Best Blog Awards 2013

I'm nominating a few blogs that I always enjoy reading to answer Noelfy of Noelimits. She is one of my favorite bloggers from Spain and is traveling all around the world - she is living the life I would have wanted in my 20s. I love her blog because she's always so positive. She has a lot of dreams and she's not afraid to act on them. She has traveled in more countries than anyone I know, and she's one of the most beautiful people in the blogosphere. Noe, thanks for including me in your nominations. You are adorable!

Noe awarded me, along with other bloggers, (post here) to make other blogs be known to others out there and maybe even help new bloggers.

So here's a list of my favorite blogs, the ones that I don't fail to read every time my blogroll updates. These blogs are all related to food, or travel, or motherhood.

International:
The Londoner - Rosie is one of the most famous bloggers in the entire world, and I adore her food/fashion/lifestyle blog. She mostly blogs from London, but she also travels frequently.

We have Aars - Alli is from America and mostly blogs about her family and adventures with her son as a stay-at-home-mom. She makes it sound so glamorous and amazing and she constantly inspires me with her monthly theme of activities for her son.

Local:
Jin Loves to Eat - Jin's blog is all about her food adventures everywhere she goes. Her blog is absolutely amazing, and she goes to a lot of places all the time.

Food Wanderings in Asia - Jo-ann's blog is also all about food and travel. She takes amazing pictures and writes excellent reviews. She's primarily in Cebu.

The Exaggerated Zeal - Fred has just started blogging and his concept is also all about food. Check him out because he has a really good blog going on.

The Vanilla Housewife - Jhanis' blog is all about her adventures as a working mother. She's sharing her "roller-coaster ride of domesticity" through her blog.

Babe for Food - Justinne is one of the more popular bloggers in Cebu. I always enjoy her posts about secret places to eat in Cebu as well as her vlog series, The Cooking Fashionista.

So these are my most favorite blogs of all time and they all deserve the "Best Blog and Versatile Blogger" award. If you have your own favorite blogs, share them with a post like this. Don't forget to include the picture and who nominated you. Once again, I was nominated by Noelfy of Noelimits. She was nominated by a Spanish blogger, Galipon.

Skydreamer Eats: Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

One of my goals last year was to learn how to prepare 12 dishes - that's one dish per month; however, because of my demanding schedule I wasn't able to fulfill that. This year, instead of being specific about this goal, I just placed a line - "try my hand at being a domestic goddess like my mom." Already halfway of 2013, I can't say if I am on my way to being a mommy wonder but I'm definitely more confident in the kitchen now than last year.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe that's super easy - even first time cooks, wannabe chefs and instant-ramen cooks can make this without fail. You only need four main ingredients - your pasta of choice (obviously), a can of tuna, 5-7 cloves of garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

First, cook 200g of pasta according to package instructions. Once your pasta's cooked and ready, drain and set aside.
Next, and here's the easy part. Mince your garlic, and saute it in a non-stick pan with about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Wait until your garlic is fragrant (always love the smell of garlic and oil). Add your pasta and toss. Add your can of tuna (I used Century Tuna) including the oil. Toss until all your pasta is covered in all its oil goodness. Taste.
Check if it needs salt and pepper. Sprinkle some to taste.
Turn off the fire at this point and serve to your family.
Don't forget to add some shredded parmesan cheese (you can get some at Metro Gourmet in Ayala Center Cebu); or you can shave some fresh parmesan if you prefer. Either way, try to use real and fresh parmesan instead of the ones sold in green bottles at the supermarket. There is a huge difference in taste, trust me.
I'm not a cheese snob, but I cover the basics - parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, emmental, etc.
Anyway, back to the point.
The best thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. Do you want to add more garlic? You can definitely do that. More tuna? Some chili flakes? You want to add a few basil leaves? No problem. Really depends on the taste you're aiming for.
Here's a picture of my finished product:

Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

Try it and let me know what you think! xx

My Sonshine - You will not always be this small...

Good morning everyone,



I rarely make a personal post, but I feel like sharing a little bit about my life.

I am a mother to a wild and adorable chubby toddler, Seth. He lights up my world. Every little thing he does is nothing short of magical, and I am amazed at everything he can do. At 1 year and almost 10 months, he is very independent. He rarely cuddles up, but the smallest trigger of anything foreign to him would move him to tears and hiccups, and that leads to a lot of cuddling and hugging.

Right from the start, he has stolen my heart and he is my little world. I gladly gave up any semblance of social life I had before; even beauty trips to the salon have been foregone just so I can spend more time with him. Every night when I leave for work, it pains me to kiss him goodnight and leave him and my husband to sleep. I want to be on that bed with them, dreaming dreams. I wish I could get a stable job and work from home so I could be with him more, but there’s just nothing out there for someone who knows nothing about coding, wikis, and being a virtual assistant. Even then, if I get a job working from home, I know I’d be at home but I still won’t be able to leave my work behind when he cries so it’s kinda still the same.

When I get home from work, it’s still in the wee hours of the morning so I would cuddle up next to him, just smelling him and kissing his hair, savoring these moments while he’s still small and needs me often. I would wait until he wakes up so I can give him his morning milk and water. We would talk for a few minutes – well, I’d talk and he would respond with his baby language. After a bit of that, he would usually look for his daddy by saying “daddddyyyyy” and looking at my phone. We’d give him a call so they can talk for a couple of minutes. We’d play a bit after that, just him and me and his toys.

I’d then reluctantly open our bedroom door so I can prepare his breakfast – usually rolled oats with brown sugar, or pancakes, or eggs and tomatoes. While his nanny feeds him his food, I would go to our little kitchen and prepare food for lunch. I sometimes let him “help” me with the veggies and it delights him when he gets to do that. He’s a curious little one, and if Mama is holding a wooden spoon, then he needs to hold one too. Once I’m done in the kitchen, it’s usually time for me to sleep. I only get to spend a few hours with him in a day and I wish I have more time. Sometimes, when he would like to stay with me in my room while I’m sleeping, I let him in and let him play with my iPad next to me. I just tell my nanny to come inside if he starts crying and wants to do something else, or if it’s time for his bath or morning/afternoon snacks.

I do my best to balance things – my son, my husband, the rest of my family, my career, my friends, my life, myself. It’s not easy. Most of the time I get overwhelmed, and I know that if there’s something I will always put first, it’s always my little family. My career can be on hold, and I’d rather remain stagnant and hide behind my comfort zone – not because I’m lazy, but because I don’t have the luxury of time to spend more hours away from my son.

from Pinterest

I know it won't always be like this. Someday, he won't need me so much anymore. Someday, he will start talking back to me and there will be days I'll get mad at him for something really major. Someday, he won't want to be seen with me in public in his teenage years, and someday he will start his own family and be his own man. But for now, this little boy is all mine to hug, to hold, to teach and to mold. He is mine to cherish, because yes I know, he won't always be this small.

To my son, I love you so much and I’m trying. I’m doing the best to maintain this balance and spend more time with you.

I’ll always be here for you. xx