Pursuit of Happiness

My personalized version of 'Pursuit of Happiness', except that I will never leave my family.I just love watching Omar with Summer. Summer is so Papa's girl.

Wish list

Yahoo! I finally found a way to have my dream digital frame and just in time for Christmas! Hmmm... I hope Santa Claus is reading this post. I've been a good girl, promise!

I saw this site and you can get real good discounts. They give away promo codes so you can get discounted rates at different stores.

Santa, you can try checking Best Buy coupons and see if they have digital frames. I'm sure they do. I hope we get our own Best Buy deals here in Manila.

Omar would love to get perfume from fragranceX.com deals. They have a wide range of selection of the updated line of perfumes. Aside from lower rates, this fragranceX.com deals is even giving 10% discount. What else could you ask for?

We'll be good Santa, promise!

On her own

We have a queen size bed and a single size mattress. Di makatulog si Omar sa sikip sa bed namin dahil sa likot matulog ni Summer. Si Summer naman basta tulog, amoy pa din ni Omar ang hinahabol nya kaya si Summer at si Omar natutulog sa mattress at ako mag-isa sa bed.

Until one night, ayaw matulog ni Omar sa mattress. Pero si Summer gusto sa mattress pa rin, kaya dun sya natulog on her own! We switched off the lights, and natulog sya mag-isa nya.
Though, she woke up at around 3:30am and looked for her Papa. So she climbed up to our bed and joined us.

Big girl na baby ko.

Oh no!

I brought Summer to her school today and we saw a teacher at the door.

Teacher: (singing) Summer loving!
Hi Summer! Good morning! Don't give Teacher Jam a hard time today ha.

Jade: Bakit po? Pinahihirapan po ba sila ng anak ko?

Teacher: (smiling naman) Medyo makulit daw po sa classroom. Lalaki daw po ang katapat sa kakulitan. Pero ok lang po yun maam, at least nakikipag socialize sya sa iba.

Jade: Naku, pasensya na po kayo.

Lumabas na ako kasi nahihiya ako. Sana tanggapin pa kami next month. Ano ba gagawin ko dito sa anak ko? Meron ba kayong tips on how to tame a toddler? a boy trapped in a girl's body?

Big Savings!

Wow! Look at this site!

If you're looking for something and you want to get the best deal, this is the best site for you. You can search for any item you wish and they will give you different brands with their rates. Easier to choose, be it according to brand or based from the price.

For example, if you want an mp3 player, visit their site and they can give you different brands with available colors and prices from L 2.99.

Go and do your shopping now!

Bridal Shower

We were invited to join Carla's bridal shower hosted by her mom, Tita Cata, at Ayala Alabang.

We came in late for we came all the way from Bulacan. There were a lot of mommies there and we were 1 long table. Mama brought bibingka with monggo and everybody loved it.

We played games, had counselling on how to be a Godly wife, and opening of the gifts. We did not finish the event since Onnie still had to hear mass. We weren't able to see Tita Cata's gift for Carla which was a framed letter from Odie, sayang we didn't get to see her reaction.

That night, Omar and I had a talk. Looks like I'm not a bad wife after all. I just need to improve in some aspects.

Good luck Carla! I hope you like my gift for you!

A Wedding Gift

Odie and Carla are getting married on Friday.

Omar and I wanted to give them something they're going to like and will be very useful for them. So we told Odie our budget and he looked for one they like and need around that value.

They will be renting a small house, so they will be needing small furniture. That will be good for starters and it will be easier to clean for Carla. So Odie found a bed he liked and we purchased it yesterday so it can be delivered to their house before their wedding.

Now, they need a small living room furniture. I will show him the sleep sofa I found online to give him an idea on what to look for. It's like 2 in 1, a sofa and a bed in 1. Or better yet, I will forward him the site so he can have an idea on what he needs and should look for. He can even order from this site as it offers reasonable prices. I just hope they deliver free outside of US.

Enjoy furniture hunting!

A Jealous Dad

The Reantasos spent their weekend at Bulacan. Summer was so overjoyed playing with her cousins. While eating breakfast on a Sunday morning with my inlaws:

first photo of Omar and Summer

Omar: Yari sakin itong si Summer pag-uwi ng mga pinsan nya. Lolokohin ko, 'o asan ngayon sila Jaja mo?'

Jade: Bakit naman?

Omar: Pag nandito mga pinsan nya, akala mo walang nanay at tatay. Di ka na pinapansin.

Jade: (surprised) Nagseselos ka?

Papa: Naku, hintayin mo pa pag may namanhikan na dyan.

Naku, lagot ka Summer pag dalaga mo! Seloso si Papa Omar!

The way to do it!

I wish to have a new digital camera with SD memory card! I wish for a digital picture frame!

I got my first digital camera when I got pregnant with Summer. I want to be able to capture her precious moments. I was able to print some of her pics until just before she turned 1. With unlimited shots, having the photos developed will cut a big percentage from our monthly budget. My mom's been nagging me for I still do not have printed photos of Summer's 1st birthday party and she's turning 3 on March already.

Until I heard about this digital frame so I surfed the net and saw it online. I wanted one! No need to print your photos. No need to bring out the computer or plug the camera to your TV set just for you to enjoy your photos. All you need is electricity, your memory card, and off you go! You can even get discounted rates at this site.

