Wednesday, September 30, 2009

National Thank You Day! (Win Gift Packs From Toblerone!)


It had been a while since I heard about Toblerone's National Thank You Day from Ms. Phoebe. Good thing I was able to participate, at least, before the contest ends.

Anyway, I submitted a photo of Drew, Ella and myself, just after Ella was christened at The Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace on January 13, 2008. We were just so thankful that God gave us a healthy baby girl after everything we've been through. Winner or not, I believe this photo says everything about how thankful we are for the family we have at the moment!

How about you? How do you spread the sweetness of gratitude?


Love lots,

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Human Heart Nature Favorite #2: Tomato Toner

I have always liked the effect toners leave on my face: pores visibly minimized after a couple of days, dead cells removed for a cleaner beauty-products-and-make-up-ready face and sometimes, a lighter and more even complexion. But then I'd notice some tightening especially in the skin around my lips that would eventually lead to chapped lips (I'm assuming that since my skin lost it's moisture, it hoards on the natural moisture my body sends out, leaving my lips with less...). Turned out, dryness was caused by the alcohol in toners.

I tried to look for non-alcohol toners but found very expensive ones, until I came across Human Heart Nature. This one's actually the first product that caught my fancy from their line remembering a pricey tomato toner review by liz of projectvanity.


-This one smells like fresh tomatoes, just as one is getting them ready for a feast of tilapia or red eggs. *Yum*
-It doesn't sting at all!
-It effectively cleans without drying your face because of it's virgin coconut oil component, which is something you can smell when you're almost done and the tomato scent has faded.
-Has the same pore minimizing effect as regular toners
-Very affordable at P89.75 per 100ml bottle.
-Helps heal pimples.
-Has Vitamin C, which is known to help lighten skin. Haven't visibly seen a lightening effect on myself though, but the Human Heart Nature doesn't claim it to be a whitener.
-Keeps oil at bay. I have combination skin but the oils from the T-zone tend to spread out to other areas. With this toner, I still get oily in the t-zone, but it stays there (as seen on my "bangle" pic at the Multiply Artisan Bazaar...-NO RETOUCH SINCE MY 1:00 AM SHIFT 'TIL I GOT THERE!)

The only thing I don't like about it is that it's only available through direct selling. But that only makes it more affordable than commercial brands, so I'm shutting up. Moreover, I have a really good and trusted seller Jo-An!

Have you ever tried this or any non-alcohol toner? How is it working for you?

Love lots,


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Ella Says "I Love You"...And Means It


We have taught our daughter to respond correctly to what other people says or does...like saying "thank you" for favors done for her, "please" whenever she's requesting for anything, "I'm sorry" whenever she hurt others, "excuse me" when she needs way and "i love you too" in response to an "i love you" said to her. We were very much pleased when she learned how to say them, much more when she LEARNED WHAT THEY MEANT!

For "please", "thank you" and "I'm sorry", Ella would usually wait for the "What will you say?" cue. Yesterday, while Drew and I were looking for a foldable matress for our helper at SM Megamall, Ella got stuck between two piles of mattresses. A couple who were checking the mattresses were blocking her way out. All of us were surprised when Ella said "e-cute me" in a loud voice for them to let her pass. We were sooo proud! Everyone around knew what a darling our daughter is!

And just because I'd have to save the best for last...Yesterday, as soon as Ella woke up in the morning, she was smiling and saying "I tab-u too mommy" repeatedly. That was actually not the first time she said it on her own. And not only to me, but also to her dad. Whenever she does, her eyes tell us "I'm happy to have you here!". She even adds a kiss or a hug or both sometimes!

I know Ella may not know love to an extent that older people do. But knowing that she needs her mom and dad and seeing her sooo happy when we're around already counts as a toddler's understanding of what love is.. .simple and innocent!

How about you, do you remember the first time you kids said "I love you"?

