So, I haven’t posted anything for a while. I just realized it’s almost a month since my last post. Life has been so busy in my part of the woods. Aside from that, I am still coping up with health issues with my family and the passing of my Grandma.. But life must go on..Anyhow, my brother was so happy to have his new toy! A playstation 3! And no, he’s not a lil boy anymore! 21already

I was looking around and noticed this Newark job search online! It’s a perfect timing hence a friend of mine has been in the look out for new job abroad! With the current state of being jobless here, it’s the time to find something beneficial for her family. Everything here is getting pricey and I have been telling her that she should just find a new job that would give her kids a better future! I’ll let her know about this.

I haven’t been taking a lot of photos this year compared to the last year! But I do snap pics every time the little boys and me visit to some beautiful spots around the area. And of course my toddlers milestone! He’s growing up and can throw in a few funny words of his own! I will post photos when there’s a chance. Anyhow, I missed my DSLR so badly these days but due to some changes and work altogether. I have to prioritize my real stuff compared to my online work as well. I will try to swing by once in a while like what I’m doing right now.  Since Christmas will be in a few weeks, I thought a wonderful gift for my in-laws would be photos of my little boys! And photo scanning for the old and recent shots would be perfect! I wanted to scrap them but there’s just so little time for me now. Good thing there’s this photo scanning service that I came across earlier with great deals and super affordable prices. I like it already because you can get to store your photos and you can do video transfer as well. I have a few video records of my youngest playing with his new puppy! I wanted to do the editing myself but that would be time consuming. So with the help of this services online, it will give me ample time to check all the photos I want to scan and give to my in-laws with the new prints!You can send negatives from old shots, albums, home movies and anything you want to digitize that way you can preserve them forever! You might want to check it out and start saving your old prints! Now, I’m off to do my own stuff!

I was happy when my bro next to me told me that maybe in a few years he will tie the knot with his gf now! That’s good news,right? I’m still the only one who’s married and in a family with a brod of 6, I am excited to have nieces or nephews! I also want to experience that soon! hehe So, when he told me that he’s tying the knot in a few years, I can’t want to help him plan and check out this wedding invitations that I saw online! Oh yes, I want to be an Auntie too:)

Aside from the rugs that I have been eying online, I’m also looking for some candle sconces that I can use during the dinner party. I’m still not sure if we are throwing a party. Probably a small dinner because of my bro’s birthday celebration.A few friends and then relatives are coming over so, prolly a dinner will be just fine. Then if my bro would like to have some fun they can surely do it outside. I was thinking of renting a band that we can set up in the front yard. But it wouldn’t be nice because of the current situation with my in-laws. Although, my house is a bit far from where they live. We’ll see how all this plans goes..Check out this simple table set-up..nice and clean!

Have a great weekend everyone! I’m off here!

Photo from Apartmenttherapy!

Most young children delight in being physically active, which makes childhood an ideal time to talk with them about the benefits of lifelong fitness and good nutrition. Helping children develop positive attitudes toward healthy lifestyles at an early age makes it more likely they will carry healthy-living habits with them into adulthood. Here are a few ways to help your family with healthy living.

1. Identify the types of physical activities your family enjoys. According to the new document 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, children and adults should engage in physical activities for 60 minutes each day. This is especially important for young children and adolescents, to ensure they continue to build strong bones and muscles. Daily activities can include light-intensity (or “baseline”) activities such as standing and lifting light-weight objects, and high-intensity (or “health-enhancing”) activities such as jumping rope and dancing. The goal of each activity should be to improve bone health, flexibility, body composition (the percentage of fat, bone, and muscle), and cardiovascular and muscular fitness. Work as a family to create a list of physical activities your family already enjoys doing together, such as hiking or gardening. Then brainstorm a list of new activities to try, such as bicycling or kicking a soccer ball in the park. As your family thinks of new activities, keep adding them to the list.

2. Decide when your family will participate in physical activities together. After you have identified the activities your family enjoys, choose one or two activities to participate in each day. One simple activity families can do together, for example, is to take a walk after dinner. Walking is an excellent way to help digest a meal and strengthen muscles, and it provides an opportunity to share about each other’s day. List the activities on your family calendar and mark off each day’s activities together so everyone can look forward to the next day’s activities.

3. Determine your family’s fitness goals and keep track of them. Consider setting fitness goals for your family. As with any type of exercise you begin, it is important to first consider the ages and current fitness levels of all participants. Then you can work toward increasing the intensity and duration of different activities. For example, during the first week, your family might take 30-minute walks each night after dinner, followed by dancing to your child’s favorite CD in the living room. The next week, increase the time spent walking and pick up the dancing pace a bit.

