My Journey to Momhood

A Challenge

2012-01-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes

My daughter is in third grade this year. She is a very bright and curious child, and she has always performed at the top of her class academically. She entered kindergarten already able to read and write, and by the end of second grade, she was reading above a fifth grade level. Her vocabulary is extensive, and she loves science and history. What tends to hold my child back from really working to her potential is that she is inherently lazy. Things come easy for her, so she has never really had to work for much in regards to her studies. Sports are a different story! Before this school year started, I wrote a letter to the school requesting that my daughter be placed in a class with very high-achieving students. I felt that the challenge would do her good, and encourage her to work hard to meet the level of expectation that such a class might have. She was placed with one of the best teachers at her school. Although her teacher is very demanding, she has been the first one to really draw maximum potential out of my child. She encourages them to get on the internet through our satellite internet beaverton and work on various math and science websites. These websites encourage remediation of skills but in game and play settings. By allowing students to obtain practice through these various websites, different learning strategies can be employed to target all students.

Toby is 9 months

2012-01-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Toby just turned 9 months this month and he is growing bigger and bigger. He is learning a lot from crawling to walking by holding on to the furniture. He is eating pretty good and he is a chunky boy. Tyler on the other hand is learning to share his toys with little Toby. Both boys are now in the living room watching video called The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park. They loved watching DVD's from Leapfrog.

Scrubs

2011-11-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Since we were moving to our new house last August and got a new job in September in a nursing home. I have tried to search for my nursing uniforms that I have put in the box which I know for a fact that the box was kept in the shed. I looked and searched into the boxes but couldn't find my scrubs so I end up buying new ones that I could wear at work. I bought some scrubs at a nearby store and they were so expensive. I decided to check online to look for good scrubs that are worth the money and came across with this site
http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/

I will check if I could find some good deals on scrub pants since I already bought a couple of tops. I'm on my 2 days off until tomorrow and I'm enjoying and loving it especially spending time with hubby and my two kids.

Two days off work

2011-11-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

My two days off from work begins today and it seems that the day just go by so quickly. Me and my family went to church this morning and then we went to Delta to attend baptisms of relatives on hubby's side. It went all good. We had a get together dinner afterward at hubby's brother's house. We just came home an hour and a half ago. My little boys are asleep right now. I'm hoping they through the night and so do I. Tomorrow will be a busy day even if I'm off from work. Don't have time to relax even during days off with 2 boys to take care and chores to do. Oh well, "buhay amerika"!

New Career

2011-11-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

Author: Joseph Sandoval

I recently decided to stop what I’m doing and decided to take up a new career. I was sick to death of the same old same old every day and my cubicle lifejust wasn’t cutting it for me anymore. I decided to become a fulltime nanny which is exactly what I’d been wanting to do forever but I wanted to do it differently…no being paid in cash under the table. So I went to a friend of mine who’s a graphic designer and asked him to help me with a new business website. I set up a nanny finder site so that parents in the area could find someone like me and only reputable people were allowed membership. I did it all by the book – went to smallbusiness xo for logistical help, got a BBB accreditation and even worked with the local police to do background checks. Business is booming and I still love to nanny although what I do now is a lot more web focused to be honest with you!

Toby is 7 Months

2011-11-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

Toby just turned 7 mos, I can't believed how fast he had grown. He is such a happy boy. He smiles and grins most of the time especially when you start talking to him. Him and Tyler looks a lot like each other. At 7 mos Toby can sit up with supervision, can walk using his walker, starts learning to crawl by dragging himself, he is learning to use his arms and legs to crawl and he eats solid foods. Toby is trying to keep up with his older brother and it wouldn't surprise me when he starts learning to walk in 10 mos like Tyler did.When Toby learns to walk him and Tyler will have more fun.

Oysters

2011-09-06T13:40:00.000-06:00

Guest post from: Constance Rodgers

Did you know that there are over one hundred different types of edible oysters? They are a food that you either love or hate. I’ve found that if you love oysters, you really love them. You seize any opportunity you get when you are on the coast to eat them. If you are truly an oyster lover you like them raw. You don’t need a cracker and horseradish. Oyster lovers are content pulling them straight off of the shell and eating them. I was watching direct tv when I was cooking (yes I have a television in my kitchen). There was a show that highlighted Oysters in South Carolina. They were dressing oysters with things I had never seen. Some had wasabi, some had brown sugar, and some were swallowed with bloody mary mix and vodka! All I could think about was how smooth salty flavor of the oyster was being lost, what a shame! For those of us who have moved from the coast to a more landlocked part of the country, seeing destroyed by so many toppings almost break your heart.

Fever with no other symptoms

2011-08-01T08:14:00.000-06:00

I woke up yesterday around 3 in the morning to check on Tyler and noticed that he was hot from head down to his arms and legs and thought he might have a fever but when he woke up in the morning he was happy even though he still had the fever. He was at 101 F when we checked his temperature and gave him one dose of medicine and plenty of fluids. We were wondering what caused his fever since he has no other symptoms and no changes in his behavior. Today he still have slight fever but he doesn't complain about it and he slept good through the night. We will observe how it goes throughout the day and hope that his fever will go away soon.

Premium channels FINALLY!

2011-06-22T04:53:00.001-06:00

Guest post of the week by Deangelo Spencer

All my life I have wanted to subscribe to the premium channels like HBO and Showtime, but I've never been able to afford it, and my parents certainly weren't interested in getting those networks. Once I got out on my own I started searching on bundles at http://www.cleartvbundle.com and found out I was actually going to be able to afford some premium channels! I know it sounds trivial, but I felt like I was missing out so much by not being able to relate with people talked about shows like Entourage or the Sopranos. It's really nice, because I can actually catch up on the shows I haven't been watching, and i finally feel part of the club. Not to mention, these are all really well done shows! I'm also enjoying all the great new release movies the channels have for me. So, I really have no complaints about paying a little extra every month. I can't believe my parents wouldn't have wanted to get HBO while I was growing up.

Tyler will be 2 yrs old

2011-06-22T04:28:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can't believe how the days go by and how Tyler have grown so fast. It seems like I just gave birth with Tyler and tomorrow he will be 2 yrs old. He is growing so fast and learning things so quickly. He knows the alphabet and it's sounds. He talks a lot more now, he can express what he wants. Though sometimes he can be so demanding and wants my attention all the time. He is goofy but sometimes he can be moody too. He is very sensitive and very cautious about a lot of things especially when he knows he could get hurt. He is a little bit shy with other kids but he can socialize after awhile and he is good with other kids.

Cake Boss

2011-03-16T05:01:00.002-06:00

Guest post written by Rolf Tate

Being an avid fan of Ace of Cakes, I was disappointed to here that this season would be it's final season on air. I was pleasantly surprised to find a show very similar to it in Cake Boss on the TLC channel. I already watch a few TV shows on the TLC channel regularly on direct TV and Cake Boss is just another show added to the list. In my humble opinion it is even better than Ace of Cakes. It's really the entire Ace of Cakes concept of either taking on way too many jobs for the week or having to produce a cake that becomes an elaborate thirty hour event. I know what you are thinking, "If it's the same, how is it better?" Two words: Jersey accents. Jersey accents are just way more entertaining and funnier than a bunch of wannabe rock stars using rock n' roll music metaphors. Plus wannabe mobsters are way more entertaining than wannabe rock stars. In addition, not to be mean, but watching them fail is funnier than watching them succeed; and they fail a lot. The show follows Chef Buddy Valastro of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey as he tries to make ridiculous moving robot cakes, Tower of Pisa cakes and the like. Buddy is your typical arrogant bloke who basically blames everyone but himself when things inevitably go wrong. Seriously, I don't know the first thing about baking cakes, but I do know that cakes aren't supposed to move.

Tyler at 20 Months and 3 weeks

2011-03-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how Tyler grows so fast! He is now 20 months and 3 weeks and have been learning to talk and communicating with us. His learning more words everyday. He is good at saying things he wanted and expressing his feelings. He is active and wants to explore and get involve in everything he sees me do. But he is always cautious just like yesterday when we went to Banana's Fun Park an amusement park where kids can play. Tyler loved to see other children play and jump on those inflated huge stuffs they have but Tyler won't go in and jump because he was too scared. Even though he didn't go and play but still he had fun and enjoyed watching the children and walking around the park.

Driver's License

2011-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

My Pinay friend called me the other day and told me that she is preparing for her DMV test to get her driver license. She said that she has been studying but she is having a hard time studying her study guide that she got from the local DMV office. I told her to go online and do some DMV practice test which will help her better. She said she did too. I tried to check for other websites that would help her get more DMV cheat sheet so she could prepare herself well and be ready for her test and pass it and then go on to take her driving test and pass it as well. I already got my driver license since 2008 and I am glad that I passed my written and driving test right away. It is a necessity here in the US that you can drive because you will get stuck in the house if you don’t learn to drive and it gives you more independence and more freedom if you can drive. I’m glad I didn’t give up learning to drive when my hubby taught me. He was really helpful in teaching me to drive not to mention his braveness to sit beside me while I’m just learning to drive along the highway.

