Reading While Walking

Have you seen anyone always so engrossed reading and even to the point of reading books while walking? Well, that's our daughter. She's so much into reading books these days that she wants to read while eating her breakfast, read before going to bed, read when she wakes up and I even saw her reading her books while walking up the stairs!? Oh, I didn't know that too much of a reader can become a hazard too. LoL!

Anyways, I'm glad that we didn't end up selling the Grolier Books we bought 2 years ago. We actually thought that because she has too many homeschool books, she won't have time to read the set of Grolier books. But we were proven wrong. I guess because the more she discovers things while reading her homeschool books, the more she wants to discover more. I just praise God for that!

Now, our mission is to let our li'l boy enjoy reading books too. He actually likes to listen to storybooks these days. But his interests are still more on playing with his robots and power rangers. Boy will be boys huh? But seriously, I'm starting to do a bit of informal homeschool with him just so he can take interest in learning. I'm even praying that we will be able to buy the P3/4 Sonlight homeschool set for him. I know Sonlight is a bit pricey especially for us but it's truly worth the investment.

Tricia reading Dr. Dolittle even at the 'shakey' train to Bangkok .

My New Domain from Domain Angel

The Domain Angel just blessed me with a new domain! I was just browsing through Pinay Mommy's forum last week when I saw that she was giving away domains to the first 5 people who wanted them. Of course, I immediately took the opportunity and gave her my desired domain name. My domain has something to do with homeschooling my kids. I can't reveal my new blog yet since there's still not much to read and see. :)

I've been planning to create this homeschool blog for a long time ( like months!) but I never gave time for it. Now that I got a domain for free, I guess this must be the best time to act on it. It will really be nice to document our homeschooling journey. I'm sure our kids will also enjoy reading it when they grow older.

Thank God for Ruby's generosity! Because of it, I'm also 'pushed' (in a good way) to work on this blog and have another blog added to my list. It's also good that I already availed of her web hosting services too. There's no need for me to search for reviews on web hosts. Though I've heard of some great sites where you can get reviews like for example a PacificHost Review . So, let me work on my new blog now. :)

The Blogger

Hubby and I were watching the news the other night. We are actually following the events of Tunisia. In that interview 3 women were interviewed all emphasizing the fact internet media and social networking like blogs, Facebook and Twitter has contributed so much in the people revolution.

One of the women interviewed has 'blogger' as her occupation. I then jokingly told my Hubby that maybe then I can make 'blogger' as my occupation instead of a 'housewife'. :) Maybe in the future, a blogger can become a legitimate occupation along with the writer, teachers or customer service jobs .

Anyways, as I look at the power of the internet I've realized that times have really changed. Thirty years ago, no one has ever thought that internet could bring such a change in the course of the lives of even ordinary people like us.

Giving Books by Reading

One of the members of a homeschool forum I'm subscribed to, recommended a free site

( www.wegivebooks.com) that lets you read books and at the same time allows you to give books.

I was intrigued by her introduction of the site so, I decided to visit the site itself. It's there I found out that every time a book is read from their digital library, a book is also given to a non-profit literacy group you choose.

So, I tried it out and asked both my kids to sit with me in front of the PC and read a book. We chose one of the books that's within the range for my li'l boy's age ( Don't Worry Bear) and my kids loved it! When I explained to them that everytime we read a story, a book is also given to a child in Haiti (we chose World Vision's Haiti Project), the more they got excited.

And since that day, they've been asking me to read for them from the computer. My li'l girl would specifically ask me, "Let's give a book!" instead of 'Let's read a book!"

I would recommend this site to all the parents out there. The books in the digital library are really good and enjoyable to all the kids. Most importantly, you will be able to help some children who have limited access to books/libraries by just reading books. It's only seldom we can come across sites as good as this.

Our New Homeschool Room

Last year, homeschool was just in our daughter's bedroom. Since homeschool is very informal, you would find us reading books on her bed or writing on her table. But we found out that with a very informal setting, she loses her concentration and not to mention the homeschool teacher easily gets sleepy too. LOL!

So, early this year Hubby cleared out the small extra room upstairs and transformed it to a homeschool room. It really looked a bit more like a classroom and mini library now. We also placed our PC and hp printers in this room since we will be using these for her homeschool too.

With our new homeschool room, both student and teacher are more focused now and accomplish a lot of things in a day. Thank God for Hubby! :)

Year End Trip and Savings

One of our aim for this year is to save some money for our trip back to the Philippines at the end of the year. I know that visit is still a long way to go, but it's good to plan ahead. If we plan early, we may be able to get air fare promos and most importantly, we can save better.

If before we only pay for airfare for 2 adults but now since our kids are over 2 years old, we have to pay them in full price. So, that's airfare multiplied by 4!

