High School Years

One of the memorable years in life is the High School years. I surely had fun during those years and was able to create long lasting friendship. It was a time of fun and knowledge in a safe and healthy environment.

But what's sad these days in some parts of the world especially in the US is that the schools are not that safe anymore as more and more acts of violence, discrimination and abuse and taking place. I remember the chat I had with my friend who is in US. She opted to homeschool all her kids because the schools near their house were not safe and she would end up getting worried about her kids.

That's why homeschool system and online education are quite common in the US and other parts of the world. I've heard of an Online Education site that's great for High School students. It's called Brightstorm and as I've toured through the site, I found it a fun and a hip way to be educated. you might want to check it out and sign up for Sign up for a free brightstorm acocunt. Just click this partners.brightstorm.com/sheridan for a free account and a chance to explore the site.

Day Out

Yes, I'm excitedly waiting for my brother in law to fetch us. All of us are going out for "suruy-suruy" or jalan jalan. I'm planning to have Lyle's 1st hair cut in the shop and maybe let him play in Wonderland with Tricia. It'll be his first time to play there too! While my Mom and my sis' Mother in law are going for beauty beauty in the Saloon.

Then, in the evening we're going for our prayer meeting and after that be celebrating Nanay Mercy's 69th birthday! Nanay Mercy is my sister's mother in law and she's here in Cagayan de Oro for a holiday! I'm sure it'll be a blessed and fun filled Friday.

Happy Weekend to ALL!

Of Tactical Gears and Childhood Memories

I'm browsing through the site now about tactical gear. I'm not planning to buy any since I'm not into the military but then looking at it reminds me of my Tatay.

My Tatay is the outdoor type of person, he loved hunting, camping and all the different kinds of adventures. He had almost all the 'military' gadgets and gear. When I was younger, I used to go with him with his friends every Sunday to hunt some birds and he also taught me to use the air rifle. I really had fun during my elementary and pre-teenage years. I remember, we climbed up Mt Kitanglad. We never reached the peak though but it was really memorable, sleeping in the tent and looking at the stars that seemed so near and reachable. What made it more fun was that our family friends' kids also went up with us. We would laugh at how the fog comes out of our mouths every time we talked. Oh, how I miss those times.. I wonder if my children will also have the opportunity to camp out in the mountains and experience the those things that I've experienced as a child.

Anyways, if you're interested about 5.11 Tactical gears, you can check out their site and see a variety of great products.

The 1st Goal Reached

A few months ago, while I was just starting this so called paid blogging career, my Hubby and I were discussing if we could reach X amount of dollars by December. I thought long and hard and said, maybe it's possible but it all depends if God willl allow to let me get PR then I'll have more opportunities to write. Then, at the end of September, I did get my PR and more opportunities to write paid posts were quite regular. Little did I realize that I already reached our first goal last week! Praise the Lord for this extra blessings! A portion of that blessings were used to pay off our flight tickets which we bought in coming here to the Philippines and a portion of it is being saved up for our Big Trip. Now, the question is, will the 2nd goal be reached enough to save up for the Big trip?? Well, with God anything is possible!!

The Popular Eyeglasses

I was browsing through a site that sells prescription glasses and my Mom commented that she has been seeing those eyeglasses in other blogs too. Yes, I'm talking about one of The popular online eyeglasses shop. It's no other than Zenni Optical that sells glasses as low as $ 8 Complete Rx Eyeglasses. With the Christmas season right around the corner there is also variety of Holiday Glass Frames From Zenni Optical. Check out this site!

Under Renovation..

Yes we're doing a bit of improvement for our house here in Balulang. We used to have living room, but since we don't have an extra room for us or when my brother's family comes back home, our living room then became a guest room. Now, we thought of improving the house a bit and vreating a receiving area for the guests. We thought of turning the 'walkway' to the former living room as the receiving area now. It's not really a major renovation though but just a little bit of improvement here and there to make the house a bit more presentable. I'll keep you updated with the developments .. hopefully, the end result will turn out well. As for now, our house is still quite messy as it's undergoing renovation.

The "Before" Picture

Things to Consider When Building your Website

I know this is a bit of techy.. but it's a nice thing to share especially for the newbies in website building. I got the following from Heritage Web Solutions. It's a very helpful guide on Some Things to Consider When Building your Website : Words in italics are my own comments.

* Your Website Should be Custom, Unique and Original, Something that Stands out from your Competitors.
- I agree, there's nothing like a website that stands out from the others. It makes you want to stay on the site and visit it more often. It would be great to have your own unique design and not just follow a template that has the same design with hundreds or thousand other sites.

* Don't be Too Wordy with too much Text and Content. Get to the Point.
- Hmmm.. need I say more?

* Customers should Immediately Find what they are looking for. Use Bullets or Outlines to Make your Points. They are Easier to Read and Follow.
- Yes or else they might immediately leave your site when they can't immediately find what they're looking for.

