RELAXED DAY

Today was slow and relaxed day for me. Kayla had a sleep over at our neighbors house with her best friend Tracy. I can't say I slept in with the princess bruiser trying to wake me up every 10 minutes. BIL Angelo came by the house so Ralph could take him somewhere to try for a job. Ralph also had a few errands to run while he was out and took Kayla with them. When they all got back we usually gather around in the kitchen and had something to eat. We talked about the recent snow storms and how everybody is still digging themselves out. MIL got a chance to talk to her boys about getting a colon and body cleanse that would be helpful to her health. She really wants to get this done and wanted to find to find out more about it. Since she will be turning 67 this Feb 28 she only wants to make sure she is healthy and strong. Besides it always good to find out about your physical well being before you get sick and things get worse.

SLEEPING IN OR NOT

Winter has been harsh on the east coast. We have been hit not just one but two snowstorm in a matter of a week. Kayla had no school for the whole week due to the inclement weather. I would think I'd get to sleep in the morning since we didn't have to wake up early. I was totally wrong, I sleep in my kids room and they do not sleep in. The latest that they woke up this whole week was around 7:30 a.m., are you freaking kidding me? How can you go back to sleep with a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old jumping up and down the bed and crawling all over you. Plus you hear all the yelling and screaming of going after the same toys. I have eye bags underneath my eye bags and dark circles under my eye that could put a raccoon to shame. My husband wonders why I look so tired when he sees me and worries about me in the process. The problem that I had with eye bags before just got worse. Its high time I get some best eye creams that is out in the market. I'm sure finding the right cream for my eye bags and dark circles isn't going to be a problem. I wish sand man would sprinkle a little extra sleeping dust on my kids so they can sleep in and I can finally get rid of my eye baggage,lol..

SO FAR SO GOOD THIS WINTER

You know what, winter has not been that at all bad to me. I usually get very dry skin in the winter and dry flaky scalp but this year I didn't get too bad. Since winter dries out my skin I don't worry about my skin breaking out. However, I do worry in the spring and summer time since my skin is more oily and my pores tends to get clogged. Adult acne is pretty common than most people think. We usually associate acne with growing up but that is not the case all the time. Stress either from work or home, environmental,food intake, cosmetic products, lack or sleep and many more can be a factor for skin breakouts. It's important that we take care of our skin and keep it clean at all times to avoid any skin irritations that could lead to breakouts or acne. For those who keep getting those annoying breakouts and it seems like most over the counter treatment don't work, a trip to your nearest Dermatologist is in order.

WORMS IN MY FUTURE

Sometimes being a stay at home mom can be very boring when you are faced with the same thing over and over again. I enjoy being a stay at home mom, I know a few people who envy me that I get to stay with my kids, take care of them and be there for them 24/7. It becomes so monotonous though, you don't enjoy what you are doing anymore. A time does come that you want to just go out and find yourself. I kind of promised myself that as soon as my youngest starts school I will be free like a bird and go look for worms, a job that is. It's been 3 years since I last work, I wonder if I am still capable of staying as focus and dedicated. With the economic situation we are all facing right now it makes me wonder how many resumes I have to send out. Looking for a job is by no means an easy task, my working skill are all but rusty. I guess i will eventually find out in 3 years since by that time if we don't have another baby Kaitlyn will be in school most of the time.

WHITE IS BRIGHT

We got buried in more than a foot of snow once again. Like most people we have not really had the chance to dig ourselves from the first snow storm then we got hit again by another one. I remembered one Meteorologist said that the second storm was like adding insult to injury. Thank God that we don't have any problem that comes with a lot of snow. I have not really cleaned the house and most specially washed the floor since its all going to get wet and dirty again. My thinking was, wash the floors when all the snow has melted. Yeah right, I don't know how long its going to be before all this snow melts and we will be back to normal. What gets me now is the freezing cold when you go outside and the glaring whiteness of the surrounding. With the stark whiteness outside we get more lights which is good but also bad at the same time. Looking outside gives me headaches and wish that we had put up blinds in the playroom. Its the only part in the house except the kitchen that doesn't have it. I should just let the curtains down but the kids enjoy looking outside at the snow and it also saves on light.

A SEA OF SNOW

Bbbrrrrggggghhhhhh! As you may well know Washington, Baltimore Maryland, Delaware, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and New York was hit by a big snow storm that started last Friday Feb. 5 and went on until the next day Feb 6,2010. Most schools in the Northern part had early dismissal in case the storm started early. The first snow flakes didn't start falling until around 3:30 in the afternoon and it was so small that you could barely see it. Around 4 was when it stated coming down fast but not as hard. I was so worried with hubby at work with the slippery road there is bound to be a lot of accidents.