One way to track your family’s fitness goals is to write them down and put them on the refrigerator or in some other highly visible location. Review your goals periodically. After a goal has been met, set a new goal to work toward. Remember: The most important goal is for all family members to participate in physical activities regularly, so it’s important that any goals you set are attainable and that everyone is motivated to work toward them.

4. Talk about the importance of good nutrition and healthy eating habits. Children need adults to teach them about foods that are healthy for their bodies as well as to model eating healthy foods. Talking about good nutrition with children can be as simple as explaining the need to eat foods from different food groups to ensure their bodies receive the different vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy. As a family, create menus that include foods that are healthy and that everyone enjoys. Then, involve your child in the food-shopping process, including making a list and locating different foods in the store. For children who are reading, teach them how to read labels on foods too.

Maintaining Your Plan

1. Do get active! Remember to participate in some type of physical activity or activities for a total of at least 60 minutes each day. It’s not about exercising for long periods of time; it’s just about moving !
2. Do have fun! Family members are much more likely to participate in physical activities that are fun, so make sure everyone enjoys the time spent together.
3. Do eat healthy! Eat fewer foods that are high in fat and calories, and more foods that benefit the body, such as fruits and vegetables. Involve the entire family in selecting and preparing meals so everyone understands how to make healthy food choices.

Saw this from Litzie that she got from here as well. Read on..

There are actually 3 important aspects in making it work.

* Communication
I always think that every issue and every aspect at home should be talked about by the couple. Whether it’s about the discipline of the kids or the financial aspect of the family or even the simplest thing like what to eat for dinner. Nothing could be fixed if the couple will just keep quiet and keep there thoughts inside.

* Commitment and Common Values
Being committed to making your marriage work is one of the keys too. If you have the commitment then you will care. You would want to patch things up when something is wrong while common values let you share the same priorities with your partner. You will have to teach similar teachings to your children so there will be less arguments.

* Spirituality/Faith
I always believe that if you out God in the center of any relationship then you will be blessed. Being married means you should also be praying with him.

Have a blessed week!

Got this from,Mai.

1) listen without interrupting. (Proverbs 18)
2) speak without accusing. (James1:19)
3) give without sparing. (Proverbs 21: 26)
4) pray without ceasing. (Colossians 1:9)
5) answer without arguing. (Proverbs 17:1)
6) share without pretending. (Ephesians 4:15)
7) enjoy without complaint. (Philippi ans 2:14)
8.) trust without wavering. (Corinthians 13:7)
9) forgive without punishing. (Colossians 3:13)
10) promise without forgetting. (Proverbs 13:12)

Very well put!

So much stuff to do here and there. And yet there`s soo little time! The first week that we arrived here has been so far so good! We have been enjoying the company of my in-laws. And next couple of weeks we are going down south to visit my own parents! Plus add to that that all of my Aunts and cousins came home from U.S. and Dubai too! It will be uber fun and filled with great laughs and stories! I haven`t seen a couple of my Aunts from the U.S. for so long. And they didn`t saw my youngest boy yet! I prepared some gifts for both of them already and stuff for my cousins too! The husband was joking that I shouldn`t forget our trip later May;) He knows that my side of the family are big chatters! haha So, I should get things ready and get the term life insurance signed in and double check the whole details online. I am so glad that I saw this site a few weeks ago. I have been trying to look around information and glad I found one. At least now, I can arranged it before going to my relatives and have fun! The boys will sure;y have a blast!

I’ve been planning things to do in my trip soon.  I’d love it if I can indulge myself to a spa and things the like. But most important thing is I can also visit my siblings and my in-laws! Since the husband is the only child, I’m sure they missed their grandkids! So them seeing my youngest will make them happy. But not totally because the other 2 boys will not come with me this time. I remember that they wanted us to be home last Christmas. So, I’ve heard that my Father in-law was rushed in the hospital a few months back. He’s been sick for years now. He was lucky he can finally walked after his half of his body being paralyzed. Then a few months after that he was operated. It’s not easy being sick he said specially if you have Catheters 24/7 and in hospital for over months. I remember this 180 Medical store online that carries different kinds of medical equipments with coverage too when you’re buying from them! They’re a company who is accredited on Commission on Health for selling such this items. Anyway, I hope to see my in-laws and take photos of them with my youngest:)

I`ve been meaning to write about the milestone of my youngest boy who just turned 1 year last week. I think I promised myself to post it here last week! But for the life of me I can`t finish the draft I have started. I am really not into writing and blogging these days. But I needed to write something now because in case you might be wondering where I am. But I`m taking a break in blogging and hopefully in a week or 2, I`ll be able to swing by again. And then hopefully by that time I can finish a  few milestones task I have specially for my little peanut who turned 1 year old! I haven`t been chatty about their developments now! My eldest is doing good in school and getting bigger but sometimes you can`t deny that he wants to be in the center of attention. On the other hand my 1 yr old continues to surprise us with new things everyday. He`s been walking here in our living room. Mastering to climb the higher furnitures and such. He`s a pure joy to the family and everyday there`s new things he does for us that made us giggle!

