The 24-Hour Mommy

Chocochip Cookies Recipe

2010-07-30T09:12:00.000+08:00

We're slowly eliminating chips and other junkfood in our household. This is to supplement the effort that my son's school has been doing ever since the school year started. I am also not buying cookies from the supermarket anymore since I know how to make them already. I bake assorted cookies and baked treats during the weekend and keep them in the refrigerator for a week. We call this our Weekly Snack Stash!

Oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. Both chewy!

I am sharing the chocochip recipe I used. The oatmeal cookies were made out of pure luck, hahaha! No, seriously. I made the cookie dough and divided it in half. Then, I just substituted half of the chocochips with instant oatmeal. The substitution was a success. Anyway, Chef Patty of the Heny Sison Culinary School told us that cookie recipes are always fool proof and very easy even for the beginners. You can also do what I did this to save you some time in preparing another cookie dough for the oatmeal cookies.

Chocochip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degress Farenheit.
Combine the dry ingredients first: 4 cups sifted all purpose flour + 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp salt. I combine my dry ingredients in a Manila paper because, in Heny Sison, dry ingredients are always mixed in craft paper. It makes it easier to combine it with the wet ingredients.
Prepare wet ingredients: Mix 3/4 cup white sugar + 1 cup brown sugar + 1 cup melted butter. Use an electric mixer to cream until sugar is well incorporated. A friend of mine just asked me about the mixer I am using. I'm just using the cheapest Imarflex electric mixer I found in Abenson, haha! It came with a stainless steel bowl and the standard prongs. I don't have a budget yet for the pricey KitchenAid. ;-p The mixture should resemble a beige-like color by the time you're done with it.
Reduce mixer speed and add 2 whole eggs one at a time. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp glucose. When you use eggs, make sure that you crack it one at a time. Put the egg in a small bowl first and inspect it first. The, put in the mixer if it's not spoiled. Wet the measuring spoon with water first before scooping out glucose. Then, with wet fingers, push the glucose out of the spoon and into the mixture.
Remove from mixer, add the dry ingredients, and hand fold the ingredients. The cookie dough should be a little tough by this time. Add 340 grams of chocolate chips or mini kisses. But as I told you earlier, I equally divided the cookie dough in half, used 120 grams of chopped Goya chocolate for the chocochip cookies and 120 grams of instant oatmeal to make the oatmeal cookies. :)
Scoop into prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cookies are ready. I used an ice cream scooper to make the sizes uniform and I placed a Glad baking sheet so I didn't have to brush shortening on my cookie trays anymore. By the way, do not overbake if you want your cookies chewy. You can also flatten the cookies while they are still warm and soft. My boy likes his scone-like so I didn't bother flattening them anymore.

I'm thinking of giving baked treats as gifts this Christmas. I'll also be giving some of these to friends who gift me with natural weight loss products just for the laughs, hahaha!

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Hair woes

2010-07-29T21:40:00.000+08:00

I badly need a hair rebond. Nowadays, I keep my hair neatly tucked in a bun not because it's hot but because it's all wavy and uncooperative. I want my hair to look like this again:

That shot was taken from my last hair rebond exactly a year ago. I'm planning to have my hair treated when I go to Naga City this weekend (yep, just myself without the boys). My sister-in-law has a trusted parlorista over there and I love the way her hair looks right now. It's also cheaper to have it done over there so spending for the treatment would be the least of my problems. What my problem is, however, is my falling hair.

My falling hair problem was not solved even when I used the Human Nature hair products. I knew that my hair problem is hormonal but I bet that I wouldn't need to apply testosterone cream yet. Would Regroe do wonders? I really want to have the hair rebond done next week without the hair fall.

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Setting my priorities straight

2010-07-29T21:09:00.000+08:00

Today, I wrote a former client to say that I can't accept the job that's being offered to me. As much as I want the extra moolah, it dawned on me that I might be spending all of my waking hours in front of the computer. I'm a 24-hour mommy, first and foremost, and I reminded myself that writing is just my sideline. I know that I shouldn't grab more than I can chew unless I want the other aspects of my life, including my family, to suffer.