Love lots,

Monday, September 21, 2009

"Rock"-in at The Multiply Artisan Bazaar

Drew's sister, Denise, grabbed a booth at the Multiply Artisan Bazaar to share her jewelry creations to the public. Her collection is different from what my mom offers in an "I-can't-describe-how" way. You should be able to understand me when you visit her website. ...hubby and me at the entrance

I even got to design a bangle during that event ---FOR FREE!

...designing my own bangle at Party Painter's corner

....my gold and orange bangle! Can you see "Soleil" painted in?
My purchase from Babinski baby...

There were lots of other Multiply sellers who participated in the event. Unfortunately, hubby has to prevent me from buying a lot because of some salary disputes I'd still have to take care of.

Some of the sellers I was able to notice, based on my cobwebbed memory, are:

Mineraux Skin Perfecting Make Up
Cuteture Glitterati
Urban Baby
Osama Shawarma
Naked Sun
Kathang Kamay
Tacoriffic
Mamaway
Planet Noah

If you still haven't dropped by, you may want to do that now because the event's extended until TODAY ONLY! For more info, please visit the
Rockwell Multiply Artisan Bazaar website.

Love lots,

Recipe of The Day: Pak"beth"

Wow! It's been a while since I was able to post a recipe here! It was because I wasn't able to cook "real" food due to our household help problems lately.

Anyway, 'twas my mom's 52nd birthday yesterday and although I left the people at my folks house with all the cooking because I miss it, I was able to cook up pinakbet for my family today...mom's favorite veggie dish. No wonder she was nicknamed pak"beth" (from Elizabeth) by her siblings.


Ingredients:

1 tbsp of minced garlic

1 whole onion, cut into thin strips

1 cup ginisang bagoong

1/4 kg pork cut into small cubes

1/2 squash cut into small cubes

1 whole eggplant cut into bite-size circles
1 bundle of string beans, cut into bite size strips

1/4 kg okra, each piece cut into 2 (although I didn't include it in my cooking brcause no one eats okra here)

1 cup water


1. Saute bagoong and meat in garlic and onion until meat is cooked.

2. Add all the vegetables and stir fry.
3. Add water and simmer for 12 mins.




That's how simple it is! Happy cooking!

Love lots,

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Join My Moms Jewelry Making Workshop

Seems like the holidays is bringing in more ideas to get busy and earn money! If you're not to much into make-up workshop, how about a custom jewelry making workshop?

The cute Chinese inspired jewelry set above is just one of my mom's lovely creations. And she's more than willing to share how she made, not only that but all the other pieces in her collection, on her 2nd Customer Jewelry Making Workshop!

WHEN : ***TENTATIVE OCTOBER 17, 2009

TIME : 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

WHERE: Paco-Pandacan-Soriano Development Coop Bldg., Angel Linao Street [ formerly Dart ] across street Apacible, Paco, Manila

SCOPE : The course will teach wire techniques as a beginner’s course and not as an advance course. Slots is limited to 10 people so that a comprehensive one-on-one type of training is achieved and learning is guaranteed.

FEE : Php 2,500.00 This will include 3 basic tools, * wires , acrylic beads and ready made findings for practice*, genuine Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, pearls, 2 yards of 14/20 wires, gold filled balls and locks for the actual project and the manual. Snack and lunch is included.

It is guaranteed that
YOU WILL LEARN! You'll even get a 10% discount on you fee if you bring a friend along! Isn't that wonderful?! This can be a great start to a sideline, an at-home work, or just a creative hobby to make pieces for loved ones!

For more information and a glimpse of my mom's one of a kind collection, visit her multiply site. or contact her through the ff:

Elizabeth Panganiban
cellphone number: 09056555333
email address: panganiban_liz57@hotmail.com


Ella's super cute wearing a bracelet from her grandma's Little Girls Jewelry Collection, isn't she? Grab this opportunity now! Limited slots available!

Love lots,

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Help! Offensive Neighbors!!!

I don't know why, but ever since I moved out of my biological family to live with my hubby and our daughter, I always get offensive neighbors.

