Michi Photostory

My husband is a frequent diner of Dayrit’s because this is near in their former office in Makati. So before going to Manila last December 29, we dropped by in Magallanes just to eat here so I can try their dishes too. 



Read: Yummy Crepe at Cafe Breton

This is the interior of the restaurant, there were few diners that time but I noticed na marami nagtake-out order. While perusing the menu, I learned that they also offer frozen food to go, family party trays and cold cuts (per kilo). 



Since that was my first time, I asked hubby what are the specialties and he said masarap naman lahat but his usual order is Roast Beef Plate (w/baked potato topped with cheese, bacon bits, vegetable and choice of bread or rice) P340 and Macao. 



He told me na malaki yung serving nila so I suggested yung short order na lang kami. So we ordered plain rice with Tocino P145, Chorizo Macao P160 and Roast Beef P195. The serving of short order is still big so I wasn’t able to finish my roast beef so I shared it with my husband. 




My son ordered Tocino but ended up eating the Chorizo Macao because he liked it very much. 



Good thing that they are selling this per kilo so we bought one pack for my son’s baon. I just sliced it and put it in food container. (one chorizo per container) The Macao did not last long, three days only to be exact. He ate this breakfast and lunch (school) walang kasawaan. Now, he is asking this and gusto nga niya na baon sa school. The problem is, it is located in Magallanes, so kelan naman kaya maliligaw ang hubby ko dun. lol 

June 10, 2016 

I love traveling to different places but if I’m going out of the country, one thing that worries me is food. I’m not adventurous when it comes to food and I’m really loyal to Filipino foods so I really miss it when I’m out of the country. 



So after our 7 days trip in Japan, we ate in Dayrit’s Burger and Roast Beef House. Oh, I really miss these foods and busog sa sarap. I ordered pork binagoongan and I was happy because there is green mango on the side. I love their pork binagoongan and it is good for two persons so I take-out the leftover. 



My husband ordered corned beef and so-so lang daw taste but my son is a happy camper because, after a long time he ate Chorizo Macao again. I bought a pack of this again because back to school is near and favorite niya itong ibaon. My son likes Leche Flan so he ordered this dessert. 

February 2018 

My husband messaged me that he is going to Magallanes and asked if I wanted to buy chorizo. I said yes, because it is my son's favorite baon in school and I also told him to buy banana bread (P130). It's been more than a year that I'm not baking so I miss eating banana bread. 



We tried the banana bread and taste is good. My son was looking for chocolate chips because whenever I baked banana bread, I add nuts or chocolate chips. Well, I think miss na nila luto ko. I need to buy new oven na. :) 

September 2018

On our way to Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, we dropped by at Dayrit’s Burger and Roast Beef House so we could eat our lunch. Food at Sofitel is expensive so para tipid maglunch na kami before check-in. Hehehe! We ordered Pork Binagoongan, Chorizo Macao and extra rice.


This is always my default order because I like the green mango, unfortunately, wala na naman green mango. I’m not sure kung inalis na nila yung mango kasi 3rd time na ito nangyari na wala green mango yung Pork Binagoongan. Maybe next time, I will change my order na lang.


This time my son enjoyed the tocino and after one week, he asked me to buy the tocino for his baon. Oh, napalitan na favorite niya! So my husband went back to Dayrit's to buy a pack of tocino P190 (I think 1/2 kl) and banana cake P140. Nag-increase na ang price ng banana cake.

August 2019

On our way to Sheraton Manila, we had lunch first at Paseo de Magallanes. Every time we eat at Dayrit's, I always order Roast Beef Plate or Pork Binagoongan. I like the combination of green mango and shrimp paste. Unfortunately, hindi lagi green mango ang side dish, most of the time kasi tomatoes lang ang nilalagay nila. So I was happy na may green mango nung last na kain namin. My husband and I shared on this meal while my son ordered tocino meal.


Aside from the meals, we also take out some foods here like banana bread, meringue and my son's favorite baon "Chorizo Macao".

Dayrit's Burger and Roast Beef House 
Unit 4 Mega Center Bldg. 
Paseo de Magallanes 
Magallanes Village, 
Makati City

We went to Manila last month because my husband will get the stuff that he needs to install our CCTV camera at home. The traffic was bad and my son and I wanted to pee. We saw UST and I told him that we will just stay in school and balikan na lang niya kami. 

