On A Wonderful Day Like Today

I must admit that I have not had enough time right now to give attention to this blog. There should have been so much to blog about but so far, time has not been on my side. My birthday and the birthdays of my loved-ones had passed and I’ve not even blogged about any of it. It’s because up to now, my daily schedule still seems super erratic since it’s been more than a month since the nanny has taken a vacation. She was supposed to come back today but with the strong typhoon coming our way tomorrow, I am not so sure it they would be allowed to continue with their trip via ship. Anyway, I just want to add a little thing in this blog to make it more interesting. And what could be more interesting (and simple to add) than pictures! I’ve recently discovered and used a photo effect online and it’s so cool! You can also use their online photo frames to add a zing to your rather-boring pictures. Here are some of my kids’ pictures which I’ve played around with using photo frame templates . Cl...

I'm officially a stay-at-home-mom for 11 straight days. I had just left my job and incidentally, our nanny also went on vacation. At any rate, so far, so good. I'm admittedly learning a lot when it comes to taking care of my kids. I feel like a mommy doctor (sans the cheap medical scrubs ) since I feel my kids becoming more clingy each day as if asking for more attention even if they are not sick. At other times, I'm like a nurse and a 24-hours on-duty nurse, at that. Some of the things that I need to do which are simple but I find quite challenging: giving my kids a bath, making them take their daily vitamins, feeding them, carrying them, etc. Sometimes, I think that cheap nursing scrubs would be the best thing to wear in times like these. My house clothes are all soiled from sweat and stains from following my kids around. The nurses wearing those cherokee nursing uniforms must have a fresher feeling compared to me because those uniforms are 100% cotton. Anyway, speaking...

My husband and I have been looking for the perfect investment these days. We’ve been surfing everywhere and didn’t stop until we found just the right thing for us. And who would have expect that the answer to our long search is right on our… ring finger! Yup. It’s gold that’s what I’m talking about. What could be a more secured investment that having a gold IRA . I researched further and learned all about gold 401K accounts. In times when you cannot exactly know what to expect from the economy, having an investment in 401k gold may be your best bet just yet. We all know that from the stories of our older ones. At least from the anecdotes heard from my grandmother, they always made sure that they keep their gold and other jewelry safe in hard times like during the war. It will be what they will rely on when the times get rough. The same actually still applies up now since gold’s value will always go up no matter what.

We recently got a part-time nurse in our company and it’s really a good thing for our employees. He came in with the health-company representatives who were clad in medical uniforms and was introduced to us last week/ We immediately got down into business and listed down all the needs of a typical company nurse. Intrigued by his uniform which were similar to doctors scrubs , I asked him where he gets his nursing uniforms and supplies . And so I learned that there is an online site where you can purchase wholesale scrubs which were nice but reasonably-priced. Anyway, it was sad to note that this particular nurse will only be temporarily-assigned to us up to the second week of January. Another nurse will be taking his place after that period. At any rate, I already had my blood pressure taken courtesy of this nurse. Hahaha.

Howdy everyone! Two days to go before Christmas. Pretty soon the long wait will be over. It'll be the birthday of Jesus and we were speading the good news of the birth that paved the way to the salvation of mankind. Wow, that's quite heavy stuff but really it's the truth. Anyway, I'm online (sickies) now, waiting for some office emails to come in. So while waiting, I'm just browsing through my favorite sites that help me do blogging for money . It's been quite awhile since I dropped by. I've already been reading up on some stuff about boxhead 2 . It's quite interesting. Stumbled upon something about age of war and saw so many things I've missed since I've been 'off-line' for so long. Truly I've missed the goodies in the world-wide-web. I really hope I came come back soon --- with a vengeance. Meantime, advance Merry Christmas everyone! Stay healthy and warm!

Lately, my work-life balance is so beyond me and I'm really getting so tired already. I want to be with my kids now more than ever but I couldn't and that really pains me a lot. They have been sick the past days and I have sort of need to put that fact aside because I have deadlines. What kind of mother I am? I'm a bad mother! In addition to that, I also want my prayertime back coz I feel that someone forcibly stole it from me. And especially now that it's the Christmas season, I want to feel the "Christ" in the season but, somehow, it's not what's happening. If only I could, I'll really want to shift to become a housewife-mom again. Maybe I can just stay as a blogger? But I do have a choice now?

Thank God (or should I say Allah?) for holidays. Today is a holiday for Muslims and everybody’s happy because there’s no work. Yahoo! For someone like me who has been going home from work early in the morning for several weeks already, this holiday is a welcome surprise. Never mind if tomorrow is back to the “asylum” . At least, I got to sleep and rest a little to recover from all the stress that I’ve been going through in the office. I’m actually just trying to make good use of time now at the computer before leaving with my hubby today for a quick merienda date. Busy couples like us need that important pocket of time to be together, to talk and just update ourselves with the things. I want to check out this newly-opened restaurant in Katipunan and try out their specialties. Afterwards, I’m planning on tagging him along to a place where we can check out some ceiling fans . You see I have an idea to put a ceiling fan at the attic. We’ve already pulled up our old sofa into that area an...

