Daily devotional: The notebook

Daily devotional, January 5, 2024
The Notebook

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." Rev 20:12

One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Notebook.” It is based on a novel written by Nicholas Sparks. The tearjerker was entitled as such because in the film, an elderly man was reading an old love story written on a notebook.

A well-known Bible character who also recorded notes was Moses. He recorded the Ten Commandments, took note of their journey from Egypt to the threshold of the Promised Land, and in effect authored the first five books of the Old Testament. 

“Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places.” Numbers 33:2

If there is one thing, we present day people can learn about Moses’ note taking habit, it is his intentional resolve to edit out unneeded details of the story. He no longer recorded non-essential things that weighed him down and just took note of joyful and positive memories.

“And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.” Numbers 33:9

In the above passage, Bible commentators pointed out that Moses no longer included the Israelites’ grumbling in the wilderness. However he noted the refreshing stops in their journey towards Canaan. Such attitude is consistent with the Lord’s character of forgetting about the sins He has previously pardoned.

"Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back." 
Isaiah 38:17

And as we continue with our Christian walk, we should continue focusing on growing in Christ-likeness. That by journeying with our Lord Jesus, we can be assured that our names will be noted in the Book of Remembrance.

"Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of  remembrance was written before him of those who feared the  LORD and esteemed his name.  “They shall be mine, says the  LORD of hosts, in the day whenI make up my treasured possession, and I will spare  them as a man spares  his  son who serves him. Then once more you shall see  the distinction between the  righteous and the wicked,  between one who serves God and one who does not serve him." Malachi 3:16-18

In the above passage, we can rest on the thought that as we strive to uphold righteousness in our lives, our Lord takes note of our efforts. 
And  to remain on the right track to eternal life, we should note in the journals of our heart, the words of our God Almighty.

"Great peace have those who  love your law; nothing can make them   stumble." Psalms 119:165

Let us continue abiding by the Lord and taking comfort, that at the end of our lives our names will be written in that one book that will separate those who will spend eternity with the Lord and those who will perish in the lake of fire.

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 119:33-40 and Revelation 20:11-15 to dig deeper on today’s topic. 

Reflection question: Can you take confort in knowing that your name is written in the Book of Life?

Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for being merciful and taling note of all our efforts to grow in Christlikeness. Please allow me to stay faithful to you so that my name could be found in your books. Amen. 

Daily devotional: The surplus

Daily devotional, December 11, 2023 The Surplus “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 Christmas is a time of giving, and so most charity groups appeal to the generosity of…
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Seven Budget Ulam Ideas for this week 2023

Budget ulam recipe ideas for the week

Hello everyone! I am here again to give you ideas for budget ulam recipes for the week. In this series which we started last month (Check out past posts here), we aim to provide nutritious yet affordable recipes that could hopefully ease your burden of planning for meals, thinking about the ulam for the day,…
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We are our kids’ tour guide in this unfamiliar world

An artwork from my eldest. I love you achie.

WE ARE OUR KIDS’ TOUR GUIDE IN THIS UNFAMILIAR WORLD

Good morning ladies! Flexing the love letter slash artwork I received from my eldest. She said these are chamomile flowers 🌼🌼🌼 I feel so blessed to receive letters like this. It reminds me that children love us with unconditional love!

There are times when we are not at our best. Maybe we lack sleep or are too tired, or anxious about a lot of things. We snap, we forget about playtime, we serve up what is easy to prepare, and we cannot manage all the chaos and mess. But our kids still look upon us with love. We are still their heroes and safe place no matter what. Knowing that should help fuel us to try again each morning to be at our best 🐛💛

Kids love us unconditionally

May their unconditional love inspire us all to love more and be more patient with the kids as they become more and more inquisitive, ever-energetic, and super makulit.

We are their tour guide

In those days they test our patience, let us remember that God assigned us to be their TOUR GUIDE in this unfamiliar world. Hence we have to answer thousands of questions, explain so many things, and give so many reminders for them to be good people with bright futures.

More importantly, let us draw strength from our Almighty Father and the scriptures He gave us:

NEHEMIAH 9:17

“But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”

Have a lovely, happy and peaceful Tuesday ladies!

Thanks for stopping by and till next post! A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Enjoying motherhood and resting in Jesus 💙

Are you worrying about something today? Answer this question — do you intinctively know what your kid might be needing when he or she cries? What she wants at a certain time of the day (or evening)? What could possibly be bothering him or her when you cannot see that sunshiny smile on your baby’s face?

If you said yes to any of these questions then you can trust that all your worries are taken cared of too. If we, human moms are so instinctive that we KNOW AND RESPOND to what our child/ren needs even before they tell it to us, what more our Heavenly Father?

Rest in the thought that He will never leave nor forsake us. He calls us as His own. And He calls us by our name.


Cast your anxieties on Him. He will always be there for us 

Sharing with you one of my middle child’s favorite memory verse. Personally it reminds me to rest in Jesus no matter what!

Have a lovely and peaceful day ladies! Shalom 

Easiest Japchae cooked in Instant Pot

This is the easiest Japchae to make!

I have always liked eating Japchae  I love it and even my children like it. When I decided to try making some at home, I discovered that it is not as easy as procuring the ingredients from a supermarket. There’s presoaking involved, and there are a lot of ingredients to slice, chop, and prepare. What is a buy mom of three to do?

Enter the Instant Pot and all those worries of too much prep and waiting time are over! And the best news is I will be sharing with you this secret.  

25-minute japchae recipe

Just a word of caution though, this is the MOST BASIC Japchae, and it is not as elaborate as the one being sold in your favorite Korean resto. This is the “I am craving for japchae and I want it now” version. If you want more easy to cook recipes you may find some here.    

Fastest Japchae ever? Yes, it is possible to make Japchae in less than 25 minutes. So let us not waste time and get started!

Ingredients for a quick and easy japchae

First prepare all your ingredients. If you could get the pre-cut dangmyeon or japchae noodles then that will save you even more time. The only special equipment you will ever need is your Instant Pot!

Ingredients:

180 grams dangmyeon or japchae noodles either pre-cut or cut to fit the diameter of the instant pot

1 carrot thinly sliced

½ bulb of onion, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper sliced thinly-sliced

shitake mushroom (about half a cup)

Baby spinach (as much as you like)

OPTIONAL: PRE-COOKED sliced beef or ground beef, or chicken, or lean pork (about half a cup)

Sauce: (pre-mix this in a bowl)

1 cup water

1.5 tbsp Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Garnish: Sliced leeks and sesame seeds

Procedure in cooking Japchae

Now we will proceed to the cooking part. This is going to be so easy, especially when the ingredients have all been prepared prior to assembly.

Layer the Dangmyeon in criss-cross fashion so that they will not clump together. Add in the carrots, onion, shitake and pre-cooked meat if you are adding some. Pour in the pre-mixed sauce and set to 4 minutes high pressure.

Once pressure cooking is done, do a quick release, and reset into sauté mode. Add in the bell pepper slices and baby spinach plus the onion leeks and sauté for about two minutes.

If the noodles seem clumpy, then add in a tablespoon of water or two and try to unstick the noodles that got clumped together. Remove from heat and drizzle the sesame seeds and serve!   

Thank you for stopping by and till next post!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

 https://happypinaymommy.comhttps://happypinaymommy.com/2022/02/17/how-to-make-easy-walnut-brownies/

How to make mojo potatoes at home

It is easy to make mojo potatoes at home 💖

It has been a while since my last post and I ask you mommies to pardon me for it.

To make up for the lost time, I am sharing with you today a recipe that is super easy to make and would guarantee fun netflix marathons with the whole family!

Easy mojo potato recipe

Mojo potatoes are one of our favorite appetizers to order in a Pizza Place we are all familiar with. And like any family, we could never get enough of it. It was puzzling for me before on how they could manage to cook potatoes that usually take seven to eight minutes to fry without burning the breading.

After a bit of research and trial, I have come to realize that the potatoes were precooked and that it only needed a quick frying in order to fully cook the breading. No deep frying needed at all. It was so easy!

DIY Mojo Potatoes

Yes you are right ladies, no need to order in. No need to order the frozen cook at home version. No need to spend so much more and of course you can cook as much as the kids like!

All you need to do is to buy a kilo or more of potatoes (or as many as you like), scrub them clean (no need to peel) and steam them all for about 12 to 15 minutes depending on the size. (My instant pot can cook medium sized potatoes for like 15 minutes).

Let the potatoes cool down or you could even cook them the next day if you guys can wait. Slice the potatoes and dredge them in flour.

Dip them in eggwash, and dredge them this time on your favorite seasoned flour mixture or those ready to use breading mixes in the grocery. Although the latter may contain MSG, so make sure to use these products sparingly or just make your own.

Fry in medium heat for 1 minute per side. Place in a cooling rack or paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve with tomato ketchup or ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Reciper Run Down: Unli mojos at home

Ingredients:

Potatoes 6 medium sized pieces

Half cup of flour

1 XL egg or more

Ready breading mox or your own breading (mixture of flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder)

Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Steam the potatoes for 15 minutes and once done, cool it for at least an hour (to overnight or eveb two days in the ref).

2. Once ready to cook, slice the potatoes (no need to peel). Dredge in flour, dip in beaten eggeash, and then dredge again in the breading mix.

3. Fry in hot oil with medium heat for a minute per side. Drain excess oil in paper towel and serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe mommies and till my next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

5 Stomach Ache Home Remedies for Your Kids

Tummy aches are a common occurrence among children, and they are usually not a cause for concern. The pain mostly comes from constipation, gas, indigestion, or a stomach bug. Unless your child is suffering from severe pain or the discomfort is accompanied by high fever and excessive vomiting or diarrhea, their sakit sa tyan or…
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Keeping the kids’ artworks

keeping the kids artworks

Artworks and letters from the brood They are just too adorable and heartfelt to dispose. Children’s letters and artworks are treasures to any parents’ heart and they are just too hard to let go, at least for me. I usually keep the cards, but when my three children start giving me love letters almost everyday,…
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Screenfree Activity Suggestion: Coloring on Big Surfaces

Coloring on a big surfacelike cartolina and manila paper gets my little kids very excited. As such, it is my suggested activity for the week.

Simple coloring on big papers like cartolina sheets

Our screenfree activity suggestion for the week is simple coloring in huge papers like a cartolina. It gives kids some kind of freedom in coloring as they get a bigger space to work on.

This is actually like hitting two birds with one stone for me. The littles get to help me out with my CVC reading drill material for my homeschooling while they learn and get busy. My little guy gets more familiar with letters, colors and coloring in general, while my other child can check out the Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) words that I will be teaching her for this week .

