tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743314234350135612024-03-13T23:46:29.377+11:00THE MOMMY ROVES”Live life in full colour - that is the inspiration behind The Mommy Roves. This blog aims to bring joy and positivity to see beautiful things in all places and things. From sceneries to cafes,
to beaches, parks - this blog encourages families to find adventures in their own ways. This blog also shares daily life experiences and random musings to motivate someone to live their life to the fullest and be the best version of themselves every day.
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.comBlogger815125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-47572747175250044672021-03-20T19:30:00.001+11:002021-03-20T19:30:18.387+11:00Every Plate: A Great Meal Box For the Family <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qyh1cQEiq-g/YFWZuZc8AlI/AAAAAAAAJQI/_UsN_3BHa5kuRIF6WFe_JJq7Hbk8V92KgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/546ED469-3BDF-4844-A206-16C08766C44A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qyh1cQEiq-g/YFWZuZc8AlI/AAAAAAAAJQI/_UsN_3BHa5kuRIF6WFe_JJq7Hbk8V92KgCNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/546ED469-3BDF-4844-A206-16C08766C44A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the toughest task of being a full-time / working mom is planning and making the meals for the family every week. Are you like me who feels stressed every weekend, thinking and planning the different dishes you’ll cook for the family? Or do you feel mental every time you’re in the shops thinking of the different ways you can cook chicken breasts to make sure that you can portion out the poultry appropriately?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfRn2Rw3gps/YFWcQLB76QI/AAAAAAAAJQQ/RjI_OrznMY43poliDiZ9IH28UuS9UKexQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/443C432B-41DC-4993-B0DD-D0A1815108AC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfRn2Rw3gps/YFWcQLB76QI/AAAAAAAAJQQ/RjI_OrznMY43poliDiZ9IH28UuS9UKexQCNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/443C432B-41DC-4993-B0DD-D0A1815108AC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Glad that I have found the solution to my never ending, weekly dilemma with food with EVERY PLATE!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.everyplate.com.au/plans?irclickid=xgsWgvUh3xyLRdS0W2SX%3Awd2UkEVPJQJtyzdTw0&irgwc=1&utm_campaign=AFF_AU_IR_CONTG_FEB_DIS-40-PCT-3_EX_themommyroves_0_ROVIEPLATE_themommyroves_2672537&utm_content=TEXT_LINK&utm_medium=cpo&utm_source=affiliate" target="_blank">Every Plate</a> is a weekly meal delivery box that gives you all the ingredients that you need to create delicious and easy to make dishes! They have numerous recipes that are guaranteed TASTY and VERY EASY to make! In fact, you only need to follow 4 SIMPLE STEPS to give your family a fantastic dinner every single night.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">HOW DO YOU GET YOUR EVERY PLATE BOX?</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMbmXj5H6jo/YFWgo6MynNI/AAAAAAAAJQg/09YPzmBaLBYc-YmJeRXHZAARdOjVHerigCNcBGAsYHQ/s1242/1AD2CAEB-68C8-4E73-8884-0C63DFBA50BC.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMbmXj5H6jo/YFWgo6MynNI/AAAAAAAAJQg/09YPzmBaLBYc-YmJeRXHZAARdOjVHerigCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/1AD2CAEB-68C8-4E73-8884-0C63DFBA50BC.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Very easy! All you need to do is to visit this <a href="https://www.everyplate.com.au/">link</a>, and choose the number of people and meals you need for the week. You can choose up to 6 meals per week for 2, 4, or 6 people. Select the meals that you like, (vegetarian options available and premium rump steak option when you add a little amount) then choose the delivery time frame suitable to your schedule. That easy! Plus, you can then get <b>40% off your FIRST box, then 20% off on your 2nd and 3rd boxes when you use the code ROVIEPLATE</b>! Wow, you get to save and feed the family good food. That’s a win-win!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>HOW DOES EVERY PLATE WORK?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YVR7181BLM/YFWj9HA072I/AAAAAAAAJQo/Xj5jpa3fCdEteKzPttlA_CVtWOaiNTmVwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/6562ECDE-7801-4884-B8CE-2FDECC53D841.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YVR7181BLM/YFWj9HA072I/AAAAAAAAJQo/Xj5jpa3fCdEteKzPttlA_CVtWOaiNTmVwCNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/6562ECDE-7801-4884-B8CE-2FDECC53D841.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Once you have selected your meals and your delivery time frame, Every Plate will arrive on your doorstep on the agreed timeframe with all the fresh ingredients stored in a cardboard box. The meat and the other perishable items are packed and sealed in a foil cooler bag with <i>reusable ice bags</i> ensuring that they are kept fresh. In fact there were times that my boxes were delivered in the 7 in the morning but would only be able to organise it after I come from work. The meat are still very much intact and fresh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvI1KpT9xgs/YFWlfmH2gjI/AAAAAAAAJQw/tURI5XyhbwUvfscXk_cq-RYn5Ym9VqWKQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1242/B503812E-EA54-4348-915A-EB42E4755128.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvI1KpT9xgs/YFWlfmH2gjI/AAAAAAAAJQw/tURI5XyhbwUvfscXk_cq-RYn5Ym9VqWKQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/B503812E-EA54-4348-915A-EB42E4755128.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You will also get instruction cards for the recipes you have chosen. What’s fascinating about the recipe cards is the 4-step instruction guide! The steps are very easy to follow, no-fuss and most importantly they can be done in under 30 minutes! This is the perfect cooking time for me as I’m always exhausted after a day’s work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>HOW GOOD ARE THE EVERY PLATE DISHES?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZQw67t6UTU/YFWpzUr4JLI/AAAAAAAAJRQ/YQ8AiGafrakt6L7WBfB4RZ-cbKeKALphQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1552/0CA7E8FF-7A96-4122-BFCF-C4C260B8736D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1552" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZQw67t6UTU/YFWpzUr4JLI/AAAAAAAAJRQ/YQ8AiGafrakt6L7WBfB4RZ-cbKeKALphQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/0CA7E8FF-7A96-4122-BFCF-C4C260B8736D.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Easy Chicken Parmi with Salad</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">VERY GOOD. Paolo, my husband and I loved every dish that we have cooked with Every Plate. As I have mentioned before, the steps are very easy to follow and the end result is always really tasted so exquisite. I am not an expert cook but cooking with Every Plate made me feel like I am.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwikS93xJUo/YFWqjYfz1jI/AAAAAAAAJRY/kW77PbAdeng7LWrBgn_2jML3Xx29CEEBgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1552/8908C76C-0C01-41E1-B377-977B67CB0954.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1552" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwikS93xJUo/YFWqjYfz1jI/AAAAAAAAJRY/kW77PbAdeng7LWrBgn_2jML3Xx29CEEBgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/8908C76C-0C01-41E1-B377-977B67CB0954.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mexican Beef Bowl & Salsa with Garlic Rice</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In fact, I feel so proud as I am now able to cook a Chicken Parmi, which I was so scared to cook before. I also leaned a new technique of cooking garlic rice with Basmati rice. If you’re a Filipino, we’re used to cooking our garlic rice the “<i>sinangag style” </i>where we cook the garlic in oil first and stir fry the cooked and cold rice. But with Every Plate, it taught me to cook garlic rice differently- and boy, when you cook the garlic on butter then boil the basmati, it is so GOOD :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o8I_FKnMlHk/YFWssoZHmRI/AAAAAAAAJRg/JxhD-YxfNWIi4P1w-fCJ4UOKPcSLVx3QQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1552/1F969B6D-CEAA-4BDC-AECA-0B38774E1816.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1552" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o8I_FKnMlHk/YFWssoZHmRI/AAAAAAAAJRg/JxhD-YxfNWIi4P1w-fCJ4UOKPcSLVx3QQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/1F969B6D-CEAA-4BDC-AECA-0B38774E1816.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian Pork Burger with Golden Wedges & Cheesy Bacon Penne with Greens<i><br />(My 2 personal favourites as it gave an Asian twist to Burger, and added veggies to your creamy pasta)<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGElkAaebp4/YFWtkYbnjNI/AAAAAAAAJRo/z3uTq03c_v874fCcws9uSOM57LMTULvmgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1552/5AC19B00-8B09-43C5-B1C5-49B5A3CDFC17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1552" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGElkAaebp4/YFWtkYbnjNI/AAAAAAAAJRo/z3uTq03c_v874fCcws9uSOM57LMTULvmgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/5AC19B00-8B09-43C5-B1C5-49B5A3CDFC17.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mexican Chicken & Garlic Rice with Salsa | Spiced Chicken Steaks & Mash with Creamy Garlic Sauce</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In terms of portion, I must say that they are portioned really well. We have opted to get 6 meals for 4 people, as we are 3 in the family. The servings are so plenty that Paolo and I have enough food to bring eat for lunch the next day.<br /><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jv9OptWf3to/YFWwOREzQpI/AAAAAAAAJRw/GzNUBGO9z_oRWIWgJLF5YBtCFbiHZJBZgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1552/6BA55A79-D414-42C7-92CD-739D4649BCB1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jv9OptWf3to/YFWwOREzQpI/AAAAAAAAJRw/GzNUBGO9z_oRWIWgJLF5YBtCFbiHZJBZgCNcBGAsYHQ/w512-h640/6BA55A79-D414-42C7-92CD-739D4649BCB1.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sticky Honey Soy Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries & Salad<br /> | Persian Chicken & Roast Veggies with Baby Spinach</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, the portions are very generous as I also bring my Every Plate dishes to dinner get together with friends. Would you believe that a serving of 4 actually fed 8 adults when I brought the Persian Chicken and Roast Sweet Potato with Baby Spinach on a gathering? All my friends loved it!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNuSySWLq-k/YFWxGY7u1kI/AAAAAAAAJR4/0W_sFiMYZNkyoxX-N3DTrS0sIl1_N6IFACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/250DAE74-D727-4C16-8DD7-25601A3F51E9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNuSySWLq-k/YFWxGY7u1kI/AAAAAAAAJR4/0W_sFiMYZNkyoxX-N3DTrS0sIl1_N6IFACNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/250DAE74-D727-4C16-8DD7-25601A3F51E9.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />I am definitely recommending Every Plate to make dinner more memorable and practical for the family. Every Plate has gifted us 3 weeks worth of meal boxes and we have decided to continue our subscription as it has given a lot of benefits to our family. We are enjoying delicious dinners every night. We are also saving time as we are spending less time in the shops for grocery shopping. I am also feeling less stressed as I am cooking and following easy recipes yet keeping my family (especially my husband) happy with delicious food. Did I also mention that they are healthy and nutritious? All of the dishes have vegetables or salads with them making sure that we have our veggie intake each day.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BeUTdpWCF-8/YFWyPrexmLI/AAAAAAAAJSA/G7FE2z_ltA4dGf0-Y0pjQVhQCzHO92g_gCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/F8AD7020-69E9-456B-BDE1-86ACEC737A51.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BeUTdpWCF-8/YFWyPrexmLI/AAAAAAAAJSA/G7FE2z_ltA4dGf0-Y0pjQVhQCzHO92g_gCNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/F8AD7020-69E9-456B-BDE1-86ACEC737A51.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: center;">Have you tried a meal kit yet? If yes, share me your experiences below. If you’re curious to try, get box </span><a href="https://www.everyplate.com.au/recipes/bbq-spiced-rump-steak-6023393edcee8025b52ec4ef?week=2021-W12" style="text-align: center;">here</a><span style="text-align: center;"> and enjoy 40% off on your first box and 20% off on the second and third when you used the code ROVIEPLATE</span><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-50988632946731747442020-09-09T00:13:00.003+10:002020-09-09T00:13:43.475+10:00The Much Deserved Family Weekend in Holiday Inn, Potts Point <div style="text-align: center;">When the lockdown was announced in March, Paolo and I had to work from home and had to cancel all our planned holidays (including our much anticipated trip to the Philippines). 3 months later in June, lockdown has eased in NSW, thereby allowing us to go out more, for Leon to go to school and me, going back to work and Paolo, to still work from home. While life has slowly (almost) gotten back to normal, there is one thing that we cannot do - to travel and go on a holiday.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6djecpaQoU/X1d37mFqByI/AAAAAAAAJKI/i2WTdXAk1zoXFtnCyHDEwwJf3z6LlHj1gCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/CF783BF9-2A5F-4C5B-B039-ECC71B574F03.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1154" height="1525" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6djecpaQoU/X1d37mFqByI/AAAAAAAAJKI/i2WTdXAk1zoXFtnCyHDEwwJf3z6LlHj1gCNcBGAsYHQ/w858-h1525/CF783BF9-2A5F-4C5B-B039-ECC71B574F03.jpeg" width="858" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View from Royal Botanic Gardens</i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: center;">Instead of missing out on travel opportunities, our family decided to spend our holiday in Sydney CBD. We’ve been living in Sydney for almost four years now but honestly, we haven’t been to the city that much and there are still a lot for us to discover. </div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvhCHw6wNHg/X1d6ViahQ8I/AAAAAAAAJKY/AEZyHNJBpOALTy3zSclqoW1f5zOUGcvLQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/02C97BC0-24B9-4E2C-B76D-4EB2AB51E6C0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvhCHw6wNHg/X1d6ViahQ8I/AAAAAAAAJKY/AEZyHNJBpOALTy3zSclqoW1f5zOUGcvLQCNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/02C97BC0-24B9-4E2C-B76D-4EB2AB51E6C0.jpeg" width="625" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Our lovely family in the Holiday Inn Potts Point Hotel Room</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When we were given this opportunity to enjoy the <a href="https://www.holidayinnpottspoint.com.au/promotions/family-picnic-package/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=rovie&utm_campaign=family%20picnic%20package" target="_blank">Family Picnic Package</a> in Holiday Inn Potts Point, it was the exact idea that we needed for our family. A weekend that just about us - a lovely picnic for the family, and an overnight accomodation in a room that offers one of the best views in Sydney.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UEYMaE6mpkY/X1d6MI_E2AI/AAAAAAAAJKU/VQkOv_QkpM4EflfHWxj93rqWTPmx6c9twCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9281C882-39F3-447B-90F0-7BD2C1800EE8.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1244" height="976" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UEYMaE6mpkY/X1d6MI_E2AI/AAAAAAAAJKU/VQkOv_QkpM4EflfHWxj93rqWTPmx6c9twCNcBGAsYHQ/w594-h976/9281C882-39F3-447B-90F0-7BD2C1800EE8.jpeg" width="594" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Holiday Inn Potts Point is verified as a Covid Safe business by the NSW Government so it gave us the assurance that the hotel ensures safety and cleanliness all throughout. It didn’t disappoint when we checked in - as there are sanitising stations in the reception and before the lifts and social distancing were adhered. On top of that, the reception staff, William was so warm and friendly that the moment we checked in everything was a breeze. <i>Don’t you just love it when you get sincere and excellent customer service?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The big question is, what are included in the Family Picnic Package? </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6Qc10uZxo8/X1d_Zx6SJvI/AAAAAAAAJK4/tgtSy377SlUYmzoJgqLNype658II93uhACNcBGAsYHQ/s2542/B2D04426-D32D-4946-8971-3E5AE2E49DB6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2542" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6Qc10uZxo8/X1d_Zx6SJvI/AAAAAAAAJK4/tgtSy377SlUYmzoJgqLNype658II93uhACNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h305/B2D04426-D32D-4946-8971-3E5AE2E49DB6.jpeg" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8g1mCoGYJU/X1d_Z9hVWLI/AAAAAAAAJK8/80jLe4GM8LQB2ZXR9UBEDh94V1vN1cYygCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/F2826A68-8931-4297-AAC0-8024BCD675DD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8g1mCoGYJU/X1d_Z9hVWLI/AAAAAAAAJK8/80jLe4GM8LQB2ZXR9UBEDh94V1vN1cYygCNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/F2826A68-8931-4297-AAC0-8024BCD675DD.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">First you get to check-in in a spacious family room with a beautiful, stunning and breathtaking view of the Sydney Harbour.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MP7WlQ_BIqM/X1d8vSWl1OI/AAAAAAAAJKs/Nt8WgIElMzgDVw_tMwqejdxl1Ya7_UYUgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/17534F7B-B229-42B8-ABB6-04C946F3BBC8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MP7WlQ_BIqM/X1d8vSWl1OI/AAAAAAAAJKs/Nt8WgIElMzgDVw_tMwqejdxl1Ya7_UYUgCNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/17534F7B-B229-42B8-ABB6-04C946F3BBC8.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs2jZLY-JNM/X1eCJQfqSSI/AAAAAAAAJLM/IsAzCvOP7rgRqpkU21l9Xi4Edl0XvosiwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/B8F69891-0C6B-438D-88C1-EDE8BC93C947.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs2jZLY-JNM/X1eCJQfqSSI/AAAAAAAAJLM/IsAzCvOP7rgRqpkU21l9Xi4Edl0XvosiwCNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/B8F69891-0C6B-438D-88C1-EDE8BC93C947.