* Your site should have a lot of "Call to Actions" (reasons for customer to Buy, Call or give you their Name and Phone Number).
- This is very important for sites which are selling a product or offering a service.

* Once your Website is live, consider how you will Drive Customers to it. (Search Engines, Articles, Advertising, yellow page listing, etc.)
- Once there's traffic, then for sure there will be sales.

This information is indeed helpful for those who wants to build a website to sell a product or offer a service or simply for ordinary bloggers like us. But if you're really serious in building a website for online business then better consult the professional at Heritage Web Solutions to give you only the best for your business. Heritage Web Solutions is an innovative website design company in provo utah.

How Thankful Are You?

Since it's the Thanksgiving Season.. I took the test from blogthings called How Thankful are you? and check my Thankful Scale. :) I'm quite pleased with my result and that somehow shows I'm contented with all the blessings that God has given me. God has indeed blessed me with so much..even more than I deserve. Thank you Lord! So, here's my result: You might want to take the test too.

You Are 79% Thankful

You are a very thankful person - for both the big and little things in life. Your optimism is powerful. Getting through hard times is fairly easy for you.

How Thankful Are You?

Holiday Gifts Ideas

With almost everyone on a budget, it's a bit difficult looking for some brilliant gift ideas. Our family for example, go to the budget stores and look for 'treasures' there to give for family and friends. There are shops here in Cagayan de Oro especially in the Cogon area where there are rows and rows of cheap Taiwanese products. For sure, we will be going there this Christmas season to buy our Christmas presents for our loved ones. There are also a lot of shops in the malls which are having some Christmas sale and if you're there at the right time, you can find some great bargains. The only disadvantage though in shopping in these places is that it's very crowded and a bit of a hassle too.

But then, now with the convenience of online shopping you can shop without the crowd and the hassles of going in and out the shops looking for the perfect gift. You might then want to try out giving personalized holiday gifts . Pexagon is now offering 20% off on 4 awesome personalized holiday gifts ideas! You can either choose to give Personalized Thumb Drives, Personalized Pens, Business Card Flash Drive or Wooden USB Flash Drives. Such cute items!

Help for the Home

I was like a Princess for 2 weeks. Whenever I needed to do something, there was someone I could ask to take care of my kids. Whenever I wanted something to be done, I had someone I could ask to do. I was a bit free.. free to go out and send my daughter to school without bringing Lyle around because, someone can take care of him in the house. I had more time to do my writing tasks, more time to read, and more time for myself. That's because , we had a househelper.

Our lives were easier with her. She could do her work fast and efficiently. Even if she's not so fond of children but at least I could leave my Li'l boy with her for awhile . It was indeed a great 2 weeks for me.

Last Sunday, our househelper asked permission to go back to her hometown to attend their town fiesta. We already suspected that she might not come back and so we asked her to tell us the honestly, if she's still coming back. She said, YEs because she liked it here. We believed her word.

But were disappointed to learn today that she's not coming back, it seems her parents did not let her come back. There's a long story behind it but the conclusion is, we don't have a househelper anymore. Anyways, at least I was able to take a short rest and enjoyed my 2 weeks break. Thank God for those weeks with someone to help us at home. Now, it's back to reality with me taking care of the kids. I can't wait for Hubby to come and things will ease up back again. :)

Currently Reading: The No Time to Lose Diet

With my cravings and appetite for food still on the go, I need something to keep me on track and motivated. That's why I bought this book, The No Time to Lose Diet ( By Melina B. Jampolis, MD) as a guide. It would have been good if my cravings are for healthy food and stuff but it's more on the opposite side.

What I like about this book is that it gives me easy-to -implement strategies for weight lost and it can also be customized according to each one's lifestyle and condition. I've just started the book and I could say it's fitted for me since it also caters to those with this condition.

Anyways, I still have too finish the book and slowly implement those principles I've read. It's good to know that there are natural ways to lose weight. I know of some who opt for Diet Pills and have found it quite effective for them too.

Yummy Sunday err... Tueday

This must be the latest Yummy Sunday entry.. but I only remembered to post mine after I've eaten the yummy pizza brought by my bro in law. He just came from Manila and brought a HUGE Sbarro pizza for the family. Their pizza was really huge, heavy and heavenly .. hahaha! It really tasted to good that I was already halfway through my pizza and only then I remembered about my Yummy Sunday's entry. And then I have to rush and get my camera to take a photo before everyone finish it. :) We are all pizza lovers in our family, so we don't count on pizza leftovers for breakfast.

It's my first time to eat Sbarro and I immediately love it! Too bad we don't have Sbarro here in Cagayan de Oro City. I thank God for surprising us with great food even in times of a tight budget. :)

Protected by God

We live far away from the city and our compound is quite isolated from the other houses. Sometimes our house is left empty without anyone to watch over it. And sometimes, we also feel that people are watching us. There were a few instances when it seemed someone tried to break in our house but somehow it never pushed through. Once our friend who was staying at our house that time, heard the dogs barking and when she went out of the room she saw the kitchen door was already widely open and so were the cabinets. The doors where closed earlier and it's a mystery how it opened. And when we checked, nothing was lost or taken. It seemed someone tried to break in.