Offensive neighbor #1 started out with just blurting unncecessary things about how our gas stove with LPG is staying in the living room (when we had nothing else to fill our house with at the time...) and how we watch tv as if it's the first time we had tv. And then one time, her helper of 3 years confided with our helper that she is not given enough salary and days off. Our helper, thinking that she would be helping the neighbor's helper (what a mouthful!), suggested that she move out and become a helper of Drew's parents instead. The neighbor's helper said she wouldn't be allowed to move out that easily and decided to stow away. To cut the long story short, she was caught. She placed all the blame on our helper and we were reported to the apartment management. And we were not allowed to renew our contract after a year.

So we moved to a new apartment. Just when we thought that everything will be in good shape because neighbor occupying the 1st door are young parents as well, offensive neighbor #2 occupied the vacant unit next to us days after. She hasn't done any harm to us during the first few months. She's even from Drew's hometown. But then my psychological instincts tell me I shouldn't mess with her. Why? Because if you can remember my post about dealing with toddler tantrums, she was the one I mentioned about tolerating bad behavior on her grandkids and smack them big time when she's had it. I believe, I haven't mentioned this before, but once she actually destroyed a potty trainer she just bought in front of her 2 year old grand daughter because the latter was becoming stubborn. She also waged war against one neighbor who prevented her from hanging clothes to dry inside one of the vacant houses in the village. Now her grand daughter, who's almost 3, has become a bully herself. Her subject? My Ella of course. I have stayed silent for the longest time because she's a kid and I felt that it's up to her grandmother to discipline her. And besides, the age gap between her and Ella is not that much. The only "kamalditahan" I think I can remember was saying "It's ok Ella, Ate ____ doesn't know how to share.". Grandma bully wasn't even there! Fast forward to 3 days ago, I had to stop Ella from going outside the house because it's raining and Ate ___ also tried to stop her by holding her hands. She does things like this not because she's concerned of my daughter but because she just wants to ruin my daughter's fun EVERY SINGLE TIME! Ella cried, though I'm not sure if it was because she was hurt or because she can't go out. Grandma bully was blabbing her mouth again, reprimanding her grand kid for "touching" Ella in a VERY SARCASTIC TONE. Then I just carried Ella and went home, hearing Grandma bully say "E inaano ba ung anak nya?!" (What have we done to her kid?) to a neigbors helper.

I don't know how to react to such provocative remarks. I feel enraged but I can't seem to respond quickly. I linger with the thought of doing something until I get confused whether I should react or not. I will eventually not do anything 100% of the time. This bothers me because now I'm not sure if I only tell myself I shouldn't do anything because it's what will please God or because I'm a chicken. Drew said my attitude is the thing that makes more people want to bully me. I want to start doing what is best so that people would learn not to bully me, regardless of whether it's the moral thing to do or not.

Do you think I'm right with what I want to become? I just felt it's high time I become more assertive and not necessarily turn into a b*tch! Suggestions please!!!

Love lots

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Project Beauty 2009: A Basic Makeup Workshop

I am a make-up enthusiast. But it doesn't mean I know everything about it. I do love it but not as much as the make up artists and beauty bloggers I look up to. Still, I yearned to learn a lot more from them as I follow their blogs and try out their fotd's on myself (--something I haven't had much pride about enough not to post an fotd of myself anywhere!). And then it's announced...


Oooh I would really love to join! It's just that my inferiority complex is getting the best of me again. I'm sure the people who would take advantage of such workshops will be make up addicts with more make up, tools and expertise than I am. Somebody convince me please!!!

Anyway, according to the announcement the following beauty bloggers/make up artists will be gracing the event:

Sophie Uy (www.beautynomics.com )
Lee Shen Gee ( www.shensaddiction.com )
Jamie Paunan ( www.mizzmakeup.com )
*with special participation of Briggite Santos of Abubots.com, subject to availability :)


Here are some of the details...

