NEWEST BLOGGER

My mom is going to be a great blogger. She already had her own blogspot account but has neglected it as she forgot her password. Yesterday, she sent me an instant message via yahoo that she remembered her password. Now, she is busy updating her blog, trying to tweak her layout and of course trying to get some followers and traffic to her site. She is already a member of Entrecard but has no idea how to put the code on her blog layout. I told her that there is also another way to get visitors and traffic to her site. She has to check out web directory submission and see how she can go about submitting her site. I should also do that since my traffic has gone down ever since I stopped dropping on Entrecard members. I still get a few visitors to my site but I want to build my readership again. So I guess my mom and I are heading to the same site and see if it help with the traffic.

I EARN FROM HOME

I can't believe that it has been two years that I have been blogging and earning online. Time flies when your having fun but slows down when your not. My love for blogging started when one of my friends encouraged me to get my own blogger account. Since I am a stay at home mom she said it would be a good additional income for me. I was sceptical at first but I tried it just for the heck of it. It was confusing at first since I didn't know anything at all. I had to really build up my readership and got told that getting my side on web directories can increase my traffic and get more visibility from the search engine. It couldn't have lasted in the blogging world without the help and advice from other fellow blogger. Now even as a stay at home mom, I am earning a small amount from blogging and I love it. It gives me the freedom of being home and be at my own time and I get to stay with my girls.

YOUNGER DAYS

The only bad time that I had mild acne was in my college years. It was on the summer that I was 19 years old. I spent that fun and amazing summer at my grandparents in Ormoc,Philippines. Waking up one morning with a mild case of acne was alarming to me. I usually don't have skin problems and was worried how that happened. The weather must have had a lot to do with it and the stress of Summer job. Waking up early in the morning and not sleeping early, eating so much fatty food, dust and dirt from the constant compute. That really took a toll on my face and it didn't help that I didn't shield my face from the hard heat of the sun. It was when I got back to Cebu that I finally caught up with taking care of my face again. I promised to myself that I would not let it get bad ever again and I would take better care of my face.

HIS BROTHERS

There I was again hanging out with my two handsome BIL's. From left-right is Larry who is the middle child, me and of course Angelo the oldest brother. The first BIL that I met almost 4 years ago was Angelo. I must admit I was scared about meeting him, but it was four naught. He is such a kind soul that reminded me of my sister so much. As for Larry it was a different story. I was scared out of my pants about meeting him. He seemed so quite and more reserved. I eventually warmed up to him completely when I was about 7 months pregnant. I was craving so much for Dunkin Donuts, we stopped at one and he bought me donuts. I also wanted munchkins and he got me a whole box. From then on, I knew that he had accepted me into his family. He may not be around much but I know he things of us and is always good to my girls. This photo was taken last month at Angelo's sons wedding. We were all so full from the good food and was just having a good time talking and catching up. I love my brother-in-laws and I hope they love me to,lol

FILE IT SAFE

It has been 2 years since Ralph won his court battle to gain residential custody of his daughter. He fought hard to get her back. Due to the expense he had to let go of his lawyer and did it on his own. His battle with the court was just starting when I got here in America. Ralph was constantly on the computer reading about custody and how to do it on his own. My husband is a very intelligent man and found the resources he needed on the internet. One of our guest room was full papers, files, documents and more file about his the custody battle. We had a photocopier, fax machine to help with his and all the motions he had to file. What he needed back then was document imaging to keep track of all his file. Even though he won the custody of his little girl that does not mean that it is over. We still need to keep track of all the file and motions that he had and the basement is not a good place for all of that. Hopefully Ralph still has all his documents in one place and is safe and dry. I would hate to think of him loosing his files.

COMFY AND STURDY

On my trip to the Philippines I got a chance to experience sleeping on the floor once again. We were suppose to stay in a Hotel but it didn't turn out the way we expected it.. The hotel was horrible, the room was barely decent and the surrounding was dirty and transportation was bad. My mom's house had one spare room but had no air conditioning. Her room was the only one that had air conditioning so we camped in her room. Luckily her bed was big and my MIL slept with my mom. I was worried for my MIL since she had RA and is not used to my mom's bed. But she survived and even like my her bed. With visitors coming and going in my moms room I was worried that her bed would give out on her. If It did, she would be happy with pine beds for a choice replacement. Thank God her bed is not only comfortable but also sturdy and strong. Now, for our guest room I wouldn't mind getting my hand on those beautiful and well crafted bed , maybe I can even try to persuade Ralph into replacing our bed, lol.

CAKE FOR TWO

October 22, Friday was the day that the two of the most important persons in my life celebrated their birthday. My husband, Ralph turned 41 and our baby girl Kaitlyn turned 3. Until now, I still cannot believe that she was actually born on her daddy's birthday. Even then she already had a mind of her own.

