True Love

PLAYERS: Desperate Blogger/ My Precious Niche/ Just Me..Eds / Eds Mommy Life / Insights from the Grocery Cart/ Your blog/s here


* What does true love mean to you? ::: Unconditional :::

* How do you know you’re really in love? ::: It's just one of those mysteries :::

* How many times in your life have you fallen in love? ::: Just once :::

* Have you ever fallen out of true love because you were mad at the moment? ::: No :::

* Do you feel love and physical attraction are the same thing? ::: No :::

* If your true love became ill or disfigured would you continue to love them the same way? ::: Yes:::

* Should anyone else be able to tell you who to love or not love? ::: No one :::

* Do you believe people that ended up divorced were ever truly in love? ::: Yes. But it is an everyday decision to love :::

* Would you do anything for love? ::: No :::

* If you truly love someone, do you feel it should be unconditional? ::: Yes :::

Passing this on those who have found their true loves as well: Glenndel, Sheng and Michelle.

A Different Friday

I just got back from a seminar that lasted the whole day. It was a fun spending a different Friday with only adult interaction for a change.

I didn't know anyone in the seminar early this morning. But by midday, I had confirmed that we really live in a small world. My seatmate was a schoolmate in college, the woman I had sat beside with during coffee break was affiliated with my Dad's alumni association and I had lunch with someone who was also a military brat.

Yep, it was a welcome break from the kids.

Today was a different Friday. And I'm tired.

I will do my blog rounds tomorrow. Happy weekend, everyone!

Fish Oil Benefits

I have been looking for flavored fish oil or chewable fish oil tablets here in Manila since last year. But my search was unsuccessful. The only fish oil supplements that I found were the regular ones and it really tastes fishy.

I am a big believer in fish oil. I started doing a lot of research on it when I came across an article that claimed daily intake can improve learning ability and decrease in aggressive behavior of children diagnosed with autism, dyslexia and ADHD. As many as 4 out of 10 benefit from a dramatic improvement and as much as 7 percent can be completely cured. Those are great stats.

Mainstream students can also get the same benefits from fish oil with the same percentage. Aside from increases in concentration, children can benefit from better vision, better hearing, better motor skills, more coordination and a friendlier personality.

Adults can also benefit from taking fish oil supplements. Effects include lower blood pressure levels, less risk to various forms of cancer, anti-inflammatory properties and decreased risk for blood clots. In addition, women may experience improved fertility, a more regular monthly cycle and less PMS symptoms.

Another side effect of fish oil is improved skin and shiny hair.

Wouldn't it be great if chocolate had the same side effects as fish oil?

Good thing Tita Tinai sent some strawberry-flavored fish oil for Kowi. It's fresh from Norway. Thank you! I'm expecting another batch when supplies run out. LOL.

Kuya and I have been taking our regular fishy-flavored fish oil quite religiously since last year. So far, so good.

Thursday Thirteen #2

13 Reasons I Miss Hubby

I miss him because he…

13. Tells the corniest jokes.
12. Gives the best foot rubs.
11. Hogs the remote.
10. And the blanket.
9. But falls asleep every time he watches the Discovery Channel.
8. Drives and I don’t.
7. Knows how to troubleshoot when my PC conks out.
6. Waits patiently when I go through the baby section of the mall.
5. Can imitate clay-mation to a tee.
4 Eats the weirdest food like banana and Mang Tomas together.
3. Listens to his country CD over and over and over.
2. Can do a crazy “No Scrubs” dance.
1. Makes me laugh.

Hubby has been gone for 20 days.
But who’s counting?

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Hubby's Shirt

I noticed an interesting behavior recently. When Hubby is not around, which is quite often, I use his shirt for sleeping.

It’s not just any shirt, but a specific shirt. It’s Hubby’s college “Barrio Fiesta” shirt from 1997.

Yes, Hubby’s shirt is officially 11 years old. You can tell that it’s old by the way it hangs. The neckline is losing its scoop, the body is a little too loose -- okay -- it’s a little worse for wear.

But I like it.

