Along with wedding gowns, we see beautiful bridesmaid dresses in bridal catalogues and online stores. A lot of the designs for bridesmaid dresses are simple yet elegant but they are not supposed to be prettier than wedding gowns. Furthermore, some brides with a limited budget might cut their wedding's cost by sacrificing the gowns of the bridesmaids. Having said that, the online store Dress First has many high quality and affordable bridesmaid dresses to choose from. Some of them are:

Empire Strapless Knee-Length Chiffon Bridesmaid Dress With Sash, 92.99 USD - Everyone would probably suit this simple empire dress. It does not offer much when it comes to design but it still looks more than its real price. Brides with a limited budget and those who do not like plenty of frills will love this.

Sheath Strapless Knee-Length Satin Bridesmaid Dress, 70.99 USD - If I see this dress at the mall I would not have guessed that it is less than a hundred bucks. It is simple yet classy, something that you can wear even in other occasions. The hemline and neckline are just about perfect. The chocolate color is beautiful as well

A-Line/Princess Strapless Knee-Length Taffeta Bridesmaid Dress, 90.99 USD - One of the most affordable bridesmaid dresses in Dress First, this A-Line dress with a sash is really pretty. It is soft because it is made of taffeta. The knee-length hemline and neckline are just about right. This bridesmaid dress is sexy without going overboard.

I am glad that my kids take after their dad his love for music. My husband has a talent when it comes to singing and so he tries to instill the love for music to our kids that he surrounds them with all kinds of musical instruments from percussion, string, and more.

In every party that our family hosted, our guests would always look forward to the song number of Bela and Howell. The two will practice weeks before the event so they can give a total entertainment for our guests.

Since Bela is attending drum lessons, I am sure hubby and Bela's performance would be more interesting as Bela will play the drums while his dad sings. In fact, they are already talking about their performance for the events that we will prepare for our new bundle of joy. They have been checking song pieces and have been looking for jody jazz hr mouthpiece soprano so they have complete equipment for the performance.

I guess they are both entertainers by heart so they always find joy whenever they receive a great cheer from the crowd that they serenade.

In just a few days, this will be arriving at our home: 

My daughter has been taking drum lessons at Academy of Rock for months now and she is really enjoying it. We are also so amazed at how much she has improved. That is why we are buying her a drum set already so teacher can give her practice sheets so she can continue practicing at home.

We reserved for the unit already and we will pick it up either Friday or Saturday. Hubby is really excited and I think she is more excited than my daughter. I saw him checking out moog keyboard too because I am sure he can’t wait to have a jamming session with her one and only princess.

We were just chatting with hubby’s best friend last weekend and they are very busy checking out trailers at texaspridetrailers.com as they will be starting their trailer rental business soon. They are really excited as they moved to Texas from New York to start this business. They have been planning about this and we know how much time and effort they have spent so I am really hoping and praying that everything will turn out as planned.

As for us, we have our own good news too:

Yes, we are expecting our 3rd baby. I did not realize that I was 1 month delayed already and it was only my friend who reminded me to have a pregnancy test and lo and behold, I turned out positive. LOL.

I think this baby is made in Paris, since hubby and I just came back from a 3-weeks vacation after hubby attended training in Frankfurt. I already visited my OB and my expected due date is May 26, 2014.

We are really thrilled and very thankful for this great blessing. I was actually surprised and worried at first because I am not sure if we can afford to have another child, but this is God’s will and we are accepting it with open arms.

We know that we needed entertainment for the party of my mom and dad so it will not be quiet and boring and of course, the only answer to that is a videoke machine.

We would have wanted to get a live band complete with their electric guitar, fender blues jr, bass guitar and more but we are working on a limited budget and there is not much space in our garage for this.

My aunt was the one who looked for a supplier where we can rent a videoke machine and she instantly found one just in our neighborhood. We got the machine for only P500 for 24 hours of use so we were using the machine up to the next day. LOL.

