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Special Needs

Gelli’s 8

My gosh. I have written a bunch of different posts for all of my kids’ birthdays at different times. But this one? This one is for the books. And it’s not as if it was a crazy over the top birthday where we did something so out of the ordinary. It was just here in the metro. We only invited my sister and a few friends who may be on the same journey as we are in our parenthood, and a few of the girls whom I consider my tribe. Small by most people’s standards, but the biggest party to date for Gelli, and eye opening for us as a family. Gelli’s 8 and great, and we couldn’t be more blessed by her presence in our lives.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

There’s my girl. In the middle of all this chaos. Making a wish. Really hard. Livin’ her best life, wildly. With her friends around her. And my friends’ kids around her too. And we are so blessed by her. And by everyone who celebrated with her today at the most awesome play place that is inclusive and safe and fun. This was a totally unstructured party where Gelli had all of her favorite things, and her Toy Story Cake. And I got to hang with friends I haven’t seen in a while. Chat with my mommas Who part of my tribe. And not worry that the kids weren’t playing nice. Baby Girl, I pray really hard for you. For your health. For your happiness. And for your growth in Christ. I am so blessed that you chose me as your momma. I love watching you grow. • • • • #gellibean #mommanmanila #birthday #downsyndromerocks #downsyndromelove #friends #inclusive #hatchopen #hatchph #podiummall #birthdayparty #playplace #manila #parenthood

A post shared by Michelle Aventajado (@mommanmanila) on Aug 25, 2019 at 7:04am PDT

Usually, for her birthday, we do something simple. In the past, Gia has baked her cake, or I have made cupcakes for her classmates, or we just kept it simple because we know how overwhelmed Gelli gets when it’s too loud, has too many people, or just has too much energy.

These TWO! Riot when we have all the girls together. But this is the beauty in having momma friends who have precocious little ones who I love just as much as the woman who birthed them!

MY TRIBE BECOMES HER TRIBE

But this year, after I visited Hatch in The Podium Mall, we had the idea to collaborate for Gelli’s birthday, and I KNEW it was going to be extra special for my little. We invited her whole class from school, some of my momma friends from the Down Syndrome Community, and my best girls who I met in this day and age of the digital landscape.

Finding mommas who “get you” in your “new normal” is paramount in parenthood.

MOMS ON A MISSION

Hatch Open is a wonderful new center that focuses on sensory play and therapies for kids with exceptionalities. They are located on the fourth floor of The Podium Mall and opened this past May.

Owners, Grace and Tootsie, shared that it is their goal to provide a safe and nurturing environment for kids of all abilities to come and enjoy free play, because that’s the way it’s supposed to be! Hooray for inclusive play places for our kiddos!

FUN FOR KIDS OF ALL ABILITIES

BUT they are so much more than just an inclusive play place!

Joey’s mom shared how they have been told Joey cannot attend free play in other gyms alone. Kids like Joey and Gelli are usually told that they need a chaperone to participate in free play gym areas. BUT NOT IN HATCH!

When you visit, you will find pods for free lance therapists to take clients in a quiet atmosphere. You will also see a “Toddler Room,” that is safer for the little ones when the bigger kids are in the bigger “play gym.”

Parents register their kids before play.

And then their temperature is taken. This way they can minimize the spread of unnecessary germs.

They also offer classes for kids that teach socialization, community integration, and life skills too. They even have SPECIALIZED sensory integration therapists, which is also not easy to come by here in Manila ALL IN ONE PLACE. 

Here are some of the other things that they offer:

  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech Therapy
  • Physical Therapy
  • Sequential Oral Sensory Approach  to Feeding (SOS)
  • Oral Placement Therapy
  • MNRI
  • Handwriting Therapy
  • Community Living
  • Social Thinking Therapy
  • SPED Tutorial

MORE THAN THAT

And beyond all of these services that they offer, they also offer the ability to rent out the entire gym to celebrate your kiddo’s birthday party. With a maximum of up to 20 kids, you can choose to rent the whole play area for a total of 3 hours, and it will be closed off to the public so you can enjoy this new inclusive gym with your friends and your family.

Chaperones MUST wear socks, kiddos who are unsure of their footing may go sockless if they need to, and don’t worry, if you forget. They have socks for sale too.

FOCUS ON FUN

The play area, come gym and therapy room, includes the added use of the multipurpose room so that the kids (and the parents) can also enjoy a quick snack before returning to back to the fun at hand. The multipurpose room also comes equipped with kiddie sized tables and has filtered drinking water to refill your own water jugs.

This was the area where we set up all the snacks, treats, and of course where some of the parents were able to hang out.

This makes it really easy to set up the area for some light and healthy snacks for everyone who will join the festivities. In addition to this room that is just off the play area, there are also six pods which serve as the spaces for the one on one therapies that are offered through the free lance therapists associated with the center.