The very next day we were all greeted by a sea of snow all around us. Our front porch was covered by about 2-5 inches of snow. Even though the storm hasn't stopped I hurriedly bundled up the kids so they could play outside.

My poor princess bruiser got buried and stuck so many times that she just wanted to be carried. She could not walk in the deep snow for fear of getting her feet stuck.

That is how deep the snow is in front of the house. It's over Kayla's knee but that didn't stop her from walking around and exploring the stark vast area covered with snow.
Amazingly a bald patch of ground was left underneath this tree beside our house. The wind and drift of snow skipped this area and left it with not even half and inch of snow. I tell you this was the only spot outside that didn't get buried with snow.

The whole family minus me of course since I am the photographer. Our dog is even present beside Kaitlyn enjoying the cool snow on his body. Like the good daddy that he is, he woke up to play with his kids even if he had to go to work a few hours after.

BREATHING CLEAN AIR

Winter is the time where parents are on high alert when it comes to cold, fever, cough and so many more. I not only dread the winter but I worry if my kids are going to get sick. My youngest is only 26 months old and when she gets sick I worry so much. The first time she got a bad cold was when she was less than 3 months old. She was so stuffed up and had such a hard time breathing. Our Pediatrician encouraged us to get a cold mist humidifier to help with her breathing. Not only did we buy one but Ralph got two, one for each kids room. The only problem I have with the humidifier is changing the filters constantly. Speaking of filters, we have to look into putting an air filter in our house. It's important that our kids breath clean air specially inside the house. That is on our to do list to improve the living condition in our home. Having a good air filter helps with the allergens in the air. Now where was I? Back to the humidifier, I go to tell Ralph to buy a filter when he goes out to buy the salt tomorrow. There is going to be snowstorm starting tomorrow so preparations are in order.

POWER BALL

Like most people I do have dreams about winning the lottery and hitting it big. Did you know that the first time I tried my hands and buying a ticket for the Powerball I won $7. I was so surprised and that is the beginning of my love hate relationship with the Lottery. I don't regularly buy tickets but when I do get a chance and If I happen to be in a store that has them I buy a couple of tickets. I always say that this is it, this is going to be the winning ticket with matching kiss to it. Obviously I haven't or we haven't hit it anywhere big, lol. But hey I'm not going to stop, it could still happen. Maybe I should start buying Lottery at just one place be it the grocery or our nearest gasoline station which is about 5 min. away from the house. Its just gasoline station scares me and gives me the creeps specially at night. I get nervous about what if someone tries to come in and rob the place. I'm sure places like those have mmf drawer to hide cash, checks or coins. Thankfully nothing has ever happened like that near our place.

CUT OFF

Just got off the phone, had to call my sister in Cebu to ask when they are gonna be getting the internet connection back. They finally reached the last straw and decided to leave Smart Bro and look for something better. The service that they have been getting was not bad but terrible. The have made several complaints about the signal and not being able to stay connected online. All the Smart technicians did was drive by looked at the antenna and that was it. No real action to the problem. Luckily I am no longer there if not I would have demanded that reimburse the monthly fee that they have been paying for a service not worth a dime.

My family will be using the prepaid plug in or something for the meantime until the DSL is available in their area. Hopefully when they do get the DSL they wont have the same problem with the signal and staying connected. If they keep having the same problem then its about high time I got them a new laptop. It's not a luxury but a necessity with me living in a different country and the internet being our main source of communication. I have really been looking at daily deal online to check out affordable laptops and gadgets as a gift from me to them. Hopefully I will have enough time to save up and buy one.

BATTLE FO THE PESSIMIST AND OPTIMIST

It looks like my trip to the Philippines is really pushing through. I will finally be at ease when we purchase the tickets in the next couple of days. Honestly I am very thrilled and scared at the same time. The pessimist in me is just raring to sprout out like another head on my shoulder, trying to make me look, feel and think at all the bad things that may happen to stop our trip. I use to be an optimistic little girl until I grew up and realized that it was better for me emotionally not to expect anything good. It didn't hurt as much, the disappointments are not as crippling. It's a shield that I have learned to put up around myself. I feel like I have let down God, In a way, I am. I am robbing myself from believing and trusting in his plans. It's easier to be a pessimist than an optimist. I have to learn to cut that impending other head off my shoulders and just go with the flow. Looking at the bright side of life is what I really need to do more and more. Life is to short and beautiful..

