Blog and Me

Allstate: Good Hands for the Good Life

2013-05-30T20:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Allstate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a young child, I always dreamt of a good life. My parents were poor but did not fear life's challenges. Education was the only thing that they could give us for a better life. They worked hard to make sure each one of us got a college degree. And by God's grace and guidance, we all moved on to the next chapter of our lives when all the goals were achieved. We moved to a new house, far away from were we grew up, a much better place to live, in a good neighborhood.

There was something to celebrate there, we were one stepped forward for a better tomorrow. But life did not end from there, and we had more dreams that needed to be accomplish. My parents put up their own business while I worked overseas to fulfill my dream, got married and ended up in the US with a family of my own. Our first year in the US was more of an adjustment period, and once again a fear of being in a new place scared me a lot especially about my kids. Relocating means, they have to leave behind all their friends in the new state and school and had to start all over again making new friends. It was not as easy as I thought, but life is a fight and we needed to win for a good life.

Life is an unending journey and I am grateful that I overcame most of the trials that God gave me and my family. One of the most important lesson I learned in life is, no matter how hard life brings us, do not let those hindrances let you down. Find the solutions and work for it. Life is a gamble we win some, we lose some but the important thing is, we should always celebrate moments of simplicity and contentment in life like the Allstate Good Life, come rain or come shine, we all live for good. Perseverance, dreams and faith in God are all we needed to recognize triumph over adversity, fear and doubt.

What about you? Do you have your own good life to share? We would like to hear your story through the comment section of this post.

Vice Ganda Apologized To Jessica Soho

2013-05-29T02:18:00.000-05:00

Vice Ganda finally apologized to GMA news anchor Jessica Soho on the noontime show "It's Showtime". According to Vice Ganda, he called Jessica Soho to privately say sorry, but the journalist declined to talk to him so he decided to make it on public. His comedy remarks about Jessica Soho's weight and gang rape during his concert in Araneta were meant to be jokes.

"May mga naoffend, may mga binato sa aking issue na meron akong nalampasang linya, may mga sinabi akong hindi maganda, may mga tao akong nasaktan, natapakan,” Vice said on “Showtime.”

Vice Ganda's joke involved GMA news anchor and vice president for news and public affairs Jessica Soho. Vice also mentioned rape.

If he had it his way, Vice would have preferred to keep his apology to GMA news anchor Jessica Soho.

“Buong puso ko pong gustong humingi ng tawad. as much as possible ayokong gawin papubliko kasi ang plastik....kaya tinawagan ko po kanina si Ms. Jessica Soho,” Vice said on Showtime.

The comedian said Jessica answered the phone but told Vice: “Pasensya ka na pero masama ang timpla ko ngayong araw.”

When Vice asked if he can call again another time, Jessica reportedly said: “I don’t think so.”

It was then that Vice decided to air a public apology on “Showtime” not only to Jessica but to all those he may have offended with his jokes, particularly rape victims.

“Sinasadya mo man o hindi mo sinasadya, sabi ng magulang ko humingi ka ng tawad at paumanhin,” Vice said.

“It is a comedy concert, a comedy show, an enlarged comedy bar show,” said Vice, who first gained popularity as a stand-up comedian.

Other personalities he mentioned in his jokes, he added, included his network colleagues Kris Aquino, Boy Abunda and Kim Atienza, as well as senator-elect Grace Poe and Nancy Binay.

He also stressed that he had no intent to make fun of rape victims. Vice, talking about Jessica in his concert, said that if the new anchor were to figure in a rape scene, it would have to be gang rape.

“Hindi ko po kailanman gustuhin na kutyain ang mga rape victims. Hindi ko po ginawang pagtawanan ang rape victims,” Vice said.

This is all what people want to hear from him and as usual each of us have our our reaction toward the public apology. Okay nasa ang public apology kaso humirit pa on his parting words, "Kung hindi niyo ako nauunawaan ako ang uunawa sa inyo".

I guess, he did not learn a lesson yet, medyo may pagmamataas pa rin. Well, what do we expect from a "Vice Ganda".

Vice Ganda vs Jessica Soho and GMA News Reporters

2013-05-28T11:07:00.000-05:00

Vice Ganda and the GMA news subordinated are now all over the news and social media. it is a delayed reaction about Vice ganda making Jessica Soho's as a laughing stock on his May 17 concert. The two minute monoloque is about Soho doing a bold movie titled “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Sobra,”. Vice Ganda joked about Soho having a hard time using a weighing scale, “Ang hirap nga lang kung si Jessica Soho magbo-bold. Kailangan gang rape lagi. Sasabihin ng rapist, ‘Ipasa ang lechon.’ Sasabihin naman ni Jessica, ‘Eh nasaan yung apple?”

Saksi anchor Arnold Clavio reacted through his morning program in DZBB. “Bakit mo binibiktima ang mga taong seryoso sa trabaho nila? Huwag mo silang kasangkapanin para lang makapagpagpatawa. Bakit hindi taga-diyan sa inyo ang gawin mong subject ng jokes mo? Bakit hindi taga-ABS-(CBN)?” he said. Other GMA News reporters followed shortly on twitter that focused on Vice alleged insensitivity to gang rape victims.