It doubles up as a happy screen free activity for them to do while I meal prep! In my kid’s case, they were busy for less than 30 minutes, which is just enough time for me to prepare an easy yet nutritious meal (for more easy and healthy recipe ideas, hope you can check out our recipes section).

Anyway, I have realized that indeed, time flies by so fast. Last year our homeschooling lessons were all about introducing letters and their sounds and now my not so little middle child is starting to read! It really is an amazing and humbling experience at the same time. Amazing because from not knowing any of the letters, and then reading syllables, and now knowing slowly how to read three-letter words, is just fantastic! Humbling because phonics need a lot of consistency and patience.

Because of this pandemic, I am sure that more parents will be embarking on home learning. Even if you feel you cannot do it, or you do not have the patience, believe me your maternal instinct to teach will soon kick in and make you teach your littles. In my experience, patience, perseverance and consistency is the key.

For more screen-free parenting activities please browse through the rest of the album, check out the activities section of our website happypinaymommy.com, check out our Pinterest pandemic parenting board, or follow us over at Instagram! Hope you are all healthy, happy and safe mommies. God bless!

Easy Baked Chicken

easy baked chicken recipe

Sharing a recipe of easy to prep butterflied and baked chicken! This is super duper simple friends! Sorry about the photo, could not focus much because was too hungry and excited to eat. Sharing the quick recipe below: Butterflied baked chicken recipe 1. Butterfly the chicken by cutting its spine and neck off its body…
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Screenfree activity suggestion: Storytime with artwork activity

Level up story telling time fun by asking the kids to draw their favorite characters 🙂 This screen-free activity has been fun for us, im sure it will be fun for you too.

Adding another entry to our suggested screenfree activities album, that will be very helpful for entertaining children this community quarantine period. Level up the fun of storytelling time by making the kids draw their favorite characters from the story!

My children loved the book Monsters Love Underpants written by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. It is fun and is so entertaining. They goggled at almost every page. The colors are also very vibrant and could easily encourage them to draw little monsters on their own.

Story character artwork

So, I gave them colorful papers, googly eyes, some paste and coloring materials. Seems they had fun! I literally had an hour to do chores as they drew away in their colored papers. the ones in the picture I posted is just the first set the three of them drew. they drew more after that. It was fun and they happily drew, colored and pasted away. I am sure your kids will have fun too. Check out even some of the books they have read already and gather some art materials. It will be a fun afternoon or mid morning activity 🙂

For more fun screenfree activites your children can do during these lockdowns, browse through the rest of our FB album or check out the Kids’ Activities section in our website, happypinaymommy.com. Hope you can follow us on Instagram and Pinterest too!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Disinfecting fruits, vegetables and grocery items

Here is an easy way to dinfect fruits, vegetables, and grocery items during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thank God for fruit and vegetable delivery service, we can still eat healthy this community quarantine period. Yaya-less moms like me cannot go to the market or grocery since it is not safe to leave the kids at home nor take them outside the house.

Anyway, how do I disinfect fruits and vegetables in view of the Corona Virus? Health experts say since vegetables and fruits are porous, they can be washed in soapy water for 20 seconds. So, that is what I do and then air dry the fruits in scratch papers we have around the house. After that the fruits will be safe and ready for peeling, slicing, refrigerating or eating

Disinfecting grocery items against COVID-19

Spent the first hour and a half of the day disinfecting the groceries, fruits and vegetables i bought a couple of days ago. As moms, i think this will be our new normal with #coronavirus lurking around. 
Sharing with you the video of CNN Chief Medical Correspondent SanJay Gupta as well as the video of Dr. Jeffrey Van Wingman who both demonstrated how to disinfect grocery items,fruits, veggies and even take out food during this time of pandemic and moving forward.

Personally, to make things easier for me i made a disinfection solution in a pail and soaked the plastic, bottled and canned items there for three minutes and rinsed it off. It was easier for me to just soak, rinse and repeat everything.

For the meat, poultry and seafood that i bought (some through contactless delivery like the fruits and veggies), i removed them from their bags right away, washed and repackaged them in my freezer ziplocs and containers. Of course unlike the non perishable items i have to freeze these items right away.

As for other stuff like those in cartons i followed the doctor’s advice. The veggies and fruits, i soaked in warm sudsy water and washed it as if am washing my hands — 20 seconds especially for those we eat unpeeled like eggplant, ampalaya, and tomatoes.

I did not forget to wash and sanitize the containers I left the groceries and fruits on for three days till i washed them. And of course i disinfected my working area after i disinfected all these.
Kapagod ka COVID, lalo dumami trabaho naming mommies!

Hope this helps, and if you need more pandemic homemaking tips, please check out our latest post on how to make a disinfection spray at home here. You can also browse our Facebook album on Pandemic Homemaking, as well as our Pinterest Board and Instagram Feed. Thanks and till next post!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Dealing with quarantine weight gain

Quarantine weight gain can be a concern amongst us moms.

Gaining Weight During Quarantine

Mommies, I encourage you to think better thoughts today. If you gained weight this lockdown season and have been beating yourself up for it, try to look at the brighter side.

Gaining weight during quarantine means:

1. You are happy and comfortable enough to not lose appetite over the stress this pandemic brings.

2. You most likely have not been afflicted with COVID-19 as most patients lose 10 lbs or more while dealing with it.

3. While stress eating is a thing, gaining a bit also means there is enough food at home to tide you by these hard times. Not every one has enough.

Move on, and move more

So stop beating yourself over it. Move on and just incorporate daily 30-minute exercises in your stay at home routine. Choose to eat healthier too, and sleep earlier. 

Love and light to everyone! For pandemic parenting tips, please check out our Facebook Album, Instagram Feed, and Pinterest Pandemic Parenting Board. God bless, stay safe!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy

How to make a disinfection spray solution

disinfection spray solution

During this time of COVID-19 Pandemic, it is crucial for us moms to have an EFFECTIVE go-to disinfection spray for our homes. Aerosol disinfection sprays and 70% alcohols are scarce, and so we must make do with household bleach which is equally effective in getting rid of virus and bacteria in surfaces.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the correct ratio is about five (5) ml bleach is to 100 ml plain water. I have actually converted their recommended ratio for a standard household use ratio as we do not get to utilize a gallon of disinfection liquid a day. This solution is ONLY EFFECTIVE FOR 24 HRS. It has to be discarded after that, so make a fresh solution for the new day. I add a bit of fabric conditioner to make the solution smell better. Here is a link for our past article on homemade fabric conditioner.

Easy measurement tips for disinfection spray

As for the measurement, you can use an old medicine cup and just use it for that purpose. Re-purpose a sprayer for the disinfection solution or get a new one. Mark the 100 or 200ml line so you do not have to measure water each day you make a fresh solution.

To sum it up:
10 ml bleach is to 200 ml water

Add 5 ml fabcon to improve odor

Discard after 24 hours, and make a fresh batch

Hope this helps. Thank you for reading and till next post. For more pandemic homemaking tips hope you can check out our Facebook Album on Pandemic Homemaking.

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Can Lifelong Learning Make You a Better Parent?

Life-long learning has an extended benefit when it comes to raising children. (Photo Credits)

The rise in the popularity of postgraduate education  is fueling Asian economies, according to UNESCO, with the report Higher Education in Asia: Expanding Out finding that “investing in higher education will lead to an educated workforce and that, as evidence of an educated workforce becomes known, it will attract international investment that will contribute to the economic development of the nation.” Lifelong learning is often undertaken in the Philippines as a means to improve the family’s economic wellbeing, but it can also have a positive effect on the  psychological wellbeing and motivation to learn in children. If you have always wanted to go back to university or obtain a coveted diploma, how can doing so make life better for your children as well?

Leading by Example

Children learn by example and rather than simply reminding them to study, showing them that education is a never-ending experience, is best taught by example. It is difficult for children not to be inspired and influenced by their parent’s desire to learn. Your children will not only benefit from watching you research and process information; they will also perceive the benefits that study is bringing you. A 2012  study by Marjan Laal showed that the benefits of learning can be divided into three main categories: the ability to cope with a fast-changing world, the ability to improve your earnings by accessing a wider range of job opportunities, and the ability to lead a more enriching, fulfilling life.

Making Time an Affordable Luxury

Pursuing further study is not always easy, particularly if you are working full-time or studying in a busy city like Manila, where  heavy traffic can require big sacrifices in terms of getting to university and back. Where there is a will there is a way, as they say, so you can find alternative means to study if time is of the essence. A bevy of colleges these days have undergraduate and postgraduate degrees online in a range of subjects — including Business and Management, Computers, Law, Science, Art and Design, and more. As stated by  DegreePlanet.com, students these days have various options in terms of study time. They can opt for full or part-time study depending on your availability and budget, but so long as you stick to your chartered course, you will land somewhere very different a few years down the line than you would be if you never pursued your coveted degree.

Why does Passion for Learning Matter?

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that workers who aren’t doing what they love can feel unexcited, uncommitted, and uninvolved. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey (January, 2019) showed that Filipino employees work an average of 43.2 hours a week (a 6% rise compared to one year ago). Many spend more hours in their place of work than with their kids. Can you imagine feeling unenthusiastic about where you are at day in, day out? Passion matters because happiness does and when you do what you love, it is much easier to feel motivated and enthusiastic every single day.
By being passionate about what you do, you can show children the importance of pursuing their dreams when they are older. By continuing to bury your head in the books or research fascinating facts online, you can lead by example and show them how engaging learning can be. Finally, by working hard to obtain an important degree or diploma, you can show them that their own efforts can improve their chance of success and enable them to enjoy a more stable, happier life.

Thanks for reading, and till next post!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to bake low-carb coconut flour muffin

Here’s the low carb recipe for coconut flour muffins

As promised will be sharing with you the recipe of the low carb Cococnut flour muffins that i tried baking the other day since it turned out great.

Low carb coconut flour muffins

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1 cup coconut milk (i used @cocomama)
1/2 cup swerve or any granulated sugar alternative that you have
1.5 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup organic coconut flour

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: dark chocolate chips, raisins, whole rolled oats, cashew nuts, salted duck eggs (yes masarap parang bibingka feels), grated cheese (parmesan, left over queso de bola, or cheddar)

Coconut flour muffin baking procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F (this is really quick to mix so dont skip this step to save on time). Spray your silicone, foil or paper muffin liners  with any oil spray or grease completely with butter as the muffins stick to it)
2. Beat the eggs. In the measuring cup or container stir the coconut milk and then add to the mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Add a bit of water (1 to 1.5 tbsp) IF the batter gets to thick only.
4. Pour the batter 3/4 full in each muffin cup. I dont know if this is the professional  thing to do (homebaker here) but i mix in the optional toppings in each muffin cup at this stage. I then it bake for 20 minutes. .
5. Do the toothpick test. If it comes out clear, take out the muffin tray and let the muffins rest for about six minutes, then remove from the tin and continue cooling in wire racks for about 10-12 minutes. Serve!