FINISHED BUT NOT DONE

It's been over 2 months since our last mini kitchen renovation got done. Ralph wanted it done as soon as we moved in this house but due to financial reason we had to wait. Finally late last year we were able to get everything done. We shopped around at first at different places and getting quotes for our kitchen counter as well as the flooring. It was good that Ralph and I agree on the new flooring we were going to get and he was gracious enough to give in about the color paint in the kitchen. We had a rough time looking for ceramic tiles to use for the back splash. There was just not enough selections, or so we thought. He was looking in the wrong section. I didn't give up and kept looking and looking at this one store until I finally saw something we both liked. A lot of things like little knick knacks here and there still need to be added in the kitchen but we will get there. The important thing is that the major overhaul like the kitchen counter, flooring,painting and the back splash has already been done.

" I LOVE YOU"

I was never the type of person who was so vocal about saying " I love you". That all changed when I married my hubby of almost 3 years now. I say the Word " I love you " not just to my hubby but to my family members more often now. Ralph and I talk more than 3 times a day on the phone when he is at work and It always ends with I love you. Before he goes out the door to work we kiss and say the the same thing. It's like ritual for both of us now, I don't want to miss a chance to say I love you to him. His work is dangerous and I don't know if its the last time I'll see him so I say I love you as often as I can.

Our Anniversary is coming up and he teases me that its a long and torturous 3 years married to me. And I would say the same thing to him. Its important not just to say those words to your spouse but to also show them how much you care and make them feel special. For more of couples corner click the badge...

BULAD FOR SIOPAO

At last my friend Biyaw has finally taken the hint that I want bulad, heheheh.. She keeps forgetting to send it. She called me yesterday laughing and told me they will be coming on Feb 27th. She will be making a list of what to bring and requested something in return. That I make her something to eat. I guess I will have to make my famous beef ginaling for her again as well as make her siopao. A few of my friends have already offered to send me Bulad but all I was waiting for was BIYAW.. You better make good on your promise girl or your siopao is going to be history,heheheh.

Hopefully if my vacation pushes through, I will set aside some money to buy bulad so I can bring it back. As to the suggestion of Lulu I have already asked my family to look into sending me some bulad.

BULAD NEEDED

To all my pinoy readers here in the US:

I need donation for BULAD! Kidding aside, I miss eating bulad and I am willing to buy your bulad and pay via paypal. That is how desperate I am. Our pinoy store near our house doesn't have much of a selection when it comes to bulad. To those kind hearted filipinas thank you in advance,heheheh..Seriously I will pay for it..

I GOT TAGGED

I normally don't join and follow thru with tags. But today, I am doing it. I got tagged by Gen of Life's Journey. If you want to join in the fun you can just grab the tag and pass it along to 8 of your blog freinds. So here goes nothing :

8 TV Shows I like to watch

1. CSI : Crime Scene Investigation
2. CSI : Miami
3. CSI : New York
4. Ghost Whisperer
5. House
6. NCIS
7. NCIS : Los Angeles
8. Nickelodeon ( Kayla and Kaitlyn's show)
   

8 Favorite Place to Dine-out

1. Chinese Buffet
2. Chinese Buffet
3. Red Lobster
4. IHOP
5. McDonalds
6. Italian Bistro
7. Olive Garde
8. Chinese Buffet

8 Things I look forward too.

1. Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary
2. Valentines
3. Vacation to the Philippines
4. Snow
5. Spring
6. Having another baby
7. Summer
8. My birthday
   

8 Things that happen yesterday

1. Walked Kayla to the bus stop
2. called my grandfather to wish him happy birthday
3. babysitting
4. cashed a check in the bank
5. went to Acme
6. Ralph dropped of Kayla in Baltimore
7. cleaned the stove
8. laundy and laundry and more laundry
   

8 Things I love About Winter

1. Snow
2. Snow so the kids can play in it
3. More snow to go sledding
4. sound of fresh powder when you walk on it
5. looks clean
6. feels quiet
7. want to make a snowman
8. just wants to see my kids reaction to snow
   

8 Things I’m Passionate About

1. My family
2. My Husband
3. My kids
4. My family back home
5. My blog
6. My cooking
7. My computer
8. My games,lol
   

8 Word/Phrases I often Used

1. Langga (term or endearment for Kaitlyn)
2. Manang (big sister)
3. Daddy
4. Sunny (screaming at our dog)
5. Mom
6. Oh my Lord
7. What the heck
8. NO!
   
   

8 Things I learned from the past

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. L ove
4. Patience
5. Be self sufficient
6. Honesty
7. Kindness
8. Understanding
   

8 Blog Friends I want to tag

1. Lea of My Life and People
2. Jenn of My Sweet Haven
   
3. Rosarie of Chrissaire
4. Adin of Mommy's Gossip Corner
5. Rose of Rose's Obstacles and Glories
6. Shy or Worth's Road
7. Rachel of Vantage point in Life
8. YOU!!!!