A Thousand Words Thursday #2 - First Fastfood

2003: My baby's first taste of fastfood...well not exactly. She was watching her Mama and Dada eating and was wondering when it was going to be her turn...and decided to feed herself.
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Come and join me in A Thousand Words Thursday!

Read, leave a comment & your link below, post a memorable picture on your own blog and leave your link at Cheaper Than Therapy. Don’t forget to visit the other participants!

Want to know how this all started? Read more at The Story Behind A Thousand Words Thursday.

Wordless Wednesdays #2 - Watermelon Art

I just love watermelons! I can eat them the whole day
or make shakes out of them.
But it never occurred to me that watermelons can be a work of art...

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, check out MomDot.com

Voice-less

Every weekday, I would get up early to wake my daughter up and prepare her for school. This was my regular routine. But yesterday was totally different. When I woke up, I had no voice! As in zero! Waaaa!

What I was dreading and avoiding happened, I lost my voice!

The whole day yesterday, I was in mute or silent mode. I think this was the first time this has happened to me. Before I would just get a really hoarse voice to the point that you can hardly hear me. But yesterday, everytime I would open my mouth. No sound would come out. It was awful.

I never realized that having no voice was this hard. It was so hard to communicate with the people around you. They either had to watch your lips and try to guess what you are saying or watch your hand movements or gestures. Now, I know how it feels to be mute.

I am just thankful that this was just a temporary setback for me. With a few more days of rest, drinking liters of ginger tea and gargling cups of warm water with salt, I would have my voice back.

After that, I would need to take better care of my voice and no longer take it for granted. I know I may not be a singer or anything but I just realized how valuable my voice was in my everyday life not to mention the profession I am in. I do not want and can't afford to loose it again.

But this does not mean I would be neglecting all my other senses. This was just a reminder to me and maybe to you as well that we should all take good care of ourselves and what we have because we are very lucky compared to other people.

As the saying goes: "Health is wealth."

Hoarse Voice

My poor throat is hurting right now. As much as I want to stay up and do my blog duties such as visiting some friends and writing some posts etc., I need to get some rest now so that tomorrow this will not get any worse.

I do not know what happened but around noon today my voice was starting to be a little funny. And now, I have a full-fledged "bedroom" voice!

As you all know, I am a homebased online English teacher among other things. It was hard teaching today. My voice kept cracking up or would just fade away. Good thing my students did not really notice because I tried hard not to make it obvious. If I do not get some rest now and try to treat this, I might have no more voice by the time I wake up.

I do not exactly do all these at the same time but I have tried it at least once in my life. These are just some of the home remedies that were passed on to me by my parents, aunts, relatives and friends. There are no approved therapeutic claims to these remedies but will definitely mention what worked for me. One more thing, don't worry these are all safe since I have done them myself and I am still okay and writing you right now.

Home Remedies for a Hoarse Voice/ Sore Throat:

1. After waking up in the morning, gargle with lukewarm water that has dissolved salt in it. - This is not exactly my favorite since it's salty but it helps relieve the soreness from my throat. It's suppose to "wash" away the bacteria or something like that.
2. Drink ginger ale or ginger tea. - Personally, I love ginger because it has so many uses when you feel a little sick so I always have this handy at home. I just cut off a little ginger, peel and pound it, and drop it in boiling water until its juice comes out. That's the ginger tea I drink. I add a little honey or brown sugar to counter the strong ginger taste. This is very soothing and works for me. Great for colds and cough too.
3. Take a spoonful of honey. - This will soothe the irritation of your throat. Most singers do this for their voice. But I am not a singer, maybe that's why I didn't work for me. Haha. I just ended up eating the honey because it was sweet.
4. Chew on a slice of ginger or suck the juice straight from a "calamansi". - I tried this but will not do it again because the taste of the ginger and calamansi are too strong for me to handle. By the way, calamansi is the Philippine's version of a lemon or lime but it's sourness is much stronger than the two mentioned.
5. Drink warm calamansi juice. - I also drink this when I have colds. Great source for Vitamin C. Squeeze the juice from a calamansi onto a glass of water.
   
6. Drink plenty of water. - This will moisten your dry and sore throat. Instant relief for me but not really a cure. Maybe after drinking for awhile it might help.
   
7. Get some rest. - The wonders of getting enough rest, it will cure any ailment we are feeling since our bodies will have time to recharge and repair itself.
   