Earthquake in Japan

2011-03-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

It's so horrible to watch the news about the earhtquake that struck Japan yesterday and the damages it brought by the Tsunami. Japan is totally devastated and a lot of people died and their homes were destroyed. I called my parents yesterday when I found out that Philippines was also under high alert for Tsunami. I was glad that my hometown and other places in the Philippines wasn't affected by Tsunami. I also found out that my cousin who lives and works in Japan came back to the Philippines to pick her mother and her daughter to take them to Japan for a vacation were in Manila the other day and were waiting for their flight back to Japan for the next day have missed the catastrophe. I hope that they are really still in Manila while the earthquake and Tsunami happened. It's a divine intervention that and their lives were spared.

Wedding Anniversary

2011-01-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been 4 years since hubby and I got married. I came here in January 22nd of 2007 and we got married on the 27th. Time flies by so fast, we have been together for 4 years now with our 19 months old Tyler and another baby boy coming along this April. I thank God for all the blessings he showered us through the years of our marriage. Our marriage is not perfect like anybody but we are grateful to God that we are still getting stronger in our relationship. We are praying that blessings will continue to shower us and we will be able to overcome all the challenges of life that come our way. To my hubby, happy 4th wedding anniversary to us. Thank you for all the love and care. I love you!

On insurance

2011-01-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

It’s another beautiful morning with a very nice weather outside. I am hoping that Spring will come early this year. Hubby, me and mom-in-law are waiting for a call from our real estate agent to know if our offer to the property we are buying is approved or not. Right not we are still on negotiation. We have been looking for a property so we could move to our own place and have a less monthly payment than what we owe every month with the rent. We are hoping we could get the house in our price range. We are trying to save money coz we don’t have enough money coming in and with all the utility bills and monthly rent we can’t afford to make ends meet. I told hubby we might as well start looking for cheaper insurance for our car and when have the house we need to have insurance for it too. One thing nice about it is that you can search online insurance quotes easier right in front of your computer and even ask about insurance advice from expert people who has experience with these different insurance companies or even look at their reviews how well they do.

Sleeping in

2011-01-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's close to 10 in the morning and Tyler is still asleep. I had a peaceful breakfast and now has a chance to do blogging while he is still asleep. He has been waking up every now and then but went back to sleep. I won't bother waking him up, he can sleep as long as he wanted coz this just rarely happens. He will hvae his doctor's appointment though at 1:15 this afternoon for his 18th month check up. I'm sure he will be up before then.

Last minute New Year's resolutions

2011-01-13T02:02:00.002-07:00

Guest post written by Ruth Reeves

I've never been one who plans really far ahead of time unless I absolutely have to, I've found a lot of times that things work out better that way, like when I pack at the last minute I don't travel with a bunch of stuff that I don't need. So I actually just my New Year's resolutions a day or two ago.
I only made a few this year too. I normally make way too many that I end up forgetting half of them by the end of January. But even though they were at the last minute this time, I really wanted to make them count. So I went online to get some good inspiration for them. When I was doing that I came across the website ClearWirelessInternet.com and decided to order a satellite internet package from it.
The first of my personal New Year's resolutions is to read my Bible and write in my journal every day. I always feel so much more relaxed when I do both and am determined to keep them up this year.

Sleepless nights

2011-01-13T02:01:00.001-07:00

Here I am again up and wide awake at 1:49 am. I went to bed at around 9 pm with my little boy when I put him to bed. I didn't take him long to fall asleep so I stayed in bed until I fell asleep too. Then, I woke up for the need to go to the bathroom which usually happens every single night and then going back to sleep is a struggle as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. Getting enough sleep at night is really hard for me ever since I have my baby because I have to wake up when he is up in the middle of the night for his milk. Although now that he is more than a year old he only wakes up once at night for his milk and goes back to sleep but I always have a hard time going back to sleep after I wake up. Tyler is even getting better at sleeping through the night coz he usually ask for milk around 4 or 5 in the morning and still goes back to sleep on his own but with my second pregnancy now sleepless nights will never go away I guess.

Different Safety Tips for the Holidays

2010-12-30T21:06:00.003-07:00

Guest post written by Bernardo Graham

There are many safety precautions that everyone should take during the holiday season. I always follow a few simple steps to ensure that my Christmas is a truly jolly one. One tip that you could make use of is to set your home security alarm from ADT home systemsbefore you leave to do any shopping. This tip might seem simple, but you'd never believe how beneficial it really is. Another tip that I personally always use is to not go out if it's snowing. You might also want to refrain from driving at night if it's recently rained. The rain will actually freeze over and turn to ice. It can be very dangerous to many people on the road.
Obviously, another tip to follow would be to watch the stove when you're cooking anything for the holidays. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it's amazing how many people will burn and overcook things. In fact, it's not uncommon to start a fire if you're planning to deep fry your turkey. I always sit in the kitchen when I'm preparing any holiday feast. This not only protects the home from a potential fire, but it also helps me to keep an eye on something so that it doesn't burn or overcook. By following a few simple steps, you'll be sure to have a safe holiday every single year.

Winter Storm Warning

2010-12-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

After waiting for a White Christmas, we finally have snow today which is more than we expected. We got a winter storm warning Wednesday evening and this morning when I woke up I saw snow falling and saw snow everywhere. We will have a White New year then instead of White Christmas. It feels a lot winter season now that we got more snow. Good thing hubby's truck is all ready for the winter since he already put his snow tires on it, including my car and Mom-in-laws car.

Knitting for Fun

2010-12-29T15:40:00.002-07:00

Written by Constance Hayden

My knitting experience is very limited. Because I am a left handed person, it was very difficult for me to learn how to knit. Everyone who taught me was right handed and I would have to take everything they showed me and turn it around. Needless to say, many of my first projects came out looking not quite as lovely as I wanted. In fact, they were downright ugly.
I bought many books on learning how to knit, but, again mostly written for the right handed knitter. I even learned how to take a mirror to the pictures in the books and have them reverse for me. This didn't really help with the quality of my knitting. Finally I met a lady who was left handed and was a terrific knitter. I convinced her to teach me to knit properly and now my knitting projects all come out looking as they should.
I love to knit now and have managed to make quite a few projects, blankets, hats, scarves and even a sweater. They are all beautiful and everyone I have given one to loves them. Knitting helps me to relax and I especially love to knit while sitting and watching my satellite television from http://www.expertsatellite.com/. It took me many years to finally learn to do it right and my goal now is to teach as many left handed persons to knit as I can.

Denver Trip

2010-12-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

We just came home from a trip in Denver last night. We stayed there overnight to attend my step-son's wedding. We were grateful that the weather was really good that made our trip successfully safe. Tyler was doing well during the entire trip. We stayed in a very nice hotel and got a suite room which was really nice. We are glad that we were back home safely last night.

Carpet Cleaning

2010-12-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

When it comes to carpet cleaning, it’s really a tough job especially if you have pets in the house. We usually have one pet dog “Bandit” a Golden Retriever and a Chow mix so his got a lot of hair but we keep his hair trimmed short but now since we have another dog "Kyle" which my step daughter brought in the house, keeping the carpet clean is a lot more of a challenge because she sheds a lot. Good thing there are a lot of carpet cleaning services around Grand Junction where we could find that can give us good deal. It’s so nice to know that there are companies that offer such services anywhere here in the US. If you live somewhere in Texas, you can also find carpet cleaning services and if you are looking for one and don’t know what company that offers good services you can check online carpet cleaner review austin and you will find a lot of information about carpet cleaning services in Austin, Texas. This site will help you find the best carpet cleaning solutions austin has to offer. If your carpet cleaning don’t work might as well search on carpet repairs austin, too.

Prenatal Check Up

2010-12-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

My prenatal check up went good this morning. My baby's heart rate was at 157 beats/min, my OB measured my tummy, got my urine checked too and everything went normal. I'm glad that everything is all good. Though my sciatic has been hurting but that's all I could deal with it. After my prenatal check up, hubby and I went to IHop for breakfast. We had a good breakfast and enjoyed our company together since Tyler was at home with grandma.

The First Snowfall of the Year Brings Feelings of Happiness

2010-12-21T21:16:00.001-07:00

Author: Jonathan Suarez

The first snowfall of the year is one of my favorite things; it seems like the world stops as the graceful dance of snow flakes make their way to earth. For a brief moment, our hectic lives seem to fade away as the beautiful silence fills the air leaving us to breathe in the soothing fragrance of winter.
We fall asleep with the assurance that upon waking we will find that the cold barren season of fall has been replaced with a wonderful blend of snow and ice clinging like frosting to the tops of trees and houses. We are reminded of a simpler time when as children we couldn't wait to get outside and frolic in the new fallen snow.
The contest was on to see who in the snow covered neighborhood could build the biggest and best snowman, and of course we always wanted our own Frosty the Snowman in our front yards. It didn't matter how cold it was, as a child did we really ever feel the cold? We rolled and rolled until the snow balls were too big to lift onto one another, and of course Dad would have to help.
The wonderful part of the first snowfall was standing back gazing proudly at the creation we had just finished and sheer joy filling our souls. Topping off the day would be mom announcing from the warm inviting house that the hot chocolate was ready.
We all storm in throwing our winter gear in careless abandonment as we head to the family room. There is nothing greater than the feel of hot chocolate warming our bodies as we huddle to watch some family special on the direct tv specials.