I'll earn for that one!

5 Things

Thanks for the tag, Kitty!

5 things found in my bag
* wallet
* mobile phone
* digital camera
* hand sanitizer
* hair brush

5 things found in my wallet
* Cash
* IDs - license, sss, etc
* Loyalty/Discount cards - suki, laking national, bench, etc
* Health card
* Photos - Omar and Summer

5 things found in my/our room
* Bed
* Dresser
* Books
* Clothes rack
* Hamper for the laundry

5 things I've always wanted to do
* travel
* shop
* visit a spa
* learn to cook
* learn photography

5 things I'm currently into
* blogging
* reading
* shopping for christmas gifts
* playing with summer
* working

5 people to tag for this meme
* Aggie
* Alpha
* Ann
* Kelly
* Mich

Mongolian night

The girl is so happy today! The Reantasos are back at Bulacan in celebration for Omar's and Ojay's birthday.And we had a Mongolian night! Mama taught me how to prepare the Crab and Corn Soup. I was busy juggling between attending the inlaws and looking after the functions for the night, kaya walang picture. We also had fish fillet, grilled fish and pork ribs, mangoes and melon.Haayy! Rice na naman at kasal na ni Odie sa Friday! Pano ako papayat nito? Pero ang sarap e! Bahala na! Mag girdle na lang.

Security

I am not street smart. I do not know how to commute. I am scared of getting robbed. I have nothing to teach my kid when it comes to street life. Good thing my MIL is there for her. They go out on Wednesdays taking the FX to Makati, sometimes they take the trike and jeep. She even get to ride the MRT already.

While MIL is teaching Summer, I discovered a site I can share with her, and you might want it too. Learn the Close Combat Training straight from the World Leader in Self Defense. He learned the skill from an attack he encountered which almost killed him and would love to share it with others for security.

Captain Chris' Combat is available for a free trial. Go ahead and learn the basics. I just wish everyone not to put into use what you will learn from the site. Stay safe!

Flowers by Jade

Naks!

I go to Dangwa to buy flowers almost every month, minsan nga more than once pa. But I buy for the business and not for my personal use.

Yesterday, I saw roses na light green sa labas tapos pink sa loob. So I bought 2 bunches for myself - first time! And when I got home, I arranged it myself too - another first!

Happy naman ako kasi syempre love your own.
Ganda ng Php 60.00 ko! Actually, Php 20.00 lang kasi donated pa ni mommy ang Php 40.00, wala na kasi ako barya, buo na money ko. Natuwa sya kasi minsan ko lang daw maisip na bumili ng flowers para sa bahay ko.

Sana magustuhan ni Omar ang flowers sa bahay, baka sakaling dalas dalasan bigay sa akin ng flowers. Wish ko lang!

Flying Colors

I just heard great news from Ate - AJ's grades are higher than last semester's, Jazz is a straight A student, my Amiel is an honor student, and Usteng is a star student. I am just so proud! How I wish Summer will grow up like them, enjoying school and excelling.

My problem is, I am not good at teaching. I am not just gifted with the skill. I love math but how can I pass my love for it to my daughter? I love reading, I can see that she loves chewing her books hehehe.

Until I discovered online tutoring. It's tutor available 24/7 including homework help. That's just what I need! I hope I don't get to need one, though!

I'm an Elmo

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you ever asked yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was made into this test.

Answer all the questions (only 10) with what describes you best, add up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and look for your results.

Do not cheat by looking at the end of this post before you are done.
Then ask your Friends to answer it. (Make sure to Highlight your answers)

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?
.a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)
.b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)
.c) Painting in the park (5 pts)
.d) Rock concert (1 pt.)
.e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?
.a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)
.b) Alternative (1 pt.)
.c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)
.d) Country (5 pts.)
.e) Pop (3 pts.)

3. What type of movies= do you prefer?
.a) Comedy (2 pts.)
.b) Horror (1 pt.)
.c) Musical (3 pts.)
.d) Romance (4 pts.)
.e) Documentary (5 pts.)

4.. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?
.a) Waiter (4 pts.)
.b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)
.c) Teacher (3 pts.)
.d) Police (2 pts.)
.e) Cashier (1 pt)

5 . What do you do with your spare time?
.a) Exercise (5 pts.)
.b) Read (4 pts.)
.c) Watch television (2 pts.)
.d) Listen to music (1 pt.)
.e) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?
.a) Yellow (1 pt.)
.b) White (5 pts.)
.c) Sky Blue (3 pts.)
.d) Dark Blue (2 pts.)
.e) Red (4 pts.)

7. What do you prefer to eat?
.a) Snow (3 pts.)
.b) Pizza (2 pts.)
.c) Sushi (1 pt.)
.d) Pasta (4 pts.)
.e) Salad (5 pts.)

8 What is your favorite holiday?
.a) Halloween (1 pt.)
.b) Christmas (3 pts.)
.c) New Year (2 pts.)
.d) Valentine's Day (4 pts.)
.e) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?
.a) Paris (4 pts)
.b) Spain (5 pts)
.c) Las Vegas (1 pt)
.d) Hawaii (4 pts)
.e) Hollywood (3 pts)

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?
.a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)
.b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)
.c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)
.d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
.e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out the answer you have been waiting for!

