Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

Mom and Son Bonding at Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival 2015

· 15 Comments

Our family loves everything Disney. We watch a lot of shows on the Disney channel and we try to watch the Disney Live shows every year. That’s why when I got invited to take one of my kids to a show last Friday, I readily accepted.

This year’s show entitled Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival 2015 was held at Araneta Center’s new Kia Theatre from Sept. 1 – 6, 2015. The show featured some of Disney’s most beloved characters, singing and dancing to some of the world’s favorite Disney songs plus a whole lot more.

Being the littlest one in our family, Ziggy was the one I got to take. He was really, really excited to go see the show. The first ever Disney Live show he has ever been to was the one last year but he hardly remembers it at all. So, even if I knew that this year’s show is the same as the one last year, I knew he was still going to enjoy it.  

 

The show opened with the original Disney characters we’ve all loved since we were kids. Goofy, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse and of course, Mickey Mouse!

DisneyLive2015_00005 Then, the Genie came into the picture.

DisneyLive2015_00006 So of course, that meant we can expect Aladdin and Princess Jasmine to come out too.

One of my most favorite Disney songs is A Whole New World by Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. So, of course, I just got to capture this duet on video.

  After the short intermission, it was the Little Mermaid’s turn! They featured Sebastian first though and he and the mermaids danced to the tune of All the Single Ladies, which is definitely my most favorite performance in the show.

I got to capture it on video too!

 

Then, Ariel came out. I absolutely love this photo of her that I was able to take.

Of course, the evil Ursula tried to ruin the day but as we all know, Ariel and her prince lived happily every after anyway.

Then, it was the Toy Story characters’ turn to take center stage. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bullseye and Jessie made an appearance.

  I think the Toy Story bit was the most fun part. I love Woody, Jessie and Bullseye’s part wherein they played jump rope. Here’s a video of that.  

 

Before they ended their part, they also threw HUGE plastic balls to the audience. The audience had a ball (pun intended!) playing with them. Haha! The whole show lasted about an hour and half, including intermission. I actually wanted to see more. But I guess we just have to wait for the next Disney show.

After the show, I asked Ziggy what his favorite part was and he said “EVERYTHING!”. Then, I asked him who his favorite character was. I was expecting him to say Buzz Lightyear or Woody but then he answered “Mickey!”.  I guess, nothing beats Mickey Mouse. 🙂

It was a really nice bonding activity for me and Ziggy. We had so much fun! Thank you so much to Mommy Bloggers Philippines, Araneta Center, Kia Theater, Ticket Net and of course, Disney Live for inviting us!

Celebrating #ZiggyTurns4

· 4 Comments

Ziggy celebrated his 4th birthday on the last weekend of February but I’m only blogging about it now. Blame it on the blog hosting issues then the subsequent blog migration issues. But I don’t want to dwell on that. I just want to share what we did to celebrate a very special occasion.

I really wanted to go out of town that weekend. However, hubby’s department at work decided to hold an event on the night of Ziggy’s birthday and so we were kind of forced to stay in the city. To make it easy for the hubby to go to his office party after our celebration, we decided to spend the entire weekend at his aunt’s condo unit in Bonifacio Global City.

For those of you who want to stay in BGC for a staycation, you might want to check out the condo. It’s available for short term lease. But that’s another story. So, anyway….

We checked in there late Friday night. By Saturday, we decided to have lunch at Slappy Cakes at the nearby SM Aura because Ziggy loves pancakes. It was our second visit to Slappy Cakes and we knew it was going to be fun for the kids because they love making their own pancakes.

 

After lunch, we headed back to the condo so that the kids can enjoy the pool. Ziggy loves to go swimming even though he doesn’t really know how to swim yet. Even so, he’s just happy to be in the water.

 

By dinner time, hubby had to leave and walk over the restaurant where his office party was held while the kids and I had dinner. Since it was still early when we finished eating, I decided to take the kids and walk over to Bonifacio High Street. We chanced upon the British Festival although most of the booths were already closing. The kids were still able to admire the different displays and pose for photos.

 

Then, because Ziggy asked for doughnuts, which is one his ultimate favorites, I obliged (of course!) and took the kids to Krispy Kreme.

It turned out to be a pretty simple celebration but one that all of us, especially Ziggy, enjoyed. That’s the most important thing, anyway.

I can’t believe he’s already four years old. I really don’t have a baby anymore. He doesn’t even want to be called a baby anymore and is always proud to say that he’s already a “big boy”. I look at him and ask myself, “Where did the time go?”.  I look at him and can’t help but feel so proud that I have this amazing, smart, loving, thoughtful, playful boy as my son.

I miss his baby-ness already although I know that in my heart of hearts, he will always be my baby. I can only imagine what the future will bring for my boy. But instead of thinking too much about the future, I constantly remind myself to stay grounded on the present, on the special moments that I am blessed to have with him now. ‘Coz he will only be four once.

Happy 4th birthday, Ziggy!

Ziggy’s Ready Steady Go Kids Graduation

· 9 Comments

Last November, I blogged about Ziggy joining Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines. If you wish to learn more about it, do click on the link.

