This Will Be Quick!

Posted by: mye in sick

Yes, it will be...for I am in pain while writing this post.

Last Tuesday, I was rushed to ER due to abdominal pains and I was observed for a couple of hours and was then released. It was Acid Peptic Disease which can lead to Ulcer if not treated early. I have a history of gastric ulcer (a couple of years ago)

So there. Just yesterday, I was again at the ER for another round of abdominal pain now accompanied with headache and guess what, my husband is also in ER due to headache and dizziness (thought he's got high blood). We were both released by evening.

And now, my tummy is going crazy again and I don't know what is happening anymore, if only they'd advise me to get admitted, I will be more comfortable. Aaaaarrrrrggghhhhh! I have taken my medication and still I feel this way.

Hope this goes away soon...sigh...

15 comments

Sisters, Bestfriends and A Lemonade!

Posted by: mye in blog awards

This really is the year when I met a lot of new online buddies, sisters and couple more friends who really are sincere in regularly visiting my blogs and giving me tags and awards. I apologize if I haven't post it yet but here I am, now showing off and letting other people know that though my PR is not good, I have a lot of good friends to share and dedicate my blog.

First, let me get this Triple Awards from Cecile of Small and Simple Things. Cecile is also a mom and lives in the United States but still has a couple of Filipina friends on the web. Thank you for giving me this award.

Now, for the rules:

Put the logo on your blog or post
Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude
Be sure to link your nominees within your post
Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog
Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received this award

It's passing time once again, so here goes:

Bhing - A Daily Dose of Anything
Shari - Shari's Gone Country
Shasha - Ako...I...IO
Bingkee - I Love/Hate America
Umma - Happy Moments...Happy Thoughts
Lea - Ocean of Perspectives
Thea - Bloggerhappy
Aline - Memoirs of Aline
Emm - Emm in London (thanks for following my blog ^_^)
Mara - Mara's Personal Bubble

On to the next one, I have seen this award a couple of times from other bloggers and I thought it was also good to receive one and then it came! Thank you very much Bhing of Your Daily Dose of Anything for giving this to me and for always calling me "Ate".

Now, there is only 1 person I can pass this award on to since most of you have already grabbed some and I hope you'll enjoy and share it too!

Fedhz - this is for you!

So there! New awards for and that makes 5 for January 2009! Thanks to all of you who appreciate my blog and to those I still haven't given an award. Surely, I will be the one to start it on your blog...Just you wait!

17 comments

Of Tantrums and Parents

Posted by: mye in parenting

"Watch out for my own domain - www.blogappetite.com. Migration is in progress."

The kids and I head out to the mall one day to attend a birthday party. I happened to almost forgot the day and I still haven't bought a gift so we went straight in the department store and checked on some items for babies and toddlers. I don't know what to choose. For a one year old child, I can't think of what to give him. Will it be a toy for him to play or some children's books for her mom to read to him? Well, I opted to buy both. The toy will be Elysia's gift and the book will be Scieszka's gift to Gabriel. He is their cousin anyway.

At the party, there were a number of kids. Knowing my daughters really well, I thought that they will jump in right in the middle of the party area to join the many kids out there who are already starting to play. But I was wrong, at that early in the party they kept clinging on me and they don't want to go down! What is happening? It was an advantage for me at the party because they behaved well. They were quiet on the table and they ate their food. It's as if a miracle has happened to me that day. Well, that was what I thought.

On our way home, we need to pass through the bridge from one side of the mall to the other and just as we got off the escalator, the younger twin, Elysia saw a play room and insisted to get inside. But it was already too late and I still need to work at home that day. In short, I said "No, we'll visit there next time." It was those words that triggered her to cry out very loud and roll over the floor! It was very embarrassing! The people around us started to look at us as if I was the worst mom in the world for letting my child act like that!

A week before that incident happened, I visited a dentist and while waiting for my turn, was able to read an article about children's tantrums. There are a few notes there that really helped me snap out of that commotion and really, it pays to read.

Here are the helpful things I've learned from that magazine:

Parents should not be embarrassed when their child act in public.
Tantrums is a way for a child to express his feelings. It doesn't mean his a bad child.
Parents should not be guilty about the tantrum and should not feel that he was not able to raise his child properly.
Tantrum is not a measurement of a child's attitude. The child is still coping up with those kinds of emotion and as parent, we should help them.
Children throw tantrums for a reason so don't feel frustrated. Identify the cause and act accordingly.