You may think that I am writing this piece just to assure myself that there'll be more writing jobs for me after the one I declined. Yes, perhaps, this is the way I console myself over the loss of an earning opportunity. But life is short and children grow up so fast that I don't want to miss ever second of my boy's growing up years. I can multi-task, yes, but I know that that wouldn't be fair. Such is my dilemma. Oh, how I salute all working moms. If a work-at-home mom like me has this much to think about, what more about the other moms who go to the office each day (or night)?

I'm now back to researching about adult acne solutions. But this is only after the four hours I spent cooking my son's merienda, chatting with him, and tutoring him for his two quizzes tomorrow. I may not have earned extra money today, but I know that I have earned tons of love from the boy who's now fast asleep in his bed, all happy and ready for another challenging day.

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Termite Problem Solved!

2010-07-28T12:55:00.000+08:00

Our home was built in 2006 and we have been living here for 4 years. Imagine my dismay when we saw this pesky termite gnawing away my gorgeous wooden staircase!

Apparently, there were more from where that one came from. So we had the staircase's wooden planks removed and replaced which cost us around 10 thousand pesos inclusive of materials and labor. After the repair work was done, we called up Topbest Pest Services, Inc. and had a free inspection scheduled. The next working day after the inspection, we were sent a quotation through email and we found it to be reasonably priced. A contract was furnished and an installation schedule was agreed upon.

Last weekend, 6 days after the initial inspection, a Topbest pest control technician came in and installed termite baits inside my storage area which was under the damaged staircase.

See the termite trails near the boxes that were installed? As it appears, the termites have also started to invade the storage closet and I'm glad we were able to save the boxes of stuff that were kept in there. Unlike traditional termite control methods, the Sentricon System that Topbest uses does not use liquid chemicals which are usually sprayed all over the house. The boxes (referred to as Recruit AG baits in our contract) are filled with bait mixture that are designed to recruit the worker termites and bring the poisoned "food" into their colony to feed the queen termite and the other members.

It's quite logical isn't it? Actually, what scared me most about termite control was the vision of us holed up in a budget hotel for days while we wait for the smell of the sprayed chemicals to fade. With this method, we did not need to leave the house. The installation was even done in less than an hour. In fact, much of the time spent by the technician inside our home was during the final inspection before installing the boxes. If you are interested in inquiring about Topbest's Sentricon System, you can visit Topbest.com.ph and fill up the Free Inspection form. Their contact numbers, both landline and wireless, are also posted within the site.

At last, I can now check the box beside "Termite Control" along with life insurance and health insurance plans for the family and the fire insurance plan for our home in my priority list. We learned the lesson the hard and costly way. I hope your home is also protected from termites.

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Rap's New Veggie Discovery - Spinach

2010-07-28T11:09:00.000+08:00

My son is a picky eater and he seldom eats vegetables. Uhm... ok, the frequency is actually in between NEVER and SELDOM. His choices of veggies only revolve around kangkong, asparagus, chinese cabbage, and malunggay. In other words, my boy can survive on green leafy vegetables.

A few days ago, I was surprised to hear from him that he bought crispy spinach for lunch in school. I guess, it's like the Crispy Kangkong I cook for him often. By the way, I commend their school administration this year for totally banning junk food and soda pop in the school canteen. That's what made me allow my boy to have lunch money so that his meal will be warmer and yummier.

My boy loves fish and soupy dishes. So when we ate out at Savory Restaurant after one of his singing engagements, I chose to have the Seafood Spinach Soup served for us. I thought that my boy would push his bowl away after seeing the soup all thick and greenish but he gamely took a sip and finished off his bowl right after. It is truly yummy and healthy. But don't have too much of this unless you want to browse through diet pill reviews after. I'm sure this one is loaded with cornstarch basing on its thick consistency.

