Lap band

Lap band is a fast and simple medical procedure that is helping numerous people with excess weight problems. According to some lap band testimonials, this surgical technique enabled them to feel full after eating only a minimal amount of food every meal, thus, causing them to eat less without the struggle to want to diet. What's more, when you check out the lap band before and after pictures of people who have undergone this procedure, you will obviously envy the great improvement that they have obtained in reaching their ideal weight. They are no longer slaves to their appetite and burdened by the negative effects of obesity.

If you are interested to know more about this medical technique, you may call their toll number 1-800-GET-SLIM. You will get medical advice that may start you towards a life of energy and good health.

Holy Monday

The Christian community will be celebrating the Holy Week this week. Good thing for Filipinos, Monday on Holy Week was declared a holiday as well as Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This means that will have more time to pray, reflect and talk to God. I hope I can do it and I hope you will too.

Advance Happy Easter to all.

How to Keep Your Married Life Alive

Like any other vocation, the marriage path requires constant commitment. After a few years of marriage, when the honeymoon is over, people tend to slack and lose interest in each other's partner. Many other things come around: kids, work, friends, individual interests, etc., etc. At any rate, each person's commitment to each other should still be the priority for any married person, regardless of the other factors that are involved. It is a vow, after all.

Being married for some years now, I could say that it really takes a lot of grace to be married and stay married. Daily prayer is very important. Open communication and a physical connection are also needed to keep the marriage alive. One also needs to know how to forget one self, put that pride on the side and really learn how to accept the person as he or she is and be forgiving for any faults that may be commitment. You have to remember that you married that person because you love him or her and are willing to spend the rest of your life with him or her.

Only this week, I was able to discover this site offering Married Chat. This is a website where married people such as my husband and myself can talk and chat with other married people like us. I think this is a great way of getting fresh ideas from other people in a similar state. You can probably try joining this chatroom and learn from other people who has had the same concerns as you are having.

Long Weekend Ahead

We woke up kinda late than usual today. Maybe it was because we were so tired last night coming from our regular weekly dinner date. We went to Conti's in Serendra for a sumptuous meal. Sorry, got no photos this time coz I left the camera in the bag. For a Thursday night, Serendra (and the parking!) as surprisingly packed! We had to wait for a about 30 minutes just to find a slot in the parking area. Anyway, we both thought it was worth the wait since the meal that we had and the time spent together were very well worth it.

By the way, I think my hubby and I could try doing some rounds of walking around Boni High Street. Apparently, jogging and walking in this area has been the current trend. I think it's a great idea! Doing some exercise in Serendra instead just doing mere shopping or dining, how cool is that? Great idea guys!

Anyway, it's a long weekend ahead! I'm thinking of bringing Zoe to the pedia on Saturday and then also go back to Serendra and let her round around there and have some great outdoor fun. :-)

Pregnant at 17 weeks

I woke up this morning rekindling a dream of my newborn baby and myself. I was nursing the baby in my dream. "She" latched on with ease and I was just so glad that I had abundant (even overflowing) milk, something that I didn't get to experience with my first-born. Oh how I wished that dream is a reality already! I really can't wait to hold the new baby in my arms. I'm so excited just imagining how pretty "she" will be and how "she" will make our lives doubly happy.

From babycenter, here is how the baby is growing inside at 17 weeks:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

We will be having another OB appointment this Friday evening and I'm so excited to know how we're both doing. :-)

Help in Business

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Shopping Days Again

Thank God for our recent bonus, I was able to go on a shopping spree again. Gosh, it's been a long time since my last shopping "exercise". It kinda feels great, you know. I got a couple of pairs of pants and some new tops. I was able to stash away my regular pre-pregnancy clothes already last night so the cabinet is ready for my new pregnancy clothes. :-) Which reminds me, I still got more preggy clothes in my old bedroom... I'd better get a hold of those too so I can dress up with better ease with clothes that fit well my growing belly.

Hang in there baby!!! I'm ready for more belly-growing in the next months!

Q & A on Cars

I'm having this odd observation lately, that is, my husband is beginning to sound like a walking C! magazine these days. Ask him anything about the special features and market price of any car make or model and he's bound to give you a more or less right answer. And I think it's not bad at all. I find it actually very interesting. I even think he can be successful if he wants to be a car agent or be in the buy and sell business on the side.

If and when he does consider doing this line of work as a sideline, I would have to tell him to check out an interesting site about new cars. This site could help him get a more comprehensive overview of the latest car series and the modern features that come along with it. With this site, he can give a more credible advice to our friends in U.K. who are in surveying to buy a new car.