Ways to handle a tantrum:

Be calm, do not get overly frustrated about the situation. Parents should be calm first so they will be able to deal with the situation properly. The worst a parent could do is have a temper over their own child's tantrum. It just shows you, yourself are not in control.
Do not attempt to converse to a child who is in the middle of showing off nor physically deal with him. Let him calm down a little, then start talking. Show empathy to your child's feelings. Say something like "I know you are frustrated for not getting what you want, I understand. We can talk about it at when you are calm".
Do not reward the tantrum. If the child wants something and it's impossible to have, don't give in to what he wants. Giving in is as good as telling the child that he can do the tantrum next time.
Check if there are things that might injure the child during the tantrum and take them away. This is to make sure the child won't get hurt while doing his act.
When the tantrum is over, discuss the matter to your child. It is very important for the child to be aware that such act is not acceptable especially in public. Make the child understand that he can not always have what he wants.

I almost reacted violently hadn't I read this article. When I was in my early stages of motherhood and I see a child throwing a tantrum in public, my reaction would always be that it was the parents' fault. Now, I understand it isn't. For there are things we can't fully understand unless we are that situation. Another lesson learned.

18 comments

Whatever Happened to My Page Rank?

Posted by: mye in page rank

Well, I really don't know. Just a couple of days after getting PR1, it suddenly became "N/A". I don't know how often google update the page rank but I am already getting worried if my site has been banned? I haven't had a paid post since December so I don't know of any reason why it would suddenly drop.

I thought it was just a fluke on the PR checker site so I checked on another and it was still a PR1 and then a few days after, it was again "nothing". Sigh

But anyway, I no longer want to stress myself out so I will just let it be. I have to do what I have to do and that is to write articles that will entertain my readers. So for now, just ignore the page rank and please do continue reading my posts.

To those who are following this blog, I wasn't able to thank you all individually so I am taking this entry as a way to say "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart. Please do visit this blog often and feel free to leave your comments.

12 comments

This One You Shouldn't Miss!

Posted by: mye

Something incredible has arrived!

I just became a shareholder in me2everyone and I never had to pay a single penny for the shares! It can only be described as the gold-rush for 2009. This company is going to be huge and shares will soar in value over the coming months! You can register for free and it never has to cost you a single penny!

me2everyone is going to be a cool new virtual world where you can meet friends, chat, shop, play, watch videos, create an art gallery, open a virtual newspaper, play the free inworld lottery and make money from your own online store! You and everyone you know make the decisions, shape the world, create real incomes and share in the profits. It’s a new place where you meet new people or invite your friends. Learn new skills or expand your business. Find the love of your life or help the planet.

Membership is free and every member automatically becomes a shareholder in me2everyone Limited. Personally I have WRITE YOUR SHARES HERE shares in the venture and I am going going to increase my shares very soon. This is an excellent chance for all of us to make some real progress in 2009 and beyond! Please do not miss it.

If you are looking for something really good in 2009: something that changes your view on the world, then you really have to spend just one minute and look at this website.

Visit this site to join www.me2everyone.com/30599

10 comments

6th From The 6th Tag

Posted by: mye in blog tags

I have been tagged by Bingkee of I Love/Hate America last week. Thank you for the tag , Bingkee. This is the second time around but I haven't shared the A to Z tag. Will surely post about it, too. This one is quite fun. You will have to check on your 6th folder among your photo albums and select the 6th picture. Here's what I got.

Actually, this is not my picture but it was in there (interesting!). This is one of my husband's collection, a Gundam Freedom if I am not mistaken. There are actually a couple of them already and I can't quite figure out their differences. He started collecting these just early last year and now there are already 7 of them (I think). This is also the reason why he bought a DSLR - to take pictures of them after the weeks of putting all the pieces together. Yes, it is not ready-made. Each of the tiny pieces are to be detached and then cleaned and perfectly connected together. I even heard that other collectors do paint and join competitions in building these big boys toys. Do you find it cute?

Now, for the rules of the game:

1. Go to your Picture Folder or wherever you store your photos in your PC
2. Go to the 6th folder and pick the 6th picture
3. Post this on your blog and the story that goes with that picture
4. Tag 5 bloggers by leaving them a comment on their blogs and telling them about the tag

I am now tagging Aline, Umma, Cecile, Mara, Rose

Let's see what you have in your album =)

8 comments

On Child Favoritism

Posted by: mye in parenting

Giving birth to my twins made me an instant mother of two. I never had the chance to experience rearing a single child and devote my time to an only child. It was always twice the effort. Friends have always been asking me,"Who is your favorite?" or "Do you play favorites?" and you know what, I cannot simply answer the question directly. I even thought if I had been playing favorites already?

As a parent, I want to discover myself and analyze my relationship with my children so I will check on some of the reasons I know why favoritism happens in a household, how it affects the children and maybe some ways on how it can be prevented. These facts are based on personal experiences, observations and stories from other people.

