Christmas in Thailand

After a long time, we're now spending Christmas in Thailand. We usually go back to the Philippines or Malaysia to spend the holidays with family, but this year we decided to stay. Even if a part of me still longs to be in the Philippines with my mom and siblings this season, but I don't regret staying back to celebrate here. It's actually an opportunity for us to be a blessing to the people around us and to share to them the real meaning for Christmas. I've truly been blessed with our experience here this Christmas and I know it's not only this season when we can be a blessing for others but everyday in our lives as well. 

Caroling

On Christmas eve, we went around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols and giving them goodies as Christmas gifts. It was a beautiful experience as we have the opportunity to share about Christmas with our friends and neighbors. They too got so excited and even took photos with us. We didn't use microphones though but sang with the guitar as an accompaniment. Then, some of our neighbors even celebrated the christmas eve with us. :) 

Showing in a While, The Nativity Story

The Nativity Story from spioc on GodTube.

 With Christmas fast approaching, we are all in the Christmas mood. When I was a child, Christmas has always been exciting because of presents, my gifts from "Santa" and the countless of parties that we're attending. But as we've already known the real essence of Christmas, I want my children to understand this too. So, everyday as we make our countdown for the big day, we also read and talk about the birth of Jesus and the reason he came. And today, I'm going to let them watch this Nativity Story. I haven't watched this yet and I'm also looking forward for our movie time this evening.

The Huffington Post About Boring Men

I'm sure many of you have already read about the article by Ann Voskamp,The Real Truth about ‘Boring’ Men — and the Women who Live with Them: Redefining Boring. I sent that article to my Hubby's email and before he read the email, he had this look of disappointment on his face and asked, "Am I boring?".. LOL! I had to tell him to read the whole article first and then he won't be disappointed. I have a lot of favorite portions in the article which was actually well written. She started with the her advise to her sons that romance isn't measured by how viral your proposal goes but 'goal is to make your Christ-focus contagious'. I truly agree with the entire article since love is more than an emotion and the goal of every relationship is not ourselves but Christ. One might not be able to give out the most lavish gifts or Engagement Rings Salt Lake City , but if ones love is unconditional, selfless and sacrificial just as how Christ loves the church then that is worth more than the world! Anyways, if you're curious about the artcle from Ann Voskamp, I suggest you search it up and read it. It's a beautiful piece of article.

The Night Before Christmas

The song Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath is by far  my most favorite Christmas song. This song is just so heartfelt and meaningful. It takes us away from the hustle and bustle of  "Christmas" but brings us back to the very essence and real meaning of Christmas.. that without our Saviour being born on earth, our lives will still be in darkness, chaos, without hope, without grace.. just like the night before Christmas. My favorite part of the song is this:

And the world didnt know mercy was meek and so mild.

And the world didnt know that truth was as pure as a child.

The night before Christmas.

And the world didnt know, redemption was sweet and so strong. 

And the world didnt know salvation was writing a song. 

The night before christmas.

 Watch and listen to the song...

Karaoke Boy

 

We went for a camp at Songkhla about two weeks ago. The venue for the camp was superb, the house (they call it 'long stay' house) was situated near the lake and the space for activities was very big. One of the facilities that they have was a 'karaoke'. They didn't have k m flute stand but seeing the Karaoke actually transported me back to the Philippines since I know Filipinos love Karake and we love to sing. I didn't use the karaoke since aside from being shy to sing with everyone's presence, I'm no longer updated with all the songs anymore. But what amused us was our little boy, he sang all his heart out according to the tune of the song..but with only with  the lyrics , "God is good, all the time.. all the time , he is good'. It's funny actually how he try hard to keep his song in tune to the music .. from Justin Beibers music to some love song..  :)

Her Love

It was one of those not-so-good homeschool days. I assigned my daughter to so some pages of her Math textbook and workbook. At first I found out she didn't do it but instead did other things that hasn't been assigned to her. And then after reprimanding her, she did it half heartedly and ended up with most of the exercises to be wrong. I know that Math is not my daughter's favorite subject, but actually she's good with it ( better than I am). But because it has already been ingrained in her mind that she doesn't like Math, then that's when the problem starts.

