Supplier Rating: Jane Ogena for Klaire’s Dress

I almost let Klaire wear something really simple. I never thought of her dress until I saw this dress online:

Ain’t this a beauty? I thought of having it in shades of green since Green (the character) is the only girl among the M&M’s. And I knew Klaire will look like a princess :) I knew it was a long shot to even ask a quote from the sikat kids’ designer, she quoted me P3500, LOL! Of course that’s way out of budget considering that K probably won’t wear the dress again. Tita Eddie is also out of the question even if someone offered to pay for it (the only way to go is for Tita Eddie to do it for free LOL). So I asked my friends and luckily, Des’ sister’s officemate make dresses on weekends. I was introduced to Ms. Jane Ogena. I took the plunge and trusted Ate Aia’s recommendation & my instincts. Not to mention, the fee was so affordable.

We met before New Year at Promenade and she even offered to deliver the dress a week later. Of course I declined since babies tend to grow faster, I was afraid the dress won’t fit anymore in time for the party. This is what I liked about Ms. Jane – I was intent on lying about when we need the dress but lying is not my best asset I just had to tell the truth and made Ms. Jane promise not to disappoint me about deadlines.

After one fitting, the dress was ready one week before the party. I was just hoping there was a proper lining (or maybe my standards are too high after having worn Tita Eddie gowns for the past few years) and the dress did not smell bad. But I figured I only paid this much so I should have expected to have the dress dry-cleaned myself. I’m just thankful it was delivered (we actually picked it up in Timog where Ms. Jane’s office is located) early so there was time to get rid of the smell. Imagine if she delivered late, then the dress won’t even be ready for the party!

Here’s the dress:

And I paired it with this pair of shoes from Suki Kids:

I was not too keen about the hue of the bottom layer but it worked fine anyway. 

Will definitely contact Ms. Jane again for future needs :)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summer is Here!

And it came a bit early this year! You bet I get cranky each day because of the heat. About two weeks ago, Ane could not take it anymore so he got the idea of dipping in the pool one afternoon – with Klaire :) Now it was Klaire’s first time in the pool and I can say that she enjoyed it very much! Here are some pictures to prove it:

 

 

Summer will be long this year, says PAG-ASA, so I guess we’ll be needing more bathing suits and swimming diapers, eh? And floaters too!

Supplier Rating; Fotoadik Photobooth

fotoadik.multiply.com

A photobooth was in my “nice-to-have list”. I really wanted to have one to serve as the guest souvenir from the party. But since I was working on a budget, I didn’t know how I can still add it in. I kept it in my list though. I was ready to give up until my in-laws pledged contribution. It was also the same time when my brother Gi attended a party where there was a photobooth serviced by not one of the industry leaders but still worked for him and his friends. Gi pointed me to Fotoadik’s mulitply and found out that their service is cheaper by P2500 for the same package offered by another supplier! I also realized that Fotoadik’s package is the cheapest at that time. We got the two-hour package and since they had a promo until end of December 2009, we got 30minutes extension for free. By now, you know Ane gave in to my wish! Darla contacted them. sent me the contract, sent it back after I signed, paid the DP and we were good to go :)

We arrived at Acropolis and the set-up was almost ready. The doctors who own Fotoadik were also there to supervise. I did the layouts for the background and souvenir photo which was just fine-tuned by their artist.

Everybody had a blast in the booth! We were not able to avail of the thirty-minute stop time anymore as the guests didn’t stop falling in line :) A copy of all the pictures, raw and printed, were given to us already before they packed-up. We’d be glad to have them again…if we have not yet set up our own photobooth business, LOL!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Mano

I noticed that Filipino customs are slowly fading away. Not all kids ask for blessings anymore these days from the elders by making “mano”. I am so glad that Klaire learned it early on (even if she still does not understand the concept) and I am hoping she will take it with her even if she’s already grown up. This is also a sign of respect that is uniquely Filipino. I hope she will always remember that.

Supplier Rating: Food Carts

Again, Darla took care of this. We had Taho, Cotton Candy and Ice Cream. Sorry, there are no pictures. They were not actually food carts but one big food stand where these three products were served side by side. Three guys also manned the booth. Taho was a blockbuster among the adults. I wanted to have taho during the party so I can be sure there’s something for Klaire to eat, but she never tasted it, even the ice cream, boo! :) Over-all I did not hear any bad comments about the food booth, so I guess the supplier did a good job.

