love and family

a little bit of help

2012-01-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I lost my insurance, I started to pay full price for my prescription. It was not easy considering the fact that when I had an insurance my prescription was covered so most drugs I purchase from the pharmacy I did not have to pay a dime. It was hard but we got by albeit with a bit of frustration every time I refill my prescription. The pharmacist was so good to help me lower the price of my prescription after she noticed that I have been paying full price for months. I do not know what she did but instead of paying full price, I got a discount of ten dollars every month. It was a huge help and I have always been grateful of what she did. It is always better when a person gets help when she needs it. That is why I have been telling friends and relatives about the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club which is right now offering a special discount of having only to pay $10 for an annual family membership. This covers everybody in the family including kids 22 years old and younger. While individual may join at $5. This should provide a lot of savings and benefits for any family who will be interested to join. I might let my family avail of this promotion because every little thing that saves money will be a great help for us in this hard times. If you or anybody you know will benefit from joining the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, do not hesitate to join or tell your friends. You can follow Walgreens on Twitter for more updates or you can like Walgreens on Facebook to get more information as well as updates on whatever promotion the company is running to help us save a little money here and there.

free education

2012-01-23T12:31:00.007-05:00

Guest post written by Joseph Finch.

If I didn’t have direct tv dish I don’t think that I would have ever learned to cook. I never grew up working in the kitchen with my Mom. I was simply not interested in cooking and didn’t think forward to the time when I would be married and have a family. I have had to learn how to cook the hard way because we live so far away from my parents. Learning actually hasn’t really been that hard. I learned the basics from reading techniques books but have perfected my skills by gathering a lot of information from, you guessed it, the Food Network aka my favorite Channel. After I got the basics down and started learning expert techniques and also fancy French cooking terms from the Food Network, I have been on fire. My wife says that I rival any classically trained gourmet chef. I would love to go to Culinary school, but it is really expensive. I feel like my training ( and it is good at that) has come from soaking up as much as I can everyday from the Food Network. A simple and free Chef’s education!

free space

2012-01-21T08:48:00.004-05:00

We bought an expensive indoor swing for the little girl. She only used it a few times then she started being unhappy strapped in it so we stopped putting her in the swing. It had set for a long time in the living room that I got tired of looking at it. The little man has been swinging in it which makes me nervous because I know it is not made to hold an older child much less get abused that way. It might just give one day and before that happens I decided to tear it down. I mean, disassemble it. I had to figure it out for days what I will need and how to go about doing it and today was just the day I decided to work on that plan. I thought it was pretty easy considering how the screws and stands were getting out pretty fast, until my fingers got caught and one screw refused to budge. I wanted to throw the damned thing away but I could not do it knowing the husband will roast my a#$ for it, lol. He did buy the swing and refuses to disassemble it saying his kids were happy where it was at. Well, mommy was not happy so she did what she could then left what I could not tear apart for him to deal with. He could not do anything seeing the mess I made that he finished what I started mumbling about things I did not want to hear. Lol. Now the swing, or what was left of it, is in a box. I am trying to figure out how to sell it. I am not giving it away because it is fairly new and rarely used. If I can find a way to post it on Craigslist or the local sell and trade I should get about $50 for it which will be my asking price (a third of how much was paid for it). But, I have to convince the husband this is the way to do it. He might not want me to sell the swing for sentimental reason. After all, he did buy it for his daughter brand new because he said he will not let his daughter use somebody else cast-off. I was told after the deed that in no certain terms will I be disassembling anything in the house when he is not present. I said yes. That is, for now, since I am so happy with the space that was freed after the swing was gone.

brand new business

2011-12-23T23:10:00.004-05:00

The Author of this post is Solomon Dejesus

When I decided to get my brand new business off the ground it was a really tough call. There’s no way to know whether or not it’s going to work but I’m just excited to be doing it once and for all – I’ve always had a really entrepreneurial streak. I can’t believe there are so many ways to make money nowadays but you know, it’s up to you to decide how you can make bank off of any given idea. Anyway, I’m trying to make my consulting business as professional as possible from the get go because that means I’ll be able to land more clients so I’ve been working on things like getting a smallbusiness.xo.com/ business package and a small office space near downtown I can meet potential clients in. I think it won’t be long before I figure out how to run this operation smoothly and really be the boss of my own destiny. I can’t believe I’m a small business owner after so many years working so hard for “the man”, you know?

affordable eyeglasses

2011-12-19T19:35:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have had problems with my eyesight since I was a freshman in college. I am nearsighted. I cannot see well without my eyeglasses, which actually took me a long time to get used to. I guess I was in denial for a long time. It was easier to pretend that nothing was wrong with my eyes until I go out and could not read signs without squinting. That was when I realized I need to be serious in wearing my eyeglasses in order for me to see especially when I am out in public. I remember my first pair of prescription eyeglasses cost a lot of money and was rarely used, much to my parents' disappointment (they paid for it). I probably could have found a pair of cheap eyeglasses but the optometrist I went to offered me a pair for a discount. I really thought at the time I scored a deal. I did not know until years later that I could have gotten a pair for half the price I paid for my first pair of eyeglasses. I learned my lesson the hard way but learn I did. I have never bought any expensive eyeglasses since then. I shop around until I see the pair I want for the price I am willing to pay. Hence, the plan to switch to Zenni after my annual eye exam. I have friends who have experience with the company and they have been praising Zenni for their affordable, stylish eyeglasses. I have looked at their selection, even included a screenshot of the style I want to buy in this post. The style I like is really cheap which should free up my money so I can buy a Wii game my son wants for Christmas. He will be a happy little boy when he opens his present come Christmas morning. And mommy will be happy to have her eyeglasses and see her boy happy.

What do you think of my choice? Is it good? Or could I have done better? You can help me choose by going to the Zenni Optical website to look at their available frames then leaving me a message here. I will be happy to hear from you. I will feel better if I know my choice of frame is good enough because I will have to be wearing that particular frame for a year. The husband will just tell me the eyeglasses looks nice on me to avoid argument so I need an advise from somebody else.

our tree is up

2011-12-08T21:40:00.004-05:00

It is almost Christmas. We had our tree up just a few days ago after debating whether or not to put it up. It took us a while when we normally have our tree after Thanksgiving but all is good now. I want to buy more decorations and lights but money is tight so I reused last year's decorations. The husband said if things are good next year, we will get a new tree then get new decorations as well. We did argue on one thing, he wants candy canes on the tree and I am against it at first. He said it should be tradition and that he likes to have the sweets in the tree so it will be there whether I like it or not. I personally don't like the candies because I know the little man will be playing with them but whatever makes the husband happy. He does not ask any presents during Christmas (or any other holidays for that matter) so I will let him do it. He is torn in what color candy cane to put in our tree, lol. I don't know why since candy is candy no matter what color it is. He is yet to buy the candy cane with the flavor he prefers.

making some DIY Halloween candy for my family

2011-10-25T11:07:00.004-04:00

I really love making all kinds of desserts and treats. I've always had a huge sweet tooth, so it only makes sense that I make some of the really tasty treats that my family and I can enjoy. This time of the year I'm just now gearing up to make all kinds of tasty treats for all of the holidays over the next few months and what better way to kick off that time than Halloween? Candy definitely rules this holiday and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I'm constantly looking online for new candy recipes that I can make and I was doing that about a week ago when I ran across some internet cable packages. I looked through the info some and after that I decided to change over my home service to one of those packages.

I found this really great recipe for a Halloween candy bar that I tried out and my family just loved. I'm not going to make them for trick or treaters, but just enough for me and my family to enjoy.

Guest post written by Stacy Turner.

loving the weather

2011-10-19T17:32:00.003-04:00

I am back and nothing to report but how it is getting cold, lol. I have been busy with my kids and house chores, and sometimes with daydreaming as well. For some reason, I like the cold weather. For now, that is. This is way better than the hot, humid days of summer. It makes me think of Christmas and hot delicious soups. Of course it is also a good reason to stay in the couch with a book to read while the kids do their own business. I do hope it will not get too cold to be uncomfortable.

too far from family

2011-08-30T11:31:00.003-04:00

There are very few things in this world that I find more difficult than moving and I’ve moved 4 times in the last 5 years. If that sounds like a lot that’s because it is! I keep switching jobs and since I work for the school district I have to move to the county I work in and it would be nice if I had some help but unfortunately all my family lives a thousand miles away so they’re actually no help at all. Everytime I move I have to hire new movers to come and pack everything up and call all my utility people like Www.Direct.Tv to give them my new address and switch service and to be honest with you guys it’s just getting old. I know that sounds crazy but I want to stay in the same house for more than a year at a time! I think the next time I get a promotion I’m only going to take it if it means I get to keep my current house.

Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes.

unlocked phone

2011-08-05T20:06:00.007-04:00

My brother sent me a SIM card from the Philippines about a year ago. I was supposed to use it on one of our old phones from AT&T but the phones were not unlocked and were only dual bands, it did not work out. I have thought about purchasing a phone for the sim card but the prices were too expensive so I did not buy any. But right now, I am back to looking at unlocked phones online hoping that the sim card will still work. If not, then I will have to ask somebody to send me an unlocked sim when I get the phone. The tricky part is buying the phone. I have bookmarked two possibles and I am hoping either one of these will work. I still have to read more reviews about the phones before I decide to buy. I just hope it will work out this time and that I will be able to find an affordable phone so I can have something to use to communicate to my parents and relatives without paying too much or getting online every time.

tried and tested

2011-07-13T04:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My first-born used Parent's Choice formula after trying other formula brands. He did not only use the infant formula, we got him the formula for older babies as well. The husband was not too keen on making his son try regular milk until the little man was two years old so we bought Parent's Choice all that time. You could not imagine the amount of money we saved by buying Parent's Choice formula. And the little man was happy with it because it did not give him any bad reactions unlike the other formulas he tried. Since we have a good experience with the brand, we decided to buy it for the little girl too. She will turn six months in a few days and so far she has not have any complains with her milk. We are happy.

I always buy the little girl's formula at Wal-Mart because there is a branch near us. She goes through a can in barely two weeks so I try to stock up as much as I can so we do not have to run to the store all the time. I have just learned about the Parent’s Choice Infant Formula Savings Sweepstakes through this post I am making for Parent's Choice but I am not wasting any time in joining it. Why, if I win the little girl will have a $10,000 scholarship which will be a big help because I would really like for her to go to school and finish a degree for her own benefit. I know it is still so far in the future but time runs quick and I want to be prepared. And if I get some help then I am all for it. It will be great to not only use an affordable formula for my child and then win the promotion. I hope I get lucky.

Paradise, Here I Come!

2011-06-26T08:50:00.002-04:00

In a week, my husband Bill and I have plans to go to South America for a nice vacation. Day after day, we've been stuck inside our house because of the cold and the wintry weather. But no longer! Now that things are starting to warm up a little bit, we're prepped and ready. And South America should be a real blast. We both speak Spanish well, and we think that we definitely know enough to fair well down there. In any case, the weather should be favorable down that well.

When we get back, the weather should be starting to get nice here again, and we can do some fun things around here, too, so it's kinda win/win. We should be able to finally work on the house too. I read about some options for window restoration on HOMEPROIMPROVEMENT.com, and I think that is something we want to shoot for. However, I'll worry about work when I get back. Right now, I definitely have South America on the mind.

Guest post written by Lana Peters.

having fun with zumba

2011-04-26T09:06:00.004-04:00

I recently noticed that I had put on some weight. Nothing much, about 10 pounds or so, but enough for me to decide to take action. I decided to join Zumba and boy do I love it. Three days a week I set my home security alarm (HomeAlarmSystems) and head off to my Zumba classes.

The classes are so fun because you are basically dancing the whole time there. They play some cool Latin music and it really gets you in the mood to workout. There are about 15 people in my Zumba class and the instructor keeps us all motivated. It really does feel like you are just dancing at a night club but you are really getting quite a workout in.

So what are my results so far? I have lost about 8 pounds in only two weeks of doing Zumba. I have almost reached my goal of dropping 10 pounds but I don't think I will stop the classes when I reach a weight loss of 10 pounds. I think I will keep going and may even become a Zumba instructor myself. My friends and family have commented on my weight loss and I am so happy that I decided to do these classes.

Thanks for the guest post by Esteban Vinson.

she is here

2011-01-31T21:52:00.006-05:00

I gave birth via a scheduled (that did not really happen on schedule, lol) c-section two weeks ago. Baby and mom are doing fine and are trying to catch up on sleep. We still have not settled on a routine yet but we are doing good and I am trying to heal up. I have problems with my wound that I addressed to my OB but she said it is normal. Hopefully she is right because we do not want any health complications for me. I have a post-partum appointment on Wednesday and I am praying for good news. I want to post pictures but somehow I do not want to publish my daughter's picture online. I do not know what is going on with me. Maybe one of these days I will get around to sharing a picture of her. For now, let me enjoy our little bundle of joy.

dream bathroom

2011-01-16T20:24:00.004-05:00

We live in a charming house in the country. It has plenty enough space for a family of four to live in. Unfortunately for us, there is not enough bathroom. If we have our way, we would like to live in a house with two (or maybe more) bathrooms because the husband and I have a tendency to linger when we shower and we hate to be rushed. Beggars can't be choosers so we have to live with what we have and go on with life. We do talk that if and when we have the capacity to have our own house we will make sure that there will be enough bathrooms for everybody. Bathrooms that are designed to each user's taste. It will probably cost more than a regular bathroom but then it is our dream house and it is still a plan so the sky is the limit. Who would not want to dream of a nice bathroom that has shower enclosure, perhaps a jacuzzi, and a nice ample space for everything else? I already found the stuff I want to use in my own bathroom at Better Bathrooms. The question is when will we have the money to buy us a land much less a house? It still remains a plan but we are keeping our fingers crossed. Who knows lady luck will smile at us one day and all our dreams will come true.

watching cartoons

2011-01-16T19:37:00.006-05:00

The little man and I watched Up this evening. He liked the movie and actually paid attention so when it was finished I asked him if he wants to watch another movie. I gave him the option to choose between Thomas the Train, Dora the Explorer, or Go, Diego Go!. He chose Diego and is now trying to help rescue animals in trouble :) We have not watched cartoons in a while so I am letting him watch this movie before we go to bed. It is nice to just laze around the house especially when the little man is being good. I am hoping for more days (or nights) like this.

short visit

2011-01-06T19:10:00.006-05:00

We went to visit one of the husband's sisters today but she was not home so we did not stay long in her house. It was our mistake since we did not call her to inform that we were coming. We did not have any plans to visit either, it was a spur of the moment thing brought on by being coped up in the house for days. The little man checked all over the house for his aunt so we had to tell him she was not home. We plan on going back and this time we will make sure she is home so he can see her. He is quite fond of his aunt and little cousins which he got to play with for a short while. It started snowing though so we decided to head home. We will try to plan our next visit. Maybe even stay the night so the little man will get to play with his aunt and cousins. We will have to look at the weather forecast well in advance to make sure it is safe to be out in the road.

three weeks

2010-12-28T10:12:00.004-05:00

And I will be giving birth. My Ob scheduled me for my c-section already and I think the hospital cleared that scheduled so it will be a go. I hope the weather will cooperate. I am already packing stuff to bring to the hospital, for me and for the new baby. Also, I am starting to get things ready here in the house for the new baby. The little man has been told that he will have a new baby sister in a few weeks but I don't think he grasps the idea yet. I hope he will be good to her so I don't have to worry about them. We also already have a plan for him for that day. The husband and I finally agreed on where the little man will go (and who he will be with) while I am in surgery. He can leave me after that so he can deal with the little man and explain to him where I am at. It will be a busy few weeks after the delivery but we will deal with it as a family.

survivor nicaragua

2010-12-19T22:16:00.005-05:00

The husband chanced on the channel where Survivor was on. He started watching it because he found one of the survivors, Fabio, funny. He has been urging me to watch it with him but I don't have to. The way the volume on the television is blaring there is no way I will miss any thing that is going on. But to humor him, and to know who wins, I am watching the show too. The final voting that is. I hope Fabio wins too. He seems to be a nice guy. He is just lucky to be able to win the immunity challenge so he was included in the final three. I hope his luck will hold so he will win this game. I don't know what he will do with the money but I think he deserves it.

Update: As of this posting, the winner was announced and it was Fabio. I hope he will truly help his mother like he promised that woman in pink (he butt in) when Chase was asked what he will do with the money should he win.

greeting cards

2010-12-15T23:06:00.003-05:00

It is almost Christmas yet I have not send out one card for any of the relatives. The husband bought a pack of Christmas cards weeks ago hoping I will address all so we can send them on time. Guess what? The cards are still in the box gathering dust because I have not had the energy to dig through our address book. And it is only a few days before the holidays. Either our greeting cards will be late this year or there will be none mailed at all. I am sure the husband will remember though and then he will raise all kinds of h*** but what can he do? Maybe we will just call every relative we have contact numbers with so we can wish them Merry Christmas. My parents already informed me that the card they will send us will be late too due to some constraints. It does not matter to me, as long as they did send something. Come to think of it, we have not received one single card in the mail either. People must have been slow this year.

productive day

2010-12-07T22:10:00.005-05:00

Had a very important appointment today. Waited for about an hour before I got called, about fifteen minutes total for what the appointment was about and then it was time to go home. I was told good news about the appointment and will have to wait for further correspondence from the agency I went to. It will be another appointment but it will be easier than the one I went to today. I know I am being vague but I will tell you more when things are clear and I have proof in my hands. All I can say is that, today was a productive day even if the husband did whine about it :)

very cold

2010-12-06T09:34:00.004-05:00

It is snowing right now. It is cold. I had to go outside to bring the trash out and I had to bundle up or freeze. The husband is worried because I have appointments today and tomorrow and should the weather gets bad it will really be a problem. I am hoping it will not get too bad. We can take cold but snow is a different story. Hopefully it will not pile up so the roads will still be safe to travel. I need to get ready for my ultrasound appointment and then we will be off to run errands after which we will be staying home for the rest of the day.