We believe that even if our house has no Video Surveillance Systems but God watches over us and our house and keep us protected and safe. Thank God for his protection not just over our lives but on our belongings too.

Faith and Feelings

" Is there anything too hard for Me too do?" That was God's question for Abraham when He told them that Sarah was to conceive.

This was actually last Sunday's message in the church and it has been ringing in my ears after I've chatted with my Hubby this evening. You see, we've been planning, desiring and asking God for something. But if we humanly look at our present situation, it's like it's truly impossible for that plan to push through. My Hubby and I were at the verge of deciding whether to Let Go of that plan or desire and move on OR continue to push and pray about it. I was so much tempted to 'let go' so that I won't have to think about anything anymore. But then, I was reminded of God's word last Sunday that says " I am the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me to do?" Then, I realize that God must be asking us to push through and continue to trust HIM. That is faith. Faith is in action when all the surroundings and situation around cries out "it's impossible!" or "it can't be done!". Faith is when we just hold on to our Lord and say, " Okay, Lord. I will trust you. I know that You can do anything. Show us Lord. Show us your hand moving in our lives." AMen!

Be the Asean XML Superstar!

XQuery, XML and DB2…

Are you familiar with these terms or do they look like foreign words to you? Well, as for me I’m only familiar with the term XML. Thanks to 'blogging' because through it, my ‘knowledge’ on some internet or computer terms has widened. My Hubby is sometimes amazed that I could easily change my blog template with all the HTML codes and stuff. What he doesn't know is that the templates I use are all ready made. All I have to do is just to copy and paste the code and Blogger does all the extra work. Though, sometimes there are some code problems that I still needed to fix myself.

Anyways, speaking about all these techie and computer stuff, are you one of the gifted techie people in IT? There is a contest that can show your skills on XML and database management. If you're like me who's a newbie or don't have prior knowledge about XML at all, this contest is also open for us to learn more about these new technologies that will help increase our marketability in the IT industry. Then I suggest that you join the IDUG Contest. You want to learn more about the IDUG contest and win awesome prizes? Then, check it out! Who knows you might be the next Asean XML Superstar!

The Field Trip

Last Friday was my Li'l Girl's first field trip from school. They went to different places to meet some 'community helpers' like the firefighters , policemen and etc.

So, the first stop was at the Fire Station where they met a real Fireman and saw the Fire Truck up close.
The students lining up to go inside the fire station

Then they went to the Police Station where they saw a re enactment of how a 'bad man' is being arrested and put into jail. :)

TNext stop was at the Park, where they just played and had 'exchanging of gifts'

This is Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro Cityy!!!

Then the Post Office where they mailed the Christmas cards which they especially made for their loved ones.

And last but not the least, they went to Pizza Hut to make their own pizza. Yes, they made their own pizza and I'll write a separate post for that.

Future Chef??

Thank God that it was indeed a fun filled day for our Li'l girl ( and the mom too!). She truly enjoyed her time and experienced a lot of things that she wouldn't have experienced if she's not in school.

The White Goat

Introducing the white goat that we pass by every time we go to and from school. This is the goat that our Li'l girl never fail to watch and touch. She would always ask me if she could touch it even if we were already late for school.

So, one afternoon when we got back from school, the goat was inside our compound and happily chewing some grasses when Tricia asked if she could feed him some grasses. So, here is our Li'l girl happily feeding him but at the same time she's also quite scared of it. :) It's like a day in the farm. hehehe!

Christmas for the Payatas Children

A few more days before the 1st of December and we haven't started buying for our decorations yet. I remember my sis telling us that she's buying a Christmas tree as per request by her kids. Christmas season is really an exciting time especially for the kids. I could imagine the sparkle in their eyes when they receive their presents and when they see all the Christmas decorations.

But I can't help but wonder. What about those children who are not as privileged as our kids? Will Christmas have a special meaning in the lives as they go hungry and literally scavenge for their food?

I'm blessed to see a lot of people who are also sharing their blessings and showing their love in this special season. Take for example the press release below where people are blessing the Children by celebrating Christmas For Payatas.

--------------------

The landfill in Payatas, The Philippines, is notoriously known the world over as Smokey Mountain. For over 35 years, the smoking dump site has grown to become a stark and heart-tugging reminder of the desperate onditions of humanity.

On a daily basis, children pick through newly arrived garbage to collect material to sell. The earnings made by one child are not enough to even buy food for the day. Hence, entire families are forced to climb the mountain each day, hoping to earn enough to feed everyone. Children as young as four years old are forced to work in this daily struggle for survival.

