Day 163: Corned Burger Surprise

Leafing through the pages of a six-year old "Smart Parenting" magazine yielded a great result for my "pambaon" blues with the kids.  It was a Back-to-School and Father's Day issue and one of the features was a set of easy-to-follow recipes for children's snack or lunch in school. 

For a budget-conscious Mom like me, this is a perfect treat to make as it veers away from the more expensive ground beef since it makes use of corned beef instead and has shredded potatoes as extender. 

CORNED BURGER SURPRISE

Patty Mixture:

500 grams corned beef (I used the "por kilo" kind instead of canned)

600 grams potatoes (peeled, shredded and drained of excess liquid)

5 tbsp. onions, minced

5 tbsp. flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. sugar

1-2 eggs (try one egg first as it might get too wet/soggy if too much egg is used)

cream cheese or ordinary processed cheese, sliced

for Sandwich assembly:

1-2 tbsp. canola oil for frying

burger buns

lettuce

tomatoes

mayonnaise or your choice of dressing

Mix together all patty ingredients until well incorporated. If mixture turns out too soggy, drain excess liquid on strainer before forming into patties.

Get a spoonful of mixture on the palm of your hand. Place a small piece of cheese in the center then add another spoonful of the mixture to hide the cheese and form into a patty.

Fry patties in hot oil. Drain on paper towels. Assemble on buns and serve.

Day 157: New Kids on the Block

New city...new school...

School year 2011-2012 has brought in some firsts and some new things...after spending the first three years of school life in Butuan Faith Christian School, Jarred is now facing the challenge of being the new kid on the block. Entering the Grade II level at his Dad's elementary alma mater - St. Francis of Assisi School, he may have some bumps here and there before he gets the hang of things in this new school. Joining him is newbie student, Caitlin, who's beginning formal school for the first time as a Kinder pupil at the same school.

God has directed our path ever since we knew about our inevitable move to Cebu. The school is strategically located as it is less than 2 km away from home and is also on the way to their Lola's place of work. They may be newbies but I know they can manage and will enjoy their time at SFAS.

Many thanks to Tito Ninong Alfred and Tita Ninang Phebz for making the nearly impossible possible .

Day 128: Being a Mother

Right after my class last night, my son asked to use the computer. I thought he was just going to play his fave computer game or what.

After about half an hour I saw this photo posted on my Facebook wall...it had the caption "Happy Mother's Day to my best Mom ever - (tagging my name)" It was a post from my son, Jarred.

This is why I love being a Mom...why I'll do it over and over again despite the challenges, sacrifices and hardships...because little things like this make everything else so worth it.

It was truly a wonderful Mother's Day for me. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mothers, mommies, mamas, nanays and inays!

Day 115: I'm Two Today!!!

Time really flies so fast...wasn't it only yesterday when our cutie-pie CeeJae made her grand entrance into the world? Well, it's already two years since then and she's grown into a very witty and a parrot-like chatterbox. When you hear her talking you wouldn't believe that she's only two...she talks wise beyond her years.


A week before her special day, whenever Mama Lola would ask her what she'd like for her birthday, she'd reply with a list of specific requests - chocolate cake, spaghetti, balloon and ice cream. 


And so with the support of her Ninongs (godfathers) JunJun and Jeffrey, Mama Lola Alice, Papa Lolo Fred, she got her wishes today. With family around her, she blew the number 2 candle on her Orange Brutus Chocolate Monster cake and had a feast of Spaghetti, Roast Chicken Rosemary and Baked Pork Liempo.


It was a simple celebration and yet to her it meant the world.


Thank you so much Lord for all the blessings you've bestowed upon our little angel throughout the past year. 

Day 114:"Dirt Bike" Fun

Eyes widened in awe and excitement when my two older kids saw a bunch of other children going around a makeshift track using battery-operated kiddie dirt bikes. Back in Butuan, they usually spent whole-day weekend playdates at Jarred's best buddy Francis' home to experience such a ride. 

Well, it's a lot different here in the city...first, the ride doesn't come free - it's P35 per child and second, it's not ride-all-you-can - your money can only get you as far as 5 minutes on the bike. 

Since it was their first time and it wasn't something they would be allowed to do frequently, I thought it wouldn't hurt to let them experience it even just for once. Those precious five minutes seemed to last a lifetime as I watched them do the rounds on the track. The joy and the thrill that was evident on their faces was worth more than the seventy pesos paid for the ride.