Put your character in the subject line and forward to your friends and back to the person that sent this to you.

Very interesting to see 'who' your friends are!

(10-16 points) You are Garfield :
You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to
have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what
you are doing and you are always in control of your life. Others may
not see things as you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do what is right. Try to remember, your happy spirit may hurt you or others.

(17-23 points) You are Snoopy:
You are fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what's i n
and you are never are out of style You are good at knowing how to
satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days
more than once but you always come home with the family values that you learned Being married and having children are important to you, but
only after you have had your share of fun times

(24-28 points) You are Elmo:
You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to
give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and
you always see the bright side of things. Some good advice: try not to
be too much of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause many conflicts in
your life.

(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants:
You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend
that anyone could ever have and never wants to lose. You never cause
harm to anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life
is a journey, it's funny and calm for the most part. Stay away from
traitors and jealous people, and you will be stress free.

(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown:
You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious
about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom
every Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few
Birthdays. Don't let your passion confuse you with reality.

(44-50 points) You are Dexter:
You are smart and definitely a thinker... Every situation is fronted
with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong
family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad
situation when it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once in a
while to spice things up a bit with spontaneity!

Go ahead and tag yourself.

Fall back

What do you do if your bills are due just days before you receive your pay check? Do you delay your payments? How about your finance and penalty charges? Those are good enough to spend for your baby's milk or even for the utilities.

If you have a stable job, making at least a thousand dollars in a month, an active checking or savings account, then you're qualified to apply for a payday loan. You get easy and fast loan approval, lesser fees, payable on your coming pay day, and may even be rolled over to your next pay if you still need some cash for emergencies.

The site offers a lot of different loans - be it for ladies who loves shopping, tuition fees, or for your urgent needs and can even accommodate maximum cash loans. You can even apply secretly - they can accommodate confidential accounts.

Think wisely. Manage your money properly. Save and be responsible.

Pancit Canton

Summer loves pancit canton and she would even teach her Ate Cory how to eat one.

Here are her photos while enjoying her pancit canton, twirling the pancit around her fork, enjoying it, and finishing it with her drink.You like pancit?

Shopping on your fingertips

Traffic is so terrible specially on Christmas season when everybody's out shopping. Help ease the traffic and stay at home. And do your shopping at home, online!

Looking for a specific product? Want to compare rates? Want to hear reviews straight from the users? Mpire is the shop to go! It's a one stop shop with everything you need.

So what are you waiting for? Let's go shopping more!

My hubby

Grabbed from Alpha:

1. His Name: Omar John

2. How we met? Omar is a friend of BIL

3. Characteristics of Omar?

He is everybody's favorite - favorite ni MIL, favorite din ng mga tita nya, at favorite ng lola nya.

He is generous - sobrang generous, feeling ko ang damot ko.

He is domesticated - magaling magluto, malinis sa bahay, at tinutulungan ako alagaan si Summer

He is hard working - dedicated sa work minsan nakakaselos na.

He prays a lot - sya pa nagyaya pag Wednesday para magsimba, ang bait noh?

Mabait, Pasensyoso, Matiyaga - kasi tumatagal pa sya sa akin e =)

4. Our 20-30 year plan.

Dapat nakapagbayad na kami sa utang namin by then.

A simple house of our own. A car or two.

Sana marami na kami napasyalan together.

Sana napalaki namin ng maayos at tama ang aming mga anak.

Who's your partner? Grab it and share it with us.

Racket

Christmas is everywhere!

Gift giving, give-aways, christmas sale and the likes! Shopping, shopping, shopping!

As a wife, who is always on the look out for the family's budget, Christmas is the season for shopping. I have to learn how to stretch the budget. There's no way stopping Christmas. Prices are going up again, have to look for other means. If I cannot stop my expenses from growing, I have to increase my income to meet my growing expenses.

One way is to go online business. It's easy and it's low maintenance. All I just have to do is get an ecommerce software that is easy to use and easy to manage. Good thing I discovered A-shop commerce. It offers trial period to check if it's the right one for me, technical support is available 24/7, easy access to the search engine, you can design it on your own, free email, and best of all, so affordable.

Hmm... what do you think is a good business to do online?

Happy Birthday Omar!

It's Omar birthday!

We attended the 6:30pm mass at Mary Help, had breakfast at Mama's, and off to Karcraft.

Omar served lunch at Karcraft. I left Cory at the shop and went to Bulacan with Summer. She was a good girl! When I asked her to put on her shoes, she asked me to stop the car! Haay!!!

Summer and I did not make it for lunch but we were able to make it for the afternoon snack. Summer just loves playing with Omar's collection of toy cars at the office.Then we had dinner with the Santiagos and the Reantasos at Hap Chan along West Ave. We had balikbayans for our guests - Nana Mameng and Lolo Dom and Lola Lynda. They had fun eating Chinese food.Happy birthday Papa Omar!

Comfort and Style

While others are more into style over comfort, others are more into comfort over style? What about you? Wouldn't it be nice to have both?