Holiday rush

2010-12-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

We are not done getting the stuff we need for the holiday yet. I just talked to hubby, he is doing the shopping with mom-in-law and I am left at home watching Tyler. I need to stay home so he will have a chance to get what he wants to give me for Christmas presents I think. Ha,ha,ha,...We always go together to shop so this time he went without me plus it gives him more time to shop without having to rush since Tyler is not with him. I already started wrapping the presents for everyone but there are still some that I can't wrap coz hubby has to tell me whose are those stuffs and besides I don't want to open the shopping bag where some of the stuffs he bought were there. Only couple of days til Christmas day.

Christmas Presents

2010-12-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

We have the Christmas Tree set up already and have decorated it with lights and Christmas balls. The only thing that's missing is the Christmas present/s or gift/s to add more excitement and life to our Christmas tree. We already bought some stuff for gifts but haven't wrapped them yet. We still need to get some more stuff for the children's presents though. Hubby and I decided that we will be spending less for Christmas presents this year. He already told his children not to expect too much for presents. I'm still thinking of what to give with hubby and mom-in-law. It's hard to decide what to give hubby, mom-in-law already told everyone that she doesn't want anything for Christmas except for a card. Christmas day is getting closer as the weather is getting colder for the winter season. I'm glad we don't get much snow yet here in the valley but in the mountains they have gotten more. I'm still in the search for winter boots and haven't found the one I like yet. I have search over the internet with different shoe stores online and I came across with zappos.com which sells different brands of high quality and fashionable footwear like Born, Columbia, Cesare Paciotti and many more plus they have a huge sale on these brand of shoes that I just mentioned.

Finally done with class

2010-12-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm glad my Anatomy and Physiology class is already over. Just had our final exam this afternoon. I thought it wasn't that too hard that I expected. Although I know I got confused on some of the questions but I'm hoping that my score won't be that bad.Hubby dropped me off to school this afternoon because we thought it would snow but it turned out to be a fine weather. He also picked me up after the class. Tyler and mom-in-law was with him the whole time. While waiting for my class to end they drove to Montrose and had dinner and shopped by Russell Stover for chocolates.

Touches of nature on our Christmas tree

2010-12-14T22:02:00.003-07:00

Guest post written by Georgia Hammel

When I was putting up our Christmas tree about a week ago, I got to looking at it once all the ornaments were on and it was lit up. There just seemed to be something missing. I couldn't really place what it was that it was missing until just a few days ago. Everything on the tree was plastic! I thought that it wouldn't hurt to have something on it that looked a little like it should be on an actual tree.
I looked through some decorating blogs and resources to try and pick out something that I could easily get to put on the tree to add that extra something that it needed. When I was searching for that idea, I came across the website Cleartvbundle.com and after reading through most of it, ordered an internet package off of it.
The idea of pine cone ornaments struck me after I looked through a particular blog and couldn't believe that I hadn't thought about it before. It was such a simple idea, but once I put them up on the tree I knew they were the exact thing it needed.

Final Exam

2010-12-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be my final exam for the class (Anatomy and Physiology) I am taking. We did some review in class yesterday and I had been studying all the lessons that we took in class. I'm hoping to do good on the exam and be able to get an "A" for the final grade. I'm glad that tomorrow will be my last day of school.

Getting a house

2010-12-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are planning of getting our own house next year, hopefully. Since the real estate is down we might be able to get a good deal for a property where we can pay less than what we are paying for rent right now. We keep checking on properties online with different real estate companies hoping to be able to find the right property that we would like to own. Though it’s still just a plan but we are hoping to make it realized next year before the contract lease of this house we live ends. We are also be checking on different mortgage companies that would help us give the best deal and lowest interest rates. As I keep searching online I stumble upon http://www.equileads.com/ a website that offers affordable and guaranteed leads if you are in the business of selling mortgages, home loans, healthcare insurance, homeowner’s insurance or auto insurance and other types of insurances. If you are in the mortgage business check out
http://www.equileads.com/mortgage.php and find out more information about it or if you are a webmaster, a website owner or a blogger you can also generate income for your site by becoming an affiliate which sounds good to me. Maybe I could check
http://www.equileads.com/affiliates/ so I would know to join and become an affiliate since I have my own blog.

Family Portrait

2010-12-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

We got our family portrait for Christmas this year and we liked it very much. Tyler looked so cute and adorable in every photo. I know my parents will love to see those photos. I will be sending them copies and I already gave mom-in-law copies of those photos as well and she loved them.

Christmas

2010-12-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Christmas is fast approaching and there are only a couple of weeks until Christmas Day. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe how the days go by so fast. We haven’t put up our Christmas tree yet, nor any sort of Christmas decorations in the house. Oh, I take that back mom-in-law changed the table cover into a Christmas motif and put a Christmas centerpiece on the middle of the table which really looked pretty. That’s the only Christmas décor we have in the house so far. We are planning to get our live Christmas tree this week so hopefully we will be able to put our tree up before the week ends. I need to start thinking about Xmas gifts for the family too. I have been thinking about what to give for hubby, Tyler, mom-in-law and the rest of the family. Sometimes it’s hard to decide on what to give as Christmas presents. Hubby is not picky and he would appreciate anything I give him. Although hubby and I have bought some stuffs for Tyler as Christmas presents but I’m still thinking of other things to give him aside from toys. Maybe books about Christmas Stories, I might be able to find good books for toddlers that Tyler might be interested about. I better check online and see if I could find one.

Call from Canada

2010-12-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

I just got a call from a friend in Canada. It's been awhile that we haven't communicated each other and it was nice to chat with her. She tried to call me many times and left a message on the phone and I tried to return her calls but couldn't reach her. Sometimes, I thought about calling her again but then by the end of the day I forgot and when I remember that I needed to call it was already late in the evening. So, finally earlier she called me and good thing I was home and got her call. We talked a lot of things about our families back home. She is planning to go back to the Philippines for a vacation next year. She wanted me to spend vacation in the Philippines next year too so we could meet again but I can't do it since my due date is next year. I told her my plan to visit the Philippines will be in 2012 and I'm hoping that I will be able to make it that time.

Vacation near the Ocean

2010-12-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

I haven’t been to all the States here in America but have been to couple of them like Florida where hubby and I got married and spent our honeymoon, Utah where we visited the Latter-Day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas, Nevada where we usually spent summer vacation with the children. I am hoping to be able to visit other places here in the US where we can spend and stay near the ocean. I miss going to the beach where I used to live back in the Philippines where there are so many beach resorts. Hubby grew up in Florida so he loved the ocean though he doesn’t like the humid weather. I told hubby maybe in the near future we could spend our vacation near the ocean and enjoy the beach. He suggested that South Carolina have nice places to visit and stay in a hotel near the ocean like the Myrtle Beach Hotel. He said we could find a lot of hotels that are near the beach. I told him since you like golf maybe he could find a beach resort that we could stay and he can also enjoy playing rounds of golf during our stay. As we were talking about it. We started checking online for Myrtle Beach best hotels and got so excited and came across with http://www.horizonmyrtlebeach.com where we thought has all the amenities we would like if we wanted to spend our vacation. Hmmm, hubby and I were in la,la, land as we were imagining how fun it would be.

Two Meetings

2010-12-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Only have two meetings for my class to end next Wednesday and I am excited about it. This afternoon we had a test and I was glad that I did good on that test. Got an A for that test and I am hoping that I will do good for the Final Exam next week so I could get an A for my final grade in my Anatomy and Physiology class.

Counting down the days until Christmas

2010-12-05T10:56:00.002-07:00

Guest post written by Gina Peppers

This time of the year is some of the most exciting days of the year. But if you have kids they can be some of the most stressful too! I have three kids and it can be really tricky keeping track of all of them on a normal basis. Luckily, I actually got most of their presents taken care of this year on Cyber Monday. Plus, it helps because they always ship packages during the day when the kids are at school so I can get them wrapped before they can get home from school.
Now I just have to worry about keeping them in line and me from going crazy until Christmas comes. I thought that I would do something special for them to help them count down these days, so I went online to look for an advent calendar. While I was online, I found this site clearwirelessinternetservice.com and after looking through it, signed up for internet service through it.
I was just going to buy an advent calendar, but I decided instead to do a DIY advent calendar because that way I could put three pieces of candy or put activities on each day that they could do together.

Getting ready for church

2010-12-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Everyone is getting reading for church. I can't believe how the days go by so fast. There are only 20 days til Christmas and we haven't put up our Christmas tree yet. I'm hoping we can get our tree this week and put it up. We will have another family portrait for Christmas this afternoon. It's going to be the whole family including grandma, and all of hubby's children and their family.

Buying a house

2010-12-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are considering about getting our own house next year while the real estate market is still down. We are on the hunt for a nice, bigger but affordable house for sale since we are renting now and we can get a house and pay a monthly mortgage less than what we pay for rent right now. Checking at homes from the different real estate websites online are exciting. We haven’t checked and walked in at those homes that we liked yet but I have already some properties in my checklist that I would consider. We are not looking for brand new house but even an fixer upper home will be fine as long we get a good deal for it. We can always fix it and customize it and there’s nothing to worry about the materials to use because I know they can be bought anywhere even online. Even stainless steel kitchen sink or a butcher block countertop is available online or can be bought at a nearest supply stores. I told hubby that when I have our second baby I would like to have a rocking chair in our bedroom so it would be easier for me to just sit on the rocking chair while feeding the baby especially at night. I have seen a lot of different brands of those rocking chair online like adirondack chair. I am hoping that we could reach our goal to get our own home next year.