8. Do not drink or eat anything cold. - Unless you want your voice to disappear immediately, avoid anything cold.

Do you have any home remedies that you think can help me and my sore throat/ hoarse voice?

Here are some suggested reading on this topic that I found earlier: How to Prevent and Heal a Hoarse Voice, Laryngitis, and Cure for Hoarse Voice.

Pink Is In - Part 2

Thank you Jet for this lovely tag! I am honored to be receiving it again.

I posted this tag earlier this month. I hope it's okay if I refer to my previous post for the facts about me since that is still a little "fresh". Please check out: Pink Is In and learn ten random things about me.

This tag is up for grabs to all of my lovely friends here in blogosphere - that means YOU!

If you would like to grab this tag, please let me know because I would love to learn ten random facts about you too.

Trip to the Pedia

Roberta and I went for her regular doctor's check up this morning. The clinic hours during Saturdays are from 9am to 12nn. I decided to go to the clinic 1130am. I was thinking that by that time there will hardly be any more patients waiting. I was wrong.

I registered my daughter's name at the secretary. We were number fifteen on the list. The doctor was already seeing patient number eight. Which means we had to wait for six other patients to finish before it is our turn. I wonder how long our wait will be.

Roberta and I have been patiently waiting for over 30 minutes. Good thing I brought a small pack of pretzels with me and water for my daughter to snack on while waiting since it is nearly 1pm.

Tired of snacking, my daughter asked to borrow my mobile phone to entertain herself. She listened to some mp3s, played a game and tried watch a tv show but could not find anything interesting so went back to listening to mp3s and singing along with the songs. (My six year old princesss is no longer a baby. Huhuhu.)

Top Ten Things #1

It is interesting how mothers have to be forever "girl scouts" for their children. Or in other words, we mothers always have to be prepared for all kinds of situations such as waiting long for your turn or a bathroom accident while out in the mall.

Gone are the days that we just pack a handful of our own personal necessities. Now, we have to pack another bag. This time, it is a handful of necessities that we think our children might need when we are not home.

TOP TEN THINGS I take with me when I am out with my daughter:

1. Water
2. A snack
3. A toy, coloring book or book
4. Tissue and wet ones (travel pack)
5. Hand sanitizer (small bottle)
6. Baby cologne (small bottle)
7. Baby powder (small bottle)
8. A face or handtowel
9. Extra clothes
10. Brush or comb and hair clips
    

What are the Top Ten Things that you bring when you go out with your children?

Noisy Neighbor

It is nearly twelve midnight. I am in bed relaxing, waiting to fall asleep and get my much needed rest. This week flew by again. It is not because I was having fun but I was busy with work and home. I can't wait to doze off...

But how is that possible with all the noise I hear outside! My next door neighbor is having another Friday night karaoke session. Oh boy! This is going to be a long night for me.

Sometimes, I wish that my neighbors would knock some sense into their heads. They should be considerate of all their other neighbors who would like to sleep already since it is late.

I have nothing against karaoke sessions. I love music. I enjoy listening and watching my family and friends belt out a song or two. But, this is appropriately done at the comfort of our own homes or we go to a karaoke bar where the sounds are confined in a room. That is definitely more than I can say for my neighbor who is having their karaoke session in their common and open garage or driveway where all the noise escapes to the whole neighborhood. How unfortunate of me to be living right beside them. Argh!
........

I was using my PDA to write this post last night while I was in bed. I did not even notice that I fell asleep in the middle of writing it. In spite of my neighbors singing their hearts out, I was knocked out. Hehe. I must have been that tired.

Aloha Friday #2

Yeah! It's Friday again! Welcome to my 2nd edition of Aloha Friday!

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

Come and join me in Aloha Friday! It's easy to play along.

I ask a simple question and you give a simple answer! Nothing that requires a lenghty response.

After you answer my question & leave your link below, post a question on your own blog and leave your link over at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! This is a great way to make new friends here in blogosphere!

My question for this week is:

What is the one dish that you make that your family just loves?

Noodle-less Eggplant Lasagna. My husband and daughter just adore it! =)

Happy When It Rains

Hooray for the rain! =)

I'm so happy it rained just a few minutes ago because that means the weather will be a little cooler tonight and perfect for a good night's sleep.