So there goes one more dish in my son's limited fave dish list. I'm now thinking of more spinach dish recipes that I can whip up at home while spinach is still in his like list. ;-)

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Frontierville Mission: Thorny Problem No More

2010-07-26T09:19:00.000+08:00

I promised myself not to play Facebook games anymore but here I am posting about it, LOL! Anyway, I'm playing Zynga's new game on Facebook which is Frontierville. What drew me towards playing Frontierville are the missions I need to complete. The game is based on the goal of improving a homestead. So you are given a piece of forest land and you will have to cultivate it for your homestead to prosper while completing the missions on the side. I also love the energy bar prevents me from staying in the game for so long. I can't do tasks without the energy and it takes 5 minutes for one unit energy to be filled.

A week into the game, I encountered the "Thorny Problem" mission that required me to have my "child" remove 5 thorns and 1 cactus from our homestead. The cactus was no problem but the thorn requirement took me another week to complete! You see, I got so excited in improving the landscape of my homestead that I cut up all the trees and installed fences all around it. Major fail. Three days went by but not one thorn grew back. I read some forums and did some tweaking and redesigning and voila!

I found these thorns in my homestead after a few hours of redesigning the landscape.Three more thorns grew back when I checked back a day later. Problem solved! Plus, I like how my homestead looks now. :)

Do you also play computer games like me. I do indulge in computer games once in a while especially when I'm in between writing projects. It gives my brain its much needed break. Try researching and reading about North Carolina health insurance companies for the whole day and you'll understand what I mean, haha!

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So, that's what radar detectors are!

2010-07-25T18:14:00.000+08:00

In Global City and other roads of the country such as those in Subic, cars slowly passing through are a common sight. Why? It's because of the speed radars, that's why. Unlike other roads, these locations apply their own speed limits and it's imperative for drivers to comply unless they want to be fined. Traffic police use these radars to check the speed of cars driving by.

Radar detectors, on the other hand, are devices that are installed in the car to warn drivers of speed radars. With radar detectors, the person behind the wheel can have the chance of reducing the car's speed before being ticketed for speeding. In some countries, radar detectors are considered illegal while the law depends from state to state in the United States. I don't know if there are cars that use it here in the Philippines.

Just some food for thought. :)

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Mommy Milkshake Marathon: A Family Fun Run For Breastfeeding

2010-07-21T06:44:00.000+08:00

On August 8, 2010, moms, dads,and their kids will walk/run for a good cause, that is, breastfeeding. Now on its 4th year, Mommy Milkshake 2010 is giving up to 400 bibs and is open even to babies, toddlers, preggy moms, and grandparents. Registration fee is P200 for adults, P100 for kids 3-16 years old. Babies below 3 can join for free. This is going to be the healthiest and happiest family bonding event ever!

Wanna join this family-friendly fun run? Register here.

Mommy Milkshake 2010 is organized by Mommy Mundo and PACE, co-presented by GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson’s Baby, Stemcord cordblood banking, with support from Mommy Matters, Havaianas, RCBC Savings Bank, Citibank, Cycles Mild Detergent, Cradle. Media partners Lifestyle Network, MomsToday , Urban Mom and Mommy Pages.

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Give your child the winning edge!

2010-07-19T12:01:00.000+08:00

I'm sharing with you what I believe is a worthwhile workshop for educators and parents alike. Thanks to Galileo Enrichment Learning Program for sharing to us this wonderful event.

Build the next generation by equipping them with the right skills and knowledge. The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program invites you to a two-day conference on “Giving Children the Winning Edge”. It will be on October 1 and 2, 2010 at SGV Hall, AIM Conference Center, Benavidez cor. Trasierra Sts., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Speakers for the two-day conference will be Dr. Queena Lee-Chua, Ms. Maribel Dionisio, Dr. Eduardo Morato Jr., Ms. Maricar de Ocampo, Ms. Rowena Matti, and "CNN Hero of The Year," Mr. Efren Peñaflorida, Jr.

