Monday, September 30, 2013

Insure the Safety of your Kids at Playgrounds

A familiar sight in many neighborhood is that of a strong and adequate swing set in the back yard of a home or in a park that has just one problem: the hardware and swings are broken and unsafe. No parent wants his or her child to risk life and limb on a structure such as that, so the playground or swing set is unused and children spend lovely sunny days inside without exercise or fun.

Many neighborhoods have joined to upgrade the playgrounds in their area, repair and replace unsafe hardware, and replace swing seats with new ones. Try a high back full bucket swing for young toddlers and older babies. They can have supervised fun while their siblings take advantage of the rest of the playground. A plastic horse glider swing could be a great deal of fun and a spur to the imagination. What child hasn't dreamed of galloping a pony chasing bad guys or racing down the oval track? This comes close without having the expense of maintaining a horse.

Look at the swing set in your own back yard. Replacing swings and hardware would allow that set to serve for grandchildren now that your children have grown. You could be planning to sell your home. If so, repairing and replacing components of the swing set could lure a family to purchase your home. The repairs and replacements are relatively inexpensive when you find swing set swings at SwingforSwingSet.com.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Birthday Celebrants in the Family


September is a month with the most of  birthday celebrants in our family. My older brother is quick to notice that he is not included in the layout that I made lol. So, all in all  there are 4 celebrants.

Sept. 3- Joji, my older brother
Sept. 18 - Kukay, my niece
Sept. 25 - Kathleen, my niece
Sept. 26 - Karlo, my nephew - his birth date (26th) is so memorable because 4 years ago (2009) a massive flood brought about by  typhoon ONDOY left massive sufferings, destruction on properties and many people dead.

My nieces and nephew are all college graduate now and starting to have their own careers now in their chosen fields. I wish them all good luck.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Enjoy Family Game Night

Every family can bond together in so many ways. Going on a trip out of town can be a good experience for kids, dining out and shopping are just some of them.

Aside from various activities that a family can do outdoors, a family can still enjoy their time together at the comfort of their home. No  need to spend some money when you are at home. Doing arts and crafts, singing/dancing, watch movies and playing games are just some of the fun activities that every member of your family can enjoy.

Playing board games are definitely a fun thing to do during night time when everyone else are free. Board games can make every player think of a strategy on how to play the game and the exciting part is how anyone can successful win the game. Always set a night each week for a family game night and there's no doubt that it will make your bonding as a family more stronger but also it can help you enjoy games as a family.

I remember playing Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders while we are growing up and it's always the best time for me and my siblings. it's good to note that the sales of board games in the past 9 years have doubled and it only shows that board games are good form of family entertainment.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Getting the Best Travel Getaways

Once in a while if time and budget permits, my family and I go for some local and overseas travel. As much as we want to travel more, airfares are getting expensive all the time. Not to mention the various hotel accommodations and other entrance fees on various themed parks or museums. It would be great if we can find good deals all the time that is why there are times that I subscribe to airline companies to keep me abreast with their latest deals and promos. A local carrier is always offering promos but sometimes the flight promo schedule of the promo is not jiving with the target date that we have.

Traveling with the whole family is also difficult for us sometimes because our schedules don't meet at a certain date. In order for our travel to push through at times, one has to sacrifice by changing her work or school schedule just to be with us on the trip. Planning may be a big task for our big family but once the sched and the itinerary are planned and ironed out, things will run smoothly.

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This coming Christmas will be an exciting time for all of us as 2 of my siblings together with their respective families will be coming home from overseas for their holidays. Would you believe that as early as June, my sisters and I have been planning our local trips already in such a way, we'll not waste any of our time since they will be in the country for short period of time only? This will also let us know how much budget that we need to have so we'll have an idea how much we'll be spending for our trip plus for our shopping. I'm really getting excited now and I'm always praying that we'll all have good health for this will be our family reunion.

With all the travel plans that we have, we need to find good deals on various places that we want to go.The discounted money that we'll be getting will be good enough to use for other purposes such as gifts for the kids and other minor expenses. I will definitely browse online for possible sale on tickets and more.

Thanks to some groupon sites that offer various discounts on local and international travel vacations. One of the best ways to get good deals on travel online is to check these sites as they are offering consumers the best travel deals there is that we don't normally get when we go to our local travel agency.

Our family also wants to tour other Asian countries: Malaysia and Vietnam are just some of them. Who doesn't want to explore different culture, food, shopping and scenery of different countries especially if we can get great discounts?

