Frannywanny

I often joke that the most used word in the house is "Mommy." I tell you, whenever I'm home and within sight, my twins would be calling out for me at 10 to 15 minutes interval. "Mommy, I'm hungry", "Mommy I need to go potty", "Mommy where's my (fill in with missing toy)", "Mommy?? Mommy??? Mommy!!!"  Don't get me wrong though, I treasure moments like this because I know that in a few years, these calls for Mommy won't be as often and random anymore. If only time can slow down a bit in order for me to savor each moment with them.  I'm also lucky because we live with my parents and that means being able to see Mommy and Papa on a daily basis. Just as how my twins would call for me, I am thankful that I can easily go to my Mom for anything. She's here to always give me the best advice whenever I need to make an important decision. She is also one of the first to know about our family's milestones and achiev...

You know the age-old saying that "you can't have your cake and eat it too?"  For me, it means you can't just have it all. That's true and very realistic as life is never perfect. However, to celebrate Mother's Day, the sweet folks of  Holiday Inn & Suites Makati  has the perfect solution to counter this saying with their DIY Cake Box !  It's a special DIY box filled with all the essential ingredients to make your very own cake! One that you can also enjoy come Mother's Day (or any other day even before that if you just can't wait any longer). For only P1350, the box comes with specially packed and measured cake flour, buttercream icing, rainbow sprinkles, an 8-inch springform pan, a set of silicone baking utensils, 2 adult aprons and some freebies from Jack n Jill and Nissin. This is a great deal as the baking pan alone can be use for a really long time and it can help bring out the Baking Star in you.  I got this over the weekend an...

This year, I got to play queen for two special occasions -- my birthday and Mother's Day . I swear, I was so thrilled by all the surprise gifts that came my way. Delimondo , one of my favorite corned beef brand, made Mother's Day extra memorable for me with their special delivery. Back when I was residing in Singapore, Paul and I would make it a point to fill at least 20% of our luggage with cans of Delimondo Garlic and Chili Corned Beef . It's the yummiest and easiest thing to have when we're in a rush and we don't have time to prepare our baon or dinner. I normally would even cook this with more garlic to make it more aromatic. Of course, it's either I have it with macaroni as how Mommy taught me or a piping hot bowl of rice. This time, we got their newest variants -- Delimondo Caldereta Corned Beef and their Sweet and Spicy Luncheon Meat . I got to admit that this is me taking a step outside my comfort zone as I'm just so used to their original flav...

A mother holds her children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever  - Unknown While doing my research for work a couple of days ago, I chanced upon this quote and I liked it. For one, I think it's so true by just looking at how my own mommy cares for us. I've mentioned before that despite being an adult myself, I still do get my Mommy's weekly reminders -- eat well, exercise often, get enough sleep, don't stress yourself out so much, take vitamins, don't eat too many fatty/oily food, cook more veggies...and the list goes on and on. I live thousands of miles away from home and this doesn't stop my mom in sending me her daily sms to check whether I've had dinner, if I'm home and what am I doing up so late. Surprisingly, I do appreciate all these messages and nothing brightens my day than hearing from my family. Theater lovers -- Me and Mommy During one of my long walks home, I was able to think. Not about what I have to do at work, not abou...

"I'll always be your Mommy even if you're married and you'll someday be a Mommy yourself..." That's my Mommy's constant line whenever she would nag me about certain things and I would tell her not to worry because I'm a grown woman. Up until this day, Mommy never fails to call me at exactly 7PM to ask for my whereabouts. I never really got off my curfew as Mommy would start looking for us (yes, Paul included) and wouldn't sleep until she knows we're on our way home. She would always ensure that our helper would prepare breakfast for us and that I have lunch to bring to work. Initially, I thought my Mom must be the most protective Mom in the world...that was until I saw how my Amah (grandmother) was when Mommy went to Japan for a vacation. Amah would call me every single day asking if I was able to talk to Mommy online. On days where her favorite radio announcer would announce that it's a rainy day in Japan, she would call and ask if Mommy...

In my family, there are certain dates that we give just as much regard and importance to like a regular holiday. In fact, we celebrate and look forward to it more than most legal holidays. This includes our birthdays and two special days wherein we treat our parents like royalty -- Mother's Day and Father's Day . Mother's Day is a week away and despite our very hectic work schedule, my sister and I are busy planning on what we will do for our dear Mommy on her special day. It's one day where Mommy is required to sit back, relax and leave everything up to us. Our sweet Papa would always prepare a greeting card for Mommy where both my sister and I would include our short messages in. Either for lunch or dinner, we would go out not only with Mommy but with my Amah (grandmother) as well. After all their hard work and intense labor, one day is truly not enough for us to show our utmost gratitude and undying love for them. Still planning on where and what to do on Mot...

Today we celebrate Mother's Day . A special day where we are given the chance to thank and acknowledge the only woman who would love us forever and ever -- our Mom. This year, I'd like to say thank you to the three special women in my life... To my Amah , who continuous to keep herself updated with our lives. She's my biggest fan -- from supporting my culinary dreams to being the proudest grandma in her group who would brag about our achievements -- big or small. My Amah is the sweetest person I know, she never complains nor demands anything from us, she appreciates the littlest things that we do and finds joy in the simplest way. Amah, wo ai ni :) To my soon-to-be Mother-in-Law, Auntie Baby . while we rarely get to see each other that often, I enjoy every single dinner spent with her as she continuous to reach out and gives us sound advice. I'm thankful that she welcomed me into her family and I look forward to more bonding moments in the near future. :) Thank...

My mom is simply the best. Sure, she can be a nagger..and believe me she can be pretty good at it. She will always remind me to take my vitamins, to sleep early, to exercise, to come home before midnight and the list goes on and on and on. She is also not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something wrong and will also be the first to boast of our achievements. Mommy is the best shopping buddy, movie partner and food trip companion. She is someone whom my sister and I would run to when we had a bad day at work or things just didn't turn out the way we would hope it would be. Despite her petite frame, she was the strongest one during our family's darkest moment . I'd like to think that Papa's health has improved so much because of her patience, determination and unconditional love. It's Mother's Day again this Sunday! Once again, my sister and I are thinking of sweet surprises for her. Look what landed on my email inbox just this morning... For our mommy who tre...