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Showing posts from November, 2009

Staycation

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by Linnor A 3-day weekend is  something I always look forward to.  For this one, we didn't have anything grand planned.  Have you ever heard of "staycation"?  As Wikipedia puts it, staycation is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. In our case,  we kicked off our weekend with a trip to the spa.  My hubby and I brought eldest and youngest sons along while the middle son was at boy scout camp.  Jerry, Matt and I had an hour of foot massage.  The good thing about this favorite (not expensive) spa we go to near the Grand Convention is the therapists start the massage with hand and head massage, then the foot massage (this is the part where we all doze off, involuntarily. Hehehe) and end it with a back massage.  It's actually like getting your whole body kneaded but on a Lazy Boy chair instead of a narrow bed. That was last Thursday night.  For the

Julie & Julia Project

by May Rommel and I just watched Julie & Julia. Here's a bit of what the movie is all about from Wikipedia: In the year 2002 Julie Powell (Amy Adams) attempts to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which was written in the 1960s, and write a blog about it. Woven into her story is the story of Julia Child's time in Paris, in the 1950s, in which she discovers the art of cooking. Both women get much support from their husbands, although at one point Powell's husband is fed up with her excessive devotion to her hobby... I like it because I can relate to both characters. Julia is a go getter. It seems like what she wants, she gets. Her eagerness to learn and her determination to master her craft makes her stand out from the crowd (which I wish I could do too in the years to come). Julie, on the other hand, is the opposite. In the movie, it's mentioned that she can't finish whatever she gets herself into that'

Bro, Ikaw ang Star!

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by May I would like to thank God for all the blessings. Honestly, I didn't expect to survive here in sg this long, knowing how expensive it is but we are able to live a normal life, satisfy our needs, and still have some for play. Ang galing talaga ni Bro! I can really feel His presence every where. His love is unimaginable, overwhelming, and huge. He surely knows our hearts' desire and He will give it to you even without you asking for it. I would also like to thank our family, friends, colleagues who are with us in every step of the way (physically or not). You are our source of inspiration and strength especially during trying times.

Heroes :: Thank You!

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by Junnie We just finished watching CNN Heroes and feel the awe and inspiration that these men and women have done to impact the world they are in. Their stories leave us a nugget of wisdom and a question to answer - "What does God want me to do in my life?" At a tender age of 40, I sometimes feel I'm in halftime (who can say if I can reach 80 years old) but really and honestly what else can I do to repay the Lord all the blessings He has provided me and my family. Really, outside of the Lord, our real Hero for dying for all our sins, today, November 27 is a great day to remember our Heroes! ********* Today too, I'd like to honor and greet a "Happy Birthday" to Ninoy Aquino and to my mom-in-law. Not only are they heroes in my eyes, but are inspirations for their commitment to serve and help humanity. ********* The words of Efren Penaflorida’s acceptance speech during the CNN Heroes celebrations: “Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, r

Happy Thanksgiving!

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by Linnor   For the gift of life, family, friends and all the bountiful material and non-material blessings, we give thanks to the Lord.    For each new morning with its light,  For rest and shelter of the night,  For health and food,  For love and friends,  For everything Thy goodness sends.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson   (Credit: photo courtesy of http://thecheesebooth.multiply.com/)

Making Memories with Free Hugs

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by Junnie My name is a combination of 2 Lolos. Mar or Lolo Mayong is my mama's dad, while Lu or Lolo Luz is from Dad's side. Put together, my second name, Marlu was conceived. I never have much recollection about my time spent with my 2 lolos. (Lolas are different. I spent practically my whole pre-teen years with Lola Meding.) I remember the drawing sessions we had with Lolo Mayong, replete with the stick drawings of people on a ship, we agreed to call Sweet Faith. I was 3 then and I knew that my drawing skills never came from him. Lol. Lolo Luz was maybe old enough or never really was the lolo-carrying-apo kind that I never remembered anytime spent in his arms. Yes, I remember him to smile at me and that deep-set eyes telling me that I look more like my Lola Unang than my sister Linnor who took to his pair of eyes. So I promised myself that Gabriel will spend a lot of times in his lolo's arms. For him and his Lolo, these are memories that Gabriel will remember well

Apple

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by Linnor Jake has been spending the afternoons in Jerry's office lately, largely because I do not want to leave him at home with the new nanny yet.  While in the office, sometimes he would be approached by some colleagues for small talk.  A colleague of mine narrated how her conversation with our 5yo Jake went.  It was something like this: A:   Jake, can you spell "apple"? Jake proceeds to write. J :  A a a "a" .  Ap ap ap "p" .  Apl apl apl "l" . A: (Looks at the "apl" that Jake wrote...) Oh, that's not a word.  That's an acronym like BPI (Bank of Phil Islands), etc. J: Eh how do you read this? A : Uh..."apple" Lololol! J:   Ok, I won't spell na lang .  I will draw an apple instead. :D Jake (2nd from left) is here with friends and Fr. Manny during the preschool acquaintance party.