So, as a part of our plan to save .. I will have to consistently do our monthly budget and try to record all our monthly expenses like keeping all those receipts from the receipt printer. This way we will be able to check which area we are spending a lot and find out ways to cut these expenses. Oh, this sounds like a lot of work huh? I'm not so good with numbers so, I hope I can keep up with this mini accountant work. :)

Gained!

I'm so happy with my li'l girl's appetite these days. I've noticed that her appetite has really improved after taking the Cherifer Multivitamins that my Mom brought from the Philippines. If she rarely eats in between meals before, she now constantly looks for something to eat from the fridge and our dinner table.

You see our girl's weight has been stagnant at 16.5 kgs for a few years now. She has grown so much taller but she also looks thinner. We were quite worried whether she's under weight or not so we try to really 'nourish' her with food.

I guess that 'lysine' from her multivitamins has really worked wonders because she likes to eat now and she has also gained 1.5 kilos since the last time we weighed her ( a few months ago). This development also encourages me to have fruits and healthy food always at hand so our kids will stay at a healthy weight range. I also don't want her to snack on junk food and stuff because she might end up gaining unhealthy weight in the future. I don't want her to have weight problems and end up asking 'does alli work?' in her teenage years.

So, I'm glad for my li'l girl's weight gain.. now my next mission is my own weight loss.. LOL!

Keeping Stuff

If you’re like most ordinary Moms, you will surely understand how quickly things can pile up at home and why most homes run out of space in no time. Think of it this way: every Christmas, at least one member of your family gets a new sweater, a new pair of jeans, a number of shirts, or a pair of new shoes. Then a friend drops by and gives you a bag, or an umbrella, or a pair of boots. Here’s more: at the beginning of each school year, the kids buy new books and a lot of school supplies. Dad brings home tools and equipments, and many other things from his office or for his hobby. Mom buys a new stove, redecorates the kitchen, replaces the old couch, and buys a number of rugs for the bedroom.

Amidst all these, where will the old, replaced items go? How about those things you want to keep, even though you’re not using them anymore, or won’t use for quite some time? What happens if there’s simply not enough room or space at home to keep all those things you want to keep?

The answer is All State Self Storage. Allstate Self Storage offers storage facilities for personal and or business use. You can browse online to avail of this kind of service and you can also browse for Phoenix Self Storage, Tempe Self Storage and Cave Creek Self Storage to find out the best storage service that suits your need.

2010 Blessings

My friend and I were chatting the other day about our online blessings. She has come up with yearly figure of her earnings online. I was also curious on my online blessings from last year and also wanted to find out my figure. But when I checked my Paypal this afternoon, I found out that I have to manually calculate the total for the year 2010. As I'm 'mathematically challenged' , I already got lazy to calculate everything one by one. :)

But as I look back of my online 'career' for 2010, I'm just thankful that God has indeed blessed us. I never thought that I could stay at home, support my Hubby and kids and have some kind of earning online just by doing diet pill reviews or writing some articles. I'm also thankful that through these blessings, they've also been used to bless others.

I'm looking forward for what 2011 may bring. But it is my utmost prayer that I will never forget the fact that God has blessed us to be a blessing for others.

Feeling Energized

It's my second week of starting a 'healthier' lifestyle and I already feel more energized now. Though there were a few days that I missed to exercised and failed to drink my water and eat my recommended servings for fruits and vegetables, but I would always want to get up the next day and start anew.

I know that this 'path' that I choose won't be as easy as I want it to be. It would be easier for me to forget about drinking my water and not minding what I put in my mouth. But I'm not getting any younger and one of the gifts that God has given us is our health.

At first my primary motive for this 'health change' is to lose weight. I've been wanting to lose weight for many years and have even researched about certain products including hoodia side effects . But later I realized that nothing beats losing weight than the healthy way. If I seek to live a healthier lifestyle, not only I would lose my excess fats but be free from sickness and diseases.

Our Girl's Prayers

I just want to thank God for our girl. She's our little intercessor. Every night when we have our prayers, I'm blessed and sometimes amused as I listen to her praying. She's no longer contented with the 'short' blessing prayers but she now expounds on her prayers. She prays for almost everyone now including family in Malaysia and Philippines. She also prays for our neighbors, for the Center, the children in the villages, for children in the countries she knows and all over the world. She prays for her 'future' in India. She said she wants to study in India and tell the people about Jesus. And she prays for everything else ......

My heart is just overwhelmed because as I hear her pray. I know that she indeed has faith and that passion for others to know about Christ. I'm just amused sometimes because there were instances that her prayers were already too long that our boy couldn't sit and hold our hands anymore but got his milk, lay down and got himself ready to sleep.

Oh.. thank you Lord for such precious children...

Yummy Sunday - Ahh.. Pancakes!