Anyways, I had to firmly reprimand her again and at the end got mad with her attitude towards the subject. And because she hasn't been doing her best, I took out some of her privileges for the weekend. After my long 'sermon', I went upstairs for my 'time out'.. and when I came down, I saw this note which says,

I did this because I love you . ( She did her maths back and this time, she did her best)

I hate to see you mad,

When you do I get really sad.

I did this because I love you.

It's okay if you don't give our privileges back

Because either way my love for you fills a million sads. 

After reading the note, she hugged me and told me she's sorry. I was also touched by her gesture that even if I got mad and scolded her she still secure that I love her and she loves me back. I just thank God for this relationship wth my daughter and really pray that we will continue to grow in this relationship even as she becomes older. 

23 Days Before Christmas

Yes, I'm on a Christmas countdown. Christmas is actually my favorite holidays. I love everything about Christmas, first and foremost the celebration of our remembrance of the birth of our Lord Jesus, then I love how festive everything is and everyone is generously giving gifts to each other. 

Speaking of gifts, I've decided to give handmade and personalized gifts this year. I know it entails more time and effort to do this, but I actually enjoy doing handmade stuff. I'm also excited that with our new printer, I can print out and create a lot of things instead of sending my stuff for online wholesale printing. I just hope our receipients would love and appreciate the gifts that we're going to give. 

Post Birthday Celebration

A few weeks ago, we had a Batman themed birthday party for my li'l boy. Thanks to my mom and sis who brought all the party goodies and Batman stuff all the way from the Philippines. I actually love holding birthday parties for my kids, it's an opportunity for them to celebrate with their friends and for us to continue in  building strengthen relationships with our friends and neighbors. I know there's a lot of work and effort involved in holding parties from cooking to getting liquid repellent tableclothes but it's always worth it. It's not just our kids who are having fun but the the other kids and their parents as well!

Church Camp

We just arrived from our church camp. It's actually our first time to attend a church camp after so long. It's like everytime we had a church camp for the past years, we're either out of town or someone's sick in the family. 

It has  truly been blessing to attend the camp this year. It has encouraged us and inspired us as a family. At this point in time, we need the fellowship with our '2nd family' especially being far away from home. After being refreshed for the past 2 days, we are now recharged and by God's grace, ready to go on and do the task that has been entrusted to us. :)

Traditional Methods vs. Appliances: What goes on in your Kitchen?

In a culture so enamored with gadgets, it’s easy to just assume doing things the old fashioned way is a waste of time. But speed and ease don’t always equal better—especially when it comes to baking and cooking. It’s amazing how often recipes mention using food processors as if owning one is a given. Perhaps some of us still believe in the power of a good, sharp knife and a nicely worn-in chopping board? Could it be that the marginally slower act of chopping manually actually encourages an overall savoring of the experience?

  

When it comes to kitchen appliances, people can get pretty particular because food and family meals often represent the emotional center of a home and household gadgets are a part of that. Having a clean, efficient and cozy space should be a priority, but how one achieves that is very personal. Okay, so some things are “necessities” like toasters, microwaves, kettles and coffee makers, but the list for what is “necessary” can be long for certain wannabe chefs or haggard parent-types who want the kitchen experience to be as fast and easy as 1-2-3.

Will the recently purchased, fancy food mixer eventually be shoved to the back of the cupboard and replaced by the simple, classic whisk? How many shopping trips where the necessary espresso pods were—yet again—forgotten before the French Press is dusted off and filled with freshly ground beans?

Truthfully, all these actions still rely on some sort of kitchen appliance, after all, we’re not in the Stone Age! And the allure of new, shiny, easy-to-use kitchen appliances is one we all understand. But before making that purchase, stop and think “do I really need this?” Consider favorite recipes and whether or not that new item will actually improve the cooking experience. Maybe the answer will be ‘yes’ – after all, you can’t make a smoothie without a blender. But we can all enjoy a little slowness and deliberation in the kitchen.

Chopping veggies by hand, whipping egg whites with a whisk, making bread in the oven and carving meat without the assistance of an electric knife--these are the ways in which slowing down and enjoying the pleasures of a kitchen happen. Isn’t the pace of life already fast enough?

