Dining Out on Weekends

We've been cutting back on expenses but It is still somewhat hard to break the habit of dining out on weekends. Yesterday even if it was raining, we still went out for a lunch at Red Robin in Patriot's Place. We were just actually there on Thursday, straight from our tax appointment to try the place out. And the weekend before that, on a Saturday to celebrate my hb's birthday, we were there too but just couldn't get in. Imagine the hour and 15 minutes wait to get a table? Forget it! So we ended up in a steakhouse instead. But we left wondering that the place must be really good, so we decided to come back later. Hb signed up online in Red Robin's website and got a belated birthday gift of a free hamburger, so like I said despite the rain he still wanted to go there yesterday like a pregnant woman craving for a yummy hamburger ;-). Anyway, I got the crispy fish burger and freckled lemonade again and they're both really great. Their burgers come with bottomless steak fries, so it's a license to pig out. I must admit that I have been pigging out since we had visitors over and I feel bloated already I may need colon cleanser to eliminate fats in my system, LOL. Anyway, here are a few photos I took of our Patriot's Place escapade.

At the Patriot's Place, the home of the champions.
Who doesn't know Tom Brady, that popular Pats QB behind us?

At Red Robin. Here's what little tot ordered.
I just substituted cantaloupe for steak fries.

He just loves cantaloupe.

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How My Weekdays Went

My weekdays were great. I'd say they were fruitful because I've accomplished most of the plans I set for this week.

On Monday I brought my little tot to the library to return some books and borrow some more. We borrowed 10 books most of which he picked himself. He also played in the computer and did some puzzles.

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On Tuesday morning, we visited my good friends whom he called Lolo Ed and Lola Joan and they were delighted to see little tot's new antics. He also enjoyed bird watching in their backyard. Then in the afternoon I took him to Gymboree for an afternoon play in open gym. I was glad to see my Indian friend and her son Dhruv there, and we kind of catch up a little bit.

* * *

On Wednesday we finally had our taxes done and I'm so happy to get almost 14k in refund, well not actually received yet but within two weeks at least ;-). But we still need to come back on Friday for additional info before it can be e-filed. After our tax appointment we went to a mall's foodcourt, had lunch and my little tot and hb to a carousel ride.

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On Thursday, after one-month-long absence from Gymboree class, my son attended his class again. Little tot and I were both excited to see our friends there again.

On Friday, hb and I went to our tax appointment on separate cars because he needed to go straight to work afterwards. And it was so strange to see my little tot threw tantrums as hb went to his car. Hb kissed me goodbye but little tot didn't want to be kissed, he said "No kiss, I'm coming with dada." So he was struggling and wiggling to get out of my hold, as dada drove out of the parking garage. And then my ordeal began. He didn't want to get on his car seat. He was wailing and screaming. I tried to bribe him with a ride in the carousel again, but it didn't work. I was worried that anybody who could hear him scream at that moment would think I was hurting him. And then I whispered in his ear and told him, "if a policeman drives by and hear you scream he might take you away from mommy", then he miraculously stopped and calmed down. But just long enough for me to fasten his seatbelt. Then while I was driving he started screaming and kicking again. I brought him to a playground to ease his disappointment, and it worked.

That's how my weekdays went and stay tuned for the weekend happenings.

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Tax Time For Us Finally

Finally I was able to make an appointment to do our taxes. Tomorrow hb and I will be meeting with my friend from H&R Block who has been preparing our taxes for years. Our tax return is somewhat complicated and there are tons of documents that we've waited to come in. Finally everything is in and I've also summarized all Schedule A expenses, so we're all set. Over the weekend a friend called about some tax questions. Since I worked for a while doing taxes she's used to come to me for questions. But it's been a while ago since I last did it, so I did some research. While at the library yesterday with my tot, I took some free tax guidelines booklet and researched for the treatment of social security disability insurance benefit in their taxes. And I also called a colleague friend to verify. It's good to refresh again, I guess I might consider working again as a tax preparer.

Anyway, it's good to finally made an appointment to do our taxes. I know we're going to have huge refund and it's just being enjoyed by 'somebody else' for free ;-) . How about you, have you filed your taxes yet?

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A Quick Trip to NY and Boston

After a very busy and exhausting week, I'm now back to my regular online activities. Having visitors over can be very stressful because not only do you need to entertain them during their stay, you should also make the house spic and span for them. But I always welcome companies anyway because they trigger my adrenalin to flip the house in a flash. I accomplished a lot in terms of cleaning. I even cleaned and organized the garage and assembled a tool box and installed industrial handles. I was really on fire. But now that my cousins are gone, I feel like I just want to stay in bed for as long as I want. Well that's just a wishful thinking of course, I have to attend to my little tot as soon as he wakes up which is always early.

Read about our quick trips and see pictures here.