Day 92: Freshly Boiled

After many months of culinary hiatus, I found myself spending more time in the kitchen in just a span of 3 days. I realized that cooking is certainly just like riding a bike, once you learn how to do it, you have it for life.


I was like a kid let loose in a candy store when I discovered a nearby weekend market along an alley. Fresh produce - fruits and vegetables, live native chicken and eggs, and a whole lot of other good stuff were so enticing to see (watch out for my blog entry on this weekend market). 


I only had a few pesos stashed in my pocket, thinking that I was only planning to buy ingredients for a couple of vegetable dishes - Squash and String Beans in Coconut Milk (Guinataang Kalabasa at Sitaw) and Chop Suey.  Those farm fresh native eggs were so tempting that I couldn't help but want to buy a couple or so. However, my daughter spotted a vendor selling freshly harvested peanuts and dragged me to the stall and insisted I buy some. And so, the moolah I was supposedly saving to buy the eggs went to the peanuts...


My little girl was a happy camper on the way home...

Day 77: After-School Fun

After the week-long fourth quarter exams, the kids let off some steam, kick back their heels and enjoy a brief afternoon playing tag. Hearing the loud shrieks and screams of my two daughters made my heart leap for joy knowing that they feel so at home surrounded by their Kuya's classmates and friends. 

Day 64: Burger Madness

The photos say it all!!!  My litle CeeJae loves her burger...and she doesn't care much for the brand...be it Jollibee, McDonald's or the neighborhood "buy 1 take 1" deal (as shown here).  Give her a burger and she'll devour it...

Day 46: Love Overflows

As the two girls and I picked up Kuya from school yesterday, he proudly presented us with a Valentine craft he did during English class. Two hearts mounted on a popsicle stick, it was such a beautiful Valentine's gift knowing that he poured out his heart and love into it. 

Before I could take a photo of all of us with it, little CeeJae already took the liberty of "tasting" the heart by biting off a teeny weeny piece off one heart. Maybe she thought it was a chocolate heart or something eh?

Day 43: Her Father's Daughter

For the past several weeks, I would let my youngest daughter tag along whenever I attended the BCBP Joint Breakfast. I noticed that she has already learned the usual mechanics upon entering the breakfast venue. She'll be the one to hold on to the meal ticket and would also get her Dad's name tag for her to wear.  CeeJae likes to be the one to choose which meal to eat too and gladly hands over the ticket to the server after making her choice. 

The BCBP breakfast is one she eats with gusto, especially when there's an egg cooked sunny-side-up and ripe banana for dessert. 

Here you will see how proudly she wears her Dad's name tag...and with that look on her face, she's truly her father's daughter.

Day 42: It's A Small World (shìjiè zhēn xiǎo)

After a week's delay due to the massive flooding in Butuan, the Chinese New Year's presentation of the students of Butuan Faith Christian School finally pushed through today. Nothing prepared me for the amazingly majestic showcase of dances and song that the entire student body spent weeks and weeks of practice on while under the able tutelage of their teachers and advisers. From the way the audience reacted after every number, it was obvious that they were blown away. Well, you be the judge...here are the different performances of the talented students of BFCS...

Day 34: Under the Covers

Kuya Jarred decides to just chill surrounded by pillows

You really have to hand it to children's imaginations whenever they are left to have fun using the simplest things. 

Right before bedtime, my three rugrats seize the opportunity to horse around for a while using pillows and bedcovers. So, take a sneak peek at what happens in our room at night...

Cutesy CeeJae plays hide-n-seek

Sweet Caitlin is on hyperdrive

Day 30: So you wanna be a chef eh?

"I want to do that, Mom" were the six words I heard my only son speak when he saw the very first episode of Junior MasterChef Australia.  Then he kept repeating, "I want to be a junior MasterChef too, Mom." 

So how does a Mom react to that? Well, my son has always been fascinated with food, at least eating it. I never considered him being interested in cooking although I've noticed he'd always ask things whenever he finds me doing something in the kitchen.

I thought it was wonderful that he's beginning to take interest in cooking so I told him that if he really wanted to be MasterChef, he needed to learn one of the most basic cooking skills - boiling rice. He pretty much did a great job the first time that he's gotten used to cooking the rice for dinner and weekends now. 