When : ( pick one date ) October 4, 2009 ; October 24, 2009; November 7, 2009
Time : ( pick one timeslot ) 9am - 1pm ; 2:30 -6:30pm
Where : To be emailed to participants, in Banawe, QC area
Course Fee : P 2,300/head, inclusive of snacks and handouts
Slots Available : 10 slots per schedule


for more information as well as sign up instructions, please refer to this post.

Hope I can have a friend to tag along so I won't be intimidated. Anyone?!

Love lots,


Rare Vanity's First Giveaway


My everyday blog rolling had me accessing other followers of certain blogs and good luck led me to Vanity and Everything In Between with a nice giveaway!

Yes! Pretty make up addict Gem is giving away the ff:

G-lish trio eyeshadow
Clinique black mascara
Clinique lipstick in Berrylicious
Estee Lauder lip gloss
Elianto nail polish
G-lish mosaic blush powder
Blue eyeliner
Bag

to one lucky winner! How? Here are the mechanics:

1. You MUST be a follower of her blog. So, click on the "follow" button if you aren't a follower yet!
2. Copy the image of the giveaway and post it together with the mechanics on your blog. Don't forget to link back!
3. Leave a comment on that entry saying, "I'm in!"

This first giveaway started yesterday, September 14, 2009 and ends on September 27, 2009 (Sunday). Winner will be chosen thru random.org and the lucky winner will be announced on October 1, 2009.

Blog away chicas!

Love lots,


Monday, September 14, 2009

Help Mio Fight Cancer


Some of my friends already know that I have been through a lot. Especially that one part of my life when I had a son and lost him after a month and 5 days. Everything in between are just details. Those who knew understood how much pain I went through before being able to reach this blessed state of my life.

Now, after going through my daily blog roll, I came across Jasmine, a mommy as determined as I was to save her precious 5 year old boy, Mio. I was so affected when I learned about them. It's like everything is coming back to me. Unfortunately, I am not financially capable of supporting them. I can't even afford to purchase the beauty products on sale at Beauty For a Living wherein proceeds will go to Mio's leukemia treatment.

But maybe anyone of you can. Let us all find ways of helping Mio and his mom fight cancer. To know more about their story visit http://www.miofightscancer.com/

Thank you.

Love lots,


Gift Giving This Christmas

Are you fond of giving gifts on Christmas? I am! It gives me joy whenever I make a passionate effort in delighting my loved ones with gifts. This is my way of giving back because the Lord blesses me with so much each year. Here are some of the things I do to make my gift giving spree fun and hassle free:

photo courtesy of Blisstree.com

1. I write down all the names of the people I'd like to give gifts to. It would be better if you place it on an MS Excel file so it'd be easier to sort and calculate.

2.I'd browse online for gifts because not only am I 90% sure I wouldn't give the same thing as everyone else, but it also saves me trips to malls. And there's more! (Lol!) Online sellers ship their products anywhere in the Philippines, and sometimes, anywhere in the world. So they're a big help to my dilemma of sending gifts to friends and family I don't get to see often. Check out my shop, shop, shop links!

3. Set either an overall budget for everyone or a budget for each person and do everything in your will power to stick to it. MS Excel or a similar software should be able to help you out with this task because you'll automatically have a calculation of your list and know if you're going over your budget. Now everything can be done in front of the computer! Yey!

4. Start early. I'm starting as early as now. I calculated the sum of all my gifts and it would be easier to save for them little by little every payday...Much like the "lay-away" concept which is better than the "credit card" concept, budget-wise. I'm gonna save mine on my gcash because I'm pretty sure that my gifts will be 99% coming from online sellers.

5. Recycle. While I understand that gifts are highly appreciated when brand new, it wouldn't hurt if you give out pre-loved items. Depending on your recipient, you can opt to give something you know the other person would really like, regardless of the status. I wouldn't mind getting a set of pre-loved make up brushes and I'm sure babies wouldn't mind using some of Ella's pre-owned stuff too.

6. Try conventional ways of wrapping your gifts. I used Japanese paper and bought a couple of ribbons to wrap all my gifts last year. I'm thinking about magazine pages this time...also to solve my problems regarding the growing number of read magazines in our house.

