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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.

Another Tag

I found this tag in the internet and thought it's going to be fun doing it. Thank you to who-ever-you are!

1. Are you taller than your mom? Yes. I'm definitely taller.

2. What color is your curtain? Cream-colored bought from Robinson's.

3. What is the closest thing to you right now that is red? I'm looking at a pretty red phone in a Fashion Site that I'm also browsing now in another window. It's a Nova Scotia Pomegranate phone that is super hot-looking! :-)

4. What is your ring tone? Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go! Is that the title (I'm not sure)?

5. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My head, my knees, my eyes. :-(

6. What color is your favorite pillow? My regular pillow in the bedroom. It's so comfy, I love it!

7. What is/are your favorite video game? Does solitaire count? I'm not a video freak, sorry!

8. Had a nap today? No. I'm at work so it's a no-no to nap. Besides, I'm too busy to nap.

9. Gold or Silver? Gold, definitely. It can be white or yellow gold too.

10. Is there an animal that creeps you out? Snakes and crocodiles!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

My Current Favorite

I am currently loving the tv show Clean House. Not only is it entertaining and funny, I think it also always gives the lesson about order, simplicity and detachment. :-) So to all pack-rats and disorganized peeps out there - this may be the show that will inspire you to get rid all that trash in your house and start cleaning house. :-)

On Cars and Costs

Money doesn't grow in trees. That's the sad realization that many people are now having with the current economic crisis that the world is experiencing.

For car owners, one of the pain in the neck expenses are car maintenance costs. It really hurts to be spending so much on car maintenance costs and other related expenses. More so if you have not just one car to maintain.

In our case, since we have more than one car, it's been pretty hard on the budget to maintain all of it. We really need to dig in deeper in our pockets in order to come through with our car expenses. One big expense that comes up every year is our car insurance payments. Since I have been trying to study our budget this year, I've tasked my husband to get various car insurance rate quotes online for us to be able to find the best deals when it comes to car insurance. Paying for car insurance is definitely no joke and it really takes a lot of savings for us now so we can pay for a good insurance provider. So definitely, getting a cheaper but a good and reliable provider is an essential decision these days for us.

Pausing for a Quiz

You Are Sincere and Sensible

When You Are Comfortable: You are a practical, efficient worker. You know how to go after what you want, and you're not afraid to work hard. People see you as a loyal, genuine person. You are down to earth, and upfront about who you are. When You Are At Your Best: You are a determined and responsible. You strive for success, and you know what it takes to get things done. People find you to be trustworthy and a good leader. You treat people well, and they benefit from your wisdom. When You Are in a Social Setting: You are very unique and talented. You solve problems well, and you have a creative approach to life. People see you as straightforward and level headed. You can see opportunities when others only see troubles.

What Do Your Initials Say About You?

Bad Effects of Drug Use

We have seen and read countless stories on celebrities who somehow lose their way and end up getting hooked in different kinds of vices and drugs. There are so many documented deaths of celebrities that came as a result of drug overdose or the effects of continuous drug abuse through the years. It's a sad reality that society is facing nowadays. And we all know that it doesn't just involve celebrities but regular people (non-celebrities) as well. We actually don't have to look far because maybe in our very street or in our very own homes, there are people who are getting into different forms of abuse either from drugs or from alcohol. We should not close our eyes to reality. What we should do is to try to help them get over this dependency and help them get proper treatment in a drug rehab.

I believe that "drugs are bad for men" rather than the notion that "bad men do drugs". A dose of prevention from drug use is so much easier and more effective that the curing from drug abuse or drug detoxification. Because when it comes to helping a person who already much into drugs, we need a special intervention in order to do it right. We all know that to help out a friend or a family member from overcoming a dependency over drug use needs vital care and utmost compassion. In plain words, it's a very difficult task.

History shows us that dependency on illegal drugs causes numerous health problems including death. It can also be a trigger to more social problems later in life. This includes dropping out of school, getting involved in criminal acts, maybe becoming pregnant as a teenager, and many more. Those effects alone should stir us up to help prevent drug abuse. If we don't act now, we might be just losing that person little by little.