Three years ago on February 19, 2007 we found out that I was expecting my first child and Ralph's second. We were excited but Ralph was specially ecstatic when he found out that my due date is his birthday. When I reached my 39th week we decided to schedule and Induction on his birthday which is also her due date. On that fateful morning of October 22, 2007 at around 2 a.m in the morning, I was woken up with extreme pain. I stood up and walked towards the end of the bed. I squatted by the end of the bed when Ralph woke up. He knew right away that I was in pain and just asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I just nodded and he changed to wake up his mom. Before 4 a.m. we were already in the hospital and I was admitted. Since I was already scheduled for an Induction on that day they still went with the medication to speed up my labor even more.

To cut the story short, I gave birth to Kaitlyn at past 3 p.m., her daddy and grandma was there to witness her coming into this world. Ralph cut the umbilical cord that attached her to me. I cried a bucket of tears from pure joy and just happiness. We all cried and thankful that I had an easy delivery.

To celebrate both Ralph and Kaitlyn's birthday, I baked my very first birthday cake. I also planned a party for both of them the very next day and stayed up until 4 in the morning cooking, baking and icing. Honestly, I don't think my cake looked that bad. Still I am very proud of my work and I made this out of love.

Happy Happy Birthday to both of my loves, Ralph and Kaitlyn...I love you

GET RID OF BLOATING

On my recent trip to the Philippines I noticed that my mom got heavier. I also noticed that her weight gain looks like bloating and water retention. If she stays out to long with the heat, she gets so bloated. I was also surprise that when I went back to my home country my feet got so swollen. It was just due to the long flight but the heat just wreak havoc on my system. My worries are about my mom though, she has a heart condition and water retention is not good for her health.My mom has done her homework and knows that she can find natural diuretics in most foods and herbal supplement. My mom knows I'm not to found of herbal supplements so she told me of the fruits that can reduce water retention since I tend to get that when I am also on my period. At least its good to know that Lettuce and all Melons are fruits that I love which happens to help reduce water retention. If your like me, worry no more. Natural diuretics can be found in our local supermarket and stores.

SKIN PROBLEMS

Winter season brings about the dryness of my skin. I am glad to say that I don't usually have any problems with acne in the cold weather. I'm guessing due to the cold, my pores are closed and thus minimizes the breakouts. However in the Summer, I do get the occasional skin breakouts. With the heat, the pores are more open and it gets clogged by dirt and sweat. That's probably why my cousin that lives in the Philippines get a lot of acne breakouts when its hot. He clearly needs to check on solutions for acne. It's not enough that he washes his face and cleanses it. He should know by now that he has to find the right solution for his skin problem. He has already asked me what my skin regiment is so he can at least try it. I advice him yet again, to see a Dermatologist and talk about proper ways to treat his acne problem. A professional that knows what needs to be done. To see a Dermatologist is on my to do list so I can consult about my hair and the uneven skin tone on my face. Its not an immediate need but have to see one before the end of the year.

WARDING OFF THE CHILL

Today was just another brutal reminder that cold weather is coming hard and fast. I literally fear situations about me staying out in the cold weather. We haven't started turning on the heater in the house but I am starting to feel the sting of chill in my bones. On really cold and windy days I wish that Ralph would look into wood stoves and finding out if it would be possible for us to get one. It would really save us big time on the heating bill. And I would be toasty warm and even If I did have to go outside, I can look forward to sitting by the wood stove to get the chill out from my bones. Ralph's nephew just got married last Saturday and they have a wood stove in their house. They swear that it kept them warm at the height of the winter storm last season and kept their electricity bill low. That is one of the major house project that Ralph and I will have to really work hard on. Both of us wants a fireplace or wood stove in the house but we have to think wisely about where we are going to put it and how much its going to cost us to put it in. As of now, I guess I will have to make do with my handy dandy portable heater.

CLEAR BLUE

On cold and windy day like today reminds me of how much I miss Summer and our swimming pool. Make me appreciate the cool water against the glare of the heat beating down on my skin. The crystal clear water that just begs you to dive in and get wet. The kids missed the swimming pool and the way it was in the summer. They miss going outside in just their shorts, short sleeves and flip flops. The clear blue waters have now been covered by a black tarp, soon to be covered in leaves and small twigs. I am just thankful that we winterized our pool without any incident and damage. I cannot wait to open the pool up again next season..

WHAT TO GET

I am in a look out for a good electronic and gadget sale. Why you may ask? My husband's birthday is coming up fast and I have yet to find the perfect gift for him. My husband only wants one thing for his birthday and that is he gets an ice cream cake. I have told him a million times that Kaitlyn was my gift to me almost 3 years ago and will continue to be my gift for the next 15 years,lol. But seriously, I want to get him something that can put a smile on his face. I'm not really into gadget and electronics but I'm pretty sure I can find something, perhaps more of those hard drives. Knowing my husband he will just say not to worry about him and instead of buying for him to just buy something for Kaitlyn who happens to share his birth date,lol.