Jessica Soho reacted to the issue with an official Statement sent to GMA News Online:

Rape is not a joke and should never be material for a comedy concert. I thank all those who shared my hurt and expressed their support but this should not be about me but about the rape victims who suffer tremendously from this terrible crime. The horrors they go through are unspeakable who suffer tremendously from this terrible crime. The horrors they go through are unspeakable.

My say: The issue issue here is not about Soho's weight but the "gang rape". Rape is a very sensitive issue and should not be use as a joke. Anyway, Vice Ganda is known to this kind of distasteful joke and his fans (masa) loves her for what he is. No wonder he enjoys what he is doing and do not mind what others will feel with his insensitive jokes and comments. Being funny is not about mocking others, being insensitive or disrespectful. It's about sharing a good sense of humor for people to laugh together.

Five Top Ways Pods Can Help Organize Your Home

2013-05-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Clutter doesn't happen all at once. Your home can take on a surprising amount of stuff over the years, so when it's time to get organized, move, or make room for new additions to the household, the clutter can take you by surprise. Moving pods are a great way to take care of the clutter without spending a bundle or potentially throwing away things you may want to keep. Here are 5 ways Pods can help get your home in order.

5. They Customize Your Clutter Care

Image via Wikimedia Commons by Geo Swan

One of the best benefits of pods over other storage methods is the degree of control they afford. You can keep a pod at home, at your business, or in a clean storage facility, giving you quick and easy access at all times. This flexibility means you can clear clutter or move homes on your own time-table instead of getting locked into a specific moving date.

4. They Make Your Moving Schedule Flexible

It can be exhausting and inefficient to put your things into storage or a moving truck all at once. You can transport your pod to and from a new location, allowing you to take as little or as much as you want on each trip. Combined with the flexible scheduling of a moving pod, you can spread out your move to make it as quick or as easy as you want.

3. They Have Different Sizes for Different Jobs

Pods are available in multiple sizes, so you can choose the pod that suits your particular needs. Small pods are designed to handle simple things like moving a new college student into a dorm for the first time, but they're also good for temporary storage during cleaning projects or special events like parties that demand more space at your home. There are also medium and large pods capable of moving whole rooms or even an entire house's worth of stuff.

2. They Are Always Cost-Effective

Moving companies and storage facilities can be pretty pricy. They often charge for the amount of stuff they have to accommodate, the amount of time the move takes, and even the number of miles they drive during the move. Especially for moving and clutter-clearing projects that need more flexible schedules or multiple trips, pods cost far less than standard moving and storage services.

1. They Are Ideal for Temporary Moves

Pods are useful even if you aren't permanently moving items to a new location. They're ideal for temporarily moving furniture and other large items. This makes large cleaning projects easier so you don't have to navigate around furniture or clutter. It's also perfect for home-owners and real estate agents who want to show a home to prospective buyers.

It can be difficult to make a home seem clean and open when it's still occupied, so temporarily moving items into a pod is a great short-term solution, making it easy to move items in and out of a home as needed.

Moving pods are all about flexibility. They are designed to fit into your schedule, take on projects of any size, and provide you with customizable options for storage and transport. And they more than pay for themselves as a result.

Philippine Election 2013: Filipino's, the Worst Voters in the World

2013-05-13T10:37:00.002-05:00

Partial election results are all over the social media. And whether we like it or not, partial results will most probably be the final results. Based on the results, the leading were the most controversial candidates during the election campaign, those belong to the political dynasty or trapo, Aquino's relatives, Binay's OJT daughter, Fernando Poe's daughter, Estrada's son, ex politician who was charged and sentence for crimes, graft and corruptions, one lady senator who was busted for undeclared assets from another country, a son of the sitting chamber president, former senators spouse and children.

What else is new? This is a normal Philippine election, Filipino citizen don't care who to vote anymore, they just vote for the sake of voting and to exercise the right to vote. Elected politicians are after fame, power and wealth. Now, do not wonder why, Philippines is consider as one of the most popular poorest countries in the world.

Let me share you this quote from one of the FaceBook user, "They own everything. They own all the important land, they own and control the corporations that have long since bought and paid for, the senate, the congress, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pocket, and they own all the big media companies so they control just about all of the news and the information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them."

God Bless Philippines!

photo source: FaceBook

Philippine Politics: Gusto Maglingkod or Mangurakot?

2013-05-03T14:12:00.001-05:00

Hindi na nakakapagtaka kung bakit halos magpatayan at gumastos ng malaki ang mga kumakandidatong Filipino, usually mga Trapo or mga Kamag Aanak Inc. na tinatawag tuwing eleksyon. Pero syempre waalng aamin na Pulitiko at iisa ang sagot nila na obviously alam na natin. Pero sige lang, since paulit ulit lang naman ng tanong at sagot, pagbigyan na natin sila.

Sa TV Patrol eto ang isa sa tanong: Bakit daw halos magpatayan na sila kapag nalalapit ang eleksyon? (nabasa ko lang sa Facebook)

Sagot ni Ka Noli, dahil daw sa kagustuhan nilang maglingkod sa bayan!