I am not just speaking of fashion, but for living as well. As in furnitures and stuff. Just like in our country, a tropical one and humid at that. We cannot avoid setting up ceiling fans in our rooms. I never knew there could be so much kinds of ceiling fans - they have casablanca ceiling fans, ellington ceiling fans, fanimation ceiling fans, hunter fans and the like. And when you cannot find one that suits your style, you can always have one custom made just for you. An exclusive style just for you that is perfect for your room.

Now, who said that you cannot have both? Farreys.com made it all possible just for you. Thanks Farreys!

My Wallpaper

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.

You can do a screen capture by: [1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key). [2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V). [3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

I am using Webshots wallpaper with Summer's different photos. I just cannot decide which one to use for my wallpaper and webshots just helped me. My wallpaper changes, I think, every 15minutes, each showing Summer's different pictures.
Go tag yourself and post your wallpaper.

French living

I was born and raised at France - yes, France Street at Better Living.

Wouldn't it be great if I was really born and raised at France, the country and not the street? Oh wow, I can almost hear myself speaking French having coffee along Champs Elysee. Dream on!

And dream, I did! I surfed the net for my 'what if' moment and came across this real estate site for France, specifically chamonix property. It's like a snow globe with all the snow covering the area. The cottages are like ginger bread houses, covered with snow like icings of the cake.

The site is not just into houses or chalets, they are also into hotels and business properties, even parking spaces. And what's more? If you decide to take a look at the place, all you just have to do is contact them and discuss your requirements for them. Then they will prepare all the portfolios and presentations for you.

And have I mentioned that the company is a specialist in ski properties? So you can count on their quality and presentation. A view so breath taking, a resort within your reach, a very good investment.

Then it struck me, I am from France, France Street at Philippines and not from France. Time to wake up from dreaming! Dreaming is free! Go online dreaming!

The Face

I am just so proud to share my baby's art work. Ito parati nya din-draw pag nakakuha sya ng paper and pen. And she'll say, 'Look Mama! Face!'My favorite artist in the whole wide world is now 2years and 8months old.

Fumigation

Living in a tropical country is not easy at all. Not only people loves staying in a tropical country, termites too!

Sometimes, it is not enough to keep your house clean. If your neighbors' house are not, then termites can just get into your place anytime - be it flies, cockroach, house rats, and termites.

So what you could do is go to this site showing how they apply Florida termite control. Stuff you'll be learning from this site is applicable too in our country since we have the same weather. You may order some stuff online too. Good luck!

Shopping Galore

The bosings went to Baguio with the driver so I have no company car for 2 days. I went fine on a Monday. Unfortunately, fortunately for me, my car was color coding on Tuesday so I wasn't able to report for work at Bulacan.

In the morning, Mama and I went to Binan, Laguna to fit my gown for Odi's wedding. On our way home, we stopped by SM Bicutan to have lunch. Celine was on sale! I was able to buy my shoe for Php 499.00 only and I bought my second pair for Php 99.00 only! What a deal! We then had our lunch at Tokyo Tokyo.

In the afternoon, we went to Glorietta with Summer. We tried looking for Summer's shoes for her gown but she just want to try flip flops. You cannot wear flip flops with a gown. I bought my Christmas dress! I bought my birthday gift for Omar, pasalubong for Tito Adnie, my bag for Odie's wedding, and gifts for Nana Mameng. Ang gastos! Syempre, Summer played at the play area and rode the toy train.We had dinner at DeliFrance.

Sarap mag-shopping! Magastos lang. Thanks Mama!

A busy Sunday

We had a very busy Sunday yesterday and I missed Summer.

We attended the 7:30am Mass at Barasoain Church, without Summer for she was still sleeping when we left for the Church.

After the mass, we had breakfast at home and fixed some things at home. I sent Summer to Paranaque already with my brother for she was not invited to the despedida de soltera.

After our lunch, we had coffee with Kuya and I got my Starbucks sticker card for Omar forgot to bring his own. I just hope I get to complete one while supplies are still available.

Then Omar and I went to SMX Convention Center for the car show. I was not as excited compared to the first time I attended a show. It's like they are displaying the same cars over and over again. I more looked at the promo girls hehehe, not all are sexy but most of them are, and not all are good looking, they are just sexy. I saw 2 pretty faces - insecure ba?We went home to Paranaque to meet my inlaws and went to Glorietta for their barong tagalogs for Odie's upcoming wedding. It was my first time to go to Glorietta after the blast and the smell is still there. It smells like nasusunog na kuryente. But still, Filipinos are Filipinos, still a lot of shoppers at the mall.

It was when we went home to my inlaws when I finally saw Summer again. I just like going to places with her, feels like it's not complete without her. Arte noh? Malling lang naman. E gusto ko lang kasama ko sya. =)

More trips to come

Oh wow! I love travelling! I just don't like spending hehehe. I want it free! Too much for wishes.

As incentive and motivation, my parents would usually bring the whole family for 3 days and 2 nights vacation. We usually do it within the Philippines. From our last trip, my mom thought of doing an Asian cruise but due to time limit, we went to Palawan instead. I hope the offer is still good for the next one.