The “prime time” for physical, mental and motor development in children happens from birth to 12 years of age. Developing and enriching young minds may be an extensive process, but setting a firm foundation and establishing healthy study patterns will give them the winning edge in the long run. To learn how to raise an exceptional child in this competitive world, the Galileo Enrichment Learning Program invites you to its 5E Series: Giving the Child the Winning Edge. Facilitated by experts in the field of education, family and child development, this two-day conference will help you discover and learn about:

1) The Next Wave: Creating Super Learners

Every child has the capacity to become a “super learner” – an articulate speaker, a critical thinker, a problem solver, a fluent writer, an effective reader, a speedy mathematician. Get inside information on how to strengthen their capabilities and motivate them to become super learners.

2) Good Study Habits Toward School Success

Guiding a child up the ladder of success requires discipline. See a different side to the word ‘discipline’ that will establish a child’s winning attitude.

3) Empowering Child’s Mind by Maximizing the Whole Brain

Each child is unique and has his own style of learning. Maximize his brain’s potential by understanding its inner workings and create an exceptional child who is a cut above the rest.

4) Predictive Indicators to a Child’s Success

Every parent and educator should be able to pinpoint characteristics that motivate children to become the person they want to be. Use these highlights in their lives as a guiding tool towards a confident and successful future.

For ticket reservation please download the registration form and fax to (632)890.2509 or call 895.8095 and 898.1234

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All in the family

2010-07-13T19:27:00.000+08:00

My son has eczema and I wasn't surprised at all when I saw the familiar skin peelings on his fingers. My sister has it, my lola had it, even my mother-in-law has it! Although eczema is an allergic reaction of the skin to some irritants/allergens, it is still a fact that genetics plays a big role in having this disease. Other than genetics, I also blame the weather and some food items for his eczema.

When my son was still younger, his pedia prescribed a topical steroid in cream form. It did help lessen the itching and the peeling but it was still there. After some time, the symptoms just went away without us applying the cream anymore. So we decided to just let it be every time it appears I know that steroids are not too good for the body. Besides, I've seen eczema pictures that are worse than my son's condition so I'm not worrying about it too much.

Hay, times like this I wish my son could have inherited money instead of eczema from our relatives. Hahaha!

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Exercise While Doing Household Chores!

2010-07-12T12:17:00.000+08:00

So sue me! I am guilty of not going back to my gym for months now. I thought my freelance work would give me more freedom to go out and head to the gym every other day but I was wrong. It only made me stick my bum more in front of the computer. To make things work, we bought a Wii Balance Board in December last year which proved to be very helpful. Then again, I find it troublesome sometimes to plug it in especially when the boys are using the television.

It was then I remembered watching a talk show years ago which tackled burning calories while doing household chores. One of the chores I remembered to be most effective was swaying the hips while ironing the clothes. Swaying the hips also helps burn more calories while vacuuming the floors. To get the most of out of it, try moving your furniture and clean the spots where they once stood on. Arm exercises? Start cleaning your windows and walls with regular up and down or circular motions. Don't forget to alternately using both hands. And lastly, my favorite cardio workout of all especially when Rap was still a little boy, running around after a naughty tot and exchanging tickles! Laughing also burns calories, mind you!

You can still choose to buy home fitness equipments if you want to. I just think that these "household chore" workouts are more practical, inexpensive, and perfect for the multi-tasking mom. Please do share other tips to burn calories while doing household chores. I'd love to read about it!

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Would you recommend Fern-C?

2010-07-10T20:03:00.000+08:00

My husband caught the cold virus a few weeks ago. The changing weather must be the culprit plus the fact that he's too stressed at work. He went to work that day feeling groggy due to post nasal drip but went hope feeling a lot more better. A kind officemate gave him a capsule of Fern-C which he took instantly. The experience changed his overall belief of the said product. Honestly, we are very much skeptical of products that are distributed through network marketing.

If Fern-C is sodium ascorbate, then why is ascorbic acid written on the box? Hmmm, just a thought...

So, from then on, the husband has been bugging me to buy him Fern-C as he has the sniffles ever so often. I did a research and found out that instead of the usual ascorbic acid content, the product contains Vitamin C in sodium ascorbate form. My husband rarely takes in Vitamin C in pills because his stomach is hyperacidic and he has had kidney stones. He seldom takes vitamins, too.

