Have you ever thought what kind of parent you’d be if you become one? Wouldn’t it be exciting if there’s a guide you can follow to be the best parents your children could ever have? Oh well, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is the best answer to your questions. Based from New York Times best-selling book by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is going to hit the cinemas and will teach you the basics. So, Get READY!

It all started with the lives of five couples preparing to become parents. Jennifer Lopez as Holly thinks that adopting a baby will make her relationship with husband, Nate (Rodrigo Santoro) a lot better. The only problem is they both don’t know how to become one. As the couple tries their best to solve the issue, they enrolled to Vic’s (Chris Rock) special class that teaches everything you need in parenting. The fun and adventure continue as more couples get involve in learning.

What can you expect from What to Expect? Along with celebs wearing baby bumps, the Baby Bjorn-wearing dads (including Chris Rock) are hilarious as they brag about their parenting mishaps. “Last week, my kid ate a cigarette,” one dad confessed. “Oh yeah, I picked up the wrong kid from daycare!” said another. What to Expect When You’re Expecting is sure to deliver the laughs that all parents who are either experiencing pregnancy or who have been there, done that, need.

Another thing about this movie is most of the cast member are parents. It’s fascinating to know how parenting has changed their life in the past. They were able to relate their personal experiences with their role. Actress Elizabeth Banks, who plays as the owner of The Breast Choice boutique in the movie, is suffering through a difficult pregnancy, wondering where the “glow” she was promised is. She thought pregnancy is one hell of a sad time. However, in reality, she is a happy surrogate mother to his son Felix, who was born in 2011. In an interview, Elizabeth describes her struggles and reaching the decision to use a surrogate after having problems of getting pregnant with her 19 year boyfriend-now-husband Max Handelman. The joy of giving birth is indescribable. When her son Felix was born, she turned him the centre of her life. Elizabeth’s journey to motherhood may inspire other women to pursue surrogacy like she did when she and husband Max decided to have a child. “My plan is that when Felix is 15, we’ll go skydiving together,” she shares. “I want to be that mom. The one who takes her kid skydiving,” Elizabeth said.

On the other hand, pop diva and actress Jennifer Lopez had multiple struggles as a parent when she had her twins Max and Emme, who are now 2. She believes that parenting is never easy  and now that she’s one, giving advices to other people is not her cup of tea, “Everybody gives you a lot of advices when you are pregnant, which I find a tiny bit annoying, so I’m not going to give any. But I did read ‘What To Expect When You Are Expecting’ by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. You can go day by day with that. It’s awesome.”

Hollywood celebrities Brooklyn Decker and Cameron Diaz have different perceptions in terms of pregnancy. Decker believes that if time will come for her to become a mother, she thinks she’ll do a good job. She loves babies and enjoys taking time playing with them. On the other hand, Cameron Diaz thinks differently. She trusts that having a baby is not necessary right now and so in a relationship. Though it may give a couple more security towards each other, she still thinks that babies can go as a last priority.

On my personal view, What to Expect When You’re Expecting will bring inspiration to everyone who wishes to have their own family, it could be now or in some distant future, but the essence will be there. The joy of parenting will never be much more rewarding when you see that your children are growing up according to your good teachings and unconditional love.

At church today, we had an activity for the Primary where they have a chance to explore the world of painting. A teacher from ISPP was invited to share her talents to the kids and it was such a hit! And of course, the parents like me were also given a chance to learn how to paint. I will have to admit that we don’t have the genes to draw well in the family, but looking at my children’s work and mine, I’d say we did a very good job!

So, here’s my finished product – Angel Moroni of the Book of Mormon

Today as we go to church, I decided to choose a long, green skirt, and a white collared blouse. Since it’s summer, I’d better suit in colors that compliment the weather and green is a very good choice – it’s refreshing and vibrant!

Also, my fondness to wearing long skirts is growing. I like the feeling that it gives you a slimmer effect and thus, hides my chubby legs which are not my really asset at all

One good thing here in Phnom Penh is that Russian Market is only my neighbor. The clothes there are cheap and the quality is top notch – they are actually the ones being exported on the other side of the world- which gives me plenty of opportunities to shop cheaply and I love it!