DIY WITH THE HELP OF MY FRIENDS

I am blessed because I have so many creative friends who share their talents with my kiddos. We knew that Gelli wanted to celebrate her birthday in a Toy Story theme, when she asked her Tita Sab for a Toy Story cake.  And because her Tita Sab and her Tita Maggie love her so, they lovingly prepared a CHOCOLATE cake (you know our girl loves chocolate!) with sugar cookies decorated “to the T” that her Toy Story love affair embodies.

KEEP CALM AND BENTO ON

That’s the beauty in hanging out with inspiring creative wonderful women! We get to love on one another when we take trips together to recharge, and we get to love on one another’s kids too. Gelli is loved by all of my momma friends and this includes The Bento Mommas too!

I met Kaye years ago when I started blogging because I wanted to learn how to pack lunches that were just as much fun as much as they were nutritious. But I quickly learned that it was not as easy as these ladies make it look! I decide pretty early on that I would just pack our leftovers from dinner into my kiddos Yumboxes, and leave the prettifying the lunch boxes to the experts.

Gelli took this photo the last time we were all together during one of their workshops. Not bad for an 8 year old!

These ladies have it down pat. No need to worry. I coordinated with Monet via messenger. She arranged for Lalamove, and all I had to do was send the boys down to pick up the Bento Boxes once I received the call that they were close.

CAN YOU SAY EASY PEASY?

Of course, you guys know that my big kids and Nino played a huge part in making sure everything went smoothly for the party, from entertaining other big kids, to getting the tables ready with cartolina and colored pencils after Tootsie from Hatch offered to print some Toy Story coloring pages.

Gia even made sure that all the kids wrote their names on the paper cups so we wouldn’t be so wasteful. 

That, plus the affordable decorations that my BFF Vanesse picked up for me while I was in NY in July, plus all the other little touches that made my girl happy on her 8th birthday with everything that was TOY STORY, just completed the day. 

She told us that she wanted a Toy Story Cake, and she got way more than that…

And of course, we wanted to send her friends off with something special as a thank you to celebrating her being so great at eight.

Inside each of her loot bags that she gave her friends who joined us was a yummy cookie from The Little Whisk, a set of fun markers from Brightbrands.ph, and a travel set of Gelli’s favorite lotions and skin care line from Mustela.

This party was by far one of the most enjoyable birthday parties we have put together, and honestly one of the least stressful for me as a momma. Gia and Miguel took care of covering the tables with cartolina.

The food was awesome (as always) arrived fresh from the Bento Mommas Kitchen by Monet, and the sweets were perfect by Sabrina and Maggie. 

My favorite Youtuber and my favorite Freedom Fighter. In one shot. Celebrating my girl. Can you say love?

The focus was for everyone to have fun playing. For everyone to be included. And for Gelli to feel like the most important human being in our lives at that very moment. I think we celebrated in style and Gelli is GREAT at eight.

If you would like to plan a super easy celebration for your little in the same way that I did? Check out all of these places and suppliers to make it EASY PEASY.

Hatch Open
https://www.facebook.com/hatchopen.ph/
https://www.instagram.com/hatchopen.ph/
Level 4, The Podium
Mandaluyong
Email: hello@hatchopen.ph
Phone: 0928 506 7821

Bento Mommas
https://www.facebook.com/bentomommas/
https://www.instagram.com/bentomommas/

Sinfully Sabrina’s Cakes
https://www.sinfullysabrina.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sinfullysabrina/
https://www.instagram.com/sinfullysabrina/

The Little Whisk Cookies
https://www.facebook.com/TheLittleWhiskph/
https://www.instagram.com/thelittlewhiskph/

Mustela Philippines
https://www.mustela.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/MustelaPhilippines/
https://www.instagram.com/mustelaphilippines/

Brightbrands.ph
https://brightbrands.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/BrightBrands.ph/
https://www.instagram.com/brightbrands.ph/

Booths Republic
https://www.facebook.com/boothsrepublic/
https://www.instagram.com/boothsrepublic/

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It’s December 1st! Is there anything more delic It’s December 1st!

Is there anything more delicious than the smell of Christmas and the new found freedom as we anticipate celebrating the holidays with our families again?

@festivalmall has hosted a series of musical shows since November 5th that include Ace Banzuelo and Silent Sanctuary. Check out Michael Pangilinan on December 10th, too!

With Santa visiting, Christmas parties, arts and crafts and lots of promos, you can even enter for a chance to win a Toyota Fortuner!

Best of all-I love it when the places we know give purpose to their celebrations. Thank you #FestivalMall for partnering with @dsapi1  this holiday season. 

Thank you for sharing all the different ways we can celebrate the holidays with you!

#tistheseason #seasonofgiving #downsyndromeawareness #aintnothingdownaboutit #upsyndrome
I have always been intimidated by Cornish Hens. Th I have always been intimidated by Cornish Hens. Through this learning exercise with @usapeecphl, I have learned a bit more about these little birds that have bigger breast parts, and thank you Chef @ivoryyat for showing me how easy it is to prepare Greek Lemon Roasted Cornish Hens with Roasted Potatoes.
 
Clean and fresh flavors are perfect for these smaller birds that are rich in protein with zero carbs. Try the recipe in the comments section. I’m sure you’d enjoy it as much as I did!
 
