tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48334001929215813952024-02-20T06:20:20.574+08:00I Am Your Every WomanThis blog is primarily for my family, so that they can look back one day and know how that I love them so much to have exerted effort in the little things. I wanted to be every woman they'll ever need. Stylist. Make-up Artist. Financial Advisor. Life Advisor. Chef. Teacher. Nurse. Doctor. Lawyer. Best Friend. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother. Maybe you need one too...BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-29885314682497758022016-09-07T12:00:00.000+08:002016-09-24T17:56:08.527+08:00A Mother's Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM1vw-YXhw2rh1CeEdvvjwPL2qSRnXibEijC9uvPzShV0SsNH0jLzpom5WlH6S9ArHyyOa2DTce2GlzRLFuZ-Qqv8d4fq8cwfwM2VhyphenhyphenqRA0UwM4kfXuuPfl9XDJ8fGWUuIHuEDWtaNgba/s1600/12507538_1228765970486766_2947401611929672830_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM1vw-YXhw2rh1CeEdvvjwPL2qSRnXibEijC9uvPzShV0SsNH0jLzpom5WlH6S9ArHyyOa2DTce2GlzRLFuZ-Qqv8d4fq8cwfwM2VhyphenhyphenqRA0UwM4kfXuuPfl9XDJ8fGWUuIHuEDWtaNgba/s320/12507538_1228765970486766_2947401611929672830_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
My mom and I never had a chance to be close. She was almost always abroad for work and my siblings and I were left with relatives. I was bitter growing up because I felt like I never received the support I was entitled to from her. I took pride in the belief that I've always managed to pull myself through difficult situations with very little to no help from her, but it only made the bitterness in my heart greater. At one difficult phase in my life, I even sent her an email questioning why she always helped my siblings more. She responded by telling me that each of us siblings is different and asked if I'd rather be in their shoes to be able to receive the kind of attention and support she was giving them. I didn't take it very well but shrugged it off because that's the kind of person I am.<br />
<br />
Lately, I've been running out of funds and knowing that my mom "seems" to be doing well in her clothes business as well as her full-time work, I catch myself borrowing money from her every now and then. Yesterday, our FB conversation goes:<br />
<br />
<b>Mom:</b> Magkano mo bibigay sa akin ang bride at mother of the bride hair and make-up. Balak kong i-offer kasama ng package para madagdagan ang pictures mo sa The Face is My Canvas.<br />
<br />
<b>Me: </b>Wow. Thanks! Saan ba muna ang wedding? 1k per person ako, so kung bride and mother-of-bride, 2k un sa regular. Ikaw na bahala kung magkano bigay mo sakin.<br />
<br />
Then I realized something about the chilli garlic I'm reselling for my brother:<br />
<br />
<b>Me:</b> 30 bottles na pala oorderin kay kuya<br />
na chilli. Narealize ko ako pala ang lugi pag madami na ang binili.<br />
Kasi ibig sabihin, ibibigay ko cia ng (distributor price) per bottle (as opposed to my retail price), pero ako ang kukuha kay kuya ng lahat ng 30 bottles na un at ako pa magdedeliver.<br />
<br />
<b>Mom:</b> Sige okay lang bawi ka na lang sa iba. 2k na babayaran ko sa iyo. May buffer naman ako sa package price.<br />
<br />
<b>Me: </b>Yey! Wag mo nalang ako bayaran. Wala nalang akong utang sayo. (Roughly 1.9K)<br />
<br />
<b>Mom:</b> Sige na nga.<br />
<br />
Then I finally understood her response to my email years ago. I realized, also because of recent events, how different me and my siblings are: our personalities, our struggles, our thresholds... and that I should NEVER even think about comparing myself to them because our mom is tailor-fitting herself for us but loves each of us just as much.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iQO5RIr8OT50aHwjjpCxvOBnw7zoTgsKDcuC30H_djA6cp9Xo9Z0xXPh8wgJ2Yl0zxevITAZXqhFKpt6CvjlnkqJsjgsmOAIAqE2nVNi9VN7DE5e8xiYJWvat5AwvU9duCL-Lv-acOxr/s1600/14372463_1418661368163891_3972070619074416308_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iQO5RIr8OT50aHwjjpCxvOBnw7zoTgsKDcuC30H_djA6cp9Xo9Z0xXPh8wgJ2Yl0zxevITAZXqhFKpt6CvjlnkqJsjgsmOAIAqE2nVNi9VN7DE5e8xiYJWvat5AwvU9duCL-Lv-acOxr/s320/14372463_1418661368163891_3972070619074416308_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I realized that the only reason I thought I didn't get the help I needed was because I was too arrogant to ask. That asking her to quit working so she could take care of my kids was a selfish act because not only will it hinder her from pursuing her personal dreams, but it will also prevent her from earning her own money that she'd use for enjoying life and supporting her loved ones.<br />
<br />
I guess I'm having this epiphany also because it's the same way I am with my kids and I didn't realize it for the longest time. I leave Isabella to sleep on her own because Serene needs me to nurse. I leave Isabella to play on her own because Isabella and I had our time and it's Serene's turn now. I leave Isabella alone most of the time because Serene needs me more now. I help Serene proactively because she can't usually verbalize what she needs while I'm confident that Isabella can and she should if she really needs something. It's all the same with my mom and siblings, just not the same difficult situations yet but it'll get there someday.<br />
<br />
Mi, I'd like to let you know that I understand you completely now and I appreciate you now more than ever. I'm sorry if I've said or done anything that has hurt you or offended your motherhood. I pray that God continue to bless you with good health and provision. Love you.<br />
<br />
your every woman,<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeMsptVTYQf25KnXp_zN50iudX1u2rwUMTfQTQKfTbp_bO-QeREbhuvhePGpVbTdw-R5A6IZxp49U1Y46SgLzPOwZ0EwvUsYU2KltW51ouvu6_hZ-NnkwCu0NUZxg-thPaX_fll45RDH4/s1600/Bianca+Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeMsptVTYQf25KnXp_zN50iudX1u2rwUMTfQTQKfTbp_bO-QeREbhuvhePGpVbTdw-R5A6IZxp49U1Y46SgLzPOwZ0EwvUsYU2KltW51ouvu6_hZ-NnkwCu0NUZxg-thPaX_fll45RDH4/s1600/Bianca+Blog+Signature.png" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-65450077477889650692016-06-13T20:12:00.004+08:002016-06-13T20:30:13.919+08:00Tamang Kain Chronicles: The Seminar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYXx4UdLF4Fnxn1tifywNbZM9uxV66vba6T8Fx_OyrwdPBmSxDGAN18Dm_bRdmzenIbltsIgXH2lW4EfOZp3JhNLUIlkLzJr4KLHAizLteFeMFp-g7pn4cDXB3hg4KJDuTO5hqlVB9JkR/s1600/12507194_1105043532847327_8547153102462778759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I attended a small group seminar for parents with slow weight gaining or picky eater children. It was a very informative morning! Ms. Velvet & Ms. Noelle who facilitated the seminar did it in a very personal way, asking all 7 of us parents how the feeding problems started and how it was at the moment, resulting to a more tailor-fit recommendation. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdoMNtTanEVvGKb9xOAN1zi5zMmiWiXmt4OdIpk5J5FddNFx7H3NkDB2EHjBykQYNMXvCuH9NMYUM6eHanJCqHLJEZVPIg7i0qsv1s7t6Ws7VeVqUoHw3TZSGyY0le7KQNqCZbhMVDm4Z/s1600/12507194_1105043532847327_8547153102462778759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdoMNtTanEVvGKb9xOAN1zi5zMmiWiXmt4OdIpk5J5FddNFx7H3NkDB2EHjBykQYNMXvCuH9NMYUM6eHanJCqHLJEZVPIg7i0qsv1s7t6Ws7VeVqUoHw3TZSGyY0le7KQNqCZbhMVDm4Z/s320/12507194_1105043532847327_8547153102462778759_n.jpg" width="176" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A typical feeding session...</span></i></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Here are the things I've learned.</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Food that Bulk Up</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Avocado</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Camote</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Plantain (saging na saba)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Buco Meat</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beans & Lentils</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nuts</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unheated Vegetable Oils (Olive oil, VCO, etc)</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar destroys the mouth sensors, causing kids to prefer sweets over nutritious food such as vegetables.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Formula contains a lot of sugar so it doesn't help if you'd like your child to eat healthy. Breastmilk is still best for babies and fresh milk for older kids.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pediasure was intended for the clinical treatment of severe acute malnutrition and shouldn't be given to healthy, normal kids. It replaces a whole meal making the child feel full as a result.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to Ms. Velvet, Food is discipline. Power struggle in food is just the start of the many possible power struggles you'll encounter with your child as they grow. If you can discipline your children with food, you can also discipline them in other areas.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For older kids, you can encourage them to eat nutritious food by involving them in the process of making the food, from growing the vegetables, to preparing them in the kitchen.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For younger kids who throw tantrums at feeding time, calm down and show no emotion. Have them sit in Indian position while crying until they're done with it. Then offer food again.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you know that there are healthy alternatives to our usual seasoning? From the seminar, I learned that you can replace soy sauce with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and table salt with Himalayan salt.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One creative way to kickstart your child's journey to nutrition is to display a food rainbow. Your kid should be able to eat at least 1 healthy food as the colors of the rainbow a week. If they complete the rainbow you can give them a prize. She recommended non-material prizes but more of fun learning experiences.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another great way to keep your little ones interested with nutritious food is to use a dinner puzzle/maze. The Dinner Winner shown below is just a fancy tray used for this purpose but you can create your own. Set a rule with your kids that they can't say no to food unless they've already tried it. With a wonderful tool like this, you can encourage your child to finish the whole maze by offering them prizes similar to the food rainbow.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCNgOzB5p72KSke_8_U4Cbfe8C0zm6NuDutvpsoHMwWSgH5mJ9WVZqpR7Xylm3gDSjDzsCk5DNEtWJgUl7yqUDJmHObKbiwP1ruMUPzWTKDcuKGfkQrh86i8J_MgYtp_PVMcIwkxaXWLD/s1600/Dinner+Maze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCNgOzB5p72KSke_8_U4Cbfe8C0zm6NuDutvpsoHMwWSgH5mJ9WVZqpR7Xylm3gDSjDzsCk5DNEtWJgUl7yqUDJmHObKbiwP1ruMUPzWTKDcuKGfkQrh86i8J_MgYtp_PVMcIwkxaXWLD/s320/Dinner+Maze.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's great that I haven't done my grocery shopping prior to the seminar because I got to overhaul our pantry very easily. Tomorrow is day 1. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">your every woman,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-14650940680722421692016-06-13T20:12:00.003+08:002016-06-13T20:17:27.323+08:00Exercise your Faith!<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwck9TWJmow-gak6h8o3jMd47jCg_6Kulzdv9zwj8NNuC-mohlLA1VUTp_jxSb3AnXeuqvQmb5-a2jwZH4XzlVxuzq_GC99KFkIh3g1NI0WrH6vhfq5LW9PL1DqODmz8tGy7ZVuq-haNF/s1600/Nothing+is+impossible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwck9TWJmow-gak6h8o3jMd47jCg_6Kulzdv9zwj8NNuC-mohlLA1VUTp_jxSb3AnXeuqvQmb5-a2jwZH4XzlVxuzq_GC99KFkIh3g1NI0WrH6vhfq5LW9PL1DqODmz8tGy7ZVuq-haNF/s320/Nothing+is+impossible.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I'm not exemplary when it comes to faith but as Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 </span><i style="line-height: 19.32px;">"if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain. Nothing will be impossible for you."</i><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">. So I've been exercising faith like a muscle hoping for it to grow and these little acts of faith are really doing wonders for me.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Every time I head home alone, I go to this spot where jeepneys pass full. If I walk further, around 10-15 minutes from that spot, there's </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: purple; display: inline; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 19.32px;">a sort-of terminal where there's a higher likelihood of vacant jeepneys going my route, but for my exercise, no. Each time I wait on my spot, I pray and tell myself "God knows how much I needed to go home as early as I could. If He wants me to get home, He'll give me a ride, no matter where I wait and no matter the time. If He doesn't, it's because He knows I don't need to" and God has indulged me every time!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Recently, I always wake up at around 3am and I'd have shallow sleep from then on. Turns out my mind was worried that my alarm would wake my baby and it'd be difficult for me to leave for work. Shallow sleep would allow me to wake up with the lowest volume of alarm and on first ring. As an added routine to my faith exercise, I depended on God to wake me up without an alarm and I do wake up +/- 10 minutes of 5:30am without fail! Earlier today my sleep was deep but then the AC turned off and woke me up, at 5:35am!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;">If you have none to little faith like I did, please try this. Find something simple/small in your life and trust God to fulfill your prayers on it. Each time God fulfills your prayers, add another routine. Keep on adding and watch your faith grow. Soon it won't be difficult to trust God with everything big or small.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.32px;">your every woman,</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a></span>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-19701700537552438852016-04-20T21:25:00.000+08:002016-04-20T21:45:03.774+08:00The Day I Thought I'd Lose Serene<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While at soccer camp yesterday, it was obvious that Ella didn't have enough energy. Apparently, she only ate cereals and milk the whole day prior to camp which ran from 4:30-6:30pm. When the class was over, I brought them to KFC, found them a table, left them there, and lined up to buy them food. When I brought the food to where they were, I was shocked because Serene was not there!