Jack Jack's First Birthday - Part 2

We were hesitant at first to have a celebration for Jack Jack's birthday. I was thinking something like just a small dinner for family and close friends but this is his first birthday. It has to be a bit big. We decided it would be just an adult affair because I'm not sure how I would be able to handle kids without a party planner. However, we changed our minds later on and added a few games. I am aware we change minds a lot!

Now, that we're past the worst blunder in history, I can now move on to my great suppliers. Well, those idiots make ok look great. Ha!

Customized Cake: Icings n' Sprinkles (formerly Cake Craft) by Miss Ana Baluyut



Miss Ana's nice. Not super-feeling-close-nice, but nice enough business wise. I was eyeing Miss Emily Uy's cake but she's not available for my event na.

Ana said the cake would last for about 4 days. I didn't get to taste or even the touch the cake up until the 4th day without refrigerating so I'm not sure if the cake is supposed to be bitter already. Not bad for it's price. Cravings already has a cake included with the ammenities but I want a themed cake. I'm happy of how it looked like.

Photographer: My Focal Point



Chris is my favorite supplier. I got a good deal from their promo and on top of that, I was able to refer a friend which entitles both of us for another promo. The venue provided a screen for the projector but I wasn't sure if I would be able to create the AVP on top of all the DIY projects I am planning. When I booked My Focal Point as my photographer, I was so happy to find out that the package includes AVP!

Projector: Tita Ninang Doc Au



One of our Principal Sponsors during our wedding. She also partly co-hosted the event. Thanks for lending us your projector. Muah!

Host: Tita Ninang Doctin



She's got to be my bestest sister of all. She's also Jack Jack's sponsor during his baptism last year. Like I said above, we just wanted a simple celebration. Even if it's just food that we offer to our guests, we'd be happy with it. Since this is a kiddie party, we couldn't help but have games for everybody. I told her to just explain the balloon burst game and that would be it. But then, they wanted to add more games and that just stuck her on the stage. To the best sis, thanks so much!

Jack Jack's Costume:





I was almost going to give up looking if I won't be able to find someone to make it for him. Actually, I found them but it's too pricey. This costume is like a needle in a haystack. It took me a while before I found it. It also includes a mask but then I wish you luck that it is going to stay on Jack Jack for even 5 seconds.



It was a bit big when I got it so my Mom just altered the size - just like what she does to some of the clothes from MIL that needs alteration.

Balloon Burst: Harlequin Party Specialists



I planned on including this and the pinata as another DIY project. But it became way out of my capabilities. Not to mention out of time so I contacted a balloon supplier within Quezon City to do both for me 5 days before the event. I wanted to have one supplier for both to minimize work. We have agreed on the price over the phone and he kept on saying he would be able to get an Incredibles pinata (I agreed on his overpriced balloon burst and pinata rent because I know that I'm out of time). Everyday, I kept on checking on him and he kept on saying he'd call me the next day. 2 days before the event, he said he can't find an Incredibles pinata. He can only give me.... guess what? .... Batman! Huwaaat?!! I know that I ordered really late but because he kept on leading me, I lost more time pa.

Rochelle from GirlTalk recommended Cherrie but she's not available for my event anymore. I felt bad because her balloon burst is the cheapest I've heard. Two days to go and I'm panicking, of course.

I was lucky to find Harlequin through ClickTheCity.com. They gave me a good enough deal for the Balloon Burst for 3 feet and 60 balloons inside. It's their smallest balloon, by the way.

Pinata: Dominic's Balloon Design Plus



Here's another supplier I found from ClickTheCity.com. I was hoping that I would get the same supplier for this and the balloon burst but given my time limit, I couldn't find another supplier. I wasn't expecting on finding an Incredibles themed pinata anymore and I am just hoping I'd find something that's plain red or black then I'd try to glue an Incredibles image or just let it be plain. So imagine how I almost fell from my seat when these guys told me that they have a Mr. Incredibles pinata! I picked it up the same day so I could fill it with the prizes.



SIL helped me fill it with the prizes along with the shredded papers I did the day before. The papers I used were from brochures and old glossy magazines. I think it would have been better if I used the japanese paper because it was lighter in weight. The funny thing is that there was too much prizes in it that it got stuck when we pulled the string. The prizes didn't fall right away. It was only after a little bit of poking and shaking the thing that made it give away.

