Pupusas with lettuce and beef (aka Pupusalad)

I very rarely buy frozen foods, and when I do, it's usually only one of five dishes: quiche, chicken curry, teriyaki meatballs, Filipino lumpia, or chicken tamales. All but the lumpia come from Costco (the lumpia comes Goldilocks!). The chicken tamales were the result of a blogger partnership with Del Real Foods; they sent us some of their prepared Mexican dishes, and we've loved them ever since. Whenever I see Del Real's chicken tamales at Costco, I can't help stocking up on a pack or two to stash in the freezer!

Great Giveaways

Joined any great giveaways lately? Here are a few giveaways from my latest Friday Finds linky that caught my eye:

Win a iPad from FreeLunched, ends 8/23
Win a Nintendo DS Lite from Swimtown Pools, ends 8/30
Win a $30 Target giftcard from Anonymous8, ends 8/24


And here are some great giveaways I'm running on Bonggamom Finds:

Win a McDonald's prize pack, featuring a $25 Arch Card, a vintage tee, beauty products and more. Enter my McDonald's giveaway by August 25!

Win a $100 Visa gift card. This one has a lightning-fast turnaround -- just one week, ending August 23 -- so enter my Kellogg's giveaway #2 , pronto!

Win $1000. Yes, my Crystal Light giveaway, hosted on BlogHer, is still going. Enter by August 31 for a chance to win!

Giveaways I've joined (or would love to join if I could)

Boy am I glad I started my Friday Finds series of posts on Bonggamom Finds! I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to have a great giveaway but low entries, so having the linky gives other bloggers a chance to promote their giveaways. Some of the giveaways that people list down are so great, I just have to join them too! Here are a few giveaways from my Friday Finds linky that are too good to keep to myself:

Win a Casio camera from A Gal Needs...

Win a $160 gift certificate to CSN Stores from Linda Gerber (don't forget, I've also got a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to CSN Stores on Bonggamom Finds!)

Win Adobe Photoshop Elements software from Mocha Dad



And since we're talking giveaways, I want to showcase some of my own -- I'd totally join these giveaways if I weren't hosting them myself :)

Win a McDonald's prize pack, featuring a $25 Arch Card, a vintage tee, beauty products and more. Enter my McDonald's giveaway by August 25!

Win a $100 Visa gift card. This one has a lightning-fast turnaround -- just one week, ending August 16 -- so enter my Kellogg's giveaway #1 pronto!

Win $1000. Yes, my Crystal Light giveaway, hosted on BlogHer, is still going. Enter by August 31 for a chance to win!

Watch Out, Simon Cowell, Here I Come

I'm sad that I won't get to see Paula's drunken antics, but seeing Simon will more than make up for it.

I love Simon Cowell. He's blunt to the point of rudeness, and he doesn't care a fig for what other people think about him. He also happens to be very good at what he does, and no matter how many people boo his opinions on American Idol, he most often turns out to be right. He's my American (ok, British) idol, and in two weeks I get to see him in the flesh!

Okay, that was only half a lie. Simon Cowell will not be appearing before me in his birthday suit, nor am I going to be near enough to him to even see much of his flesh, but I will be in the same theater as Simon and Randy and Kara and Ellen and Shakira and the American Idol contestants, because I'm going to the American Idol finals.

Yes, you heard me right, I'm going to the American Idol finals!

Cue wild screaming and American Idol theme song.

Last week was a great week for me; I won some really nice random prizes, received a kickass Mother's Day present (check out this post to see my loot), and best of all, got enough of my readers to help me win a blogger contest sponsored by Cafe Press. The prize was a trip for two to LA, hotel accommodations and tickets to the final performance and results show on May 25 and 26. I don't even know how one gets tickets to these shows, and even if I did I probably wouldn't be able to afford them -- and now I have two! I'm taking my sister (Alfie decided he didn't want to waste spare two vacation days watching American Idol, and I have to admit I'm kind of grateful to him for that, since I get to have a fun trip with my sister before she packs up and leaves California).

If only I were actually following American Idol this season.