In response to the plight of these children, Totedaddy.com is working with Lighthouse Center For Children Foundation to bring a little cheer to the children this Christmas.

Totedaddy.com has kicked off with a cash sponsorship of USD 10,000 to enable the children to celebrate Christmas. FusionExcel International has also pitched in a USD 5,000 in cash sponsorship. The money raised
will help fund the projects already in place, and help fund additional projects aimed at providing better housing, and a means of livelihood for the Payatas community.

It is hoped that by creating better awareness to the plight of these children, more support can be garnered towards their betterment. Together we can bury poverty!

----------

Let it be that we could indeed show God's love for the people through giving. After all this is what Christmas is all about.. God gave His SON .. that whoever believe should not perish but have everlasting life.

24 Days to Go!

I'm sure people must be tired of my countdown before my Hubby arrives. I can't help but be excited to see, hold and talk to my HUbby without limits. Lone distance relationship is quite a challenge especially in terms of communication. Even though we chat, send sms and talk on the phone everyday but then it seems not to be enough. There were time both of us got frustrated because it's either my internet connection or his connection is slow and therefore difficult to chat. Phone calls are also quite expensive so our calls are quite limited. My Hubby calls me from his hand phone and I guess it's more expensive than using phone cards. But I'm sure he could get some Philippine phone cards from there.

Anyways, another 24 days to go.. that's exactly 3 weeks and 3 days! I can't wait to talk and be with my Hubby.. :)

My Pre- Christmas TO-DO List

11 more days to go and it'll be the 1st of December. December is on of the busiest time of the year and I think the costliest too. But as with every Christmas season, it's always a great blessing to remember the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ and along with this is the time spent with family, friends and love ones. So, here are my Pre- Christmas list.

• Start planning for our Christmas Decoration. Decorating our house here is quite a challenge, since there's not much space inside. So, i guess I have to think of decorating more of the exterior ' garden area' than the interior.
  
• Search for the cheapest and nicest Christmas Decors. I've seen the Christmas trees of all sizes from the malls and it's quite expensive. The other day, we saw a bunch of painted twigs for only 100 pesos. So, i guess I'll have to settle with that and have to go to Cogon/Taiwanese area and Bohol trading to search for more cheap decors.
• Plan and start marketing our planned Cake Business for December. Anyone wants to order some Chocolate moist cake?
  
• Plan something for the kids. Last year I made an Advent Calendar for Tricia. She really loved it and through it understood for the real meaning of Christmas. I plan to do with for her and her cousins this year. But I still have to think of my budget and time. Imagine, I'll be making for 5 kids! But I'm sure they'll love it.

Ok..I guess that's all for now. As you can see it's more on planning and not the 'doing' yet. That means, I just need some time to sit down, think and plan all these things and then I'll be set. :) What abou you? What are you Pre Christmas List of things to do?

Of Cartoons and Kids

My Mom has a cable tv and as with any cable TVs, cartoons are available 24/7. There are only two cartoon channels available in our cable TV, Cartoon Network and Nickelodean. I would have personally preferred Disney Playhouse for my preschooler but unfortunately, Disney Channel is not available with our cable provider.

As for "cartoon watching" for my preschooler, it was quite a struggle controlling her with it but now, I've set a 45 minutes to an one hour a day for her to watch. I find Nick Jr. best suited for her while the other shows in the afternoon and evening will be more suited for the older children. There was one evening that I watched one cartoon show with her and I was shocked to hear a word uttered by one of the characters that’s not suited for children at all. So, I explained to my girl that the word she just heard is not good and she must not use it at all. From there on, I realized the importance of monitoring the shows she is watching.

Anyways, for those who has older kids and like to watch Nat & Alex Wolff of the Naked Brothers Band at Nick. There will be a live chat this Saturday, Nov. 22, chat with them as part of their new premiere, Operation Mojo. I’m not so familiar with these brothers but I think they’re quite famous with the primary kids. But as with other shows, we parents must be there to monitor what our kids are watching and guide them properly.

Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking

When we went to Toy Kingdom last weekend , a book caught my eye. It's a book on parenting entitled, Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking by Jerry Wyckoff and Barbara C. Unell. Disciplining a child comes in many forms and as much as possible I would not want to always shout or spank my Li'l girl. Of course, I don't want to spare the rod but I believe that there's a right time and way to use it and not it anger, or else it's not Disciplining anymore but more on Punishment :). As my preschooler grows up, her will also becomes so strong that it sometimes frustrates me as a parent. I admit that there were times, I responded to her in anger. Every night I would pray to God for patience and wisdom on how to discipline our Li'l girl. So, when I saw the book, I didn't have second thoughts on buying it and I think I will be collecting more books about this topic. I guess it's one area that I will have to pray about and learn as our children grows up.