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Az85UUKH2EU8-Sv8hDhGXKENd77dhQZL2koypcIn5VLzNUrRr0Y5JzIGPEVBojAo3RrysK6g5-ixG-_idKiwQnX3UGehD0rrnAH_KKRLTbNtWmsCUqOOTPii9Jk8Ya5u2qPb-nx-VcU/s1600/13078213_1147111971976023_539699850_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Az85UUKH2EU8-Sv8hDhGXKENd77dhQZL2koypcIn5VLzNUrRr0Y5JzIGPEVBojAo3RrysK6g5-ixG-_idKiwQnX3UGehD0rrnAH_KKRLTbNtWmsCUqOOTPii9Jk8Ya5u2qPb-nx-VcU/s320/13078213_1147111971976023_539699850_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lot of things didn't turn out the way I expected them yesterday. I've prepared all the things Ella and Sereney would need for Ella's soccer camp and was very confident about it when I left for work. A few hours before the end of my shift, I was receiving messages from Ella & Drew at home asking where things were. I was a bit irritated because I gave them instructions to bring whatever I prepared and everything else was with me. When I met up with them, I found out that they left Serene's director's chair and brought an unnecessary extra bag with unnecessary contents. If you know me, you'd know I'd get mad about it, but I didn't. I was irritated, but not mad (Thank God for that!).</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sereney announced that she pooped before we left the mall beside my workplace so I had to clean her up, causing us to be a little behind schedule that we had to rush going to The Turf. Serene's sippy cup that I filled with water before leaving work spilled all over my bag for some reason. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before going to KFC, Ella drank water from her bottle and wasn't able to properly close it, spilling more water in my bag.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, you can just imagine how I felt when I found out that Serene was not where I left them and Ella had no idea where she was! </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first place I went to was the grocery which was right across KFC. She was not there! </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">There was nothing to the right of KFC and the grocery, so I went left where there's an EGG (Exciting Gifts & Goodies) booth and right again towards McDonald's where a lot of Kiddie Crews were but Serene was still nowhere to be found! Those were the longest 5-10 minutes of my life!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While I was frantically calling out Serene's name, I was already on the verge of crying. I found a guard and began describing her out loud. Thankfully, the saleslady from EGG heard how I described her and knew that it was her inside National Bookstore. National Bookstore! Why didn't I think of it sooner?! That was the same place she'd go straight to whenever we go to that mall because she loved tinkering at the children's books there! Maybe I was too exhausted and worried that I wasn't thinking clearly. Good thing the children's books section was just right behind the store's glass wall so it was easy for the lady to see her as their store was in front of it.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was just so grateful for I knew that the Lord was teaching me a lesson. He allowed just enough to make me realize that I CANNOT always be in control but trust that He'd always watch over my kids, my life, my situation. I stopped being pissed about what happened that night and went on to enjoy dinner with my precious kids. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a></span>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-78753118772273448662016-01-06T11:21:00.002+08:002016-01-06T11:21:33.335+08:00Blessed with Isabella<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q3pryj0UIeduEX1rcCewTrrh9Dv-ysWJLKv1BUaTiV2jVBc7ItSLYzVnb8eD_VXz0UmQKUb-RuGTbjvV9VRsTO55d5ORP1Zd5V6Mx35QyosvfTOXeI_auBNeKDV6Qw5BrtLM3r_fBqTs/s1600/12243096_1075668265784854_6680722604177812626_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q3pryj0UIeduEX1rcCewTrrh9Dv-ysWJLKv1BUaTiV2jVBc7ItSLYzVnb8eD_VXz0UmQKUb-RuGTbjvV9VRsTO55d5ORP1Zd5V6Mx35QyosvfTOXeI_auBNeKDV6Qw5BrtLM3r_fBqTs/s320/12243096_1075668265784854_6680722604177812626_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I would like to dedicate this post as a shouts-out to my eldest daughter, Isabella who is the most responsible, understanding ATE in the world.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our most recent household help unexpectedly left us AGAIN! Well, we're no longer surprised that our household help never came back after her 2-week-long holiday vacation because that's how it is with our helps. It's like most relationships built on nothing - You suddenly realize that it's over and you keep asking yourself if there's anything about you, or anything you did wrong, but at the end of it all, they're just not that into you (errr, your household.). Moooving on...</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So we're living away from our parents where it's near Isabella's school and without a help, we cannot depend on anyone else to stay in our house to care for our kids while we're working. It so happened that we just recently moved to a new workplace where we do not have the liberty of choosing schedules. Because of this, there would be at least an hour when the 2 girls would have to be left at home without an adult! Risky, I know, but there was nothing else we could do, so we talked to Isabella about our yaya-less routine plan and she was cool with it. In fact, when I woke up without an alarm and it was time for me to leave, I have heard Isabella rolling on her bed which indicates she was awake. She had expected her time of responsibility and all I had to do was whisper in her hear and she stood up, took her pillows and layed beside her sister! She even had the consciousness to take instructions like where the milk was and all that!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God is really true in His words. Some day, I know that He will give us the perfect setup where we won't have to choose between our means of living and our family, but until then, He blessed us with the Isabella so when times like these comes, we wouldn't have to worry that we won't have household help for the next couple of days... maybe weeks... or months... Thank you, Lord, for daughters like Isabella and thank you Isabella for honoring God and your parents by being the best ATE in the world.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></span>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-90998541921052956872016-01-01T07:02:00.000+08:002016-01-06T11:13:04.789+08:002015... Best year EVERR!!!<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before I completely close the year that was, let me take this time to remember how 2015 is one of the best years I've had in my entire life. Here are the highlights of this exciting and awesome year.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-byerS_djYeozjk1T_OX-mgRySsXUZfcS4ZMQ1CIcxlI2Yeq7Aiw6hGTpnO42NfynzAcOsbMcz0PNc1dNUgFoDblt-9IIoxHldoHX8Kn2pwwsdhSo0isLR5knMd-vBoBfvctSt1t0Qzw/s1600/10930096_915973688420980_8511211671293518598_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-byerS_djYeozjk1T_OX-mgRySsXUZfcS4ZMQ1CIcxlI2Yeq7Aiw6hGTpnO42NfynzAcOsbMcz0PNc1dNUgFoDblt-9IIoxHldoHX8Kn2pwwsdhSo0isLR5knMd-vBoBfvctSt1t0Qzw/s320/10930096_915973688420980_8511211671293518598_n.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">January - I found out that tax exemptions don't happen real-time, so I ended up receiving a tax refund because of Serene's addition to our family. On the other hand, our beloved tita Tina died just a few days before her birthday. It was such a sad time for the family.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa9nQkAyfJ8tM6Op0b9uC8uJ-Wa45xoRWFLgpFgNrpj0Ji_YPokh5ft2UNa4HfK052tSSBJ1GX4uLJg-PAGuZE1KqhyphenhyphenF1bM_d0J5vdmHy3GCIGw_RxzOskbVcuDBaT_RmQjg0uGfNQPgx/s1600/10991287_1049212698442095_2305789007356950186_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa9nQkAyfJ8tM6Op0b9uC8uJ-Wa45xoRWFLgpFgNrpj0Ji_YPokh5ft2UNa4HfK052tSSBJ1GX4uLJg-PAGuZE1KqhyphenhyphenF1bM_d0J5vdmHy3GCIGw_RxzOskbVcuDBaT_RmQjg0uGfNQPgx/s320/10991287_1049212698442095_2305789007356950186_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">February - We were able to successfully carry-out Serene's 1st birthday. I can say that it is one of the best parties we've hosted given a tight budget... Way more affordable than Isabella's 1st birthday.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR524iQ4qLKMP6e5fVjc9CGwQynnnZrFexQa0y4MmAWzTBsg57441AaUZn3JmglGiaUC36HZaJUreMqF8bFTyoGXbSqq8UL5IwV4HJ0Rb-X4WLiPcDf1oGgROW4Nrkg8vY7NPdqtlX8uT/s1600/10954324_946410565377292_7716932264067018724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR524iQ4qLKMP6e5fVjc9CGwQynnnZrFexQa0y4MmAWzTBsg57441AaUZn3JmglGiaUC36HZaJUreMqF8bFTyoGXbSqq8UL5IwV4HJ0Rb-X4WLiPcDf1oGgROW4Nrkg8vY7NPdqtlX8uT/s200/10954324_946410565377292_7716932264067018724_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOn-5OJ9a9Y7Xvk_ibJWxgUL2W9v2tqB39Cco0s8IwdNwjsOd1wW9GaIzdj4NGnwWqLjcMAybr27R-LNJkGQOk2X_Gmc0x3f-C8PL8tJNTEsl0CzAemFkcqIL0ccmtVaL0vLYpPS4flhM/s1600/11018613_930718223614878_5964537113971399363_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOn-5OJ9a9Y7Xvk_ibJWxgUL2W9v2tqB39Cco0s8IwdNwjsOd1wW9GaIzdj4NGnwWqLjcMAybr27R-LNJkGQOk2X_Gmc0x3f-C8PL8tJNTEsl0CzAemFkcqIL0ccmtVaL0vLYpPS4flhM/s200/11018613_930718223614878_5964537113971399363_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">March - Serene was hospitalized for the first time but received the grace of healing, thank God. I experienced being a borrowed trainer for a different program within the company I worked for where I met a lot of great people and learned new things.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Za3Xj5xwJ3sVwOQS_QE8XuXLiwmU92oUyRkp7yNgQ7Y3H8WsEkayRH76RB5URciONBM745Jb4LXCICxmKC959ibhxcUK8CUWIevyOeXpDX3JhD4YzF_TDBo11stdo7KePtw3veNtZZY9/s1600/11119646_947008228653066_8284853921007892372_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Za3Xj5xwJ3sVwOQS_QE8XuXLiwmU92oUyRkp7yNgQ7Y3H8WsEkayRH76RB5URciONBM745Jb4LXCICxmKC959ibhxcUK8CUWIevyOeXpDX3JhD4YzF_TDBo11stdo7KePtw3veNtZZY9/s320/11119646_947008228653066_8284853921007892372_o.jpg" width="197" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">April - We were able to send Isabella to swimming school and she actually learned how to swim! Oh I swear the time she spent in the water after her dive into the 10 ft pool for their graduation was the longest 10 seconds of my life! </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May - This is when I started to feel a hole in my career. I felt unnecessary and started to rethink my career path. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">June - This is the month when a bittersweet revelation about my paternal origins unfolded. To explain how bittersweet it is would require a really long post and would preferably be private, so I'm not gonna go there. Also, God blessed me and my husband with a new career opportunity, however, that same opportunity closed its doors for me almost as soon as it opened. It was one of the culminating events this year that I didn't expect would turn out to be the start of many blessings that year. </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAljYzyKjjtctLTtkJeqnbyoo_cECtSHsCaaUwZShk9wYZert_6k0ntGcJ7kDdWDdbMLAqPVImExHpHMsElDjUfjtEJvDGvHyXxcUM2mM3w5ynqDI3bPl2Z75zy894eFCpyPp2l8gE8a9d/s1600/11698924_379603032244092_8704434159749847033_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAljYzyKjjtctLTtkJeqnbyoo_cECtSHsCaaUwZShk9wYZert_6k0ntGcJ7kDdWDdbMLAqPVImExHpHMsElDjUfjtEJvDGvHyXxcUM2mM3w5ynqDI3bPl2Z75zy894eFCpyPp2l8gE8a9d/s320/11698924_379603032244092_8704434159749847033_o.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">July - I completely allowed myself to indulge in the love of new family members and it was really a heartwarming experience. Now I have other homes to visit for the holidays!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">August - I started to take on a new diet and I failed. Turned out I cannot cut on food the way I did because I'm breastfeeding Serene. Oh well, back to my old self. Darn, this is my heaviest self!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">September - Drew and I were water baptized and it felt sooo good! We have a renewed faith and had a lot of realizations. </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKP_zYG1kh2S0vVmHxYAIffbvTt_9ArlLVA0v1bK9QIpFVmud5wd80G4BtinnKDymuqwa_sEx_b35GVRodNQtmwldzVXs20wSEVisKJacNXMD9D-chbP2_bgyVhv_0i7q7H5M6-3eYZq2/s1600/12143302_1060401020644912_1207521287087071850_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKP_zYG1kh2S0vVmHxYAIffbvTt_9ArlLVA0v1bK9QIpFVmud5wd80G4BtinnKDymuqwa_sEx_b35GVRodNQtmwldzVXs20wSEVisKJacNXMD9D-chbP2_bgyVhv_0i7q7H5M6-3eYZq2/s320/12143302_1060401020644912_1207521287087071850_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">October - I was given apprentices to manage and I learned a lot. Not saying that I was already ok with how my career was going; It was actually the other way around. The emptiness just grows and grows and I was turning into a really ungrateful person. Still, God blessed me with a raise this month but I still sucked at being happy for some reason.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLRm3t2xXfVkC3xEz6QiBL-wIzJ119YcqssPLNwwzXhd3XpeykYH-ZVNHNUqx3y2fv8zRrkhWA4u7GlZft9_0rGoCb2I1C90jkq6o5Lfcs_c8z85C2IOUHhdM7LgQ1I2hwBFeiv7SACTr/s1600/11218820_1065430286810859_8057531053674556240_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLRm3t2xXfVkC3xEz6QiBL-wIzJ119YcqssPLNwwzXhd3XpeykYH-ZVNHNUqx3y2fv8zRrkhWA4u7GlZft9_0rGoCb2I1C90jkq6o5Lfcs_c8z85C2IOUHhdM7LgQ1I2hwBFeiv7SACTr/s320/11218820_1065430286810859_8057531053674556240_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">November - From June to October I have experienced, in my perspective, what it meant when people say that life is unfair but it was only in November when I realized that what God really wanted to do was change me; heal me. I was hired at a new workplace! The same one that I thought closed its doors for me in June. I now have an entry-level, non-voice job in a BPO that serves a VERY prominent global company where my education had nothing to do about. It just amazes me how God can graciously qualify whom he calls and not the other way around.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05u0NN1XULweBZtybf_Cs3ajCsWe2WIacPlOTgfjWOy4BqU42_oYdSjhjwH3Lk_InhwAA5Xd4LOdb5gyFRv8EfBke96i9EjriMaPc80XbFN137iM-_OouU1pKQTVfkAeVwddC8zVPwTRv/s1600/12341335_1085836041434743_7553912616408281996_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05u0NN1XULweBZtybf_Cs3ajCsWe2WIacPlOTgfjWOy4BqU42_oYdSjhjwH3Lk_InhwAA5Xd4LOdb5gyFRv8EfBke96i9EjriMaPc80XbFN137iM-_OouU1pKQTVfkAeVwddC8zVPwTRv/s320/12341335_1085836041434743_7553912616408281996_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">December - My 31st year of existence welcomed a new company, new friends, new knowledge, new dreams, new inspirations and a renewed heart. I am looking forward to more breakthroughs now that I am able to pursue what I really love to do in 2016. Here's to more blog posts, more hair and make-up experiences, a healthier figure and a better mom and wife.