I Can Smile at a Storm

I saw this photo from Operation Blessing's Facebook page. After several days in prayer and mourning for the thousands of Filipinos affected by Haiyan, seeing this photo gave me comfort. That indeed, God is working through the lives of our fellow Filipinos and giving them hope and peace that is evident from their smiles. Yes, they've experienced tragedy that's more than we can imagine, but indeed nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

Instagram vs Twitter - The Fight of the Giants for your Business

Ok, let’s now consider something. Social media has an absolute importance. It does not matter whether or not you think teenagers improperly use it and are simply not utilizing any kind of comprehensible dialect on them. In this day and age, only Google is known as bigger thanany social networking websites. They've become where we get our news, keep in touch with friends and gather a lot of the advice we need in order to buy products online. In fact, a lot of social networks have flown the net, so you might get confused which one to pick. Facebook is still the King, although there is a huge competition between them and Twitter. After that Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube appeared new to the world but still can achieve the glory of Facebook and Twitter.

Each platform has its own immense qualities and the time people spend on them completely worth it. But when it comes down to business, some are better than others in achieving a financially viable fan base that will help with your goals. Most significant questions in front of the marketers is which one to choose - Instagram or Twitter although both of these platform are totally different from each other. You can also check out Followersboosts.com to get more information on how to increase online presence.

The two of these social website platforms are internet giants in their own rights. But sooner or later, one has to be better than the other, even if it's just in some aspects. We’ve chose to help you choose which one is better thanks to some statistics. This is the fastest way which will show you which one is better. Obviously, what we can do is just give you an advice, the overall decision is in your hands.

Instagram Information

What was when just a simple iOS app, has now evolved into a juggernaut with both web and Android presence. Instagram is on full steam ahead and is not showing any signs of slowing down. With the infusion of Facebook's pocketbook, Instagram is definitely set to only get bigger. Much like YouTube where videos are shared every day, Instagram lets you share both pictures and videos along with the rest of the world.Below you’ll find some data that may give you a vision on how big Instagram is for now.

·         Instagram was founded in October 2010 and till now it’s gaining between 100-150 million active visitors per month.

·         The quantity of traffic which goes through Instagram every day is roughly, 7.3 million people.

·         So far, the amount of images that have been shared on Instagram is a staggering 16 Billion and it gets 40 million photos posted daily by users.

Now, to offer you a concept of just how much activity the site gets:

·         Amount of likes every second - 8500

·         Additionally, each second the users of Instagram make One thousand comments

·         Monthly, the normal period of time every user spends on Instagram - 257 min's.

·         Another interesting statement is that the biggest Instagram user is between 18-29 year olds

·         The information show that women use Instagram more often than men, also

There may be a slight variation in these numbers as they’re all gathered not just from company reports but from other sources, too. Though these data describes how large Instagram has become for a truly short time. And the best thing for Instagram is that it couldn’t be destroyed by the giant of Facebook as its goal is to move forward and become larger and better.

Information of Twitter

We are all aware of Twitter. We understand for a fact it's not a platform to take lightly. Founded Several years ago, Twitter has transformed itself into an unstoppable force of connectivity. Many companies, Governments offices, high profile people and common folks use Twitter every day to dispense the on-goings in the local community. Well, Twitter isn't a source for lots of information today but it’s the best place where you can share your ideas, opinions, product feedbacks, pictures or anything else. Here are some statistics which help you compare Twitter to Instagram, which will make you realize how big the first platform is yet.

·         The total amount of registered visitors in Twitter is 554,750,000

·         Amount of people registering every day - 135,000

·         The standard quantity of tweets daily - Fifty eight million

·         Amount of doubts about Twitter on various search engines daily - 2.1 billion

·         The number of unique visitors on Twitter each month - 190 million

·         Number of effective users every single month - 115 million

·         About 40% of the people simply watch others tweets

·         The incredible fact is that the amount of tweets per second is 9,100

There, those are the numbers as far as the two platforms are involved. Mathematicians insist that numbers don't lie. Based on this statistics, Twitter stays on the top of the chart. But the issues are changing very fast and this is only for the moment. In fact, Instagram is definitely a young platform and doesn’t have the experience of Twitter. And besides, having been acquired by Facebook, you can only expect bigger and better things from this platform as Facebook's performance is something to go by. So the big question remains, Instagramvs Twitter - where when you invest your time in building a fan base?