Although the fabric maybe a little thin, it still keeps me warm, especially on chilly nights.

He’s been away for 19 days. You can guess what I’ll be wearing to bed tonight--again.

My Baby Sister

The Shoe Tag

Got this tag from MM and Kat. Thanks!

{Start Copy}

What’s your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom’s feet? How about your sister’s feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?

Post a picture of your latest shoe buy. Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don’t forget to drop a line in this blog when you’re done.

{End Copy}

I originally had size 5 feet. It was small that sometimes I buy sneakers from the children's shoes section. After I had kids, they gradually increased to 6. And now it's somewhere between 6 to 6.5, sometimes even a 7! My Hubby gave away my shoes after I gave birth. =(

My mom's shoe size is 8. She has bunions so her shoes have always been way too big for me. And she likes uber high heels and wedges. Even if I could borrow her shoes, I just can't wear a three-inch stiletto, run after Kowi and still be alive.

My sister has size 7.5 to 8 feet. Sometimes I borrow her flip flops and sandals. Although they are still a bit big, it doesn't show as much.

I bought these shoes a couple of weeks ago from SM. I thought they looked sexy and low enough to wear to a wedding.

What is you shoe size Hesitant Wife, Berna, Dhomemaker and SoReal?

Blog Award For An Awesome Site

When I opened my blog, I saw a message in my CBox from Hesitant Wife. She had given me a blog award.

Thank you for thinking of me. Your appreciation is a validation that my insights are truly worth sharing. This is a much needed perk to a difficult day like today.

To all my frequent visitors, hoppers, lurkers, guests and blog friends:

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and making me a daily routine in your blog life. I hope you continue to drop, hop and stop here more often. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions and (not-so) violent reactions. I truly welcome the interaction.

Again, thank you.

I am sharing this award to the following people:

Melisse for introducing me to the blog life (and others).
Yenzz and Sheng for your daily visits.
Marnellie for the support.
Juliana for her wahm groove.
Cee for all the tags. LOL. And for making me part of your blog hop routine.
Ceejay for being my sister.

Shameless plugging: Visit Ceejay's blog if you're a poker fan.

Kowi is Sick

Kowi has a fever today. It started yesterday morning with a stuffy nose. It progressed to a full-blown cold by nighttime. And this morning, when she woke up, she had a slight fever and a lot of crankiness.

I'm sort of feeling a bit under the weather myself. My throat hurts a little when I swallow. I've started taking meds for the flu yesterday. Hopefully, I won't be getting any fever. I just can't afford to get sick when there a lot of household chores to do.

I'm just glad that Kuya is healthy and fine.

Avert Incoming Tantrums

All parents have been here: Your child won’t open her mouth when it’s time to brush her teeth. Your child refuses to leave the park, the mall, the house, thus making you late. You want to trim your child’s fingernails, but she squirms away. And all that protesting comes from a little three-year-old, particularly when you really, really, really want them to do something.

My three-year-old Kowi is just like that. I certainly think she’s a natural born protester. And she’s increasingly determined to assert her independence.

How do you get a stubborn preschooler to cooperate without resorting to yelling or threats?

Distracting has been working for me, so far. But I am, by no means, a master. Creativity and a lot of patience are required to perfect the skill of redirection.

Here are a few techniques that may help fellow parents avert incoming tantrums. They have been successful for me--mostly

1. Tell a secret. I usually whisper in her ear and tell her something “very important” and ask if she wants to hear it. She usually nods yes. Then I scoop her up and bring her to the car.

2. Sing. I sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with the wrong lyrics. Kowi usually focuses more on my “wrong words” than me shampooing her hair.

3. Ask a question. This technique was used successfully by my sister, Ceejay. I left Kowi at home and she started a major meltdown. Ceejay sat beside her and asked her something. Kowi totally stopped crying and thought about the answer to the question.

4. Recall a favorite time. When it’s time for a nail trim, I ask Kowi if she remembers an event or a situation or even a story she’s fond of. I start talking about it in detail then ask her to add other details that I pretend not to remember.