The weather was awfully hot and humid today. Actually, it's been like this since the start of the week. I really don't like it. It's so icky and sticky if you know what I mean. Can't stand humid weather. Even if you are just sitting still doing nothing, you suddently just start perspiring then your skin starts to feel sticky after. At times like these, I just want to take a shower, and a shower, and another shower just to feel fresh.

I really hope this hot and humid weather is not a preview of what summer is going to be this year. If it is, I'm just going to melt!

A Thousand Words Thursday #1 - Watching Behind Bars

2003: My baby trying to watch her favorite Sesame Street show while sitting inside her crib.
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This is a great way to see memorable and meaningful photos of your blogger friends and meet new ones.

Come and join me in A Thousand Words Thursday!

Read, leave a comment & your link below, post a memorable picture on your own blog and leave your link at Cheaper Than Therapy. Don’t forget to visit the other participants!

Want to know how this all started? Read more at The Story Behind A Thousand Words Thursday.

Wordless Wednesdays #1 - Sidewalk Chalk Art

(Or maybe not so wordless after all...hehe)

I saw these at Veronica Lee's site and I just wanted to share them with you coz I am still amazed by them even if I have seen it several times already. Thank you for these wonderful pics!

These are 3D chalk drawings by Julian Beever. Don't they look so real?

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, check out MomDot.com

Guest-blogger for Bean Inspired

Just before the weekend, Sarah got in touch with me and asked if I would like to be a guest writer for her Are You My WAHMother portion on her blog. This is a part in her blog where she would be posting the stories of different WAHMs - why they decided to work at home, how they did it and maybe some tips or word of advice for aspiring WAHMs.

I have only been a WAHM for a little over five months so I did not feel as if I was "qualified" to be sharing my story. Being the nice person that I am (or so I would like to think), I graciously accepted the invitation. I was both honored but more of scared because I was not sure if I was going to do justice with what I was going to write.

But, I still did it. I shared my story and thoughts of being a WAHM.

If you would like to know how I got started on home based online English teaching and more, please read Simply Happy Me on Bean Inspired's site. Maybe next time, you can write and share your story.

Down with a Fever

My unica hija, Roberta is down with a high fever right now.

I'm staying up watching her sleep and checking on her temperature from time to time. If she starts to feel a little warm, I apply a cool damp folded face towel over her forehead to try and keep the fever down. She will be taking her medicine again in a couple of hours.

She's sleeping soundly now. I hope she gets better quick. I do not like it at all when my Roberta gets sick.

I don't think any mom likes to see any of her children in this situation. It's heartbreaking and you feel helpless. If there was only a way to trade places and let me be the one to get sick instead of my baby girl, I wouldn't even think twice.

But I have faith. Things will be better tomorrow. Roberta will be okay. She will no longer have fever. She will be back to her jolly, lovable, and playful self.

I know she will because I will make sure that it happens.

(I wrote this post a few hours earlier using my PDA while keeping myself awake watching my daughter.)

Morning Meditation

I got up from bed a little over an hour ago. The whole house is quite. Everyone is still asleep including the dogs. Even the neighbors are still in dreamland. The only noise I can hear are the birds chirping away outside.

I got out the room and walked around the house. It's nice to have some quiet time before all the jungle starts doesn't it? I was enjoying the serenity of it all. I was starting to meditate about the things to come, my plans, my goals and the things I need to get done.

I started to feel recharged, inspired and motivated to start another busy week.

This is how my day should start every day. This is how everyone especially busy moms like us should start the day to prepare us for our hectic and crazy schedules.

I think this is something I will be doing regularly. It helps prepare my mind for the challenges and stress I will be facing thoughout the day.

I came across these informative resources about how to effectively meditate in the morning that you might be interested in: Morning Meditation and Open Mind, Open Body.

Do you have your own way of meditating in the morning? What do you do?

Aloha Friday #1

Welcome to my very first edition of Aloha Friday!

(I got this idea from my new mommy blogger friend, Dee. I think it is a wonderful way to relax on a Friday after such a long and busy week and get to know other bloggers. I know it's Saturday on our end now but it's still Friday on the other part of the world. hehe. But I will definitely do this every Friday and I do hope you can play along with me.)

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.It's easy to play along.

I ask a simple question and you give a simple answer! Nothing that requires a lenghty response.

After you answer my question & leave your link below, post a question on your own blog and leave your link over at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

What are your plans with your significant other this Valentine's Day?

