Back to writing

I miss updating this blog. Well definitely I should, I was  out writing for more than half a year.. As my last posted entry in here, I was a new mother to my second child so it has been way different for me.. Busy all the time, juggling all the chores in the house aside from having a regular work at home job from a Singapore based company.

So what am I up to those time that I was not able to update this blog. Let's see..

1. Proud to be a new mommy again and exclusively breastfeeding my little emm who has turned nine months already.
2. Back to baking which was my all time passion
3. My first born boy was now a preschooler
4. Accepted an offer for home-based job
5. I can now drive and I am proud of my new skills. It has been very helpful and I feel so blessed to have this gift.

To sum it up it was all about motherhood and me waking up and ending my day with plates full of duties and responsibilities for my small family and I am enjoying every single minute of it.

The joy of being a Mother

Exactly one month ago January 30, 2012 round 2:49 am I gave birth to another addition in our small family.  Our baby girl, our princess, my daughter Emmilie. I can still remember and still fresh in my mind how this 5.49 lbs little baby welcomed the world, well it's not as easy as I was expecting and far different from my experienced with my first born my big boy Ethan but far enough I am glad that she came out to be a healthy and a very beautiful girl.

It's so true that being a mother is really something very special a woman will went through, and I am happy that for the second time I bear this baby and gave another life in this world.

To my dear little girl Happy First Month and God bless you always. Mommy, Daddy and Kuya loves you so much.

My Joy of Baking

I never really attended formal baking lesson but I knew few recipes and mastered how to do it. I've learned baking by watching my favorite weekend tv show way back when I was still single.

It's been quite sometime now since I rolled a dough, made pastries and try to bake other goodies so I never really enhances the skills since I focused more on taking care of my son and do home study with him everyday. But now I want this passion back, I am really eager to bake again and try new recipe something that I haven't done before. My motivation is my son of course. He will go to big school next year and I want to make homemade bake goodies for him for his snack to avoid unhealthy food that he can buy at school.

My son doesn't really like sweets so I'm kinda make everything less sugar, few of his favorites are muffins, cupcake, oatmeal cookie and apple cinnamon pie. I've been searching for easy recipes for this and other that can be a good snack for him. I am very happy to found resources over the web and I will sure try to make it one of this days. I'll be posting some of the recipe and finish products once I've tried it myself.

Happy baking!

He Will Shine!

The world is full of surprises
But there's always a happy tomorrow
Like the colors of the rainbow
We will shine, we will shine

KUMON.

I enrolled my son in Kumon Reading Program last April this year and in a very short period of time I see how he improved a lot in writing letters and reading. He can now read phrases and short sentences at a very young age, and I am very proud to say that at this stage in the program he is at the Bronze level already way advance for his age,  and looking forward to reaching the Gold before their recognition day early next year.

I am very happy to make this choice for my son's early learning school,  and I am planning to continue with it even if he will go to big school next year.

Very proud of you son. Keep it up.

Gift Goodies

Christmas is just around the corner and I am proud to say that I am done with my Christmas shopping and gift wrapping but I am planning to do some goodies baking just like last year with the help of my son to be given to some relatives and friends.

My husband would like me to make Foods for the Gods this time aside from the coconut macaroons I did last time. I think it's a good idea aside from the fact that it's one of my favorite too.

So here's the recipe:

 

FOODS FOR THE GODS

2 whole eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup melted butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

  

Procedure:

1.     Preheat oven 300ºF

2.     In a bowl beat egg, add sugar, butter, nuts and dates. Fold in sifted dry ingredients.

3.     Pour in 13x9 inches rectangular pan.

4.     Baked for 30-40 minutes.

Book worth reading

While waiting for my son's one hour Kumon class I always make it a point that I have something to read that will occupy my time which will make the waiting worth while, productive and  fast. I recently had this book Simplify and Create Abundance (How to be Really Wealthy Without Rubbing Your Soul) written by one of my favorite writer and spiritual blogger Bo Sanchez. 

The book was just small and handy but inspite of that it thought me big lessons and inspiring ideas to create abundance in life without sacrificing one's inspiritual life.

I've learned so much about this book about handling finances, having the right attitude in fulfilling your dreams, discplining your kids and most of all sharing the blessings.

I hope you guys can get a copy of this book. Who knows you might be the next millionaire inspired after reading it.

Blogs

As I religously reading the blog post of the blogs I am following, I realized that I haven't updated my own blog for months now..hmmmm.. I wonder why?

Well I've been busy and preoccupied the previous months but now I will have ample time to update this blog once in a while.

Reading blogs during past time has been my everyday routine. The blogs that I am following by women of modern aged has thought me a lot, inspired me and showed me the world through there experiences, pictures, tips, etc shared and showed in their post. There just in a way showing the different character and role of  every women now a days.

