Babette's Definitely MAYBE!

The Duomo in Florence, Italy

2008-08-20T17:29:00.000-04:00

I took this photo of the Duomo in Florence, Italy. Isn't it a beautiful church? I love the colors of the marble used. (Read more for more Duomo photos.)

This is the Campanille (Giotto's bell tower). To climb up the tower, you pay a fee of 5Euro. It has 414 steps. sorry, no elevators here. :)

The outside surface of the church is being cleaned.The front part has been done and you can see the result. The statues and sculptures on the outside are all replicas. The originals are stored in the Opera del Duomo (Museum of the Cathedral) located in another building at the back of the Duomo. The entrance fee is very affordable
The back part of the church is not yet cleaned and you can see the grime and dirt from pollution.

Photos inside the Duomo. It's not as breathtaking as St. Peter's Basilica (nothing
is, in my opinion) but the painting on the cuppola is worth the visit. You can climb up the cuppola (400 steps) for a fee of 5Euro. Breathtaking views await you at the top.

This is my favorite photo in Florence. I saw this priest walking alongside the Duomo. I should've asked him for a photo-op with me. :)

I hope you enjoyed these photos. Florence truly is a beautiful city and should be in your lists of places to see in Italy.

Fundraising for School Activites

2008-08-20T17:15:00.002-04:00

School is starting on Tuesday for the kids which also means it is time to sign up for volunteer work. Now that my youngest will be in school full time, I can now spare an hour or two. Private schools have limited resources so it's up to the parents to help out when possible. Every year, parent volunteers think of ways to raise money to fund school activities like field trips and also buy additional computers for the technology laboratory. One fundraising idea that I like is selling
promotional items like caps, key-chains, mugs and the popular t-shirt. These are easier to sell and not fattening like chocolates. Although they still have the yearly chocolate fundraising (which we end up paying for the whole box ourselves!) I guess it's better than the catalog-based fundraisers where you end up buying something you don't really need.

A Mountain of Laundry

2008-08-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

With the amount of laundry that I do each week, you would think that I have a football team in my household. I have 6 piles sorted out if it's a regular week: denims, darks, reds/pink, brown/beige, whites and towels plus two loads for the bed sheets. Once in a while there'll be an extra load on top of that. The washing and drying part is not the hard part. The bulk of the work is in the folding part, takes a long time to do all of it. I try to fold the clothes as soon as it's finished in the dryer, or else it'll just pile up in the laundry basket. The kids meanwhile helps me in sorting and folding the socks and towels. I'm starting to have my daughter wash her own towels, bed sheets and pillowcases. I cannot wait for the two of them to do all the laundry in our household. That'll be the day!

Giving Back

2008-08-19T07:22:00.003-04:00

My parents are now in their seventies. They live in Southern California just like my sister and is only a 10 minute drive to her house. I wish they live closer, we are on both ends of the continental US! I envy my sister and her family, they get to see my parents all the time. I am not an envious person but this is the only exception. I'm just thankful that she is close by and she can look after them. In my culture, there is an 'unwritten rule' that we take care of our parents in their old age. There are no questions about it, it's a given that it's our duty. They worked hard to give me and my siblings comfortable lives, it's now our turn to give back. My parents and I already talked about it, they don't want to live in senior homes. They prefer to live in their own home and I don't blame them. I know that there are businesses that provide homecare for seniors. One directory that I saw was Springfield homecare which has a list hundreds of certified homecare professionals. As of now, they're both strong and active. Too bad they don't want to live here, they said its gets too cold in the winter. That's where I lose my argument, I cannot do anything about that.

Taking a Short Break

2008-08-18T19:39:00.001-04:00

I took a break from blogging for a couple of hours to go to the beach with my family.

The city I live on is on the coast and my house is just 5 minutes away from the closest

beach. It was a perfect day, not too hot and there was a comfortable breeze. Thank you

to those who dropped ECs. I'll return your drops later tonite, I need to finish the Europe

vacation slideshow I promised my dh. :)

Being Happy with You

2008-08-18T10:43:00.001-04:00

Why is it that we are not completely satisfied? Some people have a lot of money yet they still want more. There are drop-dead gorgeous women that still wants to be more beautiful. The reason I'm asking this question is because I learned that an acquaintance that I knew from the Philippines is looking for a New Jersey rhinoplasty doctor. She wants to have her nose done. I guess to make it look like a Caucasian nose, high, pointed and perfect(?).
I've pondered about this, should I have a nose lift? I have my dad's nose and I wished I have my mom's. Yeah, she has the nose of our Spanish ancestors, high and pointed. Growing up, my paternal relatives would comment about it (which I don't understand since they have the same nose!) so I used to have hang-ups about it. Now that I've "matured", I've learned to be content with what I have. My wonderful husband meanwhile always remind me that he likes me just the way I am.