So this'll be how I'd manage to give joy to the people who have loved me and my family. Would you have other tips to share? I'd love to take them as Christmas gifts! :)

Love lots,

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Rants on Barenaturals Gel Liners

Disappointed is an understatement when it comes to how I feel about my Barenaturals gel liners!


I was so excited when I visited the Barenaturals website and I learned that they already have gel liners. Knowing that Barenaturals is already a trusted brand in mineral make up, I didn't wait for a review on the product. Instead, I ordered it as soon as a reseller (who also happens to be the person I get my Human Heart Nature products from) got stock.

(L-R) pure, mixed w/ Ellana mpm in ethereal, applied powder primer on top, very thin line

The website originally said it was "waterproof and smudge-proof" whereas the packaging said "Indelible Gel Liner". Unfortunately, indelible for them was more of a rip-off than the indelible ink used in marking voters thumbs.

I trusted the product's brand too much not to make swatches on my hands first before applying it for the first time on my eyes. Imagine how much black I had around my eyes when I started blinking! Oh well, like what my husband said, what could I expect from something originally packaged by a Korean Company in its language covered by a sticker branded Barenaturals.

I coursed the issue through my reseller who contacted the supplier and they said that they already changed the description on the website based on the swatches they themselves have done. When you check the website, it now says "Ultra long wearing formula...". Ok....but it does wear -IN MINUTES! They even said that they found out that the formulation is the same as eyeliners in tubes and may need to be applied in a VERY thin line, adding that "ung mga eyeliner naman sa tube manipis lang tlga dapat e..." (I'm guessing they mean liquid eyeliners as the consistency of the product is really watery.).


marks it made when I placed the back of my right hand over my left hand after 5 mins as I don't intend to close my eyes longer than that...

smeared by my dry fingers after 10 mins

on my eyes after 5 minutes

Thin line or not, I believe I have tried everything. I already tried keeping the lid of the gel liner jar open to maybe dry out some of the oils that could've been making it smear too much. I also tried applying transluscent primer powder on top...tried mixing it with my Ellana mpm in ethereal...no avail. And if you think that my lids may just be too frying pan oily, I even tried swatching it multiple times at the back of my hands using the techniques I mentioned but it just doesn't have staying power, period! And for me, if anyone will ever be able to find a technique that would work, it wouldn't be worth all the hassle. Maybe keeping it as an eyeshadow base for black days can compensate for wasting money.

I also feel sad for my reseller for stocking up on this and those who have bought it already. P359 is P359 and just a couple more could buy me a foolproof gel liner from somewhere else. It could've been better if the Barenaturals people tried the product out first before giving a press release. They might've found it with too low quality enough not to sell. I don't know if it will ever work for someone else, I sure hope so.

So much for that and on to my never ending journey of finding a good but affordable eye liner...

Love lots,

I'm All Grown Up

...that's me in high school

While waiting inside the passenger seat of a taxi cab heading home, random thoughts entered my mind. I was very tired then from a 10pm to 10am shift --3 hours of OT and an hour lunch. I was on the verge of falling asleep, something I don't like doing in a public utility vehicle for fear of the unknown. During those times, I got into questioning myself why I took that OT, which led to questioning why I have to work.

Before, when I was still in school, everything seemed to be too easy. Being born with a capability to retain information and solve problems analytically, schoolwork became a piece of cake. I was even more concerned about the people I'll get to mingle with during my time at school than a test or recitation if there were any. I had serious inferiority complex issues but I managed to conceal it by being kikay. I still get good grades without anything on my notes provided I listen to the lesson taught by the teacher. And then, when it's time to pass the notebooks as projects, I don't mind writing all of my classmates' notes down in one sitting. The biggest problems going on in that phase of my life was dealing with my family and not having too much money...or so I thought.

And then I messed up. I stopped school...got pregnant...baby died...acquired debts...People said I blew everything I had ahead of me. Little did they knew, I just intended to get away from everything else in the back stage.

