Yesterday was our Oreo Ice Cream event at Ayala Malls Arca South, one I handled for work, and I’m so happy with how it turned out!
The Oreo Ice Cream photo box
We had a big blue photo box. Everyone took a turn inside with their Oreo Ice Cream, striking their best “Irresistibly Oreo” pose. Buy any Oreo Ice Cream, take your photo in the box, post it, and you’re in the running for prizes.
The Oreo game
There was also an Oreo game at the event, made by Daddy Paolo and his 360 Logix team. You can read how they built it in the Oreo case study.
Family moments
Of course the family came along. We posed in the box, held up our ice cream and took lots of photos. Thank you for being there with me! 🍦
Friday morning, October 16, Paolo and I slipped out for a quiet brunch at Brew and Barrel Cafe + Roastery in New Manila. No rushing, just coffee, good food and time to talk.
The place
Brew and Barrel is a café, coffee roastery and bar in one, right on the corner of Doña Hemady Street. Outside, it’s all warm red walls, metal tree branches and a long planter full of greenery. Inside, it feels like a big, comfy living room: soft pink sofas with pillows, round wooden tables, rattan chairs and a large floral mural over the long table. Shelves of their own roasted coffee line the wall by the counter. On a weekday morning it was calm and quiet, which is exactly what we wanted.
What we ordered
I went for the chicken and waffles with a cup of coffee, since you can’t have brunch at a roastery without trying their coffee. Paolo had the garlic pepper beef, topped with a fried egg over rice.
Both plates were good. It was a simple, unhurried brunch, the kind where you finish your plate and still stay a while to talk.
The menu
Here’s the full menu we ordered from: coffee and matcha, horchata and juices, pasta and burgers, all-day breakfast and rice meals, draft beers, and cakes and pastries.
Photos
Where to find it
Look for the red Brew and Barrel sign and the green plant boxes out front.
Brew and Barrel Cafe + Roastery, 79 Doña Hemady St. corner 13th St., New Manila, Quezon City See it on Google Maps
How we’d rate it
5 out of 5. The food was good and the place is very cozy. They also have unli beer during happy hour (5 to 7 PM), which we didn’t get to try this time.
A slow brunch on a Friday, just the two of us. Sometimes that’s the best kind of date. ☕
It had been one of those long days. By Friday evening, September 4, Paolo and I were both tired, and we agreed we needed a night for just the two of us. So we had a Fri-date at Ambit Cafe & Bar.
With five kids at home, nights out for just the two of us don’t happen often. When they do, we don’t need anything fancy. We just want good food, a quiet table and time to actually talk.
The place
Ambit is a café and a bar in one. The first thing you notice is the trees inside, with little warm lights wound through the branches and green leaves hanging over the bar. The tables are dark wood, the lights are low, and the “ambit” sign glows above the counter. It felt cozy and relaxed, the kind of place where you stop checking the time.
What we ordered
We shared a little of everything: truffle, spinach soup, salmon sashimi, cake, and cocktails for the two of us.
The salmon sashimi came out in thick orange slices with pink pickled ginger on the side. The spinach soup came in a small black pot, just right for a tired evening. One of our cocktails was a pretty red-and-white layered drink that looked almost too nice to stir. We also had pasta with garlic bread, and we finished with cake, because date night isn’t complete without dessert.
Something for the kids
Before we headed home, we ordered a sushi bake to take out for the kids. Date night is for the two of us, but it always feels good to walk in the door with something for them too.
Our last post here was back in 2021. If you scroll down far enough, you’ll find the twins’ baby shower, their baptism and their very first photoshoot, from back when the biggest news in our house was a new set of tiny socks. Life got busy after that, as it does, and this little corner of the internet went quiet. We missed it, though. Looking back at those old posts reminded us why we started this site: so we’d never forget the small moments that turned out to be the big ones.
So before we start posting again, here’s a catch-up on where everyone is now.
Basti, 17
Our eldest is now in college! Basti is a freshman at De La Salle University, taking Business Management. It still feels strange to say “college” out loud. It feels like yesterday he was the one helping us hold his baby siblings, and now he’s the one with his own schedule, his own plans and his own big decisions. We’re very proud of him.
Ethan, 14
Ethan is in Grade 9 and has been doing taekwondo. It’s been great to watch him grow stronger and more focused, and a little more confident every time he steps onto the mat. He’s also become a big brother the twins really look up to.
Stephen, 12
Stephen is in Grade 7, after his Moving Up ceremony last April. These days he’s our proud homebody. If there’s a choice between going out and staying in, you already know which one Stephen picks. Every family needs someone who keeps the home warm, and he’s happily taken the job.
Sky and Chloe, 8
Our twins turn 9 this December, which we can hardly believe, since this website literally began with their baby shower. Sky, older by a few minutes, does taekwondo like his Kuya Ethan, so now we have two in the family. Chloe, our only girl, loves drawing and painting, and we’re looking for art classes for her. She also does yoga with Mommy Dimple, which has become their own special time together.
What’s next for the site
We’re starting to post again! Expect new photos, family trips, events, school milestones, and the everyday moments in between. Some will be big celebrations and some will just be a regular Saturday at home, but they’re all worth remembering.
Thank you for still being here after all this time. See you in the next post!
With love, Mommy Dimple, Daddy Paolo, Basti, Ethan, Stephen, Sky and Chloe
Last March 4, 2018, Chloe and Sky were finally baptized in Christ The King Parish Church where Basti, Ethan and Stephen were also baptized.
Just like the 3 older boys prepared the twins’ white Baptismal clothes and hired someone to decorate the Baptismal candles which also served as souvenirs to the Godparents.
However, the Twins’ Baptism is extra special because everything is double. Daddy Paolo became more involved because unlike before where I was the only one who was carrying the baby to be baptized, he was carrying one of the Twins last March 4.
We were able to actively participate in baptism because we were carrying the Twins throughout the ceremony — from the Gospel reading to the lighting of candles, anointing of oil, and pouring of the Holy Water.
Special thanks to Chloe’s and Sky’s Godparents for attending the Baptismal ceremony even If It was on a Sunday
Thank you very much to our family members as well.
Finally, I would like to thank our San Juan Photography for taking this nice family shot
outside the church (we were not able to do this in previous baptismal ceremony of the 3 older boys). Thank you very much!