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-41916012616974709082015-12-18T11:30:00.001+08:002016-01-06T11:03:09.052+08:00Conceited Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb3LRyw_VxFo6KO-dHPES9gZWfesTTJi8JRgR08JBGu4xD4F_vTsQ0uDvkH2fI-tv_r9E2XDhNpXAd8pBcsGKjNHI8c_eRaeGYiX0-sraYLR835XRkzC_5BLwo-LO9NBwe1HM5CQIOsz2/s320/bible+verse.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><i><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">photo grabbed from Etsy</span></i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">During one of my zone out moments, an idea started in me. I thought "What if in the Philippine setting, a guard at the entrance of an establishment casually asks me 'What's your name?' and once I respond with my name, he'll say 'Oh, Bianca, may I check your bag please?' How would I feel?". Being in the customer service industry working for a 1st world country for almost 10 years, I can easily say it's perfectly fine! I ran the same idea with a couple of people and most of the</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.32px;"> reactions I received were that they would be offended by a guard asking them for their names and not even calling them "mam/sir". When I asked them if there was anything wrong with it, they realized that there wasn't and I continued to explain that we only have this perspective that something is wrong with it because we think that the guard is lesser than us when in fact, he is not. I continued on with my life thinking highly of myself because I know this simple truth when most people don't. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.32px;">Recently, I realized that I am no better than anyone else. I practice the opposite of what I preach. Just because I've been blessed with work where I manage people, I felt a sense of entitlement. Just because I held myself accountable for other people's performance, I felt that I should be honored, celebrated. And as years passed by, I've held this bitterness because I never received the honor I thought I deserved... or sometimes, I measure honor based on monetary value. I have realized now that there is more to work than gaining glory for myself... that everything that I do is for the greater glory of the Lord because the work that I do is a channel of His blessing. Thankfully, the Lord blessed with a means to heal my heart and my life will never be the same.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
your every woman,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></span>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-75190001432201379142015-07-21T08:58:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.459+08:00Teach Your Child Values<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznqEM4VFUKttppAsbReI6wS2FiNlT3HYsci8kQVrjGUJrMlEjjfj0VdA4E0KAHechJMxrYqzd6BFamaNue3qU0kDOZAUVsl9x0wPswf1N_v76Dp36Vzbmoqtz105xJNMZRduhBpOxKCz4/s1600/holding+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznqEM4VFUKttppAsbReI6wS2FiNlT3HYsci8kQVrjGUJrMlEjjfj0VdA4E0KAHechJMxrYqzd6BFamaNue3qU0kDOZAUVsl9x0wPswf1N_v76Dp36Vzbmoqtz105xJNMZRduhBpOxKCz4/s320/holding+hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child values instead of rules<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Give them
life guidelines<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And not
laws for fools<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your
child is not yours,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someday
you’ll let go<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So it’s
best they have principles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That they
keep as they grow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child Respect for other people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even
though some people will not earn it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s your
child who will learn it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it
will be beneficial<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When she
learns to respect others<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She will
value their time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will
save her from tardiness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And
she’ll never be left behind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child Integrity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will
help her discern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What is
right when no one’s watching<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
won’t be cause for concern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Integrity
will teach her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be
honest and true<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will
reflect in her decisions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And
she’ll always pull through<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child Industry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Give her
tasks around the house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She’ll
learn to clean, cook and wash clothes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it’s
not for her spouse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll
want her to be independent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As she
follows her dream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll be
confident she’ll get by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When it’s
time for her to wean<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child Hardwork and Passion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And
nothing great comes easy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So when
faced with challenges<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She will
never grow weary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell her
success is sweet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When
you’ve poured out your all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell her
never to give up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even
after a fall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teach
your child Compassion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For
anyone she meets<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let her
know she’s blessed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And a
blessing, she can be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are
little things she can do for other people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That
would give them a break<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Imagine
it being multiplied<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the
difference it would make<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your
teachings are not for the world to see<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How great
you are as a parent can be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do it for
your little one to ensure that she<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Will be her
best self when you set her free<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So
instead of do’s and don’t’s, let’s try<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To teach
them things they can apply<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ll
appreciate things they don’t learn in schools<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: purple;">When you
teach them values instead of rules</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-27434187609136687152015-07-09T05:27:00.003+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.345+08:00Long Distance Parenting<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you remember your child’s first smile? …first steps? …first solid food? …first fall? …first day of school? …first achievement? …first crush? …first love? …first heartache? Oh wait, were you there? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfT-9vOypd3KgLAY-asr53kfVHM1fgo72wMZMIkhMpUHcGvmnuNOiTa_ljxrtJ7nYfGrk6J4l_X4QbeMgxYWYhuhURhnYFw24Z0TsqQnbXhNDekzbarCktl-7oAcGmNutNtgucKW6SB9x/s1600/mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfT-9vOypd3KgLAY-asr53kfVHM1fgo72wMZMIkhMpUHcGvmnuNOiTa_ljxrtJ7nYfGrk6J4l_X4QbeMgxYWYhuhURhnYFw24Z0TsqQnbXhNDekzbarCktl-7oAcGmNutNtgucKW6SB9x/s320/mom.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(photo taken from the Internet about an Iraqi orphanage where a little girl who never knew her mother, drew a mom on the ground and fell asleep with her...)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that this is a very sensitive topic because some of the most loving, well-meaning parents may still answer “No” to these questions and I can’t blame anyone. Parents make mistakes too. So let me write this post in a child’s perspective as I have experienced. Mom… Dad… you have to be there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was not ok for you to go somewhere far and leave us behind to earn a living. You may say that through this means, you provide for our future, but the best future we could ever have can only be created through positive parenting. You could have ensured our future by having a great relationship with us; By being there to observe our personalities and guide our development. It didn't matter if we attended a great school. It didn't matter if we had new and expensive things. Many children of parents who stayed elsewhere have led difficult personal lives even though they had money to spend. They struggle with trust. They have insecurities; I have insecurities...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s never going to be a better option to leave us with relatives in a faraway place instead of at home with you and probably a nanny a few hours a day. I agree that finding the perfect nanny is like finding a needle in a haystack. …That is if we can ever find the haystack at all. Still, when we live at home with you, we still get to bond with you when you go home or during weekends. We can tell the difference and it’s better that way as opposed to not knowing the difference between you and the relatives you leave us with. You have a special effect on us. Use that while you still can.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span></div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-46116717972248272802015-07-09T05:09:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.391+08:00Why You Should Wait: Exclusive Dating<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ever since I became Christian, I gained a lot of wisdom that could have made things better for my life if I had them when I was younger. Still, I praise the Lord for giving me a wonderful life and family, though not the way I had dreamed it would be, but perfect nonetheless. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that I’m a mother, I would like to pass this wisdom on to my daughters, creating entries that revolve around waiting patiently for God’s time on a practical perspective. For my first entry, let me tell you about why you should wait for the perfect time to exclusively date.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7omCLGGvtWgav7d3fqbXV8gi4zWVq4vJEbHVU2c0fBaufEamDhmhynooY6F-g9-3bRxyB8AVh3wt26DXbD9zfn5jS9zImsVQHGuLIRRXU8cNud4uxGG_qn2wgT8zFXNk3Er9sqHzfa5JI/s1600/couple-holding-hands-sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7omCLGGvtWgav7d3fqbXV8gi4zWVq4vJEbHVU2c0fBaufEamDhmhynooY6F-g9-3bRxyB8AVh3wt26DXbD9zfn5jS9zImsVQHGuLIRRXU8cNud4uxGG_qn2wgT8zFXNk3Er9sqHzfa5JI/s320/couple-holding-hands-sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(photo taken from http://archcapeinn.com/blog)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, let us talk about when is the perfect time to exclusively date? Or in the Filipino perspective, when should you have a boyfriend? By having a boyfriend I mean having plans of eventually getting married and having children. I am not going to say that you should finish College first before having a boyfriend because education is evolving and you don’t have to stick to formal education to be able to follow your dreams. To be more specific, I should say it would be sometime after you’re 25 and you can say to yourself that you and the person courting you have already fulfilled your dreams –individually! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">25 really? …you ask, why?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because by then, we can be certain that everything your special someone uses to surprise you would be coming from his own hard work. It’s not hard work to skip meals just so a boy can buy you gifts from allowance money and it’s a shame to receive gifts knowing that it actually came from a boy’s parents. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because it’s easier to follow your dreams when you’re on your own. Oh, forget that excuse for an inspiration. God, your biological family and your friends should be enough to see you through. Think of it this way, when you’re running after your dream to a faraway place, you wouldn’t think twice about having to leave someone behind. When you’re running after your dream while being financially challenged, you can always skip meals, sleep in, use public transportation no matter how long it takes, walk to and from home, easy. When running after your dreams without assurance of success, it’s ok, you can still run after it, fail, make as many mistakes as you can and rise up again. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because you will have the opportunity to indulge in your success after failure. You will earn enough to spend on things that make you happy. You can spend on food, clothes, gifts, travel and recreation without having to think of other people.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because it will be easier to allocate for savings and investment. Because you are alone, you can decide for yourself whether to spend your money on number 4 or save and invest. You can buy your own car, your own home, your own stocks, etc. You can choose to invest in a business that caters to what you love to do regardless of a possible failure. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because when you have lived a fulfilled life on your own, you can do away with the what ifs and the what could’ve beens. When you don’t have these loose strings anymore, your judgment for a better half would be better. Men can no longer impress you with just words and gifts. You will be swooned by a person of character, someone who has also lived a fulfilled single life. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Because when both of you have lived fulfilled single lives, you will have a lot of options. You can choose to stay in the dating phase, get married, have kids, quit your job, stay at home with the family, and still have the best time of your life. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There, you wouldn’t be bothered with a “because I said so” kind of reasoning when you ask when you can have a boyfriend. I believe it’s pretty clear how you can get more out of life if you wait. What will you be missing anyway? Emails and texts asking how you are and if you’ve already eaten? Hatid-sundo na de-kotse? Movie dates, malling and eat-outs? Don’t worry, mom and dad will do that for you. Holding hands while walking, pa-sway-sway pa and the kiss that would make your foot pop? You’re not even supposed to be doing that outside of marriage and why is on another entry. See you soon!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></span></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-91293648907517850102015-06-21T06:33:00.003+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.482+08:00Why We Need Dads<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In this day and age, we have accepted the way families can strive without dads. After all, moms can already provide for the family,do household troubleshooting, and provide guidance which is basically what dads are expected to do. However, as I was browsing through family pictures, I realized why having a dad in the family is an absolute necessity and why you should appreciate that man in your household:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">1) Because children need someone to show them how dates should be.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-photos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-0/1470118_695832683770623_444704941_n.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=adbbbc25ae9eafa8d8fe1337c0b0c6cb&oe=55E7EFF8&__gda__=1442844555_beca79164316d9de28e795f6dfb80fe5" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-photos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-0/1470118_695832683770623_444704941_n.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=adbbbc25ae9eafa8d8fe1337c0b0c6cb&oe=55E7EFF8&__gda__=1442844555_beca79164316d9de28e795f6dfb80fe5" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Because an extra pair of thighs is necessary for a good sleep.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggacXaaj47nYC7jpMTRJz2IYHqd66lwnjad3oNNm9M26L9Y_Jxb8ys7p7WGtcrjqNqo2N6AOPLoNi42EzK1KvJWeH5GUaxQojg_xDm1YGFE8GKLzyc57I_5keo71t6YR7EYpoy2_uyfafw/s1600/P_20150412_100801_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggacXaaj47nYC7jpMTRJz2IYHqd66lwnjad3oNNm9M26L9Y_Jxb8ys7p7WGtcrjqNqo2N6AOPLoNi42EzK1KvJWeH5GUaxQojg_xDm1YGFE8GKLzyc57I_5keo71t6YR7EYpoy2_uyfafw/s320/P_20150412_100801_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Because he's great at capturing priceless family events!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yvpMN3oQK0nO2IOxLkOxuAOXJ8sky22n0voQo3DPrkfyAO12aibTAyl1McAFFT6GcXjc0kb1zVqGOiGo-ZJE4yrgyddJaghOUECLhdgGjaPudVeQEJXAoLc1xkod4pWJxg5jqytqi0CN/s1600/P_20150410_152119_1_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yvpMN3oQK0nO2IOxLkOxuAOXJ8sky22n0voQo3DPrkfyAO12aibTAyl1McAFFT6GcXjc0kb1zVqGOiGo-ZJE4yrgyddJaghOUECLhdgGjaPudVeQEJXAoLc1xkod4pWJxg5jqytqi0CN/s320/P_20150410_152119_1_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>(first family bus ride)</i></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Because he's great at carrying the kids... both of them!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jcFy3ygKSuJzQxpwVHDo0_5r-oMR77t-9fJu4WoJuvHfpOChKHVS-G3Jbgb7Q11e284RVw-C8uFpHYKWCDiaCvLUpKxhb1oS1U5dSOox1o613k0e8_601w3xlTG8G4DNkrHQmO3DIgW2/s1600/P_20150117_084836_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jcFy3ygKSuJzQxpwVHDo0_5r-oMR77t-9fJu4WoJuvHfpOChKHVS-G3Jbgb7Q11e284RVw-C8uFpHYKWCDiaCvLUpKxhb1oS1U5dSOox1o613k0e8_601w3xlTG8G4DNkrHQmO3DIgW2/s320/P_20150117_084836_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Because he's great at improvising ways to take care of the children.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDcTLKuAzluEYxnruiLYor9Mk4RZsBNV52S5ohhDmjAhlxknqZrJdlp1mQRoSxbwHV1Xwan7dI_b60XFFDwCJS16rhbIEsv_v3HQUwD9YM3YUa8Slryj3M8aQUWhYJ-kNf26RVKpjnGvB/s1600/P_20141102_113011%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDcTLKuAzluEYxnruiLYor9Mk4RZsBNV52S5ohhDmjAhlxknqZrJdlp1mQRoSxbwHV1Xwan7dI_b60XFFDwCJS16rhbIEsv_v3HQUwD9YM3YUa8Slryj3M8aQUWhYJ-kNf26RVKpjnGvB/s320/P_20141102_113011%25281%2529.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Because we need to practice applying makeup on a virgin face.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0K7SJDdEPgrmwPbtTVBTUaGSkUnvUEntoGPO_lmNQxewgu2Tes4azPyRpRVPuKGJJShgCiBjZi0MDJHSYvsQZqCJNlF1s_uCumQKkhJzqGzjy93ulWqPrG9bBP1E84EkUmWPm8z9YdG5/s1600/make+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0K7SJDdEPgrmwPbtTVBTUaGSkUnvUEntoGPO_lmNQxewgu2Tes4azPyRpRVPuKGJJShgCiBjZi0MDJHSYvsQZqCJNlF1s_uCumQKkhJzqGzjy93ulWqPrG9bBP1E84EkUmWPm8z9YdG5/s320/make+up.JPG" width="175" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7) Because you need to know that having a mustache when you're a girl isn't so bad after all.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGszo30h1wTE-mMl3rGzfgHPPPNO2M8Wu99oGbUXwq5eSieHjDlhk1UlpG2iMeVD1ijV7_3No4uubvWZ3jC8J9zVoDVj3xGx-bKLkiS10BCuaIWDpeHq4lrmopH2EUA3Mji_XU_vBCYaFf/s1600/IMG_20140724_113452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGszo30h1wTE-mMl3rGzfgHPPPNO2M8Wu99oGbUXwq5eSieHjDlhk1UlpG2iMeVD1ijV7_3No4uubvWZ3jC8J9zVoDVj3xGx-bKLkiS10BCuaIWDpeHq4lrmopH2EUA3Mji_XU_vBCYaFf/s320/IMG_20140724_113452.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8) Because daughters need a faster way to dry their hair.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_34neJXVTlyanW9U4QnPMjHXWGwB3-e8h5oDeVMcaqaDGnk4WIXyy1NFWmroPra0kRcUeynFHRgvM3bDhDM5MB4q8bcvO_9J1Rny9-5tqbqXV2DtsbRAZlVt59fnyRQbdHqjIHJgMc3M_/s1600/P_20150610_092702.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_34neJXVTlyanW9U4QnPMjHXWGwB3-e8h5oDeVMcaqaDGnk4WIXyy1NFWmroPra0kRcUeynFHRgvM3bDhDM5MB4q8bcvO_9J1Rny9-5tqbqXV2DtsbRAZlVt59fnyRQbdHqjIHJgMc3M_/s320/P_20150610_092702.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9) Because the kids need to look like someone other than their mom.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-0/1391471_665599823458369_2085786329_n.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=dbeff084c943cfb9d437c5d755525198&oe=5604A912&__gda__=1445963323_dd23bb4c088cb89300ffff7a2a66c14e" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-0/1391471_665599823458369_2085786329_n.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=dbeff084c943cfb9d437c5d755525198&oe=5604A912&__gda__=1445963323_dd23bb4c088cb89300ffff7a2a66c14e" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwodVFlZhZLc0KdCpr4bc0gBgTeiWt_ajVTPlc8fOOhhWcH9xBmu4LeavdcXn-stexNm6vocKAMQEX60-f6-CYrzmerXDxYP7fnH7C1Gw6ywhRXZ3D6ZGL3NKCTWQDNICQ5KJhzPZPXbC/s1600/P_20150303_171735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwodVFlZhZLc0KdCpr4bc0gBgTeiWt_ajVTPlc8fOOhhWcH9xBmu4LeavdcXn-stexNm6vocKAMQEX60-f6-CYrzmerXDxYP7fnH7C1Gw6ywhRXZ3D6ZGL3NKCTWQDNICQ5KJhzPZPXbC/s320/P_20150303_171735.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10) Because our dad is the best dad of all and we can't imagine life without him</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24XbttkHIafeuSnP2Fudu5dSlhXCkvCQRstpwnuzFj01jyVgWc0Z7-KFLz1aN0jbukupYv02SyMhTfuVm53Wv-s81c1Pof1OBVsh9okt1yBKGZr4Yqb7zrtgPPREOhHVJu-nBU9kF6UXv/s1600/10428117_789912174363716_6716973248938655244_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24XbttkHIafeuSnP2Fudu5dSlhXCkvCQRstpwnuzFj01jyVgWc0Z7-KFLz1aN0jbukupYv02SyMhTfuVm53Wv-s81c1Pof1OBVsh9okt1yBKGZr4Yqb7zrtgPPREOhHVJu-nBU9kF6UXv/s320/10428117_789912174363716_6716973248938655244_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.7142858505249px; widows: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Father's Day to the man who is a perfect example of how all men should be. We love you so much!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
youreverywoman,</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-89160173362624832892014-12-28T07:52:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.476+08:00Start Right on Child Nutrition<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a theory... that there are no picky eaters and that children who don't eat right are a result of clueless parents. Please, before giving me dagger looks on how self righteous you think my parenting is, let me explain.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
I'm 30 and my hubby is about 2 years younger. We have 2 kids, a 7 year old and a 10 month old. By these numbers, you can imagine how young we had our first child and even though I did read several books about how to raise a child then, nothing beats experience.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
You see, our first born is a picky eater. When she was born via CS, she was given to me for a taste of my bosom which I am confused whether it were for nourishing purposes or a photo op because it was so quick. After that, she was kept in the nursery drinking formula until I recovered. Breastfeeding failed. I tried until she got ill and I received a lot of ideas about how my daughter was allergic to my milk and was turning yellow and stuff like that that I decided to quit and do what we thought was best for her. 6 months later, when she showed signs that she wanted to eat solid food, we thought that she'd eat more if the food tasted yummy - like adult yummy. So we started with packaged cereals (I'm sure you guys are familiar with this one and probably had your taste of them too!) and juices, which she liked, but when we started to give her real food like rice and mashed vegetables, she gagged. I thought it was just because she didn't have teeth to chew the food yet so I postponed real food feeding until she was more than a year old. Since then, every feeding is a challenge, even until now. If it's not fastfood, she'd stay at the table for more than an hour thinking of a strategy on how to either trick the elders or finish her food.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
7+ years later, our 2nd child was born. We were older and a lot more prepared. We've read more books and were more vocal about what we wanted. Hospital rules are different and the help of the Internet and social networking were tremendous. I gave birth to our 2nd child, still via CS, but she was with me from birth to home. Exclusive breastfeeding was successful. When she showed signs of wanting to eat solid food, the first thing that we gave her is unseasoned, steamed mashed green papaya, and she ate it! Our pedia taught us that we should've started with bitter melon which a lot of kids (and even adults) don't like, but the advice came late so 2nd child didn't like bitter melon (alone) anymore, but she eats a wide variety of vegetables. As of writing, here are the vegetables that are part of her mashed food mix:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
- Carrot</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Potato</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Moringa (Malunggay)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Chili leaves (dahon ng Sili)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Bitter Melon leaves (dahon ng Ampalaya)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Mustard</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Spinach</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Bell pepper</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Squash</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Tomato</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Chayote (Sayote)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- green Papaya</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Basella Alba (Alugbati)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Ampalaya</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Corn</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
She eats them without any seasoning, can you imagine that? I sometimes toss in sauteed onions and garlic to excite her palate but that's it. I taste her food sometimes and the potatoes make the mix taste a bit ok for me but I wouldn't eat a whole meal of it. She eats these food mixes 3 times a day and loves them to bits!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
What I have learned is that children don't have innate preferences. They take what you give them, get accustomed to the taste, and develop a preference. It is the caregivers duty to offer and develop a healthier preference. Exclusive breastfeeding is a good start because breastmilk has all the right ingredients for an infant and just enough sugar so she doesn't develop a craving for sweets.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