Kicking baby in my tummy

2010-12-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

I often feel my baby move inside my tummy even if I was only less than 5 mos pregnant. During the ultrasound the baby was just moving around, turning and kicking his arms and legs everywhere. Well, the echo tech even liked it because she was able to get good images of the baby's anatomy. When the Dr. came in and double check the ultrasound images he told me that my baby is floating very close to my skin because the placenta lies behind him. No, wonder I could feel every single move my baby makes. Sometimes, when I lay down I thought there was something crawling on my skin but it was just my baby. it's a weird feeling every time my baby squirm inside my tummy.

Christmas trees; The hunt

2010-12-02T20:50:00.003-07:00

Thanks for the article from Antone Medina

When Christmas rolls around, this is a wonderful time of the year for family bonding. Year after year, we experience many wonderful memories that involve purchasing our Christmas tree. We will gather the family in the van and I set my Adt Home Security before we go get our Christmas tree. When we arrive at our Boy Scout funded Christmas tree location, we spend lots of time looking through the trees. Many trees are too short, some are too fat, many are too tall and skinny, but when you find the one that is right you know.
Our family takes great joy once we stumble across the perfect tree. It is usually about 6 foot and medium sized on the bottom. It cannot have bare spots; at least where the front is going to show and it must not show any browning. We bring home our wonderful tree and start to decorate, we spend as much time as we need and enjoy each other's company, singing Christmas carols and stringing the lights, placing the ornaments, stringing the icicles and finally, placing our beautiful star on top.
Christmas tree shopping is a wonderful event cherished by the whole family. Everyone enjoys having a real Christmas tree and since we started our tradition of finding our own tree, we have never gone back to an artificial one.

Another baby boy

2010-12-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, another baby boy in the family that's what it appeared during my ultrasound. Though it would be neat to have a baby girl but hubby and I are very happy to have another boy and to know that the baby in my tummy is developing healthily. So far the Dr. said that there's nothing to worry about because everything looked perfectly fine. The ultrasound technician was very thorough in taking images of the baby's anatomy. So we were glad to find out about the fact that the baby is healthy. I'm sure Tyler will be happy when he sees his little brother in April. I would like them to be close to each other and love each other as they grow older. I would love them both to be mommy and daddy's boys.

My Scrubs

2010-12-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

It’s been almost two months since I quit working at the nursing home. It feels so good to be home and just take care of my baby boy and be a full time housewife. Though I sometimes I get bored but I get over with it easily since I get myself busy with the house chores and Tyler. Every time I opened my closet to get some clothes to wear I always see my set of scrubs and miss wearing them and thought about my work at the nursing home. Well, it’s only temporary coz I will be going back to healthcare again after I give birth if I didn’t go into the LPN Program. I guess by the time I go back in the nursing home again I would need new scrubs coz I don’t know if my old ones would still fit on me. I got some ua uniform scrubs which I really like. It won’t be hard to where to buy uniforms because I could get them online through blueskyscrubs. They different unique scrubs at very affordable price. You can even buy wholesale nursing uniforms from them at very reasonable price too.

My Birthday

2010-12-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's another year to celebrate and be thankful for the gift of life that God has given me. Me and hubby had lunch at International Buffet without Tyler. Mom-in law volunteered to watch Tyler at home to give me and hubby time for ourselves together since it's my birthday. We did had a good lunch and went to the grocery store to buy some foods for Tyler. We also went and shop for some clothes which I need for the cold weather. For the birthday presents. Hubby gave me a ring with my birthstone which is really nice and mom-in-law gave me a very nice birthday card which made me cry as usual every time she gave me one because of the very meaningful and thoughtful words she put in the card. I got a birthday cake too which is sweet. Ha,ha,... To my hubby and mom-in-law thanks for everything. I appreciate all the love and all the things you did and do for me. I love you both so very much.

A Holiday Memory

2010-11-29T11:46:00.003-07:00

This guest post from Errol Chang

I look forward to television on Thanksgiving because of all the memories it holds. To this very day it would not be the same without watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I can remember the kids sitting in front of the television watching with delight as those big balloons passed overhead and waiting patiently waiting for Santa to arrive. The sounds of the marching bands had everyone pumped up for the turkey that was about to be brought out of the oven. Family coming from out of town, everyone helping in the kitchen, more laughter coming from the kids and love throughout the house. What a wonderful day and so much to be thankful for. Now the kids are grown and many have moved away, but the love for the parade is still there. It's now Grandpa and I, sitting in front of the tv, but not the small little screen anymore, it's a big screen and our Direct TV HD Channels bringing the parade up close and personnal. I can't help but wonder, what it would have been like to have the kids all sitting around watching, laughing and loving these big balloons and to see Santa Claus on this very large tv set.

Excited for Ultrasound

2010-11-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are getting more excited for my ultrasound tomorrow. I'm 19 weeks pregnant now and tomorrow is my schedule for the ultrasound to check how the baby is growing and for sure we want to know if it's a girl or boy. I'm just hoping that the baby is growing good and developing normally. Will post the ultrasound images of my baby later tomorrow.

Getting Ready for the Winter

2010-11-29T11:41:00.002-07:00

Post contributed by Patricia Singleton

I just started getting ready for the winter weather this past weekend. All too often I've been caught unprepared and had to deal with the conditions as they were. Experience has taught me the things that I need to do for the types of weather conditions I'll be likely to face around these parts.
I actually just finished preparing my car on Saturday for the winter by checking the radiator system and the antifreeze level among other things and will get started on the house this week. During my preliminary checks (as I call them) on Sunday, I made sure to recaulk and weather strip the doors and windows, check to make sure that the walls and attic's insulation hasn't suffered from the past year and that the insulation on the water lines are still up to code, so to speak. I also went to the store on Sunday to stock up on extra food and supplies. I'm thinking about checking the generator either tonight or tomorrow. After that the only thing that is left is the storm windows and doors (along with some plastic covering from the inside). I'll probably get started on that this weekend. That will be all for this winter. Hopefully, it won't take too long as I also plan to cozy up in the living room and watch some satellite TV from www.cannonsatellite.com with my family this weekend.

Snow Tires

2010-11-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to hubby the regular tires on my car has been changed to snow tires. I won't worry too much about driving on a snowy road. First thing I told hubby when I woke up this morning was asked him if he could take my car to Discount Tires to put my snow tires on. He was meaning to wake up early to go there coz he needed to change his trucks tires to and put his snow tires on the truck too. Since, I couldn't go with him to drive my car, Mom-in-Law did it for me. I needed to study this morning for my quiz this afternoon. I'm so glad the vehicles were taken cared of. I hate driving when it's snowing though. I'm hoping it will not snow again this afternoon so I can drive smoothly especially coming back home coz it gets dark so early.

Keeping My Home Safe While Visiting My Best Friend

2010-11-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

A guest post written by Wm Rowe

Whoever coined the adage “Never say never!” was a wise person, because I have discovered that the phrase inevitably holds true when a person uses the word “never” in regard to any situation. At least, this is what I have experienced in my own life, which is how Dawn came to be my best friend.
Dawn and I used to work together and she was one of those people who just rubbed me the wrong way; her mannerisms irritated me and I told myself that I would never become friends with her. After working with her for a few months, I discovered that she and I shared something in common: we were both suffering from discrimination at our workplace. We started spending time together during lunch and as we got to know one another, we started connecting on a personal level which led to visiting each others' homes and meeting each others' families. I tend to shy away from close, personal relationships and I had not had a close female friend since I was a child, so when Dawn and I started connecting so quickly, it was exciting and scary all at the same time.
Time has passed since Dawn and I first met and our friendship has grown from questionable to solid and true. She has taught me to look beyond the superficial make-up of a person and focus on the similarities people share as well as how they make you feel. Dawn has been there for me through significant health problems, through heartache and joy, and I have done the same for her. We spend time shopping, sharing meals, and just hanging out, usually at her house because her Internet connection speed is much speedier than mine. Each time I visit her, and I visit her often, I make sure to set my home security alarm from www.Home-Alarm-Systems.com/ so I can continue to come home to happy pets and safe belongings.

Talking Tyler

2010-11-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Tyler is learning to talk more and more as he is able to imitate almost every word we say. That's why I told hubby to be very careful in his words. I know before he gets 2 yrs old he will be able to talk fluently. He isn't even 2 yet but hubby said he is now acting and behaving the terrible 2's. I am hoping that Tyler will be a smart and a good boy as he grows up.