Let’s eat. Here’s a good way to serve these muffins for breakfast:

Spinach omelette, farmer’s ham, low carb coconut flour muffins and pineapple slices for breakfast

Thanks and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

Lights, Camera, Diapers: Snappy Tips for a Successful Newborn Shoot

Lights, Camera, Diapers: Snappy Tips for a Successful Newborn Shoot

Lights, Camera, Diapers: Snappy Tips for a Successful Newborn Shoot

Austin is the capital city of Texas, America’s largest state. It s home to various industries, from food to music, and other businesses.

Photography is one particular business that is popular around this city as there are numerous beautiful locations here wherein photo shoots are a common sight. Among the various subjects of photography though, one such fad is quickly taking the cake: newborn baby photoshoots.

If you are one of the happy parents who are thinking about having a newborn shoot, best wishes are in order because you just welcomed a new addition to your beautiful family.

It is time to take photos of your latest bundle of joy to capture all the precious and poignant moments of your baby’s first days in the world.

These photos will serve as a cherished memento that your family will treasure for life. Imagine your true-blue Texan wearing cute cowboy boots and a stetson hat while hugging a cute pony. “Y’all better not mess with Texas”, alright!

As adorable as newborns can be, these tiny tots aren’t always the best models in front of the camera. A prominent Austin newborn photography shares that behind that touching photograph is a degree of difficulty, because babies aren’t exactly the most cooperative subjects.

To help your family’s newborn photo session go on as smoothly as possible, consider the following tips below:

Choose a Photographer You Can Trust

It is vital to pick a photographer that you have a good rapport with. Any unrest will translate into the final photos. There are many Austin newborn photography companies, but they are not created equal. You must filter the ones who have been in the industry for a long time.

To illustrate, experienced studios can prove that they have the expertise and knowledge on how to handle delicate newborn shoots. These sessions with your little one cannot compare to ordinary photo shoots. Only an experienced baby photographer will be at ease in handling a human being that’s fresh from the womb.

Preparing for a Home Shot

Most newborn shoots are done athome because that is where your baby will feel most comfortable, and everything that you need should the baby decide to have a crying fit will easily be within reach. The key is to pick a room with big windows that provide a lot of natural light.

Typically, newborn photographers shy away from flash and harsh lights because newborns are sensitive to these.

Getting Ready for a Shoot away from Home

There are several locations in Austin where the shoot can take place, but always remember that newborn babies are very sensitive, so it will be best if you ask your pediatrician beforehand if it is safe for your baby to be photographed outside of your home. If you are looking for a lovely location, choosing Austin’s famous tourist attractions like the Ziker Nature Preserve, McKinney Falls State Park, or the Lady Bird Lake will make a nice backdrop.

These areas are rich in panoramic vistas, along with abundant natural light, that will perfectly complement your photo session.

Prepare the Baby’s Basic Needs

If you ant an outdoor location, say at the Austin Capitol because it is an iconic seat of power, your photographer can certainly arrange that. Just make sure that you do your part by bringing your baby’s essentials because the last thing you want is a diaper explosion at the capitol grounds.

The same goes if you choose to do the shoot in a studio. Be sure to bring a baby bag with extra diapers, wipes, milk, nappy cream, and clothes.

Mind the Temperature

Newborns are often photographed naked, and they will get cold fairly quickly. Crank up your thermostat to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, at least thirty minutes before you start your session. Remember to keep your newborn cozy and comfy at all times. Living in Austin has its perks in this aspect because it has a humid subtropical climate. You can mostly like do location shoots in summer, spring, and early autumn when the weather in Texas is pleasant.

Make Time For Feeds and Snuggles

Newborns get fussy, especially when they’re hungry. Follow your baby’s feeding time because your photographer wouldn’t mind taking breaks. If you’re nursing, fret not because your photographer will give you privacy. This much-needed feeding and snuggling session will get your baby ready to face the spotlight again. Photographers understand that babies have meltdowns, so don’t feel embarrassed when your baby has a crying fit. It’s all a part of the job!

Bring Your Props and Clothes

If you have family heirlooms that you want to include in the photoshoot, prepare them way ahead of time. You can provide three to four wardrobe changes. Going with a cowboy theme is a great idea for a traditional Texan family. You can also include something with a star as a tribute to The Lone Star State.

Sometimes, photographers will bring their crates, baskets, and other fillers when they’re going for a particular theme. Although these are usually sanitized ahead of time to ensure the safety of your little one, there is no harm in asking the photographer if you have sanitation concerns. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Bottom Line

You may think that you are prepared for everything, but sometimes plans still go awry because babies are somewhat unpredictable. Be gentle with yourself because this is totally normal.

Hopefully, these tips will help you prepare so you can become more comfortable for your upcoming newborn baby shoot. Always keep in mind that your photographer won’t mind if you give suggestions or bring up any concerns because professional photographers will always respect that the parents know their baby best.

Thanks for reading. Hope you learned a thing or two and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook Low-Carb Putanesca

How to cook low carb putanesca using soybean noodles

How to cook low carb putanesca using soybean noodles


Cooking low carb putanesca is easy!

Pasta is such a comfort food, but if you are watching your carbs, it would be nice to have an alternative noodles to use for your pasta dishes. 

Soybean pasta as a low carb noodle substitute

In this recipe, I used soybean noodles as a replacement to whole wheat pasta. The packaging says it is gluten free too so bonus for those who are trying to avoid gluten in their diet.

I usually make this Putanesaca recipe meatless but the mister requested a bit of italian sausage so i did just that. Sharing this simple recipe:

Low Carb Putanesca Recipe


Here are the ingredients for the low carb putanesca recipe:

3 servings of soybean noodles cooked according to package directions (save half a cup of the pasta water for later use)

4-5 pieces of fresh seeded tomatoes chopped or 1 can of sliced tomatoes

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Black olives chopped

Italian sausage, sliced

Olive oil

Fresh or dried basil, oregano or rosemary OR if you do not have this try a storebought italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Optional: chili flakes and basil leaves

Here is a simple procedure in cooking the low carb putanesca:
  1. Pan fry the sausage in olive oil. Set aside. 
  2. In the same pan, saute onion and garlic. Add the diced tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes add 1/2 cup of pasta water, if canned just add 1/4.
  3. Bring to a boil and let it simmer a bit. 
  4. Season with the herbs, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to your liking. 
  5. Add the sausage and then the sliced black olives
  6.  Add a handful of grated parmesan cheese. 
  7. Add in the noodles and turn off heat after one minute. 
  8. Serve with more parmesan cheese, chili flakes and if you happen to have fresh basil (i don’t😁) add some on top! Enjoy!

For more recipes please check out the recipes and mealplans section of our website, happypinaymommy.com. We also have several FB recipe album and a Pinterest recipe board. We also regularly update our Instagram feed with recipes and everyday mothering stuff so hope you can follow us too!

Thanks for reading and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy! 

Suggested Mom books from a second hand book haul

Here are some suggested mom books from my second hand book haul

Whenever I am inactive in the blogosphere and my social media pages you can be sure that it is eithwr I am drowning in chores and family events, catching up on my writing or plainly being unbusy with my little familia wandering around.

Inspiring books on motherhood

Anyway, while aimlessly strolling in a mall I got some books in our favorite second hamd bookstore. These include To love, honor and vacuum by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Wild and Wacky Bible Adventures by Sandy Silverthorne, and another book entitled “Divinely Designed.”

Cant wait to finish reading all these!

Can you believe I got all these titles for just P90.00? Im particularly excited about reading the *To love, honor, and vacuum* which was written by one of parenting bloggers that I follow. I have actually read a few pages already. It is about moms who are in the trenches of mommying littles and running a busy household – something i could totally relate to as a yayaless mom of three little children. It is very informative and entertaining at the same time.

More importantly, it is a great resource for spiritual reflections, family life and The Scripture. I am so excited to leaf through all the pages!

In our little IG community, I can say that im so blessed to have virtual friends and parenting mentors. Their comments and meaningful responses to the mom reflections I post are all helpful and inspiring. Im just so lucky to have grandmas, moms of older kids, veteran moms and loving aunts advising me and cheering me on through IG as I go through my parenting phase. Love and light to all of you sisters ❤❤❤

Thanks for reading and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

Thoughts on bringing babies and young children to church

Thoughts on bringing babies and kids to church

Thoughts on bringing babies and kids to church


I dont know with you but one of my challenges as a parent (and some of the other parents that I know) is to make the kids quietly sit through mass. While mine are mostly quiet, they are always either tinkering, looking about, asking questions, asking to nurse, or asking for snack or a drink of water and just being USUAL, normally curious and active kids.

Since our church (and most catholic churches we go to) do not have a kids’ area — I try my best to keep them from distracting other people (yes ive gotten a fair share of unkind stares from churchgoers who may not understand kids being kids) but one sure thing is that my children’s actions in church usually distracts me from listening in.

This has been the case Sunday after Sunday except if one or two or all three of them decide to doze off. “Is bringing them to church practical at this age, especially when the mister is out of town and you just have to do it on your own?” asks one of my friends.

Why bring babies and kids to church

Well, getting them in their car seats, driving with all the chaos, and then later on loading one in the carrier and another in the stroller and holding the hand of another all by myself while bringing a baby bag can be tiring.

Tandem nursing through the sermon or any part of the mass, constantly answering questions and serving them could all be overwhelming — but I will always, always SAY YES to this question. YES to bringing babies and young children to church. Not because i am a better mom or a model parent, but because I am trying my best to be worthy of the many graces and mercies God has given my little family.

I usually catch up with not being able to understand the sermon at times, by watching youtube uploads of the healing mass usually telecast over at CNN Philippines but uploaded over at YT six hours after. I watch the upload usually when the kids are asleep, so i could concentrate on the message.

But really, bringing them to church, instilling that habit, and showing them the importance of praise, thanksgiving, and asking the Lord for forgiveness is a crucial part of our week as a family. It would be a great achievement for me to see them do it to their own kids decades from now.

Anyway, sharing this lovely article written by a mom who also experiences the same challenge, Sunday after Sunday.

https://herviewfromhome.com/faith-mom-at-church-its-worth-it/

Hopefully, we mothers, no matter the stage of parenthood we are in — could support each other in bringing young kids and babies to church. Let us give grace to moms who are having a hard time getting their kids to behave. Or the mom who may be getting stressed and embarrassed because of their kids’ actuations or their baby’s colic. Let us help each other because others may not understand or choose to understand our kids being kids. We should be each other’s support group 💞

Thanks for reading up and hope you all have had a great Sunday and a safe and happy and healthy week ahead! Cheers!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

Lunch baon ideas for young gradeschoolers

Just uploaded a new FB album for lunch baon ideas

Hi mommies! I though of starting a Facebook album of lunch baon ideas for your little gradeschoolers.