Summer Outing

Zoe's first summer outing

A picture with Daddy to remember by...

All smiles with Mommy...

Thanks Chris for Mommy Moments!

4th Anniversary

Today marks my mom's 4th death anniversary. We remember her in a very special way by offering mass and prayers for her today. Actually, we already visited her in the cemetery last Sunday. On the way, we prayed the rosary as a family. When we got there, we said our hello's, gave her a special basket of flowers, prayed the Responsory for the Dead and blessed her grave with Holy Water. Afterwards, we met up with some of my relatives (my mom's brother and his family) and had a lunch celebration in the nearby SM Mall.

How time passes so quickly. It seems like yesterday that my mom was in our physical presence. I really miss the days that we were together. But God has special plans for her. He wanted her to be by His side earlier than we thought. She was "ripe for the picking", as some would say, that is why God called her to be in Heaven at the age of 58. At least now, I am happy with the thought that she is in Heaven and she doesn't have to suffer her illness longer than she can take it. Back then, I was willing to give anything, sell anything and take an american cash advance and all the other cash loans that are available just to keep her alive. I was in denial for quite a while about her condition and her eventual death maybe because I was just thinking of myself --- that I need my mom to be with me, that she had to be there in my wedding and that she has to be there to see her future grandchildren. But now I have realized that I cannot rebel against God's will.

Nanay, I want you to know that you are sorely missed. Thank you for being the best mother in the world. I love you always.

Regular To Do's in Cleaning the Kitchen

I was browsing through my Good Housekeeping Maid Manual and found this valuable piece of info:

Cheat Sheet for the Kitchen:

DAILY
1. Sweep kitchen floor.
2. Mop floor.
3. Wipe all regularly used/visible surfaces.
4. Take out trash.

WEEKLY
1. Wipe all surfaces - ventilation hood / appliances / inside of oven.
2. Pour boiling water down the drain to disinfect.
3. Wipe inside / outside of cabinets and cupboards.
4. Vacuum relevant places.
5. Wash and completely dry knife blocks.
6. Dust light fixtures.
7. Compile grocery list and make menu for the week.
8. Do grocery.
9. Do wet market.
10. Wide down doors / baseboards.

MONTHLY
1. Wash hood filters.
2. Check freezer fro expired items.
3. Clean kitchen ceiling.
4. Schedule days off for all staff members.
5. Defrost - 2x a month or when ice reaches 1/4 inch thick.

SEASONAL
1. Replace baking soda in freezer - every three months.
2. Clean ovens - all appliances.
3. General cleaning - every six months.
4. Refrigerator cleaning - 2x a month.
5. Check staff uniforms.
6. Check condition of staff uniforms and footwear.

Senior Citizens Unite!

My Dad and his wife just came back from a month-long vacation in the United States. I was glad to have them back at home safe and sound. I am also glad that even if they are already in their sixties, they are still able to travel and enjoy.

Together with his new brother in law (also a senior citizen!) from Michigan, they were able to go to Las Vegas. They also were able to take a bus leading to the Grand Canyon which is a spectacular site. I still have to see their pictures though but they all said that they had a super great time. In fact, my dad was emailing me every now and then during their trip, talking about their adventures and their shopping finds.

For a few days, they were also able to visit my uncle, aunts and cousins in Illinois. They stayed in my retired aunt and uncle's huge house. I heard that they also had a party there. Sounds like it the senior citizens had so much fun together!

Thinking about it, I wish that my husband and I would experience that same level fun and energy even if we grow old already. Maybe we can even try entering the Senior Chat Room for more excitement! Ha! Ha!

Do you have an altar at home?

We do...

And it is in this little detail that makes such a huge difference. You wake up and immediately get reminded that we live not for ourselves but for Him.

Mommy Moments - Bonding with Siblings/Cousins

Zoe's sibling is still in my tummy so I got no pics yet of them together. As for cousins, Zoe has no cousin on my side of the family but has 14 cousins on her dad's side. However, I cannot find a single decent picture of them together. Thus, I settled for this one. It's actually a favorite. Zoe is photographed here with her "kinakapatid" named Nzo (the son of her godfather Owi) during our first summer outing together (May 2007).

Don't you think the picture's so cute? This was taken in the Jollibee in one of the gas stations in SLEX.

Fine Silverware

Last night, my husband and I were discussing about the possible godparents for our second baby. We came up with our tentative list already but of course, it can still change. I also brought up the topic about the baptismal celebration. I was fancying on booking a small room at one venue in Quezon City so we can have an intimate celebration with family and friends. However, he told me that he opts just to have the same set-up as the one we had for Zoe. Just a small party at home with catered food and rented tables and chairs.