gold

2010-12-04T21:33:00.005-05:00

So, our Christmas tree is finally up. Has been for a week now. The theme for this year is gold. I decided to buy new decorations for the tree so it will look different this year. The husband supported my idea and so we bought decorations in gold color. We did not have a hard time since there were plenty to choose from. I bought decorative balls, tree topper, and garland in gold. The little man wanted to buy gold coins which incidentally were available at the store as decorative pieces while the husband looked for gold candy canes because he said that a tree will never be complete without real candy canes in them. The problem was, there were no gold candy canes at the store we went to and he did not want to use a different color so the tree is still missing candy canes. He will eventually find canes somewhere if he really wants to use them. We all agree that our tree looks splendid this year. It better be because we spent a pretty penny for the decorations, lol. Kidding aside, the tree does look wonderful. Aside from the candy canes, we are only missing the presents under the tree to make it ready for Christmas. We still have plenty of time though so we will take our time.

it will be up soon

2010-11-26T22:07:00.004-05:00

We have been planning to put up our tree even before Thanksgiving yet here it is already Black Friday and the tree is still in the box. The husband has asked me when I will do it and I said I will but I want to do a gold theme this year. We have used the same decorations every year and as much as the tree looks pretty, I want something new. I will start a theme every year if I can and I plan on starting it this year. To start this we will have to shop for new decorations soon probably on a discount store so it will be cheaper. I hope I will be able to work on my plan.

password changed

2010-11-25T21:21:00.003-05:00

I have decided to change the password to my laptop. This is so the little man cannot get to it without my permission. I love how he knows to use the computers but he is getting too attached to mine that when I use it he watches me like a hawk making sure I don't stay in it longer than he thins necessary. He probably thinks that since he is not allowed to use the computer longer then mommy should be allowed to do it either. I explained to him the reason for what I did and although he was not happy about it at first, he did not complain much. I know he will understand. Somebody just has to realize who is boss :) He now starts using his father's computer when he wants to play his word games but it won't be for long since password for that computer will be changed too. We are just giving him time to adjust and get used to the idea.

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:10:00.006-05:00

What a lovely day for Thanksgiving. I have been outside this morning and although wind is blowing, it is kinda warm outside. A big difference from yesterday's cold and gloomy weather. The weather outside is actually reminiscent of the sea breeze in the South this time of year. I wanted to stay outside longer but the little man was crying for me to get inside so I did to avoid aggravating him. I think today will be a perfect day to visit relatives and spend Thanksgiving dinner with them. If the husband is up to it, that is. If not, we will just stay home and nibble on our Thanksgiving fare which have been cooked two days in advance. We want this day to be free so our food was cooked earlier than normal. This way we will get to do what we want today and we do not have to worry about being busy and stressed. We can just relax today, watch a movie, or laze around the house while letting the day go by. Hopefully the little man will be a good boy today. He told me to buy gold for some reason. He must have retained that from watching the business news last night. Anyway, I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. No matter the difficulties, we all have plenty to be thankful for, not just today but all days of our lives. Enjoy this day and be safe.

coffee

2010-11-22T14:19:00.004-05:00

I crave for coffee almost daily since I got pregnant. The craving is so strong that I feel grouchy when I don't get a taste of what I want. It is making the husband miserable but he cannot do much about it. I have told my OB (and a nurse at the health department) about it and they said as long as I don't drink more than two cups a day I should be fine. I don't drink that much anyway even when I am not pregnant. A cup (sometimes a few sip) is enough for me. I have researched online if coffee will have bad effect on the baby's health but I could not find any definite answer. I hope that it will not affect her in any way. I don't drink coffee every day anyway, only when cravings hit. I rarely drink soda or tea either. I know I am just reassuring myself but I hope this cravings will go away soon. I don't want my child to suffer for my mistakes.

renewals

2010-11-21T08:46:00.008-05:00

A number of my domain blogs need to be renewed early next year. It is not very cheap so I have to make a plan on how to pay it all off before the expiration date. What I decided is to renew one domain as I have funds available while making sure I do not get broke on the process. It is always nice to leave a few dollars on my Paypal account just in case I need to use it for something else. I already have two renewed which leaves me with still a handful but if I keep on with what I am doing I think I will be able to renew everything, including my webhosting account, before the end of the year. I just hope I will not get sidetracked or that I won't be tempted to use my fund on a book or a toy. We will see how this goes :)

fixing breakfast

2010-11-20T08:37:00.007-05:00

I woke up starving this morning. I don't know why since I remember I did eat before I went to bed. I guess I did not eat enough for two. The baby kicked me nonstop (must be hungry too) so I got up and had a glass of milk with saltines while waiting for a pot of rice to cook. I will have a full breakfast this morning, see if I don't. The husband said I should not let myself go hungry. We might not be able to buy gold bullion but we sure can afford food. He said to eat when hungry and not complain about it. He does not know that sometimes the reason I complain is that I just want to eat out, lol. I may have omelet with my rice and perhaps some kind of soup if I can find the right ingredients to fix it. Would be nice to eat at a breakfast buffet this morning though but I think it is too late for that and I don't see the husband rushing to get ready to eat out as cold as it is outside. So, it will be breakfast at home.

gloomy

2010-11-16T11:09:00.005-05:00

It is a wet and gloomy day today. The husband who has been outside said it is not too cold which I think in itself is a blessing already. With the weather as it is, we probably will stay home all day to stay dry and warm. He wants to go to the store to shop for a new mattress but we might not be able to do that without getting it wet so we will have to that another day. Maybe tomorrow if the weather permits. We have been planning the purchase a long time and we need to start shopping this week if possible. We both want a comfortable mattress. We do hope we will find something decent and affordable.

switch

2010-11-15T10:57:00.004-05:00

We just got a letter from our car insurance provider. It is a reminder that our insurance will be up for renewal in December, including how much we are supposed to pay for six months. It is way too much. For some reason our premium increased instead of either being the same amount or maybe less considering we have not had a claim made and we are insuring the same vehicles. We have decided to switch to a different provider after we got lower quotes from them. The husband talked to two different agents from the same provider and they gave him the same rate so we will go with that one. We will have to go to their office to sign forms and to get our proof of insurance soon and to pay our premium to get that worry out of the way.

what we are doing

2010-11-13T10:41:00.005-05:00

A friend and a few of her friends are going to a city near us today. She asked me if we could meet since we rarely see each other living hundreds of miles apart. I thought we could go until I calculated the cost of gas and the trip being over an hour. It is just too much for me to think much less to do anymore. I would love to see her and be introduced to her friends only if it was not too far. She told me she was going to bring me baby clothes and if she did she might have to bring said clothes back home with her. I don't think we are going. We are not ready and should we decide to go it will be time for them to go back home by the time we get in the car. I guess I will just see her next time. Perhaps we will get the chance to visit her in her house one of these days. Anyway, we are just lazing around since we got up. The husband is online reading news while the little man has the television on a show featuring a guy teaching people how to paint. I don't know what is fascinating about that. But then he watches shows that adults would like to watch like the news and documentaries and the stock market. Before long he will be telling us to invest on gold bar anymore, lol. He is something else. At least he is learning while watching television. I am online just surfing the internet and talking to my cousins who are in Denmark. It is a boring weekend for us with nothing planned to do or a destination to go to. But then maybe we will think of something else to do in a little while. Perhaps rent a movie to watch. We will see.

inception

2010-11-01T21:15:00.006-04:00

I was bored the other day so I decided to watch movies online. I did not have any movie in mind, I was just looking around until I found Inception. I have read good reviews about the movie and that it was a box office hit so I decided to watch it. It was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it with the husband who said he has always wanted to watch it. We were so engrossed in it that we watched the movie from start to finish. We both liked the ending but I asked him what if what went on in the end was not real? He looked at me real funny and said it could be real or it could have been a dream. We both do not know. We just know it was a good movie, one that requires a person to watch, think, and speculate. It has been a long time since I watched anything that makes me think that I was slow in picking up. I realized I may need to watch more of this kind of movies because I do enjoy it. I just need to find the time and a good movie to watch.

sorting

2010-10-23T22:45:00.005-04:00

I am slowly preparing for the new baby. This week I am working on sorting clothes that were given to me by friends and relatives. I already made up a way to segregate clothes, by month. It is easy when I was just thinking about it but was a bit tricky when I started. I did get it in order and I am happy. I still have lots of clothes to wash and put away since I was given bigger sized clothes too but I will take my time. I want to make sure that when the baby comes, her clothes are in order and she has what she needs. Or what I need anyway since she will be too little to care anyway.