What Makes Me Happy...

2008-08-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

I received this tag from Joy and Glorie.

Here are the Rules:
1. List things that makes you happy and what makes you sad.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know:

Participants: Toni’s attachment, Charmdestiny, Dressmeup, Gloriesolitude, Restlessrant, Fit4all, Ozlife, Jcelyns Journal,What A World,More on Health,Words of Love,Kikay Fashion and Beauty,Fil-Oz Blog,Everyday Life,Taurians,In The Lances Mind, Dream Home, KusineraUSA, Everything Plus the Kitchen Sink, Definitely Maybe, YOU'RE NEXT.

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY:
- material things: nice perfume and jewelry
- Seeing my kids play and enjoy themselves; getting my daughter's report card (she's a straight A student so I'm a proud mom)

WHAT MAKES YOU SAD
material things: - whenever I lose a piece of jewelry

- Hearing stories in the news about kids being neglected and abused.

Tagging Janet, Laura and Marie. Copy HERE.

Tax-Free Weekend, Shop Till You Drop?

2008-08-18T07:03:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was a tax-free weekend here in my state. I'm sure a lot of people went out shopping to take advantage of the tax-free incentive. I wasn't one of those people, we did not need anything so I prefer to stay home. A friend meanwhile was out the whole day with her husband, I heard they hit all the stores in town. haha They spent a lot of time in an electronics store since her husband was interested in a home theater in wall speakers subwoofer. He just bought a plasma tv and he wanted the whole theater sound experience. You would think that he'd be watching a lot of movies but no, he's getting ready for football season. Yes, one more week and it is starting. Can't you tell? I could. My husband is a huge and I mean HUGE football fan so I know when it is starting. Pre-season games and draft days, he doesn't miss it. Back to tax-free shopping, clothing here is tax-free all year round so I can get in anytime. I'm actually going out later today to get new pairs of shoes for the kids. So what did I do last weekend? I made Blueberry Cobbler and it is good, definitely beats shopping anytime!

It's All About Me

2008-08-17T22:29:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Liza for this tag. :)

The object is to complete each of the following snippets.

Participants: Startin’ A New Life, Too / All Things Me / Because Life IsFun / Feels Like Home / Mommy Talks / Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps / All Kinds of Me Stuff / The Salad Caper / Winding Creek Circle / Everything Plus / InkBabyStudios / My Happy Place / Iam Dzoi / Suburban Sass / To the Moon and Back / Raising Sandy / Fun.Fierce.Fab / Me,Myself+2 / Kidd Designs / Ozzy’s Mom /100% KELLY / And so I am / Princess Bela / Our Journey to Life / My Planet Purple / Women Xplore / Princess Vien / In The Spirit Of Dance / Moms... Check Nyo / Kusinera sa Amerika / Definitely Maybe / Your Blog

I am: a wife and a mom
I think: I need to pause blogging and finish our Europe vacation slideshow
I know: that my husband loves me.
I have: a wonderful life.
I wish: my parents live closer.
I miss: my parents and sister
I fear: getting into an accident
I hear: the morning news
I smell: coffee brewing
I crave: lechon
I search: Google for everything
I wonder: if I'll win the lottery LOL
I regret: not buying a pair of earings that matches my ring in Florence
I love: my family unconditionally
I ache: for nothing
I am not: high-maintenance
I believe: in fairness and equality
I dance: when I hear a good beat
I sing: in the car (sometimes)
I cry: at the end of a good love story
I fight: for my rights

I win: at scrabble
I lose: at bingo
I never: smoked
I always: hug and kiss my family
I confuse: ugh, nothing?
I listen: to XM Fred
I can usually be found: online
I am scared: of snakes
I need: a maid ;)
I am happy about: my life
I imagine: being Michael Phelps LOL

Tagging Lanie, Jemi and Joy

You can copy it here.

Men and Their Cars

2008-08-17T21:12:00.001-04:00

What is this devotion by some men to their cars? They even take care of the cars better than their girlfriends. My cousin in California is one of those men. He has a 1993 GT convertible Ford Mustang that he keeps in tip-top shape. I always know that he arrived in our house because I can hear the loud sound of the Mustang exhaust coming from the garage. I asked him about his love affair with the Mustang, why does he like it so much? He said that it is a great car with a powerful V8 engine. It is considered a 'muscle car' which makes this car attractive to men. He wouldn't trade it in for a newer model even though he can afford one. There are many Ford Mustang enthusiasts like him, they own classic cars and are proud of it. That's why there are still a lot of stores and businesses that cater to Mustang owners. As for my cousin, he said that he'll keep his Mustang as long as he can.