Di ba, astig sumagot!

Ang sagot naman ng lahat (pwera pulitiko at kamag anakan syempre nila): Hindi mo kailangan maging pulitiko para tumulong o maglingkod sa bayan. Kung sadyang gusto mo lang tumulong, kahit di ka pulitiko, magagawa mo. Pero kung may iba ka pang agenda, malamang sa malamang, makipagpatayan ka rin para lang makapwesto

Ayan, huwag ka na kasi magpakaplastic ka Noli De Castro. Pero teka lang baka naman sarcastic lang naman daw answer nya, pang asar ba. Kasi naman WAGAS ang pagkaPLASTIC ng mga Pulitiko. At ang mga Filipino naman WAGAS ang paulit ulit na pagboto sa kanila.

Hays, kailan kaya tayo magkakaroon ng matinong leaders sa bansang Pilipinas na walang inisip kundi "Bayan muna bago sariling bulsa."

Ellen DeGeneres Invited Another Talented Filipino on Her Show

2013-05-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

Aldrich Lloyd Talonding, 14 year and cousin, James Walter Bucong from the Philippines were invited by non other than Ellen DeGeneres to be a guest on her show. A cousin posted the video of Aldrich singing a Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father" on Facebook and another cousin uploaded it on YouTube. The video becomes viral. Zendee Rose Tenerefe another Filipino YouTube sensation, also known a the “Supermarket Superstar,” helped “Ellen” producers get in touch with the boys.

An invitation was aired on Ellen DeGenere 's talk show, “I am looking for you. Please come here. I want you to sing for me and my friends. You are amazing.”. “How beautiful is that? Such soul in that little boy.”

Click HERE for the full video of the song.

Importance of Water Safety When Buying a Pool

2013-04-20T19:07:00.000-05:00

The addition of a pool is a wonderful way to bring value and fun to your home. A pool can easily become your family’s favorite gathering place as well as being a spot to bring friends together. The attraction of a pool is magnetic, especially for children. That’s why it’s vital to keep safety guidelines in mind.

Factors that Contribute to Pool Accidents

Statistics suggest that most pool drownings and injuries happen to children and young adults. These groups are most likely to underestimate the dangers of a pool and overestimate their ability to address these risks. Most children who are injured or drowned in a pool are left unsupervised or were somehow able to gain unauthorized access to the pool. Numbers suggest that young adults most often suffer spinal injuries as a result of diving into a backyard pool that is too shallow for such activities.

Institute Pool Rules

While it might seem like a shame to have to create rules around such a fun activity, doing so can prevent injury and even death. Make certain that everyone who uses the pool understands whether or not diving is an appropriate activity. Unless the pool has a depth greater than five feet, chances are good that diving should never be allowed. Tell users that only feet first entries are allowed in your pool. Moreover, children and young adults should not be permitted to utilize the pool without supervision. Inexperienced swimmers should have flotation devices on hand. Inflatable toys typically don’t provide the right kind of support in the water for a novice swimmer, so make sure that kids have appropriate flotation devices.

Also, never use your pool if you don’t have rescue equipment. Life rings and life hooks can be indispensable in an emergency and can literally save a life.

Fence It In

Most municipalities have established rules for fence height to ensure safety. Check with your city before installing a fence to make certain that it will meet all of the requirements. Often, a fence is your best protection against an accidental drowning. Fences are key particularly when small children are in residence. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published findings that say small children can drown within 30 seconds. Most often, they do so silently, without splashing or crying out. Clearly, a fence is a must have pool accessory. Even if you don’t have young kids in your house, a fence is still advisable. Some child drowning accidents occur when a child sneaks into a neighbor’s unfenced backyard pool.

Swimming Lessons and CPR

Enrolling a child in swimming lessons at a young age is an excellent way to introduce them to the concepts of water safety as well as basic survival techniques. In these classes, children learn to both enjoy and respect the water. Nonetheless, even a child who has had swimming lessons should never be allowed to swim unsupervised.

Adults and children should take a CPR class before beginning use of the backyard pool. Most of these courses require only a few hours of your time, and some of them are even tailored to make the learning easier for children. Getting CPR certification can literally save your life or your child’s.

Establish Expectations for Behavior

Running and pushing next to a pool is never a good idea. The deck beside the pool can be very slippery, causing falls, sprains and other injuries. Furthermore, such behavior might cause someone to fall into the pool, putting them at risk for a host of injuries. Horseplay in the pool can be a lot of fun, but only within established limits. Stress that no one should ever be held under water and that no one should be tossed around in the pool to prevent the risk of head injuries.

Take Extra Safety Precautions

Always carry a cell phone or cordless phone out to the pool when it’s in use. Seconds can count in an emergency, and you’ll want to be able to call for help immediately. You might also want to consider installing an underwater alarm or surface wave sensor to provide you with notification of unauthorized access to your pool.