making room

2010-09-30T12:07:00.005-04:00

I rearranged the living room and the little man's bedroom today. We have to make room for the new baby and I have to start doing it now while my tummy is not that big yet. While I still could move around without much difficulty or getting out of breath. It is an arduous task but one that has to be done for everybody to be comfortable. If we only live in our own house it will be easier to tear down walls and make another room but we are renting so every thing has to be kept the way it is and so moving things around is the more appropriate course of action. I hope once I am finished that everybody will be happy. I do not normally do things like this, I am happy with how the beds and furniture are arranged but like I said it has to be done. My unimaginative brain has to work a little to make room for some change. I can't wait for us to have our own place where everybody and every thing has room so I could leave things alone.

giving it away

2010-09-24T22:41:00.004-04:00

Last Spring, I planted squash (kalabasa) on a small patch. Little did I know the plants will bear so many fruits that I do not know what to do with them. I have given one friend three squash and to another five to share to their friends. I also have four here at home that I have picked for over a month now. But there are more in the garden where they grew. The husband has a cousin who knows what the squash are called, he said those are old-fashioned squash that he was used to eating when he lived in a farm with his parents. So the husband offered him the squash which he took readily. I was told he got four of the fruits. But you know what? There are more left, lol. The husband used to tease me that the plants were cursed because it does not seem normal to have that many fruits from a few plants. But then maybe it is because nobody is interested with it. I think if a lot of people know what kind I planted and what it is good for (food, of course) then it would not have to accumulate like that because there would have been people trying to pick them. I will try to get rid of the fruits by giving them away instead of letting them rot. I already have seeds saved for next year so I should be fine.

bad news and good news

2010-09-20T18:49:00.000-04:00

When the husband got a call from one of his sibling, he was not counting to hear bad news. He thought it was just another one of those calls he gets from his sibling where they ramble on about their mundane problems or their kids' problems. Little did he know that it would be about one of their sister and that particular sister was involved in an accident. A burning accident to be exact. It happened at her house while she was trying to light a brush pile. She used gas and somehow it exploded on her face and burned it and part of her body as well. A day later we received a call from the sister who was partly burned and she explained everything that happened to the husband. Thankfully, the damage was not as severe as the initial report. She said she should be out three days after she was admitted which is good to hear. We hope she will feel better soon. We promise we will visit her when she gets home. We are glad that she is not harmed much. She will probably have scars from this accident but at least she is alive and well and that is what matters. Thank you, God.

enjoying good food

2010-09-05T15:15:00.005-04:00

I just got through supper and I am so full right now. I have plenty of squash from my garden (even after giving a few to friends) so I thought about cooking some for supper. I cooked the squash with coconut milk and salted fish and it turned out so good I surprised myself, lol. I paired it with fried fish and rice and I had a sumptuous meal. Of course the husband did not eat no matter if the food smells so good. Silly that he is, he would rather eat raw squash than eat after I cooked it. I have leftovers which should be good for tomorrow and perhaps the next day's meal. It is nice to have fresh vegetables to cook whenever I like. Next on my list is to cook paksiw na bangus with eggplants (and maybe okra) in it.

the alphabet

2010-09-04T21:06:00.004-04:00

Our son is fascinated with the alphabet. He likes to recite the letters and he loves to make words out of them. He experiments with words and sometimes lines up consonants and tries to sound it out. I don't know how many packs of magnetic letters we have bought for him. It seems like wherever we go the things are available which makes him wild. The side of our refrigerator is littered with magnetic letters sometimes with coherent words in them but most of the times just a jumble of every thing. He can now spell simple words which is one good thing about having letters available to form into words. We support him all the way with the things he likes as long as it is good for him. The husband and I agree that this is better than video games.

investment

2010-09-02T18:07:00.006-04:00

The husband reads the news online every day. He likes to be updated on every thing that is going on especially the economy. He has been prepping me for the recession since the year that I got here which was in 2006. He told relatives and friends to watch out their spending and to save up as much as they could because it is going to happen. Sadly, no one listened. They thought he was crazy. Four years later, they believe him but it is a bit late for that. They already spent more than they should and not saved up a penny. They told him had they known then he was telling the truth they could have spent their money to buy gold bullion at the time since gold commands a high price at the moment. That would have been a better investment than not having any at all. Sometimes people learn their lessons the hard way, that money does run out and just when you need it it is scarce to find. We are not doing better by their standards anyway but we are surviving. We do not spend much since we do not have that much to spend anyway. But we are trying to reign our expenses. We hope this recession will end soon and things will be better so people will bounce back financially.

baby names

2010-09-02T17:25:00.002-04:00

The little man is going to have a younger sibling. Yes, I am on the family way. We were already told of the new baby's gender but my doctor and the radiologist said they were only 90% sure. I guess that is good enough for now. We still have not talked about names. My mind is not working at the moment. Unlike when I was pregnant with the little man I already had names lined up. Now I could not think of a single baby name may it be a boy or a girl. The husband is not much help since he comes up with crazy names that if we use on the baby will probably cause it to disown us when it is of age, lol. I have to start thinking and think hard I will. Maybe even ask family and friends for possible names we could choose from. What do you think is a good baby name? I will welcome suggestions.

he is giving me a headache

2010-09-01T17:16:00.010-04:00

The house is in shambles courtesy of the little man. I don't know what is going on through his head but he sure does like it when all his toys are out. He has a room where he could play and scatter his toys to his heart's content but apparently that is not enough space. I picked up after him but I am not making any progress since he makes sure that whatever I put away is returned where it was lying before the clean up. It is giving me headache. I want to put all toys away never to be seen again. But I know that is mean. He is even being defiant, he will not pick up after his mess, at all. And will not do whatever I ask him to do. Is he going through another round of terrible two's (only he is three) that I do not know about? I hope this will pass with my sanity still intact.

family issues

2010-08-21T12:45:00.005-04:00

There has been issues with the husband's family lately. It seems like nobody can quit yapping and if this does not stop it will cause more arguments and disagreements in the long run. I told the husband we should better stay away until the tension is over and that he should quit answering the phone when his siblings call or better yet, be short with their conversations. There is no sense in being involved especially in a petty discussion that is made big by exaggerated tales and such. I hate not to be able to visit because I like my in-laws but if they can't be mature about things then it is better if we stay where we are and wait for the storm to pass. I am not new to this kind of sentiments. My own family back home is like this sometimes and it takes time for everybody to cool down so things could go back to normal. I just hope this will die down before anybody's feelings get hurt.

good deed

2010-08-06T21:32:00.004-04:00

I made a person happy today by giving her things she did not expect I would give her. The husband is happy with the decision too. We did not give much but we think it was enough to put a smile on the other person's face. We hope we will be blessed with more so we could share more in the future. It feels good to do a good deed once in a while :)

new template

2010-07-26T12:34:00.004-04:00

Notice the change in this blog? I decided to change my template after a long time. I could not find a 3 column template so I opted for this simple one while trying to figure out how to navigate through Blogger's new template designer. I did it yesterday and I still have plenty to learn yet so little time to do it. I must admit I am afraid I am going to do something to mess up my blog so I am very cautious. I hope to be able to learn more so I can customize my template.

should i?

2010-07-17T22:27:00.004-04:00

I told the husband I want to go shopping and he said I should. He knows not to tell me no anymore, lol. Only I am too lazy to go to the store. I am tired (and hungry) all the time. And the little man gets crazy when he does not see me for a few minutes. I don't know what is going on with him, he is too old to have separation anxiety. I could bring him with me but I know he will get bored quick and he does things to annoy me so we will go home. I would hate to go home early when I don't get to go out often. I don't know what is going on with me lately. I don't like to go to big stores anymore because of the time I spend roaming around looking for something but I do think I need to go out and since it will be shopping for clothes and shoes then maybe I will not feel like it is a waste of time. Am I contradicting myself? Perhaps, but that is how I feel at the moment. Maybe I will change my mind tomorrow.

lady gaga

2010-07-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

My boys were glued to the television when I got out of the shower. The reason? Their favorite Lady Gaga was performing on one of those morning shows. They did not know about it until the SIL called and told his brother about it and so they turned the tv on and they have been watching it since then. The news has come on but the little man has not moved from the couch but to check on me once. I think he is still waiting for another glimpse of his favorite performer. Well, if it keeps him away from trouble he is welcome to wait, lol. I have to get up and fix him something to eat so he will not starve.

food..who would have thought it could be so interesting!?

2010-07-07T09:47:00.003-04:00

Post written by Carla Ferreina.