UST is a memorable place for us because this is our alma mater and we became a couple a month before we graduated. Tee...hee... 

I was sharing our story with my son and showing him our school. 

Ethan: Mommy, look at the church. 
Me: (insert smile) That’s not a church, it is called Main Building. 

Miguel de Benavides

Monument Replica of arch door of the old university building in Intramuros erected in 17th century as it survived the war of 1941-1945. Arch of Centuries gateway to history of the finest breed of Filipinos. 


There are so many changes in the school, when we are still studying there is no fastfood inside the university. I remember that we had a bazaar here during our Commerce week but now kainan na siya. 


We stayed in McDonalds while waiting for my husband and dahil nahihiya na ko at ang tagal na namin dun, we transferred to Krispy Kreme. 

Trivia: 

- University of Santo Tomas is also known as UST, Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas or The Catholic University of the Philippines. 
- founded on April 28, 1611 by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides. 
- one of the largest Catholic universities in the world (terms of enrollment) 
- largest university in Manila. 
- this is the only university that have been visited by different popes. 

Pope Paul VI November 1970 
Pope John Paul II February 1981, January 13 1995 
Pope Francis January 18 2015 

- was declared a National Historical Landmark on May 24 2011 buy NHC of the Philippines.

My son had his first dental check-up last July 2014, he was already 5 years old when we were able to convince him to go to the dentist clinic and have oral prophylaxis. Last June 2015, we went back to the clinic again for our scheduled cleaning. The dentist informed me that my son has no permanent teeth yet and advised me to have an x-ray if by 8 years old wala pa rin permanent teeth.

November came and my son gave me his “Annual Dental Examination” result in school. I’ve read that there is no tooth decay, no cavities and there are already two permanent teeth. Then I just kept the paper without checking my son’s teeth.

After few days, I noticed the two permanent teeth of my son, I was surprised because the two teeth are at the back of his milk teeth. Then I began to worry about his teeth so I told my husband to schedule an appointment for a Pediatric dentist and the earliest we got is December 18. So after his Christmas Party, we went to Asian Hospital for his scheduled appointment. It was our first time with pedia dentist, the last two visits kasi sa dentist lang.


A pediatric dentist is dedicated to the oral health of kids from infancy up to the teenage years. Pedia-dentist provides comprehensive oral health care which includes risk assessment, diagnosis of oral conditions, preventive dental care, counseling, treatment and many more. They are not ordinary dentist so they know how to examine and treat kids that will make them comfortable.

I really noticed the difference between the dentist and pedia dentist, the way they talk, handle and treat my son. Mabait and mas mahaba ang patience nila talaga sa bata. First, she interviewed my son, she asked a few questions then she checked my son’s teeth. She assessed and informed us about my son’s teeth.

She said that we need to remove the two front milk teeth to give way to the permanent teeth or else hindi magiging maayos yung tubo. But she is giving us one-month pa para hindi mahirap tanggalin. As of last month kasi super intact pa yung milk teeth. Normally, the milk teeth will just fall out on their own. She told my son to wiggle the two front teeth every day.

Then she cleaned my son’s teeth, she was teaching my son how to brush the teeth properly, my counting pa each side of the teeth. After cleaning, she put fluoride and advised us do not eat and drink for 1 hour and do not brush the teeth before bedtime (one night only) para maabsorb yung fluoride.

Lastly, my son chose his prize for being a good kid, he chose a balloon. Hehehe! And because this is not the usual dentist the fee is not cheap, I almost fainted when I learned that I need to pay P1950 for cleaning + fluoride treatment. Hehehe!

It is not a secret here that my son loves dinosaurs so last year he asked me to make a dino plush toy. I said yes but I was busy and lazy last year so it really took me a long time to fulfill my promise. 

My son asked before we watched Jurassic World. We’ve been to Dinosaurs Island and nagshowing na lang ang The Good Dinosaurs hindi ko pa rin nagagawa. #lazymom 

The last time I sew was July 2015, I sew one dozen of pillow cases and after that I forgot to make any sewing project so yesterday, I push myself to sew again. My husband was teasing me when he saw me preparing my sewing machine. 