Interested in U.S. Cornish Hens? You can buy them in stores near you. #CornishHen #USCornishHen #PoultryPerfection #CookingWithUSPoultry #USPoultry #USAPEECPHL #ad
@gi.aventajado and I played with some of the @pura @gi.aventajado and I played with some of the @puratosph products that they sent over the other day. Ready to use Bavarian Cream made these Cream Puffs easier than ever. I think we have to figure out how to temper our couverture better…

#workinprogress #wasdelicious #giabaked #puratosph #gavinosph #anyonecanbake
@mommymundo always has a way of bringing together @mommymundo always has a way of bringing together just what we need, no matter the time of year. Loving these photos of my first boy that were snapped @expomom.

Anyone else thinking about #HolidayPhotos? I am not one of those moms that has it all together before Christmas. It’s usually a mad dash for us at the end of the year, but if it’s anything that the past few years has taught me, it’s that the little things are what makes the Christmas special.

Many of us haven’t been together with the extended family or even our immediate family in so long. That means it’s the perfect time to document.

@nextbymetrophoto will be hosting one last Christmas Marathon family photo shoot before the end of year. Check them out or shoot them a message. They have some cute set-ups.
****GIVEAWAY ALERT*** 10 things I LOVE about @sed ****GIVEAWAY ALERT***

10 things I LOVE about @sedahotels listed here and on FB!

1. Each property has a Signature Dish. If you can’t make it to Bacolod, you can still enjoy Chicken Inasal in any of their properties.

2. Clean Design. So easy to work and play in a space that is light, modern, and clean in design. 

3. Beautiful views. Every chance I got, I would sit outside at @straightupatseda. 

4. Spacious Rooms and Residence Stays. Staying in the Three Bedroom Premier was perfect for our family. 

5. Attentive Service. Everyone was pleasant and accommodating.

6. Centrally Located. If you are thinking of fun things to do in Makati and want a home base, Seda Residences Makati is near a few of the museums, parks, and malls.

7. Work with ease. Internet service is uninterrupted. Meeting rooms are available and easy to book.

8. Relax and Play. From mid-day tubbies with Gelli to, taking advantage of the pool, or the children’s room, the little girl had more than enough things to keep her busy!

9. #FamilyTime. Spending an extended amount of time outside our own space led to laughter, fun conversations, and opportunities to try new things. We were comfortable and rested in the space we were in, which meant more opportunities for us to connect.

10. Homegrown with a Purpose. A Filipino brand that understands the importance of both work and travel, each property is important to the city & province location. Environmentally aware by adopting Mayumi, a Philippine Bald Eagle. 🦅

Want to win your own staycation at #SedaResidencesMakati?

Up for grabs is one night in a ONE BEDROOM DELUXE for two persons with breakfast!

Here’s how to enter to win:
1) Follow @sedahotels 
2) Follow @mommanmanila & @kitchen143 
3) Tag a friend (or more) who love(s) staycations too!
4) Comment why you should win this staycation treat!

Plus points for people who share this post in stories and the winner will be announced on December 6th.
Thankful for work that doesn’t feel like work. Thankful for work that doesn’t feel like work.

@kitchen143 is something I really do love. Sharing a little bit of my kitchen with viewers and followers brings me joy. Even better when I get to work with chefs whom I can learn from and friends who like to spend time in the kitchen too!

#Thanksgiving
Thankful for the gift of music. Wish I caught mor Thankful for the gift of music.

Wish I caught more mini moments from We Will Rock You.

Such a great musical!

@sedahotels 
#sedaresidencesmakati 
#sedaat10
Thankful for @bestbuddies_ph. @gelliaventajado j Thankful for @bestbuddies_ph. 

@gelliaventajado joined our family and led me to @bestbuddies. 

Thankful for all the ambassadors who were able to spend time with us. And for @smlpeeps  and @asurionphcareers for helping make magic happen on Saturday afternoon for #Friendsgiving.

#Thanksgiving #bestbuddiesph
Thankful for women who share their faith with me. Thankful for women who share their faith with me. 

#Thanksgiving
Is there anything better than a stuffed turkey at Is there anything better than a stuffed turkey at this time of year? Whole turkeys require serious commitment to cook. #IYKYK But because U.S. Poultry is now available here in the Philippines, that also means preparing turkey is a tad bit easier.
 
Frozen U.S. turkey products are available and ready to cook for people who want to dabble with flavors for this bigger bird but aren't sure how.
 
Thank you to Chef @ivoryyat for putting together a medley of my favorite fall flavors. This combination of apples, sweet potatoes, and maple syrup perfectly compliment  the roasted turkey leg and remind me of flavors and scenes from back in New York. 
 
@usapeecphl l has the highest standards that follow USDA requirements which are certified safe before shipping to the Philippines. Get them in stores near you. 

#ad #Turkey #USTurkey #Thanksgiving #PoultryPerfection #CookingWithUSPoultry #USPoultry #USAPEECPHL #ServeTurkey #EatTurkey
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