So far, we have 2 kids whom I can tell apart. Once our 2nd child grows and we have a third kid, I may be able to prove if this theory is true, but if you have a kid who's about to eat solid food, or are having kids or are planning to have kids, please give this a try. Maybe years later, you'll be able to tell me in the comments if it were true for you. Until then...</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-7483021926150687102014-10-10T14:53:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.452+08:00For the Love of Cloth<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I originally wanted to use the traditional lampin with our eldest daughter that I even bought several muslin cloths and nappy clamps. However, being the working mom that I am, I eventually gave up the dream to go completely eco-friendly. A couple of years later, after giving birth to our youngest daughter and engaging in a breastfeeding support group, I was introduced to modern cloth diapers. At first, I shied away from its hefty price tag but when I did the math, I realized that my first set of CDs is just equivalent to 2 ½ months’ worth of disposable diapers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 13.6419219970703px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Zx_JnLvSX30r1sZ9-SpxBSk5rRc3DKpGCPAuWJgPg8p5l5uzCJdpbJFwquC7lNRvoqt4UCpBGTIlRTLdOOToRjww8KSjLsQEfWQrh5blyseT6s-4wsk8wNqaNQ_Ydwl8Na288SrEglON/s1600/Screenshot_2014-10-10-13-54-24_1.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/EarthBabyPH" target="_blank">Earthbaby AI2s</a></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Because of this, it didn’t take too much to convince my husband into buying me another set for the rainy days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 13.6419219970703px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf49fSve0dXE5lwnQMvaz85QotiEkkp_-JVEn84226oz9_6fKydZBClMt8aXRvVC_mWGK2-n18jxKUeEa1FkTceMn8NUuSrWEzZPhB1evGKsJj_xvf7PmEefyybri2zgQJFs9cFJEWm59/s1600/P_20141010_102748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf49fSve0dXE5lwnQMvaz85QotiEkkp_-JVEn84226oz9_6fKydZBClMt8aXRvVC_mWGK2-n18jxKUeEa1FkTceMn8NUuSrWEzZPhB1evGKsJj_xvf7PmEefyybri2zgQJFs9cFJEWm59/s1600/P_20141010_102748.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/babychicboutique" target="_blank">Baby Chic AI2s</a></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I wouldn’t dwell into reviewing cloth diapers because I am no expert and I haven’t tried everything. All I can say based on my research and my purchase is that the AI2 system is the most suitable cloth diapering system for us. It uses a waterproof outer or “shell” and a snap-on soaker that takes all the pee in. The soaker is a combination of a stay-dry top layer and several layers of absorbent natural fiber cloths. Ours uses microfleece and bamboo cotton. What I like most about this system is that it takes reusability to a whole new level! When the soaker is saturated with pee, you can just remove it and snap on a fresh one, although I prefer to use a fresh shell while air-drying the previous one for later use. If baby poops, that’s a different story. The whole combo would have to be changed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now unlike disposable diapers, cloth diapers do not turn liquid to gel which meant it may not last through the night. I had problems with night leaks because I can’t get up promptly to check on my daughter’s nappy and she doesn’t really care if her nappy is saturated while she’s asleep. I was almost about to buy trifold boosters for our cloth diapers until one desperate night, I decided to add a folded muslin cloth under the soaker. Boom! Problem solved!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52m8IMBnE2nNp2v_NSqEhVQqpEkFKOsrfyLCG728sdXfZzADrMn1vyj7odBGAlAHl4DrNmfdisvkDtRtWnmClJpcu33xDDzba0Lhk7BSxcogKDJ__EM0IntsvKE97yYZIHDjabZCpjclZ/s1600/141010024844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52m8IMBnE2nNp2v_NSqEhVQqpEkFKOsrfyLCG728sdXfZzADrMn1vyj7odBGAlAHl4DrNmfdisvkDtRtWnmClJpcu33xDDzba0Lhk7BSxcogKDJ__EM0IntsvKE97yYZIHDjabZCpjclZ/s1600/141010024844.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">One time, during a nappy change, I thought to myself that it would also be a lovely idea if the cotton I use for wipes were reusable. Then it hit me, “Why not use cloth wipes?”. I scoured the Internet for cloth wipes and I got a lot of suggestions on how to create my own. I ended up buying 2 meters of Yellow cotton flannel, cutting it into 5” diameter circles. My mother-in-law volunteered to sew two layers of the flannel together using her edging machine and the results were amazing! Matched with a bum spray recipe that I got from </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EarthBabyPH/photos/pb.450832861617845.-2207520000.1403223936./775758875791907/?type=1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;" target="_blank">Earth Baby</a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">, it did a great job in cleaning my daughter’s nappy area. And when it’s laundry time for the cloth diapers, I just throw in the cloth wipes with the CDs in the washer!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjadSpRUfWNUJKGffDKgo4pEexcWRP261nVPgVrp0WY5jYxVT-een4eIvwKW8H-cfroxHVvMLs8Vj_T4xkwNyXHlpyRVpskUEmiMy_wczBWiHZTGxt7_Lh-jGBugsY5MtWFrWP3mZjLSp/s1600/P_20141010_095930_DF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjadSpRUfWNUJKGffDKgo4pEexcWRP261nVPgVrp0WY5jYxVT-een4eIvwKW8H-cfroxHVvMLs8Vj_T4xkwNyXHlpyRVpskUEmiMy_wczBWiHZTGxt7_Lh-jGBugsY5MtWFrWP3mZjLSp/s1600/P_20141010_095930_DF.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am so happy with our entirely cloth diapering system. Armed with breastfeeding, it completely eased us of all additional routine costs of having an addition to the family at least until the next vaccine schedule or until she goes to school. Wonderful isn’t it?!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.6419219970703px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">,</span></div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" height="82" style="background: transparent; border: 0px !important;" width="200" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-8627382847328713362014-10-10T11:09:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.474+08:00Cold Remedies for Infants<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Serene recently had a very bad cold. Being the breastfed kid that she is, I didn’t realize that she could get sick too, so I was never too careful about being sick near her. When it became difficult for her to nurse, we brought her to the doctor. At the hospital, aside from medicines, we were advised to buy this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ANh2CWFZtqvGbaR_VjD9prqPfnVhwpE5Ubm9uEA4epsSA-ubX8B0ET5wMPivxorhetcrqssRAn5BxGqFKg6OXr-TjqOawMW_-_w3z_nqCw2UQtGAx02uanTY2s3IHtK7YFe5b0owxm-P/s1600/P_20141010_100343_LL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ANh2CWFZtqvGbaR_VjD9prqPfnVhwpE5Ubm9uEA4epsSA-ubX8B0ET5wMPivxorhetcrqssRAn5BxGqFKg6OXr-TjqOawMW_-_w3z_nqCw2UQtGAx02uanTY2s3IHtK7YFe5b0owxm-P/s1600/P_20141010_100343_LL.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Simba tube nasal aspirator</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the most efficient mucous suctioning tool I’ve ever experienced in my entire mommy life! In fact, I would recommend this or give as gift to friend mommies with infants. Here’s how it works:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobdwc3PAOHZNQnkk2-QYXbP257WbLf2hJ9LYNgv-TtbNUZ-e_0p4ynpq1mYvx4P2WYcCg8scu5Htg28rCGqzwySBF2ZJHOLhDMx9-cd9voCOsFT9VdgWF5KHiFr7wO8g0YQ3RpXWL-H1v/s1600/Simba+S1514+Self-adjustable+Nasal+Aspirator+Alat+s-500x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobdwc3PAOHZNQnkk2-QYXbP257WbLf2hJ9LYNgv-TtbNUZ-e_0p4ynpq1mYvx4P2WYcCg8scu5Htg28rCGqzwySBF2ZJHOLhDMx9-cd9voCOsFT9VdgWF5KHiFr7wO8g0YQ3RpXWL-H1v/s1600/Simba+S1514+Self-adjustable+Nasal+Aspirator+Alat+s-500x500.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not only did I help my daughter blow her nose, I also got to collect the mucous in a transparent container which I can best describe to her pedia during check-ups. Amazing isn’t it? Better than the sacrificial act of actually mouth-sipping your infant’s mucous from her nose right? (Oh come on! I’m sure some of you have done or have heard someone had done it before!) Please take note that because it collects mucous, it’s a breeding ground for virus and bacteria so you have to ensure that you wash and dry it in between usage.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aside from that tool, we also followed a routine to ensure that our baby heals in no time:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.</span> <span style="font-size: small;">When it’s time for her bath, I pour a large amount of hot water in a pail, close the bathroom and we’ll both stay inside for 15 minutes for steam. I suction all her mucous during the steaming process. After 15 minutes, I add cold water to the pail to get just enough warmth for an infant and I bathe her with it.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.</span> <span style="font-size: small;">After bathing, I massage her chest and back with GIGA Ventures’ Cold Rub. I also apply some to her feet too and cover it with socks.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdZULNbQOzh_vS2dGx3Bdco-8bxrt0_U1LQK5qQboA2foUXsFw8BmMtUXTqPxXgDa4HSuLG4w9UqSi0NH3FBM36NrF97D8Kh6p5PbiQoi9sH2yVC65g_SyMxB7Zs-YNFMkSEhnmfWaXVH/s1600/P_20141010_100418_DF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdZULNbQOzh_vS2dGx3Bdco-8bxrt0_U1LQK5qQboA2foUXsFw8BmMtUXTqPxXgDa4HSuLG4w9UqSi0NH3FBM36NrF97D8Kh6p5PbiQoi9sH2yVC65g_SyMxB7Zs-YNFMkSEhnmfWaXVH/s1600/P_20141010_100418_DF.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.</span> <span style="font-size: small;">When she’s awake and I notice that she has difficulty breathing, I spray Salinase through each of her nostrils and suction the mucous again.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Weather nowadays is so unpredictable that I’m sure parents out there would eventually have the trouble of taking care of a child with colds. So if you ever try any of our products / procedures, or have any other products / procedures you swear by, please let us know through the comments.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks!</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-21182456609968470682014-07-05T10:46:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.338+08:00Breastfeeding: The Working Mom<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s been 5 months and I am happy to say that our little one
is still exclusively breastfed. Getting here was no walk in the park though. It
is during difficult times that I’d tell myself that if I don’t love my baby, or
if I didn’t have a support system, I would’ve given up. Breastfeeding, in my
opinion, was designed in the premise that mothers are supposed to be with their
little ones 24/7. For the working mom, however, it’s a test of patience and
endurance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Good</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wanted the Cimilre M1 pump but the high cost of P7800.00
was something I intended to postpone for until I go back to work from my
maternity leave and earn again. Good thing <a href="http://babymama.ph/">Babymama.ph</a> sold some test breast
pump kits at half its actual cost, so I grabbed one. It was so efficient! I’ll
post a separate review about it but in a nutshell, it’s worth its price and you
can never go wrong if you decide to get it for yourself. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Because of my efficient pump, I am able to troubleshoot my
oversupply by pumping before directly feeding my little one. I was able to save
so much milk with this routine that I am able to donate to other children who
needed them. I am overwhelmed by how grateful mommies are for receiving my milk
that they bring me fruits and letters that make me happy. Thanks to </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HM4HBPhilippines" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Human Milk for Human Babies</a><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for creating a network for milk sharing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also, I am blessed that our company already took on the
responsibility of supporting the milk code. Hence, we already have a lactation
room and lactation provisions are already in place. I am able to bring fresh
milk home to my daughter that she never had to drink milk that is more than 3
days old. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At work, I realized that a 15-minute pumping session would
actually consume more time than 15 minutes because of the preparation and the
clean-up. Wonderful mommies from Facebook community’s </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/breastfeedingpinays/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Breastfeeding Pinays</a><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
suggested that I place the breast flanges in the fridge so that the droplets of
milk that stayed there will not spoil and the flanges will be ok to use the
whole day without washing. That brilliant idea did reduce the time, but it
still didn’t fit the 15-minute break, so I reduced my sessions to just 10
minutes. I know that by law, lactating moms already have an extra 40-minute
lactation break but the work that I do affects a class of 20+ participants who
don’t have lactation breaks like I do. There were even busy days when I had to
reduce the frequency of my pumping sessions and it did have an effect on my
milk supply. That was blessing in disguise by the way because I used to have
oversupply and I don’t anymore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Bad</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I knew since my first day back at work that feeding through
the bottle is not my little one’s kind of thing. But because a lot of moms
assured me that the baby would eventually feed through the bottle, I gave in
and let go of all my worries. When I went back to work on a morning shift, she
did drink from the bottle but only enough so she doesn’t feel hungry. When I
get home, she would nurse as if there’s no tomorrow, leaving me with little
sleep. That was ok with me until I was transferred to the evening shift. Serene
sleeps through the night as long as breast milk is readily available once she
shows early signs of hunger. However, that is not the case in the morning. In
the morning, she would have more awake times than sleep times and it left me
with very little to no sleep. That was still fine with me as long as my baby
feeds until…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Ugly</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">…we started struggling through feedings. Initially, I
noticed that everytime I tried to carry my baby by cradle position, she squirmed
and eventually cried out loud that I can’t feed her anymore. Drew found out
that the nanny forced her to feed through the bottle even when she’s not ready.
I can’t put all the blame on her because 1. She’s not a mother, and 2. Even if
she were a mother, not all mothers are equipped with knowledge about
breastfeeding because 3. Not all mothers breastfed their children; Not even my
own mom and 4. We don’t have the luxury of time to wait until she’s ready just
to feed her and make her sleep.Even I confess that I force her to feed at times
when I’m almost late for work. At that phase,
I will only be able to feed her if we both laid down on side-lying position.That
meant I wasn’t supposed to go out with her anymore but I wanted to. I want to
bring her to the mall, to Sunday service and everywhere I am except at work. So,
I forced her to feed by cradle position all the more which traumatized her further
until she won’t feed without a battle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The End</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drew and I decided that we had to put an end to the war
Serene and I had everytime she needs to feed, so we sought help from a
lactation consultant. While at the clinic, Serene amazed the pedia / lactation
consultant by showing her how difficult it was to feed her. We tried waiting
for her to initiate the feeding on her own by cradle position, saddle position,
side-lying position and cup-feeding but she just screamed the whole time and
refused to feed. Looking at our scenario, the lactation consultant agreed that
we have been doing a bad job by forcing Serene to feed. She suggested that
until our baby forgets how it feels to be forced to feed, we have to make her
really really sleepy before we offer her milk – by bottle or by breast. She
said that this is also the time when babies’ gums are swollen in preparation
for teeth to come out which aggravates the situation. For this, she advised
that we apply teething gel to her gums to alleviate her pain / irritation.