Stage Backdrop:



Here's how the tarpaulin looked like on stage.

Standee:



The tarpaulin stand I got from National Bookstore. It took me a while before I was able to find this stand. Maybe their SA's doesn't care if the will make a sale or not. They kept on pointing who is responsible for the tarpaulin stand and saying that "maybe" they don't have it in stock without me seeing anybody looking for it from their racks (which is unruly) or computers. So I asked them why they are saying it's out of stock when no one's looking for it? Does everyone of them know the exact quantity of their item on hand? My bitching paid off because one of them started to look for the tarpaulin stand. :P

Table Decor:



Activities: DIY



Another project that I did. I just downloaded them from the internet and printed them. Bought sets of crayola. The table centerpiece I made also because activities for both adults and kids.

Eye Masks:



I planned on giving out black masks to kids at the start of my party planning. I scratched it off later on because I couldn't find them (or maybe I didn't look hard enough). I found these at the last minute of the preps only that it is colored red instead of black.

Prizes:


From the pinata





Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures of all the prizes. I even have an early bird prize na DVD. Also, hindi nagsetup ng prize table, lootbag and souvenir table yung venue as agreed.

Images are from My Focal Point.

First Steps

He's still a bit wobbly and you can feel he's scared when you don't hold his hand but he sure does want to walk!

Craving for a Rant

For more than a week now, I have been waiting for a response from them. Just a response or acknowledgement. Nothing. Nada. I feel voiceless. So I guess I'll need to bring it to the next level. Not only to express my feelings but also to somehow serve as a lesson to others.

Last Tuesday, May 19, I sent the following letter via email to the Cravings Group (The Guerrero's are the owners from my research so I have put their names in the subject of the email as well.):

To: Miss Susana Guerrero & Miss Badgie Guerrero

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment with a recent event held at one of your Cravings Restaurant branches. The Tomas Morato branch, specifically. The incident(s) happened last Sunday, May 17, 2009.

I have chosen this venue since it is the most accessible to most of my friends and relatives. Also, that my recent job usually hosts functions in your Shangri-La Mall branch. Based on that, I have made my decision besides all the other restaurants available in Tomas Morato with good reviews from my Female Network online buddies. The branch did not offer a food tasting or any freebies aside from what is included in their amenities. With the P570/pax price, I thought the food must be of quality and quantity!

I have been in constant communication with Mr. RJ Villasenor regarding the details of the party until the day of the event. I have booked 50 persons from the P570/pax Set 1 menu after changing the pasta to be spaghetti as Mr. RJ said that the kids would prefer it so I agreed to it. Mr. RJ also mentioned that I can add 15 extra kids into the guest list instead of getting the kiddie buffet. This is a kiddie party for my son, by the way. I paid in full for 50 persons 2 days before the event even if I was able to confirm only 46 guests because I do not want to run out of food. Food has always been my number 1 PRIORITY in any event.

Each time we would discuss the details, he would always ask me if I would like to have his crew to stand by the buffet to make portions. I do not like this setup since I know that caterers only do this if the food is not enough.

When I walked into the venue, I was at first happy that the place looked nice and party ready. However, I noticed that Mr. RJ has setup only 35 adult (5 tables for 7 persons) and 16 kiddie seats (4 mini tables with 4 mini chairs). I talked to him regarding this and he said that we have agreed that the kids are included in the 50 persons. Why would I pay for 15 pax of food for kids? Then he added another table -- for 4 persons!


The table for four. Thanks, huh!

When guests arrive, we had to seat them in tables that has already been occupied. We have to ask for table utensils, water and ice tea from their disappearing waiters you have to look for outside of their function room. This goes the same if you would need to ask for a water refill.

Later into the party, we asked them to refill the buffet since it is already empty - do we really have to ask? They refilled the buffet using 1 plate per dish - not another chaffing dish as I was expecting more food from them. Of course, this refill run out sooner than the food served before so we asked Mr. RJ for more food but he said that all the food has been served. He kept on insisting that the 50 guests has been accommodated and even challenged us for a headcount. So we did, but he was nowhere to be found. Please note that there was only 45 adults, 5 kids and 3 infants. Ok, let’s say the kids are also paid as adults – so, where’s the buffer? And these are kids ranging from 3-9 years old who eats by how much? We were lucky that some of the guests did not make it to the party. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know what to feed them.