Hubby: Gumagana pa ba yan? Baka kinakalawang na. hehehe!

My son saw me sewing the dinosaur and he asked me, 

Ethan: Mommy, you want to be like Wowa?
Me: Why? 
Ethan: because you’re making stuffed toy. 

I smiled because he remembered the handmade doll that his Wowa made for him, you can check it here and here.  

Anyway, here are the steps of DIY Dino Plush Toy 



Cut the pattern and fabric. 



Pin, sew the fabric (opposite side) and leave a small opening. 



Turn the fabric inside out and put the fiberfill inside. 

Then hand sew the opening. Glue the eyes. 



You can do this by hand but I wanted to use the sewing machine, hehehe! I realized that it is not easy to make a small plush toy and marami pa curves so medyo matagal. Not a perfect dinosaur plush toy but my son was very happy and he even said. “Galing ka mommy!”

But after few hours.

Ethan: Mommy, this dinosaur cannot stand, it needs four legs. 

Waah!

Ethan! Mommy, you need to put ribbon at the back (spikes)

Okay, so I need to improve this dino plush toy pag sinipag ulit ako. hehehe!

I guess 2015 is a year that has so many long weekends and holidays but we were not able to take advantage of it because of budget constraints. Travel took a back seat because we invested in solar panels to lower our electricity bill, replaced stuff with energy-efficient appliances, and installed CCTV for security. Though we still have a few staycations but no long vacations. When Christmas break came we wanted to have a vacation in Baguio and Sagada but we could not find accommodation so still no long vacation for us. But there is nothing to be sad about because we enjoyed our holiday break. 

Read: 24 Hours in Baguio
4 Days in Sagada with Kids in Tow

Christmas celebration in our family is very simple, we only have a family reunion at lunch, a simple dinner for our family of three and before we sleep, we will open our gifts. We always wake up early for mass, it’s been years since we travel to Tagaytay just to attend mass para maiba lang kasi malamig. Hehehe! This year, we went to Taal Vista Hotel for a buffet breakfast at Cafe Veranda. 

Read: Stacaytion in Tagaytay


There is really a big improvement in Taal Vista Hotel service, I heard “Welcome to Taal Vista” when we entered the hotel and the staffs were all approachable and friendly, epekto rin siguro ng holiday spirit. :) 


We went to Cafe Veranda but we were advised that they no longer have vacant seats but we can proceed to Grand Ballroom. Wow, ganun kapuno ang Taal Vista. I did not experience that when we had a staycation during Mother’s Day.

Anyway, we went to ballroom, there were several buffet stations in the room, medyo nakakapagod lang mag-ikot kasi malaki yung place. Buffet breakfast rate is P858 for adults and half rate for 7 years old and above. 

Our Day 4 Advent activity is “Make an ornament or decoration,” so we made salt dough ornaments on December 4. I’ve been meaning to make this ornament, but I just couldn’t find the time, as usual. December is a very busy month.

Ingredients and materials are always available in your kitchen; all you need is flour, salt, and water for the dough. Bowl, rolling pin, cookie-cutter, straw, or paint if you want to color.

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup water and knead the dough. 
Roll the dough and cut shapes using a cookie cutter

Place on cookie sheets, make a hole using a straw, and bake for less than an hour. 

Christmas is fast approaching and we only have two weeks from now to prepare for the season. Honestly, I haven’t finished my list yet even I started buying gifts since last month. I just could not find time to go to the mall and buy everything that I need, nakakapagod din. Maybe next year, I will start my shopping as early as October. Hehehe! 

For the last few years, I’ve been following this gift giving philosophy in choosing gifts for my son. It really helps me in buying gifts. 



Something they want... 

This is very easy because my son will always tell me his wants so I just take note everything so he can get it on his birthday or Christmas. But I don’t really buy everything on his list, of course, it still depends on our budget. 

Something they need...

I buy something that I think my son needs but it is not in his “want list”. Just like his 7th birthday. I feel that he needs to replace his rubber shoes but he is not asking for it. You can also buy things for his hobbies, school or everyday need. 

Something to wear...

I buy clothes, shoes, watches, jewelry or anything that he can wear. This is easy because every year, we really buy clothes for him kasi mabilis lumaki.

