Award and certificates

Naomi's final grade was short of .3 percent to qualify for the elusive Harvest of Achievers Award. But according to her adviser, she remains in the top three among the honor students in her class. She got an average of 90.97. The grade to qualify to receive the Achievers medal is 91 percent. Sayang noh? My daughter is disappointed at first, but she's not the kind who will sulk the whole time. She promised us to do better next school year.

She got a Model Citizen Award for her performance in her class. And just after doing my business at the registration office, I saw the copy of their school paper where two of her poems were published.

Khalil didn’t make it to the Harvest of Achievers as well, but he received three certificates during Recognition Day. 

With or without an award, I’m still happy for my kids because I know they did their best without Mommy's help.

Congratulations kids. Pagbutihin pa next year ha.:)

Taken at Shakey's SM Fairview right after Naomi's Recognition Day last March 25. Khalil's Recognition Day took place the following day.

Walk to a healthier you

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of wellnessdaily.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hubby always reminds me to have some form of exercise to stay fit. As you know, I’m on the heavy side and he knows how determined I am to shed pounds. I would like to follow hubby's walking regimen everyday. He walks for 10 to 15 minutes on his way to the office. According to him walking is a good form of exercise. He perspires a good deal, but it makes him feel lighter afterward. It also helps in controlling his blood pressure. At his age, he is already taking maintenance medicine for high blood pressure.

I can attest to the benefits of walking to my husband so I would like to include walking as part of my regimen every morning. For a warm up, hubby will accompany me to walk around the neighborhood. He will have two days off this week in observance of the Holy Week. I really intend to shed some pounds and walking will be a good start. What do you think?

I’m also checking on www.wellnessdaily.com everyday to keep me abreast of the latest news; healthy living blogs; expert opinions; easy to do nutritious recipes; and videos related to weight loss, healthy eating, exercise and mental well-being. The site enables readers to create a personalized health and wellness news feed for themselves so they'll receive the most relevant news.

I will share one of the recipes that I've learned from wellnessdaily one of these days. I’ve learned a lot from the site including the 5-minute Workout Rule, so I want to impart that information with you, better yet invite you to be a member as well.

As a token of appreciation to their members, Jennie-O Turkey Store, sponsor of www.wellnessdaily.com is providing a rebate for the purchase price of any one product (up to $5.00) for the first 25,000 registered users. Isn’t it exciting! I hope you take sometime to visit the site so you’ll appreciate what I'm saying.

Stay fit, healthy and focused!

Summer fun activities for the whole family

Here are some activities that you and your kids will surely love to do this summer. I'm sure top on your list is swimming! Splash!

Swimming at Water Fun, Fairview, Quezon City

School fieldtrip in Laguna

Water Fun, QC

Field trip in Laguna

Manila Zoo visit.

Amusement Park. Storyland SM Fairview.

Museo Pambata, Manila. One of our favorite activities is going to museum. We hope to visit one this vacation.

There are a lot of other activities that you and your children will enjoy doing together. If you are on a tight budget these days, you can go swimming sans crowded pool area with your kids using inflatable pool. Or you can devise craft or needlework activities, drawing, painting and a lot more! Just think of the benefits worthwhile activities can do to your curious little ones.
Be safe and have fun!

Waiting for his rubber shoes to arrive

Hubby can't sleep or eat (a little exaggerated lol) waiting for his new shoes to arrive. It was his first purchase on line using our PayPal savings. He saw this Hi-Tec Karoo Lace up Hiking Boots and was dead-set on buying it right away. It cost him $103 including the shipping fee. It might be costly but he is investing on shoes. He doesn't buy inexpensive shoes that easily damaged after one year. Most of his rubber shoes were purchased four to five years ago and still in good condition. He said if he will be lucky playing in one of the US online casinos, he would buy three pairs of sturdy rubber shoes. He knows he can no longer buy expensive footwear on cash basis. Now, he's thanking me for (blogging) saving our PayPal money.

Swing set for relaxation

We have a small place at home, but I’ve always dreamed of having our own swing set for my kids, nieces and nephews. For us adults, it can also serve as place to relax where we can just sit there contemplating or while reading a paperback. It’s also economical to spend time outdoors than stay inside the house during these hot summer days. All I have to do is sit on the swing and let the fresh air cool me down.

