Santino's 7th Birthday: His Dreamplay Adventure

My eldest son, Santino was approaching a milestone... his 7th birthday! And just like any parent, I was scrambling to find the perfect "party" that he would like and that would fit in our budget! :) Since  we weren't planning on having any huge bday celebration, and Santino did not know exactly what he wanted to do, I had to present options for him to choose from to which he would invite his closest friends to join in not the fun.

Now, thinking of a place for a 7yr old and friends to enjoy, when I started thinking hard about it, is a challenge! haha.. but luckily, we were able to come up with options. For those in a similar dilemma, will share my full list since the option we decided to go with may not be your son/daughter's top choice.

The final list of possible birthday places to go to:
1. Kidzania (The Fort)
2. Dreamplay (City of Dreams)
3. Enchanted Kingdom (although logistics of this would make it a challenge)
4. Laser Tag (Greenhills)
5. Active Fun (The Fort)
6. Swimming Party at home (in our clubhouse, haha)

Now, I guess from the title of my blog you know which one we went to. Since I can't share a full experience on the other ones, will just focus on Dreamplay. Sanction ended up inviting a total of 11 kids. Some his classmates from school, cousins and siblings. There was a pinch in the wallet, but in the end, all the kids had a fantastic time so it was worth it. OK, Im getting ahead of myself.

First off, Dreamplay is located in City of Dreams which is near the area of SM MOA and SnR (haha).  It's open everyday by 10am. I wanted to be first to avoid the rush of people so we were all at the venue by 10 and it was a good decisions since the place was nice and clean since it just opened and we had the whole place to ourselves with just a few other people for a good 2 hours maybe... considering this was a Saturday. The rates vary for weekdays and weekends/ holidays. Obviously it's more expensive on weekends/ holidays. We went on a weekend so we got the more expensive rate (weekend rates are cheaper, and for the more full list of fees, you can check their website (cityofdreams.com.ph/dreamplay) For Adults it's a rate of P400, Kids (17yrs old and below) P880 and Toddlers (below 100cm) P100. These rates are all for 4 hours of play, which for me is more than enough time to get around everything since the place is not that big. You can also get an unlimited day pass for more. I would also advise buying tickets online since it would save you the hassle of lining up at the venue to buy. The website has a built in ticket purchase that redirects you to SM tickets. NOTE that they only email you a voucher, so you still have to go to a SM ticket net outlet to redeem the tickets.

The great thing about Dreamplay is that it brings to life great characters created by Dreamworks, which are all familiar to the kids. You have the penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and Shrek.

Santino and Friends at the entrance to Dreamplay

The place is very interactive. It has a lot of activities that kids, especially hyperactive boys can do. Run, run, run, slide, climb. There are a lot of long slides, places to climb, hands on activities to do. Each "area' inside is dedicated to a specific movie that is designed to take you into the actual movie set where the kids can pretend to be part of it.

Inside the airline of the Penguins of Madagascar

Climbing up, up and up

Slides that look like your moving inside a snake.

With hyper 7yr olds, this was the ideal place. Not too big that I couldn't keep tabs on them, but packed enough with activities to keep them busy.

The only downside  was the expensive food. Obviously, you are not allowed to bring any food or drinks, so you had to eat at their facility, how else will they make money? haha.

There are a lot of things to do for young kids, but there are also other activities that are preferable for bigger kids like 10/11yrs old and above like wall climbing or wearing a harness and climbing the steep poles like in Kung Fu Panda.

Not for the faint hearted!

Instructional activities to teach kids

Baking class

My daughter particularly enjoyed the baking class since she got to make her own gingerbread man. NOTE: you have to sign up in advance for the classes since you have to reserve a slot.

All in all I would say that is was a success since my son said it was "The Best Birthday Ever!" haha (he says that every year by the way). For first timers, would definitely recommend coming for the 4 hour pass. Would I come back again? Hmm.. maybe not since when you've gone once, you've pretty much seen it all.. unless they would add on new activities, then that would be worth going back to. But do give it a try, I think it's worth the entrance fee to see your kids favourite movies come alive and they can interact with.





And the best thing about this, to my surprise, FREE PARKING!!! hahaha...

Oh and of course you HAVE to pass the gift shop on your way out.. so naturally... we ended up getting a toothless cap for the birthday boy. :-)

Happy Birthday, Santino! <3

Happy Birthday, Kuya Santino.

The birthday boy!

