The husband is off to attend a stag party so I am left here at home with the kids and my army. You wonder what army? My “personal army” as Jon and I fondly call them – Yaya Candy (Mateo’s Yaya), Yaya Lyn (Sophia’s Yaya), Manang Betsy (our cook and housegirl), Manang Babylyn (our laundrygirl) and Kuya Noel (our driver).

Running a house with five stay-in aids is no joke. Aside from it being expensive, sometimes they get to each other’s nerves too so I get to be their referee. I am thankful though that I have a good bunch as I know how hard it is to find people to trust. So I make sure they get what they deserve or even more because I badly need all of them. Seriously, no matter how hands on I am with my kids, I still need their yayas to lend me a hand every time. And as I have posted before, finding a good and reliable yaya to trust is a blessing and so far I’m truly blessed. I have two wonderful yayas who help me and keep me sane. Finding them through agencies was tough luck and as my mom and mom in law would put it – “parati naman daw akong nakakaswerte”. As we all know, there are a lot of horror stories about maids from agencies and I am just happy that I don’t have one to share, just yet. *crossfingers* I did however had an issue with one agency before but not with the maid they supplied me with so that doesn’t count.

So why am I writing this? I don’t know, I just felt the need to after being out today for the first time with my two kids in tow. The two yayas just made it easier for me. And for that, I’m very thankful. Even while at home, I get to have my me time which I value no matter how short as I can be in front of the computer just long enough to do stuff I enjoy – shop online, blog and chat. Just like now, I’m checking out stuff online as my sister in law is coming home on the 20th. I hope I get to score some great deals at RL again and get to grab a used cisco which I badly need.

Signing off for a while.

We’re heading to the hospital.

Leaving you with some random pics with my little girl who will be an “ate” hours from now.

Hi, peeps!

No, I still haven’t given birth yet. The lack of updates is just a result of my laziness, as usual. I’d rather stay in bed and do nothing lately, just stare at the ceiling and try to picture how my labor will go, haha. Crazy and pathetic I know.

Although I have been doing some walking in the mornings while waiting for the little girl from school, no major contractions yet as of this day. I’m getting impatient and so does the husband. In fact, the husband can’t actually take the waiting game any longer that he will have me induced already on Monday or Tuesday – by hook or by crook. We already had it scheduled with my OB. Actually, if only my mom is here, I would have been scheduled for induction tomorrow. But you see, she’s in Iloilo to attend to my brothers’ basketball event so we have no choice but to wait for her before I go to the hospital and have forced labor. She’s arriving on Monday, hence we have to prolong the husband’s (sige na nga mine na rin ) anticipation until then. I just hope I won’t naturally go into labor this weekend. *crossfingers*

Or, if nature would really take its course and will have it the other way, I just hope not until tomorrow afternoon as I badly need to attend this.

My little girl will recite a poem (with actions and all) entitled PIGGIES all on her own on stage. And I just CAN’T miss it. If I do, I’d probably be hysterical and regret it for the rest of my life, seriously. She has been practicing for days now and I am one pressured mommy. I hope she does well. Modesty aside though, I know she will. LOL. By the way, we just came from a Tutorial Chat with our daughter’s School Director and she has nothing but nice words to say about our little princess. She also had perfect scores again on both her exams – Math and Reading. Proud proud mommy here.

Before I forget, I need to send a shout out to Jody for lending me the piggy head-dress her daughter Margaux wore for Halloween. I actually called Bumblebee for the exact same costume but they said its out of stock already and if I will have one custom made, it won’t be done before Friday so I really had no choice. Thats why Jody is my savior, thanks girl!!!

Will let you all know how it goes tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Since we already have this one,

we are now aiming to get the one below to complete the set. I’m sure my “kids” will love it. Their own playground right at our backyard. Don’t you agree?

I really hope “Santa” will be extra generous (and rich!) this year.

My yayas will definitely get their share of exercise when the kids play every afternoon and won’t be needing a diet pill at all. Haha.

Made another quick online shopping for the kids. (gosh, i love saying the word “kids”, lol!)

Here’s what I got.

From Gap.

From Ralph Lauren.

My cousin who left for New York last week on a business trip emailed me a while back and she has been raving about how she loves the biggest city in the United States. She is enjoying herself so far even if traveling alone and was in her hotel room arrival at the airport in no time with the help of Newark Airport Shuttle which offers affordable, reliable and safe ground transportation services throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs. She told me I shouldn’t miss New York City when I visit US hopefully next year. Now this gets me more excited. I can’t wait to finally have the chance to see what she’s talking about and my sister in law! Add my father in law too! They all have been raving about this wonderful city and that it should be included in our itinerary definitely. I really hope plans push through and that Baby Bullet will cooperate, LOL. I really wish he won’t be a cry baby or a fussy baby like her big sister – Sophia. If so, there’s no more stopping us. We’ll definitely invade the “Big Apple” soon!

