sassymom on the go

How To Tutor Your Kids Effectively

2012-06-27T22:27:00.000+08:00

My children love going to school and enjoy studying. They always insist on tutoring them, not only that they will be prepared in everyday class activities but also it will served as our bonding time on a daily basis.

I admit I am not a professional teacher, however, I have my own basic tips to make tutoring easier for a mom like me:

1. Study Time - Your kids come from school tired and hungry. Give them time to eat and refresh. This will give them energy to have another go at studying an extra hour or two for the day. Don't push it too hard, or they will be burned out. There is time for everything, including playing, watching tv, resting and other usual kids activities at home.

2. Study Guidelines - Students are given subject guidelines by their teachers at the start of every quarter. It is a lesson outline on every subjects for the entire quarter to give students enough preparation to study. Always make time to read them, this will give idea on what to teach your kids and what the teacher expects your kids to review.

3. Google and Learn - You cannot teach something you don't know. When was the time you learned noun, pronouns, subject and predicate? How about fraction and ratio and proportion? You may be familiar with them but there are terms/jargon that will confuse you now. Before teaching your kids, you may need to refresh your memory and to prepare yourself with their questions. Not only they expect right answers but also explanations for every answers, especially, if they have hard time comprehending.

School books are good resources but limited. Use the internet for its countless information and the convenience of finding the answers to your own questions quickly.

3. Study Materials - Use flash cards, charts, maps and such. It can be more fun by using bright colors, interesting drawings that will easily get their attention. Visual aids help your kids to have a better understanding of what being taught about by looking on something concrete while listening to your teachings.

4. Patience - Take a deep breath. Be patient. Kids don't learn the same way. Sometimes they need more time to understand what being taught. Or better yet, they have to be taught with different study methods.

Each kids has different level of comprehension, you cannot expect them to be like their classmates who get good grades easily. As a mom, you have an advantage of measuring you kids' strong and weak points.

How you understand and support your kids will make or break their confidence. Showing your kids that you believe in them will make them strive hard to achieve their goals. Happy teaching!

Work At Home: oDesk

2012-06-07T01:03:00.000+08:00

A year ago, I accidentally discovered oDesk while I was surfing the net. I wasn't particularly keen on finding work at that time, but out of curiosity I checked the site anyway. The website looked promising, no payment or fee required, hmm. The first thing I did was to check if it was a scam, found nothing out of place, I registered.

It wasn't easy for me that time, being new and no one to ask for some advice. I always read forums to get some ideas. I almost gave up after a month with no possible contracts or clients to hire me. Competitions were so great and I admit I am no expert in web designs, multimedia, software development and other categories listed there. So, I chose the one I am really familiar with, administrative jobs. After hundreds of applications I made, I got my first job... and the rest is history.

So, how does oDesk works? I will just summarize it to give you basic idea. Assuming that you already registered on the site, what to do next?:

1. Profile Building

Personally, I think this is one of the most important aspects of freelancing in oDesk. You have to build an impressive profile for possible buyers' reference. Buyers will not contact you right away out of the blue, they will check your profile first to see if you are worth interviewing first, and hiring you eventually. Be sure to put facts, don't lie just to get buyers' attention.

Take oDesk tests, they are a good measure of your skills and will make good impression on potential buyers.

2. Job Application

The maximum job application quota is 25, use it wisely. There are hundreds of job postings everyday, so be wary of the red flags. If you think a job posting is too good to be true, then it probably is. Keep in mind that not all job postings are real or even worth applying for.

Prepare good cover letters. Note that it is useless using same standard cover letter for all job applications, buyers are aware of it. Make sure you fully read and understand a job advert, considering your qualifications to do task described before applying.

There are two job types: hourly, which is guaranteed and fixed-price, a risky one.

3. Work

Congratulations! By now, you already downloaded the oDesk Team application. That is our oDesk workplace, where buyers examine your work to ensure you do the job right.

oDesk team has a time tracker and records four things. One, it checks your screenshot six time per hour, so anything you have on the screen will be visible. Second, it determines your activity levels such as mouse clicks and keystrokes. Third, the name of the active window and application. And the fourth, memos or task codes. It is the description of what you are currently working on. There is a camera snapshot, which is optional.

For a fixed-price job, you don't usually use oDesk Team application unless specified by the employer. How you work and how you submit output for fixed price jobs depends on the agreement of both parties.

4. Payment

The one week you worked will be reviewed by the employer for the next four days. After that, it will go through a security period for another five days. Therefore, you will get a pending status on your wallet until next Wednesday for the money to be available for withdrawal.

For fixed-price, clients decide when to pay their contractors. You will have to contact your client to find out when they plan to issue the payment. Fixed-price payment still go through standard security period.