Times tried me when I rebelled. But I kept myself from questioning because I have always believed that it's me who makes things happen. I took responsibility for everything. I may have lost a lot, but I can say I'm back in the game.

I may not have that pre-baby body that I wasn't even too happy about back in college...I may not have finished that BS Psychology degree at UST...I may not have a nice car, a huge savings account, an envy worthy make-up and beauty products stash, an updated wardrobe, a mom in the US and a to die for career. But I DO have Drew and Ella, my mom is with me here in the Philippines, and my family members are more open to the reality that was going on around us. And because of all these, plus a lot more, I am still blessed.

And then I realized that the fact I was able think of all that...that I was able to think about what will happen if I don't work...that I'm able to spend my hard earned money on things that matter most...and that I was able to set all of me aside and putting my loved ones in front...I figured that I have all grown up. I'm an adult! --with more serious problems and lesser options. Maybe that's the reason I jeer at Ian and Drew's little siblings when they complain about school, and "everything" going on around them.

Love lots,

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Spent Two Days Off at La Luz Batangas

...my family @ La Luz Beach Resort

Tonsillopharyngitis did not stop me from joining my workmates' outing to La Luz, a beach resort in Batangas. I didn't want to at first, but imagining my daughter in her cute swimsuit, playing on the beach under the sun gave me enough energy to go.


My workmates chose 2 adjacent premiere lofts and took advantage of the resort's buffet food package so that we wouldn't think of anything else but fun, fun, fun! We did have fun, except for a few minor problems with transportation, but since we're talking about a potential vacay spot for families, I'd like to continue with reviewing the resort itself.

PROS

1. The resort has their own website. So for people like me who don't find it too amusing to keep on asking, then this is really a pro for us ----all your questions asked!!! LOL

2. The set up is beautiful, even the accomodations are beautifully planned...from the bedrooms and restrooms, to the dining place and the cavanas. I must congratulate the designer.

3. The food served at the buffet were not limited. And even though they're not really of the fine dining type, they at least have this "lutong bahay" flavor in them. Our personal favorite was the chicken barbeque dish...yum!

4. Rates of stay, food and activities are vey affordable, especially if you're travelling with a group.

CONS

1. Even though the accomodations are beautiful, some were not strategically planned. The loft's ceiling gives off hot air in high noon to early afternoon. I hope they could insulate the loft ceilings better.

2. It gets to be too boring in the evening. Well actually it was boring the whole day if you don't exert effort to entertain yourself. LOL! I mean, the resort doesn't offer programs, bands or any kind of gimik to keep the environment alive. Well, maybe because I'm still young, came in with a bunch of youngsters, and have been to puerto galera and boracay that's why I was looking for something lively. The owners might have intended La Luz to be a place to relax, thus the quiet ambiance. Plus, inadequate lighting is provided for the beach at night, so night swimming is almost a no, no!

3. The place is too far from Manila. Maybe a good thing for those who really want to "get away", but not for me.

4. The beach consists of pebbles and the ocean ground of rocks...really painful! I just thought of reflexology to try to appreciate what's under my feet. The pebbles/rocks conduct heat from the sun big time too...ouch!

5. Our rooms' toilet's flush was not working, but the likelihood of anyone getting the same room as ours is pretty slim... so good luck. Or they may have already fixed it after our complaint, who knows?


Overall, I give it a 2 out of 5. I was thankful to my workmates for being in that place because my family did enjoy while not having to spend too much. However, if I'd have to use my own money, I'd rather treat my family to a resort in Boracay (I love Boracay!)...or Dakak, if I have a lot!

Love lots,

Sunday, September 6, 2009

How To Deal With Toddler Tantrums

Ella is about to reach the terrible twos and is beginning to be a little rascal. It's a good thing that I have learned early on through reading articles from parents.com, askdrsears.com, pantley.com/elizabeth (author of my favorite "No Cry Solution Series") and Smart Parenting Magazine that children will really get to throw tantrums before reaching 2 years old until around 4. Of course, these genius parenting people have already backed their sites and books up with tips to save parents from going nuts over their toddlers. But of course, a mommy still has to find ways of modifying those tips to something that is most applicable to her child, like me!