I wish to order my first swing set at kidscreation.com where they sell custom swing sets that you can design and accessorize all you want. The company boasts of helping consumers save thousands of money for a set of swing that is directly ordered from the manufacturer to the consumers’ doorstep. This is great!

The wooden swing sets they produce used the best material available including 100 percent Con Heart Redwood, which is the highest grade wood that adds to the visual appeal to the swing set. It is also splinter free and decay resistant, which allows them to avoid using treatment common among swing set that is now causing serious medical problem.

Kidscreation swing set is also made of heavy duty slides safe for small user but sturdy for mom and dad. They also made rounded end and corners. The steps are flat and the swing beam made of heavy duty material that can carry 250 pounds per swing.

When you order a set now, you are assured of a 30-day money back guarantee and lifetime warranty just in case something untoward happens. All their products come with a complete instructional manual and swing set safety guide also found on their site.

Wouldn’t it be nice and fun to have you own swing set at home?

Connected

Contractors from Globe got our DSL connection back this afternoon.

They couldn't exactly tell what caused the disconnection problem, they said they fix or configure something in the "control panel box" nearby and when they returned to check, our DSL is already working.

It's not only me who was "affected" by Internet-less days, my kids were also complaining for not doing anything. Big kids like mine got easily bored inside the house especially now that school is over. Online activities keep them busy most of the time. I'm really looking forward to summer activities that we are planning for them.

I can't do blog hopping for now as I have my hands full with housework. I can only stay in front of the computer to update my site(s) for a little while. I hope my friends who regularly visit my blogs and leave comments will understand.

Globe broadband failed me

We only had it installed for less than a week replacing our Bayantel DSL connection and then it just conked out (if that's the proper term). I'm certainly disappointed in their service. Hubby reported the matter to their office and the person on the other line promised to send somebody to attend to it (fix it) first thing tomorrow morning.

I can't help checking on my blogs today. It's more than 12 hours ago since the connection went out...it felt like eternity...argh! You know where I am now? I'm on my way to the market to buy fish for dinner and here I am typing out my rants about not having an Internet connection at home...the height of addiction...hehe.

Got to go now. Hubby must be worried sick waiting for the fish er moi...Ciao! :D 

Insect collector

Curiosity drives my son to play with insects. He collects them and placed them inside small plastic containers. It's really gross seeing him figuring out what do termites look like inside the bottle. Sometimes he would even placed ants inside the refrigerator slowly freezing the poor insect to death.

Where did my son get termites if you may ask? We have termites inside and outside our place. We could easily call an exterminator, but it's costly hiring them. What my husband does to destroy their nest is by spraying Kerosene gas directly into the source of termite infestation. The solution is not permanent but we keep the pest at bay for a couple of weeks or less.

Termites easily multiply that before you knew it they easily cover the large part of your house. You could find basic information about termites at killthetermites.com. The site also provides techniques on how to inspect for termites and get rid of them permanently.

As for my son’s habit, I hope he’ll pass that stage because I don’t want him get bitten or sting by a termite.

Here are home remedies that you can do to treat insect bites:

• Ice Cube
• Apply meat tenderizer
• Apply a paste of salt or crushed aspirin.
• Desert Essence ® Tea Tree Oil
• Rub with fresh slice of onion
• Dab with hydrogen peroxide
• immediately apply aloe gel

Blogger has new template designs

Check out your blogger draft now and choose from the cool template designs. I've chosen Watermark green template for my other blog Yam's Files. Green is cool! 

It pays to have your own domain

Web hosting was all Greek to me when I put up my first blog site. I never entertain any technical words that I thought have nothing to do with the rants and ramblings that I write on my site until I realized that I will need it one day. That day came a few months after I started receiving opportunities by writing reviews. (Some advertisers only accept blogs that are self-hosted.) The web host will provide a server space for my website to run efficiently and make it accessible through the Internet. That sounds good to me so I created a new site and got a domain name for it. The files in the new site are now managed by a web host server so I’m confident that my files are protected from possible technical hitches.

If you are thinking of putting up your own business on the Net it would be of great advantage if you have it hosted by a dedicated server. This will give you peace of mind knowing that your site will be safe and stable. One of the popular or preferred hosting solutions for small to medium sized businesses is vps hosting. It is reasonably priced compared to other web hosting solutions.