The Verdict

Believe or not, the right answer is… Choose the both!You can't afford to NOT have a presence in either one. They both have unique value and qualities that they bring to the table. Where Instagram is a purely visually driven site, Twitter involves smart wordplay. With Instagram, you can post images and videos related to your business and we all know that people love videos and photos as a message medium. It has something to do with the ever fleeting attention span.

But what you need to bear in mind is this, Twitter now has bigger numbers and the possibilities that someone is going to tweet about whatever photo or video you just put up on Instagram, like your company is very high. You need to be capable of knowing what people are saying about you on a platform that gets 2.1 billion searches everyday on Google and 58 million tweets daily. With 190 million unique visitors every month and a little more than half a billion registered users, you should take what is being said about you on Twitter seriously. With that, it presents a huge opportunity for greater market reach. So, the verdict that you need both platforms for the marketing campaigns remains. The usage of these two social media sites in a combination is the perfect solution for you. In case you have any information or just need some additional advices, feel free to contact us and learn how you can Buy Extra Followers on Twitter to enhance your online visibility.

He's 6!

Our li'l boy  is not so little anymore. He has just turned 6 years old 2 weeks ago! We didn't have his birthday party on his real birthday since we waited for the arrival of our family from the Philippines so we could celebrate it together with them. So, we invited a few of his classmates from the English workshop and has set his birthday party this Saturday. But with all the excitement of family's arrival, visiting tourist spots and etc. I'm not that prepared for the birthday event.

Taking A Break

We will be traveling to Malaysia soon for a break. It's not really a break a.k.a 'vacation' but it's still a 'break' for me after being coop up in the house for homeschooling my kids. I think I really need this  change from our usual routine and setting. My kids need this too so, as to meet our old friends in Malaysia and meet new ones. Oh, they just love to travel.. since it also means , 'no homeschool' for them. Anyways, even though I know that we will be a bit busy during this 'break' but I pray that it will be a blessed one! Praying too that we will be refreshed and ready to start our homeschool for 2013!!

The Rainy Season is Back

Oh, it's already the rainy season. It just rained heavily the whole day and I couldn't help but think of the rainy days ahead. I used to love the rain.. I love it because it's cold and makes me just want to drink coffee, curl up on the sofa with a good book. But with heavy rains here in our place, I just don't worry about cushions on the patio getting wet, but also of our outside draining to become full and overflow. But it's a good thing that our kitchen drain has been repaired by our house owner, because now it doesn't overflow fast as it used to. 

Kids' Video to Zane

I'm amused as to how my kids and their cousins are sending videos to each other. My niece, Zane has actually started this by telling my kids what she's eating or what she's doing in her videos. So, we sent her a response ( video) from the video she made. 

I plan to create more videos for my kids' cousins because it's also a great way for them to keep in touch with each other. Maybe next time we can also record them singing songs from recorders like the new sony pcm-m10 white at musician's friend. But as of now, my daughter is excited to create a tutorial video for her cousins to see.

A Beautiful Day Indeed!

I thank God for His love, His grace, protection and guidance for the past 30 something years in my life! I thank God for family and friends who truly love me and take care of me. Indeed, I can't be thankful enough for EVERYTHING that God has given me.. He has blessed me in every way and in every good thing.

I especially thank God for my birthday has been like celebrated for 3 days! I've got blown and cut 3 different cakes at 3 different occasions and been with people who are truly dear to me. Oh, God's blessings and love overwhelms me! Thank You Lord!! and indeed I had a beautiful and happy birthday!! :))

*pictures to follow soon..:)

Music at the Start of the Day

One of the first things that I do in the morning is to tune in to KLove.com. I just love to listen to Christian music and whenever there's no music that's playing, the house just seems too quiet. Listening to this kind of music has also rubbed on to my kids as I can hear them singing the songs they hear. They just need a live band with fender telecaster deluxe at musicians friend to accompany them. :) Sometimes, I can't help but be amazed that they can memorize the song lyrics better than me. Or maybe I'm just  bad with remembering  lyrics.