Today, our panganay or Kuya Santino turns 4. Happy, happy birthday Kuya. :) We call him our train man since he has had this obsession with anything trains since he was 2 years old! I think it's safe to say that it is now more than just a "fad" and is now an obsession? ha ha. Oh Kuya, you make me so happy.

To be honest, I have bittersweet feelings about today. I am so happy that Kuya is growing up to be such a smart, handsome and energetic little boy. Time flies so fast. But I also am sad that our family will never be complete again for all important days and milestones such as today because Giovanni has passed. I know he is there in spirit and his memory will forever be alive with us, but it's still not the same. I want to be able to be there fully for my other two children... I do not want to deprive them of the mommy that they know and love.... even with Giovanni's passing.

Oh Giovanni, I miss and love you so much. I know that Daddy, Kuya and Ate also miss you so so much. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Please pray and watch over us always.

My 2 boys: Santino and Giovanni, November 2011

To our darling Santino, we are so so proud of you anak. Continue to take care of all of us here and bring laughter to our boring days. Be assured that baby Giovanni is watching over you and is giving you a big hug and kiss from heaven.

Thankful at 30.

I turned 30 on Feb 25, and I can't help but feel very much blessed and grateful for everything that I have. I decided to take this time to reflect about all the things I am so fortunate to have.

A few things I am thankful for on my 30th year:

Boracay honeymoon

1. My Husband, Santi. I am not the easiest person to love and get along with, but he does a pretty darn good job at it. I love how he gets me and complements me in areas where I need improvement. How he always looks out for our family's well-being.

2. My kids, Santino, Ysabella and Giovanni. They are my life's greatest treasures. My life is complete now that I have them in my life. My ultimate desire was fulfilled when I became a mom to these three little munchkins. :-)

My bundles of joy!

3. Good health for me and my family. As one grows older, this becomes so important. We need to be healthy in order to be able to live our lives to the fullest.

4. Wonderful and Loving parents. I am blessed to have the most understanding, generous and prayerful parents on the planet. I am who I am because of them. Marrying Santi, I was blessed twice over with in-laws who share the same values and passions as we do and who are there for us and support us unconditionally. No difficult in-laws here!

our HH (some not in picture)

5. Our Household in Community. Santi and I are fortunate enough to have a wonderful support group of fellow young couples in CFC-FFL who journey with us and give very practical and helpful advice when it comes to family, marriage, relationships and everything in between!

6. Girlfriends. When you want to spend some QT with women you can share anything with, there's nothing like spending it with real friends who get you. I am fortunate enough to have those from all parts of my life- high school, college, in community, work and in extended family.

7. Family Catechesis and Liturgical Bible Study. This was truly God-sent to Santi and I. One night we just happen to have found ourselves in this small Sunday group learning the word of God and how alive it is in our lives. Santi developed it even more into Family Catechesis and we have been blessed to see families learning the work of God and being transformed through it. Check it out here- www.liturgicalbiblestudy.com

8. Our Yayas. They are practically like our children's older sisters or second parents when it comes to care and concern. We are fortunate enough to have great, honest and loving help in our home.

9. My work. I am blessed to be part of a company that is not only fun and interesting, but is a challenge to work in and puts family first.

10. This blog. It started out as a hobby and a passion for writing. Now, I have quite a number of blog entries that tell a story or special event in my life. I am grateful for this outlet, to be able to also express my thoughts and for others to (hopefully) pick up something good.

11. Our own home. We recently moved out of the motherhouse (or my parents backyard - haha) and delved into the independent life. I am loving it. It's a lot of work but it's all worth it. This was the best decision (and most natural I think :)) we could have ever made. We are making our own path as a family.

12. Milk tea. This just makes me happy. Add on extra sago and coffee jelly and I am over the moon.
13. Shopping in Divisoria. Simple joys and great finds that are great for the wallet!

14. Nightly walks with my husband. Santi and I recently started this habit of going on evening walks around our village. It's great exercise and a wonderful time for us to catch up and talk about anything and everything. A must-have in every relationship.

Meet Gordon

15. Cooking. I have recently discovered my love (and talent) for cooking! Will share those in my next blogs... but it's pretty exciting for me making meal plans and discovering new recipes and being able to actually do it!! :)

16. Gordon, our dog. The newest addition to our brood.



PHEW that's a long list! But then again, it's always great to take the time to look at what you've got and how fortunate and blessed you are to have it. ;-)