There are also different web hosting packages that suit the needs of every website owners no matter how big or small their site is. You can select from acquiring shared webhosting, dedicated web hosting; reseller web hosting; or rely on free web hosting just like this site.

Hence, if you are looking for the latest news on hosting industry, latest trends, and reviews of the best web hosting providers, you must visit webhostingfan.com. I’m telling you, it really pays to have your own domain. I enjoy blogging more than ever and earn a few bucks at the same time.

Share Hershey's Easter Basket for a good cause

I'm thanking Willa of My Daily Thoughts and Ramblings and Marce Kikamz of Just About Anything for making me a part of a good cause through this tag. I'm glad to provide joy to the recipients of the Children's Miracle Network.

The Hershey's Better Basket Blog Hop

Here's what to do:

* Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
* Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
* Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
* Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
* Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this Better Basket Blog Hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

* Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
* Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

I'm encouraging the following wonderful people to further spread the good cause of Hershey's Easter Basket namely, Mylene, Bambie, Seiko, Clarissa, Enchie, Jac, Rose, Paula, Shydub, Dhemz, Cecil, Maureen, Mrs. Kolca, Beth, Josie, Lulu, Len, Bastisimonandsam, Mrs. Craig, KayeShayne, and the rest of the Marce Club.

Best post winner

Not me, but Mylene of Onlinemommy's Corner bag the Best Post About the Contest.

I'm also thrilled to find out that Marce Pehpot and Marce Kaye included my post about the contest as well as Bambie's in the top three posts considered the best!

Thanks my beautiful kumares. I also appreciate the $5 consolation prize they gave me. Yehey!

Awards unlimited

I've got six, yes six, awards from Marce Kaye!  Isn't she sweet. Thanks Marce! 

I'm sharing this cute buttons back to the Marce club and the members of the She Bloggers Club and BC Bloggers' Secret, and of course You!

Looking forward to exciting summer activities

I’ve asked my kids what they want to do this summer. And these are their answers.

Khalil: 

Camping

Naomi:  

I want to learn more about art and stuff

Khalil wants to try outdoor activities this summer. Definitely it’s anything but sports. I remember enrolling him to Taekwondo classes three summers ago, but quit before he could even learn the basic steps. Sayang binayad namin. Swimming lessons are quite expensive so we might just plan to go swimming this summer. And Daddy will be his mentor. :)

Naomi, on the hand, is interested to attend art classes and writing activities in UP. I have yet to inquire from the university. If Khalil will be interested to join his sister, we might enrol him to the same class for younger students.

We intend to make this summer memorable for our kids. They are growing up fast so we need more bonding time with them. We are planning to go nature tripping. The nearest place where we can go to is La Mesa Dam Ecopark, which is only a few kilometres away from our place. We can do so many activities there such as hiking, biking and swimming for a limited fee. Sounds exciting right?

We can’t wait for school to end this month. We are looking forward to a great summer vacation without hurting our pockets lol.

How about you? What are your plans with your family this summer? I want to hear from you.

The tale of the ant and the contact lens

It took me a couple of hours thinking of what to write about contact lenses. Would you believe my 10-year-old son has this unique story about disposable contact lenses? He actually read about it from snopes.com

I’m reposting it because it tells something more than daily disposable contact lenses. I hope you will find the parable truly inspirational.

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. "Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry."

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.

She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption,

"Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Photo source here

Crazy wedding entrance

I had a good laugh watching this video. This is creatively funny lol!

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

Blessings at work

Blessings keep pouring in for my sister since she got her present job. She is thankful that some of their clients at the spa clinic in Macau are generous enough to give them tip for the treatment. Just before she came home, she shared that one of their regular clients handed out $1,000 HK as tip after the therapy. It turned out that the guy won a considerable amount while playing casino game at the Wynn Hotel. It was not the first time that their generous client won in a casino game. I wonder if he is as lucky playing Online casinos.

Anyway, my sister is doing great in her job. She is fortunate to have such understanding bosses and co-workers there. She is working so hard to support her four young children on her own. Stay strong for your children, sis. We'll be here for you no matter what.

Charice: the New Princess of Pop

The New York Post dubbed this young lady as the New Princess of Pop. Watch her latest video and be awed by her unique talent. Congrats Charice! You make us all proud to be Filipino!

