Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trunk or Treat!

Last night we attended activity at church which is trunk or treat where games, foods, and fun can be enjoyed before Halloween. There was a costume contest, too! It was like a mini version of state fair where you get ticket to pay for foods, plus free foods are offer too from potluck. Kids had lots of fun and so as the adults :-)! The last part was the trunk or treat! Anyway here are the photos I took from last night.
Before heading to church for trunk or treat; here is my little pirate ready for trunk or treat.

Plinko time...

Hitting balloons...

He won second prize from his costume, the first prize was wearing a pirate costume, too!

It' trunk or treat time!

With his friend and classmate, Kylie, holding hands...trunk or treating...

with Josh, his bestfriend at church!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Small Talk Six!


6 things (good or bad) that you credit your mother-in-law for...

1. For raising a good son, my Husband.
2. For Having tons of Good Books
3. For Great Memories
4. For Some Great Photos
5. For Some Great Quilts
6. For Nice Summer Vacation/Reunion

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Find Your Lost Mentors Through My Life!

With the use of modern technology such as internet, finding old friends from high school as well as long lost friends even relatives makes easier! I am amazed to find some friends I met while serving a mission for church in the southern part of the Philippines. I can not believe it; it's been 15 years since. But now, tracking them down is simple and nearly effortless as long as you know where to look for. Nowadays, there are many social networking sites, but not everyone that I lost touch with can be found in just one site, that is why I kept looking on the other sites. Thank goodness, I have found a website that allows me to search for those lost contact with as well as search for those who are searching for me! So, whether you are looking for you ex boyfriend or girlfriend, high school sweetheart, and even ancestors who are long gone before us, MyLife is there to help you! My Life helps me find my mentor who used to be my Math teacher who really believed in me. She taught me a lot of things like poverty are not a hindrance to success and that I will succeed with hard work and perseverance. Though she was my teacher, she became my friend who gave me greater sense of self-worth. How about you? Are you looking for someone you lost touch with? If so, then you better visit My Life to find that long lost friends, relatives even that mentor of yours.

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The Candy Apple Test



You Are Optimistic and Sweet



You're the type of person who wears a costume representing who you wish you were. You're likely to dress up as a historical figure or a super hero.

You think it's fun to dream and play a little. Halloween really brings out your lighter side.

Your favorite Halloween celebration is with your favorite people. You love to see what costumes your friends end up wearing.

You feel like you can learn a lot from what your friends choose to be this time of the year. It's how they really reveal themselves.



Friday, October 16, 2009

Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go!

1. So are we going to your parents house for Thanksgiving or Christmas, Honey?
2. A trip to pumpkin patch with my son's class is what's up ahead.
3. I love to cook and eat that is why I gained extra weight since I got here in the U.S.
4. Having fun of some sort is what's going to pumpkin patch with kids is all about.
5. I walk a thousand mile just to be with my family in the Philippines.
6. Peace and Happiness is the true elixir of life!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to updating my blogs , tomorrow my plans include attending church activity and Sunday, I want to go to church with my family to attend the Stake Conference and then rest afterward.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Bathtime!

Here is a view of my son taking a bath. He loves a bubble bath and playing on the bath tub with his fave toys. There is no problem giving him a bath as long a I give him at least 15 minutes to play :-)!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Thoughts from the General Conference Addressed

~~ God has prepared us to survive a world of permissiveness. We can gain strength by keeping the commandments of God.

~~ If we don't nourish our mighty change of heart, it will turn to stone.
~~ Having religious observance at home is as important as providing food, clothing and shelter.
~~ Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?
~~ Christ enlists us in his service, He invites us to draw close to him.

~~ We are the Lord's hands on the earth with a mandate to serve others.



Sleepy Me!

Here I go again, almost everyday after lunch, I feel sleepy no matter what I do Either in front of my PC or watching my favorite T.V.show or movie. I guess, I better go take a short nap now before the Pinoy soap opera starts. I don't want to miss another episode of "Precious Romances", again. Be back in half an hour! Hubby and son are now asleep :-)!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

What Teachers Wish You Knew

by Jamie Cline
School doesn’t end with the bell. You, as a parent, want to be able to give your child the best education possible and as much help as he or she needs—but where do you start? And where do you draw the line?
Even though your child may complain when sent off to school, don't underestimate the importance that he or she places on his school success. Achievement in school can have an amazing impact on your child's self-esteem.

Because teachers are professionally trained to help children learn, we've polled a few educators to get their opinion on how you can best help your child's education.

Communicate.
Teachers want to resolve concerns as soon as possible, and are willing to talk to parents about the specific needs of their children. Marcie Gallacher, a former second grade teacher from Wilton, California, says that it is important to "keep lines of communication open. Talk to teachers about questions first, rather than other parents."

Start your relationship with your child's teacher right away. Attend back-to-school nights and open houses so that the teacher knows you are excited about your child's education, and tell the teacher specifically that you want to work together to make this year one of your child's best. Your children will have a much better school experience if you are working with their teachers, not against them.

Read to your children.
Because of the effect reading has on all subjects (yes, reading helps with math, too!), teaching your child to read and continuing to read with him or her is an influential part in preparing your child for school. Hearing books read aloud affects students' independent reading and oral reading, says Gallacher.

Mike Cline, a teacher in Murray, Utah, agrees. "The reason many children act out is because either they can't read or they are not confident at reading, so they don't want to be called on."

Aside from reading to them, encourage your children to read on their own. Encourage your children to choose reading activities (rather than resort to them) by taking a trip to the library once a week. Let them leave their books out in the family room; they might see them and choose to read instead of watch television.