Something to read... 

My son is not fond of reading books but I want him to like books so I make sure that he will read a book before going to bed except for days that we are not at home. Last year, I gave him 365 bedtime stories so he has no excuse not to read a book. This year, I bought Children’s Bible Stories. 

Every year, I buy 3 gifts so I just choose from this gift-giving philosophy. One from my daddy, one from mommy and one from Wowa since my mom sends cash gift and I will be the one to buy. Care to share your gift-giving philosophy.

I believe that all moms want to have healthy children, we want them to be active, strong and away from sickness. We believe that having food supplement is really a must to protect our kids. Our doctor is not a believer of food supplement. He believes that if a child is healthy, no need for vitamins. 

But I know my son well so I still buy vitamins for him. If my son is not a finicky eater, I will not need vitamins but my son is not eating enough veggies and fruits so I really need a food supplement. For the last 7 years, I have tried different vitamins, I asked for suggestions and feedbacks from friends, families and sometimes I checked for different reviews online. There were times that I wasted my money because my son doesn’t like the taste of the vitamins so we will go back to the old vitamins. 

My son has two vitamins, one is vitamin C + zinc and the other one is CGF vitamin. Last month I received this Nutri 10 Plus Syrup and my son is taking this for more than a month already. I’m glad because he likes the taste so no violent reaction. 



Nutri10Plus contains CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor), Taurine, Lysine. Vitamins such as A, D3, E, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and C which help in boosting immunity, enhance brain development and increase physical growth. 

CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor) - helps children to grow at an accelerated rate and increase healing of damaged tissue. 

Taurine - is for brain development. It is an anti-anxiety agent and it protects cells from harmful effects of ultraviolet light. 

Lysine - helps boost appetite. 

Zinc - stabilized the molecular structure of cellular components and membranes. It contributes to the maintenance of cell organ integrity. 

Amazing right? There are so many vitamins and minerals that your child can get in 5ml of Nutri10Plus. One thing I like about Nutri10Plus is I can save money because I don’t need to buy two vitamins anymore. 

How about you? Have you tried Nutri10Plus? #aktibotmalakas

After church we went straight to SM North for family bonding, this is used to be my go-to mall when I still live in Valenzuela. It’s been 10 years since I moved to South Luzon and now there are so many changes and improvements. Nakakaligaw na talaga siya and almost half of the population was inside the mall. Sobra sa dami ng tao who were busy shopping for holiday. 

We had early lunch and as usual, my mom wanted Filipino food so I asked my brother what are the choices and I told them sa Mesa na lang. We dined here several months ago and we were satisfied with the food and service. Fortunately, they have a function room that can accommodate a big group like us (12 persons). 

We ordered Crispy Boneless Tilapia served with Four Sauces, Inihaw Sampler, Pork BBQ, Pork Binagoongan, Pork Sisig, Kare-Kare, Crab, Seafood Mix in Chili Sauce, Rice and Drinks. 





I haven’t tried the Kare-Kare and Crab so I have reason to go back again. We all had a happy tummy.

Related Post: MESA Southmall

We’re so busy these past few days because my mom just came back from Norway. We were supposed to go to St. James Bazaar last Saturday but the traffic was so bad so after wasting our time in Commerce Ave, nag U-Turn na lang kami and we decided to go to the airport to pick up my mom at baka matraffic din kami. We were so early so we waited for 2 hours. 



Of course, there is always pasalubong for the grandchildren. Aside from chocolates, my mom brought her handmade doll. I don’t know how to knit or crochet but we’re blessed to have a mom who has this skill. My mom made these dolls, rush order since biglaan ang uwi. Hehehe! 





Two years ago, my mom gave a handmade doll to my son but he was so curious so he cut the yarn to see what is inside the doll. Check it here.



But I hope he will not perform any surgery on this doll. She is selling her craft in Norway and I told her to open an online shop. Hehehe!

A trip in Abe’s Farm won’t be complete without visiting Abe’s Museum. Yes, Abe’s Farm is not just a restaurant, it is a resort with spa and museum. So after eating our meal, off we went to the museum. It was a long walk from the restaurant, parang natunaw na agad ang aking mga kinain. Hehehe!