Where to go? How much? What to do? I found all the answer in this trip planner website. It's like a one stop shop. I am so excited. What's good with this site is you hear it firsthand from those who had their trips and not from agents just trying to sell their stuff. You even get savings from getting the best deals. And you get to boast your travel experience to share it with to those who are planning to go places. If you are really good, your stories may even be featured at the site. And above all these, travel planner is free!

Oh time to work work work! So we can save save save! For more travel travel travels!

Despedida de Soltera

My eldest niece with my cousin is getting married on Dec. 16 and she had her despedida de soltera yesterday at San Jacinto Panciteria at Libis.

We had lunch and, as usual, most of the Santiagos occupied the room over the guy's family. We are such a big family, and so intact at that too. It was a day filled with food and laughter. Syempre masaya kasi ako ang emcee hahaha, kapal! One guest even complimented me that I was witty and I was so flattered. Naniwala naman ako agad hehehe. The room was full of professionals kasi, considering that my niece is a resident doctor at PGH. E sanay lang naman ako mag emcee sa probinsya, di naman sa minamaliit ko mga taga probinsya. Mas at home lang ako sa home court.

I like her speech at the end of the party thanking her family, friends and relatives that everything came easy for her - from studies to career. And now facing her new life as a wife, she'll be on her own now. I truly wish I could give the same to my Summer and would-be children - an easy life, yet making them strong and not too dependent on us.Good luck Edhel! I'm sure you'll be a good wife to your hubby, Jim.

More of Europe

Italy is a country shaped like a booty. A country not only shaped like a leather good but a country known for its leather too. I wasn't able to buy any signature leather bag but I was able to buy one from the street, at least it was from Italy =). A place known for its many piazzas and water fountains.

I find hotels in Italy, at least where we stayed at, more of old design, with lots of paintings and sculptures. At Trevi Fountain, one must make a wish. How to make a wish? Stand with your back at the fountain and with the coin at your left hand tossed it over your right shoulder while making your wish. I cannot even remember my wish then.

The hotels in Rome are easy to talk to. We requested for a room near the front desk and they gave us a suite. I can remember they are serving boiled native eggs, toast, and jam for breakfast. We were able to see the sistene chapel at the Vatican - a city within a city. And the colosseum where we ate gelato and where men are dressed like gladiators and you can have photos taken with them for a fee.

I haven't been to Venice and Milan. But I've been to Venezia in Las Vegas so I can imagine the hotels in Venice. I saw the movie Milan and got a taste of hotels in Milan as well. Oh how I liked what I saw. It must be totally romantic riding the gondola and visiting the cathedrals of Milan.

Should you decide to visit Europe, drop by www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk to see great accommodations and must see places.

Happy Birthday Lola!

We had a simple birthday lunch for Lola at the ballroom area of DJ Paradise Resort.
Lola invited her friends from the church, Nana Mameng from Canada, her only cousin alive, and a few of Nana's friends and relatives, Lola's relatives and other friends too.

When we just had our lunch and was jamming with our cousins playing the band, Surprise! Surprise! There was Tita Lynda from California! We were all surprised to see her. I usually pick up relatives who arrive from the airport since we live only 15minutes drive from the airport so we were all surprised to see her. She kept it a secret. We were even e-mailing each other with the party plans for Lola, little did I know that she was planning to attend the party. Tita Lynda arrived last night, asked Tito Adnie's relatives to pick her up from the airport and checked-in at Bayview Hotel. She just asked them to bring her to Duty Free to buy some stuff for the relatives. A nephew of Tito Adnie even sang with the band ala Elvis Presley.Summer, as usual, played like a boy, running around with her titas and cousins.Must be a fun day for Lola. Happy birthday Lola! We wish you good health!

Healthy living

Ever since we found out that Omar is hypertensive due to high cholesterol and cannot take medications to lower down his cholesterol due to his fatty liver, we are always on the look out on the right food for us.

Omar's should be diet consists of - oatmeal for breakfast, grilled fish without salt for lunch, and steamed vegetables without salt for dinner. We also learned how to read nutritional labels of foods. Salty and fatty foods are a big no no.

But these foods are not always available. Sometimes, we have to bend down some rules and eat what is available. We just have to choose the lesser evil among the selections. This applies during occasions.

We are not fully knowledgeable on the proper diet for his case, good thing we have regular check-ups with his doctor. Internet is a big help too. I discovered this site which gives us know hows on better caring. They have care options, news and views, and testimonials from other readers and you can share your own too. They also offer nursing home, be it residential or at their place. You can be assured that your loved ones are in good hands.

It's nice to have options and choices. Now we can add other varieties to his meals.

Mommy Tags

Sorry, I just have to snag the tag.

1. What food did you crave when you were pregnant?
I wanted the green mangoes of Bangkok pero okay lang sa akin kahit indian mango lang. Oh and I ate a lot of anything with ice - ice craze, razon's halohalo, zagu, name it!

2. Did you gain a lot of weight when you were pregnant?
Naku 40lbs yata or even more kaya di na ako nakabalik sa pre-pregnancy size ko.

3. Did you drink milk when you were pregnant?
Yup. Cowhead lang. I tried Anmum and Gerber for Moms, pero nakakasuka sya (oops sorry). I don't know why pero umiinom naman talaga ako ng milk.