My initial upload over at our facebook page comprise of about 15 school lunch baon ideas to help uou with planning baons for more for than two weeks.

School baon ideas 2020

I usually post baon ideas in our Instagram feed and these usually get to our Pinterest Page and Facebook Albums from time to time. This new album though focuses more on lunch food especially for children transitioning from half day of schooling to a whole day in school with lunch.

As we know the challenge here is to balance ease of eating with its nutritional value. Of course we also have to make the effort of making it attractive enough for them to eat 😁 In short we have to make the lunches healthier, yummier and easier to eat. Tall order everyday right?

Tips for preparing lunch baon for kids

So to solve this challenge, we really have to plan. We can also share ideas. So if you wish to share some of your baon ideas feel free to send me a message anytime. I will include your photos in the album with credits to you of course.

You can check out our Facebook album through happypinaymommy FB page. Hope you can check out our Pinterest school baon ideas board and our Instagram feed. Happy baon prepping fellow moms!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Keeping little ones content during car rides

The challenge of keeping little kids happy during car rides.

Long car rides, even short ones sometimes, can be a nightmare for parents with young children. Children don’t often like to sit still for very long. And, with their shorter attention spans, it can feel like keeping them entertained is impossible.

Traveling is a necessary part of life, and sometimes long trips are simply unavoidable. With proper planning, you can have a variety of things for your children to do that can help keep them entertained.

If you do a lot of driving, you should definitele check out auto insurance quotes to make sure you have the best coverage for your needs, as it’s very important to plan ahead and be more prepared.

Bring Along Art Supplies 

Art supplies are a fun and easy way to keep children occupied during your travels. Crayons, markers, coloring books, and sketch paper are all relatively inexpensive, and they allow children to be as creative as they’d like, letting their imaginations run wild.

You can also purchase travel art sets, which are very convenient to have because everything is neatly stored in one place. You can even make your own travel art kit that you keep in the car for very little money.

If you fear your children making a mess in the backseat with their crayons or markers, you can always use scratch paper art instead, which allows them to scratch designs into a piece of paper.

Utilize Rest Stops 

It’s common to want to get to your destination as soon as possible without making a bunch of stops along the way. You may have to compromise, though, and utilize rest stops if your kids become upset and they’re not calming down.

It can be very difficult for them to sit still for such a long time, and having the chance to get out, stretch their legs, and have a potty break can make a huge difference in their moods and behavior.

Pack Fun Toys 

Pack a bag with your child’s favorite toys. You can also mix things up and throw in some toys they have not played with for a while. If your child is old enough, you can encourage them to pack their favorite toys, so there will hopefully be no meltdowns if you accidentally forgot to pack something.

Tablets and Handheld Gaming Devices Can Help 

Tablets and handheld gaming devices can keep children entertained for hours. It’s understandable if you don’t want your child to use a tablet for a long period of time, but tablets can be extremely helpful if you do choose to use them. It’s important for your children to pack headphones, especially if they’re playing games or watching movies because the noise can become distracting. Anything that pulls your attention from the road can put everyone at risk, so stay focused. If your child has a tablet, you can download some shows or movies for them to watch without needing to be hooked up to wi-fi.

You can also download some fun new apps for them to try out during the trip. 

Play Car Games 

Depending on how old your children are, car games can be great fun for the whole family. There are many games you can play, or even try inventing your own.

Common car games like Guess the song, I Spy Alphabet, Deep questions, Going on a Picnic, Would You Rather, License plate game, and Story Car games are something that can get the whole family talking and having fun together.

When you plan to drive long distances, especially with children, you always want to be prepared for anything that can happen. Let someone know where you’re going, make sure you have plenty of gas, and pay extra attention to the weather forecast before you leave.

Hope you have learned something from today’s blog post. Till next time and thank you for stoping by!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

5 Creative Uses for your Home Surveillance Camera

Here are five more uses for your home surveillance cameras.

Hi mommies! Sharing with you a guest post on additional uses for your CCTV or surveillance cameras at home. While its main purpose is to secure the rest of the household and the whole property, there are still more ways to make use of your home surveillamce cameras:

Security cameras have become a necessity for both homes and businesses these days. They can provide reliable security, and the peace of mind that it provides is worth every penny. If you haven’t installed a surveillance system in your home, you need to look into it, as the rate of crime related to homes has increased over the last few years.

According to statistics from the FBI, Theft and larceny are the two most common crimes in the US, and more than 70% of the reported cases of theft happen at residential properties.

Though most people install surveillance cameras with the deterrence of criminals in mind, modern wireless cameras have a lot more purposes. These days wireless surveillance cameras have numerous innovative features that make them a useful device for many applications. In today’s post we will tell you about some creative uses for wireless security cameras, so stick around to learn how to maximize the potential of your surveillance system.

Cameras can be used for Monitoring your children and pets:

Modern wireless cameras have many features that make them perfect for monitoring your home while you are away. As most devices have remote viewing capabilities that you can use for a small monthly subscription, you can observe the real-time footage of your cameras from any location, as long as you have an active internet connection.

Some wireless cameras also has a two-way communication feature, which you can use to talk to your children as well. Because of the sound detection capabilities in modern surveillance cameras, they can be used as effective baby monitors as well. When the baby cries, the cameras will alert you, and you will also be able to see the footage on your phone instead of only listening to the voice.

Because of all the features mentioned above, modern surveillance cameras can also be used to keep an eye on your pet while you are out of town.

Cameras can be used to monitor your garden:

Wireless surveillance cameras are also beneficial for monitoring your garden. Racoons and other significant pests are very quick and cunning; they come around, damage your garden and disappear without letting you catch them.

However, they can’t fool the motion detection capabilities of modern wireless security cameras. You can set the cameras so that they alert you when motion is detected, or if you have an automated home, you can set it up so that the sprinklers are turned on. This will effectively keep these pests away from your garden.

Furthermore, modern security cameras have smart motion-detecting capabilities, which makes them able to differentiate between the motion of a human and an animal. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about the sprinklers being triggering when you are in the garden. If you have a backyard garden with your home, then wireless security cameras can be very useful for you. You can use the cameras to keep an eye on your garden and catch pests.

Creating a neighbourhood watch:


These days, you don’t need to take shifts walking around the block to maintain a neighbourhood watch. You can use modern wireless cameras and their amazing features to keep an eye on the street and your neighbourhood.

The smart motion detection capabilities make it so that you don’t have to monitor the footage of the cameras either. If the motion detected is caused by an animal, the camera won’t alert you, and if a person causes the motion, you can check the footage. Most modern security cameras and smart doorbells can be connected using the app named “streety”. This app allows you to monitor all the outdoor cameras that are already installed around the neighbourhood at one convenient location. However, you will need permission from the owners of the cameras to gain access to the footage.

Receiving delivery packages:

If you are not at home, most delivery companies will leave the package on your front porch. Packages can be stolen or damaged. Some companies may return the package to the local post office or courier warehouse and getting it back could require a lot of hassle. Therefore, you need to have a system to receive packages when you aren’t home.

Wireless security cameras come in handy in this situation. You should add a lockable box to your front porch. Many similar boxes can be remotely open through your phone or by using a passcode. When the delivery person arrives, the motion detection feature of your camera will notify you.

You can use the two-way communication to guide the delivery person to place the package in the lockable box. If you want to do a  security camera installation in your home, you should check out imperial CCTV.

Wireless cameras can be used to implement a home automation system:


One of the best uses of modern wireless surveillance cameras is in the implementation of a home automation system. Most cameras can be connected to integrated smart home devices like Alexa from Amazon or Google assistant.

The inputs of the surveillance cameras can then be used for several tasks around the house; for example, you can automatically open your door with the help of cameras. All you have to do is look who is ringing the bell on your phone using remote viewing, and if the person is allowed in your home, ask your home automation system to open the door automatically.

There are many other applications of wireless surveillance cameras in home automation. Unlike wired security cameras that are expensive to maintain and monitor, and perform specific tasks, modern wireless security cameras have a lot of innovative and useful features that can be used for a lot more than simple security.

Installing a surveillance camera system in your home can be quite advantageous, therefore, if you already have one in your home, make sure to apply the above-mentioned creative uses so that you can get the most out of your investment. We hope that you found this post interesting and exciting. That’s all and have a great day.

Author Bio:Garrett Thomas is a French national, a student of IT, in his final year at Stanford University. He is exceptionally passionate about writing his thoughts in words. He takes up writing projects in his leisure time to accompany his studies. He is obsessed with new technology and enjoys every bit exploring it. He regularly shares his ideas at http://www.imperialcctv.com/blog/.

A Guide to Find the Safest Organic Baby Products

Here's a useful guide in finding the safest organic products for your baby.

Here’s a useful guide in finding the safest organic products for your baby.

As a parent, caring for the baby’s hygiene should be an absolute priority. It is essential to find the best suitable and safe baby products. Opting to use organic products for daily use is one good alternative.

Only the safest organic baby products

You are already aware of the level of contamination in the environment and the day-to-day products that you use. Reports suggest the presence of toxins in baby products as well. It becomes vital for a parent to buy the safest organic baby products to safeguard the baby from the effects of the contamination.

For a product to be termed organic, as one of the mandatory conditions, FDA demands the ingredients of a product to be printed on the label and approved as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

It is always beneficial to know what are the chemicals and other harmful elements to be avoided in baby products. The following are some of them:

BPA Plastic in plastic containers
PFAS in drinking water
Phthalates in some diapers, baby powder, and toys
Triclosan in some toys, socks, and bedding
Flame retardants in children’s pajamas and foam materials
Pesticides in some non-organic textiles and food
Heavy metals in art paints and toys
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) in craft materials and soft plastic toys

Let us now see the safest organic baby products for your baby.

Diapers

Diapers come in cloth, compostable, or as disposable. Traditionally, cloth diapers are considered the safest, as they contain less or no plastic, fewer fragrances, and are washable. A majority of cloth diapers are made from organic cotton flannel or hemp. These are also compostable.

Compostable diaper service allows access to plant-based diapers that can be broken down. A high heat compost system is required, instead of the traditional municipal system.

In the case of disposable ones, prefer perfume-free and dye-free diapers that specify they are VOCs and phthalates free.

Bath and Skin Care

In the initial months after the birth, the baby’s immune system is susceptible. Hence it is essential to follow a simple routine to protect the baby from unneeded chemical exposure. For instance, avoid artificially scented products, use regular water instead of bubble bath, and use scent-free laundry detergent for baby clothes.

Bedding

Give preference to organic fibers like cotton and wool, for bedding. Make sure to purchase certified, non-toxic mattresses to make a baby’s bed. Avoid mattresses with polyurethane foam and waterproof covering containing PVC.