How I Get My Home Ready for Winter

2010-11-20T18:43:00.003-07:00

Guest post written by Sidney Owens

Getting my house ready for winter is not the highlight of my year. It takes me at least a week to finish the entire process. It is important to do this though because the house needs to be as warm as possible in order to keep down our heating costs.
The first thing that I do is remove the air conditioners from all of the windows in the house. After this, I install storm windows in my windows. I like to replace mine every five years and I then seal the windows with plastic on the inside in case there are any cracks. After this, I install my storm doors in my home. The storm doors help to keep out the cold and thee wind and make my property even more secure which is a huge plus.
Finally, I make sure that my heat pump is working. I also have someone come and clean my furnace so that we do not have to deal with furnace issues when it is cold. Then, I put gas in my generator and start it up to make sure that it works. The process is long and tedious but it makes me feel like a productive man that is looking out for his family and his wallet. After I am finished, I plan to sit on the couch and watch Direct TV and know that I have a completely winterized home.

Cold and Freezing

2010-11-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's not even winter yet but it's getting colder and colder everyday which makes me feel lazy to go out and even do things in the house coz it' still cold even if we have the heater on. I don't look forward to the winter cold but I would love to see the snow all around. Kinda a confusing huh? We will have our family christmas photo tomorrow at Sears. So, everyone in the family are expected to be there.

My step son is engaged

2010-11-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

My step son just recently got engaged to a wonderful young woman with a charming personality. His now fiancée is from a small town in Nebraska and has now lived in our little town in Colorado for several years. Oh to reflect back and remember the excitement of becoming engaged. How could I ever forget that wonderful day when hubby proposed to me. My step son and I were at the mall awhile back, he was scanning the stores for an engagement ring and wedding ring, of course I was more than happy to accompany him when he invited me to tag along. We saw so many wonderful engagement rings at every store we visited. Yes, I was constantly thinking about my hubby and the romantic way he proposed to me years ago as we went from store to store. I truly love to look at wedding rings. I have mine cleaned often. There seems to be excitement in the air as my step son’s wedding day gets closer and closer. So remember the next time your at the mall, take a moment, maybe even a few, and stop by to take a glance at the never ending beauty of jewelry. Oh what a marvelous time to remember.

Drive Thru Breakfast

2010-11-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

This morning hubby and I had to run errand at Sam's Club. We grab Tyler with us since we didn't have anything to eat yet I told hubby if we could do Drive-Thru at Mc Donald's. I always love their pancakes and sausage. So, we dropped by and had breakfast inside the truck as we parked. We didn't want to go in coz Tyler is with us, sometimes he can't tolerate long sitting on high chair. We decided just to eat our meal in the vehicle coz Tyler behaves better plus he can't get out from his car seat. Tyler liked pancakes and sausage too. After we were done we headed to Sam's Club and got the stuff we needed.

A Sweet Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Guest post written by Ella Thompson

When I think of winter weather and Thanksgiving, I just imagine tasting all of these super rich and luxurious things. Also, a whole lot of really sweet things. I just think that it isn't really Thanksgiving, or really any descent meal if you can't satisfy your sweet tooth. A whole lot of times I even plan whole meals around sweet dishes.
Once I found out that I was going to be hosting our family Thanksgiving lunch this year, I looked up all kinds of sweet dishes with my clear wimax to fix.
One of the things that I'm going to fix is candy yams. They really are a classic, whether you like them with marshmellows on top or not. I'm also going to serve honeybaked ham instead of turkey, which I know that my friends are going to really love. Lots of my other friends have sweet teeth too because we Õre always going out for ice cream or Pinkberry or to get cupcakes together. A lot of the time IÕll even fix them cakes just for fun.

Ultrasound

2010-11-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

I am getting more excited as my ultrasound appointment gets nearer. Hubby and I will find out the baby's gender on Tuesday the 23rd of this month. We are hoping for a girl but if it's another boy, we are still excited about having another boy. Tyler is growing more mature and is aware of what is going on around him. He is able to say more and more words everyday. He can express himself even better now that he can say a lot of words. I am proud of my little boy. To me he is a smart little one. Hubby and I are planning to potty train him anytime soon coz he can understand simple instructions and directions now. So, we thought that he will be ready to learn to go potty in a pot or in the bathroom. Wish us luck!

Leaves keep falling

2010-11-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's fall season and what else to expect but falling leaves everywhere. Hubby couldn't stand seeing those fallen leaves on the ground in our front yard. So, he decided to have them raked so the front yard would look cleaner. Tyler and I helped raking those leaves but then while we are trying to clean the front yard those leaves from the trees keep falling on the ground. I know it will be useless cleaning them now coz I'm sure by the next day the ground will be covered again with dead leaves. But I guess it's better to rake them and not wait till all those leaves are gone from the trees coz it will be harder to clean them up.

Here's Tyler trying to help raking the leaves.

He always want to get involved in everything we do.

Spending less on Christmas

2010-11-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe how the days go by so quickly. Christmas is getting closer and closer. I have been thinking about what presents I can give to hubby, my little boy and the rest of the family. Hubby and I are for sure will try to spend less this Christmas season. I am always thinking about ways on how we could earn extra money to be able help with hubby especially now that I had quit working. It’s not easy at this time when the economy is not doing well. Maybe the best thing is to find ways how to spend less and save more since I can’t work right now because of my pregnancy. I have been searching and reading a lot of articles over the internet that give information on ways to be able to cut expenses and save money. Talking about saving, I thought about maybe checking out cheaper cell phone plans that is available in the market today. I am trying to check and compare prices with AT&T wireless plans that we are using now for almost 4 years if we could get a better deal. If not then maybe we could find cheaper than other providers offer, I heard that Sprint cell phone plan prices are very affordable too. I might check it out and compare both providers and see which one I could save more.

My little helper

2010-11-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

Tyler is 16 mos old now and he has been learning a lot of things. He is learning to talk and has been learning more words each day. He would repeat every word I or his daddy would say. I told hubby to be careful in every word we say coz Tyler would definitely utter the same words. Tyler wants to get involved in almost everything we do in the house. One time he saw me sweeping the kitchen floor and he started to grab the broom from me. He started fuzzing so I gave it to him after I got done sweeping and look what he did? He started sweeping the floor too. He looked so cute and funny trying to sweep the floor. Now, I have a little helper. Great job Tyler!

Little Bear

2010-10-29T17:16:00.001-06:00

Guest post written by Brian Workman

Little Bear demonstrates for children how to share and care about other people, and shows them how to relate to the world around them. Little Bear is just that. A little Bear. He lives with mother bear and father bear. His friends are duck, cat, owl, and hen. He also has a little girl friend called Emily, who has a doll that plays with the bunch called Lucy. These seven friends explore the forest where they live and see all sorts of new things. In one episode they had to deal with a group of frogs that was keeping duck up all night. The friends built a home for duck in hopes of getting her some quiet so she could sleep, but it ended up that duck needed to sleep under the stars where she could look up and see them at night. The stars make her feel safe. Watching this on my satellite tv from http://www.tvbydirect.com/directv-deal/NORTH-CAROLINA-NC-direct-tv.html makes the pictures seem more clear, almost like you are under those stars with duck. In the end, the frogs took the home that was built for duck. They said they were making all that noise becasue they were discussing where they could get together and meet to talk every night. Totally cute! My child adores when the problems get fixed, and claps loudly when all the problems are solved.

International Buffet

2010-10-29T17:13:00.000-06:00

We just got home from having our late lunch at the International Buffet. We love to go there every now and then. Hubby and I took our little one Tyler with us and he ate pretty much. We were running some errands this morning. We went to some bookstores like Borders because hubby needed to get a book but it Borders didn't have it and so we went to Barnes and Nobles and hubby got the book that he wanted to get. Tyler liked the children's book area because there was a lot of books and some toys to play with. He liked to sit on a small chair with a little table like he was in a school classroom. So, we spent a little bit of time in that area so he could have some fun.

Time for Halloween

2010-10-28T05:32:00.002-06:00

This is a guest post from Hong Alexander

With the end of October looming, chances are the kids are getting antsy for Halloween. The first step in assuring a great experience for all is to put safety first. Come up with a plan, if your kids are going off on their own make sure they will be with a group. Have a designated meeting place and time, as well as restrictions on how far away they're allowed to venture. This will ensure your piece of mind as well. After getting the munchkins ready make sure their costume is free of anything that could be a safety hazard, such as hanging pieces around the head/neck area for the little ones. Make sure that anyone wearing a mask can see clearly.
After the kids are ready, it's time to set off around the neighborhood. The kids know where their favorite candy can be found, and everyone has to make a stop at the haunted maze on the corner. After we meet at our meeting spot we head home and scan the candy. Everyone gets a ration then the rest is combined and put away. After the kids head to bed we flip on the satellite TV we got through Cannon Satellite online deals, grab some candy and turn on our favorite scary movie.

Can't go back to sleep

2010-10-28T05:30:00.000-06:00

Can't go back to sleep after I went to the bathroom at around 3:00 am. I tried to lay down in bed but my mind is just wandering and could not fall asleep. So I decided to get up and heated Tyler's bottle of milk in case he wakes up. Then, sat on the chair and turned on hubby's computer and check my emails, facebook and just browsing the internet. It's past 5 am right now and Tyler just woke up and is now drinking his bottle. I just changed his diaper and he will just go back to sleep. Hopefully, I can get some more sleep before it get's daylight.