So how can we deal with it?

1. Read. --A lot!!! We want to know which behavior can be classified normal for our kids and which aren't. We want to know the reason behind each behavior so we could tailor our own means of discipline. We want to find out what each form of discipline would mean to a child and whether it would be effective for the situation or not.

2. Never give in. This has been an age-old tip that works. Even if you think it's ok to change your mind and say yes to what your kid wants, DON'T DO IT. It will give them the impression that you'll eventually give in when they throw a fit, so they'll just do it everytime. If on second thought you realized you'd really have to give him/her that cookie he was crying for, give it to him when he's already calm and may have forgotten all about it.

3. Create standard rules for everyone. If mommy will not give baby juice until after breakfast, then no one else will. We want to have the same yes and no answers as every care giver in the house so that the kids will not have a preferred person to show tantrums to.

4. Allow them to blow steam. I hope people understand that kids really go through a phase wherein they'd throw tantrums and embarrassed parents just don't know how to calm them down. And guess what? There are instances that don't need calming down. These kids cannot communicate overwhelming emotions like anger, boredom, sadness and frustration verbally well. So it's actually healthy to just leave them crying or stammering as long as you're sure they're not hurting themselves. In my own experience, Ella just cries for less than 2 minutes and stand up as if nothing happened.

5. Respond to basic and urgent needs. When basic needs such as food, drink and nappy change for poop or pee AND urgent needs during emergencies and illnesses are taken care of, then toddlers would have less going on in their world and would more likely be calm.

6. Make sure toddler is always well rested. At this stage, toddlers should sleep at least 10-12 hours at night and get 1-2 hours of nap time. Over stimulation with very little rest would definitely make them cranky. Check out my post about sleep training my daughter.

7. Keep baby stuff handy. Especially the ones that cause tantrums if delayed. If by experience, your child behaves well on a cab when you bring her teddy bear or her favorite KoKo Krunch snack, bring it everytime.

8. Teach baby sign language. Because again, one factor contributing to their mood swing is their challenge in communicating. You don't have to take serious classes in order to copy a standard baby sign language. Any hand or body signal that replaces something your toddler cannot say yet will do just fine. Make sure you also pair these signals with actual words so that toddler will learn to say them when they're ready.

9. Take an occasional "me" time. Especially for the stay-at-home moms, I find it very hard to do. But based on my own observation on myself and on my daughter, parents would just lose cool at their toddlers when they're very tired or unconfident. If you are very tired, or if there is something you must accomplish for yourself, for work, or for anything else, then hand your toddler over to someone else TRUSTED. I wouldn't want to cause more crying and frustration to my child just because I'm also frustrated with my own issues and on the verge of crying. Days when parents complain about giving everything and question why everything is not enough should be gone. Just like in every relationship, we cannot give anything that we don't have, so must first make sure we're overflowing with love, joy, excitement and playfulness before we take care of our children.

10. When it's wrong, it's wrong. And it should be dealt with whether it's the first time or the nth time...a mild case or a worst case. I have a neighbor who'd seem like she doesn't mind seeing her grand daughter behave badly in their house and around other kids. And then when she's had enough of what she's observing, she'll hit and shout at the toddler like mad...which is inappropriate. These toddlers more often than not, don't get the idea that what they're doing is bad behavior until they get shocked by an awful spanking, wondering "What have I done this time?!". Plus, with all the crying, angry words, spanking and all the negativity, toddlers tend to forget everything and keep such memories in the subconscious, including the lesson that was supposed to be learned.

11. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Talk to your toddler about the kind of behavior you'd like them to display before, say, you arrive at church and suggest a consequence if they behave otherwise. This way, they will have the time and freedom to choose how to act in a situation and be responsible for them.

12. Negotiate. As young as they may be, these kids are pretty clever. So we may want to exercise equality by giving them options that would make both of you meet halfway, such as excusing him/her for not finishing lunch if she would drink up his/her glass of milk.

