Highlights of 2011

January - Youth Builders get together and Royce's birthday!

February - Wedding anniversary in Boracay

March - Visited Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm. 

Revisited Lingayen, Pangasinan

April - Grandfather-in-law's interment

B.M.W.

Caleruega

Liliw, Laguna

May - Nuvali

Ethan's Summer Class

June - Hubby's birthday

 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

July - Cassey's Christening and Birthday

August - my birthday celebration in Cebu

Revisited Villa Escudero 

September - Blue Coral Resort

October - Ethan's birthday celebration in Ark Avilon Zoo, Fun Ranch and Enchanted Kingdom

November - Baguio

December

Thank You Lord for all the blessings!

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012! Happy New Year to everyone!

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Thomas Climbing Set

I was having a hard time thinking which gift I will buy for my son, Christmas had passed and we still have no gift, good thing that my son was not asking for gift yet. But it’s better to be late than never so finally we bought our gift, “Thomas Climbing Set” and additional character Stanley.

I thought this is just a small train set but I was wrong, it occupies most of our free space in our room. I don’t know how to upload video in you tube so let me borrow this video so you will have an idea.

My son loves Thomas and Friends so we’re not surprised if he likes this gift, all out smile. The only disadvantage of this toy is I need lots of batteries and to save me from buying batteries, I bought rechargeable one.

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Shoe Room

I was not blessed with good height and my parents did not invest on Cherifer so I always wear high heels but when I got pregnant, I started wearing flat shoes and I enjoy wearing it so now my high heels shoes are only for special occasion and event.

I forgot to tell you that I bought a pair of shoes in World Bazaar Festival, the only non-food item that I bought. I’ve been using these flat shoes during my busy days and I could attest that this shoe is really comfy and no foot ache at the end of the day. Another good thing about these shoes is, it is made of breathable materials, affordable and you can customize your own shoes. So if you are looking for comfortable shoes, try Shoe Room.

P370 - shoes that i bought

Photo Credits: Shoe Room Facebook Page

Shoe Room 

#14 Redwood St. New Marikina Subdivision San Roque, 1801 Marikina Valley Subdivision, Philippines

Hours Mon - Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Sat: 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

myshoeroom@gmail.com

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Christmas 2011

I can definitely say that this is the most stressful Christmas season for me because we tried to squeeze our “to do list” in our limited schedule, hubby was on leave last Thursday and Friday, but it didn’t happen again because he needs to go to Cainta just to check something (baka siya daw masisi pag nawalan ng telepono ang Ortigas extension). Staff cannot follow his instructions over the phone so we have no choice but to go there. (so pumasok din kami sa work). Good thing that we only stayed for almost two hours, kakainip kaya maghintay.

From Cainta, we went to MOA to get my Skin Food free sample then we had our early dinner at Gotti’s.

Friday, went to Pag-ibig office to pay our amortization, then back to Cainta again just to check the progress, after that we went straight to Valenzuela to attend Christening, buzzer beater sa reception. Hehe! The reception is few minutes away from my family so I visited them again and pick up my son’s gift (may naiwan pa).  Dropped by at Sampaloc to see my husband’s nephew and we went home.

So last Saturday, I did not prepare any food for our Noche Buena because I really want to rest, rest and rest. Knowing me, I am so lazy to cook during holidays so I already bought some frozen foods from Contis last Sunday, we had lasagna for breakfast, lengua estofado for lunch and steak (hubby is the one who grilled it) and mango cake for dinner. No more Noche Buena, we slept after dinner. =)

another favorite from red ribbon

Christmas time, we went to church and rest. Then we left at 4PM to fetch my in-laws at Cubao bus terminal (from Pangasinan) and grandmother in law in Pasig.

Yesterday, we went to Tagaytay and Nuvali to tour my in-laws before we dropped them off to Laguna.

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We Celebrate Your Birth

We Celebrate Your Birth

Dear Lord, as we celebrate Your birth,
let us remember that You are the true reason for Christmas.
Let every sparkling light remind us how You illuminate our lives,
a shining beacon to guide us in our thoughts and actions each day,
and how You light us from within
in the knowledge of Your love and truth.
Let the Christmas trees, standing straight, tall, unbowed,
remind us of Your uprightness, Your goodness, Your perfection,
and Your refusal to bow to worldly temptations,
no matter how great the challenge or trouble.
Lord, as we feast on Christmas treats,
let us remember that You are the sole provider
of everything worth having, that all good things come from You.
And as we enjoy our gifts, let us never forget
that You are the greatest gift of all--our wonderful Savior,
Counselor, Giver of an eternal life whose wonders we cannot imagine.
So as we delight in Christmas, the happiest and brightest of holidays,
let us remember there would be no Christmas without You, Lord,
and let us our hearts be filled with joy, and love
and thankfulness, this Christmas and all the ones to come.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

By Joanna Fuchs

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Annoying Children Behavior in Restaurants & How to Stop Them

Today’s guest post is by Anne Mercado of Green Eggs and Moms.  Anne is a mom who is passionate about raising happy, healthy and smart children. How? With a glass of information, a pitcher of love, a gallon of patience, and of course, a bucket of humor. She believes that though parenting is challenging, it doesn't have to be boring. Catch more of her at Green Eggs & Moms.