Surfing The Web

2010-10-27T22:22:00.000-06:00

I was surfing the internet the other day and came across some clothing that was for sale. The website offered custom t-shirts. My imagination just started running wild about what I could have done, I was thinking about funny quotes and sayings, and then I was thinking about more serious quotes that made me begin to ponder and reflect. The site had such a variety of not just clothing, but everything imaginable from shoes, to various types and examples of art posters, to mailing labels, gift boxes, various ornaments, and even videos. I often find myself bouncing from one topic or goods to another as I am spending time on my computer surfing the world wide web. I did find some bracelets that I just had to have, I haven’t purchased them yet, but their in my shopping cart just waiting for me to point and click. Another wonderful day surfing. Now there’s something we can all look forward to.

Afternoon Thirst

2010-10-27T22:18:00.000-06:00

Earlier this afternoon hubby and I had to run an errand, while we were out and about we decided to stop by A&W Root-Beer to quench our thirst. Why is it that A&W root-beer taste soooo good? It's a soft drink that I don't get very often, but when I do it's soooo good and refreshing. After our quick stop for a thirst cure we continued on to our final destination, Barnes & Nobble where we enjoyed some quiet time relaxing and thumbing through a few books.

Webhosting

2010-10-27T21:53:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered about the internet and how it all works? If you figure it out let me know. The other day I was just browsing around on the internet and saw some adds pop up about webhosting. I wondered what that meant so because of the great resources that the internet has, I was able to understand was it meant by the term webhosting. I love the internet and I love the unlimited ability to search any topic known to man, and poof, up comes thousands if not millions of hits. It is amazing the technology that we have at our disposal in the world today. Who would have ever thought twenty years ago that we would have the ability to research, discover and replicate technology so quickly and be so precise. What a wonder tool we have with the internet at our fingertips. I am going to dig deeper and find out more about webhosting and the various options that are available, who knows maybe someday I will need it.

Pumpkin Monster

2010-10-27T21:50:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of the pumpkin that my hubby made earlier, nice job, scary huh?

Religious Christmas Cards

2010-10-27T21:29:00.002-06:00

Wow, have you checked out the calendar lately? Christmas is just right around the corner. It doesn’t seem possible that a year can disappear so quickly. They say the older you get the faster time flies by. Last year after Christmas was over I went to the store to do some shopping, Imagine that haha. I was at the mall and walked into a card shop, they had some religious Christmas cards on clearance so I picked up 4 packs. I kept two packs and gave two of my friends a pack each. I love shopping after Christmas, there are so many good deals to be had. While I was in the mall I stopped into a clothing store and found some terrific buys on a few tee shirts that were on clearance. One of the shirts had a beautiful depiction of the nativity that I just couldn’t refuse. I don’t know about you but it’s very hard for me to pass up on great deals, especially when I’ve got the shopping bug biting away at me. I find it very exciting to shop right after Christmas, I guess to me it feels like the Christmas spirit is still in full bloom and it cause my shopping fever to begin to boil.

Snow in the mountains

2010-10-27T20:11:00.000-06:00

It's been a cold weather these past few days. While driving going to school this afternoon. I saw the mountain cap covered with snow from a distance. I felt the cold breeze when I came out from my car and I felt my body was shevering from the cold wind. Delta is a lot colder than Grand Junction. I told my Filipina classmate that it felt like it's already winter and I do not look forward to it. Although I get excited when I see the snow but I just don't like the cold weather.

Flipping Out

2010-10-22T18:27:00.003-06:00

Contribution by Prince Raymond

One of the best reality shows out there is a show called Flipping Out on Bravo. I never miss an episode on satellite tv from tvbydirect.com. It's a show based on buying crappy homes, fixing them up and reselling them for tons of cash. If only things were that easy. The show follows Jeff Lewis and his band of misfits. Jeff has obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD which causes him to do nutty things all the time. Jenni Pulos, his right hand woman, thinks he's over his rocker, but also believes crazy people can be geniuses. Their non-relationship style relationship is what drives this show as they tend to bicker like a married couple as if they were on a real TV show that featured them as the classic love interests who aren't interested in each other. The other primary personality on the show has to be Zoila Chavez, who is Jeff's live-in housekeeper and surrogate mother. Watching her and Jeff's unique relationship and humor is always good for a few laughs. It's unbelievable how often I find myself cracking up at their silly little jokes about Zoila always taking a day off when in fact she never takes days off no matter what. The dogs (Oliver, Casey, "little" Chris) and cats (Stewie and Monkey) are also what makes this show. The shenanigans they cause leave you on the floor laughing your head off!

First Prenatal Check -Up

2010-10-22T18:24:00.000-06:00

I had my first prenatal check up the other week and everything turned out well. I was glad to see that I gained 4 lbs after at 12 weeks. I was so worried at first couple of weeks because I haven't gained any weight at all. That's why I decided to quit working as CNA because it's stressing me out so much plus I have school twice a week aside from taking care of my baby Tyler. I had my first ultrasound and we saw the baby kicked it's legs and stretched it's arms. Heart rate was normal, urine was ok and my OB-GYN said everything looked great. I also had a series of blood tests done which they draw 5 vials of blood from me and got a message from the OB-GYN's office that all the blood tests results were normal. I am happy to know about it and hoping that my entire pregnancy will be fine.

Scrub

2010-08-27T18:29:00.002-06:00

Since I am pregnant I know my scrubs will no longer fit me when my tummy gets bigger. I always check online for cheap scrubs because here in Grand Junction there are only few stores that sell nursing uniforms and scrubs and they cost a lot too. The other day I talked to one of my co workers who works in the nursing home as a nurse and asked her where she bought her scrubs and was surprised how much she spent just for her nursing scrubs. She said, they are so expensive. She has been looking for cheap scrubs too. She wished she could find a place that sells cheaper from where she got them.
Although, WalMart sells scrubs too but nothing would fit me either because even their Extra Small sizes are still too big on me. When I told her that I usually get my scrubs at cheaper price and she asked me where to buy cheap scrubs so she could get them too. I said I buy them online and there are a lot of online stores that sells scrubs at very affordable price. So, she is checking them online too.

Update

2010-08-27T18:09:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted in this blog. Time just flies by so fast. I have been so busy with Tyler and working part time as a CNA. Here are some updates on what's going on.

Tyler just turned 1 yr old last June 23rd and he is now 14 months old. He walks and runs and plays around. He is getting more independent and wants to do some things on his own. He had learned to walk when he was 10 1/2 months old and by 11 months he is already walking. Now, I sometimes chase him especially when I tell him he needs clean diapers or needs clean clothes. He would run off on me and thinks chasing him is a game. He can speak some words aside from mama and dada. He says "nana" for banana, he can say "up", "duck", "bo" for "ball". Sometimes he says words that only him could understand and he would point at things he wants. he can understand when you tell him something. He is a smart boy, he can imitate easily at what you are doing.

I am working part time as a CNA, only work twice a week on the weekends. I will start attending one class twice a week for my pre-requisite to get in to the LPN program next fall.

The last updates are good news because First, Tyler will have a sibling. I am expecting, I'm 5 weeks pregnant now and hubby and I are hoping for a baby girl. and Second, I just past my citizenship exam and interview. I am just waiting for a notice that will come in the mail to know when I will take the Oath and then receive my citizenship certificate. Life is good so far and hope that it will be like that in the coming months.

Tyler said "mama"

2010-02-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

Tyler has been babbling different sounds as he explores his tongue, lips and mouth. Every now and then I could hear him say ughh, huuu, ga, ummm, ye, na, ni, eeh. I have been teaching him to say "mama" and hubby teaches him to say "dada". Sometimes I thought I heard Tyler say "ma" but not so clear and one time I heard him say "hi da". Since he turned 7 mos he babbles and vocalizes more trying to learn to talk. And for the very first time this morning when he woke up and as hubby and I talk and play with him on the bed he uttered the word "mama" so clearly that melted my heart away and made me cry. I was overwhelmed with joy as I heard him "mama" twice. I kissed and hugged him and said "I love you baby". I love to hear Tyler said mama to me. Hubby told me if I have imagined me having a baby saying mama to me while I was still in the Philippines. Now, hubby is looking forward when Tyler could say the word "dada". Hopefully, he would learn it soon.

My car needs oil change

2010-01-31T19:57:00.002-07:00

I told hubby that my car is due for oil change. I have two days off Sunday and Monday but Mondays are really busy day for us because it’s the only day that we could do errands together. I don’t know when I would be able to do the oil change or maybe by the time we can do it, my car might need tune up as well. Hubby has been planning to have my car fixed because it has some dents and ding when a drunk driver bump into hubby’s daughter’s car that was parked along the roadside in front of our house and then hit the back of my car too. My car has a sentimental value to us and hubby and I want to take care of it and keep it as much as we can because it was given to me by my mom-in-law and she valued it so much because of the memories my mom-in-law had with my dad-in-law was still alive. Anyways, hubby is still looking for places to have it done. With the use of the internet, we could be able to search places locally that would offer us a great deal when it comes to auto repair like the repairpal.com. I find it very convenient to use this website when it comes to auto repair because it has a lot of information you can find like looking for auto repair shops in your area or even find out how much you could pay for repair with their repair price estimator. Check out and find information about common problems, reviews and recalls on different cars like Honda, Acura Integra, Toyota and other known brands before buying them. If you are looking for an easy access to locate Colorado or Houston auto repair shops or any place where you live just check repairpal.com.