Basically, I won an entire program of 10 sessions for Ziggy from a Mommy Mundo giveaway. He has been attending a session once a week, every Saturday morning at Valle Verde.

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen photos and videos of Ziggy’s experience with RSGK. He really just loves the entire experience so I’m really happy that I won that giveaway! It was his first time to attend any type of class and I must say, it was a success.

Ziggy learned the following from RSGK.

  • Basics of 5 different sports: Tennis, T-ball, Basketball, Hockey and Football
  • Social skills: playing with other kids, taking turns, playing fair, having fun
  • Discipline: following instructions from other adults – his fabulous coaches
  • Health: kids are encouraged to drink lots of water and eat vegetables (At home, to encourage Ziggy to eat more veggies, I remind him about what his coach tells him about veggies. It works, he eats more.)
  • Games – lots and lots of games

The ten sessions are now over though and an awarding ceremony took place. All the kids were asked to complete an obstacle and in the middle of that, they were asked to go on stage to receive their certificate of completion.

Here we are, proud mom and dad, with Ziggy and Coach Sonny.

 

IMG_0067

 

This is what his certificate looks like.

 

ReadySteadyGoKidsAward

 

By the way, he posed like that on his own. Haha! He’s been posing a lot on his own lately. We think he has the makings of a model, seriously.

Anyway, we’re all going to miss Ready Steady Go Kids. It was so fun! Ziggy really learned a lot. Best of all, he truly enjoyed the experience. Hubby and I are really proud of what he has been able to accomplish considering his only truly “physical activity” involves playing in the playground every so often.

For sure, he’ll be back to attend classes there some time this year. We’re just going to take a break for the first term this year because the schedule can be quite taxing on us.

But for those of you who are interested, call RSGK and inquire. They give a free trial too. I’m sure your kid will love it. Visit readysteadygokids.com.ph for more info.

Ziggy has joined Ready Steady Go Kids!

· 21 Comments

For the past few months, I’ve been seeing a lot of Ready Steady Go Kids online. I was really curious so I read up about it and found out that RSGK is actually Australia’s leading preschool and exercise program. Their program is designed for kids ages 2.5 – 7 years old and includes multi-sport activities that teach preschoolers the fundamentals of 10 different sports.

 

ready-steady-go-kids-logo

 

Ready Steady Go Kids aims to “promote a healthy lifestyle, develop a lifelong passion for physical activity and sport, decrease childhood obesity, increase confidence and prepare children for participation in school and the broader community”. A few months ago, they finally brought the program to the Philippines.

It really sounded like a program that would benefit our three-year-old, Ziggy. He doesn’t go to a regular school yet since we have decided to homeschool him until he’s 5 years old. So, I became really interested in enrolling him in the program. Ziggy got to try a sample RSGK activity at their booth during the Sky Halloween Superheroes event that we attended and he loved it. So, I had no doubt that joining RSGK would be a great experience for him.

Well, what do you know. Just a couple of weeks ago, I found out that Mommy Mundo was hosting a giveaway on their site and the prize was one full-term for your child on RSGK. That’s a total of ten classes worth almost Php 10,000.00. Did I join? You bet I did! And I won! Woohoo!!! Thank you so much Mommy Mundo and RSGK!

I was so excited for Ziggy to start the program and last Saturday he finally did. We chose a Saturday morning class because it was the most convenient for all of us, even if the venue is actually quite far from our place. But we didn’t really mind. We were so excited that we arrived 30 minutes early, which turned out to be a good thing. Ziggy was a little hesitant at first but after the coaches gave him a basketball and hoop to play with, he warmed up pretty fast.

Anyway, I became excited just seeing all these materials that the coaches had that day. They had a lot of fun stuff to play with.

 

 

I also just want to share just how nice the coaches were. That day there were all male coaches, Coach Sonny and Coach Jay, plus another male assistant. When we got to the venue, we were greeted the moment we walked in. They immediately introduced themselves and tried to engage Ziggy in a conversation. They really know how to put kids at ease. Plus, they know how to make kids have fun!

I read on their website that all of RSGK’s coaches are required to at least have a Level 1 Coaching qualification under the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme from the Australian Sports Commission. That is on top of the extensive training on how to handle preschoolers. Plus, at least one in each class is trained with First Aid as well. I think this extremely important because they’re dealing with kids who will be doing lots of physical activity.

So, how did Ziggy do that day? He did great! Even before the session started, he already started making friends. I could see the excitement on his face as he listened to the coaches and tried to follow their instructions.

 

RSGKDay1c

 

The class started when Coach Sonny asked all the kids to form a circle together and sit with him. They sang a song and then eventually started with warm up exercises.

 

RSGKDay1f

 

The warm up exercises included a lot of stretching and some walking (forward, backwards and sideways).

 

RSGKDay1d

 

The main activity that day though was hockey! So exciting! Everybody were given hockey sticks and a puck. It was Ziggy’s first time using them. Here’s Coach Sonny giving him some one-on-one instructions.