No special plans for me and my hubby this Valentine's Day since he has work. We will just celebrate on our wedding anniversary. That's the real Valentine's Day for us.

Two-in-One: Passionate Blogger and Love Ya Awards

Thank you Gengen for these two awards, Passionate Blogger and Love Ya Award! I am honored and happy to receive them from my new friend in blogosphere. =)

PASSIONATE BLOGGER AWARD

The rules :
1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Write five things you are passionate about apart from blogging.
3. Tag 5 people on your lists and let them know you tagged them.

I am passionate about...
1. ...my family, Roberta and Dada Vince. They complete me.
2. ...food!! I just love everything (except for exotic ones) and like to try new treats!
3. ...volleyball, my favorite sport in the world! I will drop whatever I have scheduled for the day just to play! Okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit :P
4. ...my music. I would rather have a radio/MP3 player any day than watch tv. As they, "Music calms the senses." And, "Music soothes the savage beasts!"
5. ...making things happen. "Dreams become reality when put into action."

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Love Ya Award


These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

Rule: Deliver this award to eight bloggers who can choose eight more and include this text into the body of their award.

I would like my friends here in blogosphere to accept these two awards: Sarah, Beauty Marie, HipnCoolMomma, Ghee, VhingF, Rose, Imelda, Jet, Bingkee, Eds, Dee, TidyMom, and Blogomama,

Moms meet Moms

I did not realize that there were so many mom bloggers and so many communities just dedicated or run by other mom bloggers in blogosphere.

I stumbled on one by chance while I was on Twitter: MomBloggersClub. It's a great place to network with other moms, share ideas, learn from each other or just simply make new friends.

It would be great to hang out with you in MBC. Why don't you come and join me?! I think that's a great idea! See ya!

Power Naps

Lately, I have been lacking sleep. It might be the countless hours I spend multi-tasking like with the house chores such as watching my daughter, doing the dishes, the laundry, cooking, feeding the dogs etc. plus homebased teaching online, and blog duties. Whew! A handful isn't it?

By the time I go to bed, I am so tired and sleepy already. But when I wake up, it's as if I was not able to sleep a wink. My body may have been fast asleep but my mind seems to have been doing some overtime work while I was in slumber. The result is I feel real sluggish, grumpy and slow during the day.

I know some people would grab an energy drink to give them that extra burst of energy for the day. Others would "overdose" themselves with caffeine by drinking numerous cups of coffee. What do I do? I take a power-nap.

A power-nap is a short sleep which terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep or slow-wave sleep (SWS), intended to quickly revitalize the subject from drowsiness. - Wikipedia Source

It's very simple. We always let our kids take their naps when they come home from school right? Why not join them and do the same? It only takes 20 minutes. It seems real short. Trust me, this has helped me a great deal many times. It's the perfect recharger to help you get through the day.

It's not just renewed energy that you get from taking a nap, there are other benefits such as:

1. Less stress.
   
2. Increased alertness and productivity.
3. Improved memory and learning.
4. Good for the heart.
5. Better health.

So the next time you feel a a little drained, just close your eyes, relax and take a power-nap.


If you would like to read more on power-naps, its benefits, and how to it, you can take a look at these very informative links: 10 Benefits of Power Napping, and How to Do it and How to Boost Your Afternoon Energy with a Power Nap.

Follow Me on Twitter

My friend, Sarah Bean, was the one who told me to join Twitter last month so that we can get in touch with each other more. We have known each other since we were fifth grade and lost communication until now.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter keeping in touch with friends and relatives even if they're thousands of miles away from you is very easy to do.

Going back to Twitter, I thought that it was just another messaging site or tool like Yahoo Messenger but I was wrong. Aside from being a communication tool, Twitter has plenty of benefits to bloggers like you and me.

Personally, I noticed that this is how I am able to ulitlize my Twitter:

1. make new friends in the blogosphere
2. network with other bloggers especially mommy bloggers
   
3. develop the quality of my blog by learning from fellow bloggers
4. gain new readers
   
5. improve my personal profile
   
6. drive new traffic or visitors to my site
   
7. be aware and updated of new posts from Twitter people I follow

Here is an article I read from a fellow Twitter, problogger about the 9 Benefits of Twitters to Bloggers.