At the moment, we are taking Bewell-C because I can't find a place where I can buy Fern-C. I think I need to find a distributor who sells these capsules. Bewell-C is sold at Php 5.50 per capsule in Mercury Drug and Watsons. My husband is still looking for Fern-C because he still thinks its better.

Have you ever tried taking in Fern-C before? What are the benefits that you have experienced? Will you recommend the use of Fern-C? I'd love to read about your thoughts on this matter.

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Mommy Moments: Kids and Bags

2010-07-09T07:30:00.000+08:00

Wow, I missed Mommy Moments! It's been a while since I last shared my Mommy Moments post. To make up for lost time, I am presenting 3 photos today.

Let me first present to you one of my boy's first bags...

See the blue baby bag over there? It was actually a gift from one of his godparents during his baptism. We had a bigger baby bag which we bought before he was born but we used this smaller one for our trips to the mall and nearby places. After this bag, we bought him a smaller back pack that he also used for preschool. I remember it had Winnie The Pooh on it. It was his favorite cartoon, then.

In school, he uses a big stroller bag which holds 10 books, 11 notebooks, and other school supplies. Yes, he brings all of these everyday. But during special school days when they're asked to bring small bags, he brings this black bag that we got from National Bookstore last school year. Now that he's older, he prefers his things to be in the black, gray, blue, or green color scheme ONLY. He doesn't mind if it's only a give away as long as the color is not bright. Do I have an Emo tween in the making? I hope not!

Lastly, this red Santa bag is my boy's favorite bag every December. It's where we put all his old toys and books for donating to the Jollibee MaAga ang Pasko campaign. I'm thankful that the school distributes these bags to the students every December because it gives the kids a chance to share their pre-loved blessings to other kids in need.

Wanna share your kids' favorite bags? Join Mommy Moments today or visit the Mommy Moments Facebook page.

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Michelle Phan's Toothbrush Skincare Treatment

2010-07-08T22:23:00.000+08:00

One of the YouTube channel's I regularly watch is that of Michelle Phan's. It's where I get my dose of make-up tutorials, that's why! Not only does she show make-up tutorials but she also posts videos of beauty DIYs. One of the awesome DIY videos I watched is her Toothbrush Skincare Treatment. In the video, she showed how one can exfoliate the skin by using ordinary exfoliating scrub and an electric toothbrush.

If you're wondering why I didn't post the video here, it's because it's so easy that you won't need to view it anymore. Just apply your exfoliating facial scrub just like you usually do and use the electric toothbrush to scrub your face. I hope I won't need to remind you that it's imperative to use a new toothbrush for this task! ;-p

Regularly exfoliating the skin is needed if you want to have clear facial skin. When I still had the luxury of leisure time, I often head to the facial salon to have a facial treatment every two weeks. Now, I find using the Toothbrush Skincare Treatment convenient especially on days that I can't go to the facial treatment salon. Furthermore, I find this way cheaper than buying treatment medications for blackheads just like the ones in http://www.blackheadstreatment.org. By the way, to get better results, you can opt to steam your face first to open the pores before exfoliation.

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Parents, Beware of Omegle.com

2010-07-06T08:24:00.000+08:00

Moms and Dads, here's one website for you to block on your child's computer. Omegle.com is one site where your kids can freely chat with strangers! The site's proud of that feature and they even used it as their tagline! Imagine my shock when I visited the site and saw this...

Click on the photo to take a closer look, please!
How infuriating is that, huh? What's even infuriating is that there are no age restrictions whatsoever. They even have a video chat option, duh! I can just imagine other kids without parental restrictions in their computer usage. If I were you, I'm going to head on to my internet browser's settings tab and block this site. If you're not that tech savvy, you can always ask around for a computer tech person or a geeky friend to help you out. In the meantime, just make sure that you monitor your child's computer usage.

I don't know what has gotten into 18-year old Leif K-Brooks when he launched Omegle in March 2009. Profane words aren't even filtered! I just had to abandon my pulse oximeter research work to post this warning to my fellow parents. Even with all the convenience it seems to bring, this computer age clearly gives us more things to worry about in terms of our children's security.