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Second, a tailored picnic will be provided for your family to enjoy. Holiday Inn recommended the Royal Botanic Gardens which is a walking distance from the hotel. It was our very first time in this garden and the view was so astonishing. The park was also very huge - huge enough for Leon to run around and play tip with me and his daddy. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYwUAq8FLQo/X1eCbmK_cMI/AAAAAAAAJLU/ML7MYVJ2Gsw1EP0s4ffP0x-gnIw_nUvOwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/B4EE7E71-C83B-4502-947C-421DD22E02C1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYwUAq8FLQo/X1eCbmK_cMI/AAAAAAAAJLU/ML7MYVJ2Gsw1EP0s4ffP0x-gnIw_nUvOwCNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/B4EE7E71-C83B-4502-947C-421DD22E02C1.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div>A bottle of wine was provided in our hamper so Paolo and I decided to drink it in our hotel room. The room that we had was a one bedroom suite which was immensely huge for our family of three. Leon had his ipad time in the lounge while Paolo and I stayed in the bedroom while drinking wine and watching TV. Of course, being the instagram husband that he is, he also took stunning photos of my in this view.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLAhatcpLZg/X1eG_6vw_HI/AAAAAAAAJLs/0fXEe1olyGQKuQxUsshSyOjk4IFNcoQwwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/E077FCCC-7E4F-48FC-8C27-A33A41032ACC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1991" height="625" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLAhatcpLZg/X1eG_6vw_HI/AAAAAAAAJLs/0fXEe1olyGQKuQxUsshSyOjk4IFNcoQwwCNcBGAsYHQ/w608-h625/E077FCCC-7E4F-48FC-8C27-A33A41032ACC.jpeg" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We spent the night roaming around Potts Point as there a lot of food places around. We ended up in a Vietnamese Restaurant which Leon fell in love with (Fried Pork with rice). It was one of our greatest nights we had as a family - just being together in a relaxed manner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FmWqQ2EBgk0/X1eIO8RRceI/AAAAAAAAJL4/U57dBrfN6WQsx2hPnP0r3__nL2Cd0dwgwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BF2780DC-B0A5-4B18-B627-FE904DCBF62F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1154" height="976" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FmWqQ2EBgk0/X1eIO8RRceI/AAAAAAAAJL4/U57dBrfN6WQsx2hPnP0r3__nL2Cd0dwgwCNcBGAsYHQ/w549-h976/BF2780DC-B0A5-4B18-B627-FE904DCBF62F.jpeg" width="549" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hEfBAnI8u0/X1eLhKMHZrI/AAAAAAAAJME/NkG0kgipoME1M1fXiKTn5u8CJBUVWoRxACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/6BDF5716-9552-4889-8784-2C4512B405ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1154" height="976" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hEfBAnI8u0/X1eLhKMHZrI/AAAAAAAAJME/NkG0kgipoME1M1fXiKTn5u8CJBUVWoRxACNcBGAsYHQ/w549-h976/6BDF5716-9552-4889-8784-2C4512B405ED.jpeg" width="549" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next day, we ordered breakfast in bed (not part of the package) as we want to savour the view. How often do you get to have breakfast in bed in with this view, right? Leon also had the most fun as we did enjoy looking out and trying to figure out what were the places he can see. Apart from that, we did enjoy the other best part of the room - the bath tub, which Leon truly enjoyed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-288vV5QsmRM/X1eL_fKw-8I/AAAAAAAAJMQ/HJ9OrFC-x_gnwR0-v23EkhkKRWuSfs3vACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/D7C3C8DA-19B2-4409-9053-98CC0E77646D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1154" height="976" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-288vV5QsmRM/X1eL_fKw-8I/AAAAAAAAJMQ/HJ9OrFC-x_gnwR0-v23EkhkKRWuSfs3vACNcBGAsYHQ/w549-h976/D7C3C8DA-19B2-4409-9053-98CC0E77646D.jpeg" width="549" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGQSemND0PM/X1eL_e8rGCI/AAAAAAAAJMM/zr6wY0-BT5cbHGhJYMCU0AOJEohHQ8MrACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BAEC6B8E-603F-4ACD-8933-A874837F9C28.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGQSemND0PM/X1eL_e8rGCI/AAAAAAAAJMM/zr6wY0-BT5cbHGhJYMCU0AOJEohHQ8MrACNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/BAEC6B8E-603F-4ACD-8933-A874837F9C28.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is how much our family enjoyed our staycation in Potts Point - definitely something we will do again! Leon enjoyed it so much that he has been bugging us to “go back to the hotel” as it was something we truly enjoyed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you book your stay in Holiday Potts Point, there is no deposit required, free cancellation until before 6PM day prior to arrival (which can also be rescheduled within the same time period). Complimentary parking would be provided as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Click the link to book your next staycation here: <a href="https://www.holidayinnpottspoint.com.au/promotions/family-picnic-package/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=rovie&utm_campaign=family%20picnic%20package" target="_blank">Holiday Inn Potts Point</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And can I leave this photo here that my awesome husband took:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQB1fgzWcUo/X1eQBI6rJYI/AAAAAAAAJMg/AjiuR_psXGgkN4dN3fQdcOtDYIHHp2uOACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/5B18CB53-F576-452D-B6DB-2F36461BBEA6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQB1fgzWcUo/X1eQBI6rJYI/AAAAAAAAJMg/AjiuR_psXGgkN4dN3fQdcOtDYIHHp2uOACNcBGAsYHQ/w625-h351/5B18CB53-F576-452D-B6DB-2F36461BBEA6.jpeg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Let me know by our ideas for staycation and also if you get to have a chance to book your Holiday Inn Staycation in the comments.<br /><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Much Love,<div>The Mommy Roves</div>The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-40246531550543142292020-04-13T20:57:00.000+10:002020-04-13T20:57:09.594+10:00The Long and Quiet Easter Weekend<div style="text-align: center;">
Like the rest of the world, we have spent our Easter weekend different from how we used to celebrate it. Before moving to Australia, we would usually start the celebration quietly on Holy Monday, observing our Catholic traditions. On Thursday, we would do the <i>Visita Iglesia, </i>where we would visit 7 churches and recite the station of the cross. On Friday we observe Jesus' crucifixion and from where I grew up (in Navotas), I would have the privilege to witness the people doing their penance - either re-enacting <i>The Way of The Cross</i> and even be crucified (safely). We then celebrate the ressurection on Sunday, where we all wake up early and witness <i>salubong </i>in our parish or simply the re-enacment of Jesus' rise from the dead. Sunday would be the happiest day as we can again feast and eat meat, after sacrificing and eating seafood for a week (or 40 days for some).</div>
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Then, we had to adapt to a slightly different way of celebrating the Holy week (or Easter Week) here in Sydney. Instead of having Thursday and Friday as a holiday, it is Friday and Easter Monday here. And because there's work on Thursday, we had to do our Visita Iglesia or Stations of The Cross on a Friday. And because we rarely get to have long weekends here, as a family, we usually take this opportunity to travel and do a road trip around Australia.</div>
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We would have been in the Philippines by now but Covid happened. I remember how excited we were when we booked our flights back in January. We never realised that the virus will escalate and the rest of the world will go on a halt. We prayed that things would get better closer to the date until the lockdown in Australia happened. On the brighter side, <i>Flight Centre </i>refunded our flight charges on a form of credit that we can use to book flights when things get better.</div>
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We were in Canberra in 2017, in Brisbane Queensland and in Jervis Bay last year. For the first time in our three years in Sydney, we had to spend our Easter Weekend at home. I had no idea what to do at home with my 5 year old so I improvised an easy, indoor easter egg hunt at home I bought heaps of chocolates for Leon which made him the happiest. Easter morning, he woke us up with exciting news that the Easter Bunny hid so much chokkies inside the house and he found (most of) them.</div>
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We also did parlor games in our yard with Leon making the rules and eventually winning in all of them. I prepared a sumptuous Easter lunch for us and also managed to walk around the block too.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paolo and I in Anna Bay Sand Dunes Easter 2019</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of myself looking at Byron Bay, Easter 2018</td></tr>
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We may not be able to travel for Easter, or travel in the near future, Paolo and I are still grateful for the quiet and quality time we were able to spend at home. On another bright side, we're spending less money now so we are able to increase our savings and increase our time together.</div>
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How was your Easter weekend?</div>
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Much Love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
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The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-59297846100288292972020-04-05T19:20:00.000+10:002020-04-17T18:24:17.486+10:00Much Needed Spring Cleaning with Fantastic Services <div style="text-align: center;">
"Finally, I can have time to clean the house." </div>
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This came straight to my mind when the company I work for encouraged us to work from home three weeks ago. I always thought that working from home means having more time to spend in the house, more opportunities to manage my day, allowing me to squeeze in some time for household chores.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR48kfStdg0/XomNaQV7Q5I/AAAAAAAAI7s/F2kNUAseQKAeROpMvwzUb7jSwO9205FawCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/f2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR48kfStdg0/XomNaQV7Q5I/AAAAAAAAI7s/F2kNUAseQKAeROpMvwzUb7jSwO9205FawCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/f2.jpg" /></a>But I was wrong. Completely wrong.</div>
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Now I understand why my husband, Paolo kept on saying that he can never juggle working from home and looking after Leon at the same time. It is definitely hard. When the partial lockdown started in New South Wales and kids are encouraged to stay and study at home, and both of us parents are now working from home, the thought of having more time in my hands was completely wiped out. It was harder than I can imagine. I had to do a million things at the same time - do my work virtually, homeschool Leon, manage Leon's attention, emotion, cook lunch, dinner, prepare Leon's recess and snacks, pack away all our stuff and so on. The next thing I know, the house is a mess and I am so drained to do other things. </div>
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Just like a knight and shing armour, <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/">Fantastic Services</a> </i>reached out and offered to do a<i><a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/one-off-cleaning/"> spring cleaning of the house</a></i>. It was the kind of help I needed. I never had professional cleaning done in our house (or granny flat, rather) except for the time we had to move from another apartment and I was excited for this opportunity. With the treat of <i>Covid19</i> it was also the perfect chance to have the house cleaned and disinfected.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5rqLPRju5A/XomQuKmyJqI/AAAAAAAAI8I/Pu1c0gOUorg-4IrLrrrWc6KIqBOE96bmwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/67d4207c9d3b76ad114e171e700c3157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5rqLPRju5A/XomQuKmyJqI/AAAAAAAAI8I/Pu1c0gOUorg-4IrLrrrWc6KIqBOE96bmwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/67d4207c9d3b76ad114e171e700c3157.jpg" /></a></div>
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Fantastic Services came to our house midday on a Saturday, giving our family a chance to have a "break from the house" for 3 hours while they clean up. I particularly requested for a general house and bathroom cleaning and most importantly, glass mirror, window and sliding door cleaning I could not remember the last time I cleaned the glass surfaces in our house and trust me, they have the nastiest handmarks, soap marks, and dirt marks you can think of</div>
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We stayed for a little while before we left Mukhlis and his wife in our house. Another great thing about having <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/">Fantastic Services</a> </i>do the cleaning in our house is that you can have the peace of mind of having trustworthy professionals look after your house. We used the opportunity to run errands and do our grocery shopping. Imagine having that luxury of someone cleaning your house while doing something equally important - that is something worth investing in.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1guhRgXdK4/XomVfdQTgmI/AAAAAAAAI9I/7auCpAJb938KLj2OSRWBWv3L8cWbKtkJACEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoB-dFeQfj_GlTq5B33Dd2Ry7q5UVE24cSz3djpYaZUDbFu6u3Dpsw9KFq9ATs5VjPpeVvKPKFnBwE-l9QfzVRo2reT-IEHGMeFqAyvzyA5-OgfsfyltBSByUelyhpH0UxT0rUYZN95bJxCMud_ETxQ6usCTB38h-EHP3W8S2O3RUxcX6NRS6N9VqUXO08wgKAhbxT124m_bTDiyA8nvmcsnKLxZ0FMGTGTiTLYXk-6U_nz-UxLxtDkZEX3QdW2vv8E8j9kw0Xmw3MSywPltxDBBQGeBrrFdIGNW2kq1Hw2EsFZda18Z7C6oiL4GyUUkvfq2ujyTBUmi9CbMOhjK3PCJCQVieA-_Q3zvvjsVSGw7TsaJh80VM7EP4ASYMnSqvum5as2OuoQ6ylsJa-SWdG5sKSryq_qVAvnIdJqx6v83kdfzTD-QvnIIiI5Evep73qE8IRvHKx6L_G8Z_w2wWM1XBdpRpsXS3M_6fB4e4RdKfXQXpglfQnkBuvzxHWGpNNOr-_WUFGUm8OfRmE7YidbDeREGXC5hTf0g-1R2Iba_6M-nj9T5AxXDUVHik6KfxAyswQF2VsDF_J493t_e7F0VCuL4hIIT9QIwmbCm9AU/s1600/9D097FE8-7448-4DE2-AD9F-28116F69D6FE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1guhRgXdK4/XomVfdQTgmI/AAAAAAAAI9I/7auCpAJb938KLj2OSRWBWv3L8cWbKtkJACEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoB-dFeQfj_GlTq5B33Dd2Ry7q5UVE24cSz3djpYaZUDbFu6u3Dpsw9KFq9ATs5VjPpeVvKPKFnBwE-l9QfzVRo2reT-IEHGMeFqAyvzyA5-OgfsfyltBSByUelyhpH0UxT0rUYZN95bJxCMud_ETxQ6usCTB38h-EHP3W8S2O3RUxcX6NRS6N9VqUXO08wgKAhbxT124m_bTDiyA8nvmcsnKLxZ0FMGTGTiTLYXk-6U_nz-UxLxtDkZEX3QdW2vv8E8j9kw0Xmw3MSywPltxDBBQGeBrrFdIGNW2kq1Hw2EsFZda18Z7C6oiL4GyUUkvfq2ujyTBUmi9CbMOhjK3PCJCQVieA-_Q3zvvjsVSGw7TsaJh80VM7EP4ASYMnSqvum5as2OuoQ6ylsJa-SWdG5sKSryq_qVAvnIdJqx6v83kdfzTD-QvnIIiI5Evep73qE8IRvHKx6L_G8Z_w2wWM1XBdpRpsXS3M_6fB4e4RdKfXQXpglfQnkBuvzxHWGpNNOr-_WUFGUm8OfRmE7YidbDeREGXC5hTf0g-1R2Iba_6M-nj9T5AxXDUVHik6KfxAyswQF2VsDF_J493t_e7F0VCuL4hIIT9QIwmbCm9AU/s1600/9D097FE8-7448-4DE2-AD9F-28116F69D6FE.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handmarks gone!</td></tr>
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A couple of hours and a few shopping bags later we arrived in a house we couldn't recognise. Every aspect of our house was squeaky clean - from surfaces to small appliances, glass windows and mirrors! Paolo and I were stunned - we could not believe how clean and flawless our house is. We kept on staring at our shower screen - we have never seen it free of soap marks. I have been trying to get rid of them but I was never able to do a fantastic job on it. <a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/"> <b>Fantastic Service</b>s</a> is definitely heaven-sent.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWQiMlzV-sk/XombOR6s3NI/AAAAAAAAI9s/ksXXVpZ2M3gYUY6x2_aLGtIVmUYD0y3hQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/502007b1ab18fb900ea57a8657e09d75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWQiMlzV-sk/XombOR6s3NI/AAAAAAAAI9s/ksXXVpZ2M3gYUY6x2_aLGtIVmUYD0y3hQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/502007b1ab18fb900ea57a8657e09d75.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the surfaces of our small kitchen appliances were cleaned</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qDoSvAqIZo/Xoma4qdIo6I/AAAAAAAAI9Y/5LSgHMrX_WAp_1OkcPdHNKiHBRjTNzKhACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/00c39a42bd124197e605c4862d9e381d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="902" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qDoSvAqIZo/Xoma4qdIo6I/AAAAAAAAI9Y/5LSgHMrX_WAp_1OkcPdHNKiHBRjTNzKhACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/00c39a42bd124197e605c4862d9e381d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leon from the inside of the house. Can you see how clear the windows are?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WyilXRQrEvA/Xoma4c7GcBI/AAAAAAAAI9U/BO7wMKp6vzcQkVRkrbo4KP9-1AijcCqOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/c99e6760287f8678b91bbff0181c0c86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WyilXRQrEvA/Xoma4c7GcBI/AAAAAAAAI9U/BO7wMKp6vzcQkVRkrbo4KP9-1AijcCqOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/c99e6760287f8678b91bbff0181c0c86.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not shy to take mirror selfies from our room! They are so clear and clean it looks like it wasn't taken from the mirror!</td></tr>
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Even our floors are so clean! I could not remember the last time I properly mopped and wiped the floor. I normally just broom the dirt and use surface wipes to wipe them. There is a major difference if you actually mop it.</div>
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We are really grateful to be given this opportunity. Leon and I kept on dancing and playing on our freshly cleaned floors. We are beyond inspired to maintain the cleanliness our house and if in the event things get crazy again, I would be very happy to get another <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/one-off-cleaning/">one-off cleaning</a> </i>from <b><i><a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/">Fantastic Services</a>.</i></b></div>