Baby Food

It is recommended to steam fruits and vegetables before feeding them to your baby. It will eliminate the effects of pesticides and other toxins like lead. Use canned baby formulas with BPA free mentioned on the label. Bamboo spoons and bowls are a practical choice.

Water

Breast milk and infant formula keep the baby hydrated. However, it is good to give a few sips of water from time to time. Ensure filtered water is used to avoid toxins like lead and PFAS that are present in tap water.

With so much exposure to toxic materials all around us, parents must choose the appropriate baby products wisely to safeguard the baby’s health and have a better future.

Thanks for reading and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Super Spicy Adobo

Super spicy adobo is super easy to cook too

Super spicy adobo is super easy to cook too

Did not cook a huge batch of this adobo since it is so sinful! Our littles had breakfast for dinner so me and the mister are having this spicy adobo plus white rice and ice cold beerrrrrrsssss 😄🍺🍻🍺
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Shared this recipe over here a couple of times already, but if you are too busy to browse through the website here’s a sum up of the procedure:

Super Spicy Pork Adobo Recipe

Cook adobo the way you normally cook it. Since each family has a preferred way of cooking, and a preferred slant (saltier, more sour, sweeter), i suggest that you cook adobo the way your family likes it.

Use the ingredients you love but sub half of your vinegar with apple cider vinegar. You can use whatever meat you prefer — chicken, beef or pork. You can even add boiled eggs. You can use liempo or ribs or adobo cut or whatever you prefer.it is all up to you.

Make it spicy

When the adobo is cooked, heat atsuete oil in a separate pan. Add the adobo meat slices. Add your chili powder and chili flakes and refry it. Ayan na may adobo for pulutan or for unli steaming white rice na 😄😄😄
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Cheers! 😍😍😍😍 kain na po tayo

For more recipes please check out the recipes and meal plans section of our website, browse our Facebook albums, follow our Pinterest recipes board or check out our Instagram feed. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Easy Garlic and Butter Shrimp

10 minute, easy garlic and butter shrimp recipe

10 minute, easy garlic and butter shrimp recipe

Sharing with you friends, my simple garlic butter shrimp, with (optional) sun dried tomato pesto. Easy to whip up, mas matagal pa tanggalan ng bigote at sharp stuff ang hipon!

Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe

For newbie mamas who would like to cook this recipe, here is a simple procedure:
Ingredients:
1/2 Kg shrimp
8 oz Sprite or 7up or if feeling fab, white wine
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto (optional)
Minced garlic (as much as you like)
A squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Choice of sidings (corn, marble potatoes etc)

Butter Garlic Shrimp Cooking Procedure:

1. Pre-cook shrimp in sprite or 7up that has been drizzled with pepper. Stop the process as soon as the shrimp turns orange. Set aside.
2. Saute finely chopped garlic and onions in olive oil and butter. Asd the sun tomato pesto.
3. Add in the shrimp and coat it in the oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper. You can add chili flakes if the dish will not be served to kids. .
4. Squeeze in a bit of lemon. Remove from heat and serve with corn on the cob and grain of choice. Enjoy!
For more easy to cook recipes and meal plans, please visit our website, happypinaymommy.com (link in bio). Hope you can also browse our Facebook Page’s recipe albums, or follow our Pinterest recipes board. We also regularly updateour Instagram feed with recipes, toddler meal ideas, school baon, baking and parenting stuff. See you there!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to make Christmas Chocolate Cookies

How to make Christmas Chocolate Cookies

How to make Christmas Chocolate Cookies

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our home. Was supposed to post our cookie decorating activity yesterday but did not get to do it anymore. We had a little visitor as well >> my neighbor dropped off her kid so she could run an errand or two. Overwhelming pala ang apat na bata sa bahay! Haha

Anyway, they all enjoyed the Chrismas Choco Cookie decorating we did. For newbie mamas who would like to replicate this fun activity at home, here is a simple procedure:

Christmas Chocolate Cookies

You will need cookie cutters, baking racks, cookie sheet, frosting stuff (even a small ziplock will do), plus diff kinds of sprinkles you have there.
For the cookies you will need:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Plain Choco Cookie Recipe

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg. Set aside. Sift dried ingredients, mix and gradually add to the butter sugar mixture. .
Roll the dough into a disk and refrigerate for an hour. Roll into desired thickness and cut using floured Christmas cookie cutters. The kids will have fun doing this so when they are done just put the cookies in a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Freeze for 15 minutes.
Bake in 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes.
Meanwhile make simple icing by mixing an egg white, 1/2 to 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar.
Adjust the thickness by using a bit of water at a time. For the border you should achieve a toothpaste like consistency. While for the inner icing color, shampoo consistency is fine.
Put in separate containers and use desired gel coloring. Transfer to icing bags or diy ziplock bags and snip at the end to first border the cooking and next to flood it.
Give it to the kids alongside the sprinkles so they can decorate. My kids had fun using my bento tweezers to decorate their cookie trees. .
Let the cookies dry and then you are done. You can eat the cookies or give as gifts 😁
For more recipes, kiddie meal and baon ideas, and fun activities that you can do with your youngster please visit the recipes and kids’ activities section of our website, happypinaymommy.com.
Hope you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and in Pinterest where we regularly post recipes, meal plans, and parenting stuff. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

10-Minute Spinach and Tokwa Stirfry

10-minute spinach and tokwa stir fry

10-minute spinach and tokwa stir fry

Sharing with you today a meatless, affordable, and easy to cook dish>> my 10-minute spinach and tokwa stir fry. It is basically Spinach with tokwa and a bit of oyster sauce. Yummmy and takes only 10 minutes to cook!
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For newbie mamas who would like to replicate this dish here’s the quick procedure:

10-min Spinach and Tokwa Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Spinach
Tokwa
Pepper
Light Oyster Sauce
Sesame Oil

Spinach and Tokwa Recipe Procedure

Pan fry tokwa pieces. Set aside. In a separate pan, drizzle olive oil. Add the spinach and wilt it a bit. Cover for a minute ot two. Add the tokwa slices. Season with pepper and about two tablespoons of light oyster sauce. Mix well. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.

For more meatless recipes and meal ideas under 100 pesos, please check out the recipes and meal plan section of our website, happypinaymommy.com. Hope you can also browse our Facebook recipe albums, check out our Instagram feed, and follow our Pinterest board.

See you there!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

How to Make Christmas Pastillas

How to make christmas pastillas

How to make christmas pastillas

Was so busy to play with them today so i *commissioned* the two littles to make pastillas de leche while i am working on some write-ups.

The pastillas do not look perfect but they are surprisingly fun to eat. Milky and not too sweet ❤ and of course i had a lot to tidy up after they were done making their sweet, milky treat.

Christmas Pastillas de Leche

I think the 15 minute tidying up is well worth the solid hour of fun for them and writing for me 😄 i was watching them while they were doing they project and i get to see their happy faces while rolling milky dough on their hands. Haha happy mess to clean! 😉

For newbie mamas who would like to make colored pastillas de leche with their littles, here’s a simple procedure:

Pastillas de Leche Recipe

1/2 Cup Condensed Milk
1 to 2 Cups Skim or powdered milk (add gradually)
Favorite food coloring (gel or liquid)
Sugar
Separate bowls for each color you want to make.

Procedure:

In a bowl, pour condensed milk. Add one color and mix. Add just enough milk powder to form a sticky dough. Once you are able to form a ball, roll the balls in a mixture of powdered milk and sugar. Put in small chocolate liners or insert a pick 😍 serve!
For more recipes, kiddie meal and baon ideas, and fun activities that you can do with your youngster please visit the recipes and kids’ activities section of our website, happypinaymommy.com.

Hope you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and in Pinterest where we regularly post recipes, meal plans, and parenting stuff. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Easy ginataang sitaw at kalabasa recipe

Ginataang kalabasa at sitaw recipe

Ginataang kalabasa at sitaw recipe

Hi everyone, sharing with you guys a good meatless and *petsa de peligro* dish — The Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa.

Growing up this is one of my favorite dishes and am glad my kids like it too.

Ginataang sitaw at kalabasa

For newbie cooking mamas who want to know how to cook this simple ginataang vegetable dish here is a rough procedure:

Ingredients:

Kalabasa

Sitaw

Patis to taste

2 cups coconut milk

Onion

Garlic

Ginger

Minced or ground chicken or pork (optional)

Easy ginataang sitaw at kalabasa recipe

1. Saute onion, ginger, and garlic.

2. Add chicken or meat and cook thoroughly.

3. Season with your pampaalat of choice. Some use alamang, some use patis, others plain salt. I use patis. If you will be serving to babies less than two years old season towards the end so you can get a portion that does not have any seasoning on it to serve to the babies.

4. Add the veggies. Pour in thecoconut oil and bring to a boil.

5. Simmer in low heat and add a dash of pepper. Stir and adjust seasoning according to preference.

6. Top with chicharon if you chose not to cook with any type of meat. Serve with steamed rice. Kain na po tayo.

For more recipes please check out the meal plans and recipes section of our website, browse our Facebook recipe albums, scroll through our Instagram food or follow our Pinterest Recipes Board. See you there!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook cabbage rice

How to make low car cabbage rice

How to make low carb cabbage rice

For people searching for a low carb alternative to our beloved white rice or the more popular low carb cauliflower rice, sharing with you an easy, more affordable, veggie-based rice —

Cabbage rice

For mommies who would like to try cooking cabbage rice, well super easy!

You will just need a head of cabbage, butter or olive oil, turmeric, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Just grate cabbage slices or finely chop them in a food processor till you achieve your desired texture.

In a pan, melt butter,add the cabbage. Stir-fry for three minutes. Add curry powder, a bit of turmeric and then a dash of paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Voila! May cabbage rice ka na.

Alternative to rice, cauli rice and coleslaw

It has the same cooking process with cauli rice but what is great about cabbage is it is cheaper than cauli, easier to wash and prep too. But like cauli, it is also rich in vitamins and fiber content so it is not really a nutritional downgrade from cauliflower. It likewise freezes well.

Now in the photo i served it with rotiserrie chicken. I freeze cabbage rice so i have something easy to prep for quick meals and hungry tummies.

Kain po tayo 😊 for more easy to prep recipes hope you can check out our recipes section here in our website happypinaymommy.com or follow us on Onstagram, browse our recipe albums over at FB or check out our Pinterest recipes board. Have a nice day everyone 😁

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to make low carb crackers

How to make Low carb crackers using almond flour

How to make Low carb crackers using almond flour

Can’t believe I baked biscuits! Well we call it biscuits but in reality these are crackers. I was trying to emulate those round soda crackers that work best with cheese and cold cuts so i researched, and tried. This recipe of almond flour cracker that i will be sharing with you is easy to make.