By the way, thanks to my dear blogger friend Imom of imomonline.net for the warning plurk.

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Welcome to the 2nd half of 2010!

2010-07-01T17:07:00.000+08:00

Today is July 1 and we're officially into the 2nd half of 2010. I found this day a good time to reassess my goals this year and check my list to see what I have already done and the things I still haven't done yet.

In the first half of 2010, I found that that I was able to travel to two new places which are Bacolod and Bohol, learn a new skill which is baking, and reunite with long lost friends when I helped organized our 15th year high school reunion. What I have still have left in the list is my weight loss goal that would help me get back on the healthier track. Then again, I give credit to myself for resisting the urge to buy quick trim products just to lose weight. No, I would not go back to that life again. I prefer to do it now in a more natural weight. Hopefully, by working out with my Wii balance board, I'd reach my weight loss goal before the year ends.

Don't you just love making goals?

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Sister Act

2010-06-30T20:50:00.000+08:00

My preggy sister and her husband visited us this afternoon. I gladly took a break from researching and writing about Mesothelioma treatments and cooked carbonara and baked brownies for her. I had to let her see that I know how to bake now. Nope, it's not because I had to brag about it. I just felt good catching up with her after more than a month of not seeing each other.

We're just two girls in a brood of five and I believe that this made us have a special bond. Our brothers even call us Evow Sisters because they know the mischiefs we can come up with when we're together. Well, that was when we were younger. Nowadays, we just have a grand time making chika about anything under the sun. This afternoon, she just sat by the bar counter while I baked and cooked.

It does feel good to have a sister. That's why I feel more pressured to have another child. I hate it when I imagine my son growing up alone without a sibling to share his childhood experiences with. Isn't this a sad thought?

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Here's hoping for a better Philippines

2010-06-30T00:41:00.000+08:00

As the whole country welcomes in the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines, I will be with my family at home hoping for a better Philippines. I did not vote for President Noynoy because of so many reasons. Then again, I believe that, whatever our differences may be, each of us should help his government in uplifting the lives of our countrymen. I will never say "I told you so" to those who voted for him because I believe that we are all part of this new administration.

President Noy, I hope that you live up to your promise of zero corruption in the government. I hope that you can usher in a better Philippines by placing the most people in your cabinet not because you owe them your victory but because of their obvious competence. Lastly, please take care of your health by quitting smoking. Or at least try puffing an electronic cigarette instead.

I'm anxious and excited at the same time. Isn't it obvious as I am writing this at midnight? I believe that, with the new President, a change for the better will come. But this will only be possible if we all unite and stop pulling each other down. I hope that we can at least do it for the sake of our children.

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Invitation Etiquette

2010-06-29T10:57:00.000+08:00

A few days ago, my mom called me up to inform me that we've been invited to attend a relative's birthday party. I had to politely decline even when I know that the location is just nearby. We were invited the day before the party so I made up excuses that we had to be someplace else. The truth is, I hate impromptu invites.

Traditionally, invitations should be sent out eight weeks before the event. I think that this is especially applicable to wedding invitations. When we got married, our printer had a problem and was not able to deliver our invitation cards on time. To make up for their shortcoming, they gave us Save The Date cards to distribute to guests while we were waiting for all of our invitations to be printed out. That way, our guests were able to fix their schedules and reserve the date to attend our event. By the way, the formal invitation cards were distributed two weeks after the Save The Date cards were given out.

For birthdays and other more simpler events, however, I prefer that I'll be informed at least two weeks in advance. Of course, I need to adjust my schedule and prepare a gift for the celebrator. Two weeks sounds fair, don't you think? By the way, how do you feel about electronic invites? When Rap celebrated his 10th Birthday last May, I was only given a month to prepare everything from scratch. The first thing I did, after we decided about the date, time, and location, is to create a Facebook event page for it. It gave me the chance to invite relatives and friends who had Facebook accounts. I followed up through emails and texts. Guess what? The party was a success! We had guests from as far as Laguna. I was also able to invite our former neighbors and Rap's former playmates. For me, sending and receiving electronic invites are ok as long as they still give the attendees two weeks to prepare for the event.