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Birthday, Flight and a New Work

It was my niece's 22nd birthday yesterday and her flight back to Riyadh as well. She graduated from college this summer with a degree in Multi-media arts in one of the top universities here in the country. I have seen how she studied well eventhough she's staying at the dorm just near their univ.

Her parents are so happy that finally she earned her college degree and ready to face new chapter of her life by working and putting all her acquired knowledge to her work. She wasn't able to work here in the country but since she went to Riyadh to be with her parents, she'll also work as a graphic artist in a big hospital there where her mom is also working.

This will be a good experience for her and since her parents are also there, I don;t think she will get bored or miss Pinas that much. I'm just wishing her good luck and may all her aspirations in life will come true. She has lots of plans and dreams for her career and her life and I hope she'll always make good decisions, if not, may all her faults be a lesson in life.

This is my simple layout that I made for her birthday.


Marriage and Divorce

Nothings beats having a complete family where couples with or without children are living harmoniously under one roof. However, couples may fall out of love, may have different views, opinions and things that they can't peacefully settle so they have no choice but to separate or in the end get a divorce. No matter what are their reasons for getting a divorce it's their decision to end the marriage.

Marriage is a sacred union but things are sometimes beyond our control that may result to unfavorable end to this union. For a country with no divorce law yet like our country, only annulment and separation will be the best solution if they really want to get out of their marriage.

In the U.S., divorce is really nothing new for we can always hear those celebrities getting married and were together for just few years or months and end up getting a divorce so quickly. It is sad to see the divorce rates in the U.S. is getting high as what the infographic below is telling us and I reckon it's not what other married couples want their relationship to end.


Graphic Source

I believe in the sanctity of marriage but if for some reason the marriage is really on the rocks and both parties have already tried to solve their marital problems, divorce can be the answer especially if physical or verbal abuse are already evident in their relationship. It's even hard to stay in a marriage where there is no more respect, love and trust but I just hope and pray that no more families will be broken because separation and divorce are really a tough decision and emotionally draining for a lot of couple involve.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Save Money with your DIY Projects at Home

All of us homeowners wanted to maintain our homes all the time as much as possible. However, due to the natural wear and tear of some things in the house, damage is inevitable. We don’t normally call for a technician or a contractor if a simple misaligned door or windows are needed to be fixed for we can always do it on our own.

DIY home projects have become popular among house owners for we can really save a lot of money by not calling a contractor immediately to do some work for us. All we need to have are power tools and little patience so we can do some repairs or even make some DIY home projects at a lower cost.


Infographic Source

Making a simple chair or a shelf is doable now at home for you can always watch tutorial videos online and get inspirations from there as well. There are also various DIY tips and tricks just in case you really wanted to do some projects for your home.

Our own home has a lot of DIY projects done by my dad and my brother. My brother's dining table is made by my dad in the 80's and would you believe they are still using it. Dad has made a lot of chairs and tables for us while my brother can make shelves out of old wood scrap.

Any home project can be made into a durable and useful piece of home furniture as long as you see to it that you use good materials and you put a lot of effort in making it. Oh BTW, you can also find a lot of good home projects from Pinterest.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Let the Kids be Creative

Oh yes, let the kids be creative even if it means a messy house!! lol

Kids love to experiment. They need something to do in their spare time. They'll either draw, make some paper cuttings, create a figure or whatever that is a product of their creative minds.

I know, your house can be really messy just like this but we are sure that kids' brains and creativity is working and not idle. This is their way how to express their feelings, what they think or how they envision of what they want to be in the future.

Who knows they can be an architect, visual artists, designer or engineer one day, right?

My 9-yr old niece is always painting, doodling, making a doll house and making a mess. Her parents most especially her mom will always scold her because of the  mess that she has created afterwards. There are also times that she doesn't like to put away her things and that is something that we don't like about her.

Give them loads of papers (scratch papers or not), crayons, pencils, clays and more. The more we support and guide them the more they will be more creative and expressive.

Get them off from ipads, computers and other gadgets as much as you can and encourage them to create anything that their minds can allow.

Military Families' Options in Relocating and House Buying

I blogged earlier about the challenges and sacrifices of military families when moving and how the government and  ordinary citizens can help them. Let us be aware that military families move quite a lot so it can be pretty much stressful especially if they have small children.

Since they relocate in every 1-3 years, these families can either live in a Military Housing On Base and Off Base depending where the military personnel is appointed.