I myself have my own journey as a wife and a mother and I hope in a way through this blog I will inspire others the way this gals made me. So do check out the blogs im following and see what am I talking about. ;)

Happy 2011

I wasn't able to update this blog for sometime now but I will never let this day passed without saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to year 2011.

It's been an awesome year for me. I gave up my work to be with my son and it was definitely the highlight of this year and lots of good things follows. I am looking forward to a brighter, more challenging and blessed year to come with new ventures me and my hubby will be starting few days after the start of 2011. I've been looking forward into this and believed that we're prepared to fulfill one of our dreams. God has been good to us all the time and I know He is leading the way for a challenging year ahead of us.

So as the new year unfolds I wish everyone peace of mind, good health and a happy heart. God Bless us all. Happy 2011.

Remembering

Today is All Souls Day lets not forget to pray for the souls of our dearly departed family members and friends.  May they rest in peace.

Business Business

I've been out for more than a month updating this blog.. We'll I've been busy and up to having a new challenge for myself venturing into business. I've been actively participating in different bazaar together with my sisters, and it has always been a challenging and tiring experience for me but as I always said to my husband I am enjoying it, and I am one lucky wife to have a very supportive husband.
I am selling bag hangers/bag holder some I imported from Hong Kong from one of my high school classmate. Since Christmas is just around the corner I am also into gift wrapping supplies life wrappers, tags, ribbons, boxes, paper bags and other ornaments and accent for gift wrapping. I will be posting some of my items in this blog next time.  You can catch us on our regular bazaar at Venice Piazza McKinley Hills Fort Bonifacio Taguig City on November 12-14 event and at Valle Verde 5 Holiday Bazaar on November 27 and 28. See you there!

MTB Pro

My husband is into mountain biking and I know how much he loves the sport. So when he asked me to buy him this book I search it immediately at Amazon.com and glad to find a good deal for it.

The book is basically about how you can improve your moves on track. We'll, if I will be given a chance I might give myself a time to read it so I will know what is the hubby talking about when he made stories about his day on the track. 

I know he will learn a lot from this book with new technique, styles; and bike like pro same with his favorite mountain biker Brian Lopes.

30 Minute Meal

Rachel Ray's, 30 Minute Meal at Food Network is one of my favorite cooking show and it's been my inspiration to have delicious meal fast and easy..So bad we don't have the channel on our new satellite subscription, good though that they have it online at  Food Network, where I can watch and follow the recipe.

30 Minute Meals host, Rachael Ray, says she was destined for a culinary career from early on in life, but not even her family could predict such an iconic success story: cookbook author, magazine editor and popular TV host.

I can cook three recipe in a very short time, well that I guess is the benefit of moving fast and multi- tasks in the kitchen but more of that I learned a lot from this show that you don't have to sacrifice the taste if your always on the go.
 
I want to study short course in culinary arts someday so I can learn more about cooking especially baking, and more than just a cook I want to be an inspiration to others who has the passion serving a good food like Rachel Ray to me.

Learning thru Kumon

My son will turn four early next year and I am planning to enroll him to Kumon  just outside the village,  but as early as now I am introducing him to the style of teaching at the center through their Kumon Workbook Series.

I've heared so many good benefits for childs early learning development after enrolling to their Mathematics and Reading Program like my nephews and nieces who showed exemplary knowledge in reading and comprehension at an early age.

My son loves books and reading has always been our routine before his nap time in the afternoon and bedtime at night. I want him to be more inclined with this passion and helping him develop a good reading and comprehension skills is a good start for his early years. I want him to like numbers too, and instill in his mind that mathematics is easy.  I know Kumon teaching method will be very helpful for him to enjoy learning. During our daily playschool in our room I can see in his eyes that he's enjoying the workbooks, and I always make it a point to tell him that learning is fun, and sure it is for us every single day.

Secret to a Healthy skin

There's no other way to achieve a healthy looking skin than a regular workout or exercise. I've proven this true, I don't have perfect skin but I am lucky that I passed the pimple days on my early 20's but blackheads and whiteheads are always been my issue. I used to do the regular facial before at VMV Hypoallergenic last year after discovering their 50% off gift card for their facial packages which you can purchase in advance for your whole year round facial. I must admit that the facial session was very relaxing, precise, detailed, and the products being use are very nice and you can say your a beauty, black and white heads free when you go out; but you need to have this facial a must to have every month or else it will be worst.

Now that I am a stay at home mom there's no time for me to spend an hour or two out just to have this beauty regimen, and after all this years the problem was solve without the monthly pricked of nose, cheek and chin. How? Just regular exercise and sweating it all out helped me achieved a healthy glowing skin. I must admit it's just now that I am getting older that I'm doing a daily regimen to keep a healthy looking skin. The cheapest and ouch free way to have it is a 30 minutes workout on a stationary bike that works for me.

