Stroller

Hubby and I cannot decide if we're bringing our stroller with us when we go to my sister's place. We have this umbrella-type stroller but it still weighs in at 19 lbs and the basket underneath the seat is too small to be really useful when travelling with a lot of carry-ons.

On one hand, it may come in useful because it reclines completely and it is quite comfortable to sleep in and on the other hand, the baby isn't really the type to be content and just sit quietly in his stroller. He likes to be carried and prefers the view from up there.

So it brings the question to mind, what are the best baby strollers for travelling ? Or specifically, what are the best baby strollers for our trip? We're thinking of just leaving ours at home (and jut bring our front-to-back baby carrier) since the stroller is a hefty 19 lbs w/o the accessories and just buy one of those cheap umbrella type strollers that you could get at a baby store for $10 to $15. Yes, the (sort of) throw-away type. But then my concern is, my baby is barely 1 years old, are those straps sufficient to hold him and keep him seated ? And... our stroller does come with a lot of accessories w/c might prove to be useful in certain situations - it has a sunshade, raincover, and even a sleeping bag (a covering for cold days).

What say you ?

Weekend in Review

We got a lot accomplished this weekend. To recap:

here's an update:

- Christmas gifts for MOCPLG kiddies

- Christmas gifts for nephews and niece

- order and install new tires for car

- replace weatherstrip on windows

- seal windows w/ silicone
- *new* Buy life insurance for hubby, update life insurance information (mine)

- replace axle assembly on car

- bring car for inspection (DMV)

- renew AAA membership

- buy caulking / silicone gun

- buy and install baby gate on stairs

And for Swe-cha's birthday:

- birthday outfit

- book photographer and videographer

- order cake and cupcakes (?)

- finalize decorations, souvenirs, prizes and loot bags

- go over program details w/ host

- finalize headcount and confirm ribbon / tablecloth scheme w/ caterer

We were able to cross out a couple more items from our list over the weekend and well, we did add a few more as we remembered tasks that we need to accomplish but that is to be expected.

Had a really really bad experience at Babies R Us this afternoon. Went to buy the baby gate for our stairs and the cashier - who happens to be Asian (she looks Chinese but I am not sure - was VERY VERY RUDE to me. She was so nice to the couple in front of me and as I was able to observe when I went back and waited for the manager so I could file a complaint about her, she was nice to others as well. Anyway, she forgot to give me a coupon book and I asked for it when she finished ringing my purchase, "hi, can I have some coupons ?" She got one from the top of her stack, threw it at me and said "next customer!". I was taken aback and I couldn't believe that she just did that to me. I didn't say anything and just left.

While that was happening, hubby was with the baby by the benches near the door. I didn't realize that he had witnessed the whole thing until we were on our way to the car and he said "what was that about with the cashier ? ang bastos, no ?" That's when it sank in.

I decided to go back and talk to a supervisor. The supervisor promised to talk to her, I told the supervisor that this girl has no business being in that line of work with that kind of attitude. I don't care if she was in a hurry or having a bad day, there's no excuse for that kind of attitude.

I'm not done yet. I will fill up this online survey connected with my transaction, hopefully, management gets a hold of her.

Forwarding Company

This is a shoutout for forwarding company recommendations.

We need to bring some items from Manila to the US, mostly heavy or bulky items that we do not want to bother family with by asking them to bring a little at a time whenever they come to visit (e.g. hubby's comic book collection, etc).

The last time I was in Manila, I was able to check with Johnny Air Cargo and got a quote of $100 for each balikbayan box to be sent from Manila to New Jersey. Unfortunately, this offering seems not to have take off because I have not been able to confirm its existence recently.

Sending stuff from the US to Manila is easy and relatively cheap! Balikbayan boxes cost $65 and forwarding companies charge affordable rates too as we found out last year when my uncle built his house and ordered his fixtures from a light fixture showroom and had us send it over to him in Manila.

Let me know if you have any information, okay ? We need this by December :)

Boxing time

The Pacquiao vs Margarito boxing match is on tonight! Can't wait.

