daddy thoughts from brian tracy

If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.
-Brian Tracy, author and speaker

lechon sabroso

I'm not a big fan of Lechon but I know of someone who does..*wink*..who if given the chance to spend Christmas in Pinas would definitely want one for Noche Buena. I've heard so many good feedbacks about Sabroso Lechon. My curiosity is piqued and I'd really want to have a taste of it. They only use free range native pigs for their lechon and it is then filled with spices. Looks really yummy!

field trip IT

V's school field trip will be held before the month ends. They were supposedly going to Malacanang Museum during one of their stop-overs but this was ditched because apparently the museum is closed to the public as it is being used as packing station for the relief goods for victims of Ondoy and Pepeng.

Here is the revised itinerary for their trip:
U.P. Puppet Show
Philippine Aircraft Museum
Lunch at Market Market
Tiendesitas, Fun Ranch and Avilon Zoo
Early Dinner at Gateway Mall

This is V's first time to experience a school field trip. Hope she'll have a good time.

8 years

Today is our 8th year anniversary not as husband and wife but as boyfriend-girlfriend. We never stopped being bf-gf because we want to always experience the wonder of finding each other and falling in love with each other. So even if we are already married we make it a point to go out on dates. It maybe as simple as watching a movie or as grandiose as taking a trip. Basta enjoy kami.

I want to tell you this boyfriend, "When I think of our tomorrows, I think of all the happiness we've yet to discover, I think about all the plans we've made, all the late-night talks we've had, stringing our dreams together, beginning every other sentence with "someday." And the longer we're together, the more I'm convinced that nothing could mean as much to me as a lifetime of loving you."

mommy thoughts from diane loomans

If I had my child to raise over again
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.

-Diane Loomans, speaker, author, success coach

grocery and curry

One chore I most enjoy doing is grocery shopping. I enjoy going through all the aisles in the supermarket poring over the items on the shelves. Even before I learned how to cook I already like going to the supermarket. Peculiar? I don't think so.
The very first viand I cooked for my family is chicken curry. I was so proud. I was still in high school that time. I love chicken curry! (Any curry for that matter.) Unfortunately it is only me who likes the taste of curry in our family. So I rarely get to cook it. But I always have curry powder in our pantry, just in case! There are times I also cook curry and just freeze portions of it so that when I feel like it I can just reheat a batch and voila! Although most often than not I get my curry craving fixed by ordering out or dining out.
There are various kind of curry seasoning I found online which I don't find in the supermarket like the hot curry sauce, curry seafood sauce or the mutton curry seasoning.I have looked at other supermarkets in our area but they don't sell these...Online shopping still has its perks.

allergic to her husband

This is a weird one.
Mike and Julie dated for 2 years before deciding to get married. Come wedding night she suffered from intense pain like someone was sticking needles inside her. Numerous medical tests later the verdict is out. She has seminal plasma hypersensitivity. In layman's terms she is allergic to her husband's sperms. This is the first time I have heard of such a thing. Well stranger things have happened, I guess. But due to her condition they have no chances of her conceiving a baby of their own. Sad. Of course they have not given up hope, they are now actively participating in adoption procedures.

he has a car!

My friend just got the company car that he is entitled to. Thankfully it is brand new so he has no auto problems at the moment. I remember when another friend's car conked out and we had to make do with an auto air conditioning-less travel. Totally uncomfortable! And then we had to wait in a machine shop for it to get fixed. I heard that DiscountACparts delivers and no shipping cost is charged. Now that is one fine service!
Next week us friends will go on a joyride in the new car. Of course we expect a smooth ride all the way.

still #1

I hoped that V makes it to the top 3 but she outdid my expectations and is still top 1! Yey!
I'm one proud mama jumping for joy while dancing jiggity jiggity yeba with my hand up in the air! (yikes! scary scene!)