4. How long did you stay in the labor room before your delivery?
Naku 6cm na ako nung dumating sa hospital kaya after i-IE sa labor room, deretso na sa delivery room.

5. Did you have epidural during labor?
Hindi yata. Di naman kasi ako tinusok sa spine, sa may arm lang nilagyan ng IV.

6. How did you give birth?
Normal delivery. Gave birth less than 3hours after I get to the hospital. 2 iri lang, mali kasi yung 1 dapat pala walang sound.

7. What was your first reaction when you heard your baby’s cry and saw him/her for the first time?
Groggy pa ako sa anesthesia yata nun e. Natuwa lang kasi may hair sya and maputi. At di pala yun magtatagal hehehe.

8. Prior to that moment when you first held your baby, did you know how to carry a newborn?
Yup! I always took care of my nephews and nieces pero iba pa rin pag sarili mong anak, kakatakot pa rin.

9. Did you take a bath after your delivery?
I gave birth on a Holy Tuesday, took a bath on Easter Sunday! Wow para akong nabuhay muli hahaha.

10. How was your first night with your baby like?
Nag-room in kami and hubby was taking care of Summer then. Around 3am, hilo na daw sya so I asked him to put Summer sa may arm ko and she slept straight that night na.

11. Did you breastfeed your baby?
Yes, I did though expressed milk. Di ko sya naturuan mag-latch.

12. If you were to pick just one moment from the time you gave birth until the moment you were discharged from the hospital, which do you think is the most special moment for you?
Siguro it must be the time nung pauwi na kami and dumaan muna kami sa chapel ng St. Luke's before going out. I just have to thank God for entrusting this little angel to us. Dun din kuha ang aming first family picture. At motorcade kami from the hospital to our home at Bulacan - 3cars kami.

Go tag yourself mommies! Ako na lang yata wala nito e.

Lights are not just lights

I just noticed that houses at the US and at Canada doesn't usually have built in lights at the ceilings in their rooms. They must have thought how inconvenient to replace busted lights at the ceiling. So I told myself, if and when I finally get to have my own home, I would try to avoid as much as possible to put lights at the ceiling and use lamps instead.

I can always go with floor lamps. I remember when we were installing the furnitures for our house at the Riverside, I was assigned to assemble the floor lamps to be assigned to every room. It was such a breeze installing them. I guess it was then when I decided to have them in my very own home someday.

And for doing office work while at home, we can always use table lamps or desk lamps. My parents just installed one at Jenny's room at Canada before they went home here in the Philippines. She's taking her masters at the University of Toronto and the floor lamp inside her room may not be enough for her.

Lights are not just lights and must not be taken for granted.

Watch this Ninang!

And you thought my little diva cannot do it ha! Watch this!

And you think my baby cannot do it ha! Actually, Summer can sing the whole song, medyo tinamad na at nainip na kaya di na tinuloy. She so wanted to see herself sing in my digicam na kasi.

FYI, she's singing Lupang Hinirang. Sorry if you were not able to get a word. May secret language lang kaming mag-ina hehehe. I will try to catch her full version and post it soon.

One more chance

When love ends,

How long should you hold on?

How soon should you let go?

How do you move on?

From Star Cinema,

Comes a story about how true love waits for, hopes for, and needs for,

One more chance.

Yes, we saw it last night, on its first showing day.

"She loved me at my worst, you had me at my best, and you broke my heart."
"Tuwing minamahal kita ulit, nararamdaman ko ang sakit."

Almost there

On our second trip to Europe, we were scheduled to visit London too and boy I was so excited! I was already teasing my nephews that I'll be seeing Harry Potter at the Hogwarts! But the first batch of our tour group got denied when applying for the London visa and due to time limit, we were not able to push through with our London trip.

I just love looking at the pictures of London online. I still dream of visiting London and staying at London hotels. I love sleeping at the hotels.
I would also like to visit Berlin too and see the monument of our very own Dr. Jose Rizal. I haven't been to Germany though it was just a train ride away from Amsterdam but it was just too far. That is one place I must see when I get the luck to visit Europe once again with my family. And another hotel to stay at - Berlin hotels!I've been to Paris and can never have enough of them. I love Paris hotels. We were able to stay in a hotel near their Metro and so easy to go around the city on your own. I remember going inside the Galleries La Fayette Department Store and going out at the other side and we cannot find the Metro. We just kept on walking while looking around until we saw the Pantheon and finally, the Metro. Whew!And finally, one of my favorite, Barcelona hotels! I love Sagrada de Familia. It's one of the finest architectural structure in the world. The architect died already ages ago but the structure is yet to finish on 2010. Wow! That will be such a big celebration.Visit Europe in style and in a practical way! Use www.cheaperthanhotels.com.

Brand Tag

Got this from Jody! Thanks Jody!

1) What’s the brand of your wristwatch? Technomarine, Swatch, Mickey Mouse, Mango

2) What’s the brand of your bracelet?none.

3) What’s the brand of your cell phone?Nokia.