Anyways, I already started to read the book and it's a good one. Every Chapter discusses different Behaviors, Prevention of each behavior, Solving the problem and the Don'ts. It's very practical and the parents have a freedom to choose and try out the different suggestions in the book.

Even if I'm already a parent of 2 kids with a 4 year old and 1 year old, I really feel like newbie Mom on this area again. I guess it's because my girl is in another stage in her development where my old tried ways of disciplining efforts are not longer that effective. heheheh!

Online Business and SEO

Visibility is very important in every online business. When one's site is very visible then traffic will automatically be driven to the site and therefore these visitors can be turned to clients for your services or customers for your product. You must look for the best SEO management solution. It must help your site achieve top organic listings for keywords in major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. If this happens then you will have a great potential to succeed in your online business.

Thankful Thursday 14

It's Thursday once again and I'm glad that I could join and post in today's Thankful Thursday. God is indeed our great healer, provider and friend. Here's my Thankful list for this week:

• I thank God for the healing of our Li'l boy, he had very high fever for 3 days last week. I got scared for a moment but then God is so good and he showed his healing after ' One Dramatic Moment'.
• I thank God that as my Hubby and I pray for time to pass by fast, it's indeed flying! Another 25 days and our family will be reunited here in the Philippines! Thank you Lord!
• I thank God for answering our prayers in pouring out his blessings on our family especially as we save up for our "Big Trip". I'm grateful for the writing tasks I'm receiving daily.
• I thank God for renewing my passion and love for His Word. How beautiful it is to drink and be refreshed in His Word daily.
• I thank God for a great time with family here in the Philippines.
  

What's your thankful list this week? If you want to join this meme, just click the banner above.

A Life Saving Info

I just want to share with you an important site that share some important information about Sudden Cardiac Arrest. This has been one of the common cause of deaths worldwide and and if it's treated properly within 4-6 minutes of attack, a life can be saved. Knowing the risk factors, warning signs like irregular heartbeat and treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest is vitally important for you or your loved one. Check out www.insidecardiacarrest.com for more information.

Train Up A Child ...

Our daughter is four years and a half now. As I've told my Hubby during one of our chats, parenting is more challenging as years go by. I can't imagine how it is raising teenagers! :)

It is every parents' dream to have a well-behaved, disciplined and obedient child. But as much as we would like to admit, our kids are not perfect. They're of course the apple of our eyes and our love for them is immeasurable but we have to accept their weaknesses and strengths, teach them what is right and train them to respect and obey God, the elders and other people as they grow older. Sounds easy? Oh.. not at all!

At the end of the day, after all the 'disciplining' efforts have been exhausted, I run to God and ask for help on how to take care, nurture and train the our child. It's not an easy task and we all need God's wisdom, strength and patience to mold these little people to become the people God wants them to be.

Christmas Tasks

35 days to go before Christmas and I haven't done any of my Christmas Tasks yet. One of those Christmas tasks is to send Christmas Cards. Every year we use to send Christmas cards to our family and friends but I'm not so sure if we could do that this year. I left the stack of Christmas cards in our house ( in Thailand) and not to mention the address book too which we kept all our friends and church members' mailing addresses. It'll be too late for Hubby to bring those stuff because he is only coming in the 15th of December. Hmmm.... If we're in the US, we could always use Reverse Phone Search in which we can look up anyone's address as long as we know their phone number. Anyways, maybe we'll just opt to just send e-cards for this year. hehehe!

Upcoming Field Trip!

This Friday will be our girl's first Field Trip in School. She indeed has a lot of "Firsts" ever since she attended school at Little Evangel Christian School in Nazareth. Anyways, here's the itinerary for their field trip. Looking at it already makes me so excited for her. I just loved field trips when I was still in school. Anyways, I'll get a chance to reminisce my elementary days as I will be accompanying Tricia for the field trip. So, here's their itinerary:

• Fire Station - This is the first stop. I haven't been to the Fire Station myself and I wonder what's inside.
  
• Police Station - Hmmmm.. I'm not so sure what they're going to do there or what are the interesting things to see..
  
• Post office - This week, the students made Christmas cards. So, this Friday they're going to mail the it themselves.
  
• Pizza Hut- This is the most exciting part of the trip. The kids will make their own pizza and the Mommies get to eat...este..taste them.. hmm.. Yum!

I'm sure all the children will have a great Friday Tomorrow!

Chocolates, Anyone?

I love chocolates! This is one known fact that all my family and close friends know about me. From Cadbury's Chocolates to Ricoa's Curly Tops - I love them all! In fact, there's one box of Curly Tops in front of me right now. This is one of the food item that I never miss whenever I'm in the Philippines. Whenever I eat this, I remember my childhood days and feel like a kids again.heheh!

