April 11, 2021

How to Keep Your Kid’s Sanity During the COVID19 Pandemic

Time swiftly flies even we are restricted in the four corners of our house. Today is Day 392 since Community Quarantine was implemented in our country and we still don’t know when everything will be back to normal. This COVID19 is indeed the biggest challenge for many of us and no one prepared us for this kind of situation. But even the future is still uncertain, life must go on. 

Never in my life that I imagine that I will be stuck at home for the longest time. My husband is now working from home and my son is attending online distance learning classes. Just like that, we are forced to stay home, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to be safe. 

The only thing that I like about pandemic is, we are spending more time together. But of course, we cannot deny that it is additional stress because we need to find ways to entertain our only child. As a parent, keeping safe and keeping sane is our everyday challenge.


“I’m bored” is the two favorite words of my son so keeping him busy while we are managing our daily lives is not easy. I’m sharing what we did to help my son adjust to this new reality and how we keep him occupied 

1. Subscribe to Streaming Service 

We already have a cable subscription but we rarely watch TV so I feel that subscribing to Netflix is not worth it. So for the longest time, I stay away from subscribing to streaming services because that is an additional expense on my budget but I realized, paying a monthly fee is still worth it because it entertains us. It helped us to reduce our news intake and give us a break from COVID19 news. Watching movies, TV shows and series helps us to cope with stress. 

“Time you enjoyed wasting, was not wasted - John Lennon 


2. Playing Online Games 

COVID19 made me realize that life is short so since last year, I bend my rules a little bit and allow my son to play online games even on weekdays provided that he will help us with chores and studies first before playing. I accepted the fact that there are surprising benefits of playing video games like 

A. It can reduce stress 
B. It improves attention and concentration 
C. It develops problem-solving skills 
D. It improves social skills 
E. It enhances memory. 

My son has Nintendo Switch but we only have few games and I don’t want to buy a lot of games because Nintendo Games are not cheap. So I’m thankful that there are mobile apps and websites that offer free games for kids. All you need is an internet-abled device and you can play anytime and anywhere. 

“Escape reality and play games” 


3. Enroll in Online Classes 

Although there are benefits in watching TV shows, series movies, and playing online games, we know that too much of it is also not good. We took advantage of the long summer vacation and we enrolled my son in 3 online classes; Young Engineers Enrichment Programs, Explore Scratch 1 and 2 and Explore HTML and CSS.

My son likes playing online games and at the same time, he wanted to create his own game so he really enjoyed his Scratch lessons because he was able to make his own games. The advanced lessons in HTML and CSS class were a big help because that was also their lesson in school. 

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” - Benjamin Franklin 


4. Reading Books 

My son is not a bookworm but I still buy books from time to time to limit his screen time. I am hoping that someday, he will learn to appreciate books and he will realize that reading is not boring. 

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” - Dr. Seuss 


These are just few ways that we did to help my son during this pandemic. This school year is about to end and summer vacation is fast approaching so I’m currently searching for other ways to keep him busy again.
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April 08, 2021

My Tried and Tested Lip Products for Dry and Chapped Lips

Dry, cracked, or chapped lips is my common dilemma since I was young so I seldom wear lipstick because it doesn’t look good on my chapped lips. I prefer to put lip balm on my lips to keep it moisturize but to be honest, I am also lazy in applying it especially now that I’m just stuck at home. I know that in order to avoid cracked lips, we need to exfoliate, hydrate and moisturize our lips. 


How to Take Care of Your Lips 

1. Removing the dry skin flakes by using a wet washcloth or soft toothbrush. 
2. Avoid licking your lips. (I’m guilty of this) 
3. Drink lots of water. 
4. Protect and moisturize your lips by using the right products. 

I know there are a lot of lip products in the market to soothe and prevent dry lips but I’m sharing with you, my tried and tested lip products. 

1. Vaseline Lip Therapy 

Since I was in college, I always have Vaseline Petroleum Jelly in my bag. I guess this is the cheapest product that you can use for your dry lips and I can’t even finish one jar of this. Petroleum jelly is not only for lips, it has a lot of uses for both babies and adults so it is a good buy. It is best for dry skin. It reduces the appearance of fine dry lines. It protects minor cuts, scrapes, and even burns. It protects your skin from windburn and chapping.

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly has no flavors, fragrances, or other ingredients that may irritate your skin. It is available in different sizes. I usually buy a bigger size and just transfer the petroleum jelly in a small container so it fits my pouch. 

If you want a specific lip product, you can also buy Vaseline Lip Therapy, you can choose original, rosy lips, cocoa butter, or creme brulee. Available in mini packaging that can fit your purse or pocket.