Please be reminded that this is only a short summary of how oDesk works. You still have to check the website thoroughly and read manuals to familiarize yourself. You may check my oDesk Profile for your reference.

Paradise in Davao

2012-06-05T22:18:00.000+08:00

If you want a quiet and relaxed vacation, I'd recommend that you go to Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort located in Samal Island, Davao. It is only 5 minutes away from Sasa port where you can board a ferry boat courtesy of the resort. With an aviary and a playground for your afternoon walk, it also offers variety of water activities and other recreational games to entertain yourself or your group.

But what I really liked about the place was where the cottages were located. For a nature-lover person like me, I greatly appreciated that our room was surrounded by trees, plants and flowers. Though, it was a bit far from the beach, I didn't mind a little exercise. The cottage itself was like a mini-house with its own gate and garden. I loved having my morning coffee in the terrace while engulfing myself to the serenity of the nature around me.

Though it cannot be compared with Boracay, it is still pretty good destination to consider.

Family Bonding in Palawan

2011-07-27T00:21:00.003+08:00

The best travels I had were the trips I made with my family.

My brother and I decided to go to Palawan with our respective families. I will never forget how my kids looked when they boarded on the plane. It was first time for our kids to be on the plane, hence, the amazement and delight I saw on their faces made our travel expenses worth spending.

Since my husband is an OFW, I want my family to spend our time together in the most memorable way I could think of. It always touches me hearing my daughter exclaiming, "we are happy family!" whenever her daddy comes home for a vacation from work.

So, don't miss any moments you could have with your family and put an extra effort to make it more special =).

Our family at NAIA Terminal 3

My daughter and her cousin

Puerto Princesa Airport

Crocodile Farm

Mitra's Ranch

Baker's Hill

Happy Family at Plaza Cuartel

Ellana Mineral Makeup

2011-03-16T15:12:00.006+08:00

Do you have an oily skin?

Well, I do! No matter how hard I tried to wash and clean my face from make up at night, still, makeup caused pimple break outs on my face the next day. So when I found out that mineral makeup is skin friendly, contains natural ingredients and free of toxic chemicals, I immediately searched for a brand that is not only accessible to our local malls but also affordable to my meager budget. That was when I converted to mineral makeup user and became an Ellana Mineral Makeup fan.

Why Ellana? Searching for a good brand, I came upon good reviews about Ellana. I went to their website and as per product description it says,

"Our Mineral Foundation offers superior coverage, effectively covering and reducing dark spots, fine lines, acne, wrinkles, and other imperfections making your skin instantly flawless with an illuminating glow.

It contains Allantoin for cell regeneration and moisturizing properties.
It glides on your skin like silk, never gritty or sticky.
It’s easy to blend, providing a velvety finish.
Our exclusive foundation blends is formulated with Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide to provide natural sun protection and the long-lasting coverage you need throughout the day.
It sets up as a base for your eye shadow and blush colors to help them glide on more evenly."

Reading from the website, I found out that they are giving free samples to whoever asks for them, just mention what color your skin tone is and if you only pay for the shipping fee. So, I was excited when my samples arrived, I was given the ff:

1. White Choco Mocha Foundation

2. Cafe Mocha Foundation

3. Whimsy Powder Concealer

4. Espresso Con Panna Finishing Powder

5. Bunny Blush

I immediately tried these samples and I was impressed with what they did to my skin and face over all. Intensive coverage, no pimple break outs, affordable and more benefits that I decided to order some of their mineral makeup for my daily use.

Ellana Samples

My Haul

GAGA OVER DIGIPERM

2011-02-15T03:38:00.004+08:00

Maybe I'm a late bloomer but yeah, i just only found out about the popularity of digi perm. I have been wearing my hair long and straight and been bored about it since.

I was itching for a change...better change lol and curling my hair is my best option since I knew that short hair wasn't for me. After 3 months of contemplating and pag-iipon, I finally decided to get a digi perm. I searched via internet of any good korean salon and I saw a review about Genic Salon now known as Robin Kim. It was located at the ground floor of Pan Pacific Plaza in Malate. Armed with my savings and confidence, so i went.