5. If all else fails, I just disappear into another room and hope that the incoming tantrum is short-lived. And I breathe in and breathe out, in and out...

Avert incoming tantrums successfully, this is my wish to every parent.

My Preggy Tag

{START HERE}

Moms Who Played Along: Mai / Yen /Eds / Vannie / Fun.Fierce.Fab / Bojoy / bonz / Pinaymama / Sheng /Carol / You

Preggy Facts:
1. Who did you first inform about your pregnancy and how? >> Hubby. I called him on his cell phone. My home pregnancy test indicated that I wasn't pregnant. But I knew I was. I immediately went to the hospital for a full pregancy test, and it was confirmed.

2. Maximum weight?>> A whopping 175 pounds!!! Yikes!!!
3. Cravings? >> None

4. Aversions? >> Menudo

5. Morning Sickness? >> Yes, to both.

D Day Facts:

1. Number of Kids/Deliveries?>> 1 kid per delivery
2. NSD or CS?>> CS to both.

3. Girl or Boy?>> Boy, then after 4 years, a girl
4. AOG (age of gestation) on Birth?>> full term to both
5. How long in labor?>> My first pregnancy, I was in labor for 3 whole days! Then had an emergency CS when the fetal monitor indicated distress. No labor on my second pregnancy. CS was scheduled. I even chose the date. =)

{END COPY HERE}

Passing this to Cee, Mommy Elvz and Kathycot.

Scattergories: My Answers Start with C

SCATTERGORIES. It's harder than it looks! Erase my answers, enter yours, send it to your friends. *Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. *They have to be real places, names, things. Nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME : Carol
4 LETTER WORD : Chic
VEHICLE : Chevy
TV Show : Charmed
CITY : Canberra, Australia
BOY NAME : Carlos
OCCUPATION : Carpenter
SOMETHING YOU WEAR : Cardigan
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM : Clorox
REASON FOR BEING LATE : Chores
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT : Come here please.

This was fun, Cee.

I'm passing this meme to Em, Alf, Eds and Yenzz. Enjoy!

Players: Carol / Your Blog Here

What's in a Name?

Singer Gwen Stefani and rocker hubby Gavin Rossdale welcomed their second baby boy last Thursday. Little Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces.

Yes. It's Zuma Nesta Rock. This kid better be prepared for his first day of school. He's definitely in for a bit of teasing.

I'm thinking with their celebrity status, guys like Gwen and Gavin want their children's names to be unique.

Here are other interesting names that celebrities named their kids.

Nicholas Cage named his son, Kal-el. As in Superman's real name.

Melissa Etheridge has a daughter named Bailey Jean.

Host Paula Yates has four daughters and their names are: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom, Little Pixie and Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

Sylvester Stallone named his daughters Sage Moonblood, Sophia Rose, Sistine Rose and Scarlet Rose.

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have daughters named Rumer Glenn, Scout Larue and Tallulah Belle.

And the weirdest one yet is by mucisian Frank Zappa.

He named his kids Dweezil (son), Ahmet Emuukha Rodan (son), Moon Unit (daughter) and Diva Muffin (daughter).

I guess celebrities are competing for the weirdest baby names. Names like Jane and Michael just won't do anymore.

Do you think any of these names would eventually catch on?

Saturday Binge

Last night, I gave in to a tempting Saturday binge. It had been a while since I've had some. I had almost forgotten how good Flaming Wings' chicken with mild and sweet sauce tasted.

The kids, my sister and I met up with my long-time friend, Che, at Flaming Wings. We ordered the works--wings, mashed potatoes, pomme frites. Too bad that we didn't have chicken tenders. We got there a little too late. They were all out.

We ordered the chicken wings cooked in both the original sauce and the sweet and mild. We also got both the blue cheese and the honey mustard dips. Yummy.

To cap off the night, we ordered two servings of wicked oreos. And they're really, really, really wicked. Imagine three oreos coated with pancake batter, topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and colorful candy sprinkles.

There's nothing like good conversation and good food with the people you love to create the perfect Saturday binge.