Rating 5 out of 5

Supplier Rating: Give-away and Game Prizes

When the inspiration to have an M&M-themed party came about, I immediately informed my sister about it which was just the right timing – Halloween was just around the corner. So a day after Trick or Treat, she trooped to the stores and grabbed M&M packs on sale. And she did not charge me a thing :) The candies arrived before Christmas and I was surprised to see that she sent hundreds of fun packs. I was delighted :)

Right after New Year, Darla tagged me along to Divisoria to buy toys as game prizes. I had extra money with me in case we needed to buy more stuff but turned out Darla brought enough already. For the loot bags, we we’re just thinking of buying small toys and put them inside a small bag with the M&Ms. But when we were walking around, we saw this store that sells different coin banks. Darla had a vision and thought of giving away bear coin banks with the candies :) It was a nice touch if I may say. The kids also enjoyed choosing the prize they like from the prize table.

  Divisoria will always be the right place to explore. Because of that rating is 5 out of 5 :)

Supplier Rating: Cake

Kitchen Krafts c/o Darla

One of my inspirations for having an M&M’s theme is the cake I saw from a photographer’s site. I showed the picture to Darla and asked her to find a supplier for Klaire’s cake. Now I was not too particular about the design and did not set a high budget for the cake because I believe that cakes are not exactly the highlight of a party. We ended up with Kitchen Krafts because the first cake maker that Darla approached was too professional to copy the design ;) KK was not the first choice because I knew their cakes can get expensive but they worked within my budget and I was still satisfied with how it looked. Only, I just realized now that Abi’s cake looks like a cheap-o version of Dom’s cake, LMAO!

Only the top tier was edible coz I didn’t plan on serving the cake anyway. It was made of chocolate and we enjoyed it at home that weekend. The cookie-topper was not as edible as we thought it would be, matigas masyado! :) The bottom part, I gave to Darla coz she said she wanted to display it in her showroom :)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Supplier Rating: Entertainers

I honestly forgot their names already, LOL! I knew I should have written it down! Anyway, we could not afford the more known hosts and magicians so I let Darla do her job and hire who she thinks will deliver. Our main concern was to keep the kids entertained and have someone who can adjust well to the guests. The Magician (left) did a scene a la Tina Lennert (find her in youtube) and a little puppet show. She was dull at some points and even forgot who hired her, Stars and Rainbow (kinda embarrassing if you ask me, when she asked on the mic for Darla’s name, que horror!). But the kids stayed on their seats the whole time, so I guess she was still effective. The host on the other hand was lively and got everyone to participate.

Overall, I am satisfied. But I know that there is someone better than them (Like Kuya Shay, who we hired for Jack’s birthday in ‘06) so maybe I can ask Darla to try someone else for us next time :)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Supplier Rating, Caterer: Jojie’s

Jojie’s Catering, Makati City

c/o Darla Dela Cruz

Menu for Adults: Fettuccini Alfredo, Garlic Bread and Rice, Roast Pork Loin with Gravy, Chicken Barbecue, Cocktail Sausages, Potato Salad (no picture), Cream Puff (no picture) and Chocolate cake with icing (which looked like brownies to me), 2 rounds of Iced Tea/Juice.

Menu for Kids: Spaghetti, Monte Cristo, Chicken Lollilop, Cupcakes with icing, Juice. Free small chocolate fountain.

I was considering another caterer, one which is pretty popular within my e-group because of affordability and quality of food. However, the quote did not include seat covers. They charge additional for that. I also thought of bringing our own seat covers, but my Mom pointed out the impracticality of doing such. So Darla suggested another one, Jojie’s. She said that she hires this caterer for her own events and she is satisfied.

The food was delicious! We didn’t have food tasting before the event (they don’t do that for kiddie parties so I just took Darla’s work). But the food did not disappoint. I only heard good comments.

We reserved for 140 adult guests but the head server said there were only about 100 adults. As expected, there were so much food to take home! When it was time to clean up, we were told that they do not have containers to put the remaining food in. So how were we supposed to bring them home? Darla took care of it and demanded that they buy foil or containers and we will wait. We were told that they do not bring containers anymore, as a company policy (must be issues with previous clients). Then they should have informed us beforehand, I think, so we could provide our own.