The staff were friendly and greeted me with smiles, nice hmmm. When i asked for any digi perm hair pictures I could choose from, she gave me enough hairstyle albums. I chose one that has a wavy hair since i dont like tight curls but she told me that she would recommend one for me. Looking at the pic, I saw that I like it and yes, I'll get the recommended one. Now came the washing of hair, putting solution, the iron curler and the wait....another wash, some finishing touches here and there and the blowdry. Voila, new curly me:

Okay, to be honest i kind of felt 50-50 on this one. Why? It was not what I expected it to be tho it was not that bad. Maybe i was just thinking of the amount i paid and how the result ended, all i saw was a sort of telephone curl, a flat boring curl at that. I saw some pictures of other women who got the same treatment and theirs was way better looking than mine.Since my original hair was too straight and thin, i should have expected less, it was hard for the solution to have good effect for my kind of hair and another reason may be i should have gone to better salon and picked better hair master lol. I was trying to enjoy the new hair although some of my friends complimented it (were they just being nice?). As per advised not to wash my hair for 48 hours, i washed the hair on the 3rd day, the curls loosen more and i thought i was gonna cry, everyday i was toying for a new strategy of how i'm gonna style it so i'd feel happy and contented now seeing my hair was trying to frizz on me. I went to a mall to buy myself something i could use for my hair, i got the following:

Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Shampoo and Conditioner- this shampoo and conditioner really gives volume and bounce to my boring hair even after only 1 wash and yes, it emphasizes what little curls left on my hair.

Gatsby Gel Water- i like the hold it gives to my curls.

and Vitress-i used it after a few hours of putting the gel water to give my hair a softy look and some minor retouching (since the hair tends to get hard edges 'cause of the gel)

The next morning I started using the newly bought shampoo and conditioner, after 1 wash my hair felt soft, the frizz tamed and my curls got more volume and bounce compared with a single telephone looking curl.. After 3 days my hair improved more. I tried using the gel and experimented some style and was happy with the outcome. It looked like malandi na hehe. I know it's not much compare with others who has better digi permed hairs but instead of torturing myself thinking what went wrong, I looked for some way to make it bearable for me. With some patience, I got the look I wanted but of course I made effort. Though, in my inner subconscious, I know that I could have a better digi perm. It was painful to spend money for things you would never be happy afterwards and going back to complain is not worth it. I know some women had spend even more than what I paid for with the same bad result as mine. Since i already repaired some damage with the help of what I bought, I am contented now. Advice to girls who would want to get a digi perm, please think carefully as the price and the long hours of sitting in a chair isn't a joke, of course, aside from damaging your hair even more.

UPDATE (July 26, 2011): See how my hair looks after 5 months.

KAIN...TSIBOG...LAMON!!!

2011-02-14T16:53:00.001+08:00

After graduation everybody became busy with our lives and the fact that we came from different parts of the Philippines and some are working abroad now. Thanks to Facebook, after long 12 years i got to see my college friends. One friend of mine was going to get her vacation from working in Singapore and she promised us a sumptuous dinner for free, yaay!

We decided to go to Dampa Seafood Restaurant along Diosdado Macapagal Ave. Since we wanted a fun dinner, we opted for a restaurant that has an acoustic band, so we went to Aling Tonya. Actually, this wasn't my first visit there, I came here before with my former officemates to celebrate the company's anniversary but we were in a hurry mood so we just wait, ate and go. This time we had all the time to ourselves. So, being in a seaside market, it was us who bought the food to be cooked then just gave them to Aling Tonya's staffs for their 'paluto' service, of course we chose what kind of luto they were going to do. Good thing we came early, around 6pm, the place was still empty and we made umaatikabong kwentuhan, chismisan while we were waiting for our meal. And oh, we saw Keanna Reeves(a local celebrity in the Philippines) sitting at the table right before us, I heard she is a regular customer there and NO we didn't ask to get a picture with her :P

Baked Oysters. This was my fave! I love it.

Garlic Buttered Shrimp

Add caption

Sinigang na Ulo ng Maya-Maya.

Adobong Pusit

Inihaw na Liempo

Oh my, seeing our food, I was wondering how are we going to eat all of them! Honestly, i just took 1 picture each of the viands but there were actually 2 serving plates/pans/pots for each. Yes, we weren't that conscious about diet lol. I specially loved the baked oyster :) don't raise you eyebrows *wink wink* and sinigang was uber delicious too. The shrimp was expected to be yummy however you cook it so i wasn't surprise it tasted good, the liempo was good also but boring. Adobong Pusit was ok with them but not for me, it tastes kinda sweet which I don't like in my food. Halfway to finishing my meal, i was already thinking if I can do the pakwan afterwards. We all felt full and bloated that we can't even walk out of the restaurant, good thing there was an acoustic band playing that night so we enjoyed some time while we were resting a bit. Anyways, the dinner was great overall and we were grateful for the treat.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: An apple a day keeps the doctor away...

2011-02-14T16:52:00.002+08:00

Barely 3 months ago, around November 2010, I experienced an itching all over my body with no rashes at all. Since, I never had any allergies before, I bear the itching for almost 2 months thinking it might go away naturally. When I couldn't stand it, I decided to go to a doctor. I went to our family physician for consultation, but he couldn't find any problem at all. In the end, he gave me an anti-allergy medicine and referrals for CBC and urinalysis. He told me an unexplained itching may be from some serious problems and he wants to ensure things are okay before concluding anything..