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You can also have your own one-off cleaning too! Apart from this service, Fantastic Services also offer moving out cleaning, carpet cleaning, window cleaning, oven cleaning and many more. The better news, you can get <u style="font-weight: bold;">$20 off</u> on any of your cleaning services when you use the link below:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><a href="https://accounts.fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/referral/themommyroves" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">https://accounts.fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/referral/themommyroves</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and use the code <b>themommyroves </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">for you to enjoy the discount! I promise it is the best gift you can give to yourself whilst on lockdown. Their staff does practice proper social distancing and proper hygiene. Fantastic services do daily
checks for each employee and are equipped with all the necessary equipment and needed disinfectants. Most importantly, the leaners have passed a course and have an infection Control
Training Certificate from the Australian Government Department of Health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Should you want more information, below are the useful links:</span></div>
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Homepage: <a href="https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/" target="_blank">https://fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fantasticservices/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/fantasticservices/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FantasticServicesAU/">https://www.facebook.com/FantasticServicesAU/ </a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Referral code: <b>themommyroves </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Referral link: <a href="https://accounts.fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/referral/themommyroves" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">https://accounts.fantasticservicesgroup.com.au/referral/themommyroves</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me know if you also took their cleaning services and share your experience!</div>
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Much Love,
The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-68632522983357536182019-06-11T23:29:00.003+10:002019-06-11T23:29:57.344+10:00Royal Winter Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been months since I have posted in my blog, and I have to be honest, I really do miss it. Things have been very busy, keeping it together, juggling a full-time career, adjusting to my new job, while trying to be a fulltime mom to Leon. I try to make all those creative lunches whilst squeezing an hour of workout. Anyway, now that I'm back, let me share you the amazing photos the husband took in Mayfield Gardens.</div>
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2.5 hours away from Sydney, Mayfield Gardens is situated in Oberon. An hour away from the Blue Mountains, this garden is everything that you ever dream of. Picturesque views, beautiful colours, waterfalls, ponds, bridges, never-ending gardens. It also has a cafe that serves healthy, organic and delicious food, plus a nursery should you want to bring home some flowers. </div>
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Glad that I stood out on every angle with the royal blue jumpsuit that I was wearing that day. I did feel gorgeous and lady-like walking around the garden. The colour makes me stand out in this field of flowers. </div>
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The best thing about this dress? You can customise the length and the style of the dress to any ay you like. For instance, I have chosen my jumpsuit to have a <i style="font-weight: bold;">boat neckline</i>, <i style="font-weight: bold;">3/4 long sleeve length </i>and <i style="font-weight: bold;">ankle lenght pants.</i> I made sure that I have chosen a style that I can wear for work, for a party, for cocktails, and most especially, even for winter.</div>
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For you to get one for yourself, all you need to do is to go to <b>ESHAKTI's </b>website, <a href="https://www.eshakti.com/default.aspx">https://www.eshakti.com/</a> choose your dress and customise it the way you like. </div>
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And style it depending on the weather. See? It can be very versatile.</div>
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Just an appreciation post to the man who never gets tired of spoiling me with good photos and good life. hope you liked my post. Seriously missed making one and I hope I can make more.</div>
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Much Love, </div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-85841028278941921212018-12-02T01:07:00.003+11:002018-12-02T01:07:47.117+11:00Look Who's Going To Big School<div style="text-align: center;">
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Yes, Leon is.</div>
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It wasn't the plan, to be honest. As we've recently transferred him from his old daycare (in Rosehill) to his current one in (Ryde), we initially intended to keep him in daycare for one more year. In Australia, the kindergarten age is preferably 5 years old, but would still accept kids under 5, as long as the kid is turning 5 by July. With Leon turning 5 July next year, we were quite hesitant to put him to big school for he will be the <i>youngest</i> in the class, mingling with 5 and 6-year-old kids in kindy.</div>
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Yet things changed when we started noticing impressive academic skills. At an early age of 4, he can read books, posters, and signages. He would always be interested in colouring and writing letters and numbers. We were quite impressed to be honest, to see him be so intellectually gifted without us pushing him. In fact, his teachers in daycare said the same thing - they were very surprised each time would read <i style="font-weight: bold;">and finish </i>a children's book on story time. They have given this positive feedback to us, saying that Leon is far academically advanced for his age. Although for them, even if Leon is academically ready for kindergarten, they believe that Leon is still not ready for big school socially, as he still needs help asserting himself or requires comforting when necessary.</div>
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With school starting in February and enrollments and orientations are already finishing, we still decided to try our luck and set an appointment in North Ryde Public School. In Australia, public schools cannot decline an enrollment as long as the child resides in their "catchment." For Catholic and Private schools, they can refuse enrollment especially if there are many enrollees or if a child does not meet their requirements - parish, age are some of the factors.</div>
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Yet, even if your age is on the "cut-off," (public) schools can still decline a child if he or she has failed the assessment. Even if one is academically ready, he can still be declined if socially, he is shy and awkward. With one teacher looking after 20 kids, a child should be independent, smart, brave and sociable to be able to "survive" kindergarten. In kinder, they mostly have to be on their own, eating lunches on their own in their "lunch boxes" and having to help themselves in case they need anything.</div>
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After the principal assessed Leon last Friday, she was very very impressed. Not only Leon was able to count to 20, count backwards, identify the colours, but he was also able to read a (new) book from start to finish, word per word. He was able to converse with the principal too easily and did not show any hesitation, anxiety or shyness. The next thing we knew, the principal was touring us around the campus, showing Leon's future classrooms, drop off areas and so on and so forth. In fact, Leon wanted to stay in one of the kindy classrooms, excited to find things to do.</div>
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As for the principal, Leon is very much ready to start in Kindergarten. In fact, she advised that even if Leon would be one of the youngest child in the class, he was one of the brightest children she has assessed. Apart from his academic skills, the principal was impressed with how advanced his communication skills are - that he had no problems talking, expressing what he wants or what he prefers.</div>
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Although the trend here is to delay kids and make sure that they're ACTUALLY 5 when they start kindy, we decided to do otherwise. With Leon's capacity, we believe that he would actually thrive in kindergarten and it is the best option to meet his requirements. We don't want to delay him and be bored in school when he starts.</div>
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Yet another unplanned decision but very exciting. For us, this means that we would no longer pay thousands of dollars per month on daycare. We would be increase our savings as a family. For Leon, he would be able to be exposed to more kids his level and be more confident socially.</div>
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At the end of the day, its a win-win.</div>
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Hope you liked my post, and our family photos in Luna Park. </div>
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<i>This santa photo was free of charge yet Leon was upset to actually have to take a photo with Santa first before having his face painted first. Hay kids!</i></div>
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Much Love, The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-32259363683756192002018-11-28T22:52:00.001+11:002018-11-28T22:52:37.664+11:00Half A Decade In Love<div style="text-align: center;">
5 years married, 14 years together.<br />
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I still could not believe that Paolo and I have gone this far. We started back in 2004, I was 17, a freshman in the University of the Philippines while he was on his 3rd year, in De La Salle University. How we got together, was a sort of funny and beautiful. But does it matter? What matters is, at the early stage of our relationship, he made me a promise. A promise that he would show me how its like to be in a long and lasting relationship.</div>
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14 years later, we're celebrating our 5th year of marriage with our 4-year old son making our lives much more meaningful. I have nothing but beautiful words about our relationship - we have grown together - from teenagers living our lives to the fullest; to young adults trying to succeed in our respective careers and now to responsible parents raising and protecting another human being. We've been through a lot, our relationship has been tested many times but one thing kept us together - our commitment to each other.</div>
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I have always referred Paolo as my ultimate blessing. More than just being a boyfriend, he extended -his love and commitment to my family - loving them like his own. He has always been selfless and supportive - doing the best he can to make sure that we are well, we are fed and we are well taken cared of. I remember him having to save his school allowance so we can go on a date, or do "sidelines" so he can bring me to a fancy restaurant. When he did not have extra, he would still treat me, either with fast food meal or a tapsilog or lugaw meal in <i>turo-turo. </i>Everyday, he would commute his way to Navotas back home to Paranaque just to bring me home from UP Manila. (Which means he had to ride the LRT, Jeep, Tricycle many times)<i> </i>At a very young age, he has shown me dedication.</div>
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Through his love, I have found satisfaction. Life was not easy for me growing up but having someone to support, inspire and love me has made it gratifying. We found strength and inspiration in each other, that drove us to live and have better lives, especially now that we have our own family. Look where we are now.</div>
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Being married is far more difficult - there are quite a few surprises that we both never expected (as we were 9 years together prior to our wedding). Yet, those "surprises" actually keep our relationship more interesting. Now, we are both excited to wake up each day, dream and plan for our future, work hard, make serious decisions and see each plans getting accomplished one by one. Our relationship has transformed - from young kids arguing where to eat on a date to responsible adults deciding how much budget to spend on food each day. We are happy to see each other being able to afford things we only wished for when we were young. We are both very excited to build our lives and create a future for our son.<br />
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Silly as it sounds but even until now, I am still head over heels in love with the man who stole my heart at first sight. More than being in love with his beautiful chinky eyes or his thin lips, I think I am more in love with the kind person that he is. <i>This is probably the secret of a lasting relationship - to stay in love, find a reason to fall in love, or just love the fact that no matter how good a person your partner is, there will always be something that he does that will annoy you - no matter how big or small it is.</i><br />
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Hope you liked my post.</div>
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PS: Shared with you our lovely weekend anniversary celebration at Wollongong and Blue Mountains! Hope you liked it :)</div>
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Much Love, </div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-85902365263628648972018-11-09T23:32:00.002+11:002018-11-09T23:33:19.906+11:00Moving and New Beginnings<div style="text-align: center;">
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A lot has happened the past month and if you have been following me on instagram (@themommyroves) or we're facebook friends, you'd know that after being granted our permanent residency here in Australia, we have immediately looked for a new rental property in line with our plan to move to a 2 bedroom.</div>
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I'm not sure if I've told you, but the main reason why we moved to our very first apartment in <i>Rosehill</i> is that it was the most decent, most beautiful and the newest among the numerous apartments we have inspected in the Parramatta / western suburbs area. Based on the budget we have set for our rent, (which is $400-$450/ week) that new, modern 1-bedroom apartment was then offered at $420/week. It was one bus ride away from the Paramatta Station, which was less than 30 minutes away from Paolo's job in the city. New 2-bedroom apartments would usually cost $500 and up, depending on where you are in the area. Of course, the lower your budget, the older the apartment will be and farther you'll be from the city.</div>
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It was then an ideal situation until I became employed in North Ryde. I have been commuting 90 minutes one way to and from work. It was very difficult and expensive as I had to spend $13/day just for OPAL (the transport card here). We have been wanting to move for a while but we waited for our permanent visa grant <i>cause moving may delay the visa processing as we had to pull out the papers to update the details</i>. Literally, when we received the good news last 27th of September, the first thing I had to do was to scout for rental properties in <i><b>realestate.com.au</b></i></div>
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The first thing we had to consider - <b><i>Location</i></b></div>
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Paolo and I made a decision to move to a place that's closer to my workplace. Since Pao works in the city, we can live in any area cause there's always a bus and a train to go to the city. <i>Mas flexible </i>sya. However, from where I work in North Ryde, transport is a struggle as the train station is currently being repaired and for it to be accessible, you either need to drive a car or live close by. Hence we searched for <b><i>properties in Ryde Area</i></b></div>
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The next and most important, <b><i>the flooring.</i></b></div>
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Majority of the houses here in Sydney have carpeted floors. <i>Parang yun yata ang basic flooring. </i>We had to be very particular cause the past year, Leon has been getting sick because he was allergic to dust and pollen. Living on carpet wasn't helping at all. Hence, finding a non-carpeted house would definitely help in lessening his upper airway infections.</div>
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Of course, <i style="font-weight: bold;">space.</i></div>
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Now that Leon is getting big, we also wanted a bigger space for the family. We have been co-sleeping for 4 years now and I think its about time for him to get his own room. More than that, we also wanted to move to a bigger space - a size where we can move freely and Leon can run around.</div>
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<b><i>The House Hunting </i></b></div>
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As I've mentioned, we hunt the rental properties on realestate.com.au, there, we select the area we want, the space we need and any other special features we need. The houses are not always available to inspect, as there would be set inspection times that the agent would set. You have to go to that 15-minute inspection time to check the property. If you like it, you apply online. If not, find another house. <i>Usually, the photos online doesn't match the real property so minsan nakakaloko talaga.</i></div>
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It was 6th of October, Saturday. We have listed 10 properties to check that day in Parramatta, Carlingford and Ryde area. The house in Lane Cove Road was the 3rd property we had to check that day and we fell in love at first sight. We felt like we saw the house that we're looking for. For the $450/week budget we have set, we are getting a small house, with 2 bedroom, wooden floors and 10 minutes away from my workplace. It was perfect.</div>