For moms who want to replicate this recipe here is a simple procedure.

Low Carb Biscuits

Here are the ingredients:

2 tbsp softened butter (not melted)

100g almond flour

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1/2 of a beaten egg

Choice of seasoning (garlic salt, onion powder etc)

Low Carb Cracker Baking Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine softened butter about two tbsps, 100 grams of almond flour, 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cornstarch, a pinch of salt, half a beaten egg, and any seasoning like garlic or onion powder or special seasoning.
3. Mix and combine everything, form into a disc and freeze for about 10 minutes so it will not crumble when you form it into your desired shape.

4. Use a rolling pin to flatten to desired thickness. Season with your chosen seasoning and roll the crackers again so that the seasoning will be absorbed by the dough. Cut into desired shape. Use a baking spatula or knife to transfer the cut crackers into a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

5. Bake for 350F for about 12 to 14 minutes.

Serve with cheese! 😁 for more recipes please visit the recipe sectiob of our website happypinaymommy.com, browse our FB albums, or check out our Instagram feed and Pinterest page.

See you there.

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook Pork Caldereta

Hi everyone! Sharing with you mommies my recipe for Pork Ribs Caldereta.

This pork caldereta is really easy to cook especially if you like to pre cook your meats ahead of time. By tenderizing the meat as soon as you get home from the supermarket, you just need to freeze and do recipe step number two whenever the craving hits.

Pork caldereta: a make ahead meal

It is also an excellent make ahead meal because it freezes well too. For newbie cooking mamas, here’s the procedure:

Pork Caldereta Recipe

1. Tenderize your favorite pork part (at least a kilo) by boiling it for about two hours. Set aside. .
2. Saute onions and garlic. Add the pork and add a bit of Patis. Allow the pork to absorb the oil infused with the onion and garlic.
3. Add in two cups of water. A small can of liver spread (i use reno). And then two pouches of tomato sauce. If you are fine with using bouillon cubes add one beef cube. Add also a dash of ground pepper, and whole pepper. .
4. Add the vegetables: carrots, potato and bell pepper.
5. Bring to a boil then simmer for at least 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Stir once in a while.
6. Add in pitted olives and cubed quickmelt cheese.
7. Wait for the cheese to melt, stir and serve immediately 😍 ypu can serve it with roce or with Roti Chanai (a flat bread usually served in Malaysia).
Kain na po tayo.

Find more easy to cook recipes

For more recipes hope you can visit happypinaymommy.com’s recipe section (link in bio), browse our FB recipe albums, or follow our Instagram and Pinterest board. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

A Mom’s Guide to Car Seats for Little Ones

After choosing the right type of car seat for your child, it is a must to ensure that you are well informed about the proper way to install it and how to fasten the harnesses on your child.

After choosing the right type of car seat for your child, it is a must to ensure that you are well informed about the proper way to install it and how to fasten the harnesses on your child.

Car seats are an absolute must-have for infants, babies, and toddlers. If you have any plans to put your child inside a car anytime soon. It is illegal to drive around with a child inside if he/she isn’t sitting in a child car seat that’s up to government or state standards.

This actually brings us to the question: how is a mom supposed to know which car seat to buy? There are so many options to choose from these days and every model without fail promises to be the best! Well, that is exactly what this little guide will help new moms with.
Check the government or your State’s Legal Standards First
Legal standards set by a state for children’s car seats are there for a reason and you need to know them in advance. Visit this page on AskTheLawyer, which lists all children’s car seat laws, state by state, alongside pointing out even the smallest of differences that often exist at times.
Once you are completely aware of the legal requirements of your state of residence, you will have an exact idea regarding which features to look for while shopping for that perfect car seat for your little one. If you want to avoid fines during a cross-state drive, you may also want to check the regulations that are observed in any state you visit frequently.

There are Different Age Divisions: Select the Right One

Primarily, children’s car seats are divided into three main categories, which are as follows.
Car Seats for Infants – As the name suggests, these are car seats that can only be used as long as the child qualifies as an infant.
How does one make that differentiation exactly? That’s what the following parameters are for.
The baby must not weigh more than 22 pounds
There must be a gap of at least 1 inch in between the seat’s top edge and the child’s head
Car Seats for Toddlers – The parameters here are a bit fuzzy, but the following should provide a decent enough idea.
The child should not weigh more than 65 pounds
The 1-inch gap is a constant and it needs to be there in between the child’s head and the seat’s top end
They will come in forward-facing only variants and combination variants, with the latter being more expensive.
Car Seats for Preschoolers – As you may imagine, this is going to be the last car seat you buy for your child, so it has a much higher limit of up to 100 pounds. If he/she weighs more than that, they might be fit to sit on a regular car seat.
Understand that they Cannot be Used as the Child’s Bed Outside the Car
Children’s car seats are not meant to be used outside the car, so don’t let your child sleep in them once he/she is outside the vehicle. Don’t take these seats out of your car and use them as a makeshift bed because the results can be tragic.
According to the findings presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society, a children’s car seat can only be used while the child is in a sitting position, inside the car. If the same seat is used outside the car as a bed, there is a relatively high chance of infantile death or brain damage due to positional asphyxia.

Thanks for reading and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Tips for parents to Become Healthier and Happier

How to be a happier parent

How to be a happier parent

There are few roles more difficult to pull off successfully than to be a good parent. This is partly because there is never a clock-out period for parents. No matter what personal challenges one may have physically or emotionally, a parent is always on-the-job. It is possible, however, to pursue avenues that improve performance and also relationships with children.

Showcasing positive behavior through being healthy and happy is an effective way to impact your children. Like most things in life, this takes practice, motivation, and inspiration. Parents who currently struggle with drugs, alcohol and health concerns need to find support systems that are helpful. The more children see you mirror good habits, they will usually follow suit in their own lives.

Here are some tips for helping parents become healthier and happier:

1 – Avoiding Drugs and Alcohol Just like any other segment of the population, there are parents who struggle with some type of addiction. In order to be healthier and happier, parents struggling with addiction need to seek help. Treatment solutions such as outpatient in Seattle and other cities are essential for achieving this goal. These are locations that assist with the process of avoiding both drugs and alcohol. Starting a program that has this focus allows parents to practice good health and adopt a happier outlook going forward.

2 – Adopting a Fitness Routine One old adage connects the dots between looking good and feeling good. A consistent fitness plan is something that can be used to serve dual purposes. You are adopting an exercise routine that works to improve your health. Regular exercise also improves wellbeing and mental health. Physical fitness activities performed with children is a great way to reinforce this approach.

3 – Setting Good Behavior Examples

Parenting for Brain.com encourages parents to focus on setting good behavior examples for their children. This doesn’t mean that mirroring perfection is possible or even necessary. The goal should be to show children how to be healthy and happy. One example in this category is to not simply tell them what good behavior is but to show them by interacting at home and outside in positive ways.

4 – Communicating Effectively

We communicate to our children by both what we say and what we do. Effective communication involves considering the child’s needs and responding to them. Parents have the opportunity each day to showcase positive communication. This is also a way to teach children how best to talk and act at home and in public. Proper communication takes time and practice but is essential to happiness.

5 – Eating Nutritious Foods

There are many different things that factor into how we exude good health and overall happiness. A nutritious diet is certainly one of these things that are important in both areas. The foods and beverages that you consume could either promote health or prohibit it. Children learn how they should eat by watching their parents’ habits. Discussing the importance of nutrition and health is a terrific strategy.

Healthier and happier parent

A parent’s ultimate goal is to be a loving role model for their children. This is a challenge for many these days with increasing responsibilities at work and at home. Becoming a healthier and happier parent can be even more difficult for those dealing with drug abuse or addiction. It is important to seek out help through outpatient in Seattle and other cities to address these issues in order to parent properly.

Thanks for reading and till next post.

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook low carb pancakes

How to make low carb pancakes in the Philippines

How to make low carb pancakes in the Philippines

Sharing with you our recipe for low carb pancake. As we age we need to me better food choices. Luckily even our fave comfort food have healthier versions – just like this low carb pancake.

This one is easy to pull off and if not for the thin pancake it yields you would think it is just like your regular pancake. It mainly uses almond flour which is available in baking stores and health food stores, and in Rustan’s grocery.

For newbie cooking mamas who would like to try this low carb pancake here’s a quick procedure:

Low carb pancake recipe

Here are the ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese (softened) – if you are not comfortable with cream cheese you can sub with 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk and 2 tbsp of coconut oil.

3/4 cup almond flour (or more if it is runny)

4 medium-sized eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon zest

3 tbsp erithrytol or your chosen sugar substitute

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Butter or olive oil for frying

Procedure in cooking low-carb hotcake

Mix the wet ingredients and try your best to get rid of the clumps. The cheese may make your batter clumpy and you may not be able to get rid of all those little clumps but as long as they are little it is ok.

In a separate bowl mix all your dry ingredients and then mix in the wet ingredient mixture.

Once it resembles a pancake batter it is now ready for frying.

Fry the pancakes and serve with fruits and sugar free maple syrup! Enjoy!

For more recipes pleae check out our website’s recipe section, follow us over IG, check out our Pinterest Board oexplore our Facebook recipe albums. Thanks and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

Learn about Your Loans (and credit scores)

In a world that revolves around money, it’s alarming to think about how unprepared you can be when it comes to making real-life decisions with limited information. Instead of having to take corrective actions to repair a less-than-desirable credit score or having to learn one of life’s difficult lessons, its best to try to educate yourself the best you can before any damage is done.
A credit score is something that will follow you your whole life. Many potentially life-changing decisions will be based on how good your credit is. It stands to reason, then, having the best credit score you can surely be an asset worth striving to maintain. One key function of a lender referencing your credit score is to decide what interest rates to offer you. The better your score, the more responsible you are with meeting your financial obligations and therefore, the lower the interest rate.

The Basics

So what is an installment loan and why are they important? As with most things in life, finding the perfect mix or balance is key; your credit is no different. To have an optimal credit score, you need to have a mix of both revolving credit and installment loans. A revolving line of credit is one that gives you a set limit and you use what you need when you need it; for example, a visa card or a department store credit card. On the other hand, an installment loan is a line of credit, for a specific dollar amount, that you make monthly payments, for a fixed amount of time, until you pay it off. Examples of installment loans are mortgages or car loans.
One of the benefits of having an installment loan is you know exactly how much your monthly payment, or installment, will be; it doesn’t change. It is easier to figure a set dollar amount into your budget when considering the repayment, so the liability involved in having the loan is never unexpected. Installment loans also offer you a certain peace of mind because you know exactly when your balance will be paid in full and your debt resolved. If you find yourself in need of such a loan, companies like Western Shamrock Corporation, http://westernshamrock.com/, can make sure you get the money that you need to finance your next purchase.