The videoke machine was a huge hit as it was never vacant because there will always be someone who will be lining up their song on queue. It did provide a great entertainment and it surely did make the party bvery lively and fun.

Hubby is always the one in charge whenever there are things that need to be repaired or fixed in our house. Like for example, hubby is the one fixing all the electricity and internet cable wires at home so that it will be safer for everyone especially for our kids. But due to his busy schedule for the past months, my dad takes over of most of the minor works at home.

In fact, last week when we were at the mall, we passed by the handyman store to buy paints and some tools. I spotted the clamps I wanted for hubby during the time that he was looking for one. It was actually a good steal that’s why I insisted to buy it since it is useful as well.

But even if my dad is the one who does all the work, hubby still sees to it that he’ll find time to check on things at home. He usually does it during weekends or whenever he gets a free time.

We are very thankful that my dad is always willing to help and we really feel assured that everything stays in place.

Looks like I will be needing plus size sport bras after 9 months. Do you know why?

We received another good news 3 weeks ago when we confirmed that I am pregnant with our third child. I am now on my 10th week, and as usual the first trimester is the hardest as I am experiencing major morning or shall I say all day sickness. I am dizzy almost the whole day with no energy to do anything, but of course I still have to force myself to go to work.

But this stage will pass and the whole family is really excited for the coming of our another bundle of joy.

August is almost over and before we know it, it is already time to send your Halloween spiders invites for your Halloween party.

Every kid is excited for Halloween as they get to dress up in their favorite costume, decorate their homes with their parents and go around the neighborhood for trick or treat. But Halloween is not just for the kids but for the young at heart as well.

Adults can organize their Halloween party where they can dress up and be whatever they want to be for a day and party to their hearts content. So what does one need to plan for a perfect Halloween party? Here are some ideas:

1. Send out invitations for Halloween with spiders. Let your guests know when and where the party will be by sending them Halloween invites. You can easily order the invitations from www.invitationsbyu.com where you can find the widest selection of designs for Halloween invites. Ask your guests to dress up and come in their favorite costume. You can even have a best in costume contest and give prizes for the funniest and most creative costume.

Spider Invitation for Halloween Party

2. Decorate the venue with spooky spiders, cobwebs, jack-o-lantern, grim reapers and more to add fun to the party.

3. Prepare for the food. Think of creative ways on how to transform your dining room and bar into a spooky place. Give the food and wine that you will serve with spooky names like “Shocktails wine” and the like so that it is in line with the theme of the party.

4. Think of fun games and activities for the party. Search the internet for fun games that you can play with your guests so the party will not be boring.

By keeping these ideas in mind, you are in for one spooky and scary Halloween party.

Last month, my family together with my parents, spent an overnight in Taal Vista Hotel. Thanks to Deal Grocer’s promo, I was able to avail it at a discounted price.

Bela requested that we go swimming before his dad leaves for another out of the country trip and since it is the rainy season already, we don’t want to travel far to do that and our first best choice then would be Tagaytay.

We just spent almost the entire time in the hotel as the kids just didn’t get tired swimming. They just got out of the pool when it was almost 5 PM already and they are already feeling cold because of the cool Tagaytay breeze.

This is my kind of weekend. I will try to see if I can get another promo in Deal Grocer so we can have another staycation in our favorite city away from Manila.

It is just a few months away before Oktoberfest and so I am now looking for invites for Oktoberfest party. Just a few days ago, hubby was in Frankfurt, Germany to attend training. During that one week, he and his training mates were able to go around to explore Germany. One of the stories that hubby shared with me was the Oktoberfest which is an annual event held in Munich, Germany which last for 16 days from late September to early October. Hubby told me that it is a very festive event filled with a lot of merry making and large amount of consumption of German beer and food.

Good thing, I can easily order the invitations online from invitationsbyu.com. There are a lot of available designs to choose from and once I have selected the theme and design that I want, proof of the invites will be sent to me within one hour for checking before printing.