Anyway, I`ve read something about this article called, How to cope with preschool illnesses! And I am enjoying the tips and ticks! They have other information and tips there too. I remember when my eldest went to school at the first time! It was emotional and memorable! If you have preschoolers or will be preschooler soon, you might want to read that article! Very impressive ideas..

Have a lovely weekend peeps!

I never got to share to you about my bro who’s now in Dubai! I am happy he finally took the plunge and worked there! I think I shared in my other blog that he got his working visa the past month. He’ now there along with some of y relatives! I never got to sharing it because life has been the busiest! You know, take care with kids, blogging stuff aka working online So yeah, he’s ok. Working already with his own flat sponsored by the company of course! I’m happy that at 23 he’s got his own things. He was the one who was here last year to help me. Last weekend he sent money to my Mom from his first salary and I was touched! He’s actually very thoughtful and promised to help my Mom some expenses in the house. Since he’s still single and no girlfriend again..lol He’s bound to help my little sisters some things Of course, he can do whatever he wants with his money and I just hope he will save for his future. He actually got a pretty and decent monthly salary because he’s direct hired with no agents whatsoever. I’m glad my Aunt helped him all the way! We never had any expenses spent. It’s everything coming from the company who hired him! Awesome, eh? He’s also applying for Canada. And Dubai is a nice place to start off his own!

As I always tell him, one step at a time bro! And I’m so happy for you! Now, to kick off some good ideas from Dennis C Carey books that I saw earlier. I think it’s a good one! Specially if you are considering on management and recruiting stuff! Check it out:) Because I’m off to dreamland!

I was hopping from book shops online last night and found some very interesting books already! The big brother loves reading and since he just know how to read longer sentences now, he asked me if I can get him other cool books! Yup, he said cool! He barely touch his PSP these days because of the reading. I also love it because he’s more interested with books rather than the playing! But of course, he ask me that after reading and playing school stuff. He also have to have his PSP, Wii, PS2 time! Gawd! As much as I don’t want him play those things, I also have to remember that his only 6 years old and he needs to be a little boy! You know how much this age loves to play. I also don’t want him to be boring when the time comes! :)  And the little peanut who’s 8 months loves to just look the colors of the books but he listen when it’s reading time:D

So, anyway, I love this Night Monkey, Day Monkey book! I think the little boy will like this for before bed time stories! It’s 35% sale so, it’s really a good deal! They are the ultimate UK - Books based so, they have almost everything you might be looking for! I really love what I am seeing so far! For a mom like me who loves anything book for my kids, this is where to go! I also like it because they are DVDs and CDs online resource and which means that I can order the books together with kids CD’s too! At least, I can save on the shipping! And a little birdie told me, to take note that they have on going sale right now and you don’t want to miss that! 

++++ This review has been paid by borders.co.uk +++

These are some very interesting questions!

1. Do you believe in marriage? Yup, I am in one!
2. What is marriage to you? Marriage is binding two people who are in love who promise to love for better and for worse! Through ups and downs of life.
3. If you are married, why did you do it? If you are not, why have you not married? I am married. I love the husband soo much that I’d marry him again in another lifetime! No kidding here!
4. Do you believe in divorce? Maybe or maybe not. Depends.
5. If you are divorced, why did you do it? If you have not, are there certain circumstances under which you would agree to a divorce?

Join, here.

Now, this one is interesting! hehe

1. Name one thing you like about your mother, and one thing you dislike.
~Says yes in everything we asked! One thing that I don’t like? Because she says yes always! It can be bad you know!

2. Name one thing you like about your father, and one thing you dislike.
~A good provider. Dislikes? Hmm..I sure hope he’s not reading this! LOL He trains us like we’re his soldiers! haha Dad was in a military!

3. Which of the above four felt easiest to answer?
~What I like about Mom,of course

4. Name a trait you inherited from your mother, and one you inherited from your father.
~Mom-kind and generous. Everyone says that. hehe
~Dad-moody..hehe

5. Do you get along with your parents?
~Yep;-)