Other than that, we are a satisfied customer.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Update: Supplier Rating on Venue

I am changing my rating of the venue from 4 to 3 out of 5. The day after I posted the rating, Darla said the refund is already available. Fine. Ane only got to drop by the office today to claim the check. Klaire and I were napping so I missed Ane’s calls while he was still there. Turns out my name is misspelled on the check and he didn’t know what to do, so he just went home with it. Now I need to return the check and wait a few more days to get the countersigned one. Smells hassle, right? Believe me, Ane got a piece of my mind and we got into an argument because of that. I cannot blame him though.

I am pissed that the admin office did not even double check their records. It is very unlikely that I would misspell my own name, right?! I am pissed at people who care less about things as important as this. I am pissed, period.

Today is not turning into something I imagined it to be. Sigh.

Supplier Rating, Party Planner: Stars and Rainbow Events Management

STARS AND RAINBOW EVENTS MANAGEMENT

Darla Dela Cruz

in Multiply | in Facebook

Darla was one of my High School classmates with whom I reconnected via Facebook (isn’t FB wonderful?!). In my previous supplier rating (venue), I mentioned that we already booked the place as early as July 2009. But that was it. Weeks passed by and I still only had a venue and a theme (Care Bears because our Abi is Klaire Bear, hehe) in mind. Sometime in late August, she posted her rates in FB. I automatically got interested because I figured, her rates are totally within the budget I set. I actually didn’t have plans of hiring a planner but I knew I needed help, I didn’t know how to move on. Darla came in the picture at the right time.

We met in October, exchanged ideas via email and we finally and officially  signed in December (because that was when I paid the DP hehe), with her assuring me that we have ample time to do everything even if the holidays were approaching. Even before she became my official planner, she did not fail to inject ideas and she made herself available when I needed answers to questions. She would always snap me into reality and kept me focused. See, there was so much I wanted to do and have at the party. Darla would point out what is important and what are the things we can do without. Smart and practical, eh? :)

She had me covered and kept me sane, I tell you! She got me good deals. She tagged me along when she went shopping for prizes in Divi (and showed me how to haggle, LOL!). Her team (Carina, Lindsay, Karen and the rest) was amazing, friendly, efficient and organized. They listened to  what I had to say. I can freely say that I was a relaxed Mommy during the party, I was able to eat! :) And Darla? She saved me from a major outfit booboo and lent me a blouse!

SREvents is pretty new in the party management industry but I am quite sure, by how well Darla handled Klaire’s party, that it will go a long way. I am  proud to say that I was there when the team is just starting out and I will still be proud when they make it big someday.

Rating: 5 out of 5!

Supplier Rating, Venue: Acropolis Clubhouse (Libis, QC)

As early as June 2009, I was already researching on venues for Klaire’s party. You might think it was too early, but an OC mom needs to do what she’s gotta do :) I knew I didn’t want to have the party in some fastfood chain but I had to convince Badong. Obviously, I was researching without his knowledge so I could be armed when I needed to defend my ideas, LOL!

My criteria for the venue include:

• affordability (of course)
• accessibility to the guests who are coming from Manila (west), North and South areas.
• parking.
• space – I did not want a cramped area and I was looking for a place in which everyone can still roam around the party. And I was foreseeing that our guest list just might balloon so we need a venue that can fit everyone, just in case.

Among the clubhouses in San Juan and QC, the one in Acropolis Village caught my attention.

Information I gathered said the space can accommodate up to 200 pax and there is ample parking just outside it. So I called and inquired about our date and alas, it was still open! I finally sold the idea to Ane and we went to book the venue in July, about a couple of weeks after my inquiry. I was afraid someone already booked it on our date because we did not call before going there.

I believe it was destiny that Klaire’s party was held in Acropolis. When we told the secretary that we were there to pay the DP and refundable security deposit, she showed us their booking folder. Much to my amusement, the slot was already blocked (as well as all other weekends in January) but the client cancelled it a few days before we went! We signed the contract and you bet I was smiling :)

The secretary was easy to talk to except that she failed to inform us that we were supposed to pay the full amount at least a month before the event. It was also not in the contract I signed. I do not remember being told about this because if I did, I would have noted it down in my notebook so I would not forget. Imagine my horror when my planner told me, less than a week before the party, the people in the admin office threatened that they cancelled the booking because of the oversight! My planner put her foot down and insisted it was not in the contract so we were allowed to pay on the day of the party, before the set-up of decorations and stuff. Whew!

