BEHIND THE GIFT LIES THE THOUGHT

It finally arrived! My balikbayan box finally arrived after so many calls to Manila..I am just happy that it arrived and nothing was damaged or broken. Seeing my mom so happy made my day. Just in time for our trip going to Ormoc I still got to bring my small presents to my grandparent and see the joy in their eyes. I brought a lot of gifts for my female relatives but very few for my male relatives. I should have thought of getting a few urban clothes for my cousins. Lucky for me I only have 3 male cousins on my maternal side and I got them all a shirt. Next time I will have to plan what to bring ahead of time and really list it down and tag who it belongs to. It matters not the value of the material thing you gave but the thought behind it.I wish I could give them more but they also understand that I am just a simple housewife with very little income. Every smile and thank you wiped away the stress I felt when thinking about what to get them. I am so glad I came home with something for them. It may not have been much but it came from the heart, the thought was there.

WILL BE ON DIET SHORTLY

What a vacation it has been so far. The heat is still makes us weak and drains our energy but were getting better. We just arrived today from visiting my hometown in Ormoc City. I finally got to see my maternal grandparents once more. The drawback of going home is that food is aplenty. I ate everything that I laid my eyes on, I was on a see food diet ( if i see food i eat it). Too much eating fatty foods and just anything is wreaking havoc on my face. I think I am having a small breakout on my chin. When I go out tomorrow I will have to look for the best acne treatment that is compatible for me. I just hope it won't get to bad so I don't have to worry about it. Vacation time is suppose to be enjoying the food and being stress free. I'll worry about what I look like when I go home. I will definitely have to go on a diet...

ICY WATERS

What a long trip that was from Philadelphia to Cebu. Before our impending trip coming hope I dreaded the long flight specially since we were traveling with Kaitlyn and I know how she is when she gets bored. Thankfully she was an angel considering what a long flight it was. The most brutal leg of the trip was from Atlanta to Korea which was 13 1/2 hours. Lucky for Kaitlyn she gets to sleep lying down since she is small but unfortunate for both my MIL and I. At least we were sitting all together, we didn't have to disturb anybody when we had to stand up to go to the bathroom. See the picture on the right, that is a think a frozen river or lake or sea. If I'm not mistaken I took that while we flew over Canada or Russia. I thought it was clouds but when I took a closer look it was ice. Kaitlyn thought it was snowing out and wanted to play, lol. We really didn't get to see a lot of scenery while up in the sky since the windows have to be pulled down. Considering how long the flight was, we are just grateful that we arrive here in Cebu safe and sound.

WHAT TO BUY AND WHAT TO GIVE

Coming home to Cebu has been very stressful on me mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. Planning on what gifts to buy and what clothes to bring is so stressful. You have to write down each and everyone of your relatives so you wont forget to buy them something. The other hassle is thinking about the right thing to get for them specially the men. With the women I have no problems, I just buy a bunch of Victoria Secret stuff and give them out. The men on the other hand are more of a problem on what to get them. I bought some shirts for the male relatives but I got a headache thinking about the sizes and if it will fit or not. I was so tempted to just buy wholesale clothes to bring back home. I just hope that my relatives won't be disappointed with what I will be giving them. The important thing is it came from the heart and i thought of them. As the saying goes " It's the thought that counts ".

DOM -I- NIC

Got a big surprise today, my cousin Dominic came by to see me. We both got so emotional hugging each other, we missed each other so much. After the much needed hug we perused each other and smiled at how much we both have changed. According to him,I have not changed one bit and I still look young. As for him, he has gained a lot of weight since I last saw him. He still needs medication for his face, maybe pronexin can help control his acne and breakouts. I just miss him so much and we talked about the fun times we did while I was in Manila waiting for the process of my Visa. It was such fun times and memorable. For now he crashed on our couch and I am sure that when he wakes up we will start talking where we left off. I can't wait to see the rest of my relatives specially my maternal grandparents in a couple of days. I love my family!

MAMA 2

At long last my one and only sister Mitzi "chay" finally got to hold her first niece in her arms. She was so surprised to finally see Kaitlyn in person, can't believe she has such a small face. I could tell that the bond was automatic and she just loves her little niece. Mama 2 is what Kaitlyn calls my sister and was just talking away when we got in the car. It was like she knew my sister all along and no hesitation on her part. On the other hand my sister could not get over how small Kaitlyn's face was in person. It was so surreal watching the two of them together, my oldest sister and my daughter. My sister is good with people but she is specially great with kids. When my sister leaves at night to go home to her boarding house coz she has school the next day, Kaitlyn gives her a big hug and kiss. She looks for her Mama 2 as soon as she wakes up and constantly asks for her. As soon as my sister walks through the door she greets her with a big smile and a hug saying" you're home, I missed you". It makes my sister's day.

NO CAN DO

Coming back home for a visit is amazing. A lot of things have changed, everything looks the same but different. The weather is just crazy hot. It feels like your are in an oven and that every air in your body is being sucked out from you. I miss my home country but I have also learned to love my adopted country, America. The perks of coming back home is the joy of enjoying the foods I have missed. Only a few days of eating and I feel like I have gained more than 10 pounds and its all in my stomach. If my sister can make delicious food from an hcg diet recipes then I will be in heaven.I am on a vacation so I will eat whatever I want and will just deal with the consequence after my trip,lol.