To conclude, here’s a pic of me in my ootd (outfit of the day) matched with jade earrings and necklace, and white 4″ sandals

One of our addictions these days is eating baguettes. My husband discovered a small place right at the corner of Kampuchea Krom and Monivong, there stands a stall selling kebab in a baguette for only $1.25 or 5,000 riels. Not only it’s cheap, it’s really delicious too!

Another place we discovered is a stall near Orussey market selling fresh oysters for only 1,400 riels a pop. You can eat them fresh with some fried garlic and mint leaves or have them grilled, which is so yummy!

Living in Phnom Penh surely makes life wonderful in so many ways. You can eat as much as you want without getting broke. So what are you waiting for? Explore!

Meet my new baby named Fifi. She is sexy and she has a sister called Siri, whom I can talk to whenever my husband is busy. I love her and she loves me and we make a good couple together, hahaha!

Oh boy, this little monster surely ate my time since I am not used in using iPhone, though my husband has one, I seldom use it aside for playing games and so with our iPad, lol! It took me two days to configure it according to the looks and feel I want my phone to be. Now, it’s working perfectly.

So, what’s the story behind my phone? Nothing. My husband just loves me and adores me, and this is his official suhol for all the days he had been busy And knowing that I am eying to buy Samsung Galaxy Note, he made a quick decision to buy this one before I purchase the Note. Great job Dad!

There you go, I am officially a part of Apple family now. iMessage me pals

Arrived in the beautiful town of Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville is 4 hours away from Phnom Penh and it is easily reached by car or bus. My family decided to take the local bus which only cost 18,000 Riels or $4.50 per pax. Sorya Bus company is one of the biggest tour companies in the country and they have 5 trips from Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville every day, starting from 7:00 in the morning. Their service is good as well since many tourists prefer to ride with them.

On the day of our trip, I prepared food for the whole family to eat. There’s dumplings, chicken adobo, sandwich, and french fries that can be shared by everybody. The kids settled with their psp, iPad, and games while waiting for our bus to arrive at our destination. When we got there, all their smiles are really BIG!

Now it’s time to head to our guesthouse. A month before Khmer New Year, I decided to research good places to stay in Sihanooukville. There were many options but of course I have to stay with my budget. I want a decent place to stay in and as much as possible with swimming pool. Golden Sand Hotel and Beach Club Resort were on my list, but at the end, I booked in Orchidee.

Orchidee is a very relaxing place and I didn’t make a mistake in booking two bungalows here. Each room costs $22/night with 2 beds, 1 TV, 1 small fridge, and nice bathroom. The service staff are also very friendly and the whole place is really tidy.

Familia Lakwatsera at Orchidee Resort

Standard bungalows at $22 per night

Daddy Pong enjoying my bed while his is full of mess lol

There's plenty of small fish underwater!

Banana boat for $12 per ride

Daddy Pong enjoying his jetski ride at $60 per hour

Sand and waves are their playmates

Looking for clams?

Sand castle time!

Grilled beef at Moon Shack at $3. CHEAP!

Grilled squid with potato, salad, and garlic bread

Grilled tuna for Mommy

Wrapping up my blog on our trip, I’ll give two thumps up for the fun and all the activities we did in Sihanoukville. The kids are happy, my husband enjoyed, and I am able to splurge on seafood dishes – conclusion: WE ARE A HAPPY FAMILY!

By the way, I’m  ending with few suggestions on how you can make your trip memorable like ours, too. So, have fun!

1. Book your hotel or guesthouse at least 2-3 weeks in advance, especially when you’re going on a national holiday.

2. Plan the things you want to do and make a budget.

3. Bring beach essentials like sunglasses, sunscreen lotion, sarong, and other small stuff for easy carrying.

5. Keep your valuables in a water proof case.

6. Try the foot or body massage at the beach. There’s plenty of masseuse walking around and their price starts at $4 up.

7. Legs, arms, or whole body threading is also available. I tried it and it cost me $25 for the whole body threading + massage. Not bad, right?