To know my Twitter Updates, I have a widget installed on my left sidebar that lets you know what is going on with me on Twitter. Or better yet, why don't you join Twitter and follow me! =)

Scroll Down Box

I am stumped here. I have been trying to figure out how to put a scroll down box on my site for the past hour. I can't seem to do it. =(

I noticed that my lists are slowly getting long and I was thinking of minimizing space on my site by putting this. I have been searching on Google but can't seem to find any useful information on how to do it.

This is a site I found that gave the most useful information on what I need: Make Scroll Box on Blogger. The instructions are just incomplete because it does not say where to exactly put the HTML code that was provided. I have tried inserting it several times but keep getting an error.

If there is anyone who can help me out with this, I would be so grateful!! Thank you, thank you in advance!!!

DIY Manicure and Pedicure

Last Saturday, I gave myself a reward after such a busy week. What a perfect way to pamper yourself than having a manicure and pedicure at your favorite salon! Don't you agree with me?

You just sit back, relax and let someone else do the work. That's the magic phrase, "someone else do the work". Hahaha. After several minutes, your hands and feet look like a million bucks. You just want to go out and flaunt it.

I am lucky that I have convenient access to such wonderful service. My favorite salon is just a few minutes walk from my house. Which means, I can have my nails done at least once or twice a month and at a very affordable price. But not all might have the same luck as me. Or, there maybe times that we are just too busy to go out of our way for this and the next best option is to do it ourselves. This happens to me too.

Here is a basic guide on how you can give yourself a manicure and pedicure at home:

What You Need:

• cotton balls
• nail polish remover
• cuticle remover
• cuticle stick/ pusher
• nail brush
• emery board/ nail file
• nail trimmer/nail cutter
• nail polish for base and top coat - clear polish
  
• nail polish - color of your choice
• hand towel
  

Let's Get Started:

1. Remove old nail polish from your toes and fingers with nail polish remover and a cotton ball. Make sure you take out all traces of nail polish from your nails. Do not oversoak with nail polish remover because it can dry out your nails. Wash your hands and feet with soap and water to remove the excess remover. Pat dry with a handtowel.
2. Apply cuticle remover with a cotton ball on the nails and cuticles to soften it. Use a cuticle stick/pusher to push down the cuticles gently and take out any traces of nail polish on the nails. Also, use the cuticle stick/ pusher to clean under the nails any dirt. Dab again some cuticle remover on nails and cuticles and use the nail brush to gently brush off any excess.
   
3. Trim fingernails and toenails carefully using a nail trimmer/ nail cutter. Nails should be trimmed straight across just above the tip. Do not cut toenails too short because this will increase the chances of having ingrown toenails.
4. File, smooth and shape the nails using an emery board/ nail file. With light strokes, smoothen the edges of the nails and keep doing so until the desired shape and length of the nail is achieved.
   
5. Exfoliate hands and feet with a hand or foot scrub. Rub and massage gently on hands and feet to take away dead skin cells. Use pumice stone if needed to buff away callouses and rough areas on feet. Wash off off with soapy water and towel dry.
6. Apply a moisturizer such as a hand or foot cream to smoothen and heal cracked rough dry skin. Before applying nail polish, remove any excess moisturizer.
7. Apply nail polish in layers and let it dry in between coats. The minimum standard is four coats: one coat of base color usually a clear polish, two coats of colored polish, and one top coat also a clear polish to add luster and shine to the polished nails. Give some time for the polish to dry to avoid smudging it.

Do you have any tips, secrets, or advice on how to have gorgeous looking tips and toes?

Have You's

Thank you Fhaye for thinking of me when you sent out this tag. This has got some interesting questions. Hope you'll enjoy my answers.

Here it goes:

1. Have you ever been on TV? Yes, I joined two game shows before for fun - Wheel of Fortune and Weakest Link. It was worth it coz I won some.
   
2. Have you ever sung in public? Yes, I was part of a musical back in Junior High.
   
3. Have you ever dyed your hair blond? No, I have not tried blond because I don't think it will suit me. But I do dye my hair at least once to twice a year.
   
4. Have you ever eaten frogs' legs? Yes, by accident. My cousin tricked me when I was six and told me it was chicken.
   
5. Have you ever recieved a present that you really hated? No, none that I remember. Or maybe the gift was more of forgettable.
   