 As I’ve said before, I’m not fond of wearing lipstick but I always have lip balm. I like this Maybelline lip balm because it does not only hydrate your lips but also works as lipstick, it is a tinted lip balm. 

3. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

I discovered Laneige when I was started browsing and buying Korean Products at Althea Korea. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is part of my Korea Haul 3 years ago. This sleeping mask is an overnight sleep treatment for the lips, use this 2 or 3 times a week. Available in different flavors such as vanilla, grapefruit, berry, and apple lime. I have tried the Vanilla flavor. This brand is a little bit expensive for my budget. Hehehe!

4. Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment 

Over the past few months, I’ve been decluttering our house so I already threw my Baby Lips lip balm and Laneige Sleeping Mask because they are already expired. Summer is here so I’m experiencing severe dry and cracked lips again and the petroleum jelly isn’t helping me anymore. Last week I was looking for a lip product and thanks to Park Min Young's “What’s In My Bag” video because I discovered this Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment. 

I’ve watched a lot of Park Min Young Korean Drama series and I’ve seen how smooth her lips so I was sold immediately and searched if this is available in the Philippines. I didn’t think twice, add to cart and check-out na agad. 

As the packaging says, Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment helps heal severe dryness and relieve cold sores. This is clinically shown to elevate lip moisture, heal dry and chapped lips, and improve overall lip condition. Beauty professionals also use this to smooth the lip texture before applying lipstick. 

Do you know that dermatologists recommend lip ointments over lip balms? According to them, lip ointment is more effective in retaining moisture. I used this product for two days and it really works. No more dead skin flakes. Ang lamig pa sa lips pagpinahid mo. Daebak! 

Directions: Adults and children 2 years of age and older. Apply to the affected area, not more than 3 to 4 times daily. 

How about you? What lip products are you using?

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April 07, 2021

A Visit to Norwegian Forest Museum in Elverum Norway

Norwegian Forest Museum is another tourist spot in Elverum Norway, it is 20 minutes walk from Glomdal Museum via the Suspension Hanging bridge. It is best to avail the joint ticket so you can visit two museums in one day. This museum is also one of the largest museums in Norway and every year, they receive more than 100,000 visitors. 



Just like the Glomdal Museum, they have both indoor and outdoor collections but since we are tired, freezing cold and the path is slippery, we spent most of our time indoors. But on our way to the Norwegian Forest Museum building, we have already seen some of the attractions. 




The Open-Air Collection includes Arboretum, Blast Furnace for Iron-Production, Mobile Saw, Head Saw, Flood Monument, Fire Tower, Forest Cabins, Fishing Cabins and Boathouses, Traps, Fishing Pond for Children, Suspension Bridge, Botanical Garden, River Park, Stream Workshop and Willow Park. If you want to enjoy the outdoor attractions, visit the museum during the summer season so children can do fishing, climb the fire tower, enjoy the 80 different trees in Arboretum, and other activities that are only available in July. 





Norwegian Forest Museum showcases the history of hunting, trapping, forestry, and fishing industry. They have different exhibitions that you can explore like The Fantastic Tree, Forest in Focus, Pathways Through Nature, and Aquarium. 

The Fantastic Tree is about the life, death, and history of tree life. It also explains photosynthesis with the help of light effects. 


Forest in Focus exhibition where you can learn how the forests in Norway developed since the last ice age. It also describes the usage of the Norwegian forest. 


The Pathways Through Nature presents biodiversity. You will discover the Norwegian animals and birds, fishers and hunters, and their joy, experiences, and challenges from past to present. 


The Aquarium is the most popular attraction where you can find freshwater species like pike, perch, char, and trout. 


During our visit, there is a free workshop so we tried making our own bracelet and we took it home too. 



It was a long day for us, we’re really tired and hungry so we decided to go home. Even our feet are already complaining, we still walked again for about 30 minutes because we are saving money. Hehehe! As we all know, transportation in Norway is expensive. Walking is not a problem because they have a sidewalk. 


Norwegian Forest Museum Admission Prices 

110NOK - Adult 
50NOK - Children 
80NOK - Seniors 
40NOK - Primary School and Kindergartens 
60NOK - Upper Secondary School 
80NOK - College 
160NOK - 1 Adult + Own Children
270NOK - 2 Adults + Own Children 
90NOK - Group of 10/per person 
+40NOK - including Glomdal Museum

Norwegian Forest Museum 
Solørvegen 151, 
2407 Elverum, Norway 

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April 06, 2021

A Visit to Glomdal Museum in Elverum Norway

Seven months had passed since the last time I posted about our Scandinavian trip. My Facebook memories reminded me that it’s been two years already since our trip and we’re supposed to go back to Norway this year but we can’t because of the travel ban.  