Um, yeah, that's one tiny detail that I have to mention. I've been an American Idol fan since Season 1, but I've added so many shows to my evening tv program that I had to start dropping some of them, and American Idol was one of the victims. So I've been keeping tabs on the contestants but haven't gotten emotionally invested in them like I did before (the memory of Daughtry being cut still hurts like a knife, but since he came out on top I'm not holding any grudges against Taylor Hicks or the Soul Patrol). That's not going to keep me from enjoying myself to the max, though. I'm still excited as hell at the prospect of hearing the contestants sing live (I'm sure it's going to be a different experience from seeing it on tv), watching Shakira perform, and going celebrity watching.

And of course, there's Simon Cowell. At this point I have no idea where I'll be sitting, but I hope he'll be close enough to read the glitter-glue, strobe-light I LOVE YOU SIMON sign I'll be waving. Even if he doesn't, maybe the cameras will focus on it and everyone watching at home will be able to shout and scream, "That's Bonggamom!"

I can't wait!

A (Paper) Fantasy Come True

Holy cow!! I'm a winner! I just got word that my Woodland Fairy Outfit has been chosen as the winning entry in the Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy Design Challenge!

Here's the story: Klutz invited craft bloggers from near and far to submit their very own original fantasy outfit created using their new book, Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy. I was given a copy of the book to review and invited to enter as well. The book is so much fun for little girls (and now you know, big ones too) because it contains stencils and patterned papers and embellishments and everything you need to create fantasy fashions out of paper.

I'm still flabbergasted that I won! I certainly don't think of myself as a craft blogger, just someone who loved doodling and creating so much as a little girl that she still occasionally dabbles in it when she thinks no one else is looking. There were so many amazing designs! Alfie, loyal soul that he is, told me he didn't think any of the other designs was any better than mine. I was told that Klutz chose my design because it used the most materials and elements from the book. But I'm so happy they liked it, I'm going to accept and say thanks before the Klutz people change their minds! So thank you, Klutz, Thank You!!


This post originally appeared on Bonggamom Finds. I just wanted to brag about it some more, so I posted it here as well.

I'm a SlimPerfect BlogHer Model!

Gawwwwd.. That's just not right. We can't allow her to go prancing around on Thursday night with thaaat on display. They might close BlogHer down for inappropriate display or something. Poor girl. She'll be known as the One Who Shut Down BlogHer. *Shudder*... yah, we'd better give her the dress.



That's probably what Carole, Debba and Casey were thinking when they saw my video entry to the Little Black Dress BlogHer Model search. Or maybe it was the gazillion and one Tweets I pestered them with, begging them to choose me. Or maybe it was my solemn promise to ROCK THAT DRESS and be a totally badass bongga mutha while partying in it.

Whatever the case, they did choose me to be one of their 4 Slimperfect BlogHer models, and now I'm so excited I could burst. But of course I won't burst, because I'll be wearing the Slimperfect Little Black Dress, which is going to hold all of me in. I'm so honored to be in the company of some awesome women: Lisa, Krystle, Courtney, and Jerri-Ann, who's so beloved in the blogosphere that she won a category all her own, People's Choice. Seriously, these women are so inspiring with their weight loss efforts and achievements, they make me feel as small as the Peanut Butter Cookie Bombs I recently stuffed into my mouth. I look forward to meeting you all at BlogHer and partying in our Little Black Dresses!

I'm going to BlogHer!

The results are in... and I didn't win. The full Label Daddy BlogHer '09 sponsorship, that is. That went to two talented bloggers, Miranda and Bridgette. I'll admit I'm kind of bummed about not winning the big prize -- I didn't think my entry totally sucked, did it? -- but their entries were so well-planned, well-executed, well-everything, that I know they totally deserved to win. How could anyone mind losing to someone who actually velcro'd herself to a wall?! Brilliant! So congratulations, you two!

In any case, there's a happy ending for me as well, because I won one of Label Daddy's other BlogHer contests -- their conference pass giveaway over at Momma Findings!! Hot Damn, I think I'm actually going to BlogHer! (okay, I'll stop with all the exclamation points now, my ears are ringing a bit)

Of course, I still have to figure out transportation and lodging. I think I might have to dip into my airline miles stash to minimize the cash outlay. Sure, the only flights that qualify for airline miles seem to be red-eyes or ones with multiple connections, but beggars can't be choosers, right? I'll be spending hours at the airport, but as long as there's wifi around, it can't be too bad (see, I'm brimming with optimism).