Beer Party Invites for Oktoberfest Celebration

So once the invitations for Octoberfest parties have been sent, then all we need is some good German beer and food and we are all set for our own fun Oktoberfest gathering.

Just look at how kids had so much fun during Cobi’s 3rd birthday party:

Well aside from the good food, fun games, overflowing of prices and the good sound system equipment that we got like apc40, what contributed to the fun of the party was the presence of Jives.

Jives is the sing and dance group that we got to perform for Cobi’s party as per his request. What I like about them is they can make the kids follow them as they sing and dance to popular songs of Katy Perry, One Direction, Taylor Swift and many more. Once they start performing, kids will not hesitate to go in front and perform with them.

Thanks again for another great performance, Jives. Till our next parties.

Every first Saturday of the month, Project PEARLS hold their monthly feeding and brain booster program in Batia, Bulacan. This is the new home of the families from Ulingan who got relocated here.

Unlike in Ulingan where it is really unsafe because of the toxic fumes being emitted by the charcoal factory, Batia is clean and pollution free. That is why every time we attend Project PEARLS' activity in Bulacan, we bring our kids with us so they will be made aware too of our advocacy and they will learn the value of sharing and giving back as early as now.

Volunteer. Share. Advocate. Visit www.projectpearls.org now

A number of my friends are planning for their trip to Europe. They have been asking me about it and the only tip that I can tell them is that they should plan ahead as it is really complicated to plan for a Europe trip.

Well for one, it is difficult to plan for the itinerary as Europe offers a vast of options. Each city is different so you would really like to visit each of the cities to experience everything that Europe has to offer. Aside from the tourist attractions, there are a lot of possible ways to move from one city to the next like train, airplane, and bus so you have to check each one of those if you want to get the cheapest and most convenient way to travel. Some sites ‘ internal pages do not offer an English version that you would even need Google translate to understand what the site says before making any booking.

But I told them that if they want to simplify their life, then they should just get their own personal concierge like the service of Paris Luxe. Paris Luxe can help them plan for their entire trip, as they can help coordinate and book activities, select luxury paris apartments, get discounts on leisure partners and they can even provide for your own Paris based professional photographer to document your travel.

So if you are planning for a Europe trip any time soon, check out Paris Luxe now.

The men in Cobi’s life:

This picture was taken during Cobi’s 3rd birthday party held at Shakey’s Bluewave Macapagal. I am so thankful that they took time from their busy schedule to celebrate with us. We really felt the love.

Thanks again to all of Cobi’s Titos, Titas, Lolos, Lolas, cousins and friends who all came to his party, despite their busy Saturday schedule. You all really made his party extra special.

One of the unique experiences that we had when we went to Zoobic Safari was the Aetas’ Trail. In this attraction, we were treated with a presentation of the Aetas. They did several dance numbers like the Dragon fly dance, monkey dance and the warrior dance, which they do every time they send a warrior to battle.

There was never a dull moment during the presentation as the dances that they performed are something that is new to us. Even Cobi and Bela enjoyed the show. There was even one Aeta who was playing a musical instrument, something like the theramin, to accompany the dance numbers.

The Aetas’ Trail was the second to the last attraction in our tour at Zoobic Safari. Make sure you will not miss this next time you happen to be here.

Hubby arrived at around 9 PM last Saturday from his tour of duty in Majuro and looks like he really missed us so much that he wanted to go on an out of town trip the very next day of his arrival.

He really wanted to go to Zoobic Safari and so we just had breakfast and drove North to Subic. It was actually our first time here, except for hubby who had visited the place a few years ago. I was actually reluctant at first because I can’t imagine being in a place where I can experience a close encounter with the tigers. But I know that Bela will enjoy it, so I gave in.

The entrance ticket is P499 for adult plus P50 for the tram ride. It includes 11 attractions already like the Forbidden Cave, Bone Museum, Tiger Safari, Close Encounter, Aetas Trail, Coco Loco and more. They do the tour per group and so it was like a field trip where you will visit each attraction per group and they will just give you a set amount of time to enjoy each attraction. This limits your freedom to choose which attraction you like as you really have to follow the flow of the tour.