Anyways, if you haven't tried it yet. Try starting your day with inspiring music, and you can see that indeed you're spirits can be lifted up very early in the morning. :)

Got the Love Dare Book for Free

About two weeks ago, I  saw a post from one of the bloggers that the Love Dare book was free on Kindle. I didn't let the opportunity passed so I immediately downloaded the book on my Kindle. And I'm so glad that I did, because Hubby and I are both doing the Love Dare now. Oh, it's so fun and even if we've already been married for almost 11 years, I realized that indeed there's still so much to learn and expressing your love to someone is a continuous conscious 'effort'. 

Printable Activities

I'm always on the lookout for free printable activities and worksheets in Pinterest. My kids actually love these printables and I enjoy them too. So, from time to time my kids ask me to print something for them from coloring pages to math worksheets. But sadly, our printer's broken and I think it's already beyond repair. Hoping we could get it replaced and we could start back again with our printing frenzy like printing books and we can print brochures too.

Robotics 101 for Children

(photo from Groupon)

This Groupon offer for children, got me interested. It's actually an 84% off coupon for a Robotics class for children from 3-16 years old where they can design, create and test their own robots using all the blocks, four-arm control hand wheels, wheels and etc.I'm sure my son will be so interested with this he loves to build and create things, but sadly it's only offered in Bangkok. Oh well, maybe next time. 

ABC Scripture Cards

We just printed out the ABC Scripture cards and used it for  my kids. It's a very useful and effective tool for the kids to easily memorize verses alphabetically with pictures. My kids memorize one verse a day and go through the whole verses from A until the letter were we are in, so as not to forget the other verses as we go along. My kids love it and during dinner, they recite their memory verses for their 'Appa' to hear.  We're currently in letter G and so far no one is complaining as the recitation time is getting longer as we go along..:) I highly recommend printing these cards for the kids to use. I got the free downloadable sheets and it's for free. Here's the link .

The Shy Singer

My daughter loves to sing and she has a sweet voice when she sings but she's quite shy to sing in front of many people. Once a relative asked her to sing for his wedding but she refused because she said she only sings in front of us and not with many people. I think she just have to shyness and this fear of performing in the public. I'm sure if she gets used to sing and play instruments with excellent lace pickups she will overcome her fear of performing in front of many people. 

The Good Boots

My son loves these boots, that's why he asked me to take a photo of it. These boots were actually given to him by his cousin from the Philippines. It was intended for his older cousin but since it doesn't fit him, Lyle got to have it. He was so happy and it has now become his favorite shoes aside from the sole sandals . I also love these shoes since it seems very sturdy and it will save us from always buying new shoes that ends up getting broken after a few uses. But just don't let him step on your toes with these shoes because you'll really cry out of pain. :)

Father's Day is Coming

Just a few days ago, Hubby and I have been talking about my late father.I was telling him more of how my Tatay ( father in our language) was like when we were still small. Hubby never really got a chance to spend a lot of  time with my Tatay since we were out of the country after we got married and only got to visit a few times before he passed away. Whenever I talk about my Tatay, I can't help but miss him terribly. It's on the month of June that he passed away, and it's also the month for Father's Day.  

I'm just thankful to God for letting us have a wonderful earthly father though his time here on earth was just short, but indeed it's very meaningful and such a great blessing to many people.  

Clay Art Lessons

We found a Clay Art School here in the city last week. Our kids got excited and told  us that they want to learn how to do clay art. But as we inquired of the classes, we found out that an hour session would cost 300 Baht per child and it's a continuous course that they have to learn for several months. We think that  it 's too expensive and explained to our kids that it's not practical for them to take the course due to the costs. They got disappointed for awhile but got excited again that instead we will buy them new sets of clay and learn from Youtube. 

True enough I found a lot of tutorials from Youtube and we will be starting our lesson this coming Monday. It's amazing how an expensive class can turn out to be FREE because of the internet. :) Who know they with their interest with clay, they might become future industrial designers and work for LSPceramics.com for industrial ceramics. ;) 

Pork Pie Drums

Pork Pie Drums. What are they? Though they may sound delicious and my son would be interested to eat them, but unfortunately they're not food but a famous brand for musical instruments. They have products ranging from acoustic drums to drum accessories. Even if they're not something to eat, I'm sure my son would still like to have some since he likes drums and is even wanting to learn to play the drums. :) 

Questions from the Kids

I'm always amazed as to how kids think and ask questions these days. When I was kid, I never asked a lot of questions. I was the kind of child who accepts almost everything that is being fed by the grown ups without exploring the ideas much since I was more concentrated  in  retaining the facts in my head. Remember the difference between the 'smart child' and the 'gifted child'? They say that the smart child , answers the questions correctly but the 'gifted child' asks the right question. Well, that proves that I'm not a gifted child. lol! Anyways, back to my kids' questions, they ask me questions like this: 

 - on the serpent tempting Eve: ' I thought God made everything good ... why is the serpent bad?' question from my 5 year old.