Tyler is 7 months

2010-01-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying my 2 days off from work. I just put Tyler in his crib as he is asleep. He has been fuzzy earlier which I think because he is not feeling well. He hasn't been eating good. I guess he has more teeth coming. Everytime I feed him he would just suck a little bit of his milk and then start chewing and biting his bottle's nipple. He already has his 2 bottom teeth when he was 6 mos old. I checked on his top from gum and I saw some whitish color which look like two teeth will be coming out pretty soon. Tyler has just turned 7 mos old on the 23rd of January and he is growing bigger and bigger. He has mastered to roll over from his back to his tummy although he doesn't like to stay longer on his tummy because he would roll over on his back right away. he had learned to seat up by himself first before rolling over. Sometimes he gets frustrated because when he is on his tummy he would lift his chest higher as if he wants to crawl but he doesn't know how to do it yet. He has also learned to hold his bottle during feeding time and he loved to be in his walker. he would take off and run especially when he sees our dog "bandit" run. He has learned to grab things and when you take it from him he would cry. He has also learned to put his arms up high and then cry when he wants to be picked up. Tyler is a good and happy boy. I love every minute spending time with him. It is great to be a mom!

Rolled over for the first time

2010-01-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am so happy and proud of my baby because finally for the very first time he rolled over on his tummy without my help. I put him Tyler on the floor in the living room after he got tired of his jumper. We have been waiting for this time for Tyler to learn to roll over because he is already 6 mos. I have taught him how to do it although we know that he can do it because he could roll on his side close to enough to get on to his tummy but he won't do it himself. He an roll over from his tummy to his back first though. He was on the floor for awhile while I was folding our clean laundry and hubby was watching TV. Then hubby just told me, "honey look, (pointing Tyler) that he was on his tummy. So, I quickly grab the camera and took pictures of him before he roll on his back. And so hubby and I clapped our hands and applauded him for doing a great job.

There he goes....

Health insurance for the family

2010-01-12T11:34:00.003-07:00

I have been working as a CNA for almost 4 months now and have not enrolled to any health insurance plan from our company because it is so expensive. Hubby and I are still shopping online for cheaper health plan for the family. We are also looking into getting affordable dental plan for both of us. As I am looking and searching online I came across with Ameriplan and have check on their medical plan which I could not believe since they are a lot cheaper compared to most of the medical plan that I already checked. So, I just told hubby to check their website and see if it’s the right one that we need and if they offer vision plan aside from the health, prescription and dental plan and how much it would cost the entire family for a total health insurance package. If they were the most affordable healthcare insurance we would definitely sign up for it.

Update

2010-01-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Time flies by so fast I that I have not updated my blog for months. I have been so busy with work and home. Anyways, let me share you of what's going on about my little one. Tyler is already 6 months and 3 weeks old and he is great. At 6 mos, his two bottom teeth came out already which is really early compared to some of my friend's son's teeth started to come out at 10 months. Tyler had started eating solid foods (gerber) and he likes bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, prunes. applesauce but green beans. We introduce him to sippy cup last night with diluted apple juice in it and he did pretty good.

Auto parts

2009-10-29T17:44:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for any auto parts that offers the cheapest price online, check it out at Auto Parts Point. They sell a wide variety of vehicle parts for cars, SUV’s trucks and many more. Whether you are looking for power steering gears, racks, pumps to electronic device for your vehicle such as navigation unit, CD or DVD players, radios and many more Auto Parts Point has it all. So check it out at www.autopartspoint.com and get a free shipping when you spend $50 on all your orders.

Wooden Window Blinds

2009-10-29T11:59:00.000-06:00

It’s my second day off work today and I am enjoying spending more time with my baby. It has been snowing here in the valley for two days. To me it’s still too early to get some snow. I think it was in the month of November last year when we got the first snow. I wish I could get some more sleep during the day but our bedroom doesn’t have good blinds to make it darker for me to be able to fall asleep. I told hubby to get new blinds in the bedroom, maybe wooden blinds will do much better. I found a place that offers 50% off on all kinds of window blinds at Window Blinds Direct which I believe is a great deal. If you need new blinds for your home check it out at Window Blinds Direct.

Car seats, out of cars, a hazard for U.S. kid

2009-10-28T10:09:00.000-06:00

Just learn this news today which is very much important for the safety of my baby. Never do this with your baby.

"Parents and caregivers who place car seats on beds, kitchen counters and other places outside the car injured 43,000 U.S. children over five years, researchers reported on Monday.
More than 3,400 of the children were injured badly enough to require hospitalization, the researchers told a meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Many families learn the importance of strapping an infant car seat into a vehicle, but they do not learn about the dangers of using infant car seats as carriers or placing them on countertops or beds," Dr. Shital Parikh of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center told the meeting.
Most of the children were injured on the head, but they also broke leg and arm bones, he said.
"When parents or caregivers place the infant car seat on top of a table or elevated surface, the infant can wiggle and end up toppling off out of the seat onto the floor, which can lead to severe injuries," Parikh said in a statement.
"Another accident that can happen is the turning over of the car seat on to a soft surface, which can lead to suffocation."
Parikh used a Consumer Products Safety Commission database to make his calculations."

Source: Reuters

Got my Green Card

2009-10-09T23:21:00.000-06:00

Just got home from work an hour ago. I asked hubby if I have any mail and he said I got one from California. I was expecting my Permanent Resident Card to come anytime since I already got a letter from the US Immigration that my application for Removing of Condition as a Permanent Resident has been approved. When I saw the envelop it was from the Immigration. I opened it immediately and yes! it was indeed my Green Card. Finally, got my 10 year Green Card. I'm glad that I was approved without any interview. Hubby congratulated me. My next step will be applying for naturalization to be a citizen next year three months before my 3 years of permanent residency here in the US.

Furniture

2009-10-02T23:45:00.002-06:00

It’s been a month since we moved in to a new home. We liked it here very much because everything is accessible. My mom-in-law has moved in with us and we loved to have her in the family. She is checking on modern furniture she could put in her bedroom. There is a good place to shop online for modern or even Contemporary furniture that suits everyone’s style and taste when it comes to furniture needs. If you are looking for furniture of any kind that’s a real deal for your bedroom, living room, or your kitchen, Modern Furniture Warehouse has them all.

Work

2009-10-02T23:19:00.000-06:00

Just got home from work as a CNA at a nursing home facility. It's my second day today and it went good. It's not easy but it's worth and rewarding to help take care of the residents. I'm on the second shift from 2 pm til 10 at night which I think works best for me. This is my first job ever here in the US and I can't wait to get my pay check. It feels so good to be able to help with hubby in our financial needs.

Halloween Deals

2009-09-30T17:39:00.000-06:00

It’s the last day of the month of September. Halloween will be coming pretty soon. Hubby and I are planning to get Tyler a Halloween costume. The other week, we were looking for different costumes that would fit Tyler but we couldn’t find one plus they cost a lot. So, I am thinking about shopping online because I know a lot of these online stores will be offering discounts for Halloween costumes and I might be able to find great Halloween deals from among these online stores. There are some websites that offer coupon codes for these online stores where you can get discounts like 10% to 50% off. A great savings to avail for sure.

Laboratory Assistant Careers

2009-09-30T17:18:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for job opening in healthcare start your search through laboratoryassistantjobs.com where you can browse and find information about different jobs in healthcare in your local area and around the country. Laboratory Assistant Jobs is a great source for laboratory assistant careers. So check it out now, download your resume and browse your future career for free!

Three months old

2009-09-30T17:16:00.000-06:00

Tyler is now 3 months and 1 week old, I couldn't beleive how fast the day goes by and how fast a baby can grow. My little one has been doing great. At 3 months he can make different sounds now. He goos and gurgles more and more. I have been teaching him to say mama and dada and I have been talking to him. It's really fun when he starts talking back to me even though the words he utters they are not recognizable yet. I loved to tickle him when I change his clothes because he would laugh out loud. I have been teaching him to hold his bottle when I am feeding him. He started holding his bottle although he can't control his hands yet. Last night, while I was feeding him I showed hubby how he held his bottle and he was very surprised at Tyler holding his bottle.

Baby Safe Travel

2009-09-19T16:48:00.000-06:00

Mommies have you checked babysafetravel.com? It’s a very informative and useful site for all mommies to keep their babies safe especially when it comes to traveling. You can book your trips from this site and find out baby travel tips for safety travel with your baby. Get your baby travel gears such as strollers, baby carriers, travel gears, harness buddy and other baby stuffs by checking out their baby boutique. You can also check their baby blogs and share your baby photos and travel stories and maybe win prizes. So check them out now.

Another car

2009-09-18T14:05:00.000-06:00

I’m so excited to start working, I will be driving 17 miles everyday to go to work and get back home. Since my step daughter has been using my car to go to her work, we might be needing another car at some point. She might end up not having any car to if I drove my car or hubby can take me to work to drop me off and pick me up but it’s going to a big hassle for him especially if my schedule will be on the evening or night shift. If we get another car, we would need to get car insurance for it which is another expenses. Hubby is checking for car insurance quotes online to check for the cheapest car insurance we could get then.