These we followed to the T. I made a commitment to not fret if I am about to go
to work and Serene is not yet ready to nurse, making sure that everyone else
does the same with her bottle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, our baby is moving on from her breastfeeding trauma. We
stuck with her favorite bottle, the Pigeon wide-neck with peristaltic nipple,
when I’m away and we have seen great progress with the way she nurses – by
bottle or by breast. There is no more battle – just a bit of tension and
hesitation but I am positive that we are moving toward peaceful nursing in the
near future. I’m excited for her to turn 6 months so she could start solids.
Yey! </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-11034306806281292272014-06-09T11:08:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.319+08:00Security and the Silver Shoes<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I grew up with a lot of insecurities and I'm sure hubby had a handful too. I personally believe that the level of security of a human being has a lot to do with how he or she was raised. You can just imagine my dilemma on how I could possibly raise a secured child when we had our first girl. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was Ella's first time to attend Elementary school. Our budget is so tight because I just recently gave birth to her sister and we failed to expect that I am not to receive salary for 2 salary periods because of the obligations that I should have paid if I were not on maternity leave. Because of this, everything had to be crammed up to the last day before school. That night, while we were preparing stuff, we realized that we already gave Ella's previous school year's shoes away. My mom promised to buy her school shoes but the order will not arrive until 2 days later. I was torn with having her wear casual clothing, even though the school strictly informed us that kids should be wearing uniform by day 1, or have her wear uniform without proper school shoes. Drew chose the 2nd option with only the silver dress shoes as replacement for proper school shoes. The following day, when I told Ella that she had to make do with the silver dress shoes she said "Wow! ...just like in Princess Charm School (a Barbie movie)! Explain ko nalang sa teacher." </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Truly, our eldest daughter became a princess that day.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MHWA3oZu_tLGPbfyD63oA5uZQFGW61uXYHlKLphaaWgBZnzShz7yk4XEidhuUP1mTLKUP_sCZX3iPip87mmG1EqJRJkdwVfQtiucfAFdIixhIoEFgdQ62_mwtuF1G2NUI9nct8104IJY/s1600/silver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MHWA3oZu_tLGPbfyD63oA5uZQFGW61uXYHlKLphaaWgBZnzShz7yk4XEidhuUP1mTLKUP_sCZX3iPip87mmG1EqJRJkdwVfQtiucfAFdIixhIoEFgdQ62_mwtuF1G2NUI9nct8104IJY/s1600/silver.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After Drew sent Ella to school, I told him that it amazed me how Ella reacted to wearing those silver shoes. If I had to be in the same situation when I was her age, I would've felt very insecure to the point of probably sitting at the farthest part of the class hoping to be invisible. He said he was thinking of the same thing on their way to school. That if he was in the same situation when he was her age, he'd probably be absent on his first day! </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj_wxuXGG8X3IuoiDSp07JHGOU-tu26HUPRtv0gr3uF1epwmkIA_uF7-3Bt0vkF8a92YtW3iGM4U3wzAcKPQlRS7NGavYp1B2v-xKcWJmvkFa_QDzNc187h-XwVK_VgXrxyU5S79CyNn-/s1600/1st+day+elementary+2.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj_wxuXGG8X3IuoiDSp07JHGOU-tu26HUPRtv0gr3uF1epwmkIA_uF7-3Bt0vkF8a92YtW3iGM4U3wzAcKPQlRS7NGavYp1B2v-xKcWJmvkFa_QDzNc187h-XwVK_VgXrxyU5S79CyNn-/s1600/1st+day+elementary+2.1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, more than ever, I was finally able to tell myself that in the past 6 years, Drew and I may be doing something right. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-68397244055152425962014-04-24T06:15:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.441+08:00Breastfeeding: The First Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hAocRwv_mCkHQWjhzrK-LnDPdT_BSdktrigGEod34eTY_ejqD6d9IM0hVBLRwg4kWVNpYwkqwh9wjHH1aWQrG_TxbCBAtf-l34jkHkltBm7kjBHE7aesWHwXZMOmGxd-vRrhIb07xLL4/s1600/DSC09723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hAocRwv_mCkHQWjhzrK-LnDPdT_BSdktrigGEod34eTY_ejqD6d9IM0hVBLRwg4kWVNpYwkqwh9wjHH1aWQrG_TxbCBAtf-l34jkHkltBm7kjBHE7aesWHwXZMOmGxd-vRrhIb07xLL4/s1600/DSC09723.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wasn't successful at breastfeeding Ella and we all suffered the consequences. First, she is very sickly. Second, it took a long time for me to fully recover from my CS operation. And last but definitely not the least, we had to cope with a budget of P1000 a week for formula. Because of this, I made sure that I would be successful at breastfeeding Serene. Let me share with you my breastfeeding journey</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Preparation</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>I read a lot about breastfeeding</b>. How it works; the benefits; the problems; the truths vs. the myths, etc. It pays to be in the know when it comes to these things because that way I was able to...</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. ...<b>Make it clear to EVERYONE that I have decided that my baby takes nothing less than my milk.</b> I sat down with my husband and other people in the family who will have an influence on me when it comes to child-rearing.I encouraged them to understand more about breastfeeding so that they could stand the same ground as I am when facing breastfeeding challenges. The least a mother wants to have are people who are negative about breastfeeding around her. Breastfeeding is most likely to be successful with a support system, especially during those times after birth when you cannot be in control of certain things. Included in the support system are your medical team. That's why...</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. ...<b>I chose a hospital with a breastfeeding advocacy</b>. I originally planned to have a birth plan signed but was hesitant because birth plans are not popular in the Philippines. Good thing I didn't have to because VRPMC (Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center aka Polymedic) is pro-breastfeeding. Apparently, DOH and WHO are already working towards making the Philippines a breastfeeding country. Good job DOH and WHO for <a href="http://www.gov.ph/2010/03/16/republic-act-no-10028/" target="_blank"><i>RA10028</i></a>!</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. I bought breastfeeding compatible bottles for when I go to work and my little one would be left with breastmilk from the refrigerator.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. <b>I drank Nu-Mom, a supplement for nursing mothers, by my 36th week of pregnancy</b>. I wanted to make sure that I am confident that my boobs would have colostrum by the time I gave birth.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. <b>I manually and mechanically tried to express colostrum by my 37th week of pregnancy</b> just to check if something would come out. When colostrum did come out, I became more confident in my success at breastfeeding.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things I Really Needed and Used</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>An efficient breastpump</b>;<b> </b>especially because I intend to continue breastfeeding after going back to work. I was given a Fisher Price electric breastpump as a gift and it helped me during the first few weeks but since it was a single pump, very noisy and did not pump on it's own (It just continuously sucked like vacuum and there's button you have to constantly press to let go of the boobie nipple - technically making it a glorified manual pump!) I had to get the Spectra Cimilre M1 from <a href="http://babymama.ph/"><i>BabyMama.Ph</i></a>. It was so efficient and quiet and I'm really happy with that purchase. It helped me build a breastmilk stash (more than enough that I was able to donate some before returning to work and troubleshoot some breastfeeding challenges such as under and over supply. I still keep my Fisher Price pump as a back-up though.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. <b>A nursing bra.</b> Not only did it give easy access to boob for the little one but it also helped me pump hands-free! Just click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1312614392211238.1073741841.1252240014915343&type=1" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a> to see how it's done.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b>A nursing pillow. </b>In my experience, the nursing pillow totally made the first few weeks easier, when baby seemed to fragile and I was still recovering from my CS operation. It's short-lived though because as soon as little one had stronger bones and muscles, I found myself needing the nursing pillow a lot less. So, it's better to get a cheap, or even a hand-me-down but reliable one.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. <b>A nursing cover. </b>My family and I love to go out and despite breastfeeding advocates' stand that breastfeeding is a natural thing and need not be hidden, I still choose to nurse discreetly. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. <b>Breastmilk storage bags and bottles. </b>I bought my breastmilk storage bags from <a href="http://www.olx.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/37673084/NEW+JACO+Perfection+Breastmilk+pack+Storage+bag+%28120pcs%29?referralKeywords=jaco+breastmilk+storage&event=Search+Ranking,Position,1-3,3" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a> and got the Looney Tunes set of 4 breastmilk storage bottles at SM Megamall Department Store. They're the most affordable choices as far I was able to search. I use my storage bags to build my stash in the freezer and the storage bottles to routinely arrive with freshly expressed milk from work. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. <b>An insulated bag with gel-type ice packs. </b>Aside from it going to be used to keep my expressed milk fresh upon returning home from work, it also came in handy when I had to host a wedding ceremony wherein the whole family was invited but couldn't directly feed the little one.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things I Thought I Needed But Didn't</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>Breastfeeding compatible bottles.</b> The Internet is very helpful, but it can also be harmful at times. I was haunted by the thought that my daughter will not take the bottle by the time I return to work so we ended up buying different kinds of bottles that claim to be "breastfeeding compatible" and trained her with them. It stressed both of us out when we didn't have success during training only to find out that my daughter will take any bottle as soon as I was out of the house. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. <b>The <a href="http://www.milkbands.com/" target="_blank"><i>milkband</i></a></b>. I won't say it wasn't helpful because it did remind me of the time and the side I last nursed my baby during the first few weeks. However, I learned that I should breastfeed on demand and the fullness I felt on my boobs eventually became my reminder on which side LO last fed on. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Challenges</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>Difficulty achieving the correct latch</b>. It took a lot of patience, practice and support from other people. For some, it may take a few days... For me, weeks. My nipple was even at one point too sore that it bled. But when I was about to give up, I just had to remember "This too shall pass..." and it did.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. <b>Timing feedings and observing cues</b>. A hungry baby is a fussy, noisy, baby and it didn't help alleviate my post-partum blues. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b>Oversupply</b>. A lot of people I talked to think that oversupply is great, but it's not. If you have ever experienced expressing breastmilk or at least have seen someone doing it, you'll know that milk comes out of not just one but several holes. Sometimes, the ejection of the milk can be too strong for the baby, causing them to gag or choke, stop nursing, cry and be fussy. To remedy this, I'd have to pump everytime before little one is about to nurse. It's a hassle because one I can't predict the time "before" the feeding cues show up causing little one to end up having to take the strong milk ejection because I wasn't able to pump; And two, because I have more pumping-washing-sterilizing to do. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. <b>Bottle feeding.</b> - Only if you go back to work or go somewhere without your little one which are both something I intend to do. I eventually learned to not make a big deal out of it because my daughter feeds just fine on a bottle when I was not around.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. <b>Boob-side preference</b>. Because of the oversupply problem, each feeding had to be done on only one side so that LO can get the right amounts of the foremilk and hindmilk from that boob. Recently, I am finding that there's no fuss feeding LO on my left, but a hurdle to feed her on my right. </span><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Takeaways</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>Breastfeeding is difficult</b>. I never thought that something so natural would require a lot of time, effort, hardwork and support from other people. If I didn't have all 4, I probably ditched the entire breastfeeding thing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. <b>Articles on the Internet are informative but MAY do more harm than good</b>. Yes, the Internet taught me a lot but <b>it pays to hear experiences from real people</b> who have already gone through the breastfeeding journey. Good thing friends invited me to a group in Facebook called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/breastfeedingpinays/" target="_blank">Breastfeeding Pinays</a>. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b>Forewarned is Forearmed</b>. The fact that I already knew a lot about breastfeeding helped me defend my stand to exclusively breastfeed my daughter despite what other people say or do. For anyone who may read this blog, one very important foundation information that I learned about breastfeeding is that a newborn's tummy is just about the size of a cherry so the tiny bit of colostrum that comes out of my breasts when I give birth is enough. It helped me stay confident about not having to concede to formula pressure.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Rewards</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. A happy, healthy baby.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Faster CS operation recovery.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Faster pre-pregnancy weight achievement.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Around P4000 monthly savings for not feeding with formula.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So there! It's been two months that I have exclusively been breastfeeding my daughter, Serene and we're very happy and excited to experience what else is in store for us in the next few months. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; cursor: move;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-34926630438763169112014-04-08T18:52:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.365+08:00I have an artist for a daughter!<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Isabella has always been very good in whatever she does. Because of this, we were kind of confused as to which of her skills needed to be formally honed. We are a middle class family and we can't afford to send her to several specialty schools just to find out which she would excel in. Good thing we were blessed to find out early that Isabella is an artist.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9m8qtK2bYqsadYTskLEmPLSbi5ckz5sZVqOnxpm9j9qo3ymX0HlXABtb0rZxT7sHWXIQ0kWuovWvmaUvIqObJWvoCHXgz_hPOZLJEenNwClaJHOWpAkgvSXlBnaGrqHxU6YPW1E4vCdVb/s1600/IMG_4410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9m8qtK2bYqsadYTskLEmPLSbi5ckz5sZVqOnxpm9j9qo3ymX0HlXABtb0rZxT7sHWXIQ0kWuovWvmaUvIqObJWvoCHXgz_hPOZLJEenNwClaJHOWpAkgvSXlBnaGrqHxU6YPW1E4vCdVb/s1600/IMG_4410.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">water color</span></i></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF12XwBycId9VkhJzS9h4MPyKDhYQfI5W41tVcGGRJgASy_bdPK8HEu7Igd96JKNcZSldBixD_Uj70Yot5rzfo4yRhZP7n0ZsqUwOrSr59TG56X9YIMtVM6yFtjtK7SL1b_0iITTshbp7J/s1600/hubbard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF12XwBycId9VkhJzS9h4MPyKDhYQfI5W41tVcGGRJgASy_bdPK8HEu7Igd96JKNcZSldBixD_Uj70Yot5rzfo4yRhZP7n0ZsqUwOrSr59TG56X9YIMtVM6yFtjtK7SL1b_0iITTshbp7J/s1600/hubbard.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pencil imitation of illustration from Old Mother Hubbard</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently, she received these recognitions:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbHu7S3SNhvHQLVJZi1e-D1vKSwFjOdGKiAbW1BhuOmZMlYMloPu-nqBUzNU1JnzalVsNKoRUPDI8WQYvHvkIpVoPOm5eBY8APFB5q1znYNUulNDZq7aUf2oFzpvNwqne7HTkJUFS-tv0/s1600/IMG_5702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbHu7S3SNhvHQLVJZi1e-D1vKSwFjOdGKiAbW1BhuOmZMlYMloPu-nqBUzNU1JnzalVsNKoRUPDI8WQYvHvkIpVoPOm5eBY8APFB5q1znYNUulNDZq7aUf2oFzpvNwqne7HTkJUFS-tv0/s1600/IMG_5702.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1st honor and Best in Art. We're so proud of you Anak!</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This strengthened our will to enroll Isabella in art school. Thank God for blessing us with a means to do so.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8Z3Ea2fNdxrqO1W2iL0RAj3bqpiLDXz70Ey1BCr5UoBj9DnuV_i2shWAJRVMyL4WrtnZPI0tGJG5Vy4rkQwuWH2nVvFatkuu62m_TOnaL41hZgphyphenhyphenEeIhMQodHQyyOtRggbTNw_Avnds/s1600/kidzart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8Z3Ea2fNdxrqO1W2iL0RAj3bqpiLDXz70Ey1BCr5UoBj9DnuV_i2shWAJRVMyL4WrtnZPI0tGJG5Vy4rkQwuWH2nVvFatkuu62m_TOnaL41hZgphyphenhyphenEeIhMQodHQyyOtRggbTNw_Avnds/s1600/kidzart.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">KidzArt Mandaluyong</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And by the 1st day, Isabella wowed us with her work:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrJfmMqVssJaK4df54Tzh_7Xcj3YuD6GoykERrrGX5xPwT7e-MhfT-BhjReH9nsBkrokkq1RreU-Fzg6C-KllbC0BQrAM2vQ_fLh2fVOpdYPf-wnOhi5WvVtzPJdNeoTnKkry-e5dUAHq/s1600/markers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrJfmMqVssJaK4df54Tzh_7Xcj3YuD6GoykERrrGX5xPwT7e-MhfT-BhjReH9nsBkrokkq1RreU-Fzg6C-KllbC0BQrAM2vQ_fLh2fVOpdYPf-wnOhi5WvVtzPJdNeoTnKkry-e5dUAHq/s1600/markers.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">shading with colored markers</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next up? Sculpting! She said she wanted to learn how to properly mold polymer clay. There's really no stopping our little artist!</span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-82414036056654739752014-04-08T18:20:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.465+08:00Tipid Tip: Home-made Baby Wipes<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My daughters have very sensitive skin. I should know, they got that from me! With Isabella, I learned that commercial baby wipes have ingredients that may harm babies' sensitive skin so I resorted to making our own. It's very easy and affordable too!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Materials:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">cotton balls</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">water</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cetaphil (optional)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP-XbgQVT03qscyIn5G_mEtQX2DSrFPW3KcsEJp8DT2JL7n85on2ZdmvU5Nku-ekw7pA_lWjDXioUzIWzH9NOHifqrRsb4btDrBtzVqDcDm7TWJCbzYoXapv1Y-oF_iSO1Phi8EitBWr5/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP-XbgQVT03qscyIn5G_mEtQX2DSrFPW3KcsEJp8DT2JL7n85on2ZdmvU5Nku-ekw7pA_lWjDXioUzIWzH9NOHifqrRsb4btDrBtzVqDcDm7TWJCbzYoXapv1Y-oF_iSO1Phi8EitBWr5/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Arrange the cotton balls in a spill proof container.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Add just enough water to wet each layer of cotton balls.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSCC2_r6mDHOs7V8Rr8X5p9WZYoX7d31Rsyb6WchZP1mAOZWHHSm1ANLeWQ0qMi-dtydYC8z2RbIxD5Nt8JNOjCihfeLD0K5qCTBBXNu19eMpKZd-yv17hb1geRAZg6SXq9i6sLaWI4uS/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSCC2_r6mDHOs7V8Rr8X5p9WZYoX7d31Rsyb6WchZP1mAOZWHHSm1ANLeWQ0qMi-dtydYC8z2RbIxD5Nt8JNOjCihfeLD0K5qCTBBXNu19eMpKZd-yv17hb1geRAZg6SXq9i6sLaWI4uS/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Add a few drops of Cetaphil or any no-rinse sensitive skin cleanser that you trust.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Bring anywhere! Not only can it clean your baby's nappy area, it can also be used for any other cleaning you may have to do for your kid such as cleaning the face, the hands, etc!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-64558353519557313072014-03-27T10:18:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.432+08:00Red, White and Black: Stimulating Infant Vision<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you know that the first colors an infant sees are red, white and black? I learned this before Ella was born. So to <a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/parenting/child-rearing-and-development/bright-starts-babys-development-through-interactive-play/playtime-articles/visual-stimulation-newborns" target="_blank"><i>stimulate vision</i></a> and thus stimulate brain development, I replace their baby mobile attachments with something red, white and black. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMQYd8kVgXGqmx4OC2fBsdMZcZc4SJ4_k5EDxpyXq57vYjpCcDEzs77Dn6wR8hvdaE-9x4YpdLdbpRTny_iqM1zcrthRZ9w6LI5xjJaEZYkrL9eGka2eOJmotX3Gs6ilK4GDKAVH7OUSc/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMQYd8kVgXGqmx4OC2fBsdMZcZc4SJ4_k5EDxpyXq57vYjpCcDEzs77Dn6wR8hvdaE-9x4YpdLdbpRTny_iqM1zcrthRZ9w6LI5xjJaEZYkrL9eGka2eOJmotX3Gs6ilK4GDKAVH7OUSc/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When buying a baby mobile, opt for a not-so-expensive one wherein the attachments can be replaced. I bought ours for just P299 at Robinson's Department Store's baby section. There's a dial that you turn around for it to play music - nice and simple with no need for batteries! Just create anything with red, white and black with just enough size and weight to replace the original attachments on your baby mobile. I used cartolina to create the figures in the picture but you can use fabric and stuff it with cotton. That way they can also be the perfect first stuffed toys for your little one! Happy crafting!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></span></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-60124928525635329842014-03-27T09:50:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.416+08:00No Baby Monitor? No Problem!<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We saw a baby monitor at a baby stuff shop while I was pregnant and hubby thought we may need it. I told him we don't have a big house and Serene won't have her own room (Even Ella doesn't have her own room yet!) so we won't need a baby monitor. It wasn't until Serene lived with us for a couple of weeks that I realized the need for a monitor.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, our house is an up-and-down type of apartment that has 2 bedrooms on the 2nd floor. The nanny and my mom sleep on one room while my whole family sleeps on the other. There would be times when hubby sleeps in the morning after coming home from evening work and the AC would be on. We maximize AC time by sleeping with him in the afternoon. I can only sleep 2 hours in the afternoon given that I'm not working yet and since Serene is still asleep, I leave her in the room with her dad. That's when I need a baby monitor! </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good thing my Sun cellular subscription includes unlimited calls to Sun numbers and Ella has a Sun cellular number! Why? Here's how this has become a solution to my baby monitor dilemma:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ys6SE-HevuNNy5iqFgriwxnrnV4gutUnjzCrg_tX1_ihJx3oe6Hp-q_Q4RU4kwN1wTE_KwyUlaI7pyhFlrbtBuk_m42ScBSnCfbbc1sBce7e8WZ_D0hix3WJ9TCJsG1q_3m6dA7wb8Pl/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ys6SE-HevuNNy5iqFgriwxnrnV4gutUnjzCrg_tX1_ihJx3oe6Hp-q_Q4RU4kwN1wTE_KwyUlaI7pyhFlrbtBuk_m42ScBSnCfbbc1sBce7e8WZ_D0hix3WJ9TCJsG1q_3m6dA7wb8Pl/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Call Ella. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Answer Ella's phone.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Mute my phone and turn loudspeaker on.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Turn on loudspeaker on Ella's phone. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Leave Ella's phone near baby and bring my phone downstairs.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Problem solved!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can see that we have cheap phones. But if you have Internet at home and smart gadgets like iPads, iPods, android phones, etc., you can even have video baby monitor! Heck, you can even monitor your baby at work if your smart gadget has continuous Internet! Brilliant right? Hope I didn't compromise the baby monitor making industry though...</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></span></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-43552464807745145922014-03-27T08:56:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.388+08:00Make Your Own Bubbles<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me share with you a recipe my grandparents taught me when I was small. All you'll need are the following:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fresh gumamelas (More gumamela, more fun!)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup liquid detergent soap (Can be replaced with 2 tbsp powdered detergent soap diluted in 1/2 cup water)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Isabella wanted to buy a bottle of bubbles for when her younger cousins come over one weekend. Now, it's very easy to just buy a bottle of bubbles, not to mention it's not really expensive at all. However, I wanted Ella to learn something new from me so I told her to ask for fresh gumamela from our neighbor's garden.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh82A7ltHsN5Trw1TeNC3fB3hU-8HkZnYI-lFC7cKFAb7nRlWsypJagRiD_kpcwKy5i0nFsnw2m1CaggnP469gKBHbKiL7jp-30XcKfRdg28XqNUrV8erODBDImsUXvASQqSA_S_90EHS/s1600/gumamela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh82A7ltHsN5Trw1TeNC3fB3hU-8HkZnYI-lFC7cKFAb7nRlWsypJagRiD_kpcwKy5i0nFsnw2m1CaggnP469gKBHbKiL7jp-30XcKfRdg28XqNUrV8erODBDImsUXvASQqSA_S_90EHS/s1600/gumamela.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have a juicer, just extract the juice from your gumamela flowers and add it to the soap. The gumamela juice is sticky and it will enhance the bubbles' tensile strength compared to the bubbles one can make out of soap alone. If you don't have a juicer just like me, you can just pound the gumamela, put the pound gumamela inside a screen-type fabric or bag and squeeze to extract the juice. Mix all the juice you've gathered with the soap and that's it! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CWc-3ze8VaNW_ss2ucmJwKYlS_LZP4GGR_FR_9J9i69k6iD6OOZftJdMA0uItSoC2ZULgCrO7_SIk3NitLEl3qTXkLvDj9Be8qW4ymOzRHkUkj3795AKPe1JiWUkzOkOEi-RfVU2X7nd/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CWc-3ze8VaNW_ss2ucmJwKYlS_LZP4GGR_FR_9J9i69k6iD6OOZftJdMA0uItSoC2ZULgCrO7_SIk3NitLEl3qTXkLvDj9Be8qW4ymOzRHkUkj3795AKPe1JiWUkzOkOEi-RfVU2X7nd/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just use an empty bubble container with wand. If you don't have one, just like me (again!), you can just place the bubbles inside any covered container and make a wand out of the center of a palm or coconut leaf or use drinking straw! Have fun!