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<b><i>The Application Process</i></b></div>
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We had to ask permission from our landlord (who eventually became good friends) to let us go a month earlier than our contract. Fortunately, our kindhearted landlord allowed us to go without fines (and even wished us luck) earlier. Once we got the approval, the day after, we immediately applied for to rent the property. <i>Hindi pala porke may pera ka pang downpayment or pangbayad ng bond, makukuha mo agad yung property. </i>We had to submit relevant paperworks - COE, Bank statement, IDs, tenancy history and even give character references. We also had to write an answer <i>why we deserve the property na parang pang beauty queen dapat ang sagot </i>to get approved. In fact, they had to do a background check.</div>
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<b><i>The Approval</i></b></div>
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The Monday, 8th of October, the real estate agent had to do a background check with my manager. <i>Talagang chineck e ano? </i>After reviewing our papers, we got the approval that afternoon. Ang bilis. <b>IT WAS DEFNITELY MEANT FOR US</b></div>
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<b><i>The Move</i></b></div>
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Since we had to do everything in a week - vacate by 15th October and move in 13th October (Saturday) packing was the hardest. We had to pack the clothes, dismantle our furniture, among many others. Glad we had friends who helped us dismantle the furniture. We also had to book our movers and cleaners, as we need to empty and vacate the apartment looking clean and brand new.</div>
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To make our move fast, we had to load all the small boxes (clothes, etc) and small appliances in the car. All the big items goes to our triple AAA movers, who charges us $75/hour. <i>Kailangan mabilisan as time is gold. </i>I think we have spent more almost $300 just fort the movers. Then we had to spend roughly $200 for Jimm's cleaning. Although we can do it ourselves, we opted to hire cleaners kasi <i>walang wala na kaming energy.</i></div>
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Settling in became easy for us because our friends, Pen and Ria helped us assemble our furniture and clean the house. In fact, they helped us declutter and arrange the house to make it look like a home. </div>
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We have been here for a month now and we can say that we have never been this happy and content since we moved to Sydney. Leon has now moved to a different school and we are enjoying the convenience of living near school and work. I have saved so much money from commuting ($300/month) as I now bring the car to work. Most importantly, I have saved so much time as work is 20 minutes away (on traffic). Paolo would only need to ride 1 30minute bus ride one way to work. This new move may cost more and Leon's school may be more expensive, but the time we save and we're able to spend together is something we cannot get.</div>
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Hope you liked this post.</div>
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Much Love, The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-58029758370436372062018-10-06T00:30:00.001+10:002018-10-06T00:30:25.683+10:00Exciting Times Ahead<div style="text-align: center;">
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We're still over the moon knowing that our permanent residency visa was granted. We have been praying for it for months and now its finally here, Paolo and I are just very relieved with the fact that we are now eligible for the government benefits - <i>something we did not get whilst we were on temporary resident / working visa.</i></div>
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One of the benefits we were really excited is the <i style="font-weight: bold;">childcare rebates. </i>The government has a scheme where they give subsidy for the (unbelievable) daycare fees to help the parents financially. Daycare fees cost roughly $120-$160 (more expensive if you are in Sydney CBD) and some day cares on farther suburbs may range from $80-$110. Being temporary residents, we had to pay in full (no rebates or subsidy) for Leon's daycare. Luckily, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Little Angel's Kindergarten </i>are charging only $85/day. It is still big, but since we're paying in full, it was a better deal than paying more than $100 day. <i>Literal nagtatrabaho ako pambayad lang ng daycare ni Leon.</i></div>
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<i>Daycare fees are crazy, eh?</i></div>
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But at least now, (once our papers are processed and approved) we can have subsidy from the government. Depending on how much you are earning, the government would give 40-80% rebate or susbsidy. Of course, the lower your income, the higher the subsidy (and vice versa), favouring parents who are both working. Of course, you can get more susbsidy depending on your financial condition. Apart from childcare subsidy, there are heaps of assistance that the government gives to the residents, especially if they are in dire need (how helpful, eh). Also now that we're residents, Leon can go to any public school for free (or pay for a private or Catholic schools) and be given $100 sports vouchers when he turns 5. </div>
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<i>Slowly, our dreams for this child, and for our family is coming true.</i></div>
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Another thing we're looking forward to is <i style="font-weight: bold;">moving houses. </i>I have been wanting to move for quite sometime now as I commute at least <i>an hour and a half </i>one way to work. I am usually in charge of daycare pickup and there would be times that I'd be late for pickup that I needed to either ride an uber, a taxi or pay the late fees at school. Since I had to take 3 different rides (bus-bus-train or train-bus-bus) going home, one delayed bus or train would mean me not being able to pick-up Leon on time. Travelling from where I live in Rosehill to where I work in North Ryde for a year has now reached it toll. I have now decided to make my life, our lives easier.</div>
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The first step I took was <i>to get my driver's license </i>so I can drive to and from work. This is still on its way as I still need to pass my driving test on Tuesday. If I drive, it will just take me 30-45 minutes to work, which means I can go home earlier and be able to do heaps of stuff in the afternoon with and for my family.</div>
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Dress: Random Korean Brand | Cardigan: SES | Hat: Kmart | Shoes: Spendless Shoes</div>
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Second step - move closer to work, or at least to place near convenient bus / train station to take me and my husband to work. I have been wanting to move since I got my job in North Ryde but we have delayed this step whilst waiting for our visa grant. Since we have submitted our documents with our current residence on file, changing addresses means we need to pull out our records that may delay the process. Now that its approved, we can definitely move. <i>Agad agad.</i></div>
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Also, Leon has been on / off sick each month and we really believe it is due to his unmanaged <i>allergic rhinitis. </i>He has this terrible allergy to dust and to pollen and living in carpeted floors may not be helping on his condition. Hence, we are very much eager to move to a place that has wooden or tiled floors. Most especially, we now want to upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment, as our bed is getting smaller and smaller. <i>Our cheeky monkey is occupying half of the bed already.</i></div>
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So this weekend we shall be starting our hunt for 2 bedroom, non carpeted apartments. I have already set my eyes on some but the application process may take a while so I hope by the time our tenancy contract expires in 4 weeks, we get to have our new home already.</div>
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Whew. So much thing are just happening. Did I also say that we're coming home to the Philippines in 2 weeks?</div>
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<b><i>Lets drink to that.</i></b></div>
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PS: All photos are taken by the Iphone XS Max and the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge photos are taken at roughly 6:00PM. Seriously love the camera, especially in low light! It can actually replace my SLR!</div>
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Anyways, hope you liked my post</div>
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xx,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-33391832803122281312018-09-28T18:18:00.001+10:002018-09-30T20:45:55.282+10:00Blessings Come When You Least Expect It<div style="text-align: center;">
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A couple of weeks ago, Paolo and I have celebrated our 14th couple anniversary at Shelly Beach in Sydney. We wanted to continue the tradition despite having a different wedding anniversary cause it has been in our system for so long and its not easy to let go of it. Though the celebration did not involve going out of town or eating in a fancy restaurant, our late brunch at <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Boat House </i>at Shelly Beach was beautiful.</div>
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Sometimes I wonder how Paolo and I made it. For us to last 14 years together (5 of which we were married) is just amazing. I can still remember how much fights we had during our first year, our <i>almost break-up</i> on our 5th, my myomectomy, and uteroplasty on our 6th year which made me doubt our ability to conceive, the endless struggles I had with my family - all those times, and many more Paolo has been there for me. Despite all the trials that came through, moments that tested our relationship, situations where he can actually leave, <i style="font-weight: bold;">he stayed. </i>He saw through things and fulfilled me the <i>very first promise </i>he made to me - <b><i>to show me how it feels to be in a long and lasting relationship.</i></b></div>
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Since then, I know for a fact that my husband is my blessing. I never had an easy life growing up - <i>yung tipong pang Maalaala Mo Kaya yung kwento ng buhay ko. </i>I had always that void in my life cause I never knew my father (and not allowed to talk about him because its complicated) and he was God's instrument to make me feel whole. He had shown and given me love I never thought possible. Since college, he has been working his ass off <i>(yung tipong sumisideline para may pang date) </i>so he can bring me to dates, buy me gifts or simply just feed me when I ran out of money to buy lunch food.</div>
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<b><i>Look where we are now.</i></b></div>
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14 years later, we're here in Sydney, struggling to build our family life and living the life we have always envisioned. Paolo has always been hardworking since the day we met and his perseverance has brought where we are right now. Although our life may seem beautiful, it wasn't as easy as it seems. Being far from my family that I am dedicated to helping, I still feel the sadness knowing that I can't be there for them on important times. Especially now that my mom's health is not in good shape. Apart from that, there is this neverending struggle of improving Leon's health.<i> He has been getting ill quite often.</i></div>
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Yet despite that loneliness that I feel I still think of the main reason why we moved here - to be able to build our own and be able to extend the help to our respective families. We know that the Lord paved the way for us to be here because He knows that this will enable us to reach for our dreams whilst helping out. He knows that being here, we will be able to give Leon a better life he deserves.</div>
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And during that time of doubt, when I was asking myself if our decision to move here was right, The Lord unfolded his answer.</div>
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<b><i>We finally received our APPROVED permanent residency visa application.</i></b></div>
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After months of waiting, we have finally received our grant notice. We have lodged our application late January this year and got our approval 9 months after. We applied through the <i style="font-weight: bold;">employee nomination route </i>where my husband's company<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>sponsored our permament residency visa.</div>
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We could never be happier with the news. Now that we are permanent residents, we get to experience the government benefits, like childcare rebates, free medical, allowances for kids sports activities, maternity benefits and so on and so forth.</div>
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Its just amazing how God works. He may put you on tough times but he would reveal his plans as you go along. All you need to do is to trust the process.</div>
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<i>Dress: Cotton On || Earrings: Rubi || Sunnies: Will.I.Am</i></div>
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My life has never been easy. Growing up I would always ask why my life was like this, why I don't have that, why I'm like this.. but I never got the answer. I guess I never will but if he did give he his blessings years after - through my husband, through my son, and through this new life we have in Australia.</div>
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Hope you liked this post.</div>
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Much Love, The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-35053785011336622282018-09-13T20:19:00.000+10:002018-09-13T20:19:11.396+10:00Chasing Cars at The Gosford Classic Car Museum<div style="text-align: center;">
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One of the reasons why I brought my boys to Central Coast for father's day (<a href="https://www.themommyroves.com/2018/09/to-boys-i-love-forever.html">see my previous post, if you haven't</a>) is to also see the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Gosford Classic Car Museum</i>. This museum is popular for having the largest collection of classic cars in the whole Australia, or the Southern Hemisphere, as their <a href="https://gosfordclassiccars.com.au/">website</a> claims.<br />
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We have heard of this museum from my work colleagues who resides in the coast. Perfect for a fathers day celebration, we drove to the place which was 20 minutes from Terrigal (probably an 60minutes from Sydney).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The museum is every car collector’s dream. There were hundreds of vintage, well-maintained cars that looks sparkling new. We were very much impressed. To add icing to the cake, you can actually bring the cars home. <i>If you have the money for it.</i></div>
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Most of the cars come with a story of how it was bought by the museum from the original owner. Despite their age, the cars have very low mileage so they are actually as good as new. We were blown away. However, Leon was not impressed <span style="background-color: rgba(246, 213, 217, 0.984);">c</span>ause he was expecting the newer models. He couldn’t really relate to the vintage ones as he was expecting the newer exotic cars. At least the Ferrarri and Lamborghini models, although a little old made him a little happy.</div>
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Going to a place like this will definitely impress you. At the same time, having to see your dream car (in my case, this Cadillac Barbie Pink Car is making my Barbie Girl dreams come true) at a hefty price will also make you realize how much money you don’t have. Most of the cars are valued at $100,000 and up (Php 3,000,000) and of course wala naman kaming ganong cash haha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Speaking of cars, its not that hard to buy a car here in Australia, the newer ones. In fact, I think that the cars here are valued less compared to the Philippines and its easier to own one here. Take for instance a Toyota Vios (they call it Yaris here) in the Phils starts at Php 600,000 and the Yaris here starts at $17,000 which almost has the same value. The minimum here in Sydney earns more or less $30,000/year while its $300,000 in the Philppines (please correct me if I’m wrong guys). So doing the math, you can actually buy a car here in Sydney which is lower than your annual salary. Medyo ibang kwento sa Pinas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But of course, <i>kotse lang naman ang point of comparison ko</i>. The house prices here in Sydney are tremendously high <i>na kahit kumayod kalabaw ako e hindi ko pa yata kaya bumili</i>. Average cost starts at $500,000 (Php15,000,000) and usually apartment units lang ang mabibili mo. If you want a house, its a different story. Prepare to work extra hard and save really hard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyway, since talking about money stresses me out, let me go back to the car museum. After roaming around and selecting the vintage car we would buy pag yumaman na kami, we decided to have our early dinner at The Coast restaurant. <i>(Halatang nasa coast kami kasi mga pangalan ng restaurant, Reef then Coast)</i>. I just love the fact that this place is surrounded by water na you can enjoy any meal by the coast. As expected food is heavenly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><i>Is it just me o ang lakas maka #daddyvibes nitong asawa ko? Well he was looking the part, its was Father's Day!</i></o:p></div>