As for lodging, I'm hoping to avoid shelling out $200 per night, for 3 nights, at the Sheraton Towers, so I'll need to shout out for some roommates. There's also the option of channeling my inner hobo and staying at the HI Chicago hostel -- hey, you get wifi access, a central location, and just 6 people to a dorm for $33 per night. I'm just wondering whether it's going to be much cheaper than sharing a room at the Sheraton if I have to pay for a cab to get back to the hostel every night....

I'll figure it out one way or another. The important thing is, I get to display that "I'm going to BlogHer" badge and savor the thought of all the great learning, networking and connecting that's coming my way.

Share the Love... please?

Dear blogosphere

Happy Valentines Day! And since today is Valentine's Day I thought I might ask anyone who drops by to share some linky love.... I'd be happy to drop by your blog and leave a comment on any post you want to share! Here are two posts of mine that you're going to love love LOVE so much that you're gonna want to blog about it and tweet it to the rooftops might be of interest:

I'm giving away a CURLS haircare gift pack on Bonggamom Finds. Head on over and join! There aren't too many entries, so your chances of winning are great!

I recently joined the Label Daddy BlogHer sponsorship contest and if you want to watch me make a fool of myself on camera, click here. I'm not fishing for votes or anything (the winner is not decided public vote anyway) but if you leave a comment and tell me what you think of it, it'll make my day -- and if the Label Daddy folks see that nice people have left comments, maybe they'll give my entry a second look :)

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Bonggamom

Making plans for BlogHer

I really need to find a way to get to BlogHer '09. Because seriously, people, BlogHer is a great conference. Whatever your reasons for blogging, at BlogHer you'll find things to inspire you to take your blog in whatever direction you choose. Here are some of the things I know BlogHer can help you (and me!) with :

* Get information and advice on every aspect of blogging -- photography, topics, ethics, monetizing, time management, you name it -- from people who've been there, done that
* Meet your favorite bloggers face-to-face for the first time.
* Meet companies that can help you with your blog -- from technology to ideas to product -- or ways to streamline your life so you can get on with your blog.
* Get yourself noticed!


So I'm researching my transportation options, and I think the most cost-effective one is to hitchhike to Chicago. So I have to work on my sales and marketing pitch. What do you think of my hitchhiking face?

Hmmm. Maybe not. I wouldn't get noticed in a sea of BlogHer hitchhikers. I need something to get me noticed. Not my body, heavens no.


How about that old standby, a cute kid? Families will be more likely to stop for us and it'll send a signal to potential rides that I'm not planning to murder them with an axe in front of my own kid. Nah. Still too cheerful. We don't look desperate enough. Why not just ditch the grownup and go for the whole "help an orphan out" ploy?



Yes, that's better. I'll just have to hide behind a bush on the roadside and jump into the car with 3Po when the nice family takes pity on him and gives him a ride to BlogHer. Now all I have to do is teach him to pronounce BlogHer correctly.
Good -- transportation down, lodging and conference to go. Fortunately, the good people over at Label Daddy and MomDot are giving bloggers like me the chance to win a conference pass to BlogHer '09. Winning a conference pass would mean the world to me, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And teaching 3Po to say, "Please help my mama get to Bloggah..."

Send mama to BlogHer!

I'm not above exploiting the adorable-ness of my kids to plead my case for winning the MomDot/LabelDaddy BlogHer '09 scholarship. They were happy to help, because they like seeing their videos up on YouTube. And they're smart kids. They know that if I get to go to BlogHer '09, there's gonna be a couple of perks for them as well:

* More networking opportunities for mama with companies who reach out to bloggers means more product review opportunities for her blog -- and what would a toy review be without a kid to help review it?

* Lots of cool tchotchkes from the conference sponsors and exhibitors. After all, what five year old doesn't want a flashing jelly necklace/keychain or mousepad?

* Going to BlogHer '09 will make mama happy. And as Barack Obama acknowledges, "When momma's happy, everybody's happy".


So here's what 3Po and Jammy have to say:

Check out my latest giveaways!

Hey world, I've got two great giveaways going on over at my review blog, Bonggamom Finds:

Babies are Boring book giveaway
Father's Day sports photo giveaway

Head on over for a chance to win!

Moms Tshirt giveaway

Calling all you moms out there! Who wants a free shirt? Especially a free shirt that tells the whole world just how much you love being a mom? Awww, come on, you know you do..... and all you have to do is enter my giveaway here...