My teenage "brother" approached me last Sunday night to ask help for his Math homework. He is now (again) in his 3rd year in high school and as you know, juniors take up Geometry. Maybe F forgot that I took Geometry about 20 years ago because he looked so sure that I could help him answer his assignment in a split of a second. Hahaha. Yeah right. Anyway, his homework was about triangles, particularly on SSS congruency. The problem was to prove that the triangles drawn on his notebook were congruent. It was easy enough! Why? It's because I had a secret Math problem solver by my side. You see, for free math help , you can just click on a button and your answer pops on the screen instantly. Now Math homework help is right on your finger tips. It's easy as one-two-three. ...and because of this, doing F's homework has never been easier.

I have a friend who needs to wear scubs for work daily (she's a nurse by profession, that's why). Anyway, I always fancy her nicely worn scrubs. They're so pretty that it doesn't seem to be scrubs at all. So I asked her one time about where she gets her supply of cute scrubs. She told me that she buys the textile to be used and brings it to her dressmaker for sewing. They are nice but bottomline was, it ends up very expensive. To cut on the cost of her uniform, I suggested to my friend to check out an online scrub store where she can find a wide array of scrubs for men and for women. And oh how her eyes gleamed with joy when she viewed their website. Buying scrubs has never been so easy as before! You can pick the design you like and have it shipped right to your doorstep. How cool is that?

If there is one thing these days that’s bugging me, it’s F’s very low grades in school. I feel that he is not making an effort to improve on his studies. After being sent home to the province for a year and enduring the hard life over there, it still doesn’t seem enough for him to learn and change for the better. He still seems to be cutting on some of his classes, still doesn’t ask permission when he goes out of the house, still plays basketball all weekend long, still doesn’t wake up early, still doesn’t do his assignments…etc. etc. My list of “frustrations” goes on and on. Are all teenage boys like that? How I wish that some day, he will soon realize that all the hard work to answer the Math questions in school will result to something good for him in the future. I hope all those Geometry help which I offer him will do a lot of good in training him to be patient, observant and analytical. I hope he realizes that all that Chemistry help which we get is going to be someday good f...

Is it just my appetite or is my photography really improving? I gaze into this bowl of strawberry ice cream from Mandarin Paseo Uno and my heart (and stomach) just screams ICE CREAM! Actually, I almost had given up blogging (notice how seldom I post anything now). I'm starting on a new job tomorrow (wish me luck!) and I'm setting myself some high goals which I think may cut the time for extra curricular activities such as blogging. But then again, I love blogging so much that I even changed industries for my career from banking to IT! Haha! Seriously, when I come across a nice item (like this ice cream picture) which I'd like to talk about or just a simple thought I want to share, I still couldn't stop myself from taking up blogging again. Still, my fingers yearn to blog! And just when I thought that I have really given up on the web hosting services I've gotten this year, I come across some piece of web hosting news and I suddenly I go back to blogging and pu...

Zoe had her very first day of regular school this week. She’s three years old and is enrolled as Senior Nursery. Funny, I kept telling myself: one day down, 16 years to go! Hahaha. That's how I really felt. My daughter's no longer a baby ~ she now officially a student and will be in that status for so many years more. And you know what? On that very first day, even while in the car, she kept telling me "bye Mommy!" as if she wanted me to scram, go home, go away, I'm-on-my-own-now, that kind of thing and as I reaction, the more I hugged her and didn't want to let her go. But oh she did very well. She never even looked back as I left her room. Oh, the adventures of being a mother. Truthfully, I couldn't stop being sentimental. Anyway, would you believe that on her very first day and for the rest of the week, she already had to do homework?! Bah! She has books on Math, Reading and Science and the teacher gives them around 1-2 pages of homework each day. Bah (...

I still remember when I went to France a long time ago. It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. I love the food they served us and the romantic places we went to. I also kept those lovely little trinkets which I bought as souvenirs. I also still have those little key chains and statues that I got from a religious store in Lourdes and they have been memorable keepsakes of my trip there once upon a time. The only thing I wish I had known about during that time were the available translation services that would be extremely helpful in my trip there. There is also an available service de traduction now that could have helped me in touring along the different places in France. Anyway, there might still be a chance to go back, who knows? And I really hope to go back there again. You see, that time, I was only there for about three days. That's so short a time to really tour the country. But one thing I do know. If I had stayed a bit longer, I may have to get professional trans...

With these recent hard times, it's always good to save. With every bit of earnings that one receives, a portion of it should always go to savings and investments. And what other better investment there is, where there is no loss nor depreciation, but in precious metals a.k.a. gold and silver. With the markets very unpredictable when even the biggest companies have a possibility of crashing, wise individuals buy silver bullion as investments to avoid the effects of the volatile market. Rather that put all their money in just one basket, it is always good to diversify. And one of the oldest and safest form and method of investment is in investing in gold. Our forefathers have done it and we should definitely learn from them.