I absolutely love to watch television shows about food, on my Direct TV satellite TV. One of my favorite networks to watch is the Food Network. Everything they have on there is not only educational but intriguing as well. I think my favorite food star is Rachel Ray. She has a show on Food Network called "30 Minute Meals". She prepares and cooks full meals in 30 minutes or less. This is one of my favorite because, while I like to cook, I do not ever, really, have much time to take out of my day to prepare and cook full meals. So if I can prepare and cook a meal in about thirty minutes, that is great! Another great show is "The Next Food Network Star". This show is not necessarily a show to watch to learn about cooking food but it is very entertaining. The show is a competition between about 18 people who cook and show off there personal skills to judges, trying to become the next food network star. In order to become the next food network star the cook must be able to cook extremely well, have great people skills, be able to work well within a time frame, be able to talk and entertain while preparing and cooking food, and be able to keep their composure in front of the camera. So all in all, if you love to watch television shows about cooking and food stars, I believe that the Food Network is one of the best networks to watch.

declined

2010-07-04T23:55:00.005-04:00

We were invited to a friend's wedding party. I was sent the invitation through Facebook right after she talked to me on the phone. Weeks before the party I was sure we will go but days before I knew we could not. Not with the husband's on and off pain in his back and neck, and not with the little man's being hyper lately. I am afraid we will ruin the fun had we attended. So two days before the event I sent a reply telling her my and family and I could not come. I really wanted to, to be honest. But I would not have enjoyed it knowing my boys were not with me. Maybe next time we are invited to another party we can go. That there will be no more problems on our part. I have not attended a party in a long time, whether formal or not. I would like to dress up a little and show off my gorgeous boys and my little baby bump to the public. Let's hope we will get invited again even if we have declined all invitations sent our way for one reason or another.

we love our neighborhood watch program

2010-06-25T00:25:00.002-04:00

Thanks to guest blogger Diana Goins for the post.

After moving into a new neighborhood, I began to think about the security of the area. With two small children, you can never be to careful of what's going on and who's around you. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure the safety of my family. I immediately installed a Texas home alarm system. I was ecstatic to learn that a neighborhood watch program was already in place in the area. It showed that while the world may have mean people in it, there are still plenty of good folks out there who care and are willing to go the extra mile to keep their community safe.

It has been more than a year since my family and I moved to this great neighborhood, and we couldn't be more happier. The neighborhood watch program has been successful here, and helped the family form long-lasting friendships. Someone is always looking out for you and your home, and you do the same. It's nothing hard about it, and really nothing more than a common courtesy to another person. We all work together and work around each other's schedules to ensure someone is always keeping an eye on things. The whole block participates. Mrs. Martha is home most days, and she is the grandmother with the eyes that see all and the ears that miss nothing. Mrs. Martha even started the neighborhood watch program.

Diva

2010-06-23T00:28:00.005-04:00

I am currently watching Diva, a Filipino television series that I have come to love. I just started watching the series and thanks to people who upload the episodes online I am about to catch up. It is funny and it is like a musical in its own cute way. I watch a few episodes daily that the little man now sings the theme song when he looks at my computer, lol. He is nosy and he has to know what I am doing that's why. I like the series and I hope I will be able to catch up with the latest episodes soon because I think the headaches I have is caused by watching the monitor all the time. There are too many shows to watch online but I am watching them one at a time and in between several days' break so my family will not think I have been neglecting them. Well, enough of this. I have to watch a few more episodes and then it is bed time for me. Good night! er, Morning.

crime in Hawaii

2010-06-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

This guest post supplied by Allen Thonm.

Statistically, crime in Hawaii continues to go down. Hawaii is rated as one of the best states for crimes committed per capita. However, there is still very heavy crime involving drugs in the state of Hawaii.

Sometimes I feel unsafe in my neighborhood because of the local crime. While it is not as prevalent in my area as in other areas of the island, it is still present. I have taken certain measures to ensure the safety of my home and family. I take these measures because an intruder can be very dangerous.

Along with installing a home security system from ADT Hialeah, I have also purchased heavy-duty deadbolt locks from my local hardware store. I installed these locks and they help relieve some of the tension because of how strong they are. My wife and I also went out and bought a dog so that he would be here when we are out of the house. You would be surprised at the excellent affect a dog has on a possible intruder.

Making my home safer and more secure was a step that I needed to take. While there will always be crime in Hawaii, at least I know I am doing everything I can to protect my family and myself from it.

we are invited

2010-06-19T11:35:00.005-04:00

We are going to attend a birthday party later today. It is the little man's cousin's birthday and he is invited. They are of the same age and gets along well which is a relief since I really want him to socialize with kids his age. Last I heard, there will be water balloons which means there is water so we may have to get him swimming trunks before we go. He has outgrown all his swimming shorts and we are in need of a replacement. I hope I will find one that fits. I have known all along that there is a possible impromptu pool party what with all kinds of kids invited and I have thought about buying him shorts but I never really got around to doing it. Leave it to me for being an irresponsible mother. Well, I have to go and see what I can find. I hope the little man will have a good time with his cousins later today.

normal college student

2010-06-15T11:50:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Garret Brown for writing this guest post.

I am an online student thanks to hughes satellite internet in WA, and take great pride in that fact. I am like a normal college student, everyday I log on to my class via my hughesnet satellite internet connection. The current class I take is a communications class that focuses on organizational communication patterns and problems. I love how everyone in the online environment has to participate in discussions and comment on each others work. I have taken normal classes at a brick and mortar school and have found that this type of interaction seldom occurs. Online classes encourage us to interact and develop relationships with other students and faculty members.

Taking classes online has been an easy way for me to get my degree while still doing my other duties in life, such as taking care of my family and keeping a job. Without classes being offered online, I would be in a dead end job, going nowhere and not getting the chance to meet the other students that are from all over the globe. Getting their view on things has helped me understand other cultures, as well as my own better. Not many brick and mortar colleges offer such diverse experiences. Overall, the internet has enabled me to chase my dream of getting my degree.

getting ready

2010-06-14T23:34:00.004-04:00

I rearrange one room in the house for future use. It is tiny and I was told it was used as a nursery by previous owners and I have been thinking of using it as it has been used before. I have a problem because the house we live in does not have plenty of closet space so I have to make room for every thing. I got so used to the comfort of having all kinds of closets on the apartments we lived in that now that I don't have much it is giving me a headache to arrange our stuff. I already have a lot of items I want to be shipped to the storage building so we will have more room. If we did not spend money on these items I would have wanted to just toss it in the dumpster and be done with it. But money is an issue right now so I have to hang on to whatever we have. Who knows I might just be able to sell these things in the future. I am not halfway done but I can already see improvements. Maybe in the next few days I will get things done and the room will look decent and spacious enough for a little person.

birthday and more

2010-06-12T23:29:00.005-04:00

My brother's daughter's birthday is today. She turned two on Philippine Independence Day. And since I had little to share, I sent her parents money with the instruction they buy her something for her birthday. From her relatives from far away. My brother and I talked online for a long time with the kids (his and mine) running wild in the background. It was nice to be able to talk to him without worrying about minutes and such. I reminded him of the food I want him to send me which he said he will once his review classes end. When that will be I do not know. He sure knows how to evade his responsibility, lol. He asked me if I am going to send another balikbayan box and when I said yes he rattled off things he wants me to buy for him and his wife and kids. Demanding much? That is how he is whenever I tell him I plan on sending a box. He knows that out of all the items he requests, he will be lucky to get even half of it. I am not meticulous when it comes to the list they give me. I buy what I think they need and most of the time forgets about the items they requested I buy for them. Or more like conveniently forgets about it. I already have a big box overflowing with all kinds of goodies but still have to add more to make my family in Leyte happy. Next step will be to find an agent of those big forwarding companies (mostly on Asian stores) so the box will be shipped. I think we should be able to ship it within this year, lol. I am not in a hurry and I promised myself I will not stress over it so they will just have to wait when I am ready.

paid!

2010-06-12T19:48:00.004-04:00

Although it almost broke my heart to part with a few hundred dollars over a mistake I did, we had to pay the bill and so we did. The husband is generous enough to pay for all of it so he said we do not have to worry about it anymore. But he said I should never do something like that again if we want to save. He did not have to tell me twice. I have learned my lesson the very expensive way and it will stay in my memory to haunt me. One bad move that cost us a lot of money. But the phone bill is paid and I am now relieved.