- on Matthew 6 God taking care of the birds and the lilies .. ' God loves the people most, right? But why the birds don't have to work for their food but people have to work first to get food? ' question from my 9 year old

- on David and Goliath: ' But Goliath is sooo tall and big.. how can a stone kill him??' question from my 5 year old. 

Oh, and there's so many other questions.. it's a good thing though that I know my Bible and I feel relieved whenever I hear their 'Ahhhs...' and see their eyes sparkle after I satisfactorily answer their questions. But for their more difficult questions like science and history, that's the time I tell them..'Let's check that on Google!!".  Yes, Mr. Google is my friend.. :)

Saving for Legoland

Last year our kids prayed and saved up to go to Kidzania in Malaysia. They were so consistent with saving all the cash gifts given to them and gathering the small coins they see in the house that they met their goal in a few months time. And this year, they're desiring to go to Legoland Malaysia and started saving money too. I couldn't help but smile as my son showed me a small zip lock bag full of coins and asked me if the money inside is enough to go to Legoland. Oh, they still had a long way to go...unless they get to gather those precious coins from http://www.moderncoinwholesale.com . But even then, there's nothing to worry about since Legoland will always be there no matter how long it would take them to save up the right amount. But I know too that as they prayed and save, this will surely come to pass just as how they were able to go to Kidzania.

Baking Time!

It has been awhile since I baked a cake. I've been a bit lazy when it comes to cooking and baking lately. But since it's our assistant pastor and wife's birthday, I immediately bought the cake ingredients and made myself to work. Amazingly, I got excited when I started to bake. I already had a lot of cake designs on my mind. 

Finally, I settled with the sunflower since it's summer and the colors are more on the neutral side since it's a husband and wife's birthday. So, the photo above is the final product. Now, I'm so motivated to bake again and can't wait to bake another cake for my daughter's upcoming birthday. We're planning to have a simple birthday celebration in her Sunday school so, no need for catering or order for spandex linens. Just a kiddie party with cake, finger food, games and fun!

A Blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Today is Resurrection Sunday or what is commonly known as Easter Sunday. I know it's just a terminology, but I would rather call this day as Resurrection Sunday to truly remind us of our Lord's Resurrection. Personally for me, once Easter is mentioned, I could easily imagine cute fluffy bunnies and colorful eggs. But we know that the real essence of this day is to celebrate and declare that Jesus is alive!! He is so much alive in our hearts and in our lives! 

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday to ALL!!!!!

Intermission: Sky Garage

I saw this video awhile back. I thought that it's just one of the hi tech ideas that hasn't been implemented yet. I thought, where to find car lifts like this? But I was surprised to know that this hi tech  sky garage or I would call as a car lift really does exist in Singapore. I'm curious about it and would like to see one 'live'.

Ready for School?

We might be sending our son to a regular school as soon as we move back to Hubby's hometown. My daughter also attended the same school for a few months when we were there and she liked it. But as for my son, whenever we talk about him going to school, he doesn't like the idea. Maybe it's because he still can't imagine how school is going to be since he hasn't been in one. So, we try to motivate him by telling him about the playground, school lockers, play time, classmates and etc. but he still seem unconvinced. Anyways, we will surely make a short visit to the kindergarten so he can see for himself and we can decide from there. 

Fun Week for the Kids

Last week was indeed a fun and enjoyable week for our kids. They attended a 4 day children's program, met their old friends and met knew ones. They also had bible stories, learned about different countries, sang songs, played games, did crafts and other activities. I think one of their favorite activities was face painting. They were so excited to have their face painted and even refused to wash them off! My son was painted as a native from Papua New Guinea while my daughter had more of a stylish painting. 