Win a pack of All Natural snacks!

Eat More Fruit.... Eat More Fruit.... Eat More Fruit..... but I want junk food ..... shut up!!! .... Eat More Fruit... Eat More Fruit...

Well, here's a chance to try out a great healthy snack: Brothers All-Natural Fruit Crisps and Potato Crisps. I'm hosting a giveaway on my review site, Bonggamom Finds -- head over for a chance to win some yummy, healthy snacks!

MOMocrats giveaway

How's this for a cool giveaway -- you could win some cool Hillary/Obama/MOMOcrats swag! My favorite political moms, the MOMocrats, are hosting a Mother's Day giveaway

Book Giveaway: Parenting, Inc.

Attention, new and expectant parents: Do you know the difference between Bees, Cameleons and Frogs? Between a Mei Tai and a Bjorn? Do you know who Phil & Ted are? Should you care? If questions like these are making your stomach flutter more than the baby kicking inside you, you ought to read Parenting, Inc: How We are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers -- and What It Means for Our Children. And for the next 2 weeks we're giving you a chance to read it for free. Head on over to my book giveaway post, leave a comment there and get a chance to win a free copy of the book!

Let's Party! (And come enter my blog giveaway!)

Like most Filipinos, I arrive late to parties, and this one is no exception -- but better late than never! 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting The Ultimate Blog Party, with over 1,000 blogs participating and over 150 prizes to win. Check out their awesome prize list; here are my faves (I sure hope I win them!!):

* I could sure use some pampering from Lush (#114), courtesy of After a Cup of Coffee.

* The Pea would looove the $50 gift certificate at Emily Rose (prize #63), so she can get her American Girl doll lots of cool stuff. She'd also love a Pink Brick Box Play Set (prize #103) from Lego;

* Alfie would definitely drool over the chocolate package (#70) from The Chocolistas, and if he doesn't get it, I'm sure he could be consoled with a $20 Amazon gift certificate (#140, #60) from the MommyDaddy blog or Judy.

* Who would turn down some cold, hard cash (#55, #59)? Yeah, baby, Kristin and Lori sure know what people want!

But Wait! 'Tis more blessed to give than to receive, so in the spirit of celebrating and spreading the love around, I'm hosting a little drawing of my own! Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win a year's subscription to either Bon Appetit (12 issues) or Budget Travel (10 issues), your choice. I'll pick the winner randomly on Monday, March 17 (sorry, this is for US residents only), so be sure to leave your blog URL or email address so I can contact you.

One of these things is not like the other...

They look alike, but one of these 3 boys is actually different. Can you guess which one (and why)? To the first 5 (US-based) people who guess correctly, I'll mail you 2 coupons for free Boca Burgers! My first blog giveaway has not had any takers so far :( .... so if you guess correctly, you can have 2 coupons if you want them.

For more different things, click here. BTW, I've posted this week's Photo Hunt entry extra-early because we're spending the weekend in Vegas... it's Alfie's birthday and we're going to party!

Where's the Beef?

It's the beginning of March and it's 70 degrees outside... don't you just love California?! Time to drag the grill out and barbecue me some beef ..... or not.

I was never really into red meat until I became pregnant with 3Po and CleanBoy (is it just folklore, or did that double does of testosterone in my body start the meat craving?). I spent my pregnancy scarfing down burgers and steak fajitas. To Alfie's dismay, my carnivorous urges have stayed with me. He's doesn't like red meat at all, while the thought of hamburgers and steak still make my mouth water. Fortunately for his tastebuds and my cholesterol levels, I happen to love the taste of meatless burgers like Boca Burger, and am perfectly happy grilling those up instead.

So to celebrate the beginning of outdoor barbecuing season, I'm giving away coupons for 2 free packages of Boca Burgers to five readers! Here's how it works: Between now and next Monday, March 10...

* Leave a comment here telling the world why you like Boca Burgers. Leave your blog URL (or email, if you don't have a blog) so I'll know where to find you.

* If you write a post on your blog telling your readers about this giveaway (and linking back to this entry), you are eligible for a coupon for a 3rd free package of Boca Burgers!

* If more than 5 people enter before midnight (PST) on March 10, I'll pick 5 winners at random.

* I'll post the winners' names on Tuesday, March 11 (Sorry, this giveaway is only open to US residents.)

Good luck, and start firing up those grills!