going natural- tried Giga products

In my efforts to know more about safe, healthy and organic products I have heard about Giga ventures. So when hubs and I chanced upon their stall in Greenhills I browsed around and I so want to buy most of their products. Of course I had to curb my shopping instinct and instead bought what we wanted the most.
No Pain all natural balm which is made from virgin coconut oil, beeswax and essential oils and extracts. I like how it smells. And I've used it several times not just on myself but also on hubs.
Relax Massage Oil which I use on hubs. He likes me giving him massages (which of course he reciprocates by giving me one too) so this one is well used in our home. We opted to get the Relax rather than the Refresh variant but both smell good.
We also bought essential oils that we use on our oil burner to make our room smell heavenly and soothe our senses.

egg sandwich spread

One of the baon I prepared for All Saints' Day is egg sandwich. This is a fairly easy recipe to make even kids can do this. (as long as they are supervised by an adult)


Ingredients:
4 hardboiled eggs
80mg of mayonnaise (1 small packet)
1 onion
salt and pepper to taste
wheat bread

Here's how:
Chopped the boiled eggs and put in a bowl. Add in the mayonnaise. Chop the onion and combine it into the mixture. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
To serve a healthier snack I use wheat bread but any bread will do.

spending time reading

Eversince I became a stay at home wife and mom I find that I have more time to read. Yup I do! I guess I am the different from other SAHW and SAWMs because I have time on my hands. When the kid's in school I have "me" time. Sometimes I spend it online other times I try to catch more zzzzzs. But most of the time I spend it reading. And since books are expensive one way for me to save is to read ebooks instead of buying books. Of course ebooks are in PDF format so I had to find a PDF Search Engine that works for me. And yes I did found one. So I'm now one happy lady.

daddy thoughts from Jesse Jackson

Your children need your presence more than your presents.
-Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist and Baptist minister

periodical exam week

Exam week is here once again. I'm a hands-on mom when it comes to V's schooling. No I do not make her assignments for her. I believe that she should make that on her own. But I painstakingly go through her notes with her. I give her oral exams which she has trouble in. And spend time making written practice exams for her which she excels in. Last time my efforts paid off for V topped her class. This grading period my expectations are high but I also know that I should not expect too much from her. Besides during hubs vacation I was too busy and hardly had time for V's daily assignment review. Well, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that she'll at least make it to the top 3.

Conserve water when you brush your teeth

Do you keep the faucet running when you brush your teeth? I don't. This is one of my conscious effort to conserve water and save the environment. Hubs on the other hand likes to keep the faucet on while he brushes. When I see him do this I immediately go beside him and turn it off. (Plus he usually get an earful from me)
Did you know that keeping the faucet on while brushing teeth for about 2 minutes wastes 2 gallons of water? So if you brush 3 times a day you waste 6 gallons daily. Add it up to the rest of your family members who does. What do you get? Too much wasted water.
Also, did you know that 17% of the world's population has no clean water to drink? Yup. 17%. That's more than one billion people.
Knowing these facts can you turn the faucet off the next time you brush?

daddy thoughts from Douglas MacArthur

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder to be a father.
-Douglas MacArthur
American General, United Nations General, Field Marshal of the Philippine Army

bruising in children

Eversince V came to be a part of our family I've noticed occassional bruises on her legs. I shrugged it off. But the past weeks the bruises have increased. When previously there were 1-2 on each leg now there are 2-3. I didn't think it would merit a doctor's appointment so I just bought a multivitamins with high iron content. I left it at that because aren't children more prone to bruising because of playing/roughousing/bumping into things? But just this afternoon I noticed that V had a single bruise on her arm too. Just this one bruise but it made me go online to learn more about bruises.
And I found out from Dr. Geoffrey Allen of Children's Memorial Hospital that anemia is the most common blood disorder in children. Children become anemic when their bodies are unable to make red blood cells fast enough to replace those that are broken normally, or if their red blood cells are either being broken down faster than normal or are being lost through bleeding. The two most frequent cause of anemia in children are low iron levels and frequent infections.
Did you know that most children are iron deficient? Yes they are. Apparently iron in their diet is not enough for their growing bodies needs. (--> cause #1 check) But taking iron supplements or a change in food intake is enough to treat it.
Now since V started going to school she became more sickly. It is not unusual for her to go home with colds which lasts for a few days and then goes away. (I have previously complained to her teacher about the rate of contamination in class. When a kid gets sick the virus spreads like wildfire.) --> cause #2 check
But is V's bruising a cause for alarm?
These are the things to consider:
- severity
- location - bruising in the trunk and upper arms are not normal
- onset - if the bruising occurs that is not associated with physical activity
- other symptoms - if the bruising occurs with nose bleeding, gum bleeding, etc.
With these information I conclude that V's bruising is "normal" because she has low iron level and is frequently sick. Her multivitamins with iron supplement is still more than half full so I can't really say if it has taken effect. If in a few weeks the situation hasn't improved then I will take her to the doctor to have her checked.