The entrance also includes the Tiger Safari where we rode a jeepney and we entered the safari area where we can have close encounter with the tigers. Bela was surprised though when the safari was already over as we only encountered 2 tigers during the trip.

Overall, it was a unique and fun experience (although a bit scary for me). Next time we go back here, we should leave early so we can watch the shows which are scheduled at 10:30, 1:30 and 3 PM before or after our guided tour.

Last Tuesday, we received very sad news that our Labrador Sophie passed away. Sophie was hubby’s gift to me when I was pregnant with Cobi so he was Cobi’s age. We got a text from our care taker in Bulacan that Sophie was sick for 3 days now and she was not eating. Hubby arranged for a jeepney to pick Sophie in Bulacan right away to bring here in Manila so we can have a veterinarian checked her.

On the way to Bulacan, we received a text message that Sophie passed away already. Hubby was mad. We should have been informed of what was happening with Sophie since she was sick for 3 days already. We felt guilty also because we could have made a way to save her life.

But there is nothing that we can do anymore. But we still have one Labrador left and we just have to make effort to save her also. We haven’t visited Bulacan in months now so we were really surprised when we saw our other Labrador Sassy, so thin and really malnourished. Hubby decided to bring her back here in Manila so we can personally take care of her.

That is why we are looking for wireless electric fence so Sassy can roam freely in our garage. We will also take her to a vet this weekend and have her checked. I just hope that it is still not too late for Sassy. I don’t know how we will take it if she too will leave us.

And dad is finally home after 1.5 months of being away from us:

This is the longest that we have been separated from each other but we have no choice because it is part of his work. But I am close to going crazy from missing him. LOL.

Thankfully there is Skype, my family, my friends and my kids who kept me sane during the 1.5 months that hubby was away. And this trip just proves that there is no way I am letting Howell find a work abroad. Or if he does, we will all go with him as I can’t stand being far away from him.

Since hubby will be home in 2 weeks, I have started to check the website www.peterglenn.com/ to check out for items that I can buy to gear up for our next adventure.

Hubby promised the kids that we will have a vacation once he goes back so we are all looking forward to that. I am not sure though where we are going. Hubby wants to try Zoobic Safari then go to one of the beach resorts in Subic but I would rather stay in a beach resort all weekend.

Hubby and I haven’t really made any final plans. But I am sure it is easy to book now as it is already the start of the school year and the end of the peak season.

From 33 days:

to 22 days

And now, we are down to 14 days to go and hubby will be home.

Gosh this is the longest that hubby and I have been away from each other. Last time he went on temporary duty was more than a year ago for three weeks. Every time he goes on training, we try to join him if budget permits. But the destination of his temporary duty now is in a remote location and we have nothing to do there plus the fact that airfares are steep.

But I am glad I have my family, my kids and my friends who kept me sane during the first 4 weeks that hubby is away. If not for them, I might have gone crazy.

Cobi will be having a Hi5 inspired party for his 3rd birthday, which is in 1.5 months. I haven’t prepared much for the party but one this is for sure, hubby and Cobi has to bring out their banjo from musicians friend because they will be doing a musical number.

Well Cobi loves to sing and dance and it fits really well with the Hi5 theme so why not take this opportunity to show his talent on stage, right? He knows a lot of the Hi5 songs, Maroon 5 and One Direction songs so it is just up to him to decide what songs he want to sing. Yes you heard me right, Cobi will be the one to choose what song he wants. At almost 3 years old, he acts like a grown up already and he makes his own decision.

I just wish that he will not chicken out and he will be in the mood to perform and entertain her guests.

We had another Balikbayan visitor last month. She is the cousin of my best friend whom we met when we went to the US. She was touring the US with her cousin and so we were able to spend a few days with her in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

She was here for a month for temporary work and glad that we were able to go out with her while she was here in Manila.