Talk to your kids about school.
Mike Cline's wife, Laurie, teaches junior high in Taylorsville, Utah. She says, "One of the biggest things parents can do for us as teachers is to talk to their kids about school." Asking how their classes are going, what they are learning about, and if they need help studying for tests is extremely important, Laurie says. If children sense that education is important to you, it will be important to them, too.

Make an effort to spend more time with your children and talk to them about important things in their lives. If they express a concern to you about a school assignment, do your best to help them with it. Show them where to research the topic, but do not do your child's work for them. Teachers are well aware when parents have been doing their kids' homework, and they don't like it.

Be accepting.
"I wish that parents would celebrate their children for their accomplishments as well as work with them on their deficiencies," says Annalisa Arizpe, a high school teacher from Clermont, Florida. "Be happy and show joy when your child improves. Accept their personal best.

"Accepting their personal best, however, doesn't mean that you can't help your child improve," Arizpe continues. "I wish that [parents] would look at the papers that their children bring home and really question their answers." Questions like, "Why did you believe that was the correct answer?" and "What could you have done differently?" are the types of questions that encourage, not discourage.

Get involved.
"I am blessed to have several parents who volunteer on a regular basis," says Gretchen Kemp, another high school teacher in Clermont, Florida. "It just so happens that more times than not, these are the students who are straight-A students, those who put in the most effort, and go on to be great community volunteers, as well."

Being involved doesn't need to take lots of time from your already-packed schedule. It is understandable that a parent would be too busy to be the head of the PTA, but even bringing a snack in for a special day or chaperoning a short field trip is a big help to teachers.

But remember not to get too involved. Sometimes parents end up holding back their children when they are trying desperately to help. "I had one parent that every couple of weeks would pick up her eighteen-year-old daughter's missing assignments," says Arizpe. "She would return her child's work a couple of days later. This parent would also call me with questions that the girl had. It was too much, and in my opinion, this girl will never learn the importance of responsibility."

Take advantage of technology.
We live in a time when almost anything can be found online, including your child's grades. "Most schools have grades available online; if that is the case, parents should check them often to see for themselves how their child is doing," says Laurie Cline. If you don't keep up with your child's schoolwork, you might be surprised and overreact when a child brings home a not-so-desirable grade. "Be aware of your child's grades. Do not wait until progress reports and report cards to show concern," says Arizpe.

With some help and prompting on your part, your child can learn to make the most of his or her education - and eventually become a steward over it. And if you remember to always support your children, take advantage of resources, and remind them to step up to responsibility, then you're sure to produce lifelong learners.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Dinuguan, Anyone?

Finally, I made my own chocolate stew (dinuguan) :-); and it tastes like my mother used to make when I was young. I seldom cook this dish because my husband and son don't like the look and taste of it, not to mention that its main ingredient is blood from a pig. If they only knew that there is no harm on eating this dish because the blood is cooked very well. And nobody gets sick from eating it!

Dinuguan (also called dinardaraan in Ilocano, or pork blood stew in English) is a Filipinosavory stew of blood and meat simmered in a rich, spicy gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili and vinegar. The term dinuguan comes from the word dugo meaning "blood". It is similar to the Singapore dish pig's organ soup, differing in that it does not contain vegetables and has a characteristically thick gravy. It is frequently considered an unusual or alarming dish to those in Western culture, though it is rather similar to European-style blood sausage, or British black pudding in a saucy stew form. It is perhaps closer in appearance and preparation to the ancient Spartan dish known as black gruel whose primary ingredients were pork, vinegar and blood. Dinuguan is often served with white rice or a Filipino rice cake called puto.

A similar dish is also known among the Bataks of Indonesia, called sangsang. Sangsang is made from pork or dog meat (or more rarely, water buffalo meat), coconut milk and spices (including kaffir lime and bay leaves, coriander, shallot, garlic, chili pepper and Thai pepper, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and andaliman (the fruit of a native shrub similar to Sichuan pepper)).

Sangsang has special significance to the Bataks, as it is an obligatory dish in Batak marriage celebrations.

Source: Wikipedia

Thursday, October 1, 2009

What's Your Primary Mood Color?


Your Primary Mood Color is Blue



You are a sensitive and reflective person. You have a good intuition for emotions.

You can sense what people are feeling and even sometimes what they are thinking.

You communicate well, and you're also a good listener. You cherish your friends, and every word they say is important to you.

You are always there for the people you love, and you expect the same in return. You crave deep connection and understanding.



Breastfeeding, New WIC Food Program

When I gave birth to my son five years ago, I really wanted to breastfeed him because I know how important breastfeeding is and the benefit both of us will get health wise. Anyhow, based on my experienced, breastfeeding is a great option if you are able to do it, but not always the best one. When my milk dried up, I spent time with a lactation consultant, but still my son and I still had difficulties. We didn't have a choice but give him baby formula. We all know that baby formula can be expensive. A friend of mine mentioned to me once about WIC program. Although we only had one income, we didn't qualify because our income were above the income requirements for WIC. I also learned that WIC program guidance online was not flexible enough for Moms who wanted to partially breastfeed or who had difficulties breastfeeding. You can check the website why. Based on the new WIC program, they categorized the new food package into three, and these are fully breastfeeding, partially breastfeeding, and fully formula feeding mother/infant pairs; these encourages breastfeeding. The new program mandated all states, reallocates funding for all currently provided food, including infant formula, baby foods, juices, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Breastfeeding your baby will save more money and is better for your baby that is why experts and the federal government want American mothers to save money by encouraging them to breastfeed. It is the best nutritional option and it makes the economic sense; it is free and can save you up to $2,000 a year on the costs of formula. If you want to how much you can save buying store brand baby formula, test out the baby formula savings calculator.

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