Author Bio

Bob Quigly is a landscaping and family fun enthusiast who writes on a variety of blogs about above ground swimming pools inflatable pools from BackyardOcean.com. Visit their website here http://www.backyardocean.com/Above-Ground-Pools-s/116.html

My Home Gardening Project

2013-04-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

Gardening is one of my favorite things to do. I love planting vegetables and herbs that I can use for daily cooking. Nothing beats fresh produce. It maybe cheaper if I just buy in the store but the feeling of excitement picking fresh vegetables from the garden whenever you cook is out of this world. I already started a garden in the front yard and they are doing great. Read my posts here: Hello Spring and Vegetable Garden and Fresh Vegetables from my Garden

Today, I am done with my 4 days project. Doing the garden bed kept me occupied this past few days. It is not easy digging the dirt to remove all the weeds and building up the frame. I used all the spare blocks in my back yard to save me some money. I originally plan a wood frame but our wood piled are way up in the storage building and there is no way for me to get them down so I used some decorative stone garden border fence. Hubby will be proud to see my project this weekend. He always tell me not to do this kind of work or the "men's job". Wait for him or get our son to help me out. But I rather do it or it won't be done forever. Hubby comes home tired from work, the son goes home from school, will eat then go to his room to study, and I don't want to bother them. I can do light work as long as there is no heavy lifting and it is no big deal to work this out during weekdays while they are all gone.

The next thing to do is buy some top soil, mulch and trellis for climbing plants. I already checked all the stuff needed including the prices between Home Depot and Walmart. We are not a big fan of Lowes, we only go there when we can't find what we need from the two stores.

Here is my little girl, guarding the whole backyard while mommy is busy with home gardening. She always makes sure we are all safe inside and outside our house.

Children and their Unending Questions

2013-04-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

Today is my kitchen cleaning schedule. After checking all the emails, my blog sites, Facebook and not to mention feeding the little one that irritates me and the dog all morning. Yes, crazy morning, I made him two paper airplanes today, he insists on two planes, so mommy ended up doing it just for him to leave me alone doing my thing.

Anyway, I was ready to clean the kitchen floor, grabbed the mop and the bucket. Pour some water while son was playing beside me with cars scattered all over the floor.

Here was our conversation that transpired in the kitchen.

mommy- J, Can you play in the living room coz mommy is going to clean the floor (while filling the bucket with water and antibacterial and disinfectant cleaner)

little boy- mommy, why do you clean the kitchen?

mommy- so we have a clean kitchen.

little boy- (he saw the disinfectant cleaner) mommy, what is that?

mommy- disinfectant ( I helped him grabbed his toys and moved just outside the kitchen door)

little boy- why do you use that?

mommy- to kill bacteria's and germs.

little boy- why?

mommy- so they won't go into your tummy.

little boy- ohh, they will go into my tummy?

mommy- yes, they will stay in your tummy, they will grow and multiply and then you will get sick.

little boy- oh, okay.

End of conversation and he continued playing with his cars. Well, I guess, mommy answered all his questions very well.

I am sure all the mommy's has their own experience's to share too. The joy of being a mommy! It is indeed the most fulfilling job in the whole world, taking care of the little "BOSS" in our lives. No amount of money can buy the happiness being with them everyday, attending to their every needs, tantrums and all. The best gift from God.

Little Angels Prayers for Every Day

2013-03-31T20:44:00.001-05:00

I won a perfect book for my 4 year old son titled, "Prayers For Every Day". Roma Downey's Little Angels series is a faith-based series created just for preschoolers. The stories focus on eight Little Angels who are guardians, teachers, and companions to twins Alex and Zoe. It includes 50 prayers for every topic that you could think of like Prayers for Morning, of Praise, of Thanks, for Mealtime, for Others, for Help, for Guidance, for Forgiveness, Comfort, and Bedtime. This book is a great educational tool for children with simple and colorful illustrations of small children and little angels.

What I like from the book is, the author includes the different names for God at the opening prayers: Jesus, God and Lord. When me and my son read the prayers together he asked about it, a great chance to introduce them with God's varying names. Teaching children little prayers at a young age is a good way to help them grow closer to the Lord. Make sure to teach them the skill of praying out loud. Here are the examples of the simple prayers included in this book.

Prayers of Thanks

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for my mom and dad.
Thank you for my pets.
Thank you for my awesome friends.
You're the very best !
Amen!

Prayers for mealtimes

Dear God,
We're grateful for the meal we have,
and that the pets were fed.
We thank you for the vegetables,
the fruits, the drinks, and the bread.
Amen!

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,
Every day I pray
for something for myself.
Today I'd like to pray
for something nice for someone else!
Amen!

Make prayer a habit. Encourage your children to talk to God about whatever is on their mind. Pray regularly with your kids. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Top 12 Tips For the Event and Loot Bag Bloggers

2013-03-24T16:34:00.000-05:00

Nagulantang naman ako kanina pagbukas ko ng Facebook, may mga messages ako ng latest kaguluhan sa mundo ng mga Bloggero. Ako naman sabay read mode at iniisip kung sinu sino itong mga involve na character. Masyadong masalimuot, may mga email daw sa 400++ na bloggers para sirain ang reputasyon ng kalaban nya. Ang daming links na dapat basahin may mga messages at tweets pa talaga silang ebidensya. May mga takutan pa at palitan ng maaanghang na mga salita. Lahat kanya kanyang hugas ng kamay, pagpapabango ng pangalan at pagkuha ng simpatiya.