I’ve been delaying my travel posts because of the pandemic but now I will try my best to finish this series because I really miss traveling. This is my way to combat my “travitude” and to reminisce our past trips because I don’t know if it will happen again in the near future. 


Two years ago, we had a chance to visit Elverum, Norway. This city is just two hours away from Oslo, you can either take the train or bus. It just so happened that my sister used to live in Elverum so we had a reason to visit this place. We don’t have an itinerary but we were able to visit few tourist spots including Glomdal Museum.  


Glomdal Museum is one of Norway’s largest open-air museums with 92 antiquarian buildings. This museum unfolds the culture and history of Solør and Østerdalen since 1911. One of their responsibilities is to document the culture of the Romani people/Tatars. 


The place is big so there are so many things to see and to do; both indoor and outdoor. You can visit the different buildings and houses scattered around the area. The museum park houses 92 buildings from the period of 1612 - 1940. 


You can see the Street School, Stone Building, Schrøder Shop, Petershagen Tavern, Playground Farmstead, Tynset Farmstead, Water-Powered Plants, South Sami Settlement from Engerdal, Rendal Farmstead, Stor-Elvdal Farmstead, Åmot Farmstead, Elverum Farmstead, The Tent House, Solør Farmstead, Finne Farmstead, Croft, Cabins, and Houses from the Forest and Summer Pasture Dairy Farms. 


You can also stay indoors and explore the permanent and temporary exhibitions. For exhibitions, you can check Latjo Drom, Hedmarking, Form, The Gallery, Military History, Old Country Doctor, and the Pharmacy. The last three exhibitions are located in the Stone Building, a long walk from the main building. 

Latjo Drom is the first permanent exhibition that was opened in the spring of 2006. It shows the culture and history of the Romani people and the traveling people who have been part of the Norwegian society for more than 500 years. 


Hedmarking is made to present the people in Hedmark, who they are, their differences, and challenges living in a diverse society. 

Form exhibition displays the different artifacts from their region and other collections that were created by their craftsmen. It is about the changing trends and impulses, the taste and pleasure of the craftsmen that were influenced by the leading cities in Europe. 

The Gallery is a temporary exhibition about what happened in April 1940, it was the time when Hitler attacked Norway but the King refused the German ultimatum. 


The Military History exhibition provides an overview of the 1000 years of military history from Viking age up to the modernization of the Armed Forces. It emphasizes the development of weapons and fortresses during the German invasion. 


The Old Country Doctor and The Pharmacy is where you get an insight into medicine, common diseases, health issues, and how doctors travel and treat their patients in the past. 


There are English translations on each museum so even there is no museum guide you will understand each exhibition. I suggest you visit this place during summer so you can do more activities like feeding and tending the animals. Kids will also enjoy the playground tavern. But since we visited during the second week of April and the ground was covered with snow, we just do some craft activities inside the museum. We can also take home our finished Easter Craft Projects. 



At the main building, you can buy some souvenirs or eat at Cafe Anno, it was lunchtime but there are limited food selections so we just ate waffles, bread, and coffee. Then we went straight to Norwegian Forest Museum which is 20 minutes walk from Glomdal Museum. 





Glomdal Museum Entrance Fees 

110NOK - Adult 
50NOk - Children 
80NOK - Students/Seniors 
160NOK - 1 Adult + Own Children 
270NOK - 2 Adults + Own Children 
90NOK - Group of 10/per person 
+40NOK - including Norwegian Forest Museum 

The Glomdal Museum 
Museumsvegen 15, 
2406 Elverum, Norway

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April 05, 2021

Great Earth French Fries

When I was still working in BPO, the majority of the employees will go to coffee shops for their coffee or latte but I’m not a coffee drinker so if I’m feeling stress, I will go to McDonald's which is just a few minutes walk from our office. Fries is one of my comfort foods and until now it is my usual order if I will eat at fast food. 

Last year, when community quarantine started, my husband bought fries and mojos so if we are craving for chips, we can cook them at home. We just buy a pack of fries depending on our budget and what is available in the supermarket. If you’ve been reading my blog, you will notice that I’ve been sharing Great Earth products and this is the fourth one. It just so happened that we only visit Landers for the past several months so yun lang naman ang option and so far, satisfied naman kami sa mga natry namin. 


