Heartache

My heart and soul go out to all those that lost a loved one last Friday. As a parent, the tragic events of that day hit very close to home. It really terrifies me. Though I know that incident is but one of many tragedies that happened that day. Wars are still fought here and abroad. Whether tragedies occur on a school campus, street corner, in a mosque, in the jungle, anywhere, there is heartache. I can only share that I appreciated what our pastor said in regards to the tragic events on Friday, that no matter where you may stand in terms of gun control, the world needs a little bit more of "God" in our households. Even if you're not religious, having some sense of spirituality in our lives can bring us together to learn to appreciate one another, to forgive, and to love.

Our lives are a gift. Let us learn to treat one another as such. My prayers are with you Newtown community.

Gingerbread Architecture

 
During the holidays, I'm always trying to find ways with my family and friends to do something festive with or without kids. Last weekend, we had the pleasure of building a gingerbread house with Ms. Lolli and Mr. Charm. It was in Corte Madera at the mall where you could also take photos with Santa. 

Our friends booked an appointment ahead of time so we wouldn't have to wait. Let me just say this, we all enjoyed a sugar-high well into the afternoon. Each set of siblings got to build a house with a cupful of candy from their candy bin. You can purchase additional candy as well. This is Micro's second time making a gingerbread house and Micron's first. It was a joy to see them create and play. Of course, they snuck in some candy-eating. Whoa! Don't eat the decorations! Despite my hopes of an awesome-magazine worthy creation, their house (with the help of adult "elves"-aka "parents") turned out pretty cool. They did most of the decorating and we helped put icing on the house. It was tons of fun and something I look forward to doing each year with our friends.

I must say, Mr. Fliz and I, would have loved to make our very own gingerbread creations. We are a competitive couple. However, all the adults did enjoy eating the leftover gingerbread scraps with the icing. Oh my, sugar high! Thank you dear friends for such a fun day ;)

What'd I tell you? After awhile, sugar high.

What we've been doing . . .

Battle Ready

Are you still recovering from all the Thanksgiving yummies and resting your wallet from all that shopping? Well, it's December!!! Yikes, how did that happen? We've been spending some major family time before it gets unruly with preschool ending for the fall session this week for Micro, finishing up Xmas shopping, doing some winter activities with friends, and packing for our next adventure. It just never stops. Never. Ever.

That's ok, it's to be expected. I just make sure to set time aside to appreciate all the little blessings in my life everyday. These chilly days have me busy in the kitchen whipping up treats that are seriously sugar-inducing. Mr. Fliz even brought down our bread machine...man oh man, I've never used one and this has been sitting unopened since before our wedding. I'm a little intimidated when it comes to making bread. However, nothing beats the smell of fresh-baked goodness in the morning. I have fond memories of my Aunt's house during the fall/winter of baked bread. Growing up, we were fortunate enough to have a sweet neighbor (Tita Edith) who always baked croissants, rolls, breads, etc... almost every week. She'd call my mom to send my sister and I over to pick up stuff she made for us. Her house smelled liked heaven. I could sleep there blissfully surrounded by the smells of cinnamon and butter. Omg, I'm like salivating just thinking about it. I'm hoping to recreate that in my home as well. Any must-try bread recipes, please send my way.

In the Philippines, Christmas is practically there. They start celebrating and decorating for the holiday season in September. You can hear Christmas music being played in the malls then. Our tree is up and looking pretty sweet. Our mantle is decorated, stockings are hung, and we only have to put up our Xmas lights outside the house. I love the holiday season and all the joy it brings. Though stressful at times, my family and I have plenty to be grateful for. I'll post pics soon of things we've been up to.