I was just listening to the news this morning and heard about the death of Marie Osmond's son, Michael Blosil. Michael, who is only 18 years old, jumped to his death from his apartment building on February 26, 2010. He was said to have been in severe depression in recent years and has reportedly undergone rehab for undisclosed reasons. Hearing about that piece of news is certainly not the best combination to my morning coffee. It's certainly hard when people in the family have an addiction and need this kind of help. What is really the best is to find a center which can refer you to the best places where your loved one can be treated for whatever addiction he or she is going through. If you live in Winsconsin, you can actually try calling a toll-free number for a referral to a good Wisconsin Drug Rehab . Other than that, you can also fill out an online form and you will be given apt advice on the available Wisconsin Drug Rehabilitation center which you can contact. Drug Rehab ...

My uncle and aunt were on their way out when I asked them for a quick pose together with the kids. They were going home to the province that day while we, on the other hand, had to accompany Zoe to school that afternoon (look at Zoe holding her boat) and also go find some car accessories to replace the ones which got destroyed during the flood. Anyway, this is my Tita Tita holding Luigi and my Tito Jerry sitting beside Zoe. Smile!!! A closer look at Luigi and Auntie Tita...(oh boy, what a big head you've got Luigi!) A solo picture of Zoe with her Kindermusik project: Anyway, I took the afternoon off the other day in order to accompany them to go to Greenhills to check out the bargains. We were all so eager to go and get the best buys available there. I even took the taxi from the office just to get home as early as I could. However, we all got there only to find out that the tiangge shops were closed that day and will only resume on Friday. Tough luck! And so, we might just try...

We had just attended the wedding of my good friend C last Saturday. It was a very simple but nice wedding. We helped C out during the preparations since she only just came back from London, where she is currently based. The ceremony was held in a nearby church, just around 10 minutes away from our house. It was a small church. The priest who ministered to them was a new and young priest so the wedding was not so tensed. They had no big entourage. It was only the parents and C's sister (and her boyfriend) who stood as the entourage. The small reception was held at the adjoined function rooms of Conti's in Greenbelt, Makati. Anyway, apart from a small glitch with the room arrangements, the dinner was good and tasty. I love the fact that as soon as you go out of the restaurant, it was like "back to reality" again for us and for the newly-weds. This is because nobody was really that made-up or dolled up. It was just the couple, their families and some close friends. It wa...

With Christmas just recently over, I gathered my kids' new Christmas toys in one big bag while thinking of where to store all these new loots. These were mostly toys given by godparents and thoughtful relatives and friends. For Zoe, her favorite toy now is the twist car that she received from her grandfather (I'll post the pictures after I transfer the files from the cellular phone). It's something like an Ezy Roller but it's made of plastic. She also got some personalized pillowcases from her aunties and a nap mat . Anyway, while carrying away the toys to the play room in the attic, one of the things that crossed my mind is how I, as a parent, can provide an example of the true spirit of Christmas amidst the many and almost unavoidable spirit of "consumerism" that tags itself along with Christmas. By that I don't want to mean we will get rid of the idea of receiving gifts altogether next Christmas. I just want to my kids to be more reflective about Chri...

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter . All opinions are 100% mine. Belated Merry Christmas everyone! How were your holiday celebrations? Well, as far as I'm concerned, Christmas was just wonderful. It's always great to be able to spend it with my family and the people I love. Plus this Christmas is extra special this year with the new addition to our family: baby Luigi. With the gift of the new baby's coming, I just wouldn't ask for anything more. Speaking of gifts, I'm still holding on the decision on what to give my husband for Christmas. I was only able to buy him clothes and a pair of shoes (which I don't think officially qualify as Christmas gifts since the money used literally still came from him). Anyway, I'm thinking of applying either for a DSL connection for him or getting him Charter digital. Problem is, I really don't know much about HD TV. I actually clicked on the web to learn more at charter.net/ondemand and found o...

Does Zoe look like a real angel here? So cute, right? While looking for Free Wordpress themes for my old vinanini wordpress blog (my original blog!), I found this cute thing online. I managed to use one of Zoe's photos and upload it into this angel picture. (Oh, the many enjoyments of blogging and the web!) Speaking of angels, I remember this conversation we had with Zoe a few days ago. Mommy: What would you give to Daddy and Mommy this Christmas, Zoe? Zoe: Magpapakabait na po ako (I'll be a good girl already). Mommy: Why? Hasn't Zoe been good? Zoe: Hindi, si Luigi lang ang mabait. (No, only Luigi has been good). "Paawa" effect pa ha. On the side, I'm giving myself a mental note not to compare the two so as not to bring about sibling rivalry or something to that effect.