Nakakagulat na may mga nag aaway away na BLOGGERS dahil lang sa mga events at katiting na loot bags na libre. Ganun na ba kagrabe, sa konting halaga nag aaway away, may gate crasher, may mga nagsasama ng mga hindi nagpapaalam muna. May mga sumbungan blues pa sa mga kinauukulan. Grabe! nakakalokah naman. Nagbobroadcast pa talaga thru blogpost ng mga issues and misunderstandings nila.

May mga nakikisawsaw rin naman, ano pa nga ba, normal na yata yang mga sawasawero't sawsawera, kanya kanyang kampi at sulsol. Imbes na makibasa na lang at manahimik lalo na at hindi naman nila kilala ang bawat isa or kung kilala man ay yung isang side lang.

Para sa mga event bloggers, eto ang tips para hindi naman kayo nakakahiya at magsisiraan sa bandang huli:

1. Huwag naman magpakacheap na makipag away online.

2. Kung hindi imbitado, huwag pumunta or mag gate crash.

3. Sa mga imbitado, huwag na magsama, it doesn't matter kung isa or marami ang isama, ang bottom line is nagbitbit ka pa rin. Ikaw lang nakalista kaya huwag na magbitbit ng asawa, anak at mga kaibigan.

5. Magpaalam muna kung pwede magsama at kung ilan ang bibitbitin.

6. Kung aattend, siguraduhun na magpost ng article tungkol sa pinuntahang event, dahil kaya ka inimbitahn para ipromote ang produkto nila at hindi para lang ilibre ka.

7. Ang event ay ginastuhan ng may ari ng kompanya/restaurant kaya nararapat lamang na pasalamatan sila sa pamamagitan ng BLOG POST.

8. Siguraduhin muna kung libre or may bayad ang pupuntahan na event, para naman hindi nakakahiya kung sakaling singilin sa kinain , ininom or sa entrance fee.

9. Para walang gulo, iwasang maging ADDICT sa mga event na libre at may mga loot bags. May pera ka naman siguro para makabili kahit papaano ng nasa loob ng loot bag. May pera ka rin naman pangkain sa restaurant, huwag maging patay gutom or takaw libre.

10. Kung gusto talaga magreview ng mga events at restaurant, mag dine in na lang, wala pa silang utang na loob sa iyo kasi ikaw ang nagkusang gumastos para lang ireview ang produkto nila. Baka sa tuwa pa ng kumpanya, bigyan ka pa ng regalo or gift certificate, at kung big time company, baka trip to Hongkong with pocket money pa matanggap mo.

11. Huwag papahalatang loot bags lang ang habol sa events. Paminsan minsan, umuwi naman ng walang bitbit kundi kasiyahan dahil marami kang na meet na kapwa bloggers. Kung isa lang pinamimigay na regalo, huwag gahaman, isa lang bitbitin mo.

12. Kung mag aaway away kayong mga Event/loot bag bloggers, sikreto nyo na lang, wag na ibroadcast at kayo lang ang nakakahiya kasi nabubulatlat ang baho ng bawa't isa sa inyo.

Para sa karagdagang tips, comment lang dito.

Hello Spring and Vegetable Garden

2013-03-21T14:33:00.001-05:00

It is spring time again, my favorite season of the year. Spring officially started yesterday, and that means gardening for people like me who loves to plant and grow my own vegetables. I have a mini garden this time, not like the big one I had in Oklahoma, where I used to live in a 20 acres property at the middle of nowhere. Since we moved to another state and in the city, all I have is a small backyard and front yard. I decided to put up a mini vegetable, herb and flower garden right in front of my house. And I am excited to show how it look like at the beginning of spring season.

The weather is a little bit chilly today, morning was a beautifully sunny and the afternoon is cool and cloudy with some rain shower, which is good for my garden. All my tomatoes are up about 6 inches and the eggplant grows faster than I thought. My okra seeds are not showing off yet. One of the basil died but I still have 2 more plants left. Parsley and thyme are doing great. Bell Pepper and squash always survive no matter what the weather is, as long as there is plenty of water to drink. Squash.Cucumber is fifty fifty, well I hope they live, my hubby really likes cucumber.

My garden is looks great and I’m ready for green grass, blooming flowers and trees. What does the first day of spring look like in your place

Cooper Tire: My Every Day Road Trip Contest

2013-03-19T15:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cooper Tire for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tires and subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. The tires are built for peoples safe journey from ordinary trip to the store or a long road trip, so when people choose a Cooper Tire to drive on, they are getting a tire they can depend on a road trip too.

To commemorate life’s every day road trips, Cooper Tire's My Every Day Road Trip Contest will give the loyal costumers an opportunity to earn an entire year of free gas. The contest will run from March 1 to March 29, 2013.

How to Enter:

Submissions are open from March 1 to 29. Cooper Tire Facebook fans may submit their not-so-every day road trip stories on the company’s Facebook page in one of the following ways:

a written story
a photo
a video

Winners will be selected based on:

originality
creativity
passion for Cooper tires and compelling content

Prizes:

1. The top written story will win a $100 gift card to use toward gas for one week while the highest rated photo entry will receive a $500 gift card to use toward gas for one month.