Favorite Song Part 1

I would like to share with you my son's favorite song. Whenever we are in the car, he always request to play his favorite song countless of times. I'm quite amused listening to his garbled lyrics but after hearing the song for the nth time in the car, it's always a good idea to change the song.

Here is Lyle's favorite song and it's called Born Again from the Newsboys. I don't know why he likes this song when it's a bit on the 'noisy' side with drums, electric guitars and the best electric piano . Listen and judge for yourself whether it's a good song or not . :)

Don Lyle

My son likes to be like a 'grown up' these days. If you see him now, he's with a wrist band and a ring. And sometimes he likes to use his father's sunglasses. Well, he does look like a grown up and I could just imagine how he looks like at 18 and with ray ban cockpit. Oh, I think he become a handsome man. (lol! of course I'll say that because I'm the mom)

Anyways, with his get up yesterday, he looked like a 'Don' and we started calling him Don Lyle, for fun.He actually liked it and the more he acted like one. ;)

A "Small One's' Testimony

Our son is a Lego fan. He has always been telling me of his friend's Lego toy and he wants to play the game online. But last Sunday, he got the biggest surprise when our friend gave him the same Lego toy that he liked. Oh, he was ecstatic and I couldn't count how many times he hugged our friend and thank him for the gift.

Then afternoon came and still with his Lego toy at hand, he was running around the church grounds. Until, he came to a realization that many parts of his toy were missing. He cried as he told me that his Lego parts were  nowhere to be found in the big church ground. So, his sister and I  went out and helped him look for the tiny Lego pieces. When we were looking through the grasses and plants, I could hear him praying out loud that he could find the parts. Then, one by one we found the parts and he  just shriek out of pure joy whenever we find a piece. 

Then we went inside for the Sunday service and during the testimony time, I simply asked Lyle if he wants to share any testimony. He immediately went in front, smiled at the Emcee and slowly took the microphone and said, " I thank God that I found my Lego toys!"... then paused as if to say something ..and then said, 'That's all!" lol! Oh, that was the cutest and most precious thing I've seen! Glory to God!

Movie Nights

With a 'no TV' rule in the house, Friday movie nights  in the house are much awaited by the kids. By the middle of the week, they already have their plan laid out for Friday, like what movie they want to watch. Sometimes, with a borrowed LCD projector, they get more excited and have a more wonderful viewing experience. Maybe if we have all the good sound system and  mpc renaissance , then it's already a  'theater-like ' experience for  them. 

Anyways, this Friday's movie in the house is Spy Kids. Anyone wants to join us? Just make sure to bring popcorn!

Arts and Craft

We have been so trying to keep up the pace of our homeschool schedule after a long break from our Philippines trip that I've totally forgotten about music and arts and craft for the kids. Even though my kids have their own 'unsupervised' arts and craft session during the free time, but it's different when we do something  planned and 'purposeful'. Anyways, I just found a project that can interest my kids and it's called decoupage.  I actually found a decoupage store in the city in which they had everything decoupaged from cigar boxes to straw hats. I thought I could check it out online first before buying their stuff and to my surprise, we can truly make our own decoupage without buying a single item from their store. So, now I'm geared up for arts and crafts and I hope my kids will be as excited as I am with this project.

Thankful!

As I remember the times we had back home in the Philippines, I can't just help but be thankful to God for all the wonderful times we spent with family and friends. I'm especially happy for my little ones who truly enjoyed their time with their cousins too. They've learned a lot more about being a 'Bisaya' or "Pinoy" this time, from using their slippers inside the house to saying 'Ayooo!!...lock man! ' ( Lyle said that) outside a locked gate. There were petty fights and 'sumbong sumbong' among the cousins but all these were erased with the sorries, the hugs and the kisses. 

Oh, we will truly miss family back home... but it's time to move on and just pray for everyone as we remember them. 

Thank you God for the special memories.. thank you Lord that you have also protected us and provided for us during our entire stay in the Philippines. It is our prayer that as we look forward for the things that you have entrusted to us..our hearts will be filled with expectations for the things that you have in store for us. Amen

Tagalog Worship

Last Sunday, we had to opportunity to attend Sunday worship service in Manila. Being a Cagay-anon, it has been a looong time since I attended a Tagalog worship service. It was only then that I realized that how I missed all the Tagalog praise and worship songs I used to sing during my university days. I love their worship songs and I'll be searching in YouTube more Tagalog songs. Later, I might be singing my heart out.. but without Kustom Amps at musicians friend ... lol! Oh... I think I'm just missing the Philippines now, after being there for a few weeks. 