Since we were already near the MIL's house, we visited her and were grateful with the decision because we got to pick fresh vegetables from her garden. We loaded up on beans, zucchini, bottle-neck squash, beets, and potatoes. I asked her if it was fine if we will come back for the tomatoes which already have small fruits. She said yes and so we will. I love her garden! There are so many plants and it is pesticide free which makes it more enticing. And she is always ready to share her produce to her kids which so sweet of her. So even if we did spent money for that awful bill, we did get something good from the trip. It was not all bad.

i have to pay

2010-06-09T08:58:00.006-04:00

We might go to the SIL's house today to pay part of her phone bill. A few weeks ago, I used her phone to call international not knowing she did not have any kind of long distance plan. I talked for about 50 minutes to my parents and thought it will only be about fifty maybe a hundred dollars when the bill comes. It turned out the provider charged them with almost $300 for the call and even though she called the telephone company (or so she said) to have the bill adjusted they did not do it. So we have to pay them that amount and never will I ever touch her phone again. It sure was a lesson learned the hard way. And so we will pay for it today. I will write her a check but I have to know the exact amount because she keeps on saying it is over 300 now but I remember her said it was 285 the first time she told me about the bad news. I know I am to blame for this expense and I take full responsibility. Never will I call my parents again without knowing what kind of service the phone I am using have, no matter how urgent they think it is. They will just have to wait until I am good and ready to call them. I could have spent that money on something else entirely. What a fool had I been.

shiny new kitchen counters

2010-06-09T00:41:00.002-04:00

This is a guest post by Fern Breonfeld

I wanted to update my kitchen with a new look but I did not want to spend a ton of money or take down any walls. After looking around my kitchen a few times and consulting with a few remodelers I decided that the change needed was on the kitchen counters.

I searched through some of the countertop types that the contractors had to offer and eventually settled on granite Sears kitchen counters. I liked the marble but with all of the lemon pies I make I did not want to scratch the surface of the marble with the acidic lemon juice that sometimes spills out onto the counters when I am squeezing lemons. Instead of marble, I chose a granite that looked very similar to marble. It is a dark black granite that shimmers in the light and it has a very glossy surface that is nice to the touch and adds a lot of sheen to the kitchen.

The remodel did not take very long at all much to my surprise. The contractors had initially told me it could take up to a full week to install the new counters but it only took them about three days to get the old countertops out of the kitchen and to have the new countertops fully installed.

growing

2010-06-07T13:02:00.002-04:00

Our little family is growing. I think I am pregnant. Think because I have not been to the doctor yet and I need a professional's findings on this one. So far only a few people know yet (and now you). I have not shouted it out to family (except my parents because they have the right to know) and friends because like I said I am waiting for confirmation. Although we have had our in-home confirmation about a week ago. I am being lazy calling for an appointment. I think I still got time though because if my calculations is right, I should be about a month pregnant by now. The little man still does not know. How bad is that? I don't know if he will understand anyway unless the baby is really here. But I will make it a point to gradually tell him about a new addition to our family soon. I hope this pregnancy will be smooth sailing and the baby and I are healthy and in good condition. I am hoping for a baby girl but I will be happy with a baby boy too as long as he will be healthy and normal. These are the two things a parent always wishes for her kid. And I am not unlike other parents.

beautiful

2010-04-02T21:23:00.005-04:00

Don't you think so? This was taken about a week ago. I did not have anything better to do so I took pictures of things that caught my attention. The husband said he wanted to have a new screen saver for his computer and he likes nature so that was my subject. I took plenty of pictures that day most of which are still on my camera. I love to look at the blue sky. So clear and so beautiful. It is inspiring.

the next step

2010-03-02T12:10:00.004-05:00

Now that I got my passport, the husband is telling me to start gathering documents we might need to file for my naturalization. I have not looked at the forms yet. I know I have to read the instructions and prepare whatever needs to be prepared and make sure everything is in order before we can submit my application. It will take months for this to get done but I am willing to patiently wait. This is one ordeal I can allow myself to wait without being stressed. Hopefully. If this will prove to be successful then we might consider bringing my parents over here if they still want to come. Then they can help me take care of the little man :)

one step at a time

2010-02-03T16:30:00.003-05:00

We finally went to Washington, DC to apply for my passport. I am now waiting for it to be mailed from the embassy. Hopefully it will get here on schedule so I can stop worrying about it anymore. At least should we decide on a trip outside of the country I am ready. I know I should start gathering papers so I can apply for naturalization. It is better that way since I still have an option to re-acquire my Filipino citizenship after I will be a naturalized citizen anyway. But it requires a considerable sum and I need to save for that so it will have to wait. And like the husband said, we will do things one step at a time.

bribe

2010-01-29T23:37:00.000-05:00

The little man had a haircut today. The act was not a pleasant one for any of us. The husband got annoyed, the little man cried like a fool, and I acted the referee, also annoyed at the two of them. This is normally what happens when the little man is due for a haircut. It is a battle of wills and I always get caught up in the middle. It started out with the father giving his son a dollar so he will allow him to cut his hair. The little man accepted the bribe and then ran off yelling for me. Somehow I knew it was going to end bad. Sigh! I had to get the little boy who was trying so hard to hide in a corner saying no while his father waited with the clipper. When I picked him up he started screaming. I don't understand his aversion to a haircut. He acted like he did not want anybody to touch his hair. If only it was not too long and ugly looking we would have left him alone but he was in dire need of a trim. Which ended up to be a burr. Well, we can't help it. When you have a kid who wiggles and covers his head with his hands while cutting his hair I am sure you will end up doing the easiest trim. He was so angry with the deed though I don't know why. He did like the result because we gave him a mirror and he smiled at himself like a goof. I just don't know why we have to go through all that racket when all we need is a few minutes to get the job done.

short trip

2010-01-16T08:44:00.003-05:00

We might go on a short trip in the next few days if the weather permits it. We will go to Washington DC to renew my passport. I decided to file in person instead of relying on the mail and the assurance from the people working at the embassy. I hope it will work. I pray for a safe trip. We might stay a day to sight-see but I am not sure yet.

belated Christmas present

2010-01-06T20:01:00.007-05:00

Last Monday I received a small package from my friend Belle. We talked days before and she asked if I would like to receive educational DVDs from her and I readily said yes. She then sent them to me and three days later it arrived. The picture above shows the DVDS she sent. We already watched the Sesame Street DVD and the little man loves it especially since it contained a song he had been watching on Youtube. And of course it is about numbers and the alphabet which made it the more interesting. Thank you Mami Belle for the belated Christmas present. Thank you for making my boy happy.

new wallet

2009-12-31T12:29:00.004-05:00

After over four years, I am finally ditching my old wallet in favor of a new one I purchased today. The old wallet was made of leather and it was given to me by a cousin in exchange for a cheap wallet I owned. There is a story behind that exchange but I don't think anybody will be interested so let's skip that. Anyway, I used that wallet for a long time because I liked it. It is still in good condition and I love it but I want something new. I think I deserve a new one after four years, don't I? I like the new wallet. It is not expensive nor has it a name brand but I like the fact that I could put all my cards and everything else besides without it getting bulky. Of course it is almost as big as my purse, lol. But I am also aiming to buy a new purse in the next few months if I find something I like. I will definitely post a picture of the new wallet when I get my camera's battery fully charged. This is my late Christmas present for myself :)

short update

2009-12-27T19:42:00.003-05:00

I am so tired and sleepy but I am not ready for bed yet. I have this insane urge to update this blog even if I don't really have anything new to write. Isn't that crazy? When I am more coherent I will do a follow post after this one. Perhaps I will tell you how our holiday went and what I got for myself :)

early present for the little man

2009-12-21T18:27:00.005-05:00

We went out to buy a basketball set for the little man. I debated on whether to get him the kind for toddlers or the kind for older kids with adjustable pole. The husband was not any help at all, he told me to get what I want and I always lean on the item with the cheaper price so I ended up buying the basketball set for toddlers after which I was met with a "You should have bought the other kind". I said I will return the purchase but we did not like the thought of having to wait in line at the customer service so we went home with the original purchase. Amazingly enough, the little man loved the toy so it was all worth it anyway. When the husband said the other kind would still be a good buy I told him we will get it next Christmas. It is effective too since he gets quite, lol. We have been shooting baskets, the little man and I. It actually reminds me of playing street basketball with my cousins and our neighbors. The husband could not believe I know how to play the game short as I am, lol. I was also able to grab another present for the little man, building blocks which I know he will like. I would like to buy more but I don't want to smoother him with presents. We only buy toys in this household when there are special occasions or when there is something we think the little man will like which is most of the time educational. The enthusiasm and excitement we get from such toys are well worth the money we spent.

in Tunisia

2009-12-16T07:34:00.003-05:00

I received a text message from my brother saying his boat is in Tunisia right now. To be honest I don't know where it is at. Thankfully Mr Wiki gave me the answer and I am now a bit informed. He sent the text message to "remind" me that Christmas is coming and to not forget his presents. What? He is the one who is working and he is asking his jobless sister for presents? What is going on? I sent him a reply that said if he wants gifts he needs to call. He did not. He must have known ate already has excuses on the ready, lol. We already sent early Christmas presents to the parents and a few relatives in Leyte so we are off the hook for now. We would like to send more if we can but resources are limited so they will have to be content with what we can give. It is a good thing I have understanding parents. As for my brother, I think he needs to give me something for the holidays for a change.

the food court

2009-12-10T21:36:00.003-05:00

When I miss Filipino food and the food court in Manila, I have this picture to remind me of what it was like. The husband found this photo when he was sorting through all our pictures and he was ready to throw it away but I told him I will hang on to it. It gives me inspiration sometimes when I run out of ideas on what to fix for my meals. I hope to be able to do this again, eat food somebody else fixed even if some people say it is not sanitary. Well, it is good and I think that is all that matters.

