Chalkboard Paint Projects

Our toddler had been playing a lot with chalk these past few days and I have been obsessing about chalkboard paint for quite some time now. Maqui had been so kind enough to share her chalkboard paint recipe. It's been months since she gave me the recipe but it was only recently when we really got to use it.

Here's an article that I made for Yahoo! She about our recent projects with chalkboard paint. 

Repurposing Your Baby's Old Stuff

Our baby is now exactly 27 months old. Not exactly a baby anymore. We have given away and donated tons of his old stuff but it seems that we never run out of things to pack away. There is always a shirt that can no longer fit through the neck hole, a pair of pants or pajamas that are too short and his hats can no longer fit! We have already placed a small crate beside his closet for any of the stuff that needs to go.

However, there will also always be some stuff that I will not be able to let go of. I have kept his pacifier/ binky, which had been his most favorite thing in the world, is stored together with some keepsakes such as the onesie, booties, mittens and bonnet that he wore from the hospital; the "eye patch" he used for the phototherapy he had for hyperbilirubinemia; the "tube" is used (as cleverly suggested by my lactation consultant) when I was struggling with breastfeeding, etc...

Anyway, I have here a couple of suggestions as to how you can re-use and re-purpose your baby's old stuff. I hope that you'll find them useful.

Re-purposing baby's old stuff part 1

Re-purposing baby's old stuff part 2

What to do with empty yogurt cups part 3

We invited the neighbors over to play with our little man a couple of weeks ago (no, this was really last January! Hence, this is another super late post). Alonzo had just received 2 balikbayan boxes full of toys from Mima and wanted to share them with his playmates.  

Guess what they were more interested in?

Yup. His yogurt cup collection!!!

Simple Sewing Projects

As you might have noticed (or not), I've been "away" for a while. I never left but I was quite busy. Anyway, hubby and I were able to manage to make a spontaneous trip to
Divisoria (during his lunch break) the other day. Our intention was to window shop for sewing machines. I know Singer has a main store along Abad Santos Street -- a jeepney ride away.
We didn't realize, however, and as you might already know, that Divi isn't exactly the best place to be during high noon! Needless to say, as soon as we got off the jeep we wanted to run towards the nearest air conditioned shelter! We found ourselves inside 169 store (or was it 999?) and ended up purchasing random stuff (an umbrella, cheap nail polish, sando and shorts set for Alonzo).

Anyway, here are 2 sewing projects that you might want to check out. These are super simple that you should give them a try. I promise, you won't even need a sewing machine for these!  

How to turn a skirt into a top
How to make a shrug in 30 minutes or less

DIY Stenciled T-shirt

Show the world that you are a proud mom this mother's day and make this stenciled shirt for your little one.

For this project you'll need the following:

1. Freezer paper

(I still haven't had any luck finding this product! You may just order some from abroad and online OR you could simply use what I have been using ever since --- sticker or adhesive paper)

2. Fabric paint and brush or sponge

3. Cutter

4. Iron

5. Plain t-shirt

Procedure:

Step 1: Print out your template directly on the back surface of the waxy sheet behind sticker or ahesive paper

Step 2: Cut out the pattern with a cutter

   

 Step 3: Lay template over shirt and iron

(remember to keep waxy side down and place a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the shirt to prevent the paint from smearing through)

Step 4: Dab on paint

Wait for the paint to completely dry before peeling it off your template.

Happy Mother's day in advance!!!

Books and Stones

It has been extremely hot these past few days. I could just easily lock myself and my little ruffian toddler inside the room and turn the air-con full at blast.

Tough luck.

The little guy is an outdoor person and prefers to bake under the sun (at 1 p.m.!) while playing with his toys or doing whatever. If I keep him inside he'll get cranky.

And guess who gets cranky NEXT??? 

So anyway, between the peak of heat until around 4 p.m. when its (hopefully) shady enough at the street for a stroll or bike ride, we stay outside in the garden. There Alonzo happily plays with his toys, "cuts" the grass and waters the plants, plays hopscotch, terrorizes Lolo's pet bird, bullies the dog, draws different shapes on the pavement with a chalk-y stone, rearrange all the slippers at the doorstep, touch the makahiya and watch it fold (also called touch-me-not plant). When he gets bored he'll ask me to read him a story.    

His current favorite books at the moment are "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" by Virginia Lee Burton and "Owl Babies" by Martin Waddel (Thanks, Maqui and Aki for this!)

I try to be more creative when it comes to story telling. It may seem silly but there are times when some of his stuffed toys are arranged and seated in a row on the play mat with Alonzo at the center as I read to "them" a book. Facial expressions and funny voices are obligatory! hahaha! (will seach for photos in my file)

So anyway, one day while we were outside I ad-libbed the Owl Babies story and used drew on a couple of accent stones from the garden and used them as my "props". 

Papa's Chinese Pata Tim Recipe

We are used to having Pata Tim the way our Lola Neneng used to make -- Spanish style with tomato sauce, 

sausages, prunes, pickles, potatoes and carrots. 

Luckly, Lola was able to pass on to Papa her Pata recipe. It has been an all time favorite dish during family reunions and special occasions.

However, there are times when we crave for Chinese Pata Tim.

This is one of Papa's "chamba" recipes. He likes to experiment with different recipes and just like me, he eyeballs the ingredients instead of measuring. Sometimes he gets the recipe right but ends up forgetting the proportions of the ingredients. Call it a "senior citizen moment".

Fortunatey, this time he remembered.  

Ingredients:

1 whole leg of pork (preferably the front)

 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup soy sauce

1cup oyster sauce (Papa prefers the brand Mama Sita)

2 cups pineapple juice

2 to 3 pcs star anise

peppper corns

cornstarch

oil for frying

Procedure:

In a pan, fry pork leg until the color just turns brown (do not fry all the way through) and set aside. In a pressure cooker, combine the water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pineapple juice, star anise, the desired amount of pepper corns and the pork leg. Let it simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the desired tenderness). After simmering, set aside pork leg and put on a serving dish. With the pressure cooker now opened and at about medium to low heat, add cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it (usually a teaspoon or more depending on the desired thickness). Pour sauce over pork leg. Garnish with steamed Chinese pechay.