How about RSVP's? Do you religiously reply to an invitation with the RSVP tag? I do. Literally translated, RSVP or Respondez S'il Vous Plait means "Please reply." Whether you're attending or not, you owe it to the host/hostess to inform them. When I reply, I also tell them if I'll be bringing our son along because I can't leave him behind elsewhere. I know that replying to RSVP's is still not widely practiced here in the Philippines but I do hope that you can take time to reply especially if you're not coming so they can assign your seat to others.

Do you have more invitation etiquettes to share? I'm excited to read your thought about this!

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My boy loves wheatgrass juice!

2010-06-28T12:02:00.000+08:00

I started growing my own wheatgrass weeks ago after drinking my first shot of its juice at Mondo Juice in Ali Mall, Cubao. It was my husband and mother-in-law who coaxed me into drinking one after they watched a show on television which featured the benefits of wheatgrass juice. I discovered a local supplier from whom I was able to order my wheatberries and after a few weeks, voila!

So this weekend, after 12 days since I first soaked my wheatberries in water, I finally got the chance to puree a bunch of blades and drank its extracted juice. As planned, I had Rap have his share. My son rarely eats vegetables and I found giving him an ounce of wheatgrass juice a perfect alternative.

By the way, an ounce of pure wheatgrass juice is equivalent to 1 kilo of vegetables. Here are other benefits that you can get from drinking wheatgrass juice:

maintain's the blood's alkalinity
prevents Alzheimer's Disease
increases red blood cells and prevents anemia
anti-inflammatory
anti-oxidant
eliminates bad breath and body odor
fights cancer
prevents candidiasis
regulates blood sugar levels
builds the immune system
aids in weight loss (a more natural choice over the best fat burners in the market!)

If you are interested in knowing more about wheatgrass, you can contact Arvin Gray at the details shown in the photo below.

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Keeping a First Aid Kit at home

2010-06-27T22:29:00.000+08:00

Year ago, when we were still living in Laguna, my husband and his officemates organized a carpool so that each one of them can save gas and money going to work in Cavite. My husband's former company was always concerned with its employees' safety that each seat in the shuttle bus service has a seat belt. The company probably felt the need to keep the employees driving their own cars to work safe that they implemented a policy wherein each car should have a first aid kit. That's how I got the habit of keeping our own first aid kit at home.

Image source: Freedigitalphotos.net
Here are some things I keep inside our First Aid Kit:

sterile gauze
elastic bandage
surgical gloves
adhesive tape
a box of gauze strips in various sizes (Band Aid or Mediplast)
cotton balls and cotton pads
ammonia
cold/hot pack
Isopropyl alcohol
small bottle of Betadine
antibacterial ointment
anti-itch lotion
thermometer
a few pieces each of ipuprofen, nasal decongestant tablets, paracetamol, cough medication
our medical insurance booklet
list of emergency medical assistance numbers

We have a small plastic toolbox that we converted into a First Aid Kit. It pays to be always ready for any medical emergencies. We'll never know when accidents will happen, right? How about you? Do you keep a First Aid kit at home?

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Why choose a pedia dentist?

2010-06-26T17:24:00.000+08:00

I often pass by a pediatric dentist's clinic every time I wait for my son to finish his voice lessons in SM Megamall. Since the clinic is intended for kids, the place is designed to be kid-friendly with toys, books,and vibrant colors. Parents nowadays prefer to bring their children to pedia dental clinics like these. A reason for this may be because of the kiddie ambiance which helps kid to be at ease with their dentist. However, we should give these parents a pat on the shoulder for doing the right choice which is bringing their kids to a pediatric dentist.