cold and lonely

Happy days are over. Cold, lonely days&nights are back again. Hubs airplane just left which will bring him to Amsterdam with a quick stop at Kuala Lumpur. Waaah! I miss him already. Now we have to battle months before seeing each other again.



(this is very obviously not a painting of me, although i wish i were this sexy)

Milenyo and Ondoy

When Tatay died bagyong Milenyo has taken over Luzon. Today is Tatay's 3rd death anniversary and bagyong Ondoy is devastating Luzon. Metro Manila is flooded with some people staying at the roof of their houses. Here in Pampanga, the water is knee-deep fortunately it is only in the streets and has not reached our house yet. I hope the rain lets up soon. According to the news, Ondoy has officially reached Pampanga at 4PM but even before that the rain was nonstop.
My titas from Quezon City and Paranaque who went here for Tatay's anniv have decided to sleep over. My uncle who went to a meeting in Makati is stuck in EDSA.
Here are some pictures I took while watching the news.

mommy thoughts from Madonna

My daughter has a problem picking things up in her room. So if she leaves her clothes on the floor, we put them in a bin bag. She has to earn them back by being tidy.

-Madonna, Hollywood icon and singer

Chicken Barbecue in Beer

Tired of your usual chicken barbecue? Then try this recipe. It has a certain kick to it. I found it online and just revised it a bit.

Ingredients:
1 cup beer
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
6 chicken thighs
salt and pepper
pinch of chili powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours. Then grill on each side.

It's a simple recipe that you and your family will enjoy eating.

flying

I have been so busy these past weeks I hardly have time to blog. Sorry.
Anyways, a few days after hubs arrived we celebrated V's birthday at Villa Antonina . Then after two days we were off to Boracay for some R&R. We enjoyed the place and each other's company for 6 days. A few days after going back home my Inang arrived from Qatar. And in between these days we also went to Laguna to spend time with MIL.
Time really flies fast when you're having fun.

yes!

After months of planning tomorrow is the big day! Hubs and I are going on another of our out of town trips. Hopefully the weather lets up so we can enjoy our time out.
Oh and yes since he arrived I hardly have time to blog so bear with me. I will try to update my blogs as much as I can.

V tops her class!

At first I had to go through the taxing reviews, then came the test scores and now that the grades have been tallied the ranking is announced. V topped her class! Yahoo!!!
This weekend we are celebrating her birthday and her achievement.
Double Yey!

marriage thoughts from joanne woodward

"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat."
- Joanne Woodward, actress, television and theatrical producer
(Joanne married Paul Newman and stayed married till Paul died)

the scores are in

After the gruelling week of review for V's periodical exam, the results are finally in. And she passed with flying colors! I'm so happy! She had a perfect score for Civics! And an almost perfect score in Science and Filipino. Yup, just one wrong answer in these 2 subjects. Math would have been perfect too had it not been for one part of the exam. She got confused as to the odd and even numbers. She mixed it up and so everything was wrong. But all other answers except for these were correct. Sayang talaga, perfect na naman sana.

surviving V's periodical exam

I survived!...The first grading periodical exam of Vivian! So on Friday afternoon we all went out to celebrate. Picnic sa Good Shepherd (para ka-join si Tatay). I ordered take-out from McDonald's at dahil ako ang nagcecelebrate ang kinain ko ay ang Big Mac meal. Akala nyo si V ang magcecelebrate? Hindi ah! It's me who is celebrating kase nasurvive ko ang pagtuturo sa kanya for the first grading period! Hay! Ang hirap kaya ng pinagdaanan ko! Feeling ko I deserve a medal dahil sa na-experience ko the past months.
Now the agony of waiting for the exam results. Sana naman pasado sya!