We had a wonderful time with my relatives visiting from the Philippines, but I only wished they could stay longer. Their visit was so short so we had to cramp all sight-seeing activities in 2 states in two full days. When they arrived on late Tuesday afternoon, we just headed home for some home-cooked dinner; had a little bit of catching up; and retired to bed right away for a very early drive to New York the next day. Yup, hb set the alarm at 3am and he wanted to start driving at 4am. I was so tired from previous days before so that morning I had a hard time fighting to fall asleep. I was sitting at the front passenger seat trying to be lively and constantly talking to hb so he wont fall asleep behind the wheel too. But I felt like I was I coming in and out of consciousness, dozing off to light sleep. Anyway, we had a quick toilet break along the way and reached NY before 8am.

Driving in NY is a pain in the neck. It's always very crowded, busy and confusing. Hb initially suggested to just take the train from CT, but I refused because it would be a great hassle with a little tot in tow. Our GPS was not working properly because the tall buildings were restricting the acquisition of sattelite power. We drove around to look for the parking garage that hb reserved online but just couldn't find it. So he just decided to enter the first parking garage that we saw and the fee was really high, but what the heck. The weather was a bit chilly and windy for us but most especially for our out-of-towner guests who are used to tropical weather.

In New York, we took the Hop-On-Hop-Off Double Decker Bus Tour around NY city; visited St. Patrick's Cathedral; Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center; had breakfast at McDonald's, lunch at Chinatown and afternoon snack at Starbucks; and my cousins just basically took a lot of souvenir pictures of the place. Then we headed home and arrived at past 10pm. We just grabbed take-outs at Bertucci's. Here are some of the many photos we took in NY.

At the NY subway waiting for the train.

Outside the Rockefeller Center

At the lobby of the Rockefeller Center

On the bus touring Manhattan

Breakfast at McDonald's

Across the St. Patrick's Cathedral

The following day we went to Boston, MA. They loved Boston more than NY, because it was more slow paced, people were more polite, very clean and beautiful. We took them to Museum of Science first and stayed there for quite some time. Hb brought his laptop with him because he's got a meeting at 3pm, so he hooked on Wi-Fi at the food court. After that we just left the car at MOS and took the green line to Fanueil Hall. We strolled at downtown Boston and Quincy Market then walked to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. HRC was unusually busy and hb got kind of cranky for a lousy service. Then we headed back to Quincy Market for some souvenirs then picked up our car and drove to Costco and Target for some grocery shopping. Here are some of the many photos we took of Boston.

At the entrance of Museum of Science

Strolling downtown Boston

Inside Museum of Science

My little tot in front of the 2000 year old Sequioa tree

Father and son imitating how birds fly
My little tot inside the old style classroom

My cousin and cousin in law

Hb attending an online meeting via wi-fi. This pic was taken by my little tot while playing with my digital camera.

Little tot patiently waiting for dada to finish so he could ride on a train already

At Hard Rock Cafe having dinner

Overall, my cousins though very exhausted had a pretty wonderful time. Of course they enjoyed the company of our little tot too whom they've just seen for the first time. By the way, I had a baptism of fire on the side. I took them to Logan airport by myself because hb had some important appointment to attend to. Driving to Boston is always confusing especially going to the airport even if you have a GPS. I missed one exit but glad to have found my way back. Now I'm a bit confident driving to Boston.

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Scrapbooking Night with Moms in the Parish

I went to a scrapbooking night with some moms at our parish tonight. It's my first time to join the group and they meet every second Friday of the month. After not having touched my scrapbooking paraphernalia in a long while, its good to be scrapping again with moms who have got passion for this craft. I've been hooked on doing digital layout that I sidetracked the traditional style of the craft. Anyway, it was a very small group, actually not everybody could make it due to prior commitments. But nevertheless I had a good time meeting other moms.

I was out for most part of the day today so I just hurriedly put the stuff I could carry in my carry-on luggage and tote bag, then left. At the meeting, it took a while for me to start putting together a layout. It was like I was familiarizing myself to the contents of my bags again. Anyway, after a few backs and forths, my layout finally took shape, only to realize that it's time to pack up because it's already 10pm. I still have to finish up my layout and hopefully I can share this in my scrap blog over the weekend.

After the meeting, I have this desire again to buy more tools like the ones I borrowed from the other scrappers like the circular cutters. Also, I have one filled memory stick of new photos that I need to get printed. I hope to create new pages in another set of album. I'm keeping my fingers crossed (toes included, lol) that I can do traditional scrapbooking regularly again.

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Constant Connection

I've been in US for six years now and you can just imagine how I miss my family back home since I'm very close with them. I connected to them via constant overseas calls; text messages; instant messages; webcams; e-mails; and snail mails. Imagine how much money I burn on phone calls just to talk to them. I wish there was a toll free number I can use to call them. But I guess money is no object when it comes to family matters. I only hope I can still push through with my plans to visit this summer so I can see them again. I'm sure they would love to see my little tot now that he's got a lot of antics to show-off. Let's see how the economy goes.