Yes, I know.. I know, Chocolates are fattening and adds more thickness in the middle. But what to do? But guess what, there's a bit of good news! Do you know that chocolates can help you lose weight especially in the middle? Dark Chocolate that is. There's a reseach that discovered that eating healthy fats (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFAs) at every meal helps you lose weight especially at the middle. MUFAs are a type of heart-healthy, disease-fighting, "good" fat found in foods like almonds, peanut butter, oliver oil, avocado and dark chocolate. This is what the Flat Belly Diet is based. Wouldn't it be nice to have a 'diet' that includes chocolate in the menu? You might want to try this diet since they're recruiting a limited number of participants who want to try the Flat Belly Diet for free and blog about it.

One 'Dramatic' Moment

A mother's heart is really different. Even though one is already assured of God's protection and healing but then once it's your child that's inflicted with sickness, it's really affects a mother's emotion.

This happened when our Li'l Boy was sick and had a very high fever last week. We already went to the Doctor for a check up and the doctor said, it's only viral fever. He just prescribed paracetamol and said that it'll be gone in 3 days. I consistently gave paracetamol on the dot, but then Lyle's fever didn't subside at all. It remained to be 39 degrees for 2 days. I regularly gave him cold compress since his body was too hot and at the same time prayed and laid hands on him.

Then on Friday, he was already so weak and his fever reached 39.5. I got worried and asked my brother in law to call the doctor ( who's his friend) and the Doctor said not to worry since a viral fever's symptom is usually high fever and asked us to go to his clinic on Monday if fever persists. It was only Friday and I couldn't wait for Monday to go to his clinic. I didn't want to see my boy so weak. ( He's normally an active and happy boy) I was really scared that it might be Dengue fever since we live in the ' deep forest' with a lot of mosquitos.

Then, Hubby called up and asked to talk to Lyle. Normally, Lyle giggles and makes some sounds when he hears his Appa's voice on the phone. But on that particular time, he was just so still, his eyes staring blankly at the wall and there wasn't any reaction from him at all. He looked so weak and pitiful. Then, I couldn't control my emotions anymore. I prayed and cried. I didn't want to let my Hubby ( who's thousand of miles away) know that I was crying so I just turned off the phone. My Mom ( who was just at the back of me) also saw Lyle so weak and saw me crying . She also cried. But then the phone rang again and the ringtone of that phone was a fast beat music. And when it rang, we saw Lyle who was lying down, dancing at the beat of the ring tone!! Seeing this, my mom and I laughed so hard because it was like he was telling us he was ok. When he saw us laughing, he also laughed in return!! Woohh! Then I felt released, Lyle's ok and then there was just so much of assurance of God's healing after that. And indeed, a few minutes later, his fever subsided and never returned. Praise the Lord!

Thankful Thursday 13

It's been a month since I've posted my last Thursday Thankful List. Even if it's already Thursday Night here, I would still like to post my entry for this week since I miss being a part of this Meme.

• I thank God that this week marks our one month stay here in the Philippines. Time went by so fast another month passed by and it means we only have another month of waiting before Hubby comes! We're excitedly waiting for that reunion!
• I thank God that we were able to get someone to help us in the house. She's a nice, Christian girl and very hardworking. I thank God that I could rest a bit and could spend some extra time for myself. I didn't have this luxury in time for the past years.
  
• I thank God for refreshing me in every aspect of my life. I haven't realized that I've been so drained and dry for a long time. Praise God that His love is new every morning.. Great is His faithfulness.
  

If you want to join in this weekly meme, you can click on the icon above. God Bless you all!!

One Famous Optical Shop

It's everywhere! If you're into bloghopping and blog reading, I'm sure you must have heard about these Great Eyeglasses for Less. They're not just in almost every blog but Zenni Optical was on Fox News! Yes, you've read it right, Zenni on Fox! What makes this online store so famous? It's because of their cheap prescription glasses. Imagine, you can buy a pair for as low as 8$ and you can aslo get Variable Dimension Frames From Zenni . You might want to check it out!

Craving for Pastel!

I was doing a series of posts about Camiguin in my travel blog because we are planning to go there at the end of this year. One of my posts was about Camiguin's famous delicacy, the Pastel. After I blogged about it, I couldn't help but crave for it.

So today I had a chance to satisfy my cravings because we went to Robinson's Store and saw boxes and boxes of these yummy buns. We only bought a box of 6 pieces since it's a bit expensive, 68 Pesos for the 6 piece box, that's like 10 pesos per bun.


When we came home I immediately mixed a cup of Nescafe's Hazelnut Coffee ( 1st time trying it too) and savoured the extra rich and creamy Camiguin Pastel. So, Yummy!! Thank God for giving us even the simple pleasures in life.

Online Blessings

The internet plays an important role in our lives right now. First, I communicate with my Hubby online through chats and email. Our kids see him through his webcam and vice versa. We can immediately send him our latest videos and photos online. Second, I earn online too through blogging. This has been a great blessing to many Stay at Home Moms like me. Thirdly, we can get updated with the latest information available in the web.