Our friend E has invited us over to watch the PPV coverage but we haven't confirmed our attendance yet. Still have to do what we can to complete that checklist.

here's an update:

- Christmas gifts for MOCPLG kiddies

- Christmas gifts for nephews and niece

- order and install new tires for car

- replace weatherstrip on windows

- seal windows w/ silicone
- Buy Life Insurance

- replace axle assembly on car

- bring car for inspection (DMV)

- renew AAA membership

- *new* buy caulking / silicone gun

- *new* buy and install baby gate on stairs

And for Swe-cha's birthday:

- birthday outfit

- book photographer and videographer

- order cake and cupcakes (?)

- finalize decorations, souvenirs, prizes and loot bags

- go over program details w/ host

- finalize headcount and confirm ribbon / tablecloth scheme w/ caterer

Christmas Shopping

I always dread this time of the year.

You see, when Christmas time comes around, I always have a hard time shopping for gifts. I feel so much pressure looking for the something that the recipient would love and be able to use. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it is still a hit-or-miss for me.

I also find it much harder to shop for my family. I don't think I've ever heard Mom or Dad mention wanting anything - they never ask anybody for anything, they work hard at being self-sufficient that way - so it's super hard to get them gifts. This year, I'm sort of winging it and am getting them a multi-handset cordless phone. They do go through those a lot because we're a talkative family. We got them a 4 handset model, let's see if Mom can use up the batteries on all 4 handsets in one night. From past experience, I know that she can use up 3 batteries *smile*.

For my sister, something for the house might be in order as she's still decorating, even though they've been in their house for two years now. She didn't want to spend too much during the first few years and wanted to prioritize their mortgage payments so they only got the basics when it comes to furniture. But she did start buying decorative pieces early this year. A howard miller clock would be a good gift if I only had the $$$, I just saw the perfect grandfather clock while I was browsing through the website and it will go with her floors and her furniture.

As for my brother, he's always been the easiest to give gifts to. Just ask him what he wants and he will tell you. Honest and practical and I love it! I got him John Mayer heartbreak stickers and a book that he wants.

Husband & Wife Conversation

After putting the baby to bed, I decided to go down to do some "swiffering". I go into the closet, take out the swiffer and rummage around for the swiffer refills.

Hubby: I wish we had a walis [broom].

Me: Ha ? Walis ? What do you mean ?

Hubby: The kind that we have in the Philippines.

Me: You mean, the walis-tambo ? [You can check out a picture at this link.]

Hubby: Yeah, a walis-tambo. Our floors will be so much cleaner if we had one of those.

Me: *smirking* It only works if you use it, you know. If someone would just take out this swiffer and push it around a few times,.. [then I lift up to show hubby the bottom of the swiffer]... see ? it does the job as well.

Hubby: I still think that a walis-tambo works better.

Me: If you promise to clean the floors (sweep) regularly, I'll buy you one.

Hubby: How & where will you buy it ?

Me: That's my problem. I'll hand-carry it all the way from Manila if I have to. So, do we have a deal ?

Hubby: [thinks hard] Swiffer na lang.

Job Hunt

It's been a while since I last worked. While I consider it a blessing that circumstances were such that I am able to stay home and be with my child during these months, I do miss working - especially the income that comes along with it.

There are times when I see so many job postings that match my qualifications to a tee and there are times, like now, when I check out job postings and I find nothing. Just this morning, I was checking out a job site and I found several want ads for programmers for financial companies but they all require experience on something specific such as options trading.

If push comes to shove, I can claim some sort of "financial background" - with emphasis on the double quotes - given that our company's biggest client is a financial services company and I worked closely with them and their reports for several years. It got to the point where I could easily find portions of their reports, match reports to their code names, and I even got the company codes (identification codes) memorized. Unfortunately, that is where my knowledge ends. I have no idea how to interpret the data contained in those reports.

Sad, no ? I never really got interested enough to learn.