MISSING US

Now that we are here in the Philippines I am very worried about my husband. Ralph is going to be working a whole lot and will be missing us. He already called to say that he doesn't think that he can make it 3 weeks without us. He already misses us a whole bunch and keeps calling. I worry about him though coz he will be working a lot to occupy his time. He needs the best multivitamin for men to keep him healthy. I have been meaning to get him some vitamins but i keep forgeting. I hope he gets rest and doesn't work to much. I know we need the money but his health is also very important to us. This is the first time that we have been away from each other since we got married. He is also worried about us while away from him. I miss you honey and we will be home soon.

GOT CHECKED

Kaitlyn at the Philadelphia Airport. We just got through security and had to wait for my MIL to get through. We woke up very early and it was a good thing we were at the airport 3 hours before our trip. My baggage was over 6 pounds but the Delta Agent let me go through without paying the excess, which I am thankful for. Since I am travelling with my MIL who is considered disable we were able to cut through the lines and got boarded first. Over all our plane ride to Atlanta went without a hitch.

POOL MAINTENANCE

The beauty of Summer is even more fun when you have a pool. One drawback though, it is a pain in the behind to maintain. Good thing my husband is in charge of all that and I only have to do very little when it comes to the swimming pool. He is proud of himself for keeping the pool clean and clear so far since it has been opened. The water did get a little cloudy one time that got him worried. I had to look for a water clarifier while I was at the store. It was either a lot of people were getting chemicals for their pool or the stores didn't have on hand stock coz I could not find one. They did have a bunch of chemicals and stuff for the spa like spa filters, spa water clarifier, spa shock and so on and so forth. It was a good thing that our neighbor did have the clarifier he needed. For now, the water is crystal clear and ready to be enjoyed.

MODERN LOOK TO OUR KITCHEN

Giving our kitchen a mini makeover did make a big improvement. It got a new coat of paint which is Aloe Vera. Got rid of that awful wall paper that has been peeling off the wall. We also got a new kitchen counter and new flooring. It was such a hassle before we got the counter. I did not have a sink for almost 3 weeks. Imagine my joy when I finally had my sink back and I got a double sink, even better. At first I didn't like the new faucet that Ralph picked. But it grew on me and its better this way, it looks tidier and easier to clean. If I am not mistaken, it is a Grohe faucet that is getting more popular than the regular faucet. Its gives our kitchen a modern look. I am just glad that I have my kitchen back and hopefully it will still look the same after we get back from our upcoming vacation.

LIL ANDRE AND GRANDMA

Little Andre with my MIL his great grandma. They came down last week so spend the weekend with us since we will be leaving for our vacation very soon. We won't be seeing them for quite some time. He will be turning a year old this coming August 13 if I am not mistaken. Andrew is such a sweet little boy and just play and smiles a lot. It amazes me that they just put him in the crib and he will sleep on his own. Kaitlyn never did that, my fault. He is already pulling himself up and standing on his own but is still hesitant on taking that first step. Kaitlyn was exactly 10 months old when she took her first step and by 10 1/2 she was already walking and wobbling along. Kids do develop at their own pace and when they are ready they will do for it. He loves the pool though but that day was just to breezy for him. All the same we want to thank Andrew's family for coming down to spend the weekend with us.

JUMP, SWIM, DIVE

Check out my baby girl!! She is only 2 1/2 years old, well almost 3 but look what she can do. She has been jumping in the pool like that since last year at 20 months old. I just put her in the life vest and that was it, no more holding her in the pool. It also helps that she has an older sister, she copies everything that her manang does. Lately, she has been trying to dive under the pool like her sister. She very much wants to touch the bottom of the pool but with the vest on she can't do that. Still, she loves to put her head in and look under water. I don't know how she does it but she never complains about getting water up her nose when she jumps in the pool. If she keeps this up by the time she is 5 she will probably be swimming on her own.

SUNNY AND HIS CAKE

Guess who just turned 1 year old last Jun 6, 2010? Our dog Sunny, a Labrador Retriever. We got him from my BIL Angelo when he was just a tiny puppy. And now he is so big but very gentle. I am not usually a dog lover but Sunny just barked his way into my heart with his gentleness and his goofiness. He is more like Kaitlyn's dog than aything, they play all day and he takes all the abuse from her. Sunny is a very protective dog, he will immediately come between Kaitlyn and us if he thinks that she is in danger. He is still a puppy and he has a playful side of jumping on the kids when he gets so riled up. With him being a big dog the kids get hurt but not that bad, they just get knocked down by him or get a few scratches from his nails.

Just look at my babies with their protector Sunny. I just had to go out last Sunday to get him a cake. After all he is a part of the family and he deserves it! Happy Happy Birthday baby boy!

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Have you noticed that with the changing of the season you change as well? There was one Summer where I was a lot younger, I had a terrible case of acne breakout. At first I really didn't pay attention to it nor took care of my face. It did got worse, now every time I look in the mirror and see the scars left from acne breakouts I have regrets. I should have taken medication or looked for natural acne treatment that could have helped control it. My mom was not happy to find out that I did not treat it right away. From that time on, I try to put medication to control my breakouts before they get any worse. Thankfully I only have a couple of scars left from that experience. My problem now is about uneven skin tone and find something that can help me in that area.