Important Details

Now that you know the basics about what an installment loan is and how it differs from other types of credit, make sure to utilize the potential benefits of having those types of loans.
By making your agreed-upon payments in a timely manner, not only will you satisfy the terms of your loan, but you have the opportunity to improve your credit score. A credit score is used for many aspects of everyday life whether you realize it or not. If you find yourself wanting to rent an apartment, part of the application process is checking how creditworthy you are.
The interest rates, which are the costs associated with borrowing money or using credit, will be lower for those who have better credit scores than those who have a spotty credit history. Insurance companies are known to check credit scores of potential customers because they believe people who have better credit are less likely to file insurance claims.
When you find yourself in need of taking out loans and figuring your new obligation into your budget, it makes sense that you want to have the most flattering interest rates your credit will afford you. The top and the bottom if it is, good credit literally makes cents

How to make a Lactation Smoothie

Make your own lactation smoothie

Make your own lactation smoothie

I have been breastfeeding non stop since i became a mom, and tandemfeeding my preschooler and toddler until now. Alam naman natin there are days in the month when we get a dip in our supply (sorry tmi). So for moms who need to boost their breastmilk supply either because of a temporary dip or for pumping out of the home, here’s an alternative milk booster – lactation smoothie.

Easy Lactation Smoothie

If you dont have the time to make your own lactation cookies for your healthy snack, post pumping meryenda or even breakfast, make a LACTATION SMOOTHIE instead!

It has the same ingredients as your usual lactation cookies but without the added sugar and carbs AKA flour!

This lactation smoothie has great galactogogues like Brewer’s yeast, flax seeds, chia seeds, and rolled oats! It is simple and you can take it anytime with any fruit you like.

How to make lactation smoothie in the Philippines

Here’s how to make your lactation smoothie. You will need a blender or an osterizer or a nutribullet for this. A single serve blender will really encourage you to take this everyday because there is not much to clean- up.

Easy lactation smoothie recipe

1. Mix two to three tbsp of rolled oats, 1 tbsp flax seeds or flax meal, 1 tbsp of chia and 1 cup soymilk (or your choice of milk). Set aside for 30 mins or overnight. I usually prep his before i sleep. Parang overnight oats lang 😊

2. Put the mixture in a blender, add your favorite fruit like banana, strawberry or avocado. Add a dollop of peanut butter if you like or a tbsp of cocoa powder.

3. Add 1 1/2 tbsp of brewer’s yeast.

4. Add more milk (you can add as much as 3/4 cup if you want to thin the mixture or even some water to thin it out.

5. Add crushed ice and your choice of sweetener. Yes – brewer’s yeast is kinda unpleasant to my taste so i add stevia or honey to make it taste better plus some drops of vanilla extract.

6. Blend and adjust the flavor to your liking.

Serve and enjoy 😊 for more breastfeeding related articles and tips please check out the breastfeeding section of our website happypinaymommy.com. We have info on breastfeeding accessories, lactation treats and everything you want to know about breastfeeding pumping, and tandem nursing in the Philippines. Till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Six birthday presents for your mother to make her day

Buying a gift for someone else is not easy at all, and when you are buying for someone as special as your mother, it can get even more daunting. Mother’s day and birthdays are not the only days to cherish your mom and buy gifts for her. You should take care of your mother and try to make her happy all the time.

Like everyone else, you would want to get the best gift possible, and there are so many options in the market.

With any gift, your idea should be practical and useful, try to buy a gift that your mom will use regularly or you could go for something that is more personal and sentimental. This article will give you ideas for both kinds of gifts. So, if you are having difficulty in deciding what kind of gift to get for your mom, you should check out this amazing and informative list of gift ideas that will be perfect for your mom.

Ultimate Relaxation through a Spa Day

Who would not want to have an amazing and super relaxing day at the spa? Your mom, like all others, is a very hard working woman. And we all know that as selfless as our mothers are, they will never actually plan anything that is only for them. So, you should give your mother an amazing experience as a gift.
Book a spa day for your mom, and give her a day of supreme relaxation and comfort. She can have an amazing and relaxing massage followed by the sauna and relaxing of the pool. This is an amazing gift that your mom will appreciate a lot. Just make sure that your mom is not busy or preoccupied on the day, you are planning the spa retreat.

Home Appliances

If you want to buy a gift that is practical and useful for your mom in her daily routine, you should get her some amazing home appliances. You can buy her a dishwasher for the kitchen to make kitchen maintenance much easier for her, or if you want to make maintenance easier for your mom how about a washer dryer set? These are super amazing and practical gifts that your mom will use regularly and appreciate a lot.
Some other options for home appliances as gifts are a stand mixer, a juicer, a powerful vacuum cleaner, or any other important kitchen appliance. Another amazing option is to hire a cleaning service for your mom to make home maintenance super easier for her.

A Fancy Dinner

When we grow up, it gets harder and harder for us to spend quality time with our parents because of our busy schedules and jobs. A great gift that you can give to your mom is to take her out for an amazing and fancy dinner. This will allow you to spend some quality time with your mom. You should also consider inviting all of your siblings and have an amazing family dinner together. Getting the whole family together will be a great gift for her.
If you are organizing a dinner for your mom’s birthday, you should also get some other gifts that you can give to her at dinner. This is a simple; yet, one of the best gifts that you can give to your mom and it will be appreciated a lot.

Personalized Jewelry

Another popular and common idea for a gift for your mom is personalized jewelry. You can have an amazing locket or bracelet made with a personal message for your mom. This will give your gift a personal touch, and it will be appreciated a lot by your mom. You can get some jewelry according to your budget. If you can afford it, you should buy a personalized gold locket for your mom. As far as personalized items go, why stop at jewelry.
There are a lot of options for personalized gifts in the market. You can have a throw pillow made with the names of the whole family, you can have a personalized mug made for your mom to make her enjoy her tea, or you can even commission a personalized piece of art to gift your mom. You can also have a personalized calendar made with the baby pictures of you and your siblings.

A Beautiful and Elegant Handbag

A simple and classic gift that will be perfect for your mom is a stylish, elegant and useful handbag. If your mom likes to stay updated with the latest trends and styles, then this is a great gift for her. There are a lot of amazing options available in the market, and you can find a gift in any price range.
Get a handbag according to the style and requirements of your mom. If you have the budget, you can also look into getting a branded expensive bag for your mom that will last her for a long time. You can also buy a super elegant dress for your mom, if she is into style and design. These gifts are the best option for the fashionable mom.

A Sentimental Personalized Photo Album

There are many options for expensive and valuable gifts available in the market, but for your mom, the best gift is the one that has a personal and sentimental touch. A great option for an amazing gift that will be cherished and appreciated by your mom is a personalized photo album with a lot of sentimental and memorable photos of the family. This is a gift that is made by yourself, which adds a lot more personal sentiment and emotion to the gift and makes it more valuable.
A common trend these days is to recreate childhood pictures and give them as a gift. This is also a great gift option that will definitely put a smile on your mom’s face. If you want to spice up a photo as a gift, you can buy an amazing and elegant frame to put it in.

Thanks for readin and till next post.

A Happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Baon Idea: Baked Chicken Inasal

Baon idea: make ahead baked chicken inasal

Baon idea: make ahead baked chicken inasal

Packed lunch for the mister today per his request last night. So ayan, buti I have prepared way ahead, two meal sets of ready-to-bake chicken inasal. I just popped it into the oven this morning.

I also blanched someFrench Beans and served the garlicky inasal with black rice. I packed cranberry juice for his drink and for dessert, i threw in a cup of Greek yogurt.

2019 Baon idea: baked chicken inasal

I have sharedthe recipe of baked chicken inasal here before but for those who may not have the time to search or scroll down here is a simple procedure.

Packed baked chicken inasal for the mister's lunch today.

Packed baked chicken inasal for the mister’s lunch today.

Make ahead baked chicken inasal recipe

1. Boil your choice chicken cuts in water with garlic, onions, lemongrass, onion leeks, ginger, salt and pepper. Boil for 15-20 minutes.

2. If you plan to prep a make-ahead inasal stop at step 1, cool the chicken and store in a freezer safe vacuum container. If you plan to cook right away, proceed to step 3.

3. Preheat oven to 425F.

4. In a small pan, heat olive oil and add 1-2 tbsp of atsuete seeds. Let the seeds infuse color on the oil and once it yields a reddish hue, squeeze on the seeds so it can yield more color. Drain or take out the seeds. Put a tablespion of butter on the oil and add some salt and pepper.

5. Brush the chicken pieces with patis and then baste it with the chicken oil mixture.

6. Put the chiken in the oven skin side up. Check the chicken after about 10-12 minutes. If the skin looks a bit cooked baste with patis and then the mixture once again. Turn it over and baste the other side as well and put back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes.

7. Turn the chicken over again and baste with chicken oil and return it a bit in the oven until the skin looks crispy.

8. Top with crunchy garlic for extra flavor. Enjoy!

For more recipes please check out the recipes section of our website happypinaymommy.com, browse our FB recipe albums, follow our Pinterest recipe board or check out our IG feed where we regularly upload family meal recipes and ideas. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Baon Ideas from fellow Happy Pinay Mommies

Baon ideas for school year 2019

Baon ideas for school year 2019

I am excited to share with you today the snack baon ideas sent to us by our fellow Happy Pinay Mommies. These are more than a dozen, and hopefully it could give you more ideas on what to pack for your school kids.

Baon Ideas for school year 2019-2020

Earlier, i reshared in our FB Page our album of over 100 baon ideas and happily asked other mommies to share photos of their children’s baon to help other mommies gain more snack ideas especially for picky eating kiddos. If you havent seen the album yet please check our FB Baon Ideas Album or our FB Page Feed.

Special thanks to bento loving mommies

So special thanks go to Mommy Karle Ann Salazar-Solomon, a Stay at Home Mom of two gradeschoolers and Mommy Melanie Humang-it @melaimelanie who is a single working mom of two kids.

Please check out the baon photos in our FB Page’s newest post here https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1247618258733749&id=415333231962260&sfnsn=mo the baon ideas they shared with us. Hope you can send out photos of your kid’s baon boxes too ❤
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For more baon ideas please check out our FB Albums, Pinterest Baon Ideas Board, our website happypinaymommy.com’s Baon Ideas section, and our IG Feed that cascades weekly baon recaps from last school year (😅😅😅). See you there!

A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook spicy adobo

Sharing to you ladies one of my specialties, the Super Spicy Adobo. This started out as an experiement of mine to replicate the spicy adobo dish that we order back when i was still working. Ive tried around three times before i finally got it right, haha pero all those three times I tried, P appreciated but I had a different goal.