She sponsored one Saturday feeding first in Ulingan so I accompanied her there and I am thankful that she spent some time and shared her blessings with our kids from Ulingan. After the outreach, we went home to freshen up and then went to Casa Roces for lunch.

After lunch, we took her to Manila Ocean Park as per her request because she wanted to try the foot spa. My kids and hubby joined her and from the looks of it, they enjoyed the experience.

After Manila Ocean Park, we parted ways as they had to go home for their family dinner.

It was nice seeing you in Manila, Milette. Looking forward to seeing you if not in August, then maybe in October.

Our car loan will be expiring next year and this means that we will have a little extra money that we can save in case of emergency. But aside from saving, my husband and I have been thinking of investment options to maximize the potential of the extra money that we will have.

We attended a seminar of Bo Sanchez a few months ago and it is all about investing and managing our finances. After the seminar, we have been considering investing on US silver coins and in the stock market as well.

I have always been scared to invest on stocks as I find it too risky and complicated. But thanks to Bo’s teachings, I finally understand how to invest safely in stocks and over time, will give our money its maximum potential.

I have printed out the forms and hopefully I will be able to submit it to CITISEC so I can start with stock investing real soon.

Our family friend from Canada together with his family came to Manila last March for a short vacation. It has been years since he last set foot in the Philippines and it is actually the first time for his wife and kids. So they really had a busy schedule going to the different places here in the Philippines as well as visiting relatives whom they haven’t seen in a long time.

That is why I am very glad that they were able to spend one whole day with us. My husband and I were choosing between Subic and Tagaytay for our quick getaway with them but Tagaytay won as we figured they might find it too hot and uncomfortable if we go to Ocean Adventure or Zoobic Safari in Subic.

We just wanted a relaxing afternoon since they are still battling jet lag plus they just got back from Boracay. So we fetched them at their hotel and we drive to Tagaytay. We first went to Pamana restaurant for an early lunch and we took them to Picnic Grove after since we wanted them to try out the Zipline.

After our thrilling zipline ride, the kids went horseback riding so they can go around and have a good view of the Taal Lake and volcano.

Then we went to Cliffhouse and had our afternoon snack at Café Breton. After eating merienda, they are still in the move for another adventure and so we brought them to Nuvali where the kids feed the kois and then we went shopping after at Paseo de Sta Rosa. We ended the night with a dinner at Racks and then we brought them to their hotel afterwards.

I hope that they can come and visit us more often and we are looking forward to our next getaway with you guys.

In two months, my youngest will be celebrating his 3rd birthday. We are planning for a small party for him and we will be booking Shakey's as the party venue.

You wouldn't think that he will have a say when it comes to the party theme, but he does. When we asked him what theme he wants for his party, he answered without hesitation that he wants a Hi5 party.

So this means that it will be a party filled with lots of song and dance numbers. That is why the husband is busy now looking for fender jaguar at guitar center as he will be performing with Cobi and they will sing "Live While We're Young" by One Direction band.

I have also booked Jives, the sing and dance group, to provide a mini concert for the kids with some of Hi5 songs.

I am so excited and I am sure that this party will be a blast.

Our last day in Singapore was still as busy as our first 3 days. We had breakfast again at the hotel and we let the kids swim at the hotel pool while having breakfast. Then at around 9:30 AM we transferred to Adventure Cove Park as we have tickets to that as well as part of the package of the hotel.

The park was really big, clean, and well-maintained and you can really see a lot of lifeguards on duty so you can be assured of the safety of the kids as well. We initially tried the river ride but halfway in the ride, it will pass by a cave which looks scary and dark (even I myself got scared), that Bela and Cobi chickened out and decided to just walk to reach the other attractions in the park.

Bela was still all game and she tried the giant slide with her dad as well the swimming pool where there are real fishes so you can snorkel.

Too bad we can only stay here until 1 PM maximum as we have to check out from our hotel at 2 PM plus we have to leave by 3:30 PM to catch our 5 PM flight. Bela and Cobi would have enjoyed it more if we were able to stay longer. At least we have a reason to come back to Singapore.