Why Favoritism Happens?

Child's Attitude - differences in each child's temperament. It sometimes irritates the parents if a child has a difficult temper, having frequent tantrums and reacting violently over small things.
Parent's Expectations - be it talent, interests or things that parents like for their children. One child always fits the parent's expectation. It can also be about physical appearance or if a parent expects the opposite gender for a child.
Child's Health - the sickly child gets more attention than the healthier one or vice versa.
Life Event - the child was conceived unexpectedly. An "unwanted child" as others would want to call it.

How Favoritism Affects the Child?

Self-Esteem - the unfavored child will most likely feel that he is not being accepted. And while the unfavored child seem to suffer from having low self-esteem, the favored child might develop over confidence that may possibly lead to arrogance.
Fairness - the unfavored child is most likely to receive rewards for doing something that satisfies the parent while the favored child is receiving rewards for no particular reason. The child could feel that the world is unfair.
Peer Relationship - the favored child who is always receiving something for nothing might expect that the world will be just the same as the parents and that he will always get what he wants but hey, reality says "no". The child could develop problem when relating to his peers. This could also be the same for the unfavored child as he is always seeing the world to be unfair, the child could think that other people are just the same as the parents.
Sibling Relationship - of course, favoritism could result to sibling rivalry. One would always protect his favored status and thus, will work hard to retain it. The unfavored child could do the same to get some attention. Children will always find a way to prove themselves to their parents which could often result to anxiety or insecurity.

How To Avoid Favoritism

Acceptance - children has differences and parents should acknowledge that one child could exactly be different than the other.
Love - parents love their children. Setting the balance is the problem. Learn to love each other the way the want to be loved and accepted for they are different.
Unique - learn to discover the unique identity of your child and acknowledge it. Discover each of their interests, hobbies and skills and relate to them individually.
Time - have some time with each child alone to develop your relationship with each other.
Praise - acknowledge child accomplishment but avoid over praising.
Listen - listen when other people tells you that you are playing favorites or when your child approach you regarding favoritism concerns. Do not presume that you are doing well as a parent. We always make mistakes.
Lastly, stop, think a hundred times before you react. Parents reaction to situations could often affect the relationship with the children.

Each child would react on the situations I stated above differently, either good or bad. Our duty as a parent does not stop on giving allowances, getting your children to school and giving them the life they want. Nurturing our children should be our primary concern.

As I was writing the checklist above, I've come to realize that there are some symptoms of favoritism on me but the good thing is, I am still in control and I still have time to correct my mistakes and not to let it happen again. My children are still young and I still have a lot to learn. The journey now begins...

17 comments

The Butterfly Award

Posted by: mye in blog awards

They just keep on coming!

I'd like to thank all of you who have been reading, leaving comments and sincerely appreciating my blog. I've been grateful for the recent awards I have received from you but wait, there is more! I was again tagged by Mara of Mara's Personal Bubble and was given the Butterfly Award!

Wow! Mine is a cool blog? Thanks for really appreciating all the entries I've made in this blog. I promise to have more interesting posts in the next couple of days. The rule is to share this award but for now, I will keep it for myself (selfish?). Naah, I just want it mine for sometime but I will definitely share this soon....

9 comments

Catching Up

Posted by: mye in others

This will just be a short note to let everyone know I'm back!

I'm still catching up for the things I've missed last week. Got tons of emails that I have to attend to. My Adgitize leaderboard rank also dropped since I can't do the daily publisher clicks - oh well. Just when I can finally climb up the leaderboard. Anyway, there is always next time.

So for now, let me catch up for the things I failed to do last week for there are too many of them.

Ciao!

6 comments

No Internet at Home

Posted by: mye in others

Some of you might be wondering why I am slugging these past few days. I can actually still write posts and click on my adgitize ads to earn points even when I am at home and sick but the thing is, my home internet was down since Wednesday and it will be available probably by Tuesday this coming week. Sheesh, I missed performing my daily blog tasks and I can't properly reply to the comments sent to me so please pardon the delay in my visit and my responses. I will be able to come back by next week.

For now, I am posting this from a computer shop so that everyone would know. Please don't forget about me. I have already complained to the customer service several times but I guess I have no choice but to wait for the 4-day processing of ticket than exhausting myself out yelling at the agent why I can't get my service on time.

Guess, getting the country's most competitive telco's service also means getting bad customer service in return? Customer service eh!