You can pamper yourself with the basics if you don't have time for intensive skin care and regular exercise.

1. Protect yourself from the sun The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots and rough, dry skin. Sun exposure can also cause more-serious problems, such as skin cancer. For the most complete sun protection:

* Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun's rays are the strongest.
* Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. You might also opt for special sun-protective clothing, which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.
* Use sunscreen when you're in the sun. Apply generous amounts of broad-spectrum sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water.

2. Don't smoke Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles.

If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.

3. Treat your skin gently Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin, so keep it gentle: * Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, and use warm — rather than hot — water.

* Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers.
* Shave carefully. To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows, not against it.
* Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
* Moisturize dry skin. Find a moisturizer that fits your skin type and makes your skin look and feel soft.

4. Eat a healthy diet A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in fats and carbohydrates may promote younger looking skin.

5. Manage stress Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — takes steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results may be more dramatic than you expect.

Cuttie Face

One play school morning while I am letting my son doodled on his notebook he drew this:

That's him according to his artistic view. Note the ears were too small you won't even notice but the smile is too big,  a picture of a happy child.

Pamper yourself

Each of one has our own way of giving ourselves a treat to be relax and be recharge..and what else could be better than having a massage to relieve all the stress and increases your blood circulation.


This treat I got two times a month right in the comfort of our home is something to look forward. Yes, I don't need to go to spa for this pampering, although I must admit I miss the sauna bath at The Spa http://www.thespa.com.ph/, which is my favorite facility in there. Thank you to our therapist who do this home service at a very reasonable price, I am revived and relaxed after an hour of pinching and pressing.

According to studies having a regular massage session will do the following:

Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage

* Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation
* Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness
* Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy
* Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue
* Reduces muscle spasms
* Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion
* Enhances athletic performance; Treats injuries caused during sport or work
* Promotes deeper and easier breathing
* Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids
* Reduces blood pressure
* Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
* Enhances the health and nourishment of skin
* Improves posture
* Strengthens the immune system
* Treats musculoskeletal problems
* Rehabilitation post operative
* Rehabilitation after injury


Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy

* Fosters peace of mind
* Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness
* Helps relieve mental stress
* Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately
* Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity
* Emotional Benefits
* Satisfies needs for caring nurturing touch
* Fosters a feeling of well-being
* Reduces levels of anxiety
* Creates body awareness
* Increases awareness of mind-body connection

So who doesn't want to have yourself pampered? After all the benefits are way to healthy besides the simple treat.

Life is what we makes it

What we are right now is a picture of what we want us to be in the future. Past is a realization from our experiences whether good or bad, happy or sad; what you have and what you are is what life made you. Present is what our mind conceive. It is more or less a picture of the future that is the path we want to have in life.
Every detail I have in my life whether material, emotional, spiritual I say is perfectly what the Lord has want me to be, and I am so happy and blessed to embrace it every single day.

Freedom

After awhile of searching and thinking I realize that all of us has our own ways, own style and unique individuality and therefore you have the freedom to do whatever you want.

The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

Fast One...

You cannot deny the fact that our world evolves on latest gadgets and technology as our means of communication to our loved ones who leave far from us or based on the other side of the world.

I had sister who recently got married and now loving in the US and our ways of communication is by chatting online, while the other sister decided to leave the Metropolis and stay for good in a province nearby.

I was amazed because the other night she was just complaining of being bored because she was used to being online most of the time, since she's also a stay at home mom like me. We're like just texting each other telling me that she's in the mall applying for a post paid plan internet connection like what I had and before I knew it she was already online chatting me that she got one already that fast.

The thing is, she got the post paid plan but no more antenna or installation needed just a plug-in post paid connection. All the while I thought that the plug-ins are just for prepaid subscribers.oh well atleast, we can communicate more often again. Technology is really fast changing and before you know it there will be new innovations again.

Bitter or Sweet

I've been a sahm for a couple of months now and was able to watch our local cooking shows when my son and I are having our lunch. Not only once I heared through this chefs that onions should be first sauteed and garlic next. Hmmm.. Why am I talking about this? It doesn't make sense if you think bout it, but if you love to cook and want to serve good food on your table every time for your family it matters a lot that you'll learn this basic stuff of cooking.

So what's the reason behind this procedure? Well basically they said that it makes a big difference with the taste. Onion when sauteed longer tends to be sweeter making it more flavorful, while garlic when over cooked ends up to emit a bitter taste.

I always see my mother when she cooks that garlic is always the first being saueteed and I don't see any difference. My husband who's also a good cook on the other hand always starts with the onion and it taste good also. So which is which? Well, I guess it depends on the one who's cooking. As for me the secret of a perfect and tasty food is on the hands of the cook, they don't just heat ingredients on the fire they create a masterpiece with their dishes as an artist of the kitchen.