I got the job!

2009-09-18T13:49:00.003-06:00

Got great news today! I just received a call from Angela who interviewed me the other day for the CNA job I applied for and told me that they already did the background check for me and it was all good. She said I’m ready to go and asked me when I would like to start for my training. I told her, I would like to start on Monday. She said I could start my training on the evening shift from 2 pm til 10 pm and I said that it’s fine with me. She also said I could come in at 1:00 in the afternoon to sign some papers before I begin my training. Geeze! I’m so excited but nervous at the same time. This will be my first job here in the U.S.

It's Friday!

2009-09-18T13:08:00.000-06:00

Another Friday and another weekend, days are coming by so fast. Tyler is growing fast too! I could not believe that he will be 3 months old on the 23rd of this month. I have observed a lot of changes on Tyler within the last couple of months. Physically, he is growing up for sure. He's been more alert during the day, he only take short naps and he sleeps more during the night. Last night he slept at around 7 p.m. and woke up at around 4 in the morning. Last night was the longest time he slept. He went back to sleep at 4:45 a.m. after I fed him, then woke up again at 6:15. He always wake up in the morning with a happy mood. He smiles, laughs and coo especially when I start talking to him. He is exploring his voice, he makes sounds as if he wants to talk to me or his dad. Sometimes I would tickle him and he would laugh so loud. Oh, it makes my day when I see him laugh!

Job application

2009-09-16T20:18:00.004-06:00

I was checking the internet earlier looking for a job opening here in the valley. I was looking for CNA job since I have my license for a year now and I wanted to have the experience which is really needed for my license to be renewed next year. Luckily, I found one job being posted through our county’s workforce center website. Since, I don’t have my car because my step daughter has been using it I told hubby to take me to the nursing home facility which is about 17 miles from home, so I could apply and fill out the application for the said job. I went there and fill out the application and was interviewed right away. The lady who interviewed me was so nice and I liked the way she interviewed me because it was just a casual conversation which helped me felt at ease. She told me to go ahead and take my urine sample for drug test, I did it right there in the facility. The result was negative then she told me they will do background check. She said when everything is done, they will call me back. I think I got the job, I hope so. I’m excited to start my first job. While I was inside the facility hubby was parked outside waiting for me. I tried to call his phone to tell him that it will take me for awhile to come out from the facility but he didn’t answer. I thought his phone died on him but thought it shouldn’t be because he had his iphone car charger and he can charge it. Then it crossed my mind that he might have forgotten his iphone at home. He always forget his phone that I have to remind him about it every time we go out but forgot to remind him this time.

Hubby has been using his iphone for more than 6 months now and he liked it a lot. I’m thinking of having one in the future when my Nokia celphone won’t function anymore. When he bought his iphone he also bought an iphone case for it. He asked me if I would want a new celphone during that time but I said no because my celphone is still working good. Hmmm, I was just too shy and was hesitant to tell him I want a new one like his iphone. Ha,ha,…. Well if my celphone die on me and won’t be any good I will tell him I would like an iphone too and would like also to get iphone accessories with it. I already know where to find those iphone accessories and it's at mobilefun.co.uk where everything about mobile phones are found in this place.

Oriental Store

2009-09-16T12:22:00.000-06:00

We just got home from the Oriental store and bought the main stuffs I need for cooking like Silver Swan soy sauce, Datu Puti vinegar, and two bags of Mung Beans and red beans. I also bought 2 cans of sardines and wheat noodles (misua). Too bad the Oriental store we have here in Grand Junction is not that big and doesn't carry as much Filipino products. Though we have Filipino store also but it's not as big either and the owner sold the business to another Filipina but until now I haven't gone to where it is located now since the store has moved to another location.

I need new return address labels

2009-09-12T16:22:00.000-06:00

My brother’s wife has just delivered her second baby girl last June. Her baby is about Tyler’s age since they are only couple of weeks a part. She said she needs a “snuggly” to use to help her carry her baby while doing chores in the house and since I have two “snuggly” I’m thinking about sending the other one to her. I already packed the stuff and ready to put the address on the package when I remember that I won’t be able to use our return address labels since we have a new home address now. Well, I guess I just have to write down our address on the package for now. I know there is a good place to order those return address labels like 123prints.com where thousands of designs are available to choose from and you can personalize your design too at very affordable price.

Moving with ease

2009-09-11T13:58:00.000-06:00

We have finally settled in our new home and have been here for 11 days. It took us about couple of months to find the right place to move. Almost everyday hubby and I go out and drive around the valley to check for houses for rent that is close by the old home we had lived since hubby’s two younger children goes to school near that area. We are so glad that finally we found the right place we were looking for. It’s just approximately 6 miles from where we used to live and we are accessible to everywhere because we are in the downtown area now. Moving is really stressful, I am just happy that we moved close by and we didn’t have to move to another state which we thought we might. It would have been more stressful and more costly for sure. Although moving to another state might still happen in the future if hubby gets a good paying job and be able to buy another house since the house we left was foreclosed. Yes, it was foreclosed because we couldn’t afford to pay the monthly mortgage anymore after hubby’s working hours were cut off in January and eventually lost the job in March. Hubby is one of the million Americans who lost his job and we are one of those families who have lost home because of the recession. Well, that’s life and it’s all good for now. I know there are a lot of people who have moved from another place because of what’s going on with our economy.

Speaking of moving, I know of a site that offers a lot of information and guide when it comes to moving. It’s called moveme.com where you can find a comprehensive information, resources and guide to help you move into your new home with ease. Whether you are selling or buying a house, Move Me will help you get all the necessary information to help you accomplish your task because they provide you with information on how to find a good Conveyancing Solicitor that would help you know the legal process on buying or selling a property. If you are looking for House Conveyancing or Property Conveyancing services in the UK, Move Me will help you find the leading household companies in the area. Planning to move soon? Check out moveme.com and make your moving easy and less stressful. It’s absolutely free to sign up!

Colds

2009-09-04T13:48:00.001-06:00

I started snezzing and my throat got sore last monday and the next day it got worst. I took some medicine for colds and sore throat and I'm glad that it got better and I didn't get cough. Now, Tyler has the colds and I think he has sore throat too. He is good at dealing with it too. I thought he will have a hard time last night but he slept good even if has stuffy nose. He was fussy earlier but he finally fall asleep. It's hard when babies get sick. I start checking the internet about how to treat baby's colds and here's what I found out.

How should you treat baby's cold?

No medicine will make a virus go away faster, but you can help your baby feel better and prevent the infection from getting worse by making sure he gets plenty of rest and liquids. For babies under 4 months, that means breast milk or formula. At 4 months your baby can also have a little water, and at 6 months he can start drinking juices.

Since most children can't master nose blowing until about age 4, here are a few ways to help ease your baby's congestion.

• Tip your baby's head back and squeeze over-the-counter saline (salt water) drops into his nostrils to loosen up the mucus. Then suction out the liquid and mucus a few minutes later with a rubber bulb syringe. If your baby is having trouble nursing with a stuffy nose, try this tactic about 15 minutes before a feeding. He'll then be able to breathe and suck at the same time. Apply petroleum jelly to the outside of your baby's nostrils to reduce irritation. (Don't use nasal sprays on your baby unless his doctor says it's okay. They may work temporarily but can cause a rebound effect in which the congestion gets worse with continued use.)

• Use a humidifier or a cool-mist vaporizer to moisten the air in your baby's room. Or take your baby into the bathroom with you, turn on the hot water, close the door, and sit in the steamy room for about 15 minutes. A warm bath can accomplish the same thing.

• Elevate the head of your baby's mattress by placing a couple of towels between the head of the mattress and the crib springs. Sleeping at a slight incline may help relieve his postnasal drip, but don't overdo it. If your baby is a restless sleeper, he could end up flipping around so his feet are higher than his head, defeating the purpose of the elevation. (Never use pillows to prop up your baby as they could suffocate him. And don't put anything under the legs of the crib because that could make it unstable.) You might even consider letting your baby snooze in his car seat in a semi-upright position.

Source: babycenter.com

Personalised Christmas cards

2009-09-02T20:56:00.000-06:00

I can’t believe we are now in the last quarter of the year. Gee, time flies by so fast! Christmas is getting closer for sure. How I miss my family in the Philippines. It’s the month of September and in the Philippines you can start feeling the Christmas season as you start hearing Chistmas jingles and songs over the radio beginning this month. Christmas is right around the corner, better get ready with your gifts and presents for the family and love ones. If you love sending cards during the yuletide season why not send personalised Christmas cards which you can choose your own style and express how you feel for your love ones this Christmas season. Check 123print.co.uk and choose from among a hundred of designs of Christmas cards. Get a personalised message and name in different colors of your choice and upload photos, logos and images to your Christmas cards for free.

New place

2009-09-02T20:27:00.000-06:00

We have just moved to a new place that's why I haven't updated my blog for several days. We have been busy packing and moving our things since Monday. We like the place we live right now. We are still in the same city and state, we just moved less than 10 miles away from the old place. I'm glad that our internet connection was installed earlier. Things are doing well, though we are still busy unpacking and organizing all of our stuffs in the house.