When the party ended, we asked for the leftover food to be packed. The only food left was rice, a bit of the dory fish, veggies, salad, and the awfully sour spaghetti. However, the crew chose to clean up instead of packing the food first. When they finally came around to packing, they kept on insisting that they have no styros for the food anymore. I was able to count only 6 or 10 of them. He kept on telling my mom to leave the salad because he said it will only wither (are they planning on reusing this? We paid for it, right?). Anyways, my mom insisted to take the salad even if they would put it in a clean plastic.

And finally, we left the place without apologies or even thank yous from the crew members. Mr. RJ was nowhere to be found still. I didn't look for him anymore as he seems unaccommodating right after I paid the full package price. Neither do I have the strength to argue after all the preparations I did for this event.

I’m not expecting much from this as the event has already been finished. I just hope it doesn’t happen to other people. I was wondering why I never found a review of Cravings when I started preparing for my son’s birthday, I guess I got the answer now.

Thank you for reading my letter besides it’s length. Somehow, my disappointment has lessened a bit from this.

Sincerely,
Tiggerlily

I am taking back the last sentence I wrote. Their non-acknowledgement shows exactly their own definition of customer service.

Another reason I chose them is because they have this Children's Party Package that includes the following:

-Gift for the Celebrant (which we never received)
-Kiddie Invitations (I asked them for this after confirmation of the event but never used it. My invites are far more decent.)
-Party Hats (non-existent as well)
-Name Tags (where?)
-Birthday Banner (Again, I didn't avail of this)
-Kiddie Tables and Chairs
-Colorful Hanging Ballon Decor (I could have saved more if I hired another vendor and chose another venue, you know.)
-Balloon Centerpiece for Adults Table
-Balloon Centerpiece for the Buffet
-One-round chilled juice for kids
-One-round Iced Tea for adults
-Separate dessert bar (somehow, I am wondering where they placed this)
-Two-layered fondant cake (which they said they baked but I doubt it. The box says it is ordered somewhere.)
-6 pcs. baby cakes

** I guess you have to ask for every little thing to get it.

The rent of the function room is free which includes the sound system and screen only for the LCD Projector to which I am very grateful for.


The cake and the baby cakes.

Because I knew I wouldn't have enough time, I wanted to be able to avail of these amenities. Should I run out of time to prepare, I will always have a fallback. Little did I know that what I needed a fallback from is THEM!

The food is so-so. Some of it were good and others are just hideous. I was also wondering where these little cakes has gone because I remembered having leftovers of these after the party but we never got it.



Here are more pictures from their setup just to show how simple it is:


The balloon burst and pinata are from a different vendor.


Buffet table


Adult's table


Kid's table

Please note that the alphabet blocks are my labor of love. I added it to the tables to make them more festive.

Below naman are their food from each chaffing dish. This is their first serving, the refill was from one plate. Then the last refill was only for rice and salad. So imagine how much they are serving for 50 persons. Notice how the chaffing dishes aren't even full from the first serving.








I was never a whiner. I do not usually complain. Sometimes it is bad to be too nice for your own good because people tend to abuse you. Apparently, they have reached the end of my rope. Thus, explaining this rant.

I think their name "Cravings" really speaks out for itself - because you won't have enough food on your plate.

Okay, now I can move on.

Images are from My Focal Point.

UPDATE last June 14, 2009:

I received an email message from Cravings (cravings.tomasmorato@yahoo.com) for their Dad's Day Out at Cravings promo. Ha! So, I answered with the following:

Please remove my email address from your email blasts as I am not interested with any of your products. I sent you an email regarding my disappointment with your services and I haven't received any feedback from you until now.

Once again, no response.

Hello and Goodbye

You wouldn't believe what just happened yesterday. My mom received a letter for me. When I opened it, it says that I won a cellphone!!! Woohoo! I am never lucky with raffles so just imagine my surprise when I read the letter. My mom already told me that I could have won something because why else would I get a letter from a grocery store?

I used to think that filling up raffle entry coupons are scams but I fill them up anyways for the heck of it. Why a scam? Well, I just happen to notice that everytime I drop my coupons for any raffle, I would later (within a week's span) receive a call that I won something. Then they would ask you to come to their office to claim the "prize" after going through a 2-3 hours of seminar from them asking you to buy something. Anyways, you'd still get the "prize" even if you don't buy but I just think that their way of getting your attention is dirty and it's a waste of time.