6. Have you ever walked into a lamp post? No, but my car did by accident.
   
7. Have you ever cooked a meal by yourself for more than 15 people? Yes, for my dad's birthday two years ago.
   
8. Have you ever fallen or stumbled in front of others? Yes, usually during a volleyball game when I try to save the ball.
   
9. Have you ever done volunteer work? Yes, at my daughter's fun day.

I want to share this tag with: Jet, Jetty, JK/Nancy, Nancy, and Mentari

Honest Scrap

I got this tag award from Marie a week ago. Thank you!

At first, I did not know what this award meant though I was excited to receive it. Then when I read thru the instructions it made more sense to me. It always helps to read doesn't it? ;)

When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real.

Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!

Here goes 10 Honest Things about me:

1. I am married.
2. I am the eldest of three children in our family.
   
3. I love volleyball!
4. My favorite fruit is watermelon. I can eat the whole thing by myself in one sitting.
5. I am from Cebu even if I grew up and live in Manila.
6. I have been driving for the past 15 years.
7. I am scared of heights.
8. I exclusively breastfed my unica hija for a year and three months.
9. I am not fond of ketchup.
10. I love my veggies.

These are my choice of blogs that I would like to give this tag award to: Rose, Ask Ms. Recipe, Dhemz, Dodong, Christine Perkett, Sarah, Trisha, blogomama, TidyMom, and Eleesha

I know the rule said 7 but I couldn't help it. These are just some of the many interesting blogs I have come across lately. Enjoy!

A Birthday Wish - Part 2

I received this fun tag again from my new blog friends, Jesse and Gengen. Thank you for this.

Since I just recently posted this, I hope you don't mind if I do not make a new wish list since it is still "fresh". Please kindly see my previous post: A Birthday Wish and find out what are the ten things I wish for on my birthday.

Hope all our wishes come true..

If you would like to grab this tag, please do and let me know. I want to see what your birthday wishes are =)

Household Chores Online ?

How I wish!! It's online banking that I'm raving about.

This is a really neat innovation! It is very convenient for busy people like us moms who don't have the time to go out of our way and run to the bank to do some transactions. I know it's not like new or anything but it was only today that I really appreciated it.

Since I am online the whole day everyday because of the nature of my work, doing online bank transactions is undoubtedly the more practical thing for me to do that will not throw me off my crazy schedule. Imagine, I was able to check my account, update information and pay some bills in less than 15 minutes!

It takes forever in the bank to do all these since there are other people in line and you need to wait for your turn. Not to mention the hassle of travelling to the bank and finding a parking space. Lastly, I did not need to spend anything! Now that's the best part of it all. Right?

Now if only someone can find a way making household chores accessible online, that would just be so cool!!

Pink is In

Bingkee gave me this award a week ago (sorry for the late post). Beauty Marie gave it to me this week. Thank you so much both of you! I am very flattered and honored to receive it.

I did not think I would get an award like this so soon since as you all can see, I have been constantly trying to finalize the look of my site. But, I'm happy that you two appreciate it and thought my blog looked Cute and Creative, or maybe you thought I was cute and creative?!? Just kidding!!

Anyways, here are the conditions of this lovely award:

1. Each blogger must post these rules.
2. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves. (Be spontaneous if you can.)
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. Pass on this tag to ten bloggers.

Here's some random facts about me:

1) I love the color red and any shade of/from it. (Now that explains the color of my blog! haha)

2) I am very sporty and just love playing volleyball.

3) I actually like to learn "techie" stuff though I am still in denial that I am techie.

4) I love upbeat music that you can groove or dance to. (Check out the miniPod at the bottom right of my page.)

5) I am married to a loving & caring husband.

6) I love to eat and food is my passion. (Watch out for the launch of my new blog about what else..hehe)

7) I love dogs and own a PomSpitz named Cleo (short for Cleopatra) and a Rottweiler named Akyra.

8) I love to travel when ever I got time and can.

9) I'm a practical shopper. (Well, that's what I like to think..hehe)

10) I am a Fire Dragon according to Feng Shui.

I would like to pass on this Cute Blogger Award to: Sarah Bean, Ghee, Rose, Fhaye, Jesse, Chie, Ria, Shy, Mommy in Pink and Lady Java.

P.S. Or maybe that's why I got this award was because it matched my site...Hmmm... =)

Rest and Relaxation

Yeah!! Two more days to go and it's the weekend again!!!