On the day of the party, the venue was clean. The washrooms were also clean, had hand soap and tissue. We also did not hear complaints about the guards, so that is nice to know.

The refundable security deposit was supposed to be returned to us seven days after the event but it is still not available at this time. My planner is doing the follow-up. Days after the party, they said the computation was not done yet. I already know they will deduct an amount for the extra electricity we used. I wonder when they will be done computing?!

Ever since I turned over the preps to Darla my planner in December, I was not directly corresponding with the admin office anymore. I did not hear complaints though from Darla (except for the balance payment of course). I guess all is good :)

Rating: 4 out of 5 (This may change depending on the refund issue)

Klaire’s Birthday AVP

While I rack my brains to make it organized enough to finish the supplier ratings, let me share with you the AVP I created for our princess. This was shown during the program before we blew the candle on the cake :)

Klaire's First Birthday AVP from Kaje Salvador on Vimeo.

 

I spent sleepless nights creating this one. The layouts were made from scratch using Photoshop, therefore I designed them myself (contrary to what someone said that I just downloaded stuff off the net. True, I had the papers & elements as freebies while some were purchased…but you know what I mean?! No hard feelings, though ;)) Labor of love, eh?

Thanks for looking!

More than a week (and some bits)

That’s how long before I am able to post again. No excuses this time. I sit and think, then close the Writer, many time over in the last few days. I simply caught the dunno-where-to-start syndrome again. Hehe.

 

Anyway, as most of you already know, Klaire celebrated her first birthday last week. The party was a blast! Wait for my supplier ratings, okay? (As if it matters, ha!)

Our princess literally grew before our eyes. As I said in my thank you speech during the party, it was an amazing year and I am looking forward to more years I get to spend with dear daughter. She knows a lot of tricks already (beautiful eyes, dancing, clapping after every song, kissing etc), so adorable! She also discovered shadows and cracks up every time we play with the “black ones”.

We visited her Pedia today and she was given the a-okay stamp. She is now 9 kilos and her height is 27.5 inches. We were also given the signal to change her milk to regular ones like Nido or Anchor.

Klaire likes it very much when she sees a lot of people around her (especially kids running and playing!). But gets really cranky when other people try to touch her at all. She would smile and wave hello & goodbye as long as she is left untouched.

On Badong, he scared me yesterday when he went home feeling so weak. I feared he had some stomach bug and I honestly thought we’d spend the night in the ER. He got better today, thankfully. But if he still cannot go to work tomorrow, then I will have to drag him to the doctor and find out what’s wrong.

As for me, I had blood extracted a few weeks ago for the monitoring of my cholesterol. I was able to return for the results and consultation with my Internist yesterday. Bottom line is, my numbers are all within range yet are not impressive. The bad cholesterol level is two points shy of being beyond the normal range so I should look out for that, continue my maintenance meds. I was also advised to lose some weight.

Making Her Eat

Maybe Klaire is tired of the food we feed her. It’s usually lugaw with chicken and some fruits, some days we feed her soup and then there are days that we feed her what we eat during dinner. Then there are crackers for snacks and some juice. Lately, we noticed that she’s eating less (but still enough because she’s still chub chub and all :p). I searched the internet and found some recipes so there will be variety in what she eats. I am going on a quick trip to the supermarket later and I will pick up new stuff for her. I hope she will like the new tastes :)

Abi Notes

So I won't forget:

First Time to cut nails - February 7, Ninang Odie helped :)
Cord stump fell off - February 11.
First Full Bath, First time to go out of the House, First well-baby check-up - February 14.
First Explosive Poopoo (believe me when I say it was really explosive, LOL!) - February 15.

These notes deserve a separate post each. How I wish I can get around to writing 'em! I'm still writing the birth story, I hope to finish it soon. With a demanding Abi and the desire to catch sleep, I'm able to write an average of six sentences a day. Kamusta naman yun?! :) Wish me luck!!