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLTTPgAdDy3d17cUqLLui0XueZsI0QPluyWbnzSPAeXr6V6mxeanw1-qMYU_1KsH9HESmDSgNH-cplSZkBDbcDJq7G7jrXd3bCQ9D9sY47Kfe2eNSvsd-VELozmY5SYTrDO1H74Hx-1CG/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLTTPgAdDy3d17cUqLLui0XueZsI0QPluyWbnzSPAeXr6V6mxeanw1-qMYU_1KsH9HESmDSgNH-cplSZkBDbcDJq7G7jrXd3bCQ9D9sY47Kfe2eNSvsd-VELozmY5SYTrDO1H74Hx-1CG/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></span></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-59759009832377457962014-03-25T22:34:00.001+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.412+08:00VBAC Journal - The End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFoIs0zo9Zy4oi9EtSs5paYheVx3uL8h3X7-zNREHDWScRy1NNlHHZGzyzLbOGj6PrG9kunIfZmlMolECfSp4FcI3lonP_kFT_yNwQ76tEbAexp5Eiw1iJHPJsvzm_pefC1bsSgB1Me05/s1600/delivery+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFoIs0zo9Zy4oi9EtSs5paYheVx3uL8h3X7-zNREHDWScRy1NNlHHZGzyzLbOGj6PrG9kunIfZmlMolECfSp4FcI3lonP_kFT_yNwQ76tEbAexp5Eiw1iJHPJsvzm_pefC1bsSgB1Me05/s1600/delivery+room.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Why the end? Well, because I already gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. However, my VBAC dreams indeed ended because I gave birth to her via CS again. After the 1st part of the VBAC posts, I was able to find a new OB. She did not seem to be a VBAC advocate but what made us choose her is because she offered to treat us as a house case, that means my delivery would be handled by residents and there would be no professional fee, just hospital bills. We needed the extra allowance in finances because having VBAC here in the Philippines (compared to VBAC articles and testimonies I've read from the US) is complicated. I was told that if my cervix opens 3cm, I would have to be confined at the hospital until I give birth and not wait it out at home. On the other hand, if I would not experience spontaneous labor by my 40th week, I would have to face the knife. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Come February 19, my 40th week via LMP, I still wasn't experiencing regular contractions. My cervix was only 2cm opened. I was allowed to be mildly induced which meant staying inside the labor room that charged per hour. 24 hours passed and my cervix only opened 3cm, no regularly strong contractions and I was drained because I was no longer allowed to eat. I was asked if I still wanted to go through. I was torn because I was thinking about the hourly rate of the labor room until who knows how long, the possibility that the trial of labor would still fail and the expenses on top of a possible emergency CS. My husband, although supportive of VBAC, consoled me that our goal is to let the baby out safe and healthy despite a possible failure of TOLAC and that he would stand by me whatever my decision would be. I chose what's best for all of us and went for CS. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I gave birth to Serenity Grace on February 20. It would've been happier if I had a successful VBAC but I'm happy to share that the breastfeeding policy of the hospital enabled me to breastfeed my daughter as soon as I gave birth until now and my CS wound seemed to heal faster than it did when I gave birth to Ella. Aside from being able to do crunches sooner and a hindrance to the possibility of having more children, I practically still achieved the things I feared I wouldn't from a CS delivery and that's what matters most.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">you every woman,</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></span></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-85007149986284676952014-02-10T10:26:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.468+08:00Potty Training Part 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-WCCJyMu_Wvh8shHriRizxvkG4rBLfCuiuJ09hBF3TJ7Yc4wB3BJDuzoF-8vLSclj-xZe9AoPtRUInX7I4jodsLnQd6AjnhnkWs7VT5ppJLfAfP3elXA21DVHVuvn63QP5L8GvOSvP1B/s1600/potty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-WCCJyMu_Wvh8shHriRizxvkG4rBLfCuiuJ09hBF3TJ7Yc4wB3BJDuzoF-8vLSclj-xZe9AoPtRUInX7I4jodsLnQd6AjnhnkWs7VT5ppJLfAfP3elXA21DVHVuvn63QP5L8GvOSvP1B/s1600/potty.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think the more appropriate title for this post would be toilet training. Isabella is now 6 years old and doesn't </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fit the potty anymore. The last installment to our journey to toilet training is her being able to wash herself up after a poop. Yes! Congratulations Isabella! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, I'm currently on a long leave to get ready to give birth to Isabella's baby sister. We have been conditioning Ella for the coming of the sibling and part of it is to make her realize that most of the attention would have to be given to the baby during her first few years. That means she's gonna have to be independent. The only thing she didn't like about the independent thing is to wash herself up after pooping because she thought it was yucky (...which was actually our fault. I read somewhere that parents are not supposed to refer to poop as yucky but as the body's normal way of getting rid of waste. If parents do, teaching kids to wash up would be quite a challenge!). So we thought about using the<a href="http://youreverywoman.blogspot.com/2014/01/parenting-innovation-good-deed-card.html" target="_blank"> Good Deed and Rewards Cards</a>! She got so excited, she finally allowed me to teach her how to do it. And once I taught her, it's like she's been doing it for a long time! She even envisioned washing the baby's! We're really proud of her!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your every woman, </span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833400192921581395.post-32472624961346867062014-01-14T10:38:00.000+08:002015-12-18T10:03:43.357+08:005 Nice to Have Baby Stuff and Gadgets<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you're a new parent, it's just natural to be excited about buying new stuff for the baby. And if you hadn't known any better, you're probably gonna buy really nice stuff that you don't really need. When we had our first baby girl, we had this <a href="http://safety1st.djgusa.com/en/djgusa/warm-me-shower---bath">Warm Me Shower and Bath by Safety First</a> which was worth 7 grand at that time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxdunKSSTvieyj1gC5LEMkTglFLgq7ojedHKFqFbvdwdIcmh4ubGXoUDdlben-noTHtzyWE_lIt73q8bkP8QCa0lxyLaCa61Ux_pGhb4fF2OvOZ_GRXdg74IDCrMgFSwyPExQroM1wB6a/s1600/safety_1st_warm_me_shower_bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxdunKSSTvieyj1gC5LEMkTglFLgq7ojedHKFqFbvdwdIcmh4ubGXoUDdlben-noTHtzyWE_lIt73q8bkP8QCa0lxyLaCa61Ux_pGhb4fF2OvOZ_GRXdg74IDCrMgFSwyPExQroM1wB6a/s320/safety_1st_warm_me_shower_bath.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that we're having our 2nd baby girl, I thought to myself that if we had 7 grand to spare these days, I would've bought more necessary stuff. With the expense of child delivery these days, not to mention the expenses that come afterwards, splurging on baby stuff should be the last thing on my mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But then again, it's still a happy experience to browse online and window shop around just to see what the baby section has to offer right? Let me give you my list of 5 unnecessary but nice things to have:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> 1. </span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.benbini.com/">Benbini Watch</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2se3C6RbQnYXFglJDhGNTjPNEy1vz_Qq_qZbS_5LW4t0kYqW6nx80wLZeQizevnXuHrMtCQayHwDiQVVlbz-8DAnKJLT_QxjGdO8PJD4ndO00j4d_UQmRaZq-cfQXXlIt1Q1UCKzunhLe/s1600/benbinini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2se3C6RbQnYXFglJDhGNTjPNEy1vz_Qq_qZbS_5LW4t0kYqW6nx80wLZeQizevnXuHrMtCQayHwDiQVVlbz-8DAnKJLT_QxjGdO8PJD4ndO00j4d_UQmRaZq-cfQXXlIt1Q1UCKzunhLe/s320/benbinini.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
</div>
<ul>
<li><i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Benbini watch is an ergonomically designed watch, perfect for any mom on a schedule. It has 2 bezels that indicate hours and
minutes for anything that a mom needs to time on and a left/right switch to
remind mom which side baby last breastfed on.
Pretty much like the <a href="https://www.milkbands.com/">milkbands</a>, which I also like, but this is a watch and
I love watches! On the other hand, you
can always use other reminders and scheduling techniques on your newborn, so
this watch is definitely just nice to have.</span></i></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> 2. </span>A Bottle Warmer</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y1XqRB41lzjbP6mcWdkkwVU73V9xbgtGUEJ0FXscWFjQeXr5wRIpLhghQEsULueDdXblie594s-FYR-rSnJ9eNw7FqAvJBu3i6JE92w59D2lhE2t1bQeNiuMHglZNsn-VOrfcsWWDAn1/s1600/bottle+warmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y1XqRB41lzjbP6mcWdkkwVU73V9xbgtGUEJ0FXscWFjQeXr5wRIpLhghQEsULueDdXblie594s-FYR-rSnJ9eNw7FqAvJBu3i6JE92w59D2lhE2t1bQeNiuMHglZNsn-VOrfcsWWDAn1/s320/bottle+warmer.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
</div>
<ul>
<li><i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The bottle warmer that I like is called <a href="http://thefirstyears.com/quick-serve-bottle-warmer">Quick ServeBottle Warmer by The First Years </a>because the newborn kit that I bought was from
the same brand. And not only that, it says that its “Unique design heats
standard bottles and food jars to the perfect temperature instantly.” What a
way to warm frozen breastmilk during wee hours of the night right? But, with great
timing and knowledge on breastmilk storage, you can always heat water on a bowl
and immerse milk bottles there for heating. Otherwise, nothing beats a
bonding time latch-on. </span></i></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> 3. </span><!--[endif]-->A Hands-Free Breastpump Bra</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz31ekRfw6DCPRzg9DjoB3K9yPP6JtkY-AW2FZgV3DK8fu7Vu-BjiSl6mOKh8sfI_dZhQbvz1LPfmvdx2_haMzg9tLzY_W0u7_UvsfdyVCL0-qU_YAKMgHGzazvV9c877J2aWy7w_WlQt9/s1600/hands+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz31ekRfw6DCPRzg9DjoB3K9yPP6JtkY-AW2FZgV3DK8fu7Vu-BjiSl6mOKh8sfI_dZhQbvz1LPfmvdx2_haMzg9tLzY_W0u7_UvsfdyVCL0-qU_YAKMgHGzazvV9c877J2aWy7w_WlQt9/s320/hands+free.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The breastpump that I have is a
battery / AC operated hand pump which I'm very grateful to have received as a gift. I have not given birth yet so I’m not sure up
to what extent my daughter is going to depend on breastmilk since my first
daughter didn’t have much luck on the breastfeeding part. If I will be
successful on the lactation area this time, I’ll probably need a dual sided
pump and it would be lovely if I could pump conveniently hands-free. </span></i></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> 4. </span><!--[endif]-->An Electric Bottle Steam Sterilizer</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCdhRqHCZt8KgOWqSZ_DqWxiJt1tyit7gCxhSQ1hH50qWZkySnpUTdK7UrVRthpT55q6VD2f9GOJ-q6fczPZNiu9kHSd5qX3kQOiIgj8H94bVWP8G1WuoFCZnWESwmBjiQB8xsIsXLsP1/s1600/bottle+sterilizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCdhRqHCZt8KgOWqSZ_DqWxiJt1tyit7gCxhSQ1hH50qWZkySnpUTdK7UrVRthpT55q6VD2f9GOJ-q6fczPZNiu9kHSd5qX3kQOiIgj8H94bVWP8G1WuoFCZnWESwmBjiQB8xsIsXLsP1/s320/bottle+sterilizer.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course, the sterilizer that I
like is also from <a href="http://thefirstyears.com/steam-sterilizer">The First Years</a>. Yeah, I’m OC like that. Who wouldn’t want an
electric sterilizer that does all the sterilizing? However, since a good old
steamer cooker have done the same job for my eldest daughter, might as well use
that.</span></i></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> 5. </span><!--[endif]-->A Co-Sleeping Crib</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99A1k05UPqH_AogjjNyPti02-FvdcsnFUqQkuhAOopS6nfddTVBlDwmAnJZYzSpKTkIYxMyzlkQPJx4GBkNvrfNGGl37LmgJuO9dPATiRbVvPZBnh_rIPptYk6NY3Z1ODAo8mdtt0vzLN/s1600/co-sleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99A1k05UPqH_AogjjNyPti02-FvdcsnFUqQkuhAOopS6nfddTVBlDwmAnJZYzSpKTkIYxMyzlkQPJx4GBkNvrfNGGl37LmgJuO9dPATiRbVvPZBnh_rIPptYk6NY3Z1ODAo8mdtt0vzLN/s320/co-sleeping.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have always been an advocate of
attachment parenting and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-sleeping">co-sleeping</a>. In certain parts of the world it is
recommended to co-sleep using a co-sleeping crib instead of having the baby
sleep next to you on an adult bed because of risks of suffocation and
strangulation. But, I’m here in the Philippines and have never experienced such
with our eldest. So, an extra adult bed is the most practical way to go. Daddy
just has to sleep with our eldest on another bed.</span></i></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I win the lottery, I wouldn't think twice about buying these things. But for now, I think what we have is enough and we'll just buy as the need comes along.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJ0dWIwX6RbTU-dbuIIRQLFC2QQWRn0PAZ18zgo0pedCpySgoCnY6flGOZsjrPkontiHtkWJWbEMcYLtBWcWfG21ayWcduFXwRHBCihERmFPmTS4ywqsXwvavUVEE_XxK58cE5O1MhcLM/s1600/we+have.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJ0dWIwX6RbTU-dbuIIRQLFC2QQWRn0PAZ18zgo0pedCpySgoCnY6flGOZsjrPkontiHtkWJWbEMcYLtBWcWfG21ayWcduFXwRHBCihERmFPmTS4ywqsXwvavUVEE_XxK58cE5O1MhcLM/s320/we+have.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wouldn't mind receiving stuff from my list though! <i>(Ehem...)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i>
your every woman,</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/145/B3178E2E8A5C69AA6AD5FD5FF3EEDDE8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>BIANCA:http://www.blogger.com/profile/04183123725464484877noreply@blogger.com0