months old), Illinois (Jacob family reunion in Chicago – nine months old), Florida (mini vacation in Sarasota and Orlando – 10 months old), Michigan (Mendinueto family reunion – 11 months old), Arizona (our family’s big cross-country move – right before he turned one), California (San Diego wedding anniversary trip – 14 months old), and Nevada (Las Vegas @ almost 15 months old). Whew. I don’t know of a baby who’s travelled more than him. He must be tired from all these travels (so are his parents), but not bad tired. More like happy tired.

So Las Vegas…being in it with a toddler is definitely a different story from my past visits sans baby. You see everything in a whole different light (literally). The drive, the rest stops, the casinos, the shops, the food, The Strip. All become an endless blur of eye candy intermingled with lots of bathroom stops and diaper changes. I say eye candy because all we were really able to enjoy doing while we were in Vegas was sightsee. As much as we’d have wanted to gamble a tad longer, or see some shows, or stay up and out much later, it was great seeing Miguel’s reaction to the lights on The Strip from his car seat, his excitement upon seeing the canals at The Venetian, his even greater joy at eyeing the magnificent fountain at the Palazzo (Miggz has a thing for fountains). If only Vegas were a child’s playground.

But alas, it isn’t a child’s playground. It’s where adults come to play. So as much as Miguel had his fun, I take back what I said about Vegas never being so tiring. It was this time around, and I’ll probably reconsider taking Miguel again here until his 21st birthday. By then he’ll really see what Vegas is all about. But then again, he probably won’t take us, his parents, to that 21st birthday trip, so this one was still a trip well spent 🙂

Miggz wants him some gelato (The Venetian, Las Vegas)

Awe-struck by the great waterfall fountain (The Palazzo, Las Vegas)

Trying on a track suit from the Ferrari Store (Wynn, Las Vegas)

Family picture in front of the Esplanade (Wynn, Las Vegas)

There are more photos, of course. They will hopefully be on Facebook by next week.

Oh…The Chaos!

Chaos is a word I’d like to describe our space in the house right now. “Our space,” of course, refers to our bedroom and Miguel’s room, because we are currently living at my parents’ house. I try not to spread our stuff all over the place, but being at the cusp of traveling days, I find it impossible to keep order lately.

We got back from Vegas last Sunday, and our luggage is still around. I’ve unloaded and done the laundry, but most other articles we packed for–and from–Vegas are still visible.

It drives me crazy.

I feel inefficient when I see things unorganized and not in their “proper” place. To make things worse, we are leaving for the Philippines in just a little over two weeks (Miguel’s first international trip, and our first one in fifteen years!). We’ve been buying stuff here and there for pasalubong…and they are ALL OVER THE PLACE. And I haven’t packed yet! Yikes.

Don’t get me wrong. I am excited about Philippines. I just, for some reason–probably because of said chaos–cannot bring myself to start packing. Miggz is napping right now, so I am able to steal a few minutes to blog, but in the back of my head I am actually thinking about, and probably should be, organizing. It’s the only thing that will solve my resentment towards disorder right now.

When everything’s out-of-place, I also feel like it’s affecting my mothering, like nothing I do seems to be working right. Yesterday, I had a good day. I got to fold the laundry while Miguel played, do his bottles while he napped, and got a whole bunch of other things done. Today is just a different story. I wonder if other Moms out there can relate.

Maybe I just need to re-learn to tune the chaos out?

We Missed the Sun in San Diego

It was just last Thursday when we set off for San Diego to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. We got back on Sunday night, and it feels like we JUST got back. This week definitely flew by quickly. Even though I’ve already done (and folded) the laundry from our vacation–an indication of having a lot of time on my hands–I am still left wondering where the past couple of days went.

So San Diego…where to begin. It’s one of those cities I’ve always wanted to go to, though I didn’t initially consider going there for our anniversary because I couldn’t find any great hotel deals. I initially looked into revisiting Sedona (only a two-hour drive) or possibly going somewhere in the Caribbean (I’ve been having the travel itch since we got our passports). In the end I eventually found a reasonable-priced hotel in San Diego, and just booked our trip within days of our anniv.

San Diego is a six-hour drive from us. I kept hearing only four hours from everybody, but even the GPS and Google maps estimated slightly over six hours. And if you’re a mom, especially a New Mamma, you know that estimates are really just that. Add in the rest stops for food, diaper changes, and photo ops, and the six hours can easily turn to eight. Thankfully, it didn’t in our case.

I made sure I prepared enough things to keep Miggz entertained (or asleep) during the drive. I brought along two of his Matchbox cars, two little Tonka trucks (he picked out which two specific trucks to bring), and two stuffed toys–the puppies Beagle and Benjamin–which he loves to cuddle and easily falls asleep with during car rides, as we’ve discovered. I also packed his favorite snacks, or mum-mums (Gerber’s Strawberry-Apple and Banana Puffs, as well as some of their Mild Cheddar munchies). I also brought along one of his baby pillows. It’s amazing how someone so little can need so many items on a road trip. All of them came in handy during the ride, and I was able to rotate the cars, trucks, and puppies maybe three or four times with Miggz (he’s very easily entertained) before we resorted to some iPhone baby apps, making silly sounds, and sawsaw-suka.

The trip to San Diego was interesting. I wish Miggz saw all the varied grades of terrain that we passed: deserts, farms, rocky mountainsides, even sand dunes. He mostly slept, snacked, and peed. It was also really sunny for the most part, except when we finally got to the San Diego area: it was so foggy.

Our next couple of days in San Diego didn’t get better weather-wise. The sun hardly peeked, and the clouds overhead threatened drizzling every so often. Thankfully it mostly stayed dry until our last day.

We made the most out of our trip. We went to Balboa Park (easily one of my new favorite places to be in…will definitely go back once Miggz is able to enjoy and appreciate the museums), Coronado Island, and Seaport Village. We wanted to stop by the beach too, but it was cold. We didn’t do any of the major San Diego attractions (the Zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld) for the same reason we didn’t go into the museums. We mostly really just wanted to sightsee and relax, with the intention of coming back when Miggz is old enough to ride in theme park rides and watch Shamu. Miggz did get to ride the historic carousel in Seaport Village, and he got to enjoy a nice Gondola ride with me and Te on our anniversary night.

Why take Miggz on an anniversary trip, you ask? Simple. It would just not be complete without him.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our trip:

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