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Hope you liked this post ❤️</div>
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Outfit Details:</div>
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Top: Random buy | Skirt: Philippines | Beret: Kmart | Boots: Paul's Warehouse | Earrings: Lovisa</div>
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Specs: Specsavers (Will.I.Am)</div>
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Much Love,<br />
The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-49969684781842393252018-09-05T23:11:00.000+10:002018-09-05T23:11:36.086+10:00To The Boys I Love Forever<div style="text-align: center;">
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Yes, the title is inspired by the now trending Netflix movie <i>To All The Boys I Loved Before. </i>Not because I would talk about the boys I loved before, but it seems fitting to express my the love I feel for my boys.<br />
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Over the weekend, we celebrated Father's day in Australia. I know you find it weird cause it is 3 months behind the normal Father's Day in the UK , US and everywhere else, including the Philippines) where Father's day is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of June. I was confused at first, imagine having two fathers day celebration in a year. I almost failed to greet my grandfather in June this year cause I had no idea it was Father's Day until facebook reminded me. Blame it on this holiday fatigue they call here in Australia. They decided to celebrate Father's Day cause of too many celebration on the first half of the year - New Years, Australia Day, Anzac Day, Easter, Mothers Day, Queen's Birthday (oh wow, that many). And also it was a perfect timing to celebrate the start of spring.<br />
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Anyway to celebrate the goodness that is my husband, I have decided to bring my lovely boys in Central Coast for Fathers Day. Central coast is that charming area in New South Wales where you can literally live by the coast without hurting your pocket. I have heard so many good things about the Central Coast with it being an hour and a half drive from Sydney, it was a perfect getaway.<br />
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As per my workmate's (who lives in the Coast) recommendation, I have brought my boys to <a href="http://reefrestaurant.com.au/">The Reef Restaurant </a>in Terrigal. It was one the best NSW restaurants I've ever been to. The view was amazing, and the food was just fantastic. Their Salmon Sous Vide was just melt-in your mouth goodness. Apart from having our endless "wow this is so good moment" whilst eating in the restaurant, we had so much fun gazing at the beach with the binoculars that the restaurant has provided. I think the our little boy had the most fun.<br />
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Funny I must say, but Paolo and I have joint bank accounts so bringing him to a place like this and paying for a nice meal actually defeats the purpose of a surprise. I wanted to give this to him as a gift but because <i style="font-weight: bold;">the banking apps </i>here in Australia actually shows your <i style="font-weight: bold;">real time spending </i>as you TAP your card (or phone) Paolo practically knew the cost of my "surprise." But its the thought and the experience that counts, right?</div>
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This celebration may not be enough to express my appreciation to my husband, but I am glad that through a quick trip by the coast, I was able to give him the <i>relaxing experience </i>he deserves. Living in Sydney has been very challenging for us, without other people to rely on but each other. With both of us working and taking care of Leon full time, Paolo has been doing his best to help out. In fact. I have never seen him very hands on in taking care of our son. I can definitely rely on him on times that Leon get sick and I am not around. He works hard, really hard to provide the best for the family.</div>
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<i>In fact I have never seen him become this devoted to Leon until we moved here. And I thank him for that.</i></div>
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Everyday, I thank Paolo for making my dream come true - to be a mother. Each time, before I go to sleep I look at my boys and it makes me realise how blessed I am to have them in my life. Having Leon is a miracle and having them together is everything I could ever wish for. Our life is hard, my life is hard, but being with boys that I love makes my life beautiful to live.</div>
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<i>Hat and Top: Target || Skirt: Random (Thrifted) || Boots: Random Steal from Paul's Warehouse || Sunnies: Will.I.Am</i></div>
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Hope you liked my post. </div>
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PS:</div>
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My husband took our beach photo. He really spoils me with instagrammable ones.</div>
Much Love,
The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-20991649342925997582018-09-01T03:06:00.000+10:002018-09-01T22:42:51.680+10:00Unlearning Bad Driving Habits<div style="text-align: center;">
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This week Paolo and I came to a decision to finally get myself a driving instructor. For several months now, Paolo has been teaching me how to drive here in Australia but I don't seem to progress as fast as I expected. Don't get me wrong, I know how to drive. In fact, I have been driving in Manila for the good 9 years I was working as a medical representative. <i>Ika nga, laman ako ng kalsada. </i>Yet, upon moving here in Sydney I had to learn a completely different driving behaviour. Cause seriously, no matter how good of a driver you are in Manila, driving in Australia requires a lot more patience, respect and discipline.</div>
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<b>Converting our Philippine License To a Full Australian Driving License</b></div>
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Since Paolo and I are on a working visa, we are still considered as temporary (or "foreign" residents). Due to that, we are allowed to use our Philippine Driver's License as long as we remain temporary residents. Yet, as we are on the process of applying our permanent residency, we have then decided to get our Australian license. Also, we also wanted to have our valid Australian ID hence the decision to apply one. Since the LTO license is recognised here, we able to convert our license straight to an Australian license as long as we are able to do the following:</div>
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1. Have been driving / holding the passport for more than 3 years.</div>
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2. Pass the Driver's Knowledge Test (DKT)</div>
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3. Pass the Practical Driving Test</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Honestly</b></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> took me a year to actually try driving here in Australia. I am so intimidated with the overwhelming rules that I seem to not understand until I actually studied and read the handbook</b>.</span></i><br />
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*In Paolo's case, the Roads and Maritime Services were unable to recognise his license (<i>Nagbago yata ang hitsura ng ID natin from their reference) </i>so he was asked to submit a certification that came form the Philipines. We had to authorize our mom-in-law to get a copy back home and send the document to us here in Sydney. After getting his certification, he was able to pass the DKT exam followed by passing the practical exam a couple of weeks later.</div>
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*In my case, <i style="font-weight: bold;">my driver's license was expired </i>by the time of my application for an Australian license. My ID was recognised straightaway. I was able to pass my DKT , which I had to do on a service NSW branch. <i>Kailangan perfect score </i>sa DKT if not, automatic fail. Since my LTO license was expired, I was given a <i style="font-weight: bold;">Learner's license </i>so I can drive in Sydney while I prepare for my driving test.<br />
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<b>Getting The Full (Unrestricted) Driver's License</b></div>
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All people will have to get their learner's license first before getting their full driver's license. Learner's license holders like myself are only allowed to drive the car if we are supervised with someone with a full license. Ideally, learners must complete 120 hours of driving then obtain a P1 (Provisional) Licence. For 25 years or older, they can convert straight to P1 by just passing the driving exam. Being on provisional license will allow you to drive alone in the car but with many rules and retrictions that I don't and I can't elaborate. All I know, is after L, you go to P1, and then P2 and then finally your full and unrestricted driver's license. </div>
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<i>Ang daming steps no?</i></div>
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Good thing I don't need to do that. Since I have been driving for so many years all I need to do is to pass the driving test.</div>
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The very difficult driving test. I know someone who had to take the exam 8 times before passing.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>L Plates must be displayed on the car if the learner is driving. Same as with the P1 and P2 holders. </b></span></i></div>
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As I've said earlier, Paolo has been teaching me since he got his full Australian license. I must say, it is <b>so hard to drive in a road with so many traffic rules - written and unwritten rules to abide by. </b><i>Sanay kasi ako sa Pilipinas na ang golden rule ay </i><b style="font-style: italic;">basta wag bumanga. </b>Here, it is a completely different story. You have to respect other cars that are <i style="font-weight: bold;">on the right of way</i> and at the same time <i><b>assert your right as someone who is driving on the right of way. </b>Bawal huminto sa bawat kanto, bawal huminto kung may parating sa kaliwa o kanan kung ikaw ang nasa main road, dapat huminto sa daan na may give way sign kahit ikaw pa ang nauna sa kanto dahil pagbibiyan mo ang nasa right of way. Palagi mong gagamitin ang left at right inidcators mo mo sa bawat change of lane at susundin mo ang speed na nakaindicate sa speed limit, lalo na sa school zone at school hours. Higit sa lahat, always keep a 3 second or 1 car distance from the car infront of you.</i></div>
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Those are just one of the many rules that overwhelmed me as I am learning to drive here. <i>Aminin, hindi naman tayo ganyan sa Pilipinas, diba? Ang style sa atin, hangga't pwede sumingit, singit. At may sumusunod ba sa lane?</i></div>
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I am also pressured to get my full license as the train take going to work is closing in 30 days. My 3-hour commute time to and from work might get longer and I worry about my pick-up time at Leon's daycare. Hence, to make my learning fast (<i>and para di rin kami magaway ni Paolo) </i>we hired an instructor.</div>
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My lovely Indian instructor, Kalpesh has been nothing but helfpul and patient to me. In fact, he was so impressed with my driving that he felt that he can entrust me to take his car anywhere. But after observing me for an hour, he knows that <i style="font-weight: bold;">I will automatically fail the exam. </i>Here are the top reasons why:</div>
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<b><i>1. Failing to do the proper head checks.</i></b></div>
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Apparently, it is not enough that I glimpse on our side view and rear view mirrors each time I turn or change lane. The instructor expects the driver to deliberately move your head, look at the rear view mirror EACH time I press on the break. Move my head and look at my side and shoulder each time I turn or change lanes. Very important and <i style="font-weight: bold;">shoulder look dito. </i> K<i>ulang ako nito. Kailangan daw makita ang movement ng ulo.</i></div>
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<b><i>2. Abruptly turning, especially when parking on the kerb</i></b></div>
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funny how we call gutter the kerb (yung mataas na part sa gilid ng road) where in fact the gutter is actually the part where the water flows. Anyways, when my instructor asked me to park on the kerb (parallel parking sa daan), he was so shocked to see me turning abruptly and almost hitting the kerb and gutter. Parking should be smooth and slowly, and if possible be done in one move. I tend to move on the side and correct myself after by reversing and taking my time. Mali pala yon. Automatic file. <i>Nasanay yata ako na laging nagmamadali sa Pilipinas na kala mo mauubusan ng parking.</i></div>
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<b><i>3. Impatiently driving on Give Way and Stop Signs</i></b></div>
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<i>Sobrang hirap alisin sa sistema yung pag nasa kanto ka, at ikaw naman ang nauna at malayo pa ang sasakyan ay pwede ka na tumakbo. </i>I have been reprimanded several times on this instance becasue being on a give way sign means waiting for the roads to clear before you proceed - <i>kahit abutan ka pa ng syam syam</i><b>.</b> I still forget to do a full stop on a stop sign . On intersections with a stop sign, I have to do a <i style="font-weight: bold;">complete stop</i>, count 1-5 and if safe, proceed.</div>
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<b><i>4. The Roundabout Challenge</i></b></div>
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The beauty of the roundabout is it is actually designed for cars to move smoothly in traffic. <i>Hindi ko ba alam kung bakit sa Pilipinas e wala tayong rule sa paggamit ng rotonda. </i>Anyway, in the roundabout, if there is a car <i style="font-weight: bold;">inside the roundabout </i>and <i style="font-weight: bold;">approaching the roundabout from your right</i>, they have the priority - you are not allowed to enter the roundabout. If eveything is clear, proceed. I know this rule on top of my head but seriosuly having a hard time to apply it. <i>Baka siguro mabagal ako magobserve sa daan kaya ang gulo gulo ko.</i></div>
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<b><i>5. Hands on the Steering Wheel</i></b></div>
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On the exam, both hands should be on the steering wheel and should be moving fluidly while you drive (10-5, 2-8). Never should it leave the steering wheel at any cost. <i>Bawal and one hand and underhand driving whilst taking the exam</i><b style="font-style: italic;">.</b> Kalpesh has noted me using only my left hand (kahit dalawa naman kamay ko sa manibela) and can see my right hand not moving at all. Even Paolo got a minus point when he scratched his nose and adjusted the aircon while driving. Kailangan, before you drive, the car has been set, seats and mirrors adjusted, aircon turned on on the ideal temperature. <i>Ang daming rules, ano?</i></div>
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<i style="font-size: small;"><b>Feeling a little proud cause after two formal driving lessons and countless Saturday sessions with the husband, I drove the family the around Sydney today - from Rosehill to Epping to Balmoral Beach and back home.</b></i><br />
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Anyway, those are just some of the many things I need to work on. It is frustrating for someone like me who has been driving for years to be "learning" how to drive again. It is definitely easier to drive here in Australia - wide roads, smooth flowing traffic, relatively disciplined drivers but there are just so many rules to follow. <i>Hindi pwede yung Pinoy style na singit singit at cut.</i> You have to be very patient on the road.</div>
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<i>And did I say I hardly ever hear the horns here? Drivers are not allowed to honk for no specific reasons and they can be fined. They are only allowed to horn if the car in front is causing real delay or trouble on the road. And apart from the driver, the instructor is not allowed to hold their phone too!</i><br />
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<i>Sharing this family photo we have in Balmoral Beach. We could not resist taking a photo with this Hachiko looking dog. </i><br />
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Balmoral is such a beautiful place. Love how we can just drive around New South Wales and be in a beach in half an hour.<br />
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<i>Just in case, my outfit details:</i><br />
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<i><b>Jumpsuit: Cotton On || Cardigan: From Grandma || Shoes: Adidas || Eyewear: Will.I.Am</b></i></div>
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Hope you liked this post and learned a little something!</div>
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Much Love,
The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-86740841797066771162018-08-25T00:12:00.000+10:002018-08-25T00:12:21.999+10:00Leon's 4th Jollirace Birthday Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nearing the end of 2017, we have been receiving wedding invitations from our <i>then newly engaged </i>friends. As Paolo and I are both working full-time, we only have 20 days allotted for our annual leave each year, we had to carefully plan our leaves for 2018. Luckily, there were 2 wedding invitations we got for July 2018 which allowed us to also celebrate Leon's 4th birthday in the Philippines. </div>