Now, some people are also getting upgraded through online education. Imagine, going to University without spending on gas or wasting time travelling. Imagine, being a stay at home mom but pursuing some degree on Business Admistration. Some people dream of going to aUniversity but can't because of some reasons. Well, Nouveau University is a great site to check out. Do you want to pursue a degree that has something to do with Business? Nouveau University is a unique business university offering associate and bachelor programs in real estate investing, small business management, accounting, finance, and marketing. If you're not familiar with Nouveau University yet, then you can take time to read about their press release.

Well, these are the online blessings. I wonder what else can be done online.

A Drawing for Appa

Finally, our Li'l girl slept off. It took her quite sometime to sleep. She was just lying down with her eyes wide open as if thinking of something. Then, she took her notebook and pen and drew something. Then, she showed me her drawing. "This is Appa!" then teary eyed she said, " I miss Appa so much!.. I want to be with Appa!" And cried. I had to reassure her that ' soon Appa will be with us'. I didn't dare tell her that it'll be another 34 days and nights before that reunion because I'm sure she'll be overwhelmed with the number. She can only expertly count up to 20! so 34 will be so far out for her I guess. hehhehe!

Even if she seemed to be enjoying her time so much here but I guess she also can't help but miss her Appa too. It's exactly 32 days since she last saw her Appa. And I could still recall how she said good bye to my Hubby with the frosted glass separating them. That was a very touching moment.

Now, I can't help but wonder, is it too long for us to be physically separated with my Hubby? That even now, even our daughter feels the lonliness and "missing missing"?It's another 34 days to go before we see each other again and it's really my prayer that the days will just pass by so fast!

Of URban Zone and Interior Design

Last night, I stayed up late and was able to watch the show called Urban Zone in TV. It's a TV show that features different houses with great designs. Last night, they showed the Dream House of a ex famous tennis player who now works in the Bank. They really have a beautiful home and it has that modern and functional design. Everything was planned out well even to the most minute detail of the house. Personally, I like houses with modern designs. I like my house to be modern but still with that cozy feel. Anyways, it's great to see the family, who had a ' dream home' but now their dream has become a reality. I wonder how many years it took them to save up for their house.

It's really inspiring to see other people's dream come true. What about you? What's your dream house and how does it look like? You might want to check out Schumacher Homes Louisiana and who knows your 'dream house' won't just remain in your dreams but can become a reality.

Back to the show, I guess I'll have to regularly watch this show every Monday and once again, be refreshed about Interior Design and stuff, since this was what I studied back in University. Sometimes I forget that I used to have a creative side, that's why I need to be constantly be reminded and refreshed. :)

Scenic Sunday 1

This is my first entry to scenic Sunday. It has been quite sometime now since I've joined memes and I hope I could start joining again this week.

So, for my first Scenic Sunday entry, I'd like to show you the river at the back of our house. This is a part of the Cagayan De Oro River, which I heard is one of the cleanest rivers in the Philippines. I could remember the time when we were still small, that we love to bathe in this river. The water is clear and icy cold and we would be gathering the small shells. I'm thankful to God that He has given our family this beautiful place, that even if we live in the city but our place has that 'provincial' feel where we and our kids can enjoy the beauty of nature.

You might want to check out other beautiful Scenic Sunday entries.

Lyle's Third Victim

Our one year old baby is really fond of eyeglasses. That's why it's not advisable if you're wearing eyeglasses and carrying him at the same time. He will then be looking intently at 'you' ( but actually at your eyeglasses) and before you know it, "whooosshhh!!", there goes your valuable eyeglasses flying in the air!

About two weeks ago, this happened with my Mom's eyeglasses! She is actually the third victim. The 1st one is my Hubby who had to get a new pair after his rimless glasses broke, the 2nd one is our friend, Ate Litlit who had to buy a new pair too. So, when I saw my Mom's broken frame with the lens chipped off. I thought that there goes a few thousand peso damage from my boy again.

Good thing that even if the glasses looked irreparable but my Mom tried and went to her friend's optical shop at Ororama MegaCenter who had a worker who was able to repair it for only 180 pesos! Thank God that my mom doesn't have to buy a new one. If not, then maybe I'd be obliged to buy for her for Christmas. :) Eyeglasses are expensive these days but I've also heard of cheaper ones but of good quality from Zenni Optical. They've even been feature in the Chicago Tribune for their inexpensive eyeglasses starting from 8$.

A Package from Thailand

We received some gifts today.. all the way from Thailand!! My Hubby sent some gifts for all of us here : a beautiful blouse for me , a dress for Tricia, a jumpsuit for Lyle, Tea from Chiang Mai for the whole family and individual letters for me and the kids! WoW! It was so thoughtful of my loving Hubby and I'm just so blessed.

Tricia saw the letters first and she exclaimed that, " Appa gave us a card!". When I told her that Appa also wrote a special letter for her, her eyes twinkled and she was so happy! I let her read the cover of the letter by herself so she'll know that it's really for her. The more she got excited. Then I read the letter aloud to her and she was smiling all the way! So sweet Appa!