So there. I got my new phone. I took a picture of it for sentimental reasons. Now, it's for sale even though I am so tempted to keep it because of it's slick appearance and sliding capability. It's brand new, with Nokia warranty, handsfree headset, battery, charger and user manual. Anyone interested? Give me a shout!

UPDATE (May 28, 2009): This phone has been sold. Easy come, easy go!

Sweet Dreams

For quite some time, I have been trying very hard to capture Jack Jack smile or laugh on his sleep. He does this occassionally but when I am so ready with my camera, he wouldn't smile. This time I was able to capture him smile although he has been laughing before that.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While youre far away and dreaming

Oooohh!!!

New Bangles

Since I had Jack Jack, I have been very careful with anything that I put on. Whether it be clothes, shoes, bags or accessories. Everything must be baby-proofed. It should be safe for Jack Jack, easy to maintain and comfortable. I gave up blouses with beads, dangling earings, watch and high-heeled shoes (made my sister VERY happy).

I bought these round steel earings for his Baptism last year. It is safe for him but not for me! He wasn't at the pulling stage at that time so it's fine. But right now, he pulls anything shiny and bold.

Bangles seem to be a hit at the moment but they are too big for my small arms. It's supposedly safe for Jack Jack since it isn't catchy and is too big for him to swallow (should he decide to play with it). Then I found this bangle set which is perfect for us. Jack Jack likes to play with it, too. If you could only see how he laughs at times when it makes it's sound. Only that it's a bit noisy everytime I move. It's not catchy, not sharp, big enough to not be swallowed and looks really good on my arms! Perfect! Oh well, almost.



Look at that beauty...

Anyways, days later, I saw it over at Look for Less.



Nice, eh? It isn't the exact same thing. Mine has different carvings on it while the other is uniformed. I just love wearing it!

UPDATE (June 2, 2009): I saw Agot Isidro wearing the same bangles at Tayong Dalawa.

Jack Jack's First Birthday - Part 1

Last week, my little Jack Jack turned one. Along with this, I have decided to call him Jack Jack online from now on. Apparently, for his privacy and safety purposes.

Like it or not, I'm back. I haven't been posting for a long time because of the preparations I did for his birthday. His real birthday's May 15 but it was celebrated on the 17th. I'm still waiting for the pictures from the official photographer - yes, I hired one because the pictures would last a lifetime and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do as good a job as his because I'd be busy the whole time.

For now, I'll post pictures of what I DIYed for the party. I created all the layouts from downloaded images from the internet using Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Invites



I had the invite layout printed in 4x6 matte finish for Php7 each. I bought magnetic sheets from the local bookstore so guests can stick it on their fridge. Glue them together after cutting to size. I also printed the maps on colored papers unused from our wedding. The envelopes were from my Mom so it's free.



Personalized Tumbler Souvenirs



Again, I did the layout from Adobe Photoshop CS2. Then I printed the images on A4 size bond papers. The tumblers I bought from another supplier. I used double sided tape to affix the images in the tumbler.



Stage Backdrop



Standee



Both the Stage Backdrop and Standee was printed on tarpaulin. I was lucky to find this vendor along Aurora Boulevard that charges only Php17/square foot for rush tarpaulin printing 4 days before the event. I thought I needed to go to Recto to get the same price. I was also able to find tarpaulin stand from National Bookstore for Php188. Whew! Most of the stands costed Php700++!

Table Centerpiece



This idea came from a fellow GirlTalker mommy_vicky. They are just your regular rubber mat only that they are uber small that you can practically build toy blocks out of it. Thanks sis!

Lootbags



Once again, I got lucky that I found these small Incredibles backpacks. Otherwise, I would have to make do with Incredibles paper bags. Contents would differ according to age and gender.

Baby Lootbag contents:



Older kids Lootbag contents:



These contents can either be for a boy or girl. The only difference with the other contents is that it has Disney Cars instead of Winnie the Pooh. I wasn't able to capture an image of that.

Coloring Pages

I also printed coloring pages of the Incredibles downloaded from different sites. Then I provided crayolas to be place on the kid's tables. It was supposed to be coloring books for the kids but I didn't have enough time to have them binded.

Once I get the complete pictures from the photographer, I'll post Part 2. Whew! I'm so glad that it's done! I can now breathe!