October Fever (plus DIY birthday party tips)

There are two events this month that I love to share with you, my dear readers. I want to spread good vibes and happiness despite my heart being broken due to some decisions I had to make. October will end in a few and before I welcome my birth month, here are the highlights of this month in photos.

Team Meg goes to Laiya, Batangas!

Team Meganern

Because of our awesome performance last July and August, my team earned money incentives which made our team building possible. Because Pansol, Laguna is the usual destination of BPO peeps, we all agreed to get a dose of vitamin sea in Batangas. Laiya is an almost 4-hour drive from Manila. The trip was exhausting so we killed those hours exchanging funny stories inside the car.

To make our bonding time more entertaining, we played Arte Mo and charades. You’re all familiar with the latter, I suppose. For Arte Mo, the group was divided into two and acted a particular scenario. Time to let their creative juices flow.

EDSA Revolution

Pecha de Peligro

More cancel calls!

The next day, my adventurous crew tried out banana boat. I.WAS.SCARED.TO.DEATH. I kept shouting and the husband was holding my hand! Haha! I opened my eyes from time to time and got amazed with the clear water and green scenery.

Epic! Haha!

Peace!

Before the ride

Listen up, y’all!

Waves!

Leave nothing but footprints

Failed jump shot

Night time by Zon

 

Nye! Acheche!

Go go go Team Megaling! Challenges will come our way but I am banking on your skills and maturity. Let’s dominate 2017!

She says Hello KitTEN!

10 years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful angel. Look at her now. I know it’s a cliche but time did fly so fast! My little lady turned 10 years old and we threw a simple Hello Kitty themed party for her. It was also a celebration of my birthday in advance but she was the star of the party.

Mama and baby kitty

The problem when you throw a DIY party is, you get so busy you forget that you haven’t taken a family picture yet!

Where is Papa?

Extras

The invitation was made for free by an online mom friend.

I bought the banner for 35php and asked one of my agents to do the letter cut outs for me. Thanks, Sarah!

I made these candy jar souvenirs and bought all materials from Divisoria. Each jar costs 13php and candy packs are 50php each. I prepared 15 pieces. I also added Hello Kitty headbands I hauled for 10php each.

For their sweet tooth

Isn’t it cute?

Meow!

Food

Buttered shrimp, lumpiang shanghai, menudo, cordon bleu and turbong lechon kawali

Fun

My pretty visitors

Blow your candle!

My siblings have their own families already and some of them live far from Manila that’s why I was glad that we were complete on my daughter’s birthday. Mom was there, too!

We miss you, Dad!

All thanks to P and Mama for making the little lady’s 10th birthday successful and memorable. We love you, anak! Stay smart and thoughtful. May your dream of becoming a teacher come true.

If you are planning to throw a DIY birthday party, here are some tips for you:

1. Budget- Save money so you do not need to be in debt just to make your loved one happy.

2. List down the things you need- Based on your budget, you can come up with a list of food and other stuff that you need. It is important to write everything down in order for you not to forget a thing and so that you can foresee if you will go over your money.

3. Food- P and I decided what food to prepare. Mama cooked Menudo. In order for us not to cram on the day of the celebration, Mama and I arranged cordon bleu and lumpia the night before so those were fry ready the next day. My husband boiled the meat for his turbong lechon kawali and stored it in the freezer. Preparing some tasks in advance will save you time.

4. Guests- Ours was not a big party but my daughter invited a couple of her classmates. I have quite a lot of friends but I just requested a handful of people close to me to come over. My husband’s co-workers were there, too. For our neighbors, we gave them a plate of spaghetti. If you don’t estimate the number of your guests, you may run short of food.

5. Divisoria to the rescue- If you want an all-in-one stop for party needs, Divisoria is the place to go. Try visiting 168, 999 and Divisoria Mall and you’ll see what I am talking about.

6. Choose a theme- My daughter and I love Hello Kitty, thus our theme. The cake, invitations, and souvenirs were all HK. For the celebrant to have that Kitty vibes, I made her wear a Hello Kitty headband.

7. Experiment- Weeks before my little lady’s birthday, an idea of making a bento box popped up in my mind. I did my own research of sample birthday bento box and came up with this simple one:

https://instagram.com/p/Bay0VOkFO8f/

If you have lots of time and workforce, try out something new for your DIY party. It’s tiring but absolutely worth it.

I hope I made you smile while reading this post. What are the highlights of your October? Care to share? I’d love to read them! Comment down!