Other countries outsource their customer service jobs from us and yet, our very own service providers don't know how to give proper customer service to their customers. Ironic? I gave them the info that I needed the service for work and what did I get? No response....yes, they did not respond to my last statement saying that I am using the service to earn money. They just don't get it. I mean, I have known the customer service arena for quite a long time already. I've been to trainings and I am a customer service-oriented individual and I definitely understand my rights as a customer but it is really exhausting to repeat yourself over and over to them because it seems that they don't have any intention to listen and care about your issue. They can't even provide a work around to my concern. tsk tsk tsk. Too bad. If there would be any other provider in our area, I swear I will definitely switch.

What a disappointment!

6 comments

I Love Your Blog Award

Posted by: mye in blog awards

I was supposed to post an entry about the payment I received from Adgitize when I happen to read a comment from a fellow blogger stating that I have a blog award. So I opted to post for this first since I have been wanting someone to send me this award for some time *wink wink*

Yeah! I received another blog award and it is my second just this January. It came from Solar Girl. Actually, she was just a recent visitor of this blog but she liked my entries and I really really appreciate her sharing this award to me. Thank you very much for this.

Now, for the rules of the "I Love Your Blog" award:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog
2. Link back to the person who gave you the award
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Add those links to your blog
5. Leave a message for your nominees in their blogs

These are the blogs I want to pass this award on to:

Memoirs of Aline
Bloggerhappy
Happy Moment...Happy Thoughts
I Love/Hate America
Down Home with the Kenyons
Ocean of Perspectives
Obstacles and Glories

Thanks again Solar Girl - I love it! It is very flattering when fellow bloggers appreciate your blogs. I promise to write more interesting articles to entertain you.

14 comments

Top 10 EC Droppers for December 2008

Posted by: mye in entrecard

I am still in euphoria for the You Ma ke My Day Award and the PR1. I actually don't want to make a post on this blog today so I can save it for tomorrow but I can't make a post on the Wedding Gazette for now since I am still editing the pictures to be posted (Tinee, read - I am already editing the pics, yey!). So for now, allow me to take this post as another opportunity to thank those who have visited my site and dropped ECs. Here are my Top 10 EC droppers for December:

Thanks everyone who have regularly visited my site to drop cards. Hope you'll have more time visiting it this month. Your comments to my posts are very much welcome =)

It is already working day tomorrow and I might slow down a bit to concentrate on my day job but I assure you all I will have more posts to come.

Do watch out for the Dorado-Del Rosario nuptials on cover of The Wedding Gazette. It is not my event though but I was there as a guest and I already have the permission of the picture-addict bride, Tinee (peace, sis!)to blog about her wedding.

That's it for today - off to cook!

9 comments

Page Rank 1

Posted by: mye in page rank

Finally, after 4 months, Blog Appetite is now Page Rank 1!

Well, some of you might wonder why I am so happy with it. I actually started a couple of months ago and I have been aiming for a high PR to get more tasks from paid blogging company so I can profit from my blog. But maintaining your page and getting readers to read your blog and stay on the site for some time is just so stressful. I even ranted last month about getting an improved Alexa ranking and yet I still got a PR0. I was not so happy with the turn around of the blog traffic and the readership. Nevertheless, I kept making online friends.

Since I have been carried away with blogging and I already got the hang of it, I kept on creating posts that are now....my point of interests and not only for the sake of getting a high PR as it just don't come naturally. And to think, I even got more readers to read my posts and even leave comments. I have also observed that readers have enjoyed reading my posts for I got positive reviews in Blog Catalog - thanks guys!

And just as I was reading other friends' post about getting their page rank improved, I was saddened because the widget I placed in my blog still displays PR0. I happened to just check if my rank has improved - just for the sake of checking (you know....kinda hoping) and to my surprise, I got a PR1 - yosha!!! I was so happy I even told hubby about it.

Good traffic, improved PR and a couple of new online buddies - it is just a great way to start the year 2009. Way to go Blog Appetite! I also would like to thank everyone who have visited my site over the last months and those who have left comments to my posts. Your reads made my PR improved.

Now, to show my gratitude, I will also visit the site and leave a comment to those who will leave a comment to this post.

Thanks everyone!

19 comments

You Make My Day Award

Posted by: mye in blog awards

Last night, as I was reading the last few comments made on my latest entry entitled "When Kids Quarrel...", I was so surprised to receive an award from Lea. She gave me the award for visiting her blog and commenting on her post. Just so you know, I do not personally know her but I frequently read her blog which is also included in my blog roll. Here's the award she gave me:

You Make My Day Award
from Lea - Ocean of Perspective

This is my very first time to receive an award from fellow blogger and I am very very happy to receive it. I exactly do not know how you give awards to fellow blogger but just so...I also want to share this to those who have visited my 4-month old blog and left a comment over the last 3 weeks. To the following, I hope you will come and make comments more often. Have a happy and prosperous 2009!!!