My husband already visited the museum and he said free lang naman but we were surprised that the museum is no longer free, P30 per person. We gave our payment to the staff who ushered us to the museum. No receipt or ticket for that. 



About Abe Museum

“The Abe Museum contains collections on the lives of two men who have influenced the way Manileños eat, think and live”. Artists, designers and writers benefited from the experiences of father and son Abe (E. Aguilar Cruz 1915-1991) and Larry (1941-2008). Their Capampangan-Tagalog ways shaped a number of generations in the process. It is only fitting to return their remembrances to Magalang, where Abe was born, where Larry returned to late in life and the Cruzes notions of graceful living began.” 

Just like that November is about to end and we are going to start our Christmas countdown next week. Since I will be busy this coming long weekend because my mom would be home for vacation, I finished the Advent calendar and Christmas countdown yesterday. 



Since I have no much time to prepare, I just reuse the DIY Advent Calendar that I’ve made last year. I have to replace the two wrinkled envelopes and listed treats or tasks for 24 days.



1. Today we decorate the Christmas tree 
2. Listen to fun Christmas music.
3. Learn about the Legend of the Candy Cane.
4. Make an ornament or decoration 
5. Read a new Christmas story 
6. Go for a drive to see the Christmas lights. 
7. Make a Christmas card. 
8. Learn about holidays in another culture 
9. Make a Christmas card. 
10. You get to play an iPad game of your choice for 40minutes. 
11. Make a gift for someone special. 
12. Record yourself singing a favorite Christmas song. 
13. Adding one item to the grocery list. 
14. Call someone you love just to say hi! 
15. A Special Christmas treat. 
16. Hot chocolate made especially for you. 
17. Write a letter to Jesus. 
18. Staying up 20 minutes past bedtime. 
19. Watch a special Christmas movie with treats. 
20. Bake Christmas cookies.
21. It’s a family game night. 
22. Playing a game of your choice. 
23. Unwrap one present early 
24. Read Luke 2, 1-20; A Christmas Story. 

Then I printed a Santa Claus Christmas countdown. 



How about you? Are you ready for the holidays? 

Source: 
Santa Claus Christmas Countdown
Christmas Coupon

I’ve been meaning to visit Abe’s Farm for the longest time but it is located in Pampanga so it took me a long time to visit this place. Good thing that there is Abe’s restaurant here in the metro, which we have visited several times already.

Abe’s Farm is not just a restaurant, they also offer room accommodation, spa services and a museum. It is like Nurture Wellness Village in Tagaytay but a bigger version. 

We really wanted to eat in Abe’s Farm so even we were hungry already because it is past 12nn, we still went to the farm, tiis gutom na lang. It was a long drive from Dinosaurs Island.



But it is worth the wait because the place is really nice. The house is also the restaurant. It is big and it has different rooms which can accommodate more guests.



The staff gave us the menu, I was surprised to see the menu because they have more choices here compared to the restaurant. Price is much cheaper too, our bill is less than P1k for food and drinks. :) My husband suggested the monggo so we ordered Grilled Liempo P250 and Monggo Bean Soup P95. 



While waiting for our food, we went out to check the farm. 





We went back after a few minutes and they served the food. The looks of the food are not appetizing but don’t judge the look because it is really good. The monggo has few ingredients (smoked fish and chicharon) but it is flavorful, the serving is so small, good for one person. I hope they have a big serving, mura lang naman ang monggo. Hehehe! 





We also ordered Leche Flan P75 and Sikreto ni Maria P165 for dessert. The menu will not inform you what is in Sikreto ni Maria so it is really a secret unless you order it. Hehehe! Anyway, this dessert is a combination of sticky rice, ripe mangoes, semi-frozen macapuno ice cream and grated panutsa. We liked it.



After eating my husband said that there is also a museum, he asked the staff if we could check it and they said yes. I will share it on my next post. :) 

Abe’s Farm Resort, Country Cuisine and Spa
98 Livestock Village, 
Barangay Ayala 
Magalang, Pampanga 

Business Hours: Open daily, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM 
For overnight accommodations, pre-booking is needed 
Contact: Phone: + (02) 506-8140 Mobile: + (0917) 808-5187 

Read: Abe
Abe's Farm 2017