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When all the leaves we have filed were approved, the stars aligned to allow us to celebrate Leon's 4th birthday party in the happiest place in the Philippines - <b><i>Jollibee. </i></b><br />
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Honestly, I was more excited cause it has been my childhood dream to celebrate my birthday in Jollibee, which obviously did not happen. But we were able to have one, a really great one for our one and only son. And hey, we are so surprised how fun and lively the party was. When I say lively, I mean seems like they leveled up the party from the last time I remember.<br />
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First, the hosts send us out of before the start of the party for a "surprise." Turns out, they had to do a dance entrance for the celebrant. And they don't just made just once, but probably three dances - the opening dance, the birthday song dance, the dance with Jollibee and the closing dance. <i>Parang nahilo ako doon. Haha.</i><br />
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Anway, we were so overwhelmed with the amount of people that came to our party. We organized everything from Sydney and the invites all happened in facebook. <i>Don't we just love how connected we are nowadays? </i>We are so surprised on the turnout that it became an instant reunion with friends and family. We tried to invite as much as we can cause we were just so excited to see everybody after a year and a half. And we never felt so loved. <i>Parang kasal lang ang peg</i>.<i> </i>Everyone wanted to see Leon, us and have a catch up. <i>Sobrang saya lang.</i><br />
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Although the program was already set by Jollibee, the host allowed us to do this vegemite eating game for the adults. As expected they all didn't like it!<i> Isubo ba naman yung vegemite ng buo! Pinapalaman lang dito yan sa tinapay, kaunting pahid lang with butter. Masarap sya, to be honest.</i><br />
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<i> </i>Anyway, the party will not be organized if not for the help of our always reliable and capable mother-in-law. She suggested to us the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jollibee D. Tuazon </i>branch cause it was relatively new, and it can house 100-120 guests. All we did was to check our preferred time on the website, https://www.jollibee.com.ph/services/party/ and select our menu there. Since our mum wanted to find out more details, she personally went into the store to clarify the information necessary. We paid the following for the fees:<br />
Php 2,000 - Party Fee that includes 30 name tags, balloons, game prizes, loot bags, and <b><i>Jollibee's apperance</i></b><br />
Php 231 / head for the Chickenjoy with rice, Spaghetti, Fries, Sundae and Softdrinks<br />
Additional 1,000 for Hetty Spaghetti's appearance<br />
(cause she's my ultimate favorite)<br />
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All in all the party was a success. It was a great time to reunite with friends and a wonderful time for kids to have fun and play with other kids. I really appreciate the hassle free party planning and the professionalism of the hosts. <i>Nabigla nga ako na 5 ang hosts namin! </i>And they were very very game to meet our needs. Although you can never deny that their hosting skills are really loud, <i>hindi mo naman maikakaila na tuwang tuwa ang mga bata sa style nila</i>.<br />
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At the end of the day, basta enjoy and bata, di ba?<br />
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<i>My ootd coming through. LOL</i><br />
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Of course the birthday boy who is very much happy to receive his gift. Most of his gifts are clothes though, as requested so we can easily bring them back here in Sydney.<br />
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Anyways, hope you liked my post.</div>
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Much Love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-58726258989738048652018-05-26T23:10:00.000+10:002018-05-27T11:57:53.145+10:00The Forgotten Songs at Angel Place, Sydney<div style="text-align: center;">
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When I saw the hanging birdcages suspended on George Street, I was mesmerized by its beauty. It was in February when I saw and heard it first - <i>The Forgotten Songs. </i> Paolo and I went to this restaurant, <i>Bacco Osteria </i>to celebrate our first year in Australia. The art installation was so beautiful and magical at the same time. You will hear the sounds of birds chirping - of birds that were once flying around Syndey. I had to do a second look to see if there were really birds inside the cages.</div>
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So when the husband, Paolo decided (for the nth time) to go to the city last Sunday, I asked him if we can go back to Angel Place this time for me to see the installation again. This time, I was surprised to see the streets empty. Apparently, the numerous restaurants were closed on a Sunday - which was a surprise, as we initially wanted to have our <i>late lunch </i>there.</div>
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Satin Coat: H&M | Dress: Random | Boots: Naturalizer</div>
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Whilst the street is empty, it was also my great moment to take photos of the place. It was quiet, peaceful and serene - perfect for its name, <i>Angel's place</i>. It can definitely make any picture stand out, especially when everybody would want to have their photos taken..</div>
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<i>Leon was in a cranky mood while we were taking photos as he only wanted to sit and walk around. He got quite annoyed cause mommy has been talking photos the whole arvo.</i></div>
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Beret Cap: Kmart | Dress: Random</div>
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My every reliable instahusband, being my test subject. LOL</div>
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Watch: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Capitola Watches </i></div>
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In fact, we have been taking photos the moment we stepped in the city :p</div>
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Working in Macquarie Bank, one of Paolo's employee priviledge is free parking on weekends. Since the parking in the city is crazy expensive (we're talking about at least $35), we usually take advantage of it - park our cars in the office and walk around the city.. And because <i style="font-weight: bold;">1 Martin Place </i>is so posh and glamorous, I also asked Paolo to take more photos - of myself.</div>
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1 Martin Place, which happens to be Paolo's office building is also the building of the <i>The Westin Hotel </i>in Sydney hence the posh lobby. I seriously envy his workplace (but not his extremely stressful job).</div>
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Much Love, The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-46165721488557862252018-05-17T11:30:00.000+10:002018-05-17T11:30:05.237+10:00The Best Mother's Day Weekend<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>"There's no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one."</i></div>
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<i>-Jill Churchill</i></div>
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The mother's day weekend was the best mother's day celebration I've had yet. My husband did spoil me a little, making sure that the weekend is entirely for me. After bringing me to the drive-in cinemas last Saturday (read my previous post), he made sure that we went out last Sunday to celebrate. Even if it means that we commute and walk around the streets of Parramatta, he insisted cause <i>it was apparently my day</i>. It was great, as we were able to walk around <i>Church and Eat Street </i>and were able to see spots we've never seen before - like the pink - colored Parramatta Town Hall and the St. John's Anglican Cathedral that were surrounded by food-hungry, human-loving pigeons.</div>
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Pink Satin Coat: H&M | Boots: Corellini (From Matthews)</div>
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The weather's on the colder side though so we are all dressed in our jackets and boots. Leon, being the cheeky boy he is, agreed to sit on the his pram while we walked around the famous <b><i>Church and </i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Street </i>in Parramatta - where the whole streets are filled with restaurants that serves all the cuisines you can imagine.</div>
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Top: Oxygen (from Philippines) | Earrings: Lovisa</div>
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<i>Paolo posing against the beautiful Lake Parramatta</i></div>
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We walked from Westfield towards Church Street until we finally decided to settle down in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Holy Basil </i>- a Laos-Thai restaurant famous for its golden interiors filled with numerous golden buddhas inside. The ambiance is just so holy and the food is divine. We went for the soft shell crab with green mango salad, beef pad thai, roast pork belly in chili basil and garlic and chicken satay skewers for Leon. Since we are commuting, we had some beers and ciders on the side.</div>
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Paolo wanted to bring me to this revolving restaurant for a fancy celebration but I was honestly happy on how our weekend went. The Thai dish was amazing, the drive-in experience was fantastic - it could never get fancier than that, to be honest. More than that, I was extremely happy to feel appreciated not just by my husband, but my son as well. Did I tell you that Leon's school organized a tea party to celebrate mum's day? The thoughtfulness was so heartwarming.</div>
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Glad I was allowed by my manager to leave early from work that day and I was able to attend the tea party. I wouldn't miss it for the world and would not want Leon to miss out. <i>Just imagine how he'd feel when he sees the mums of other kids and his mum isn't there? </i>Anyway, I was just to happy to see him enjoy his time in daycare. All he did was to play - in the jumping castle (that the school rented for mother's day), in the sandpit, and everywhere. I was also proud to see him grab his own food like a grown up. </div>
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Hope you all had an amazing mother's day weekend. It may be fancy, grand, simple or fun-filled, the most important thing is we felt all the love and appreciation we deserve.</div>
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<i>Though I still think that every day should be mother's day. ;)</i></div>
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<i>Cheers to us, strong, hardworking super moms!</i></div>
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Much Love, The Mommy RovesThe Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-21704765843507147862018-05-16T11:30:00.000+10:002018-05-16T11:30:01.661+10:00Skyline Drive-In - The Best and Funniest Mother's Day Experience<div style="text-align: center;">
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We cannot remember the last time my husband and I went to a movie house together. Without anyone to look after Leon, we just have to settle for Netflix. Sometimes we event rent from <i>Google </i>(for $6) and watch the movies at home.</div>
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For mother's day, the husband thought of bringing me to <i>Skyline Drive-In </i>in Blacktown. It is the oldest (they are operating for more than 50 years now) and the only remaining drive-in movie in Sydney. We have been wanting to see <i>Avengers Infinity War </i>and when he found out that it is still showing in the drive-in, he immediately bought tickets online. Finally, we found a way to watch the movies with Leon actually with us.</div>
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Located in Cricketer Arms Road in Blacktown, Skyline Drive-in is a huge parking spot that shows two movies at the same time. In the middle, was a diner that serves the perfect <i>movie-food </i>you can have - burgers, hotdogs, chips, onion rings, and of course bucketloads of soda and popcorn. Arriving 15 minutes before the film, we bought our food in the diner which has that <i>Pop's at Riverdale </i>vibe. Unfortunately, though, the red lights in the diner were turned off when we were there. Could've taken better pictures, honestly.</div>
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The overall experience was indeed fun. I only see drive-in cinemas in the movies and I couldn't believe that I was experiencing it, first hand. Since it was cold, we stayed inside the car, munching on all the comfort food we brought from the diner - <i>hotdog, pulled pork burger, potato chips, onion rings and sweet potato chips. </i>Leon was scared of the film - he gets scared when we watch any superhero movie at home so he just played with the iPad and watch his favorite <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cars 3</i>. For you to hear the sounds, you have to tune-in to a station where they will transmit the music. Hence, you have to leave you car turned-on throughout the entire film. Note - the film ran for more than 2 hours. </div>
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What we did not expect though is it will actually <b><i>drain our car battery</i>. </b>Once the movie ended, we attempted to start the car but it won't. Apparently, the car battery was drained because we left the car turned on without the engine running. That's when we realized why we see other cars flicker their lights several times during the movie - they were actually starting their engine. But how? We thought it's not allowed to keep your engine running while parked. I'm so confused.</div>
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Anyway, since <i style="font-weight: bold;">it happens all the time </i>in the drive-in, the staff have the equipment to help jumpstart the cars. Another twist - it helped start our car but it somehow broke it. Once our car started running, an error message was on the dashboard. It won't change gears and won't run beyond 50kph. Good thing our best friend, Pen lives nearby and he came for help. Though our car was not fixed that night, he drove me and Leon home while Paolo struggled to drive at 50kph. We drove to side streets for we would be violating major traffic rules driving lower than speed limit.</div>
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Our car is scheduled for repair in Ford this week. I think the charged was beyond the car's capacity and it tweaked something in the computer system (I am not a car expert so I would not dwell on this, lol). But they say it just an easy fix. </div>
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Even if things went south that night, I would say that the overall experience is still one for the books. It was a fun, new and refreshing. We were able to watch Avengers (and finally able to relate to all the heartbreaking tweets and FB statuses) with Leon with us. We were able to experience watching a movie in a drive-in cinema and eat great comforting diner food. We just need to be more careful next time and find ways to make sure that our car's battery wouldn't run out.</div>
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I'd definitely definitely do it again.</div>
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(Some photos are saved from my insta stories. Saved them on my highlights, on @themommyroves)</div>
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Hope you liked this post.</div>
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Much Love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-53709946178459790222018-05-12T19:34:00.001+10:002018-05-13T14:34:24.395+10:00The Thing With Accents<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Multiculutral. </i>This is the best description I can give for Sydney. Living and working here for a while exposed me to diverse nationalities and cultures I was never familiar before. It has been a learning and a humbling experience for me. Each day is like a lesson of culture, practices and each interaction teaches me to be more respectful towards others. Generally, Australia is so diverse that (mostly) everybody is treated equally and with most respect. You don't get judged or discriminated because of your color, your race, your background, your diction, your accent or even your grammar.</div>
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Honestly, prior to moving here, I had this tendency to judge others based on how they look or how they speak. Admit it or not, we are all guilty. Seriously, there is never a day I don't see <i>grammar nazis </i>in social media who think a person's intelligence is based on how well they speak or write the English language - among many others.<br />
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Being on a <i>customer service - contact centre </i>role, I had a hard time understanding the accent I am hearing on the other end. Seriously, I thought Australian accent is similar to British (Peppa Pig) accent but <i>they are so different. Nahirapan akong intindihin sila. </i>Aside from the silent "r" (wa-tah instead of water), they also prnounce their vowels with a "w" on the end (i-de-yar for idea, drawr for draw, dro-ring for drawing, among many others.) You really have to listen, and pause to comprehend) And while I thought my neutral accent was easy to understand, they actually felt the same thing. Australians struggled to understand my accent too. I had to repeat words or pronounce them slowly. Worse, I had to imitate their accent.</div>
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Now I realize why our "kababayans" would eventually adapt the accent after many years of living abroad. <i>Akala ko noon arte lang, </i>but you really have to somehow "<b style="font-style: italic;">speak the language" </b>so you can easily communicate.</div>