Charice - "Pyramid" (feat. Iyaz) Music Video

"Pyramid"

Stones, heavy like the love you've shown
Solid as the ground we've known
And I just wanna carry on
We took it from the bottom up
And even in a desert storm
Sturdy as a rock we hold
Wishing every moment froze
Now I just wanna let you know
Earthquakes can shake us
Cyclones can break us
Hurricanes can take away our love

Pyramid, we built this on a solid rock
It feels just like it's heaven's touch
Together at the top, like a pyramid
And even when the wind is blowing
We'll never fall just keep on going
Forever we will stay, like a pyramid

Cold, never ever wear any clothes
We will never let it fall
A story that was never told
Something like a mystery
And every step you took we've grown
Look how fast our time has flown
A journey to a place unknown
They're going down in history
Earthquakes can shake us
Cyclones can break us
Hurricanes can take away our love

Pyramid, we built this on a solid rock
It feels just like it's heaven's touch
Together at the top, like a pyramid
And even when the wind is blowing
We'll never fall just keep on going
Forever we will stay, like a pyramid

Call me up, just just like that
Call me up, just just like that
Call me up, call me up, oh oh oh oh oh
Call me up, just just like that
Call me up, just just like that
Call me up, call me up, oh oh oh oh

Pyramid, keep it going
Pyramid, we built this on a solid rock
It feels just like it's heaven's touch
Together at the top, like a pyramid
And even when the wind is blowing
We'll never fall just keep on going
Forever we will stay, like a pyramid
Built this on a solid rock
It feels just like it's heaven's touch
Together at the top, like a pyramid
And even when the wind is blowing
We'll never fall just keep on going
Forever we will stay, like a pyramid
Pyramid, pyramid, pyramid, pyramid
Pyramid, pyramid, pyramid

Mommy Moments - Field Trips

This week's topic on Mommy Moments is all about field trips. Here are some photographs of our past and recent educational field trips. My kids loved all the field trips. They had a wonderful time. Both of them are  looking forward to their next field trips.   

UPLB field trip

Khalil (and Hedwig, the stuffed owl at UPLB museum)

 

Aguinaldo Shrine

Field Trip at Star City

 SM Science Discovery Center

 

Our visit to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Bulacan

Field trip to Ocean Adventure

 Trampoline Acrobat

Field trips are fun and enriching! What did you enjoy best about your field trip?
You can share it here or visit other entries at Mommy Moments to find out.
Have a nice weekend everyone!

Hopeful

If hubby is set on buying his Plasma TV in the future, he will definitely look for the sleek TV stand to match his dream TV set. I’ve come across this website that sells not only TV Stands, but also modern stand for your speaker, audio video racks and towers, and Plasma/LCD wall mounts and speaker mounts. While looking around for Wall Mounted Furniture, I saw this BDI TV Stands. Its one of the modern piece Hubby will surely fall in love with. This is perfect for our small room. We need to replace the old TV rack with this one. I told hubby to just wait for a few more months until I raise my share (through opps) for the payment of the new TV set and TV stand. Good thing about StandsOnline.com is that they offer free shipping if you are residing in the US. If you have time, why don't visit the site, you might find the nicest furniture piece that you've been looking for.

Shopping for baby items is fun

When I saw cute baby clothes online it brings back memories of my shopping experience for my first baby. I was so excited that I started collecting baby stuff as soon as I discovered that I’m pregnant. I thought that shopping early gives me ample time to look for inexpensive and quality baby items. I shop for a few pieces every pay day so it won’t hurt my budget. I bought baby clothes (mostly whites), sweater and bonnet, mittens and socks, wrapping blanket, baby bedding and baby sheets; diaper stuff, baby essentials like soft washcloth, disposable wipes, rash cream, and hypoallergenic soap, lotion, etc. Even if I have plan to breastfeed, I still bought feeding bottles, big and small ones.

I added a few items with shades of pink and yellow when I learned about the baby’s gender through ultrasound. Bigger items like crib and crib mattress pad were bought towards the end of my pregnancy. We don’t have a big room to accommodate the crib so we decided to purchase it less than one month before my expected delivery. I used the same items (except for the pink clothes) when I got pregnant the second time. I only add some items with shades of blue for our baby boy.