Well, that's all that I can think of...I am not trying to sound like a perfect mom. I also have these dilemmas of trying to keep our show from the public and it is indeed very difficult. That is why I'm posting some of the thing's I've learned as Ella becomes a toddler and hopefully, other moms join in my journey too!

How about you, how do you appease your little berserk?

Love lots,

Friday, September 4, 2009

Let's Fight Dengue!!!


I was bothered when Drew informed me that one of our quality assurance managers' had a 22 year old nephew who died from dengue just recently. It's scary, knowing that one bite can take our loved ones' lives away.

I have tried every lotion, oil or whatnot I can think of applying to my daughter to keep her safe from insect bites but to no avail. I mean everything I tried did work for a few days but I believe the insects can come up with a certain immunity to the scent they tried to avoid from the insect repellant. That's when I realized that when it comes to dengue prevention physical efforts must be done:

1. Clean your surroundings. Make sure there is no stagnant water anywhere.

2. Install screens for your doors and windows to prevent insects from getting inside the house.

3. If your house is not too warm, wear as much cloth as would cover your body parts like long pajamas and long sleeves. I personally switched from applying insect repellant to making my daughter wear jammies or leg warmers instead.

4. If you have enough, try insect repellants that use sound waves to repell insects instead of those that repel insects using scent.

If you're loved ones have a fever of 38.8 degrees C and above, give them Paracetamol every 4 hours. If they continue having high fever for 3 days, consult a doctor. Give them lots of Vitamin C. I recommend an alkaline based one called FERN-C. It's proven effective when any of my family members get sick.

Do you have other suggestions in fighting dengue?

Love lots,

Will The Next Internet Service Provider Please Stand Up?!

My hubby and I worked as a technical support representative for Internet service and I feel envy for most of the people we troubleshoot for. Why? Because first, as standard service they get a maximum download speed of 7Mbps and upload speed of 512 kbps. Here in the Philippines, we're lucky if we get at least 1Mb from the most basic service. And our counterparts call for slow Internet connection, hah!

Another is because we have a line testing tool that would tell us what's going on with our customer's Internet service. Thus giving us an average of 15 minutes to resolve an issue, especially if the other person is not difficult giving instructions to. Our technical support representatives here doesn't even know how to fix our problem. *Sigh* I can blame 'em. The international call centers already hired the best *ehem, ehem*. (LOL)

Well, going to the actual issue...I REALLY HATE HOW DESTINY CABLE'S INTERNET SERVICE IS VERY SLOW AND INTERMITTENT!!! We rarely complain about the speed, but then we noticed that the Internet gets cut off even with a slight drizzle! Taking it the Filipino way, we'd usually just stop using the Internet 'til the next sunny day and that is practically how we keep up with the kind of service Destiny provides. But eventually, Internet connection was stopping even though it wasn't raining. We called technical support several times and all they could do is ask for details and schedule a technician to come over. We were able to accept one appointment and it did help with the service for quite some time until we began calling again for the same issues.

Now, when you dial technical support, the phone will just keep on ringing. (Technical support of Destiny cable works at home, btw.). Lately, the purpose of our calls is to terminate our supposedly 1 year contract with them, but nobody's responding. So yes, they did disconnect our service for non-payment. Drew and I are thinking about ignoring the whole rigamaroo, even though our names will be at stake because we don't know if all the hassle is really worth keeping our names clean from their company. Our schedule and responsibilities give us very little time to take care of these things other than over the phone.

Right now, we're seeking service from Globe. We're thinking about taking advantage of their phone service too so we can let go of our Bayantel Wireless and save up big time. But Globe doesn't take us seriously because we do all of our transactions over the phone. It's been 3 weeks and we haven't heard their car stop by for an installation.

This is terrible! How will I continue blogging effectively if I don't have my own Internet? How will my hubby continue with his online business? So please, can anybody recommend a better Internet service package?

Love lots,