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Apart from the <i>Australian accent, </i>there are numerous accents here that I had to adjust myself to. <i>Indian, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Lebanese and more. </i>Just imagine the level of adjustment we have to do to understand each other. And if we think how they pronounce their words are weird and funny, just imagine how they think of ours? <i> </i>While most of the time people here are very respectful, there are times that I get judged as well, because of my accent.</div>
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<i>Ganon pala yung feeling pag na-judge ka dahil lang sa way mo magsalita. </i>Never did I thought that I'd be on the other side of the situation when I moved here. Being a call centre agent here, some Australians becomes a bit weary when they speak to someone with an accent different from theirs. Worse, some thought that I am going to steal<i style="font-weight: bold;"> money from their credit cards. Yikes</i>.<br />
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Hence most of them verify first if I'm based in Australia or Sydney. It assures them that I won't do anything bad or some. I couldn't blame them though, as they have experienced being scammed or stolen from call centre agents overseas (and even locally). Aside from that, my spelling and pronunciation actually confuse them too.</div>
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There was even a time when my manager called me out for using the word <b>"inquiry" </b>instead of <b>"enquiry" </b>on my emails. I honestly thought they mean the same but here<i>, inquiry means to investigate and enquiry is to ask. </i> I became more conscious of my words now (and have to always ensure that my language setting is in British English) <i>My colleagues also corrected me when I pronounced the word <b>eligible</b> because I sounded like I was saying <b>illegible -</b> which would definitely confuse the people I talk to over the phone.</i></div>
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However, those were just a little percentage of what I encounter on a daily basis. Most Australians I encounter are always interested and respectful each time we strike a conversation. In fact, I learn more words and I am able to even expand my vocabulary. I became more humble and respectful for others cause now. Honestly, living here in Australia opened my eyes to different cultures and backgrounds that made me less judgemental and discriminatory against others. Seriously, <i>ibang level ang acceptance dito at wala talagang racism at discrimination. </i></div>
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I am just glad to be surrounded with people, and colleagues from work who are very open and fair to everyone. You don't know how many things I have learned by just mingling with these people who came from different backgrounds and I tell you they are very interesting.<br />
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<i>Jacket: Thrifted from Vinnies, Jeans: Target, Shoes: Adidas, Top: Valleygirl</i></div>
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Hope you liked this post. I've actually shared our photos from the family day picnic our company organized a week ago at Lane Cove Park and our quick tour to Brighton Le-Sands.</div>
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Much Love,<br />
The Mommy Roves</div>
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The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-81571949432787475062018-05-01T01:14:00.000+10:002018-05-01T18:13:24.487+10:00To Beautiful, Better Days<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 600;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature.” ~Paulo Coelho</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Being a parent is hard. It is that stage of your life where your priorities shift to your child/children's needs and most of your wants and needs are put behind. Each day is a struggle from nursing and comforting them when they are newborns, to feeding and guiding them while they are toddlers, to teaching and disciplining them as kids... and the list goes on. Yet, nothing stresses the parents more when the family's health is compromised. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">On my previous post, I have shared how Leon's recent battle with a viral infection stressed me out. He did have to deal with it for more than a week though - from high fever to gastritis to a bad cough. Several mums I have talked to share the same sentiments - that kids, especially on their first year in daycare get sick at least once a month cause they are exposed to other kids and to whatever virus or germs they carry. It was a stressful situation - worried about Leon's health and worried about our jobs too. Did I tell you I ran out of leaves already? It was tough to be immigrant parents in a country where we don't have the convenience of a family or a nanny to help us out. You get the idea.</span></div>
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Anyway, it was not just Leon who had some health setbacks the past few days. Last December, during our health checkups, (for our permanent visa application), Paolo has an elevated high blood pressure-we're talking about 150/90. We went to the doctors back then and Paolo was advised to have a lifetsyle change. We then decided to switch to brown rice and changed our diet a little bit. However, 3 months and a several eat-outs later, Paolo's high blood pressure remains elevated.</div>
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Hence, we have made a decision to in fact change our lifestyle. We have completely cut down our rice <i>since last week</i> and replaced it with sweet potato, pumpkin, and vegetables. We made a decision to change the way we cook our meat - <i>steam, boil, grill, bake </i>and minimize frying, if possible. We have enrolled at gyms close to our work and friendly to our busy working parent schedule. Paolo will workout in the morning as I drop Leon off at daycare while I workout in a few minutes after work, while Paolo picks up Leon. Once my shift changes to morning, we will switch schedules.</div>
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Anyway, with the things we're doing with our health we all hope to have improvements as day goes by. As much as we want to make sure that Leon is of great health, we wanted ours to be on the optimum too. </div>
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<i>Jacket: H&M || Dress: Cotton On || Boots: KMART || Earrings: Lovisa</i></div>
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With much positivity, I really do hope that things go smoothly, moving forward. I am greatly inspired by the beauty of the iconic <i>Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge</i> that I chose to share these photo set as a reminder of how beautiful our life here is in general.We may have some (health) setbacks here and there, some parenting struggles whilst doing it everything ourselves, we are still extremely grateful for the opportunity for us to build a life here. It isn't easy, but it definitely made us stronger and more independent as parents. </div>
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Hope you liked my post. Also shared the brands I'm wearing just because.</div>
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PS: Almost turning 4 in the next 3 months, Leon still prefers to be carried each time we go out. Now that he weighs really heavy, I really could not carry him for a long time that I always tell <i>Paolo </i>to carry him. We know <i>na dapat hindi sya sinasanay</i> but they get tired, and they are kids and they will always be our baby so we give in. However, Paolo always "horsy" (carry him on his shoulders) to make it easier. This hack definitely saves you from back pain.</div>
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Much Love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-8888728184821908972018-04-20T12:00:00.000+10:002018-04-20T12:00:31.839+10:00Take Me Back To Paradise<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><i>“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru</i></span>
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Gold Coast was perfect. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. In fact, I have never realized why Surfers Paradise is called such until I saw it in person. Sunny weather, perfect beach waves, cold waters it was just a beautiful place for a holiday. </div>
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Gold Coast was a breath of fresh air. Having been in Sydney for a while, it was refreshing to a city that is so chill and relaxed at the same time. In Sydney, you'd see busy, small streets and filled with people always rushing to go somewhere. In Queensland, it was the opposite. The city was literally by the beach - where you can enjoy the heat while feeling the cold sea breeze. It was so perfect that when you need to relax on a stressful day, you can just go to the beach, grab some fish and chips or sip a cup of coffee. In fact, when we were there, we were able to enjoy a nice <i>Aussie </i>breakfast whilst taking in the beauty of the place. </div>
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If there was one great decision that we made during our trip to Queensland, that is to book us with a great hotel. Using the A<i>goda app</i>, we were able to book this huge room in <span style="background-color: #fdfaf0; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Chateau Beachside Resort for a very good rate. For the first time in our lives as parents, Leon slept in his own bed - the extra bed provided by the hotel. We have been co-sleeping since he was born and having to enjoy the bed ourselves with Leon within arm's reach. Since then, Leon has been asking us to buy him his own bed. <i>You don't know how accomplished we felt.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Breakfast at Sandbar</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our room was literally in front of the beach. It was huge enough for a family of three with a stunning view.</span></i></div>
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We were able to enjoy the beach for a few hours in the morning before we went to Sea World. I wish we had more time on our hands as I really wanted to stay in Surfers Paradise a little longer. The weather was just perfect - it was hot, but not too hot to burn your skin. The water temperature was great - it was cold but not too make you shiver, but cold enough to feel you refreshed from the heat. You can rent bikes and scooters for a cheap price where it will let you drive around the city. Aaarh, how I wish we have more long weekends here and numerous annual leaves for me to be able to go on a vacation. <i>But I've finished up my20-day annual leave which I filed in advance for our holiday in the Philippines in July</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top and Skirt: Factorie | Sunnies: GLOSS </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leon with Borobi, Australia's mascot for the recently concluded Commonwealth Games. Did you know that Borobi is the Yugambeh (Aboriginal) term for Koala?</span></i></div>
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Surfers Paradise was our first stop upon entering Queensland and it was also our last stop before we drove back to Sydney (for 12 hours straight) last Easter Monday. We had a quick walk around the area and noticed most of the roads were already closed in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. We never heard of Commonwealth Games until we moved here, which was an international sport event that involves all the current and past commonwealth countries. It was actually held in Gold Coast this year.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lunch at Boon Thai- Pad Thai, Chicken Satay Skewers, Spring Rolls, Thai Milk Tea and Bundaberg Ginger Beer</span></i></div>
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Driving for more than 12 hours was tiring but it was worth it. We were able to see this sunny, golden state and was able to enjoy its relatively relaxed and happy vibe. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did.I still have a lot to post about our Easter Weekend at Queensland and I hope I'l be able to find time to share them with you. </div>
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Much Love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-76354194989576554692018-04-19T00:26:00.000+10:002018-04-19T00:26:23.033+10:00Because Getting Ill Is Always Unexpected<div style="text-align: center;">
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I remember we had to cut short our time in Sea World because Leon suddenly fell ill in the middle of our tour. We haven't even seen half of the park when Leon asked us to leave so he can go <i>home and rest</i></div>
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I was surprised that he literally begged us to go home. Leon is usually energetic and cheerful. He is that type of child who would fight his sleepiness just to play. <i>Hangga't may nakikitang playground, maglalaro yan.</i> He was even very excited while we were in Sea World. He was able to see a lot of attractions, a lot of sea animals, rides and his most favorite cartoon character of all - <i>The Paw Patrol. </i>Then, while we're buying his <i>Marshall plushy</i>, he complained that he was not feeling well.</div>
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<i>But why?</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We could not explain our excitement when we saw these lovely polar bears up close and personal. How can they survive this hot weather here in Queensland?</span></i></div>
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It was a long morning for us. We all woke up at 6am that day, had some breakfast and went to the beach. After a couple of hours we drove to Sea World <i>to make the most out of our holiday. </i>Leon, being so distracted, was too busy to eat. He also did poo that morning twice. Then we realized, he must have caught a tummy bug. Without having a good amount of food, and having an increased bowel movement, Leon was probably dehydrated that made him feel unwell.</div>
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<i>Bargain Dress from Haymarket (Chinatown) | Adidas Shoes | Gloss Sunnies</i></div>
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We were supposed to watch the Spongebob movie and play in the <i>Spongebob Aquaplay </i>area before Leon complained of being sick. With a litle sadness in our hearts, we have to deal with the situation and prioritize our child. I have to admit, I wanted to see more of Sea World and enjoy the nostalgia that I was feeling. <i>We will always be kids at heart, wouldn't we? </i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The second best part of our Sea World visit - to see the Happy Feet up close!</span></i></div>
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After an hour's nap and a good amount of water intake, Leon felt better when we get to our cousin's house in Brisbane. Kids have that impressive immunity that they can be really healthy now but be sick a minute after. And yet, even if they become sick, they are so strong that they can easily bounce back from it. Just like what's happening to Leon now.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leon and I dancing baby shark while we were in the Shark Aquarium</span></i><br />
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Leon has been down with fever for the past 4 days. As paranoid parents <i>(because of what happened to him in the past)</i> we brought him to the GPs every single day just to make sure everything is okay. As usual, in each of our visit to 3 different GPS, they diagnosed him with a viral infection. It was frustrating for us to hear the <i>viral infection diagnosis</i> as he was misdiagnosed before that lead to pneumonia that led to tubes being inserted into his body. Yet, despite having fever spikes of 39, doctors could not see anything physically nor hear anything on his lungs. It was not until yesterday after vommitting thrice and looking really lethargic, that we decided to bring him in the <i>Emergency Department of the Westmead Kid's Hospital</i></div>
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Here in Australia, you cannot easily go to a specialist, like a pediatrician unlike in the Philippines. The healthcare system here is everybody has to go to a <i>General Practitioner </i>who will try to manage your condition. If your condition worsens, or is too complicated, then they refer you to a specialist. You can only be seen by a specialist if you have a referral letter from the GP. In most cases, you have to wait for MONTHS to be seen by a specialist. If you require urgent attention, then you have to go to the Emergency Department. Which we did.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We waited for 3 hours in the ED just to be checked. Its not a first come first serve basis here. Its a most urgent to less urgent basis.</span></i></div>
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Anyway, after hours of waiting and Leon vomiting on the hospital floor, we were discharged with a viral diagnosis. The urine test resulted negative and his lungs sounded really well. He was diagnosed with gastroenteritis which caused the fever, the headaches and the vomits. The cause? He might have eaten something dodgy, just like what happened to him in Sea World.</div>
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Currently, Leon has now recovered from his sickness. While we were asking for an antibiotic prescription initially from the GPs <i>alam mo naman sa Pilipinas, nasanay tayo na kaunting lagnat, antibiotics na</i> - they were firm enough to hold off the script. They wanted the body to naturally fight the virus and let his immune system fight them on its own. With a heavy heart, we followed the advice <i>but we really kept a close eye</i> on him. Surprisingly, without the help of any antibiotics, Leon was able to recuperate with just fluids and rest.</div>
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<i>At least this time, hindi kami na misdiagnose.</i></div>
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Anyways, we are just so glad that Leon has finally recovered and is strong enough to battle with a viral infection on his own. He might fell sick but it is a good indication that his immunity is in fact getting strong - I think. I am a little stressed though, cause I have almost finished all my sick / carer's leaves.</div>