Ohhh, receiving all these stuff made me miss my Hubby more. How I wish he could just send himself for all of us to be together.. heheh! But it's okay, there's another 35 more days to go and we will all be together again! Thank you Lord for letting the days pass by fast. Thank you Lord for being with us as we're going through this months of separation. We continue to trust you as you take care of us. Amen!

What's SEO?

You might have heard about SEO so many times here in the worldwide web. But what is the real definition of SEO? According to Wikipedia,

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it "ranks," the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

So, SEO is plays a very important role in your website especially if you're selling a product or providing a service. Well, if you do have a website and want and SEO service. If you're a blogger who wants higher traffic for your blog or want to always rank first in the searches, then having and consulting an SEO profesional can be beneficial too.

The Trip to the Hairdresser

Since our daughter has already been going to school, we decided to have her hair cut short for easy "maintenance". Her hair has already become long and 'unruly', covering her eyes and face. From the morning, I already conditioned her that we will be going to the Salon for a hair cut. It'll be her first time to the Salon so, I was not so sure if she'll agree to have her hair cut by someone she doesn't know. I was the only one who cut her hair last year and I think I didn't do a very good job as it was uneven. So, off we went to Salon de France at Lim Ket Kai Center.

The lady who gave her a haircut was so gentle and friendly. They immediately became friends. Surprisingly, Tricia was excited to sit and see herself from the big mirror. I'm sure she felt like a grown up. While her hair is being cut shorter and shorter, she kept asking if her girl cousins have had hair as short as her. I was a bit worried that she would find her hair too short and end up crying. So, I assured her that all her Ate's ( big cousins) have short hair like her. Then, finally after seeing the final result, she also liked it and had a big smile on her face. The hairdresser kept telling her that she looked like Gretchen Barreto ( Indian Version), but of course our girl doesn't have any idea who Gretchen Barreto is. hehehe!

Cake Business

Sorry this is the only Photo I can show.. made by me and my Li'l girl.

Christmas is coming and my sis and I have decided to do a bit of business for the season. We will be baking some Christmas goodies and cakes! I've sold some Christmas Cakes and goodies a few years ago, when I was still single. And I remember sleeping off at Christmas Eve because I was so tired of baking layers and layers of cake! Praise God that I had a lot of cake orders at that time. I was able to save up some money to go to Thailand.

Anyways, if you want to order a layer of delicious Chocolate Moist or a box of Christmas goodies with assorted cakes, bars and cupcakes. Then, you can start making some orders now. I'll be posting photos and costs soon.

It's always good to start a business. When I was in Thailand, I signed up for eBay thinking that I could start selling some Thai stuff online. It was so easy to register but I never get to work on it as I got busy with kids. I've heard of some people who has had some great success with Ebay, selling some second hand items in their house that they rarely use. Maybe, I'll have to work on Selling on eBay again. But first, let me think of what to sell from here first.

Remembering the 1st of November

The first of November is not only significant for me and my Hubby to remember the dead but it's an important date for us as we remember- the day when we have talked and started our relationship. Yes, our love has been born on the day of the dead ( All Saints, All Souls Day). :)

This year marked the 8 years that has passed since we have talked in that small, cozy Piano Bar along Thamanonvitee Road in Thailand. My memory of that very special day still remains vivid and clear as Jesu and I seriously talked and discussed how God has been dealing with us for the past months and what He has been speaking to us in terms of relationship. We did not really talk about how we felt about each other but it was more on finding and confirming God's will for us. After the talk, only then the feelings were expressed and later on 'felt'. heheh! To understand what I'm talking about, then better read our Love Story, if you have time.

Anyways, looking back at the past 8 years makes me more thankful to God for carefully guiding us and directing us in our relationship and marriage. I'm glad that I've waited for my first and last love - my Hubby!

Leaving Our Thai House

Tonight is the last night stay of my Hubby in our rented house in Thailand. Even though he is only scheduled to leave to the Philippines in December, but we decided to let our family friends take over the house tomorrow, right after their arrival from the Philippines.

That has been our house for about 3 years and we will surely miss it as it has not only been a house for us but also a HOME. So many memories are etched in every part and corner of that nice and comfortable home. That was where Tricia grew up and where Lyle spent his first months. I thank God for giving us a very comfortable place to live for 3 years in Thailand. We hope that we can find another nice, comfortable house to live in when we go back next year. It doesn't have to be my dream home but any affordable and comfortable house for rent will do.

Speaking of dream homes, I already somehow have in mind how my dream home should look like - nothing grand but just a simple , cozy home to live in. But as for making that a reality, only God knows the time as we are still busy with more important things in life. :) I've also checked through Schumacher Homes Video and I've found some great houses that is custom made according to the client's preference. You might want to check it out too!