CUTTING DOWN

Having 3 cars has taken its effect on Ralph and our financial situation. The auto insurance coverage is awesome but with 3 cars its just to much. If we trade the truck and jaguar and get a reliable but great car we would be saving a whole lot. Enough to make a difference on our daily living. He is waiting for his loan to get through so he can start looking for a car. I would surely miss the truck as its the car we use when its snowing. Ralph doesn't use the truck on a daily basis. In the summertime he does get a lot of use when he has to dump twigs and grass clippings to the dumpsters. Its also a great vehicle if have something big to transport. The Jaguar is usually Ralph's go to car. He takes it to him to work and home. Its also the car we use if we have to travel light, lol. I hope that the loan go through so that Ralph can breathe a big sigh of relief when our car payment go down as well as the auto insurance.

FALLING LEAVES

Took this photo last year, it's the tree in front of our neighbors house. This is always the first tree to start loosing its green foliage that turned red to brown in a just a few short days. Fall is indeed staking its claim on the land and trees, preparing them for the freezing blast of winter. I am the very first one in our family to complain and whine about the weather turning cold. My husband is the second one to whine with him having to rake and bag all the leaves. The kids love any weather but fall and winter brings about a new adventure for both. The joy of helping daddy rake the leave only to have them scatter it about when they dive in to jump in the pile of leaves. They don't mind the cold weather nor the bulkiness of their coats. It is enough for them that they get to go outside and run about.. I feel for my kids specially in the Winter time they are going to be locked in the house most of the time. My kids cannot wait for the sky to break open and let loose its white powder called snow.

ANOTHER WEDDING

This coming Saturday will be the wedding of Andrew and Wendy. The groom is my MIL's grandson. We will be heading out to New Jersey once again to witness the union of these two couple. Before the wedding I heard Wendy and my SIL talking about finding a Wedding Jewelry that is meaningful to both of them. In today's generation wedding jewelry is part of the ceremony already. Specially for middle eastern weddings, brides are adorned with different kinds of wedding jewelry. Either from the groom or from the brides family. I have seen proof of that from watching Platinum Wedding on television. But anyway, we hope that the weather will cooperate on Saturday. The wedding will be held outside the backyard of their house. I have already picked out outfits for the girls and myself, got the card and gift and of course I got to help MIL cook the food she volunteered to bring.

INSURE THE FUTURE

The one thing that I have noticed here in America is that people take the time to invest on affordable life insurance for themselves or their whole family. Back in the Philippines, I only knew a handful of people who are able to get life insurance. At first I didn't understand why Ralph was so adamant about finding the right life insurance specially for him in his line of work. He explained that if ever something happens to him, I can have help about taking care of my kids. It may not be much but it will be enough. I'm safe to say that all of us have life insurance and that if something even happens to both me and Ralph my kids will have something. How I wish my mom and sister back home could afford to get life insurance specially health insurance. It could make a big impact on their health needs and cover most of the cost. If only they were living here in America. Hopefully in the near future I may be able to convince my mom to migrate here in America.

OLD FRIENDS

The joy of seeing old friends again is a memory worth keeping. That is Kuya Roi and Ate Richie in the picture with me. I met up with them at Ayala in Cebu. Even though it was just a short meeting we still got a chance to talk about our kids and how our lives have been and how we miss each other. Both of them have been my friends for almost 10 years and we have always tried to keep in touch. I didn't get to see some of my friends in college but I was thinking of them and how much I wanted to stay longer. I got Ate Richie, her mom and her two cute boys a couple of stuff. Its apparent from the bag that I got her Victoria Secret. I know she would just as happy even if I didn't get them anything, just the thought that I made time to meet up with them would be enough for both of them. They have protected me and have kept me in their hearts. I am so thankful to have friends like them. Next time, we will hang out longer and talk about the past, present and future.

NEED ENCOURAGEMENT

I must admit that I am the person to talk to when it comes to dieting, exercise and loosing weight. I am lazy as a sloth or worse. Loosing weight is not an easy task at all, most people don't even have to worry about loosing weight for the reason that they are just naturally small, or skinny. If there is a website that explains how to lose weight for idiots, I would be the first one to sign up. I dont even know how to count calories and watch what I eat. Sure I do go on diets and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it still not enough. To make matters worse, the weather is getting cold and I always make excuses about eating a lot and telling people I'm hibernating. What am I, an animal?If only both my husband and I would do it together and encourage each other we may succeed. It's vital both my husband and I have to start thinking hard about eating healthy and staying healthy for our kids. A healthy body is also a productive body.