we need to save

2009-12-08T11:31:00.003-05:00

The parents received their early Christmas present a week ago. Which means we might not have to send them anything more. I hope. The husband and I made a plan to save as much as we can so we can go on a trip. I hope we will be able to save. I know he wants this trip so bad and he will be very happy if it happens. I want to help him make it happen. So there will be no more shopping or unnecessary spending on my part no matter how I want to. I hope I can keep my end of the deal.

not feeling good

2009-12-03T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today is a beautiful day but instead of lifting me up I am actually feeling low. I don't know what is going on with me. Perhaps this is PMS? Everybody is subdued, even the little man is asleep and has been for four hours now. The husband is taking a nap too and it is unusually quiet here at the moment. A lot of incoherent thoughts are swirling in my head that I am actually having a headache. If this keeps on I will go crazy. I'll go get me some sweets maybe it will help me feel better.

happy thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T04:34:00.002-05:00

I wish you good food, good company, and bountiful Black Friday deals :)

did not get a good night's sleep

2009-11-23T10:21:00.004-05:00

My phone kept on ringing last night that I had to get up several times to tend to it. The culprit are my brother and our father. The first wanted me to get online at one in the morning because he was online so we could talk. Is he crazy? I said no, I need my rest. And that if he wanted to talk do it at a decent time. It did not matter that he was at some port in India. I still had to sleep. Then my phone rang again with a text message from Papsy asking me why the balikbayan box we sent is not delivered yet. Now this one I don't have an answer to. When I did not reply he called a few hours later which was two hours earlier than my normal waking hour. Agghhh! I had to get up early today after not having a good rest last night. And I still did not know the answer to the question. I may have to call the agent tonight to know what is going on. As for the brother, I hope he will get online early so we can talk. I hate to be loud in the middle of the night when everybody is asleep.

shoes!

2009-11-14T16:30:00.003-05:00

I wanted a new pair of shoes. My old pair still looks good and I am still using it but I had it in my head that I need a new pair. I guess I just wanted to shop. Anyway, so we went to the mall today to find me a nice pair and we ended up buying more shoes than we need. We bought shoes for my brother's little girl which was really cute and, well, girly. Also bought a pair for one of my cousin's daughter who I used to buy clothes when I was single. Then the husband went wild buying shoes for his son. Shoes that are still too big for the little man to wear. I must tell you the shoes were on sale and were marked way down to where we only paid 6-9 dollars a pair. Good deals? You bet! It took me a long time to find a pair for me. I was ready to go when the husband pointed this cute walking shoes to me and asked me to try it on. I said that same pair was on clearance so I went back and was lucky enough to find the perfect size (6) which felt comfortable when I tried them on. That was 50% off but still expensive but I really liked it so we bought it. Now I not only have a nice pair of shoes but we also have shoes for the little man and for the girls. We are slowly filling up another box to send to Leyte. I will wait for more sales to come :)

itching to go shopping

2009-11-11T07:54:00.002-05:00

We received coupons from the store yesterday for a sale that actually started that day. It was a good deal too because the discounts were up to 75% and I so love it when we do not have to pay a lot of money for clothes or kitchen appliances and other things. But we did not go. The husband promised we will but it rained. The weather did not cooperate and I am a bit disappointed. I would love to browse and see what I can get that we need. I did not think of blowing off his credit on that store, I planned on buying things I think we will need or we could put in a box for our balikbayan box for next year. It is never too early to get things for that one, you know. But as I said we did not go. We might today because the sale runs for three days I think but there might not be anything if people decided to go yesterday. We can still try though. If nothing else, I can buy clothes for the little man for next year. All I have to do is get it a few sizes bigger so the clothes will still fit him. And maybe look at the clearance rack on shoes. I found a very nice pair a few months ago. I might get lucky again this year. That is if we will go. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

surprise

2009-11-10T22:26:00.006-05:00

The husband and I were talking earlier about planning to visit my parents next year. Some of you might know we have this same plan every year but have not acted on it due to financial constraints. But instead of letting it get us down, we talk and plan and laugh about it. We even come up with hilarious plans sometimes. We decided now that if and when we go visit next year we will not inform my parents we were coming. We will surprise them. It is kinda appealing and I can just imagine my parents surprised looks but there are glitches to our plan. One, my mother is liable to whip me in the a** for not telling her in advance about the visit so she could clean the house and prepare things for our stay. Second, it may get expensive when we hire somebody else to drive us from the airport to my parent's place. Third, I am not comfortable riding in a van with a driver I do not know especially if the trip is three hours and mostly in the mountains. We could live with one and two but the third still bugs me until I realized I have a cousin who is driver we could ask to pick us up after we swear him to secrecy. I have been thinking about it and the more I do the better it sounds. Now we only have to come up with the money, lol.

happy weekend

2009-11-07T08:30:00.002-05:00

Had a nice chat with the parents this morning. It was nice to hear them laugh and talk and not worry about bills and expenses even if we all are broke, lol. Now I only need to hear from J so I will quit worrying about him. It is a happy weekend indeed.

replacement

2009-11-04T20:02:00.004-05:00

Mamsy lost her earrings a few weeks back. It was an expensive pair too given to her by the sister-in-law and her first pair at that. She is in her forties and she just had her ears pierced. And the first pair of earrings she got she lost. She is devastated so I promised her I will either send her a nice pair of earrings or give her cash so she can buy a new pair. She does have the money but she is hanging on to it like her life depended on it, lol. So I am giving her a gift. What is a small expense compared to the headaches I gave her right? Besides I know she will be happy and hopefully will treasure the earrings when she gets it. Now I have to hurry and start saving up for her.

over-abundance of sweets

2009-11-03T15:02:00.003-05:00

While making this entry, I am staring at a bowl of candies the little man accumulated last Halloween. I have thrown a considerable bunch away after he wanted them open and not eat a single candy. I have hunted for M&M's and skittles around the house afraid it will stain the carpet. I don't know what the husband is thinking unwrapping candies for his son when he knows full well the little man does not like candies. I wanted to dump everything in the trash can but I don't want these sweets to go to waste. Perhaps I should save them for next year? Lol.

plan to watch movies

2009-11-02T19:13:00.003-05:00

I did not feel good today. It was cold and gloomy and I wanted to go shopping but I did not have the money. Sad, eh? Lol. I ended up renting three movies from Hollywood which I will watch when I know I can sit down without interruptions even if it means watching one in the middle of the night. I have Ice Age 3 which I am hoping will lift my mood up. I am a fan since Ice Age 1 and I have watched the previous movies over and over again. Hopefully this new movie will be good too. I just love Sid.

facebook and a toddler

2009-10-26T18:00:00.004-04:00

My friends encouraged me to join farming in Facebook. And after saying no for the longest time, I gave in. I don't announce about anything I do on my farm, rather I do it for fun. I even let the little man help me harvest our crops when they are ready. It was fine at first, he was a big help. Until he decided to take over. Whenever I open my computer he runs to me and says Facebook! It was amusing at first but then it got annoying anymore. He wants to check all the icons and do everything else except what I tell him to do. We argue about it which the husband finds annoying, lol. I showed him the cause of the argument and he said we are crazy. Well, he has one thing to be thankful for, I am not addicted to it yet. Like I said I do it for fun and upon learning my lesson I now do my farming when the little man is busy to avoid temper tantrums. I want him to stick to educational websites when he wants to get online so he will keep on learning and leave mommy to her silly game.

catching up

2009-10-21T18:20:00.004-04:00

My brother informed me he was in Russia yesterday and if we could talk online so I am waiting for his signal. I don't know what is keeping him from doing it though. I tried to call his mobile phone but remembered that it is on roaming which means it cannot accept calls and according to his text message he was on his last peso. Such luck! I hope we get to talk online before they leave port so we will see each other on cam. He might want to see his nephew who is as obnoxious as him, lol. I want to catch up with what has been going on with his life and his career. We have not seen each other in person since he sent me off almost four years ago. We need plenty of time to talk and gossip. He may be a pain sometimes but most of the time he listens to his "ate" even if it annoys him so much being younger than somebody who he towers over.

fatten him up

2009-10-16T17:42:00.002-04:00

The husband and I are on a quest to fatten the little man up. It is not an easy feat considering he says no to most food. Fruits? No, except for banana. Vegetables? No. Rice? No. Bread? No. And a lot more no's.That leave us with very little but we will try to make it work. At almost three he is only 30 lbs and all legs. The times I take his shirt off the husband cringe when he sees his son's ribs sticking out. And so we want to change that. We will try to let him decide what to eat if we can't talk him into eating the food we serve. I hope it will work. We need somebody's cooperation in this one real bad.