I wanted it to taste exactly like the spicy adobo dish that I love. Now that I got it right it had been a regular dish in our rotation.

Spicy adobo recipe

I have shared the recipe here before, but for those who are havin a hard time back reading, here is a simplified rough procedure:

Spicy Pork Adobo

1. Cook adobo the way ou usually do – use whatever meat and meat cut you like, chicken breast or thigh, pork liempo, pork adobo cut or buto buto will be fine. We all have diff ways of cooking adobo, and some of us like it sweet, some more on the salty side, and some like it tangy. So just cook your normal adobo recipe then set it aside.

2. In a cookng pan heat oil and add some atsuete seeds. Squeeze the seeds to extract more color and once it is super orangey already like the chicken oil in bacolod inasal places, take out the seeds. If you are the type who likes to drizzle oil in your rice then it may be best to use olive oil pambawi ng konti sa putok batok na recipe na ito 😅

3. If you want it super spicy saute chopped labuyo. If you are fine with just normal spicy, just fry in the adobo pieces in the pan.

4. Add a drizzle of chili powder and chili flakes depending on the spiciness level that you can tolerate.

5. Stir through and make sure all meat pieces are coated with the oil and chili. Cover for about three minutes in medium heat.

6. Add in some of the sabaw of your adobo and let it reduce. Taste the dish and adjust seasoning accordlingly.

7. Serve with lotsa rice and your fave ice cold drink! Kain na po tayo 😊😊

For more easy to cook Pinoy recipes please check out the meal plan and recipes section of our website or browse our Facebook recipe albums. You may also want to follow our Pintereat recipes board and our IG feed where we regularly upload ulam, baon and parenting ideas 😊 see you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Quick and easy Crepe Recipe

Quick and easy crepe recipe

Quick and easy crepe recipe

This times three of course! An indulgent breakfast i serve to the littles is choco hazelnut crepe and peanut butter crepe with drizzles of milo. I usually serve it with a side of fresh fruits like sliced bananas and cubed ripe mangoes.

No-fuss easy crepe recipe

Achie requested for crepes for breakfast, but since i didnt have much time to do it the traditional way, i cooked a short cut super easy version!

For newbie cooking mamas who may want to replicate the recipe, here’s a rough procedure:

No-sweat easy crepe recipe

1. Thin your favorite pancake mix with half a glass of your preferred milk. You can use fresh milk, plant-based milk or even evap milk if that is what you have at home. Whisk thoroughly until smooth. If batter gets overly thin add in a tablespoon of flour.

2. In a non stick pan melt half a teaspoon of butter. If you have a basting brush make sure to brush the whole surface.

3. Pour a bit of the batter and wait for it to be cooked. You can see small bubbles and you can check from the side. Using a silicone spatula flip the crepe.

4. Spread your favorite filling – choco hazelnut, plain choco, almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, whatever jam or jelly, or even butter with a sprinkling of sugar. You can go savory too by filling the crepe with cheese or ham or even chicken or tuna.

5. Fold the crepe in your preffered shape – half moon or triangle then put in to a plate. Add your favorite topping and serve with a side of fruits or if savory, add scrambled eggs. Enjoy!

For more quick cooking breakfast recipes for your littles and other baby led weaning meals for your babies and toddlers hope you can check out our baby and toddler food section in the website. We also have FB albums of BLW/toddler food recipes, a Pinterest Baby Led Weaning Meals Board, and an IG feed full of kiddie, toddler and baby food ideas and recipes! Hope to see you there ❤

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Dramamama moment: Flashback Friday Edition

Mommy reflections

Mommy reflections

Old school kung old school. Pasukan na talaga kasi quiz days are here again. Was reviewing little Achie awhile ago and I suddenly realised why I enjoy handwriting reviewers instead of printing them.

Old-fashioned handwritten reviewers just like what my mom used to make for me.

Old-fashioned handwritten reviewers just like what my mom used to make for me.

P asked me why I refuse to print out the reviewers. Well i print some but I write most of them by hand. So why do I go through the ngawits of making reviewers by hand?

Reviewing for exams

For one, i like writing, number two maybe I missed doing reviewers for myself back in college, and number three maybe it is a tribute to my own mom. My mom painstakingly wrote reviewers in yellow pad papers for me to practice on prior to the summative tests and quarterly examinations that I would have to take when I was in grade school. She then checks it, walks me through the questions and the answers and explains to me the concepts of those that I fail to understand. Maybe I want to let achie experience a part of my childhood.

Looking back to a Happy Childhood

Well, nakakaaliw din talaga magsulat at this age of texting, typing and all. Still thrilled with drawing little semi-cute stars for tables like this. Buti nalang di pa natutuloy ang pangarap kong maging teacher, may time pa ayusin ang pag do drowing 😄
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Anyway why am I posting this? Well, years from now, if IG can still be accessed by Achie when she becomes a mom, I want her to see this post. To remember our fun review sessions, unlisawayan, kaantok review times, and the handwritten test questionnaires just like I am remembering my review sessions with my own mama. ❤

And this, my friends, is my #buhaynanay and #nanayduties entry for the day. Good night and God bless everyone and here’s wishing you a restful sleep with your loved ones 💚💚💚

A happy homemaker is a happy pinay mommy!

Five minute easy salpicao bits

Five minute easy salpicao bits recipe

Five minute easy salpicao bits recipe

One of my go to lunches when i am in a hurry to serve a meal to my family is this five minute easy salpicao bits. Thought of sharing this recipe with you guys because it is so easy and you need a quick cooking recipe from time to time right?

Easy salpicao bits recipe

This is kid and mom friendly, why? For one kids would have an easier time eating smaller beef cubes, and moms like me wouldnt have to go through the trouble of slicing usual salpicao cubes into smaller pieces for the children. Easy to cook,even easier to serve to hungry kiddos!

For newbie cooking mamas who may want to replicate this dish here’s a rough procedure:

5-min Beef Salpicao Bits

1. Slice beef into smaller cubes. Marinade in a bit of knorr liquid seasoning and pepper.

2. In a pan, heat olive oil. Add 5 to 6 pcs of whole cloves of garlic. Fry evenly but do not brown.

3. When the garlic is on the verge of browning, add the beef cubes and fry according to desired doneness. Well done of course if it will be served to kids.

4. When the beef has browned a bit add 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce. Add a tbsp or two of butter and stir through.

5. Add paprika and a bit of pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

6. Transfer into a serving bowl and sprinkle some fried garlic bits. Serve with rice!

Easy salpicao bits

Easy salpicao bits

So there you have it. Hope you can give it a try and tell us about it. For more quick cooking recipes please check out the recipes section of our website. Hope you can also browse our FB recipes album, Pinterest recipe board or our IG feed. Thanks and see you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook humbang pata

How to cook humbang pata

How to cook humbang pata

Sharing with you one of our little familia’s favorite pork hock recipe, the patang humba.

Humbang Pata Recipe

For newbie cooking mamas who may want to try cooking this dish, here’s a quick run through of my recipe:

Easy Humbang Pata

1. Tenderize the meat by boiling thepork hock slices for at least 45 minutes. Set aside. You may do this actually ahead of time.

2. Saute minced onion and garlic. Add the pata slices.

3. Add half a cup of soy sauce andabout 2 tbsp of brown sugar depending on your preference, add some laurel leaves. Bring to a boil.

4. Add 1 small can of sweetened pineapple juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.

5. Add half a cup of vinegar. Do not stir. Just allow it to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add 2-3 tbsp of canned black beans (wash it first to reduce saltiness), and then add the banana blossoms simmer for another 2 minutes.

7. Adjust seasoning to taste. Some add extra soy sauce, some add sugar. It depends on you.

8. Cook in slow fire until the sauce reduces and the pata renders fat. Serve with super hot rice!

Hope you like it! For more classic Pinoy Recipes your family will surely love please check out the recipes and meal plans section of our website, browse our Facebook Recipe albums, follow our Pinterest Recipes Board or Check out our Instagram feed. Thanks and till next post!

A Happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

Pinoy style spaghetti recipe

Super easy Pinoy-Style Spaghetti

Super easy Pinoy-Style Spaghetti

Hi everyone! Sharing with you the recipe for my middle child’s favorite Pinoy-style spaghetti. Well, she eats any type of pasta dish, but this version is her favorite when it comes to the bolognese-style spaghetti dishes. I have to warn you though that what she likes is not too sweet, but more of cheesy, savory type of meatsauce.

Pinoy style spaghetti

Whenever she requests for this type of spaghetti, I take the opportunity to cook an extra serving of the spaghetti sauce for freezing and easier meal time! For newbie cooking mamas who may want to replicate this quick cheesy and meaty spaghetti sauce.

Quick cheesy meaty spaghetti recipe

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure to salt and add oil to the water. Save half cup of pasta water after cooking.

2. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add 1/4 kg ground beef and brown a bit.

3. Season with salt and pepper. (Omit salt and pepper for babies less than 2yo)

4. Add 2 packages of tomato sauce and stir in the pasta water. (Use fresh tomato sauce if you intend to serve this to babies less than 2yo)

5. Add two teaspoons of sugar.

6. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes stirring ocassionally.

7. Add cubed quickmelt cheese. And stir until the cheese melts.

8. Serve with more grated cheese on top.

Hope youll try it. And if you are searching for more kid-friendly recipes hope you can check out our meal plans and recipes section here in the website, browse our facebook recipe albums, follow our Pinterest recipe board or our IG feed. See you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

How to cook beef tapa flakes

How to cook beef tapa flakes

How to cook beef tapa flakes

Blessed morning everyone! Flaked Tapa, scrambled egg, white rice and kiwi this Tuesday morning 😍 Was not able to cook fried rice na to get on quickly with the day’s back to back to back errands 😊

Beef tapa flakes recipe

This tapa i decided to flake because the slices i bought apparently are not as thin as id like them to be. So I decided to flake it. Well it could have been better if i made it super crispy with tinier shreds but this one tastes great still.

So to newbie cooking mamas who may want to replicate this dish, here’s a quick guide:

Tapsilog flakes

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1. Pound the beef slices with a meat mallet to at least make the slices thinner.

2. Marinate the meat in a mixture of minced garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper and a bit of apple cider vinegar or any vinegar you have. Best of overnight, if not 30 minutes will do.

3. Fry the beef slices. let cool and then shred the beef.

4. You have the choice to either deep fry the shreds to make it super crispy or to just pan fry it in super hot oil and high heat to cook the shreds further. Either way, it should be a great variation to your usual tapsilog.
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Kain na po tayo! For more breakfast recipes and idea please check out the recipes and meal plan section of our website, browse our facebook breakfast recipes album, or follow our Pinterest Breakfast ideas board! Hope you can also check us out over at IG. Hope to see you there!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!