A few days ago, I found out that there's actually auditions going around for the Pinoy edition of Junior MasterChef and I thought that maybe under my tutelage, I can get Jarred ready to actually join the contest in the next year or so. Who knows? Maybe my son is destined to be a chef...not bad eh?

Day 6: Fairy Godmother

Little CeeJae got a little surprise in the mail today. Her Ninang Farah sent her a lovely burgundy dress with matching white tights. 

It was indeed such a Christmasy gift...CeeJae said "Wow!" upon seeing the package...

Thank you Ninang!!!

Day 5: I Love Papaya!!!

Due to the incessant rains today, afternoon classes were suspended so I had to fetch Jarred from school at midday.

Upon arriving home, he checked out the fridge for something he could snack on and he discovered the papaya slices that were chilling inside. He quickly took a spoon and started to munch on this pretty healthy snack.

I told him that papaya is a rich source of Vitamin A which is good for the eyes and that made him even more excited to finish the plateful of fruit in front of him.

Day 3: My Little Troopers

The end of vacation is never something anyone looks forward to...in fact, it is dreaded by all! In the Philippines, where Christmas and New Year are the longest holidays of the year, Filipinos always wish the vacation was one day longer.

Well, school resumes today, hence the rush to go back home. I was still contemplating on extending our Cebu vacation 2-3 days longer and am I glad I didn't succumb to the temptation or else we would've been stuck or stranded somewhere due to the nonstop rains and flooding all the way home to Butuan. 

My troop of 3 young ones proved themselves brave and ready for anything. The actual boat ride from Cebu to Surigao was actually a breeze, with all three of them on their best behavior. I'm glad it was a day trip which took only about 6 hours compared to the usual 10-12. It was already raining very hard when we docked at Surigao and we had no choice but to don our hooded jackets and disembark. Only our jackets were soaked when we finally made it on the bus bound for Butuan. The kids were mostly asleep throughout the 2.5 hour bus ride. Heavy rains greeted us at the terminal and we were fortunate to get a tricycle to bring us all the way home. Soaked and hungry, we finally arrived home safe and sound early last night. A quick bath, change of clothes and some leftover "baon" as dinner, we snuggled together in bed basking in the cool, rainy weather. Thank you God for keeping us safe!

Day 357: Cousin Bonding

As predicted, it was indeed utter riot and chaos once the kids met up with their cousin Eejah. Loud shrieks, laughter and pitter-patter of feet permeated throughout the house as the children made up for lost time and played as if there was no tomorrow.

It was really unfortunate for those in the graveyard shift since they couldn't catch up on needed zzzzz's during daytime as the children would keep on shouting, laughing and running around.  Well, I'm sure they'll manage eventually...LOL!

Day 355: Best buddies invade Cebu!

When we found out that Jarred's best buddy, Francis would be passing by Cebu en route to SG, we couldn't pass up the opportunity for them to meet up and enjoy some time together  before the mad rush of the holiday season. 

For a few hours they were able to spend some time playing at Timezone (which I discovered could really burn a hole in your pocket if you weren't too conscious of the card swiping thing) and the Playroom. Even youngsters Caitlin, CeeJae and their cousin Eejah had a swell time with Kuya's BFF.

Day 353: Bonding with Mama Lola

Upon our arrival in Cebu, little CeeJae quickly took to her Mama Lola. I guess she shares a special closeness and bond with Mama since she was there during her birth almost two years ago. I believe this is the same bond my two older children have with their Mommy Lola who was present during their respective births.

Seeing CeeJae safely tucked near Mama's side was such a poignant sight that I couldn't help but click the shutter on my camera to preserve the memory.

I'm glad that CeeJae, along with her older siblings will soon have many more bonding moments with their Mama Lola.

Day 352: An Overnight Boat Ride

For the first time in many years, the family will be spending Christmas and New Year holidays in Cebu. The excitement about the trip has been teeming for the past couple of weeks. The kids would always ask how many more days to go 'til our trip. We took the Cebu Ferry 2 overnight trip from Nasipit to Cebu shortly after attending the Christmas Party festivities in Jarred's school. The kids were filled with so much joy and anticipation for what lay ahead for the rest of the holidays.  I'm so glad they were all well-behaved during the trip and didn't give Mommy a hard time. I was able to spend some quiet time too when they dozed off early, safely tucked in their bunks.