one monthly bill down

2009-10-10T17:29:00.003-04:00

Next week the husband will call to cancel our internet phone. I only use it for international calls and we are paying basic charge for it plus international minutes when I use it. Amazing that after two years we just realized that we are actually paying a lot of money for it when I can actually just buy a few phone cards when I want to call my parents or any relatives abroad. The basic charge alone is enough to buy a few cards! And since I only call when I have to then there is really no sense in paying more than we have to. So he will call the provider next week and if it goes good then we don't have to worry about this one bill which gets up to about a hundred a month. We do have our mobile phones which works better than anything else.

early birds

2009-10-02T07:44:00.003-04:00

We are up early today. We are waiting for the electrician to put in a new electric(?) box so the new air-conditioner can be installed. The husband said this means we will be out of electric for a while. We have not decided whether to stay home or go somewhere else while this is happening although with his condition right now we might as well just stay home. He is in severe pain. The little man is here singing gibberish. He was upset with me earlier because I clicked an alphabet video which he did not like to watch. Silly kid kept on whining about alphabet song and when I found one it was not the one he wanted. He got angry over that. What am I a psychic? I was so close to hiding all the computers but I know he will just get more upset and I am not up to a whiny toddler this early in the morning. I am consoled by the fact that there will be no electric in a little while. Yey! Lol.

doing fine

2009-09-29T08:34:00.003-04:00

I called my sister-in-law last night to check how they are doing after Ondoy. I was worried because they live in the CAMANAVA area where it is known to flood easy when it rains. She told me everybody was fine and their major problem is to clean up the garage which was soaked when the water level rose. I am glad they are fine although I am sad that a lot of people are affected and some even lost loved ones. The husband and I looked at pictures online and the scene was horrible to look at. We hope and pray for those who are afflicted by the calamity.

lazy spell

2009-09-19T21:50:00.003-04:00

We sent a box to Leyte last weekend. The contents will be our Christmas presents to my parents and a few of the relatives. We would have loved to send more stuff but money is an issue right now so we did not. We only got what we thought was important. Perhaps next time we will send more for everybody. After spending time shopping I am left with nothing else to do. Ironically I am tired and do not even have time to update my blogs like I am supposed to. Well, I hope to get over this lazy spell in the coming days. I need to do something to earn money so it will not be a problem anymore :)

got another box

2009-09-14T15:24:00.004-04:00

I received another box today. This time it is more Nissin cup noodles seafood flavor. The box contained 19 noodles! This should last for a while. I thought it might not get here until next week but thankfully it did. There was just a slight problem though, somebody opened the box before it was delivered. Where it happened I do not know. It might have been when in transit. It was clear that it was tampered with since the postage sticker was cut in half and whoever checked what was in the box used clear tape instead of brown to tape it again. The lid on one of the cup noodles was cut too. The husband said somebody was being nosy but I think it was just random check. I can't blame anybody being suspicious since last week I also received a package from PI with some goodies in it. Well, I am glad the noodles are here. I am sure to make these last since it is getting expensive. Thank goodness to thoughtful relatives!

the box is here

2009-09-11T12:28:00.003-04:00

The box that I have been waiting for weeks is finally here. As usual I had to pick it up at the post office. The husband asked what was in the box and I showed the contents,which were cans of corned beef and beef loaf, to him. He does not appreciate the goodies inside because he has not tried any of it. To him the lot were just canned goods. For me it is different. I was so happy when I saw the contents of the box. I love these goodies and although they have corned beef here, PI brand still tastes better for me. So here is a picture of the goodies that I received last Tuesday.

waiting..

2009-09-07T08:34:00.003-04:00

For the box that my parents mailed three weeks and four days ago. Mamsy said she will go to their post office when it opens and ask for the box to be traced. She said the late delivery must have something to do with all kinds of holidays PI is celebrating. Maybe. I will wait some more. I hope to hear good news this week though.

another package

2009-09-02T18:35:00.005-04:00

My parents mailed a box of goodies for me over two weeks ago. I am still awaiting for the said box. This is the first time anything sent to me has taken this long to be delivered. I am starting to get anxious. The husband is not helping with his comments for me not to even hope it will get here. I am not even going to think that. I will continue to wait. Maybe the mailman will deliver it tomorrow or on Friday. I still have hope. The box does not contain anything expensive but I would really love it if it will get here without incident. I will let you know when it happens :)

my brother's family

2009-08-25T08:22:00.001-04:00

Meet my sister-in-law Mel. I have been talking about her here but I have not really posted her picture. She is the one who made it possible for me to satisfy my craving for nissin cup noodle seafood flavor. I grabbed this picture from her Friendster profile last night. The baby girl is her daughter and my only niece which I have only seen in pictures. This was taken when the little girl had her birthday at Jollibee last June.

crazy

2009-08-21T14:06:00.001-04:00

My son is getting crazier by the day. Crazy in a way that he gets annoyed at every little thing and lets us all know about it by whining, screaming, throwing himself on the floor kicking while doing everything to aggravate us. When he wants me to do something for him he clings to my leg and will not let go until what he wants is given to him. It makes it all the more hard to do anything anyway which results to more crying. I am about to go crazy. There are times I really, really want to spank him but then it only makes things worse. What I do is talk to him and tell him the why's and how's which only works a few minutes. You know how a toddler deals with emotion, it is like a roller coaster ride every day mostly for me since the husband stays in the porch when his son starts his tantrum to avoid more confrontation. I hope this will stop by his third birthday. I want a quite home and an agreeable child. Do you think I can have that? I really don't think so either, lol. This boy has been like this since he was a few days old. He is the only baby I know who slapped his father when he was 3 weeks old because of a misunderstanding. I am trying a new tactic right now and that is leaving him alone when he starts screaming so he can get it all out and feel better after wards. I let him know though that should he be ready, Mama is just a few steps away.

start the weekend early

2009-08-15T06:03:00.003-04:00

We have been up since five this morning. Yes, another early day. Too early actually. We have an early bird here who I don't trust to be up alone for fear of what he might do. Anyway, I woke up so hungry this morning so I decided to fix some ramen noodles to pacify my angry tummy. I think I ate dinner last night that is why I wonder what is going on. Even if I did take a multivitamin (which normally makes me hungry) before going to bed I think this extreme hunger is unusual. I just had to have something to eat. Thank goodness for ramen noodles though now I feel a lot better. I hope this will not become a habit for my own sake. I don't need to pack more weight.

bananas!

2009-08-11T21:17:00.005-04:00

The little man is crazy over bananas. He eats two to three bananas in one sitting. Isn't it a bit much for a two year old? I do not want to give him that much but he runs to me saying peel! and will not go anywhere until I do. He does eat everything I give him and when he is satisfied leaves the bananas alone. We now buy bananas just for his own consumption. The husband and I love bananas but we don't want to compete with our little boy. When there are leftovers that is when we get to eat any. We don't buy a lot at once because most from the stores are already ripe and we don't like it. We like the ones that are still greenish on the tip, it tastes better than the really ripe ones. Anyway, we only have two left which means we might have to run to the store in a day or two. I am happy that he has good appetite even if it is only with fruits and food he likes. Like the husband said, we can start from there.

better than bottled water

2009-08-08T09:38:00.002-04:00

We used to buy bottled water for drinking. We did it because we think the tap water where we are at is slimy. So instead of buying water filter we went ahead and spent a lot of money on bottled water. The high cost and the fact that we had to run to the store every weekend to get more made us decide on another route which is buying some sort of water filter. The husband does not like the kind that has to be attached to the faucet so we bought the pitcher type. It came with two filter where one is good for 20 gal (I think) and we have been using it ever since. Since the husband drinks plenty of water a day I have to replenish the jugs he uses daily but that is better than lifting gallons of water from the car to the house. It is economical too. We both love the fact that we can put the pitcher with filtered water in it (minus the filter) on the fridge just in case we want cold water. If I knew it was to be this easy I should have urged him before to switch. But then I was stubborn and thought it was easier to run to the store to get water than use what we have at home. We are now back to drinking tap and so far we are doing good.

nissin cup noodle seafood flavor

2009-08-02T09:46:00.001-04:00

It did not disappoint. It is so delicious and I am very grateful to the sister-in-law for going to such trouble just to send a few of this to me. I am trying my best to make the meager supply last for a few days or else both of us are gonna get broke, lol. So happy!

it's here

2009-07-30T11:40:00.004-04:00

Over a week ago I asked the sister-in-law who is living in Manila if she could find me Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Flavor which specifically came from Japan. Demanding? Hell, yeah! Lol. I am when it comes to the food I crave for. I will not take copycats, it has to be the original. So she said she will look around and apparently found some because she mailed me a package a day or two later. The said package was delivered yesterday but I was not here to accept it and for some reason the mailman did not leave it on our door. So I have two options-either to wait for redelivery or pick it up at the post office. Whichever way, I am fine with it. I hope the noodles will not disappoint for hers and my sake. I am excited. I will post pictures when I get the package so you will know what I am talking about.