I still remember when we had that party more than two years ago. We got Conti's to cater for us. About a hundred people came to celebrate with us so you can just imagine how full the house was. Anyway, I remembered how the people praised the food and the buffet set-up. It was really so good. The guests even noticed how classy and elegant their cutlery was. In fact, it was so easy to differentiate the utensils that they have versus the ones we took out from our own kitchen. Ours were just ordinary looking and light while theirs was heavy, shiny and looked expensive. That made me think of buying a new set of silver ware from abroad. I really hope to get a good distributor such as Arthur Price soon or when budget permits.

Me and My Pineapple Juice

My day yesterday started off at the right track. I woke up early, had breakfast, took a bath and then dressed up to go to work.

It was color-coding day so I had to commute. It was drizzling a bit but it was okay. Fortunately, I got to find a ride to work almost immediately. Everything was smooth-sailing until...

...I encountered the most terrible traffic en route to Makati.
...The driver of the vehicle I was riding had WTM playing on the radio --- and DJ Mo's way of speaking really pissed me off.
...I was late for work (unsurprisingly).
...I had too many issues at work.
...I lost track of the time and was very late for noon-time mass.
...I called the house only to hear the helpers complain that we don't have this and that in the house and that I needed to go to the grocery or else we'll starve.
...F. still gives me the biggest headaches.

I think about it and felt that I had too much for the day. So I went to the canteen and got myself a can of pineapple juice.

All the stress is really putting my blood pressure up. NOT GOOD!!! But thank God for the pineapple juice (and His grace), I made it through the rest of the day. :-)

Kreativ Blogger Award

Co-mommy blogger Eds sent me a suprise award today! I'm so happy. Thank you so much sis! Let's keep blogging!

The rules that go along with this blogger award are as follows:

Name 7 things that you love then pass this onto 7 other kreativ bloggers.

1. God
2. Hunny
3. Zoe and Baby #2
4. My family - my Mom, Dad and Ate, Kiko, Step-mom, In-laws
5. My relatives
6. My friends - old and new
7. My job

Let's pass this award to Ai, Dyes, Jesse, Jean, Pat, Tracy and back to you Eds!

Away from Home

My friend will be going abroad next month because she will be sending off some of her kids to an international school in Australia next school year. She has been fulfilling so many requirements for her kids' enrollment that it tends to take her focus away from work. I, more or less, understand her because it's hard to have your kids away from home. Anyway, she told me to help her out avail of student credit cards for her kids. These cards will aid them in their expenses especially since there will be a distance barrier between her and the kids. I suggested to her look for the best credit card deals online. This is the easiest way for her to weigh the pros and cons of a certain credit card versus another.

Lenten Suggestions

With the ongoing season of Lent in the Catholic Liturgical Year, we should try to slow down and start thinking of ways to fulfill the Lenten acts to do prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

On the top of my head, here is a quick list of some Lenten sacrifices (the level of difficulty is always relative) which we can offer up this season:

1. Cut down on TV or better, give up TV altogether until Easter.
2. Try not to take afternoon snacks on certain days of the week.
3. Avoid the mega-sales and midnight madness in the malls this month.
4. Talk to one or two friends about God each day.
5. Don't complain - about the weather, the traffic or your boss.
6. Wash the dishes instead of delegating it to the helpers.
7. Pray the rosary on your way to work.
8. Find time to visit the Blessed Sacrament daily to say 'hi!' to Jesus who is perpetually present there.
9. Donate some clothes, housewares or food to the recent fire victims in San Andres, Manila.
10. Watch your words! Be extra nice to the people around you.

I hope you'll be able to get some ideas from here. :-)

Who Do You Want to Look Like?

I'm sure many of you have heard about the "uncalled for" comment of a certain plastic surgery doctor as she gave some Cosmetic Surgery Advice. She spoke on national TV recently that if you want to look like some male matinee idols, then go to her clinic but if you want to look like this certain gay entertainment host, then you should go to her arch-rival in the cosmetic surgery field. This made me think about the credibility of her person and her competence in the medical field. As you may agree with me, in any profession and more so in the medical professional which of course includes cosmetic surgery, there has to be a high level of credibility. So if I will be asked on who to go to for plastic surgery, I would advise you to go to MYA because, even with the distance, they are there to provide you with the utmost professionalism and care that you and your family members really deserve.