4) What’s the brand of your computer? My laptop is Toshiba

5) What’s the brand of your bags? Mickey Mouse, Lacoste, Mango, Guess, Benetton, Esprit, Roots

6) What’s the brand of your undies? Marks and Spencer, Hanes, Hygeia, Triumph, VS

7) What’s the brand of your flip-flops? Havaianas

8 ) What’s the brand of your shoes? Rockport, Aldo, Coach, Nike, Lacoste

9) What’s the brand of your wallet? Jade Duck, Ralph Lauren

10) What’s the brand of your shirts? Bench, Roots, RL, brandless

11) What’s the brand of your TV? JVC, Mitsubishi, Samsung

12) What’s the brand of your cars? Honda and Toyota

13) What’s the brand of your mp3 player?I don’t have one.

14) What’s the brand of your make up? NuSkin for foundation and lipstick, Johnson's and Johnson's for powder, Body Shop and Bene Tint for cheek tint, Max Factor yata eye liner ko, and BE for special occasions

15) What’s the brand of your shampoo and conditioner? Head and Shoulders, Clear, Clairol, Pantene, Sunsilk iba-iba

16) What’s the brand of your jeans? Esprit, Ralph Lauren, Roots

17) What’s the brand of your laundry soap? Ariel

I'm tagging Jen. Go tag yourself if you haven't filled one up.

New family

I earned my first payments from blogging! I am so happy! Finally, after 3 attempts, I am now successful with my paid blogging.

And I am now with bloggerwave! Another way to make money through blog. I hope to get assignments and for my posts to be accepted.

Come on! What are you waiting for? Join bloggerwave!

bloggerwave

Friends

Thank you Toni for the award. Thanks friend!
Passing the award to my new additions to my list - jesse, mich, yvetchie. Hope we'll be friends.

Gift Giving

One thing I love about Christmas is gift giving! Sure, it pays a lot to be able to give something to everybody but the smiles you get back are irreplaceable. And of course, the gifts we receive too, not that I expect gifts in return. I just love watching Summer happily opening gifts.

Omar and I have such a very long list. Good thing we can get so much good deals with this site. They just give away too much discount coupons. And they have Best Buy coupons!

Maybe I can get my nephews Game Boy tapes and dvds for Summer using Best Buy coupon codes. Omar would love some car accessories.

Oh i so love these coupons! So helpful and just right on time for Christmas.

Happy Birthday Ninang Onnie!

It's Ninang Onnie's birthday!

And it's the christmas party of mommy bloggers too =(. Too bad, I wasn't able to join though I was really planning to attend. It just skipped my mind that it was Onnie's birthday not until after I signed in that I will be coming to attend the party.

Papa prepared his oh so yummy karekare.

We were finally able to visit Tita Leslie to the hospital to bring them dinner that night.

Omar's cousin from Chicago, Jill and her cousin, came to join us celebrate Onnie's birthday and other relatives as well. They were joking around that they got stressed with Summer's non ending hyper activities.

And Summer got her flower girl dress! Janjanjajan....

Dilemma

As I was browsing the net looking for other sites where I can get our spare bed, I came across this another homemaker friendly site.

It's so user friendly, it will really help you when you're undecided or doesn't even know what exactly you were looking for.

The sites has its categories - be it by room, by style, or by color. So it's time saving as well. What's more is also have items on sale! And now they are offering 30% off on their selected items.

They do national delivery, online buying, suggestions, and even tips to maintain your furniture.

It is one fine furniture store where you can buy your furniture online. I will surely recommend this site to my wedding photographer who is starting to furnish his new home.

Blogging way

Here’s how it goes: When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. Write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

Tag as many people as you want.

1. Don’t let money change ya! http://www.therandomforest.info/

2. Look, read, and learn.http://www.neonscent.com/

3. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com

4. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/

5. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/

6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com/

7. Blog about something educational. http://climateofourfuture.org/

*8. Be yourself; others will follow. http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/

9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain.
http://cubicledenizen.blogspot.com/

10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organized! http://erishaling.blogspot.com/

11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!! http://www.leslieho.com/

12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy! http://groovy-olives.com/blog

13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic. http://www.jessieling.com/

*14. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING. http://oliviasy.blogspot.com/

*15. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and its a big turn off! http://sashablablabla.blogspot.com/

16. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers. http://judychow.blogspot.com/

17. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends. http://mummyinvain.com/

*18. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming! http://familyfriendsnfood.blogspot.com/

19. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon. http://justmyrambling.com/

20. Don’t think people will come to your blog if you’re not willing to pay a visit to them. http://joshualai.blogspot.com/

*21. Everyone loves read short posting and best, illustrated with a picture. http://www.demoments.net/blog

22. Try not to publish more than 5 posts in one blog a day. Even if it’s from feed reader, it’s quite hard to digest and catch up reading everything. http://montessorimum.com/

23. Blog, the other window to peek into people’s life, minus the trouble. keep a certain level of privacy to yourself. http://www.babyshern.blogspot.com/

24. Use simple words, not like the ones that require your readers to consult the dictionary. Girlie of http://www.hipncoolmomma.com/

25. Take time to visit your friendly links WITH OR WITHOUT SPONSORED POSTS, probloggers are required to update their blogs so expect they always have something new. Marie the Vanidosa http://mariegvergara.com/