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An Accidental Movie Day

Yesterday while trying to catch up on my household chores, I left my son in the family room with his fave show Caillou on On Demand channel. The show only runs for 28 minutes and it was not long enough for me to finish the dishes. So when my son asked for more Caillou, I of course said 'just a minute son, let mommy finish what she's doing first.' And the smart little tot doesn't have a minute or even a second to wait. To him a second means eternity. So he grabbed and climbed up a stool, took the remote control out of the basket container and flipped the On Demand channels himself. And by mistake, he pressed the button for buying a video on demand for $4.99! Yup, and its available only for 24 hours. I only missed a fraction of a second to grab the remote control before he pressed 'buy'. Shoot! So then I have to watch the movie instead of throwing $4.99 down the drain. Good thing it was the 'Australia' starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Anyway, I totally forgot about the movie already till I let my son watch the On Demand again this morning, so I can take a shower and get ready for his class at Gymboree. Then the title of the movie jumped out on me and it was expiring in 2 hours and 15 minutes! Gosh, forget about Gymboree and forget about taking a shower either. I sat in the family room at 9:00 AM watching a movie. Wow, I haven't done that in ages or maybe never. Anyway, I had a great time with the movie. I cried three times, I hate to see good-byes especially when there are children involved. Well, honestly I cry easily when I watch a movie, my hb would poke fun at me when he sees tears rolling down my cheeks. Good thing he was not around, LOL.

The moral of the story is, lock the On Demand channel so nothing like this happens again. Got it! lol.

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Best Nursing School to Consider

If you want to pursue a career in nursing or want to aspire for further personal and professional growth for career advancement, Saint Xavier University's School of Nursing is the best school to consider. Saint Xavier's School of Nursing has earned recognition as one of the only 15 school of nursing to be awarded with Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. No wonder many nurses who graduated from the Nursing School usually hold key positions in nursing practice, education, research or administration. Busy people who want to increase their education in nursing for purposes of potential career advancement can very well do so with the School of Nursing's online MS Nursing program. This program is really catered for busy people to allow them to take online courses without sacrificing their other responsibilities. This online curriculum is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It is very easy to use and has virtual setting that allows students to interact with their professor and classmates across the country. This online nursing curriculum is a great chance to achieve one's professional goal while still maintaining current career and family obligations.

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Can't Wait For Summer

When my son was about 15 months old, he never liked to be in a pool. He was always scared and struggled to come out of the pool right when you dip his feet in the water. Last summer we bought him a portable kiddie swimming pool that we set up in the backyard. Our purpose was for our little tot to learn to love the water, and second to teach him how to swim. After few dips in the water, he just loved the pool and it became difficult now to get him out of the pool at most times. It was a good investment to have your own portable pool, you can use it anytime you feel like having a dip. It's good that the pool comes with a cover to keep falling leaves or bird's poop from getting into the water. Though hb was very good in maintaining the water anyway. He's got complete pool supplies stocked in the basement. I just can't wait for summer to come so my son can enjoy his pool once again.

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A Movie Date with a Good Friend

Finally, I was able to get out of the house minus my tot and hb. I went out on a movie date with my Indian friend last Saturday. As I've mentioned in my earlier post, the invite to watch a movie was sent to five friends but unfortunately only the two of us could make it and we still went with the idea. We're both stay-at-home moms who rarely go out on our own. We watched "He's Just Not That Into You", a very light romantic comedy about various relationships; of people who try to read signs and hoping to be the exception to the rule. Women in this movie are so into intellectualizing and analyzing men - what if a man doesn't call you or should you or the guy call after the first date, what is the rule? Or why is your relationship not going to the next level, does a piece of paper validate an already strong relationship? Or whether or not you can trust your husband. Is your man really that into you? That's the big question. Women are so vocal about what they feel and even share their innermost relationship-related concerns with girlfriends, while men show a little or no worries at all about their relationship.

Anyway, after the movie we ate at our fave Panera and we chatted for a while. It's good to be away from the chaos of the household although we talked mostly about home and our kids too, lol and of course the movie. Till next date with friends again.

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EC Top Dropper Day - February

I'd like to acknowledge this blog's top 10 EC droppers for the month of February. Your widgets and links will be displayed on my sidebar for the whole month of March as my way of thanking you for always swinging by to visit and drop your cards.

The following 15 droppers, though didn't make it to the top still deserve to be acknowledged with linky love. See if you made it to the list ;-).

In The Presence of Vultures

Life's A Pizza Pie

FickleMinded-A Life That Is Less Ordinary

Lola's Diner

Health.duniasoer.com

Toys For Kids

TuitionPlace

Slow Streamyx

Cool Dad Central

Night Clicks

My Life's Adventure

My Daily Discourse

Ask Ms Recipe

Colorful World of Shiela

My Crazy Life With A Toddler

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