A restaurant in Pennsylvania, USA, has recently banned children below 6 years of age from entering their doors. The reason? Younger kids are often difficult to control and end up disturbing other customers’ dining experiences.

Whether you agree with the action or not, you have to admit that as a parent, there have been times when you were unable to stop your child from misbehaving in restaurants. As you know, it can
be quite embarrassing. Some parents might not even be aware that their kids' actions affect others.

As a guide, here’s a list of annoying children’s behavior in restaurants from parents and restaurant goers. After the list, you’ll also find tips on how to minimize these types of disruptive actions.

Annoying Things Your Child Might Be Doing in Restaurants

• Running around
• Picking her nose
• Screaming or shrieking
• Singing or talking loudly
• Removing items from other customers’ tables
• Putting food under the table
• Playing with food
• Tantrums

While everyone may not agree on what the proper decorum is in a public setting, it’s worth mentioning that everyone must be considerate of others. How do you get your child to behave better in restaurants?

Tips on Minimizing Misbehaving

1. Age

It’s easier to train and reprimand kids 3 and up. If you have a younger toddler, you may want to bring her to kid-friendly restaurants especially if you know it will be difficult to control her. In going to places that are more tolerant of kids, other customers who enter are aware that their dining experience may be interrupted by the occasional scream or flying food.

2. Distinguish different settings, and types of behavior required in each setting

Teach your child that there is a time and place for everything. A play area is for playing, while a restaurant is for eating. Tell her she can run, skip or hop to her heart's content inside a play area. However, she should only walk and stay glued to her chair when dining out.

3. Set expectations before going to the restaurant

Lay some ground rules. Prior to leaving for the restaurant, have a little chat with your child about how she should behave while dining out.

Use positive statements as much as possible, such as: use your quiet voice, food should stay on the plate (as opposed to under the table), walk only, sit still on the high chair, etc.

Emphasize that other people eating in the restaurant should be respected by showing them proper behavior.

4. Bring toys (as long as they aren't noisy)

Take your child’s favorite toy(s) along to keep her occupied in the restaurant. You may also take crayons and coloring books to keep idle hands busy.

5. Mood levels

Make sure your kid is well-rested so she won’t be cranky. This decreases the chances of a major meltdown from taking place.

6. Patience

Just because you did steps 2 and 3, it’s not a guarantee that your child will remember to behave the entire time. Be prepared to reprimand her throughout your dining experience.

If your kid misbehaves (she is a child, after all), respond to her in a calm manner. If she doesn’t stop crying loudly, step out of the restaurant until she is ready to enter again.

Conclusion

It’s every parents' responsibility to teach their children how to behave when dining out. Use the tips above to make your dining experience a better one for your family and other restaurant patrons too.

Photo: Creative Commons from zoetnet

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Help CDO

I’ve been so busy these past few days and I was so unaware about CDO tragedy, I knew there was a typhoon but I didn’t know that Typhoon Sendong snuffed out over nine hundred lives and many people lost their homes.

Looking at the aftermath photos really breaks my heart, I experienced flood during typhoon “Milenyo” but I know that it was nothing compared to CDO victims. In our own little way, we can extend our help to our fellow citizens.

You can donate thru SMS (Red Cross)

 Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)

  G-Cash

 Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-di​git M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:

 Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

 Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

7-11 NOW ACCEPTS CASH DONATIONS FOR RED CROSS NATIONWIDE. 

Click here for more list of “how to help”

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Stressful Week



Busy bee photo source

I’m now feeling the Christmas rush, so many things to do but so little time. I’ve been out every single day since Friday just to finish my mom’s Christmas list. Since she’s not here in PH, I’m in charge in buying gifts, wrappping it and deliver it to my family and some relatives, good thing that they live in same area.

I won’t feel the stress if my husband just took his vacation leave seriously. My husband is so workaholic, he goes to the office even he is on leave just to finish his work or attend meeting. He always do this for years but I’m still not used to it. So in short, nasira schedule ko. No shopping last Wednesday because he went to office and school (Cisco Class) for his final exam. Fine with me because we can go out on Friday, but unfortunately, he needs to attend an emergency meeting so he dropped us (me and my son) in megamall so he could go to his meeting somewhere in Ortigas.