 

RSGKDay1h

 

He had a lot of fun doing it. Once, after successfully hitting the puck, he shouted “I won!”. Hahaha! So cute.

 

RSGKDay1g

 

After hockey, they did a few more games such as this one where Coach Sonny pretended to be a sleeping monster of some sort. Can you see how much fun Ziggy had with that game in these photos?

 

 

After the session, the coaches made sure that all the kids got stamps for a job well done. Ziggy was given a lot so he was really happy about that.

 

RSGKDay1k

 

He was really disappointed though when the session ended and we had to go. He started crying and begging us to let him stay. He only calmed down when Coach Jay allowed him to play with some of the “balance beams”. We assured him that we’ll be bringing him back the following Saturday and that made him feel better.

I was really so proud of Ziggy that day. Just on the first day alone, he accomplished a lot of firsts already. I have no doubt he’s going to develop more not only physically but mentally, socially and emotionally too with the coming sessions. I’m so happy for him.

If you’re considering trying out Ready Steady Go Kids too, I suggest you do asap! They can actually give you a free trial session. Learn more about the program by visiting their website at www.readysteadygokids.com.ph.

 

Ziggy Turns 3

· 20 Comments

Last Friday, my little boy turned 3. I can’t believe it. He really is not a baby anymore. I have been so emotional during the days leading to his birthday because he’s my only boy and I guess I’m just not yet prepared for him to grow up so fast. Haha!

 

Luckily, I had something to busy myself with last week – planning his party! So, I dove into thinking of how I can DIY his party, especially since we only decided to host one a week before his birthday.

 

We decided to have a simple dinner party at home on Saturday night with immediate family and a few friends. I wanted a “truck” theme because Ziggy loves trucks. I also decided on navy blue, red and yellow for the colors. So, hubby and I went to Celebrations Party Central at the Festival Mall last Thursday to buy party materials. I wasn’t able to get all of them there though so we ended up going around the mall for several hours.

 

The Decor:

Anyway, I was pretty happy with the outcome although everything was really just simple. It was mostly just me and Zoe and Ziya, who did all the decor. Here they are:

 

Here’s the buntings that we put over the window by the dining area. I initially planned on putting Ziggy’s baby photos plus photos of trucks on the buntings but had no more time to do so.

 

ZiggyTurns3i

 

Another set of buntings outside at our balcony.

 

ZiggyTurns3e

 

Hubby put some paper lanterns at the balcony in our backyard. We also rented a couple of tables and chairs for the guests. The paper lanterns really looked nice when lit up. It gave a really nice ambiance to our backyard that night.

 

ZiggyTurns3d

 

I really wanted to make a DIY dessert table. I’ve received a lot of praise for this on Facebook and IG so I must have done something right. Haha! Here, I just used the wooden letters from Ziggy’s room and had hubby spray paint them blue. Then I printed some of Ziggy’s baby photos, glued them on construction paper and added borders with washi tape.

 

ZiggyTurns3f

 

Then I used one of our monoblock tables and just placed a red and white plastic table cloth that I got from Celebrations Party Central. I used red and yellow pails for the dessert goodies. Then made labels using red and yellow popsicle sticks and washi tape.

 

Ziggyturn3a

 

Since we weren’t able to buy a cake stand, I used one of the girls’ decorative boxes and wrapped it with red crepe paper and glued some truck stickers that Ziggy got from one his uncles. The cake is just a rocky road cake from Goldilocks. But I wanted to personalize it. So, we bought some new toy trucks and placed them on top of the cake. I added a candle and buntings with a stand, which I made using some paper straws, yarn and washi tape. Ziggy loved it!

 

How’d you like the decor?

 

The Food

There were a lot of food a the party. We decided not to cook because it was just too much work already. So, we just ordered Pancit Lucban from Buddy’s, Pork Barbecue and Pichi-Pichi from Amber’s. My father-in-law wanted to chip in so he got Lumpiang Shanghai and Chopsuey from Savory plus some ice cream too. Hubby’s balikbayan aunt also wanted to bring something so she went ahead and brought Barbecue Chicken. Some of the food are not in this photo though.

 

ZiggyTurns3h

 

For the dessert, aside from the cake and ice cream, I chose to add chocolate and strawberry Sticko-s, two kinds of marshmallows, chocolate pretzels, Nips, Kettle Corn Caramel Popcorn and Chips Delight chocolate chip cookies. Yup, that’s a lot of chocolate – all because the little boy loves it.

 

ZiggyTurns3g

The Party

We only had around 25 – 30 people. They actually fit in our house. Haha!

 

ZiggyTurns3b

There wasn’t really much of a program – just a prayer before we started, then Ziggy blew his candle, then we all ate and had good conversations with each other. It’s exactly how I envisioned it to be.

ZiggyTurns3c

 

It may have been a simple party but I slaved away with all the DIY stuff, not to mention all the cleaning I did to prepare the house to be guest-ready. But it was all so worth it. Ziggy enjoyed it all!

 

I still can’t believe it though. Ziggy’s 3 years old now. Oh my gosh. How time flies.

 

 

Disclosure