2. The top five video finalists will each win a new set of four Cooper tires and advance to the final phase of the competition.

In the final phase, Cooper Tire Facebook fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite Every Day Road Trip video, to help determine the final winner. The video with the combined highest score and most votes will be awarded a gift card for $5,000 toward gas for one year to fuel their daily drive.

Cooper Tire is also giving its fans to win from April 15, fans can vote for their top video to help determine the overall Cooper Tire Facebook video winner. For each vote (one per day), fans will automatically receive an entry to win a Road Trip Kit. The prize pack includes several items to keep them on-the-go, including a $100 Cooper Tire auto service voucher, a $50 gas card, $50 iTunes gift card and Cooper gear.

For more information on contest and sweepstakes rules and submission guidelines, visit the Cooper Tire website and don't forget to "Like" the Fan Page.

Continuously Improve Yourself

2013-03-15T19:42:00.000-05:00

Education starts from home when your parents taught you how to move about, talk, and think like pointing the right object or fitting the right shape into its place. The school gets you further academically most of the time. There comes a time you learn a sport or two and even taught some skills to get by. As you go along, you finish high school and you found yourself wanting to pursue a specific course in college. It is something you may have wanted to become later in life or you simply took the course for practical reasons.

You may have not gone to college due to your financial constraints. In the Philippines it is almost impossible to miss high school because the government supports free education until high school. After graduation, though, those who are poor may find themselves looking for work right away. What can high school education give you as a job? Mostly the dirty work available in fast food chains. They actually support working students, hence, they are considerate with school schedule. Those who have the initiative, determination and the staying power to go to college take this tiring solution.

Being out of school for so long is not a problem anymore. With the internet there are so many things you can learn to improve yourself. With the availability of online jobs you can work from home. Know your limit, capacity and ability and look for jobs that can accept your qualification. If you like a certain job but you do not have what it takes but you find that you can have it as long as you have internet and the willingness to learn, then go for it.

Learning is continuous, until the day you die. It makes your value higher and it gives you more satisfaction. Opportunities knock to those who are prepared.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Baby Name Revealed

2013-03-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

Queen Elizabeth, Britains Queen for a very long time is going to be a great grandmother in months time and probably an heir to her name. And since royal baby will be the future ruler of England, Elizabeth is just a perfect name for her. The baby will be born in July and right now, Kate Middleton doesn’t even know the gender of her baby either.

"Nobody knows what William and Kate are calling their baby or even if they have decided on a name," a royal source told E! News. "They are being very careful to keep everything to themselves. The duke and duchess are taking their privacy very seriously. They are not speaking to anyone about these private matters."

According to Lainey Gossip, the baby girl will be name, Elizabeth Diana Carole, which was taken form William’s grandmother, the Queen, his late mother, Diana and Kate’s mom, Carole.

I can't wait to know the Royal baby's name.

My 4 Year Old Can Read

2013-02-25T20:12:00.001-06:00

My little boy learned the alphabet all by himself by heart before he turns 3. Credit goes to VTech Learning Laptop, his constant companion since he was a baby. He started schooling at age 3 and doing pretty good in class but when we moved to another State, he stopped schooling. He is not allowed to go to kindergarten yet because of his age, school only accept 5 years old and I also enrolled him in head start but he is on a waiting list until now. So, as a mother, I have to teach him at home to not to waste his time.

Both me and my husband loves to buy books for our children whenever we see some interesting books for them. Hubby loves to read books for our son whenever he is home or my son will ask for him to read. Hubby bought 2 new books on weekend for our little boy and he loves them all.

A video of my son reading one of the new book bought by daddy while mommy is busy doing her thing. He is reading pretty good for his age. Nothing better than seeing your kids learning everyday.

You can read my post about him here:
Writing the Alphabet

Ways to Learn the Alphabet

A Child's Prayer

2013-02-19T17:27:00.001-06:00

Prayer is simply communicating with God. Believers pray through memorization of a certain prayer from the church or religion and some prays freely, spontaneously and in their own words. Our kids prays according to what we teaches them and whatever religion we are in. I teaches my kids to pray as simple as possible. Basically, a prayer that only includes "thank you" and "Please" for asking something from God.

As a Christian, I don't believe in memorization and repetition of prayers or praying in front of an image. Sorry, no offense meant for others way of praying. I talk to the Lord whenever or wherever I want too and that is what I am passing on to my children.

Before sleeping last night, here is my 4 year old son's prayer. It just made me smile how he utters those words. Well, what else should they pray, they don't have any problems yet in this world so no need to push them to pray harder. We are just happy to hear them communicating with the Lord in their own little ways. So if prayer is difficult for you, just do what kids does.

A Child's Prayer

Dear God

Thank you for the toys

Thank you for the food and drinks

Thank you for the toilet

Thank you for Patchy's house

Thank you for Patchy's room

Thank you for patchy's house

Thank you for all the tables

Thank you for the house

Thank you for the garage

Thank you for all the stuff

Thank you for the doors

Thank you for the lamps

Thank you for the living room and kitchen and the dining room.