Image source: "At the Dentist" by Seth Werkheiser, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
Think of pediatric dentists as your kid's tooth doctor just like how your friendly pediatrician takes care of your kiddo's over-all health. It's a specialization really. After completing regular dental school, these dentists go on for an additional two or three years of specialty training. From further studies they learn more about a child's physical, psychological, and emotional growth. As such, they develop ways on how to treat children teeth without the trauma or fear of pain.

Parents with young kids are actually luckier nowadays. My ten year old only got treated by a pedia dentist for the first time when he was already nine years old. You may need to pay more than what you give a general dental practitioner but it's all worth it. They have toys and what-have-yous that keep children distracted from the anxious feeling of seeing the dentist.

It's as simple as this.. Adults have general dentists. Adults who need to make their teeth look better need to see a cosmetic dentist. (If you are in Charlotte in the US, you can find easily find a charlotte cosmetic dentist for your needs.) But kids need a pedia dentist.

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Happy Birthday, Dadijun!

2010-06-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

Allow me to write a short post for the love of my life who's celebrating his 3_th birthday today. Hahaha, I purposely left the 2nd digit blank. My husband deliberately tells me that he stopped ageing at 25 which was more than 10 years ago. Now, that's a give-away clue. He seldom reads my blogs anyway. ;-p

But seriously, I am very thankful of this day. I think I am even happier than the birthday boy himself. I am in a jolly mood today because I am glad that I was again given a year to enjoy his company. He is my best friend, really. And although we get into an arguing mode more often than before, we still get to talk about anything under the sun.

We love you, Daddyjun. And we will forever treasure everything that you're doing for our family. Don't you ever forget that. God bless you even more with all the blessings in the world because you are one smart, determined, and generous guy.

On a side note... I suddenly realized that June is finally coming to an end. Wow, time flies so fast when one's uber busy, yes? I bet I won't even see the days pass by until it's time to print holiday invitations for our Christmas reunions. Oh well...

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Olay Body Bars Are Here!

2010-06-25T08:23:00.000+08:00

When I was a young girl, I would often watch my mom put on her make-up in the morning and remove it at night. Part of her beauty routine was putting on a pinkish lotion on her face and neck. The sweet smelling fluid was Olay and, in the 80s, she only gets to have them from a Balikbayan Box from relatives abroad.

So when I got older and I saw Olay Total Effects being sold in the market, I grabbed the chance to try it. Olay, has become a trusted brand for me. I was just slightly surprised that the Olay I knew from childhood has changed. The liquid came in a plastic bottle and the fluid was beige unlike the pinkish Olay fluid of long ago that came in glass bottles. Then again, I went on with my purchase even when it was a little bit pricey for my taste.

Yesterday, I receive this wonderful package from Olay Philippines and Yehey.com. I got all the three variants: Age Defying, Fresh Reviving, and Ultra Moisture. The bars did not only smell good but my skin also felt good after using one of them. I started using the Ultra Moisture bar which is the one with Shea Butter. What's best about these new Olay Body Bars is that they only cost Php 45 a piece. So head for your favorite supermarket, beauty shops, and drug stores, try these affordable yet moisture-loaded Olay Body Bars, and defy ageing in 7 days.

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Back to "kikayness"

2010-06-24T14:51:00.001+08:00

Rap's recent singing activities compelled me to replenish my make-up kit. Much to my dismay, most of the make-up in my kit needed replacing. They all expired without even being used up. When I bought new pots of foundation creams, loose powder, and blush for Rap's performance, I also bought a new set of eyeshadow for myself. This time, I promised myself that I won't waste money and let them expire again. I'm back to my ole kikay self! I now apply make-up just as I used to back when I was still working.

Methinks, I need eyelash extensions! Any recommendations?

It took a few trial days before I finally got my eyeshadow blending skills back. And I just discovered mineral make-up, hahaha! I found them more lasting and easier to apply. Plus, I read that it's healthier for the skin to use mineral make-up. I now find myself on the lookout for a mineral make-up sale! I also view make-up videos and read make-up blogs. I discovered that there's so much technique to learn and that I can really express our creative and artistic side through applying make-up. I'll be posting more of my experiments soon. Or probably, I'm gonna start another blog about that. Hmmm....

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