Posts from — November 2008

I always remind my children how blessed they are in comparison to other people in the world. We encourage them not to waste food as there is a reality that a lot of people are starving. We tell them to be thankful for whatever they have. There is a huge number of less fortunate children out there. In my home country, there is a place called Smokey Mountain which is basically a landfill. Located in Payatas, families (yes, including very young kids) have to dig through the garbage to find something that can be sold and convert to cash and make a living. If you watch the video then you would know what I mean. It is nice to know that there are some prominent people who try to pitch in something for their cause. Christmas For Payatas is a charity appeal to help realize a better Christmas for everyone.

A number of our friends are going back to the Philippines to spend the Christmas holidays. And because we know that preparing for the trip does take up some time, we decided to meet up today and have what may be considered as our Christmas Dinner. It is really this time of the year when most of the weekends are already booked out doing one thing after another. Anyway, I’m sure everyone had a great time as we tried to catch up with one another. I’m thinking that it would be pretty interesting once we all get back together in the new year.

It is without a doubt that whenever people go out to do their Christmas shopping, there will always be a ‘different’ box for those who are really special. That would include the gift box marked for the husband or wife, or for the children (as compared to a gift for the neighbors, classmates, and so on). But then, it is always the thought that counts. Whether you get a Oscar de la Renta outfit or a simple pair of jeans from the local garment shop, we should always be thankful for that special thought that comes with the special box.

The house we are renting has a rather small garage. That means parking is tight and so if we had to go in and out during the day, it seems to be a lot easier to simply leave the car outside. However, with summer just around the corner, we are looking for a solution that would offer good protection from the harsh weather up ahead. We have read about car covers which provide all weather protection. Now that seems to be an excellent ‘baby’ blanket that may give great value through different seasons.

My youngest daughter just had another eye check last week. Some people may be wondering how does the doctor check for a young child’s vision if the kid is still learning his/her alphabet. I had the same question, too. Anyway, the short answer is that the child simply tries to point at a similar letter from a small chart (but with jumbled letters) which is held close while the doctor points at the distant letter chart. Anyway, at the end of the checkup, we were told that she should simply continue wearing here eyeglasses until her next schedule visit.

We are planning for a quick trip to Gold Coast in the next few weeks. It will be our first time in that place. With that in mind, we are taking extra steps to make sure we get as much information to help us prepare. It certainly is nice to find sites that have already compiled all these important details, pretty much like what this las vegas advice center has done. It just make the travel preparations a lot easier.

Whenever we go to a movie house, it is but normal for us to be focused on what is on screen. However, I recently got amused with what I would call literally a ’side show’. I’m referring to the creating lighting on the walls of this particular cinema. It sure would be interesting to recreate that atmosphere at home with similar home theater lighting fixtures.

My children just love doing crafts. I do enjoy seeing them working on this ‘recreation’ rather than simply spending time in front of the television. To continue encouraging them on this area, we make sure that they would have a regular supply of paper, crayons, paint, glue, sticky tape, and other office supplies. As they do they work, it would obviously result to some litter around the house. I’d say I have some flexibility to pay the price cleaning up for the sake of developing creativity.

My daughters have been egging us to get a Wii console for the past six months. Well, finally we gave in and bought one for RD’s birthday. Anyway, when this much coveted box came to our home, my husband went on to set the thing up. Even though he is pretty much a techie, it is funny as he started complaining with how to put it up quickly without looking at the manual (unlike other consoles). After quick glances at the user manual, he was able to put it up without much sweat, but leaving the words ‘this is getting complex.’

It is probably almost impossible to live life without pressure. Whether you are rich or poor, there has to be some pressure at some point in life. While it may be easy to think that this is something purely negative, people should remember the other side of it. On a positive note, it is these sorts of pressure that makes us stronger persons. Though, I also believe that there are some personalities who are more affected by pressure and thus converts them into something more troublesome called ’stress’. It is a good thing to know that help may just be around the corner. Stress management and other wellness programs through Dr. stress of The Stress Institute are just the right answers to promote better health and overall wellbeing.

In a few days from now, my daughter RD will be turning 9. When I think about it, all I can say is… wow! She sort of planned her own party this time around and decided to invite a few girls from school. It’s rather simple as they will just be hanging around our home for a couple of hours or so. Looks like she graduated from the fancy kiddie party we are used to. This time, it’s just a girls party.

In today’s competitive market, families should be on their toes when looking at a particular product or service. As the competition peaks up, some companies go into some nasty tactics in order to lure the unsuspecting consumer. This becomes even more important especially if you are looking at those once in a lifetime purchases or decisions such as getting the family home. Careful research on location, home design, materials, etc. is a must for any prospective home buyer. With that in mind, tools such as the internet will definitely be your best friend. Schumacher Homes Video is just one example where you can see things out for yourself and be guided into the right decisions.

Last weekend, we watched Hi-5’s Playtime concert at the Acer Arena here in Sydney. It was also one of the last shows that will feature some of the original members of the gang. At the end of the concert, Nathan and Kellie waved goodbye to the kids as they pass the baton to yet to be named replacement. We would surely miss the original cast as we have been watching them for almost seven years now (Hi-5 has been around for 10 years). Even our daughter CN started looking for Charli when we watched that day. I just wish the group will continue to do well even with the changes as they do have some good influences on children’s lives.

We are down to just a few weekends before we come to Christmas. While walking around the mall today, I have noticed a number of people who have stacked up what seems to be items to be wrapped as gifts. Sometimes gift giving tend to be quite a challenge. While some say that a gift is a gift, we all know that we always take some effort to have a good match between the gift and the recipient. With this in mind, sometimes it is good to visit ‘all-around’ shops as you can likely find a wide variety of goods. On the other hand, there are occasions when a specialist store is the way to go. Tactical gear is an example of what seems to be a specific niche. But don’t be surprised if you find that this range suit more people than you think.

Probably one of the dirty items that mothers like me have to deal with are soiled clothes. We all know that children tend to be less mindful on keeping their clothes clean. After all, kids are kids. They do what they have to do as kids. That would include playing and just moving all about. In most cases, this results to some extra challenge come laundry time. Anyway, I’m sure that most moms have got some dirty trick under her sleeves.

Tagalog Translation:
Marahil isa sa mga maduming bagay na hinaharap ng mga ina gaya ko ay ang mga maduduming damit. Alam nating lahat na ang mga bata ay hindi atubili sa pagpapanatili ng kalinisan ng kanilang damit. Ang bata ay bata. Ginagawa nila kung ano ang dapat gawin nila bilang mga bata. Kasama na dyan ang paglalaro at paglilikot kung saan saan. Kadalasan, ito ay nagreresulta sa dagdag na paghamon sa mga ina pagdating ng oras ng paglalaba. Anupaman, sigurado naman ako na karamihan ng mga ina ay may tinatagong ‘dirty trick’ sa kanilang mga manggas.