That was the longest two hours of my life, you’ve read it right! Though I’m a full time mom, I never go out with my son (just the two of us) because he is too handful for me. (weird no, because 24/7 ako nag-aalaga sa kanya). I do not know what to do to kill our time since this is our first date; so we went to Toy Kingdom looking for some toys and activity book to keep him busy. I bought this and stayed in Starbucks.

Lunch time came and he wants chicken, so I was looking for Shakey’s, KFC or Jollibee. I finally saw Jollibee; we ordered our food for take-out so I can easily bring it while looking for vacant table. While eating our food, I just realized how hard it is to be a single mom or if your husband is not with you. Finally, after two hours, hubby came so I can now go back to Toy Kingdom and buy gifts. =)

Then we went to hubby’s office, he needs to do some stuff daw. After 30 minutes of waiting in parking area, he’s back and we went to World Bazaar Festival in World Trade Center. I did not see any unique gift items so I ended up buying foods, Michelle’s homemade putong ube, eng bee tin hopia, and Gap biscuit.

Satuday, we went to Southmall to finish my mom’s list. The place was really jam-packed, it’s hard to look for parking space and it took me forever just to pay for my stuff. I can go to gift wrapping section to avail the free gift wrap but I don’t want to wait anymore. (spell STRESS)

Sunday, we went to Victoria, Laguna to visit my grandmother and give her pamasko (from my mom). Inasmuch as I want to sleep there so we could rest, I can’t because I have to finish wrapping the gifts. FYI: Isdaan is already open in Victoria so no need to go to Gerona, Tarlac. =) We dropped by at Nuvali to buy frozen foods and cake.

Moist Chocolate Cake P295, another favorite from Contis, the best chocolate cake that I’ve ever tasted so far. =)

Monday, hubby is on leave but as expected, he went to office for his teleconference. After his telecon, he fetched us so we can go to the hospital somewhere in Sampaloc to check my sister in law, baby was not out yet so we went to Valenzuela to deliver and pick up our gifts. Dropped by at SM Valenzuela, to pay bills and eat dinner. We went back to the hospital to check again but sister in law was still in the delivery room so we went home.  

Now back to reality, more time to finish my household chores. =)

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Blog’s Wish List

Well, because it’s Christmas and people are making their own Christmas wish list, I also listed down my wish list for my blog. I started blogging just this year, to be specific February 2011. Actually, I’ve been meaning to have my own blog since 2008 so I registered my first blog using wordpress, but my first post is also my last post. I was having a hard time exploring and using wordpress so I stopped. And now, I can’t even remember my user id and password.

Then after resigning from my part time job as a ghost writer, “michi photostory” was born and the rest is a history. Now, I enjoy blogging and sharing pieces of my life and because of that I want to improve my blog site. So these are my wish lists for this blog. (haba ng intro noh).

1.       Blog Makeover – right now, I’m using common themes. I checked some packages and the lowest that I’ve seen is $30. I do not have the budget yet but sponsors are very welcome. =)

2.       DSLR – it’s an open secret that I really want to have a new camera, though I am not really into photography but I still want to have my own DSLR. I’m choosing between Canon EOS 1100D and Nikon D3100. I think this is the cheapest DSLR in the market.

photo from google

photo from google

3.       External hard drive – I do not have one, I’m just using dvd’s and usb to save my files but after what happened to my laptop two months ago, I realized that I need this one to back up my files.

4.       Domain – this is my dream ever since I created this blog, I just don’t know how. I’ve been contemplating about this and finally I bought my own domain last Tuesday. Tee-hee! For the past few months, I keep on asking, searching and reading information about buying own domain but I’m still scared to try even I’ve seen some promos, I did not grab it. Sayang! Anyway, I have my own domain na, dotcom (sosyal! sana may pang renew ako noh. hehe!). The only disadavantage is my stats are back to zero.  

One down and more to go!

P.S. Thank you for following “My Other Nook”.

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My Other Nook

I just want to let you know that I’ve created another blog for blog giveaways, contest, promo, sale, announcement and many more. “My Other Nook”. Hope you can visit my new site and follow. Thanks.

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12 Days before Christmas

12 days before Christmas and I am not sure if our Christmas balls will last, almost every day I’m losing Christmas balls. There are only three people in the house and I am hundred percent sure who is the culprit. =)

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MLM: Christmas Party

Believe it or not but I never attended any Christmas party when I was still working so that means five Christmas parties, well I’m not really into big parties. But last year when my husband told me to join him in their Christmas party I have no choice but to come, hehe! (sumama daw ako at baka siya lang walang kasama family). Anyway, it’s just a small and simple Christmas party (team), more or less 40 persons including the family.

I had fun on my first company Christmas party and my son enjoyed it too.

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