8. Try the water sports available. There are inflatables in the middle of the waters and it cost adults at $3.50 while children at $2.50. You can rent a jetski for $60/hour but since it’s Khmer New Year, you may expect their price to go up a little higher. Banana boat costs $12/ride for 6 people.

9. Dolphin Tours offer island tours starting at $15/person and it includes a visit to 3 islands, snorkeling, fishing, and sightseeing for the whole day. Trips start at 9AM.

10. Eat plenty of seafood since it’s really cheap there.

11. Local restaurants in beach front allows tourists and locals to use their beach lounge chairs and in return you may want to order food or drinks from them.

12. Sea front is very nice at night time with all the candle lit tables and BBQ smoke coming from the restaurants. Try it and I am sure you love it!

The idea of going on a weekend getaway came up two weeks before my husband went to MPOC’s Paintball competition in Kuala Lumpur. He thought it would be nice to go to a resort when he gets back here in Phnom Penh, so that we can relax as a family. Thinking about what he said, I didn’t hesitate on giving a go signal after I’ve seen where we are going. He gave me the link of Kingdom Resort’s website and it has immediately struck my attention, and just by looking at their photos I told myself, “The kids are going to love it here!”

The next thing I did is to book a room. I called the resort and I have learned that they have bungalows for rent starting from $35 and up. I settled with a reservation for a standard bungalow with two beds and they told me that it’s only $40/night. This includes the use of all their amenities like swimming pool, spa and sauna, tennis court and playground. The stay also entitles 2 sets of breakfast. It all sounded good to me so I made a reservation for a 2-day and 1 night stay.

Then, the big day came and the whole family went to the resort. I even prepared loads of foods for us to eat. There are beef burritos, salsa, grilled eggplant, pork siomai, tri-colored pasta, garlic bread, and pork adobo. It was like a party for us when we arrived there! Oh no, it’s actually a feast to be honest. There’s plenty of food for us to finish.

The moment we arrived, we’re immediately greeted with warm smiles and it didn’t take long for us to see the bungalow I’ve booked. The standard bungalow looks really pretty, but the problem is, my family of six won’t be able to fit in. Well, we can actually manage to fit in but, I don’t want my kids to feel uncomfortable when I know I can get something better for them. Without thinking long, I decided to change our reservation to a family bungalow that costs $65/night. It’s so much bigger than the first one. There’s an equivalent of two rooms with a king size and a double size bed inside. There’s a small fridge, and an LCD TV for us to watch on and the bathroom is really big with a bath tub in it. We also have our own veranda with tables and chairs to use. It’s a total spot on for me! What I even loved more is that the resort gave us an extra mattress to use, so you can imagine how my kids loved the idea of having a pillow fight on it.

Family Bungalow at $65 per night

Nice veranda with table and chairs to use

Manang and the kids room

Pool area

Mushy Mushroom

sliding down the small pool

into the bigger pool

going for a dive

going for a swim with horsey

Aiken enjoys the playground

going down now to play more

there's plenty of mango trees around with fruits just within our reach

Around the pool area, outside food and drinks are not allowed as it’s still part of  the resort’s restaurant. So, if you have brought foods for your family, you may want to eat them inside your room or use their tables and benches located in their garden at the back. Steve’s Steakhouse is the house restaurant in Kingdom Resort and their menu isn’t that pricey at all. Steaks and other dishes range from $5 and up, so if you don’t have time to make some food for your family, you may want to consider dining at their resto.

I absolutely had fun during our stay at the resort. I am highly recommending it to all my friends here in Cambodia since it’s not very far from the city. For more information about the resort, visit their website here.

It feels good when you know you're doing the right thing

I feel good today because:

1. I was able to see the bright sky.
2. I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin.
3. I attended church and renewed my covenants to Him.
4. I taught little kids at Primary on how to choose the right.
5. I ate lunch with my children whom I adore most more than anything in the world.
6. I ran 5 km in 35 minutes.
7. I consumed less rice and ate more veggies. Denjangchigge ftw!
8. I was able to nap for a couple of hours and gained my energy back.
9. Andrea gave me a nice hand spa.
10. no matter how difficult we think life is, someone out there is always ready to lean His shoulder to us. So, stay positive.