And because of that, two months ago, I also bought this Great Earth French Fries. One pack is PHP116.75 for 2 lbs. I have cooked this last week because I want to test our new Philips Air Fryer HD9270. Yey, I’m so happy that I already crossed it out on my wishlist. I will post my review in a separate post. 


If you don’t have an air fryer, you can follow this cooking instruction. But even I don’t have an air fryer, to save time, I will just deep fry my fries in 6-7 minutes, no need to bake it in the oven. 

1. Fry each batch, turning frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the fries are a pale blond color and limp.
2. Remove with a mesh skimmer to the baking sheet lined with paper towels 
3. Increase the heat of the oil to 375F. Fry the potatoes again, in batches, turning frequently, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Using the air fryer, I just cook this for 13 minutes at 200C. Then I add my favorite flavoring which is cheese and sour cream, this is my usual order at Potato Corner. I’m glad that I can prepare my own fries at home and much cheaper. When I first cook this, I followed the cheatsheet guide so I cooked the fries for 15 minutes time, the result is a little bit dry so I reduced the time to 13 minutes. I suggest you download a cheatsheet and try it, then adjust it according to your preference. Don't forget to take note of your own settings. 


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April 01, 2021

Italian Baked Eggs Recipe

It’s Holy Week and as expected we are still trapped in our own homes because of community quarantine. Normally, I would take a break during these days but we are on staycation for the longest time already so bawasan ko na lang backlog ko. Let me share one easy egg recipe. 

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I am starting to explore the flavors of Italy and one of my favorite Italian restaurants is Amici. What I like about Italian cuisine is, they only use few ingredients so their dish is very simple but flavorful. Archestratus said, “Flavours should not be masked by spices, herbs or other seasonings.”. Italian cooks are after the quality of the ingredients and not the quantity. 


Anyway, last week I prepared “Italian Baked Eggs” for our breakfast. I started cooking this way back in 2011 but this time, I tried a new recipe so I don’t have to saute any ingredients. I found Jamie Oliver's recipe, I just replaced some ingredients because I don’t have fresh cherry tomatoes and basil. I used all my leftover mozzarella cheese. 


Italian Baked Eggs 

4 large eggs 
Mozzarella Cheese 

1. Preheat my oven to 250C (full whack) 
2. Lightly grease my baking dish with olive oil. 
3. Add eggs. 
4. Slice my canned cherry tomatoes and put them around the eggs. 
5. Place my mozzarella cheese cubes. 
6. Sprinkle salt, cracked pepper and dried basil. 
7. Drizzle some olive oil. 
8. Bake in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes. 
9. Serve

My mistake is, I just turned off the oven after 10 minutes and I did not remove the baking dish from the oven. My two boys were still sleeping pa kasi so ending, naovercooked yung eggs but still we finished this dish pa rin. The yolk should be runny and not like this. 



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March 30, 2021

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

If Bacolod has Calea then Dumaguete has Sans Rival Cake House and Bistro and this is one of the reasons why I want to visit Dumaguete. I’m a sweet tooth so when my friend messaged me kung gusto ko magpasabuy ng silvanas at sansrival, wala ng isip-isip pa. Hehehe! I ordered Mini Sansrival PHP375, Buttercream Silvanas PHP260, and Ube Silvanas PHP270. My friend even delivered my order to our house. :) 


After years of craving, I finally tasted their sans rival and silvanas so I also agree with other reviews, it is a must-try and a good pasalubong if ever you will visit Dumaguete. I tried the ube but I prefer the buttercream flavor, but you can also order pandan, strawberry, and chocolate flavor. The sans rival is also good and budget-friendly pa. 





Since I live in the province, I have no idea that they already have a branch in Metro Manila, thanks to @purpleplumfairy for the information. I don’t need to travel to Dumaguete if I’m craving their cakes and pastries. According to my research, it was year 2008 when they opened their first kiosk in Food Choices, Glorietta 4 in Makati. You can also buy in Shangri-la Plaza, Robinson’s Magnolia, Sun Valley Paranaque, and selected SM Markets. I don't know the mall prices but I have a feeling, mas mura sa pinagbilhan ng friend ko "Silvanas from Dumaguete" (check their Facebook page). 

Update November 2021


I was cleaning my phone gallery and I found these photos. It’s been months since the last time we ate silvanas so when my husband asked me if I want silvanas, I immediately said yes. He was in Shangri-la Plaza and he saw the Sans Rival Cake and Pastries branch. He sent me some photos so I can choose. 