Six weeks before I finally pop, I still have to decide what stroller to get for our Baby Bullet. The husband, as usual, left the choosing to me and the so indecisive me can’t make up my mind. What else is new?

Here are my choices.

The Bugaboo Bee – said to be made for life on the fly.

It comes in these yummy colors.

According to StrollersandPrams.com :

The Bee is a unique release from the world famous Bugaboo. It is their first compact stroller, as opposed to the traditional pram with bassinet/seat combination. They have termed it “for life on the fly”, a stroller designed for use out and about in the busy world. It has been marketed towards parents and carers with children from newborn to 4 years of age or 17 kg (37.5 lbs).

Pros

• Great steering
• Handles different terrain well for a lightweight stroller
• Compact one-piece fold
• Underseat basket is surprisingly large and accessible from the front of the pram
• 4 position recline, suitable for newborns upward
• Comfortable seat
• Deep double fold sun canopy for excellent sun protection
• Good brakes

Cons

• Seat width and height not the largest on the stroller market
• The Bee is not really designed for long outdoor walks due to the smaller wheel size
• Brakes not as easily accessible as other Bugaboo models
• Bugaboo have expensive price tags

Conclusion

The newly released Bugaboo Bee is a very pleasurable stroller to use. It steers and handles exceptionally well; has an eye catching and unusual appearance; has a superior sun canopy and a large underseat basket with an inventive front access.

The Bee is by no means the cheapest stroller on the market however its diverse applications from newborn upward, its ability to reverse and recline the seat and adapt to the growing child’s needs provide excellent justification for the somewhat expensive price tag and difficulties in purchasing any additional accessories.

Quinny 3 Wheel Buzz

From StrollersandPrams.com :

The Buzz is a stylish looking pram from the Netherlands based company Quinny. It comes with a host of features intended to make it as practical as it is eye-catching. The Buzz has a reversible seat, adjustable handle, swivel front wheel, adjustable footrest, and of course, a gas-spring mechanism that means it springs open by itself.

Pros

• Large comfortable seat unit
• Great steering and manoeuvrability
• Excellent suspension on rear wheels
• Can be folded in one piece
• Nice compact fold
• One handed gas lift unfold mechanism

Cons

• Seat unit does not sit upright when facing you
• Seat adjust/remove buttons extremely stiff to push
• Seat needs to be facing out and in upright position in order to fold pram with seat unit attached.
• Fold buttons also very stiff.
• Some effort needed to ‘push’ pram into folded position.
• Storage (Buzz Box) small and gets in the way of legs when walking
• Wide wheel base
• Suspension not so great on front wheel.
• Hood has strange adjust mechanism.

Conclusion

Overall the Buzz is a good quality pram that looks stylish and manoeuvres well. The large back wheels and rear suspension handle rough terrain and even steps with ease while the front swivel wheel allows the Buzz to glide around on even ground. The seat, harness and hood are functional and the compact fold and gas lift unfold make the Buzz practical to use every day.

The Buzz’s shortcomings are fairly minor, although they do start to add up. Quality issues such as the very stiff fold and seat adjust buttons are frustrating to deal with after paying so much for the pram. Other annoying features include the hood adjust mechanism, limited storage, and wide wheel base.

Quinny Zapp

The review from StrollersandPrams.com states :

The Zapp is marketed as a lightweight stroller with an extremely compact fold. In these respects it certainly meets expectations, however its brilliance is the way it does so without compromising other features.

In fact the Zapp is a superb stroller to steer and despite its lack of recline feature has a generous and comfortable seat. It is a great choice for anyone who needs a compact stroller, or just for anyone who appreciates a quality stroller that is a dream to push.

Pros

• Great steering
• Handles different terrain well for a lightweight stroller
• Compact fold
• Lightweight
• Comfortable seat
• Good hood
• Good brakes

Cons

• No storage whatsoever
• Wider wheelbase than other lightweight strollers on the market
• Up to 2kg heavier than other lightweight strollers on the market
• Can tip backwards with a small amount of weight hung over the handles

Conclusion

The Zapp is a very enjoyable stroller to use. It steers and handles exceptionally well, has a good hood and a large comfortable seat.

The Zapp is by no means the lightest stroller on the market however its compact fold make it versatile and well suited for travel. It more than makes up for its wider wheelbase with it handling and comfort.

Hay, what to do? What to get? My head is aching after reading all the reviews. I need to take a breather and search for mold killer now.