Is it just me or did this week just seem to fly by? We all know the saying, "Time flies when you are having fun" but I don't think having so many things to do at work and being pressured at the same time can be categorized as fun. Nonetheless, I am going to make sure I will get my R&R (rest & relaxation) this weekend and have fun while doing so.

I already have plans for the weekend. I will be taking my daughter to ballet class and we'll have a little mother-daughter bonding while we are at it. After that, I will be playing my favorite sport, volleyball, with my former teammates and maybe hangout a little with them. Of course, there is family day Sunday where we will be hearing mass together and then have a nice lunch or dinner and maybe watch a nice movie.

I know it may seem that I will be having a busy weekend but it's my way of getting my much needed R&R and that is spending some quality time with my family, my friends and myself. So that I will be fresh and recharged for another busy week.

How about you? What is your idea of an R&R after a busy week?

Best Time

"God is always on time, never behind and never ahead. Happy is the man who learns to wait as he Prays and never loses Patience with God. For God's time is the best time!"

I received this forwarded text message from my Tita Nits earlier. I just thought of sharing it because it made a lot of sense to me.

We are all so caught up everyday with meeting deadlines, completing tasks and trying to reach our personal goals the soonest possible time. We forget to look at all the good things that we have already accomplished. As well as be satisfied and thankful for what we have now.

Of course, it does not mean that you just stop working on the smaller tasks that will make you reach your personal goals. It is more of reminding us not to be caught up so much with reaching the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We will all get there. When? In God's time.

Changing Looks

You are probably wondering how come the look of my site keeps changing today. Sorry about that.

You know us girls, it takes us forever to find something that we really want to wear like the perfect outfit or get up and in this case it is my blog look.

I am still currently trying to finalize what I really like. I already have the lay-out that I want to use as well as theme or color motif in mind. It's just finding the right accessories to complete my blog get-up hehe =)

I guess it would help if I knew a thing or two about editing html or xml codes. It's like learning algebra in school with a bunch of letters and numbers that I don't recognize at all. But no worries I'm learning and getting there. And I will be done real soon...

Bon Voyage

As I am writing this post, my parents are on the way to the airport for their flight back to Saudi. My Mama and Papa were here for a month long vacation which they do every year or sometimes twice a year. This vacation was a little different. My Papa just recovered nearly two months ago from what we call a "close call". We were all relieved that he was able to get well. Now we're hoping and praying that it will continue.

So far so good during their one month stay here. If you see Papa now compared to when he first arrived he looks well and strong and you wouldn't think he went through such an ordeal.

I just wish that things will be okay now that my parents will be far away from us again and we will see them after a year or less...

Take care always Mama and Papa...Have a safe trip...

A Birthday Wish

Rose passed this birthday wish award to me early last week. I had a hectic week and only had time to repost this now. Sorry about that. I was actually surprised to receive this since my blog was only three weeks old as of yesterday. But many thanks though I really appreciate it. As for my birthday, it's celebrated a day before one of the most popular and important holidays in the world. Ever since I was a kid I would only get one gift for my birthday and this special holiday. It's not that I'm complaining..or am I? =)

The rules are...

1. Make a list of what you want on your birthday...
2. The list should be 15 numbers
3. Post the image of this award in your posting
4. Give it to 10 friends of yours.

Here is my wish:

1. To have a fun and memorable 7th birthday celebration for our daughter Roberta
   
2. Good health to my family, relatives and friends.
3. To get back in shape and stay in shape
4. To have my vision back to 20/20 via LASIK
5. To regularly be able to go on a vacation with my daughter Roberta and husband Vince
6. To be able to do what I want, when I want, with who I want and not worry about money
7. To be able to help my parents and titas retire gracefully
   
8. To have a closer relationship with God
9. To pay off all debts and have a clean slate
10. To own and operate a transportation as well as online business
    
11. To pursue further studies like a Culinary Course
12. To purchase my all-in-one scanner, printer & fax
13. To own a "power" mobile phone such as Sony Ericsson Xperia or Samsung Omnia
    
14. To get an AUV or SUV
15. To build our modest but dream house

I am passing this tag to Beauty Marie2, Girlie, Sarah, Bingkee, Leonore, VhingF, Noeqiah, Nancy, Imelda and Francine.

Please feel free to grab this tag and let me know. I would love to see what you wished for on your birthday =)