Be Safe, Don't Beat the Red Light

2008-08-15T22:29:00.007-04:00

I just received an email from my dad in California. My sister and her four kids were in a car accident. She was turning left and was already in the middle of the intersection when another car hit them. She has a cut on her lower lip and left wrist bandaged. She complains also of slight headache, obviously because her head was violently jerked forward and then back as result of the collision which resulted in her airbag activating. My nephew Ian (8) has a slightly bruised right pelvis while Kyle (9), Samantha (3) and Collin (2) are all okay. Yes, they were wearing their seatbelts and on their car seats.
Why are people in such a hurry that they put everyone else's lives in danger? Countless lives are lost everyday because of reckless drivers. So next time you get in that car, please drive safely. Yellow means get ready to stop, it does not mean 'step on the gas and speed up.' BE SAFE!

Fashionable and Cheap Teen Clothes for School

2008-08-15T15:04:00.008-04:00

If you have teens in your household, then more power to you this coming school opening. I know how picky teens can be when it comes to clothes. I have a niece and a nephew and their dad is always complaining about how expensive clothes are. Kids nowadays also grow like weeds. The pair of pants you bought a couple of months ago may not even fit now. That's why parents like you and I are always looking for stores online with Cheap Junior Clothing. We like to get a good value for our dollar, what with the costs of all consumer goods going up, we want to save wherever we can.
That's where Heavenly Couture comes in. They have cheap clothing that are fashionable and just perfect to wear for school. Everything is less than $17.95, you cannot beat that price. They have many selections that will suit every teenagers' taste. Buying your teen's clothes now has become less $tressful.

Pre-K Meet and Greet

2008-08-15T09:55:00.006-04:00

Last night, we went to St. Mary's school to meet my son's pre-school teacher and classmates. Even though he's been to this school so many times (my daughter goes to this school), he got nervous when we were about to enter the gym. He asked his dad to carry him and wouldn't let go. He closed his eyes and buried his face onto his dad's shoulder. What happened to the little boy who was excited to go to school? He's been wanting to go to school for as long as I can remember.
When it was time for Monsignor Oliveiras to read a book to the kids, he loosened up a bit. He sat up front with the kids and listened. Being a typical mom, I was so proud of him of course. He didn't cry like some kids in the room. I can't believe that my baby is entering pre-school. I'll be all alone during the day since he will have the same schedule as his sister. There will be no one to ask me to help him or do things for him. It will feel lonely just as I felt when my daughter started pre-school many years ago. So I have more time on my hands now and you know what that means. I'll have more time to drop ECs! LOL

Graphic Credit: sweetasmel.blogspot.com

Is That A New Wrinkle?

2008-08-15T09:26:00.003-04:00

Next month, another year will be added to my age, exciting eh? Of course it is, are you kidding me? What's not to be excited about having a birthday? Unless of course you are like my friend in Texas. If she can avoid having birthdays all together then she would. She's in her forties like me but she tells everyone she's in her thirties. For some reason she is so hung up about numbers. She freaks out whenever she sees a new wrinkle on her face. She's even considering having cosmetic plastic surgery Houston which is just an hour from their home. I'm trying to talk her out of it, I don't know if it will work though. She seems so determined to go through with it and you know how hard it is to convince someone who already made up their mind. I wonder if I will do the same thing when I get to that stage. I cannot imagine going through that kind of surgery. I've seen it on Discovery Health and boy, it's not pretty and I heard it is very painful. I can understand why someone in the entertainment business will do it; though I admire those who haven't.

If You're with a Loser, Blame the Pill

2008-08-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

Did you hear? Women now can blame the pill for their bad choice of men. Uhuh, no wonder there are a lot of nice women out there with men who are not exactly 'Mr. Good Guy'.

"Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds. "

You can read the full article here.

I'll Settle with Emily, Thank You

2008-08-15T09:06:00.000-04:00

Pilot Inspektor? Kal-el? Phinnaeus? What were they thinking? Those names didn't even cross our radar when we were choosing names for our children. Hubby and I actually did not have a hard time picking names. For my daughter, I gave him five names to choose from and two or three for my son. I know of some couples who cannot make up their mind and the baby is already born. For those who need help in picking names, there is a babies names generator that hopefully, will help you choose or just give you ideas. It's very important to remember that your child will carry that name for a long time, until he turns 18 and can request the court to change the weird name you gave him or her. I know that some parents want their babies' name to be original, that's fine as long as it does not sound funny or weird. Can you imagine the child on the first day of class and the teacher calls out everyone's name? Guess who's getting all the giggles?