Intramurals

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by Linnor One Sunday, Jerry and I dressed up in comfy clothes to join our sons in their annual sports fest. The weather was not too ideal for the day-long affair. In fact, it rained on their parade! Pun intended. Thankfully, the preschoolers were not part of the parade around the school grounds or I would have worried about Jake getting sick with colds which he is normally wont to do at the slightest exposure to the elements. My teenage sons, however, were not spared because they were drenched! Haha! I think they must have enjoyed it more, scampering to covered areas, although a little too late. :) Jerry and I were with the other quick-thinking parents who stayed safely covered in the school gym. We secured a good spot where we could comfortably watch the yells and cheer dancing. Some parents weren't lucky enough because by the time they got to the gym, the whole place was already packed. As a recap, Kyle's class won in soccer that day. He was so proud that he

Tell Me It's Real

by May I just found this and decided to share it with you. My husband made this while the kids and I were still in the Philippines. He must have missed me soo much. Hahaha. Sweet noh?! This is enough to make me feel "kilig". Nothing fancy.

Ziggy Can Walk

by May I would just like to show you the day Ziggy walked longer than usual without holding on to anything. I hope you like it.

Pinoy Smile Contest

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by May , vote here At the beginning, this contest used comments as votes but after a few days, reports showed that some comments were done fraudulently by creating multiple accounts. Therefore, the organizers decided to change the rules. They made it into a poll. 1 IP address equals 1 vote. Please help me campaign for my daughter so that she wins the contest. Thank you in advance. The slide above will show you who you're voting for.

It's Like A Walk in the Park...Literally

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by Junnie The best part of my day is the time between waking up and having breakfast. To think that I was never a morning person. I realized that even if my eyes were half shut-half open, and my contact lenses are as hard as a broken glass, I long to smell that sweet scent and carry those small arms that cling to me like a tarsier to a tree. Yes! I wake up to this every morning and God only knows why I was blessed this much, sometimes I feel I don't deserve all His blessings. But yes, you can never outdo a giving God. But God has His mysterious ways and our stay in the Philippines has been more than a mystery to us, it is drama and comedy combined with a lot of children stories on the side. I hope to tell them to all of you - personally. When? you may ask. Maybe, while walking down the path to a coffee shop or our regular morning walks to the park? Sama ka?

Singapore Science Centre is a lot of Fun!!!

by May Rommel applied for a leave of absence without knowing what to do or where to go. He immediately searched the web for ideas and found out about the Science Centre of Singapore. At first, I was hesitant because aside from being too far (Jurong), I thought it would be boring but instead, we had so much fun and we're planning to go back to check out the exhibits we didn't see due to lack of time. We watched 'Under the Sea' at the Omni Theatre. We also visited following exhibits: The Mind's Eye, Space Science, iSpace, Our Solar System, Ecogarden, Nanotechnology, Amazing Electron, Discovery Zone, Primary Science Learning Experience, Climate Change, Genome, Atrium, and Energy. For our next destination, we want Body Worlds (real cadavers are used for the exhibit), Snow City (just to experience snow in this part of the world), and Stargazing (only on Fridays). The video is just to show some of the things to see inside the centre. Sorry if some scenes were re

Please Vote for Zia Once Everyday...Thank you.

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by May My Zia joined a contest online and is needing your support. Your comment once a day will be very much appreciated. Just complete either of the ff sentences: 1. Zophia Maureen Roca is my winning Pinoy Smile because... 2. My tip for a healthy smile is... 3. My dental question for Pinoy Smile is... 4. The Pinoy Smile website can be improved by... 5. I take care of my teeth by... 6. Teeth are important because... 7. I take care of my child's teeth... and post it here... http://www.pinoysmiles.net/2009/10/zophia.html#