By the way, I want to share my self-made motivation board to all of you. I did this yesterday to constantly remind myself of what I need to do every day to keep myself fit. Using spare colored papers and marker, I transformed my refrigerator into this one. Inexpensive but very helpful indeed.

Staying fit is my new way of life

I’m pretty happy with my activities everyday. I go to work. Attend my family. Cook nice meals. Run to be fit. What else can I ask for? I’m a simple woman with simple needs and wants in life. When things are simple, happiness is easily achieved

*********

I chose to be happy, that’s why I chose you.

Since then, I grew affection to this nice, savory noodle dish. During that time, you can enjoy a large bowl of pho for only 7,000 dong which is roughly $.50 in US dollars. I can go for days with only pho in my tummy and nothing else. But of course, I do get to eat other yummy treats since eating in Vietnam is cheap.

Now that I’m in Cambodia, pho still remained one of my favorite noodles.

Last night, hubby showed me a photo of a Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. They serve various dishes but the one that caught my attention is this:

Pho Challenge at Pho Garden in San Francisco

What a HUGE bowl of PHO!!! OMG!

I immediately thought what if there’s something like this in Ho Chi Minh City or here in Phnom Penh? Oh my! I’ll be a loyal patron for sure!

This gigantic noodle fiesta is the result of combining three orders of pho, with two pounds of noodles and 2 pounds of combination beef. The challenge? You have 60 minutes to finish it up and walk out the resto free of charge! Failure to do so will cost you $22 for the whole meal, hahaha!

How I wish SanFo’s only a bus ride away from here, so that I can try this one. It will be fascinating to see how much pho I can eat in one seating. Or maybe… I can make my own pho challenge with my family. I think it’s gonna be fun-tastic! Nabusog na kami, nag enjoy pa! Oh di ba!

It’s officially summer now and the heat is on!

Day by day, you’ll hear many people complaining the extreme heat we’re all experiencing now. It’s just too HOT and it’s really dehydrating. The sun’s heat scorches everyone’s skin and the feeling is just annoying. But what else can we do, it’s nature we’re dealing with.

Before our heads get hot, let me give you some ideas how you can beat the summer heat

1. Wear comfy clothes that have thinner material used, preferably cotton, and light colored.

2. Whenever you’re going out, use sunscreen lotion to protect your skin. Wear sunglasses too and cap to protect you from the sun.

3. Drink plenty of fluids to hydrate your system. Loads of water and fruit smoothies are the best this season.

4. Change your compact lights at home with CFL since it gives 70% less heat. Turn them off too once you finish using.

5. Go somewhere relaxing and refreshing. Turning your AC at home may incur more electricity cost, so why not take advantage of using other establishments resources like the coffee shop nearest you. You may also want to consider watching the newest movie in the cinema or spending some time in your public library to read some books.

6. Go swimming! Invite your family and friends in a swimming get together and enjoy a whole day playing in the water. A little splish and splash will definitely make you cool and comfy.

7. Eat cold foods like ice cream and fruits. Way back in the Philippines, summer time is always halo-halo time. It’s a mixture of different fruits in a huge tall glass served with crushed ice and milk. It’s one of my favorites because it’s really refreshing and yummy too!

8. Open your windows at night when you’re sleeping to let in the fresh air. As the temperature outside drops the air becomes cooler, just don’t forget to close  them up again when you wake up in the morning as the temperature will rise again.

9. Do not stay out of your of the house when you’ve got nothing important to do. Hot climate will only make you exhausted especially from 1PM-4PM, so if there’s a need for you to run an errand, do it preferably in the morning.

10. Water your garden in the afternoon. These will help in releasing the heat absorbed by the soil outside your house and once you’ve done this, you’ll feel the air much cooler this time.

So, there you go. Get yourself a nice smoothie and relax while you’re enjoying the summer heat