As soon as we reached the hotel, we just checked out and then we tried the Sentosa Express to go to Vivo City Mall for lunch. The kids were requesting that we tried the train since they saw it but our IT was always full that it was only on the last day that we were able to do it.

After lunch we went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, bought some souvenirs and then met up with the cab driver that we booked for our airport transfer then head to the airport for our 5 PM flight.

And to sum it up, it was a very relaxing vacation for our family. We both thought that it will be stressful since we don’t have extra hands to help us with the kids but it was a good bonding moment for our family. It helped too that we stayed in Resorts World area so we don’t have to commute to go to the theme parks and go back to the hotel after a long day. Also, Bela was being a big sister already and she is helping us take care of Cobi.

That is why we are planning another vacation, hopefully, in November to celebrate Bela’s birthday.

A few days after our Singapore tour will be the birthday of my father. I would have wanted to treat him and my mom and invite them to join us in our Singapore vacation but we have a limited budget this time. And so I just decided to get him cheap humidors instead for our birthday present.

Hopefully, next time we travel, I will have extra budget again so they can come with us too.

We spent our 3rd day in Singapore at Universal Studios. Universal Studios is not open until 10 AM so we were able to rest a bit before another busy day. We had breakfast at the hotel and since we are already in Resorts World, we just walk to reach Universal Studios.

I love Singapore’s Universal Studios as it is not that big so it is not that tiring for me and Howell and the kids. It is also a Monday so we almost had the theme park all to ourselves as there is not much people lining up for each attractions.

We went to the Madagascar section first and tried the boat ride and Carousel ride. They so love the carousel ride that they were able to ride it more than 3 times I think.

Then we went around to try out the other rides and they were also able to watch the Madagascar Boogie (too bad Cobi accidentally deleted the video that I took of the show).

I was so proud of Bela as she was really all game to try out all the rides in the park. Imagine she tried the Canopy Flyer and the Jurassic Park ride which I will never dare ride. LOL.

At 5:45 PM, we decided to leave as we have tickets to the SEA Aquarium too for the same day. I checked the website before we left and they are open until 8 PM but to my surprise, they are only open until 7 PM. I asked the staff about it and I was informed that the 8 PM closing time was only effective during the Chinese New Year week which ended the Sunday before our visit.

As per the advertisement, they say that it is the biggest aquarium in the whole world. They have great collection of fishes, but I think the place is just small and I don’t think that it is bigger than Manila’s Ocean Park. They have one tall aquarium tank inside so hubby was teasing me that I might have read it wrong and it might have been the tallest and not the biggest aquarium in the world.

But nevertheless, Bela and Cobi enjoyed it even though we only have an hour to explore the park.

On our second day, we started early as we want to be early at the zoo as we know a whole day is not enough to enjoy all the shows and attractions in the zoo. We checkout before leaving the hotel and left our things at the concierge.

We arrived at the zoo around half pass 8 and there was a queue already. We started our day at the zoo with a visit to the Panda, which is a preview to a new park that they will be opening this year which is the River Safari.

After that, we went around to see all the animals that we can visit in the time that we have as we know how much Bela would love this.

We were also able to watch almost all the shows – Elephants at Work and at Play, Safari Fights Back and the Sea Lion show to the delight of our kids.

We were also able to enjoy the elephant ride. This was my first time and the entire time I was just saying “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh” but I have to conquer my fear because I want to experience this with the kids.

The kids were also able to try feeding the elephants. We were late for the show and so we were at the last row in the theater so I have to squeeze myself in the crowd after the show so I can buy baskets of goodies for the elphant feeding.

After Singapore Zoo, we also met up with my college friend and her family and went to Night Safari with them. We had dinner at Night Safari then did some souvenir shopping and went back to our hotel.

As soon as we arrived at Peninsula Excelsior, we just grabbed our bags and head straight to Festive Hotel in Resorts World where we will be staying until our 4th day.