I love pancakes! I can make pancakes on my own but I somehow miss the fluffiness of Mcdonald's pancakes. The McDonald's here in Thailand doesn't serve pancakes for breakfast so, I made it a point to eat one breakfast in McD when we went to Malaysia. Sure enough we went there. I wasn't disappointed for I really enjoyed that breakfast date with my Hubby..and my pancake..;)

A Healthy Start

It's the 9th day of the year and we are seriously working on our healthy start for a healthy year. If you've read my posts last month, you might have already known that we've been sick for several days. And as Hubby and I assessed our health for the past year, we also realized that we've been in and out of the clinic several times and spent quite much on hospital bills.

As a start, we've been consistently taking our vitamin supplements and include vegetables in our meals. I on the other hand, have been consistently reading articles on health, diet and exercise. And as I was browsing through some articles I've also found some helpful information on Accutane lawsuit. I've found out that some injuries or sicknesses are just side effects of Accutane.

Anyways, back to our health, we still have a long way to go to attain a healthy lifestyle, but we're trying to make small changes at a time.

All Things New

Yesterday, I was able to visit the newly painted Center. The new paint color is very nice. I actually like the whole look of the center. After we lost almost everything from the flood, almost everything in the Center is new now. Praise God that indeed the 'old things have passed away... and the NEW was come." :) The center has got a new computer, not refurbished computers but a brand new Samsung desktop. The couches are new, and so are the shelves, tables and chairs! It's just amazing as to how God provided all these! Now, we're praying that the operation of theCenter will run smoothly and be used as an intrument of blessing to many students.

Praying for the Children in Afghanistan

Marjan. I can't believe that she's only 5 years old and yet carrying a heavy load on her bag as she scavenges for firewood on the streets of Afghanistan to keep their family warm this winter. I saw her photo in the news. She looks cute but has that sadness in her eyes. Her baby brother has just died and didn't survive the cold.

Oh, my heart is crushed as I read the statistics that 1 out of 5 children in Afghanistan cannot live past 5. They die of malnutrition or hypothermia. Afghanistan is said to be the worst place that a child could live.

As a mom of 2 kids, I can't help but be disturbed.. I can't help but pray for the children of Afghanistan....

My Mother's Post

I was reading my mom's blog posts last night then I ended up teary-eyed. She has posted a photo of me and my late father for her Friday Flashback entry. I have already forgotten that photo. That was taken during my High School graduation ball. The days in which many were deciding whether to take information technology degree or not. The image of that photo was me and my father dancing. There was a part of that program in which students were to dance with their parents. Looking at that photo made me miss my father so much. Even though it has already been 6 years since he passed away but he's always remembered - his kind, thoughtful and loving ways. Thank God for giving us such a father and thank God for beautiful memories.

The Low-Tech Me

We were in the Appliances Section in Tesco one time when we got attracted to their big Samsung HDTV and 3D LED TVs. Samsung had this small booth where you can sit and try out their 3D glasses to watch a 3D movie on their TV. I was curious of how a 3D movie from a TV would look so, I tried the glasses on. Hubby and the kids were all startled when I loudly said , "Hala!" ( something like 'wow' in our dialect). It was like I was a small girl from the rural areas who has seen a 3D movie for the first time. LOL! But I was just so amazed as to how technology can just like transport you into a 'new world' by just wearing glasses. It seems nice to watch a 3D movie right at the comfort of your own home without going to the cinema. But guess how much a 32" LED 3D TV costs? A staggering 80,000 Baht! (*faint).

At the Beach on the 2nd January

Last Sunday afternoon, we brought the kids to the beach. It has really been quite awhile since our visit to the beach. It has been the rainy season for the past months and so it was not a very good time to go.

But last Sunday, the sun was out in the morning, though it was a bit cloudy in the afternoon. When we arrive in Songkhla, we saw that the waves were quite high and it was very windy. We decided not to let the kids swim in the beach, though we gave them a lot of time to play in the sand.

Here are some of the photos we took.

Lyle's enjoying the sand

Digging..digging.. are they looking for gold? I heard that a lot of people nowadays buy gold bullion. They said it would make great investment.

Now, it's Lyle's turn to be buried and I think he's enjoying it.

Tulip Festival

There's a Tulip Festival at the Hat Yai municipal park until the 10th of this month. I wanted so much to go there and see real tulips but it's a long weekend and we're sure that the place is just crowded with people. I wonder if they sell these tulips and for how much. I'm not very fond of flowers but I know many people would love receiving or sending daisies or other kinds of flowers as gifts.

If we ever get to go to see the Tulip Festival, I will surely take a lot of photos with them. :)

Looking Back and Pressing Forward

The year 2010 has indeed passed by so fast. As for our family, it was a year of transition ( from our Sabbatical leave), a year of victory and of challenges as well. As we looked back the year 2o10, Hubby and I are grateful to God for all our experiences, His blessings, His strentgh and grace. At the same time we're thankful because we've also learned many lessons along the way.

Now, we are looking forward for 2011 with that assurance that the same God who has led us in victoriously 2010, will continue to guide us through.

A Blessed New year to ALL!!