Thank you for kuya's room and my room

Thank you for the walls and the stove

Thank you for the fire place

One last mommy!

Thank you for the bathrooms

Thank you for mommy and daddy and my brothers

Amen!

Patchy is our little dog and part of our family so she is always included in our prayers. I have to write down his prayer right away or I will forget it for this post.

Matthew 6:7
"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again."

photo source: fineartamerica.com

A Good Name

2013-02-12T19:57:00.000-06:00

How do you value your name? Is it synonymous to credibility, honesty and truthfulness? Billy Joel's song, Honesty, goes like: "Honesty, it's such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue." Just look at the political news, it is not hard to find dishonest people and yet these same people expect to be treated with honesty as if they deserve it! In the Philippines, there is a popular saying, "Ang magnanakaw ay kapatid ng sinungalin." (A thief is a sibling of a liar.) With so many thieves and so many liars, it really seems that honesty is hard to find.

Are you willing to sacrifice hardships just to be honest? Is going upstream a natural choice when everyone else chose the opposite? Are you concerned that your name will be tainted even with a white lie? Do you realize that a lie, whatever color it is, is still a lie? When you find out that you were given more than the actual change you should receive, like even just a peso, do you give it back or do you justify that it is his or her mistake? In school, do you think that copying another's test answer is all right since it was freely given to you anyway? Who do you think are you cheating, your classmate or yourself?

Do you find it all right if people classify you as dishonest since you do not care what other people say anyway? Or do you get disappointed or angry because you care so much about your good name that you do everything in your power to be honest not only to yourself but because you know that there is a Higher Power that regards truth and honesty highly?

"A Good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather then silver and gold." (Prov. 22:1)

Dad Offer His Daughter $200 to Quit Facebook

2013-02-07T01:48:00.000-06:00

Paul Baier's, pays 14-year-old daughter $200 to quit Facebook. He makes his daughter sign a contract to quit Facebook for five months. The payment will be on an installments plan. Rachel gets $50 if she could stay away from Facebook through the middle of April and another $150 if she makes it in five months which is until the end of June.

According to him,"It was her idea. She wants to earn money and also finds Facebook a distraction and a waste of time sometimes. She plans to go back on after the 6 months is over." The Deactivation agreement contract signed by both parties was posted on Paul's blog. Dad even changed her password so she can’t get in to her account

photo credit: Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Parenting: A Never-Ending Responsibility

2013-02-05T09:30:00.001-06:00

What is a parent? Everyone have their own definition or understanding of what a parent is or should be. Our meaning to it largely depends on our own beliefs, orientation or sometimes our own experiences in life. Even our society or the media in particular would try to instill in us their own definition of a parent. Because of this, the definition of parent has become somewhat tainted and obscured.

Parenting is not just about the feeding of the child and providing of their basic needs; it is all about addressing the totality of the child’s being. From the moment a child is conceived and brought into this world, its whole existence and future is solely dependent upon the parent. What becomes of the child depends on the parents. This is how crucial and decisive a parent’s role is in the life of their child. This may sound a little terrifying but being a parent is not an easy task. It is actually, a never-ending responsibility.

One can never prepare him or herself enough to become a parent. It is something that can never be fully anticipated or planned until the moment that a person becomes one. Learning to be completely dedicated and selfless is the solution to carry out the responsibility well. Once this principle is completely understood and embraced by the individual, then he or she has now come to understand the true definition of being a parent.

So what is a parent? A parent is someone who is given a very special and tremendous responsibility, the responsibility of molding and shaping a life that God has entrusted him. Giving unconditional love to our child is the key to attaining this.

Parenting is probably the most difficult and yet, most rewarding responsibility a person will ever have. We can never be perfect parents as no one is perfect. What we can strive for is to be the best parent to our child.

Walmart Apologizes for Humiliating a Cancer Survivor

2013-01-25T10:09:00.001-06:00

Walmart has issued an apology to a costumer who tried to return a $13 book given by a son as a gift. The staff asked for a receipt as proof of purchase but she cannot present it,so she was asked to produce a photo ID. The incident happened at Northland Walmart, Kansas City.

Store employees did not believe she was the person shown on her photo identification . She looked different because of the chemotherapy she underwent, her long, blonde hair is now short and brown, she said, 3 employees including a manager didn't believe it was her even though her facial features are the same. "Instead of looking at facial features, she said, 'Oh, your hair is not blonde anymore.' I had on a hat. I said, 'I lost it. It's growing back,'" the woman recalled. "She kind of frowned at me. I said, 'Honestly, it's personal but I have cancer. That's why my hair looks different.' And she kind of rolled her eyes at me and kind of snapped her fingers for her manager to come over."

The breast cancer survivor from Missouri only got humiliating treatment from employees, they scrutinized her identification for an uncomfortably long period of time. "They were rude to me. So I finally pulled down the top of my shirt and showed them I still have the scar," She said she offered to show them her scars "They were kind of shocked. I said, 'I have breast cancer. I'm not going to show you another scar.'"

"We truly apologize to the customer for her experience,", the company said. Walmart officials will discuss this matter among its employees on how to properly handle such cases.