He bought Pound Cake PHP250, Silvanas PHP260, Josephines PHP30, Blueberry Cheese Cupcake PHP65. The “Josephines” is the inspired version of Napoleones of Bacolod which is made of layers of thin puff pastry with sweet filling and confectionate sugar. The taste is okay but I prefer the Napoleones that I’ve tried when we went to Bacolod. The pound cake is okay but my personal preference is sponge or chiffon cake. The Blueberry Cheese Cupcake is good, bitin lang at maliit lang yung cupcake. 

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March 29, 2021

How to Order Online at Amici and Cara Mia

When it comes to food delivery, I rarely order online because I hate waiting and I had few bad experiences na rin na sobrang late dumating yung order. Yung hangry (hungry+angry) ka na, wala pa rin yung food so I rather go to the restaurant and magtake-out ng food or store pick-up. 

Last week, my father-in-law celebrated his birthday and his birthday wish is “pasta with clams”. I remembered our favorite pasta in Amici which is Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare, it has clams, mussels, and scallops so I suggested to my husband na ito na lang potluck namin. We always order regular size but they also offer grande or gruppo. 


There is no Amici in our area and the nearest branch that I know is in Alabang Town Center, I checked online on how to order and I’m so happy when I found out that I can order online. The day before my father-in-law’s birthday, I went to their website and placed my order. Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare Gruppo is PHP1,720 with complimentary bread (6 pieces only). Ordering online is so easy. 


How to Order Online at Amici and Caramia 

1. I created an account first (Cara Mia). 
2. Browse the menu and add to cart 
3. Choose if you want local delivery or store pick-up. Since we live outside Metro Manila, we chose store pick-up. Choose the branch where you want to pick-up your order. 
4. Choose date and time. Lunch time ang kainan kaso the earliest sa choices is 11AM so yun pinili ko.
5. Click Check-out 
6. Enter your contact information. Then click continue. 
7. For payment, you can choose online banking, cash on delivery, and credit card payment on delivery. I chose COD. 
8. After few minutes, we received a call from the branch and they verified our order. You will also receive a confirmation email. 

Since Cara Mia is also located in Alabang Town Center, I also ordered cake. I availed of their March Madness promo which is 1 whole cake + 1 Gelato Pint + FREE Gusto Privilege Card for PHP1,500. I was checking their cakes and hindi ko na makita yung Sansrival sa choices, yun pa naman unang cake na natry ko sa kanila dati. 


You can choose Ube, Midnight Dream, Pistaccio Ciocolato, Mango Magnifico, Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Chocolate S’mores, Coffee Honeycomb, Creme Brulee, and Strawberry Shortcake. We have tried the Midnight Dream before so for a change, I ordered Pistaccio Ciocolato PHP1,020 and for the gelato, we ordered our favorite which is Ferrero PHP380. So it seems like that we paid PHP100 for the Gusto Card but you can also buy the card online with a freebie for PHP1,000. 

Gusto Card PHP1,000 

With freebie: choose from Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Coffee Honey Comb, 1 Tub Gelato, 2 Pints Gelato, Ube Cake Mini, Pistacco Cioccolato mini, or Midnight Dream mini. 

Additional perks: 

* On every whole cake purchase made through the website or hotline number, get a P200 off discount code to be used on your next purchase made through the Cara Mia website! 
*10% off on your total purchase when you buy products in-store. 
* 15% off on your total purchase on your birth month when you buy products in store. 
* 20% off on your total purchase on your birthday when buy products in store. 

The following day, my husband went to Alabang Town Center to pick-up the order. He was in the mall before eleven but the opening hour is 11AM pa. When he arrived at the restaurant, unfortunately, the orders were not ready yet so mga 11:30AM na siya nakaalis. Late lunch tuloy kainan namin. 


I have no idea na pwede palagyan ng Happy Birthday yung cake so nag-effort pa ko na gumawa ng cake topper. Pinalagyan pala ni hubby ng birthday greetings so sayang pagod ko sa DIY cake topper ko. Waah! 

Well, when it comes to the taste of the cake, same with Midnight Dream, okay lang. The taste is good naman but it is not something na uulitin namin. But we always love their gelato so inuulit-ulit namin ito. Though hindi pa namin natry lahat ng flavors. 

Trivia: Do you know that gelato is healthier than ice cream? Yes, gelato has fewer calories, sugar, and fat compared to ice cream. They are more expensive compared to ice cream but they are more creamy in texture. 


Personally, I prefer gelato, mas gusto ko talaga texture niya, yung kahit galing freezer, makakain mo siya at hindi mahirap i-scoop. Melt in your mouth without a brain freeze feeling. It is good but expensive. Hehehe!
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