Into Arts and Creativity

I love the arts and I want to think that I'm creative. But then, these things take time and practice to be developed. As for this year, I want to develop on this things and I know that there can be great uses for these. As for starters, I need to read more and practice my photography and maybe look for online design tool to apply these on. Just last week, I met a relative who's doing personalized mugs, tshirts and give aways, I'm really interested on how to do these things... maybe next time I could learn these too.

Regular or Decaffeinated?

Choices are great except when you are the one responsible for those changes. It can be a real hassle to plan and make both regular and decaffeinated coffee and get it all right without a lot of waste. With an on demand coffee maker you can have it all – enjoy a decaf or regular K-Cup coffee any time you’d like and provide guests with their beverage of choice any time.. There are hundreds of K-Cup® flavors in both regular and decaffeinated, along with all sorts of interesting roasts and blends; it’s easy to try new flavors and experience a broader range of hot beverage options with a single serve coffee maker.

Perhaps you’ve seen them at the car dealership or in a small office – the typical on demand coffee maker takes coffee pods or inserts – pop one in, put your cup in position and press a button – in under a minute you have a piping hot cup of fresh and flavorful coffee. Not only does it taste great, it’s hassle-free because there is not coffee pot or carafe to clean, no need to scoop and measure coffee and no warmer to turn good coffee into a scorched and undrinkable mess.

With an on demand coffee maker waste is eliminated – you brew only what you need at the very moment you want it. Freedom of choice is guaranteed as each cup is individually brewed and custom made; one person can make a flavored coffee, another decaffeinated and a third can easily brew chai, tea or hot chocolate – it all depends on what they are in the mood for. Paper cups can be replaced with coffee cups or mugs to reduce waste.

Worth it!

I'm truly thankful to God for giving us a chance to go home this year. Even though we really didn't originally plan to come for the holidays this year and therefore we spent quite a lot on flight tickets and stuff.. but, I still say that everything is worth it. There's no price attached on the time spent with family, nor the joy of seeing my kids so happy to be with family on this side of the planet, letting them know of their roots and experience half of their culture...

And since our time here in the Philippines is slowly ticking to an end, I have mixed emotions since I'm sad to leave this place yet I'm excited to be 'home' and  reunited with Hubby again.

Dream Come True

Kids' dreams are usually so simple yet fulfilling these wishes or dreams gives them great joy! One of my son's 'dream' was to ride a horse. A few times we've attempted to let this dream of his come true but failed.. like we went to a few places in Malaysia where they have horseback riding , only to find out that they closed their facility. But last week, my son's dream finally came true as we went to Dahilayan where the kids can go horseback riding. Oh, my son was so happy and ever so thankful to God for the opportunity to have his 'wish' granted. 

Here he is.. look at the face! He looks so excited and happy! We could have brought a cowboy hat to complete the look but  we didn't have any.

Power Outage

There was power outage in the whole city last night . I'm  not sure what caused the power failure but it seemed quite bad since it came without any warning and I  think the entire city was affected. The power outage lasted for several hours. It's a good thing though that the weather was a bit cold so, it's quite ok for the kids to sleep without fan or a/c. It wasn't really too cold to the point of calling hvac calgary for furnace installations calgary. But the weather was cold enough without having us to use a fan. Our only 'enemies' were the mosquitoes that were able to go inside the house and feasted on us. ;) My daughter only cried a bit after being disturbed from her sleep from thet mosquito bites. As for me, I was just waiting for the electricity to bet back. Oh, it was such a relief after the electricity returned after a few hours.

Electricity and water. The  things we easily take for granted but quite a bit difficult to live without during these times. Some people would prefer not having electricity as long as there is water. But I would rather have both. :)

A Blessed New Year to All!

Everyone is excited for the new year. Every new year is like new beginnings for each one of us, each one expecting new experiences and greater things. It is our prayer that God will indeed bring to fulfillment all the promises that He has in store for each of us.

God bless you all and once again, a blessed and fruitful New Year to you!!