Do You Screen The Songs Your Kids Are Loving?

2013-01-24T14:13:00.000-06:00

Do you know any of the songs that your kids are listening to? As a good parent, are you teaching them moral values? Or are you the liberal type of parent who lets his or her kids to learn what is available in their generation?

No good parent actually brags that his or her child is having moral issues, one who has no regard for what is right or wrong. People giving praises to your child because he or she has been raised to be a good one is a good parent's medal. While others go for the grades of their kids in school, sometimes the kid gets stressed to the point of cheating, thus, such makes him academically good but morally bad.

"What is wrong with songs today? Why do you even have to care what they like or not? It is simply a different generation, they do not even like the oldies, I don't like the pop songs, we are even, to each his own. Why should I care?"

Exactly the point. Many songs today have lyrics that are not morally upright. A good parent should at least let the child know that it is so. Liking the bad song sends signals to the brain that it is all right. Many songs not only depict the life of many adulterers and adulteresses but curses are even widely accepted. Being the trend does not make something wrong, right. Being widely accepted does not mean it is okay. If you care for the moral upbringing of your children, you should be caring about what gets into their heads, spoonfed by today's television and movies and the society around.

"It's just a song." Yes, but these songs subconsciously teach your children what you as a parent should be doing instead. Not caring what goes in their head can break their moral fiber. "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." -Solomon, the wisest man who lived on earth, Prov. 22:6.

Hand Washing and Multivitamins go Hand in Hand

2013-01-22T12:18:00.000-06:00

When it comes to staying healthy, taking a good multivitamin and washing hands frequently go hand in hand in when it comes to staying healthy. Everyone knows the benefits of taking a good multivitamin is important, but many underestimate the importance of how important it is to wash their hands often. Even those who are taking multivitamins get sick, that is why it is always important to take the time to wash your hands as often as possible.

Taking a Multivitamin Helps Keep Your Immune Systems Strong

A good multivitamin may not give us everything we need to stay strong and healthy, but research confirms that taking a multivitamin does keep our immune system strong and healthy. Taking a multivitamin once day can make can have an impact on how often people get sick, but experts suggest that other things like how many times we wash our hands should not be overlooked as well. Taking a multivitamin definitely helps support the immune system and keep people strong. However, once a person picks up germs with their hands they are at risk for getting sick. This is why it is so important for people to wash their hands regularly.

Keeping Our Hands Clean Also Helps us Stay Strong and Healthy
Each day, people who take multivitamins regularly get sick because they forget the importance of washing their hands. As many people are discovering, hand washing and multivitamins go hand in hand when it comes to staying healthy. By touching any surface, hands become a breeding place for germs. After touching a surface with our hands, people can become sick if they do not take the time to wash their hands. This is why hand washing and multivitamins go hand in hand.

Use a Good Antibacterial Soap to Wash Hands

To stay healthy, experts recommend using good antibacterial soap to wash your hands many times throughout the day. If you do not have access to soap, then you should be applying a hand sanitizer to kill germs. Many of the good hand sanitizers are effective at killing germs. Although hand washing is far better than using a hand sanitizer, experts indicate that both methods work at killing germs.

No matter how many times you wash your hands a day, each time you use your hands to open a door, press a button, use a phone or touch a surface that is used by other people, you need to wash your hands. While this may sound a little excessive, researchers know that people who do not wash their hands regularly pick up germs this way. That is why it is so important to wash your hands or use a good sanitizer throughout the day.

If you take a multivitamin, but do not wash your hands regularly, then you may wind up getting sick. No matter how strong your immune system is, washing hands regularly is just as important as taking a multivitamin each day. If you are not washing your hands throughout the day, then it is time to start washing your hands or applying hand sanitizer to your hands quite often.

Author Bio

Ron Thompson writes for Del-Immune V®, a unique probiotic supplement made from the lactobacillus rhamnosus which is a natural sinusitis solution and offers how to increase immunity.

My Lucky Day

2013-01-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

Last week, I joined a lot of giveaways online, hoping to win even one. I have no luck in any contest, so I rarely try it even if I want to join the Miss Philippines beauty pageant back in my younger years. I disregard that big dream of being one of the Miss Universe. Anyway, I don't know if this really happened or was just one of my dream, I was the second year high school "Class Muse, 19XX". And don't dare ask the year coz you'll never know. Seriously, don't take it seriously, I was just kidding about the beauty queen thing, I am not that beautiful and sexy to join.

It was one of the busy day for me. Being a housewife is not a joke, you stay home everyday, making sure that the household is in order. I did some house cleaning, trimmed my youngest son's hair even if he insisted on taking him to the barber shop, change the bedroom's bed sheets, ran some errands, Face booking, blogging and more.

Later at night, I decided to check my email account, 300 plus mails are waiting to be read, some were spam messages, face book notifications and all sorts of junks.

Here are the important messages that completed my day, a paid post opportunity was waiting for my approval, a baby product for review, 2 winning message from the giveaways that I joined in, Beanitos and Big kid Secure Drive and most of all the Bubblews notice of payment.

What a day! I hope tomorrow will be even much better.

What else can I say, God is good!