*26. Be kind and appreciate your readers by taking time to really know them. Take time to read their blogs and comment with your heart. Even if you’re into problogging, don’t forget to blog with your heart not just for the sake of the money.
Emmyrose http://www.emmyrose.com

*27. Share your blog awards to blogger friends whose blog inspires you and open your mind to another perspective in life and even to less-visited blog which you think their blog and thoughts are unique. Arlene of http://sunshineforlife.wordpress.com

28. Be factual and do not rely 100% on gossips/hearsays especially if you are writing about sensitive topics. Back up your facts with links from reliable sources, if needed. Julie of http://www.teacherjulie.com/

*29. When you blog hop, leave sincere or witty remarks, the author would check you out for sure. Try to post useful tips for mommies, career women and students as well so you’ll have varied readers. And make lots of friends thru your blog. Rowena of http://www.thesweetlife-rowena.blogspot.com

*30. When you write posts, write something that is interesting, funny or educational, and share stories that will let your readers know who you are. Share some pictures. Blogging is a way to gain friends, when they leave comment be sure to reply to those comments. Get in touch with your readers. Visit those who visit you. When you leave comments in their blogs, be sincere and true. Leave comment as a friend, not just for the sake of commenting. Show them that you’re really interested with what they write and that you want them to be your friends too. Ann of http://annksantos.blogspot.com

*31. Interesting or not, just let your blog reflect the real you. It is always best for people to like you and befriend you for who you really are. But of course it is also better to leave the more personal things, personal. You don’t need to blog about them if you don’t want to. Remember, anyone and everyone can access your blog. ~ http://alphadf.11penguin.net/ ~

32. Update often — people are a lot more nosy and interested in your life than you might think! http://celluliticbliss.com/

33. Don't forget the reason why you started blogging. Mine is to show Summer how she was when she was small when she grows up. I see to it that my posts are Summer-friendly. http://jadeomar.blogspot.com

Thanks Jen! Share me your secrets Jesse, Jody, and Joy.

French tour

I am blessed to have parents who brought us to a lot of places. I've been to Europe twice - first on a land tour and second on a cruise tour.

France was among the European countries we've been to. We saw the Eiffel Tower just before the milenium with its countdown placed at the tower then. We were even able to go up and see the view of Paris. As if the day tour was not enough, we went back in the evening to see the lights of the tower. And one should try the River Seine river cruises - where you can see the historical buildings along the river at day time or you may opt to have dinner while cruising the river at night. We weren't able to see the Louvre museum, where the ever famous Mona Lisa was, from the inside since we chose to go to Euro Disney on our free day, and to the Rhone Alps due to limited time.
We've been to some wineries and museums too.

I wish my own family to have the European experience too. I may not be able to afford it but having this site will surely help me achieve this wish.

My luck

We are not players. We just try our luck at the slot machines but no card or chip games for us.

I only get to try playing whenever we go to Las Vegas. And the last time I was there, I was even with Summer so definitely no playing at all. Not until we stopped at Barstow on our way home, I asked my cousin to hold Summer for a while while I try my luck with $ 5.00. And with just my last dollar, I hit something that let my machine lit up, turned out that I won $ 250.00. I was surprised! I didn't know how I did it but I'm sure was so happy and I cannot forget that luck!

But how often can I go to Vegas to try my luck? And going to Vegas is not that cheap too - what with the airfare going to the US, land ride going to Vegas, hotel accommodation and buffet meals.

But luck is just some finger typing away. This site will let you play your luck any time, any where. You can play online poker, online bingo, online craps, slots, and roulette. How convenient can that be?

Just be careful and don't let yourself get carried away. Set and keep your limits!

3rd? or 4th?

I cannot recall if this was Summer's 3rd or 4th haircut.

She had her haircut today here at Bulacan where she had her first haircut - actually, more of shaved. Her hair was not pantay-pantay at the back so I just ask them to pantay it. I want to grow her hair long.
She was scared at first and refused to come near the seats even if she is used to the place already. I picked her up and sat her on my lap. She just sat quietly like a good girl and not moving at all. Though I have to entertain her with the photos in my digicam so she can turn her head this way and that way.Looks like a Gretchen haircut, huh! I hope it grows long fast and thick now, but not too thick please!

Too much space

Summer is taking up too much of our bed space as she sleeps like the hands of the clock and would even complain when she bumps into anybody.

We are thinking of getting her her own sleigh bed, keep our queen beds, or change our queen bed to king beds. As of now, we are using a queen bed and a single bed foam which is too inconvenient to use.

And with our limited space at home, we are thinking of converting our counter into a counter height tables which we can use as breakfast table at the same time.

What do you think?

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Koi Mo Koi Ko

We were invited to the grand opening of Koi mo Koi ko White Plains Branch.

They sell different species and different sizes of koi. Aside from koi, they also sell other kinds of aquarium fish.We came in a little bit late already but just right in time to catch some lucky coins. Summer had fun picking up coins. Her pockets were so full we have to lift it time and time and again. It so happened that Summer and Pipen were wearing the same color for their shirts.
After eating a lavish meal, we stayed a lot more for kwentuhan with the cousins and lots and lots of picture taking. Congratulations and good luck to Koi mo Koi ko! We are looking forward to buying our yellow flower horn from you.