New World Easter

Since my day's birthday this year fell on Black Saturday, my parents decided to celebrate it instead by having family lunch on Easter Sunday. So we all donned our Sunday's best and trooped to New World hotel.

The buffet spread was good! Walang diet, diet levels! So many choices, including oysters, lobsters, prawns, lamb, roast beef, lechon, and so much more! For my appetizer, I had the mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes salad, which was really yum, and my own concoction of walnuts, almonds, cranberries and dried apricots with feta cheese and balsamic vinagerette, which was amazingly delish. Then I had my fill of healthy Omega-3s in salmon sashimi (my ultimate fave), smoked salmon, baked salmon and salmon and asparagus quiche. I ate them like a glutton but I didn't feel the guilt because of all the health benefits. For my main course I had grilled lamb chops and portobello mushrooms. Then it was off to the dessert selection I go where I was oblivious to the warning screams of my hips. I had a variety of truffled chocolates, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate bread pudding, mango panna cotta and tiramisu.

One complaint - their high chairs did not have seatbelts!
Jojo fashioned a seatbelt for Sofia using his own belt

I could (and would) have eaten more had I not been shuffling back and forth from the restaurant to the ballroom, where the Easter activities were being held. Jojo brought Ally and Sofia there while I ate, but I kept going back to them because it was such a fun environment. I loved seeing my kids bask in all the merriment. My cousin Chini, who works at New World hotel, was helping out with the activities there so we were kinda given extra freebies. (it's who you know, you know?). Ally even won runner up at best costume (even though she wasn't wearing one)! Bummer lang because the winner won an overnight stay at the hotel and, as runner up, we won a plushie rabbit doll. Such a huge difference! Sayang!

Hands-on dads with the kids

Ally getting her prize for second-best costume

Anyway, Ally had a great time! She had her nails done (I allowed her just this once) and her hair styled at the kiddie parlor station. And she got a Princess magazine, Dora and Barbie dry erase boards, a pink pail and a jump rope. from the games booths. Pretty good haul actually. She was thrilled to show them all off to Grandma and Grandpa.

Ally's kakikayan

Ally and Pito also joined in the egg hunt. The 3-6 year olds were placed in a room full of balloons and were given a minute to look for as many eggs as they can find. Here was where Mommy (and Daddy) pressure was amplified. The parents were shouting encouragements and directions to the kids, pressuring them to look for more eggs. I admit, I was one of them. And why not? We were informed that some of the eggs had prizes like an overnight stay and buffet vouchers. But I was stressed more because Ally was so demure and shy. And I think she only got the eggs whose colors she liked; her pail only had pink and light blue eggs.

Oh, and I have to mention that there was a kid there who stole eggs from the other children's pail. Goodness! These were just 3-6 year olds! How can a child so young be so devious already? Buti na lang the little boy did not steal from Ally, baka patulan ko pa siya. I just wonder what kind of manners that little boy is being taught. And it opened my eyes to the reality that bullying can occur even at Ally's age. Yikes! Must be more vigilant to protect Ally and Sofia!

Egg hunting for the 3-6 year olds

We didn't win any significant prize, but we had a lot of fun and we were all stuffed from the yummy buffet lunch we had. We might just make a tradition out of this.

Thank you Grandpa for the Easter treat!

Family photo