After 5 days of taking the medicine, I felt fine and the result of the tests turned okay. I felt happy then, but 2 weeks after the visit, the itching came back again to my dismay. I was thinking I was really having a problem and might die soon(ok, i over exaggerated it). You see, as i searched for the unexplained itching, it shows that a serious problem from blood, kidney, liver, thyroid etc. might be the cause. My husband refrained me from too much searching on the internet about the unexplained itching because it was making me hypochondriac haha. I obeyed what he told me 'cause really, I was beginning to sound lunatic. So to be fair, i searched for something I could take to make my health improved. That's where i stumbled about the wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar is an organic or unpasteurized ACV contains mother vinegar, which has a cloudy appearance and can make the vinegar look slightly congealed. From the research I made, it offers a lot of benefits including the following:

Acne Blemishes
Anti-aging
Asthma
Blood Pressure
Cancer Prevention
Cholesterol Reduction
Fatigue
Heart Burn(Acid reflux)
Insect Bite and Stings
Palpitation
Sinusitis
Skin Allergy
Weight Loss
Urinary Tract Infection and among other things.

I could have listed more but you can search it through internet, I just cited some for you to read at. Since I was having some skin problems I tried to remedy it in a more natural way. I was taking baths with a dose of ACV to my bath water everyday for 2 weeks. I tell you that it was effective for me. I immediately felt the relief after every bath and within a week of doing the process, my itching was almost gone( I have to say almost because i still feel some minor teeny weeny bit of itch which may come from a different reason). Anyways, since i found out that it is good, I also tried the everyday regimen of drinking ACV once a day. The label from the ACV i bought says, drinking ACV mixture 3x a day is good for health. At first, i made my own by diluting 1tbsp. of ACV to a glass of water with 1tsp of honey. Ewww, to be honest I couldn't stand the taste. My mom was also using ACV with her salabat (she heard from her officmates that it is good with arthritis and leg cramps) and she told me that the taste of ginger overpowers the ACV, no problem with her. Since, taking ACV with water was out of the question, I improvised my own mixture with cranberry juice.

Cranberry Juice is good for kidney and it will be taking 2 types of home remedy drink in 1 gulp. I put a tablespoon of ACV to my 1 glass of juice and it tasted better than the one i did earlier. Instantly I became a fan, after 2 days I felt transformation, I became more energetic and my palpitation gone. I lost a few pounds after a week(I am maintaining my 100lbs weight). My skin texture improved a lot better too. I even recommended this daily health regimen to my husband since his work is very stressful and he is having a sinus problem. I don't want to overdo it though, so I am only drinking it once a day.

I saw lots of good reviews about this one and personally, I like the effects on me.

DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion based on my personal experience. Any problem you might have, it is still best to consult your own doctor.

MACAU GET AWAY

2011-02-14T16:50:00.002+08:00

Ok, since I realized that I have been spending time in front of my pc, I might as well create a blog featuring all my craziness. So officially this is my first post, yehey ^^

Anyways, I already lived half of my life span and realized I have so many things in my mind that I want do and still had never done...one of them was boarding a plane (that's how pathetic I am lol). I was urging my husband to take me somewhere outside Philippines, so I could be in the plane before it would be too late for me to do it. So when I found out that a certain airline company was having a promo, I immediately grabbed a ticket and chose Macau as my first out of the country escapade.

in our room at Ole London Hotel

Senado Square

Ruins of St. Paul

Macau Museum

Fisherman's Wharf

Venetian Hotel

See, my hubby is working abroad and comes home every 3 months, making me the official planner in our Macau vacation because he can't be bothered to do it. I just scheduled the tour the same time he was going to get vacation from work, I bought tickets for both of us and made hotel reservation online and planned out the itineraries by spending too much time googling on where to go, where to stay etc. I did not avail of a packaged tour because we want it to be a laid back one, going in and out of the hotel on time we felt like going. I chose Ole Londo Hotel, it was a good one for a cheap price and convenient location, within walking distance from the places we wanted to visit. Good thing, the hotel usually provide maps for their customers. Macau is not that big and you can easily see where are the tourist spots and their routes.

Macau was a Portuguese colony so expect some of their history when you get around and visit some of its historical places. A must-see spots are Senado Square, Ruins of St. Paul, Macau Museum and Ah-Ma temple. You can even tour Macau for one day as most of the tourist spots are near each other, you can walk from one place to another or just take a bus (be alert for bus numbers, if you dont want to get lost). I was thankful that I used my fitflops for that tour, it really helped me with all the walking we did there. The day of our departure, we went last to Venetian Hotel, as per advised, to get a free ride to Macau Airport.

Overall, we were happy with the outcome of our vacation. It was like a second honeymoon to us ;-)