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Leaving you with this happy photo of myself touching a sea cucumber. LOL</div>
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Much Love, The Mommy Roves</div>
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The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-15487063443037527082018-04-11T02:55:00.000+10:002018-04-11T02:55:27.240+10:00Our Quick Yet Fascinating Visit To Byron Bay<div style="text-align: center;">
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Our stop to Byron Bay was quick yet remarkable. Situated less than a couple of hours away from Queensland, it was the perfect stop especially when you are driving from Sydney. In fact, we are utterly amazed to discover this coastal suburb flourishing with Haute-boho lifestyle. Everything about this place was beautiful, calm, cool and refreshing.</div>
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The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Byron Bay lighthouse </i>is the most popular attraction in the area. Built in the 19the century, the lighthouse was built to protect ships that pass along the coast. Up until now, the lighthouse is still very much active and is in fact the brightest of its kind in the Southern hemisphere. Interesting.</div>
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A lot of tourists go to this spot not only to witness the lighthouse's marvelous beauty, but also try to catch a glimpse of whales in swimming in the sea. Unfortunately for us, the whales were a bit shy to show themselves during that time. They say the months of May to October are the best months to catch not just whales, but turtles and dolphins too.</div>
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We could have done the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cape Byron Loop Walk </i>if we had more time to spend in the area. However since we just went there for a stopover from <i>Coffs Harbour </i>to <i>Goldcoast Queensland</i>, we had to make it very quick and enjoy the view. Good thing <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cape Byron Lighthouse Cafe </i>was there and we were able to grab some coffee before we head off. Did I tell you we were able to take tons of beautiful photos in the area? Yes, and I'm about to share more of them here.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The cafe is such a good place to relax. They serve really strong coffee, I must say</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The white walls of the lighthouse is so white and clean - it makes every photo instagrammable</span></i></div>
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The lighthouse is such a picture-perfect spot where every angle is beautiful. You get to have that coastal view in one area, then have the picturesque lighthouse on the other. Paolo and I only had one decent photo and we have to ask a fellow tourist to take one for us while our son was busy running and goofing around in front of us. <i>He did not want to join our group photo.</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dress: Factorie | Sandals: KMART | Bag: Thrifted | Hat: Coles</span></i></div>
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In case you're wondering what I'm wearing. I am wearing this lovely summer dress I bought in <i>Factorie </i>a month back during their <i>end of season sale. </i>It's now autumn here so most of the summer clothes went on crazy sale. I have bought this for only $7 (originally for $20) just because it's end-of-season. Good thing the weather in Goldcoast (and in Byron Bay) was warmer that I was able to wear them during our trip.</div>
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Before heading to the Lighthouse, we first went to <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Bayleaf Cafe </i>to grab some lunch. The area is surrounded with so many hip cafes and restaurants that we were blown away by how beautiful yet relaxed the vibe is. <i>Bayleaf Cafe </i>is one of those chic cafes that serves healthy, organic dishes that are<div style="text-align: center;">
not just Instagram worthy, but very filling and tasty. While we were very excited to try one of Byron Bay's best cafe, we were surprised to find a menu filled with healthy options. Talk about salads, fruits, quinoa - you name it, I don't eat it. Lol. Being a meat-eater and carb-lover myself, I was surprised that great food doesn't mean steak or pasta - fruits and salads, mixed with the right ingredient can be good food too.</div>
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<i>Delicious.</i></div>
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That's it, guys. Hope you guys liked this post. I still have so many to share and I'm too excited to blog more about our recent visit to Queensland. Update soon. For now, the mom needs to sleep!</div>
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Much love,</div>
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The Mommy Roves</div>
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The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-62506198323797413262018-04-04T11:30:00.000+10:002018-04-04T11:30:01.792+10:00Our Easter Egg Hunt Party Experience<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moving to Australia has introduced us to new traditions we never practiced in the Philippines. Take for instance, <span style="font-style: italic;">the Easter Egg hunting tradition. </span>Although we or I knew about easter egg hunt, it was never a tradituon to organize a party back home. Perhaps from how and where I was raised, Easter is the time to celebrate Jesus’ ressurection - where we will wake up early on a Sunday to catch the <span style="font-style: italic;">salubong</span>, or the re-enacment of the resurrection, acted by chosen members of the church. It was also the time where we feast - after fasting througout the <span style="font-style: italic;">Holy week. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here in Australia, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Easter Weekend </span>was very much anticipated. Starting from Good Friday to Easter Monday, it is the time where families get together and savour the usually very rare long weekends they can spend with their families. While some would travel and go on a holiday (like us), other families, would host Easter Egg hunting parties for their kids and their friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we confirmed to our cousin, Rejoice that we will be spending our Easter Weekend in Queensland, she made sure to organize a party that my 3-year old son, Leon and her 8-year old daughter Bella and her friends, would enjoy. Having no prior experience to this kind of parties, I was also excited to witness it myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coming home from our city tour in Brisbane, we arrived in the Thompson’s residence in the middle of the kids Easter party, around 5PM. Pastries, pizza, chips cheese and cold cuts were served. The kids are bursting with energy - some are still swimming in the pool while the others are already eating their snacks. The parents are also seated - taking the opportunity to bond and catchup with each other. When all the kids have eaten, the easter egg hunt game began. The kids - probably 8 of them ran around the house to search for hidden eggs everywhere. Luckily for us, some kids were kind enough to give Leon a couple of eggs - which he treasured the whole night. Afterwards, each kid was rewarded with chocolate eggs corresponding to the number of eggs they collected. Plus, Paolo found the “special egg” that corresponded to more treats for Leon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart from the egg hunting and swimming, the kids also enjoyed jumping in the trampauline and painting easter clay molds. Most of all, it was the day, apart from Christmas that kids ate the most number of chocolates and treats. Trust me, even I was overwhelmed with the number of sweet treats served during the party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coming from this experience, I wonder what will be our next easter experience will be. Admittedly, I am quite excited to host one myself - meet Leon’s future friends and build new relationships with their parents. Nevertheless, this easter tradition foster friendships, build relationships and create wonderful memories for families and friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">How about you? What is the easter tradition that you are most excited for?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">xx, The Mommy Roves</span></div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-28883517233032262552018-04-02T23:44:00.001+10:002018-04-02T23:45:51.263+10:00Dovetail on Overend - A Suburban Cafe Bustling of Passion & Purpose<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The bustling sound of patrons welcomed us as we approached Overend Street in Norman Park - a suburb located not too far away from the CBD. We were not surprised, to be honest as we were very excited to finally unravel Brisbane's hidden coffee gem - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dovetail on Overend</span><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We've known the cafe through our cousin, Rejoice, who owns and personally operates this suburban cafe along with her husband, Adam Thomson who aims to connect people through their specialty coffee and tea, along with their healthy, <span style="font-style: italic;">gluten-free </span>dishes and dessert. While we have witnessed the cafe's story through Facebook and social media posts, our impression of the cafe grew fonder when we tried it ourselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A Marriage of Good Coffee and Healthy Food</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prior to opening Dovetail on Overend, Adam has been doing coffee reviews part time whilst working in the IT industry, full-time. After years on the industry, he found himself shifting his career and following his passion - coffee. Backed with the knowledge he gathered from all his reviews and the connections he made along the way, Adam started his coffee journey by working for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Uncle Joe's Cafe. </span>When his time finally came, he opened <span style="font-style: italic;">Dovetail on Overend </span>with his wife, using the beans from Uncle Joe's, which is regarded as one of the best roasters in Brisbane.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the other hand, Rejoice, a self-taught baker found herself with a goal to provide healthy food options for her family. Having a husband and a daughter who were both diagnosed with <span style="font-style: italic;">Coeliac Disease</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span>Rejoice started baking gluten-free desserts for her family to enjoy. Pairing her natural baking skills with her husband’s talent with coffee - the goal to provide healthy and quality dishes through their cafe was born. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When purpose meets passion - Adam trains aspiring baristas for free while Rejoice donates a portion of her donut sales to Caritas as their charity work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An Array of Gluten-Free Options</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It may came to a surprise, but most of the dishes in the cafe are <span style="font-style: italic;">gluten-free</span>, without extra costs. Having to deal with coeliac disease as a family, Adam and Rejoice ensured that their cafe serves and handles gluten-free ingredients safely and properly. Each dish in the menu was carefully crafted and personally created by Adam and Rejoice themselves. While savouring their <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buddha Bowl </span>(my personal favorite), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brekkie Pizza </span>and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Baked Eggs </span>we never realized they were all gluten-free until Rejoice told us they were. Their dishes tasted as good, if not, better as how they were presented on the outside. Customers may also select vegetariam options, unless specified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have I told you that their desserts are gluten free yet the consistency and the taste are the same, if not better than the normal ones? I kid you not but Rejoice has mastered creating beautifully baked cakes, cupcakes and donuts that are gluten free.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Place For Everyone To Connect</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The word <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dovetail </span>was actually derived from the <span style="font-style: italic;">dovetail joint, </span>a woodoworking technique used to connect woods together was the inspiration for this outdoor seating cafe. That through their specialty coffee, curated dishes and excellent customer service, they would be able to connect people together. We have witnessed this, in fact while we were in the cafe - that people of different age, background and profession walking in the cafe, eager and excited to grab a bite or have a sip of coffee. With only 18 seats available, we saw customers patiently lining up for the next available seat or for their takeaway coffee, eventually ending up with small conversations along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DOVETAIL ON OVEREND</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">85 Overend Street (732.32 km)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4170 Norman Park, Queensland, Australia</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening Hours </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tues - Fri: 7AM - 1PM</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sat - Sun: 7AM - 2PM</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">FACEBOOK: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DovetailOnOverend/"><span style="color: #e4af0a;">https://www.facebook.com/DovetailOnOverend/</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">INSTAGRAM: @dovetailonoverend </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">xx, The Mommy Roves</span></div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674331423435013561.post-7827428736794578412018-03-31T13:00:00.000+11:002018-04-07T13:25:28.500+10:00Sizzling Fillo - Our Filipino Home Away From Home<div style="text-align: center;">
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If there is one thing I miss the most in the Philippines, apart from my family, of course, is <b>food. </b>Living overseas means having limited access to food you grew up eating - your Lola's <i>s<span class="">inigang</span></i>, your mom's <i>adobo</i>, your aunt's special <i>Filipino style spaghetti</i>, among many others. Then there are your favorite local dishes - C<i>rispy pata, Kare-Kare, Pancit, Leche Flan</i>, <i>Sisig</i> and you have your favorite local restaurants where you woud always go to to have your "Filipino food fix."</div>
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Now that we are far away from home, I always try my best to recreate our favorite Filipino dish. Did you know that I did not know how to cook before we moved here to Sydney? I had ZERO knowledge in the kitchen but I miraculously learned here. <i>I magically remembered all the things my grandma taught me when I was young. Akala ko hindi ako nakikinig noon pero tumatak pala yung mga turo nya sa tamang paghihiwa, pag prepare at paggisa. </i>Anyways, no matter how much to I try to cook, I could not copy the taste I am looking for. Why? Because we lack the ingredients. The tomato sauce (which they call passata) is sour, he fish sauce taste different, the small ingredients like laurel are a little hard to find unless you go to a Filipino store or Asian Market.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Crispy Sisig and Crispy Pata (above) - that food you would definitely eat on a cheat day</span></i></div>
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With our craving for authentic Filipino food, Paolo and I searched for an authentic Filipino restaurant in Sydney. We came across <b>Sizzling Filo </b>- a Filipino restaurant located in Lidcombe, NSW. We saw their facebook and instagram account and immediately fell in love with the photo of Crispy Pata. Right then and there, we went to the restaurant and treated our bellies with all the Filipino dishes we missed,</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pancit, For Long Life</span></i></div>
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<i>Food is also like a time machine - it can bring back a number of memories, and savoring it makes you linger on that memory even longer.</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My favorite dish after Sinigang, Kare-Kare with Bagoong</span></i><br />
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Since, then, we have brought our Filipino friends over to Sizzling Filo. Not we only get to feast on a number of Filipino dishes, but we also found a place where we can be ourselves. Going inside the restaurant feels like you're entering a mini Philippines. OPM music plays in the background while Filipino servers go to you and speak Filipino with <i>po and opo - </i>something I rarely hear these days. Inside, you'd see a lot of Filipinos who are either celebrating an event or just having a good time. <i>Lahat halos nagtatagalog, parang nasa Pilipinas lang,</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Halo Halo!</span></i><br />
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As I've said, Sizzling Filo makes me feel like I'm just home. It allows me to enjoy my usual favorite Filipino dishes, which taste really authentic while having a moment inside a place that feels familiar in a foreign land.<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ube Panacotta - Its like ube and gelatin goodness.</span></i></div>
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Hope you liked my post. </div>
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xx, The Mommy Roves</div>
The Mommy Roves http://www.blogger.com/profile/01137706754808695120noreply@blogger.com0