Here is my two cents. If you are expecting a child, its best to keep a list of baby items that you need. You may include a couple of new wardrobe for you. Don't forget to include a pair of nursing brassieres in your list. It's best to prepare early when your tummy is not yet big than cram when you can no longer move or go about because of your big tummy.

Do you have tips on how to make shopping easier for would-be moms? I’ll be glad to hear from you. ^_^

Be healthy this summer

 
BEFORE you head to that long-planned summer getaway, here are some simple and effective tips to make your vacation memorable and trouble-free.

I find this health tips from the Department of Health useful for any given season or occasion.

Some known summer conditions known to men include food and water-borne diseases. These are:

1. Typhoid
2. Cholera
3. Hepatitis A
4. Food Poisoning
5. Other Diarrheas

• Sore Eyes
• Measles (Tigdas)
• Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Dengue
- Malaria
• Other Conditions
- Sunburn
- Prickly Heat

Handling Food and drinks

• Cook food properly
• Preferably, food must be eaten immediately after cooking (while still hot)
• Leftover food should be refrigerated and reheated before being eaten
• Food handlers should wash their hands before and after food preparation
• If sick, avoid preparing food for others
• Avoid drinking water and iced beverages of doubtful quality
• If water quality is doubtful, boil drinking water for at least 2 minutes
• Peel and wash fruits / vegetables before eating
• Wash hands before and after eating

At the beach

• Do not allow children to swim without the company of an adult
• Avoid staying under the sun without scanty clothes for more than 3 hours as this predisposes to sunburn, heat exhaustion and worst, heat stroke
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, especially during exercise and sports activities

While on the road

• Check vehicle well before going on a trip
• Bring repair kit with you
• When drunk, never attempt to drive

Now, don't forget to bring extra clothes with you and oh your camera, too! Have fun!

Fun items for school

I’m not sure about my sister’s plan, but my two young nephews are ready for school. Seppy will be 5 and Igo is 4 this year. I think the boys are excited to attend preschool. I might bring up the topic to my sister while she’s here for a short vacation. There are schools near their rented place that offer preschool education. The boys need someone who will accompany and pick them up after school. If my sister has made up her mind about sending her kids to school this year, she needs ample time to buy school supplies for the boys. I can recommend personalized backpacks for the boys. I'm sure they will love a new bag with their names embossed on it. She can choose between personalized backpacks and stephen joseph backpacks with uber cute designs. I love these bags for her boys.

She can also purchase colourfully designed nap mat for her youngest daughter. Nap mats are perfect when she decides to bring her kids to the park. They can sit or laze on it while at the park. The soft pillow and blankets will surely help the kids easily fall asleep. Sleeping or nap time will be enticing for them. Their grandmother will no longer have a hard time encouraging them to sleep.

Posy Lane offers these fun children’s items for a reasonable price. Nap mats are padded and lined with nylon and cotton. The mat rolls up and has a Velcro closure with carrying strap. It has a soft fleece blanket attached and a removable foam pillow. The mat is also easy to clean. All you need to do is remove the pillow then toss the rest in the washing machine. The same with backpacks they are affordable and easy to clean too. If my sister doesn’t have the time to go to the nearest mall to buy these items, I can do online shopping for her. :)

Hubby got a new pair of eyeglasses

Replacing his more than 5-year-old spectacle. He must be convinced by Eric’s Review of Zenni Optical that he wants to avail the Lowest Price Progressive Glasses. Unfortunately he can't wait for a couple of days to place his order to The #1 online RX glasses store so he visited an equally popular optical shop to have his refraction test and wait for his new eyeglasses on the same day. But since hubby is convinced at the low price rate of zenni glasses, he might avail his second pair from them for only $8.

Dolphin Friends Show and more!

Here are the remaining pictures that I took from our guided tour at Ocean Adventure. Enjoy!

Dolphin Friends Show

(Dophins with their trainors) 

  

Shop for a good cause  

(Proceeds will be used to provide care for the sick and injured animals)

Sea Lion Marine Patrol Show  

(Sea Lion teaching the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

Walk on the Wild Side Show  

(Terrestrial Animal Presentation)

Ocean Discovery Aquarium  

(See the bright colored, strange looking sea creatures)

Rap, Jump and Roll Show 

(Trampoline Acrobat and Mascot Show)

See related links:

Our Trek to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy
Our Ocean Adventure 
Lunch at Ocean Adventure
While on our way to Subic