Here are some more informative info about military families

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No one else can also know the situation and hardships of military families than another military family so support groups/networks, various sites/blogs are available online where families can always find inspirations and support. There's even an Army Wife Network site where wives of soldiers can interact with each other.

The more we learn about these men in uniform, the more we'll learn how to appreciate their dedication and love for the country.

Girls and How to Fix their Messy Haired Barbie Dolls

My 9- year old niece already passed the Barbie stage and she no longer plays with her tons of Barbie dolls. Now it's on the storage box and collecting dust already hehe...She's more into My Little Pony and Monster High lately and you can see her my little pony drawings coz she's addicted to it.

I found this very clever trick on how to fix the messy hair of Barbie dolls or probably other dolls that have same doll hair texture. I just learned that the soaking the hair in warm water for 30 mins, and combing it will make the hair straight back again. Great trick indeed!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Challenges and Sacrifices of Military Families when Moving

I have always have high regards to all the men and and women in uniform who are dedicated in serving their country. Risking their lives to protect the nation and leaving their families when they are deployed overseas or at areas where there are tension or civil war.

Right now, our country is facing rebellion in  Mindanao area where some of our Muslim brothers are raging war against our government due to some major issues. It's sad to know there are military men have who already lost their lives in this crisis.

In the US, they look upon their defense soldiers with high dignity and honor and provide them with a lot of good benefits. Here are some valuable information that we need to know as well.


familypictureideas.net

Helping Military Families
I am most certain that there are support groups for military families where they can always give aid and support all the time.

Some military families move from one place to another and moving is can be stressful to anyone most especially those that have kids. When families move, there are many sacrifices and adjustments to make in order for them to cope with the change.

Finding military homes to buy or rent can be daunting but thanks to useful resources online such as MilitaryTownAdvisor.com for they can help families look for place to relocate.

Aside from lending a hand, we can always pray for our soldiers' safety and good health that they may continue to serve.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Cooking, Cooking and more Cooking for my Family

Lately, I found myself cooking a lot! Why not? Who will cook anyway..lol

What I mean is I have never been so happy and inspired to cook. Now that I am working all the time at home, I have some time to cook for lunch and dinner. Sometimes I see to it that the dish that I will cook for lunch will be our dinner as well for I can become lazy to cook again for dinner time. Food preparation can also take a lot of time so I'm thankful that my niece is vacationing at the house and she's the one cutting all the veggies and stuff before I cook.

Online is a great source of recipes especially when we are already bored with the same old dish that I'm preparing for them. I have to make sure that it's not only delicious but it's also nutritious. I can't cook all meat meal because it's not good for my 80-yr old mom and for me as well. Most of the times, I have to make sure that one veggie dish will be cooked.

I also have learned some new easy to cook recipes like pork bulgogi, sizzling tofu, grilled honey- dijon chicken and more. I'll be sharing them on my food blog if I have time but there are some easy to cook recipes that I've already posted there.


I'm planning to buy an Oster blender or the Osterizer too so I can also use it to make smoothies, shakes and even sauces for my dishes.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

3 Extracurricular Activities that Will Give Your Kid a Great Start in Life

A child’s mind is like a sponge, accumulating everything around it. That is why childhood is the perfect moment to introduce him to new things which could have an important role in his academic development.
Of course, you don’t have to overcrowd his free time. He is a child and a he needs to rest and play with his friends. If you present him gradually to new things, he won’t perceive them as chore, but as a fun activity. So here are three best extracurricular activities that will give your kid a great start in his academic development.

1. Learn a foreign language
Learning a foreign language is easier done in childhood that in adulthood, training and developing the child’s cognitive skills.

In fact, experts recommend that the assimilation of different native languages can begin as early as the age of three or four years old. At an early age, the game is the best method of learning: for example, motion games, puppet shows, poetry, songs and contests. Besides improving their vocabulary, these methods are useful to help them adjust to the sounds of a foreign language and learn correct pronunciation. These types of lessons must never be boring. With smiles, humor and games, assimilate knowledge very easy. Thus, they become highly motivated and perceive it as a game. The lesson should last somewhere between 30 minutes and two hours, this being the ideal duration which allows children to maintain interest without boredom. You could sign him up for a course (with other kids) or have one of the specialized Varsity Tutors give him one on one lessons.

2. Learn to play a sport

Learning to play a sport is another great extracurricular activity for your kid. Sports have rules and require discipline in order to achieve performance, so they can teach him important life lessons at an early age, which will help him in developing as an individual.

Practicing a sport is very important in the physical, psychological and social development of a child. You need to talk to him in order to find out what is his favorite sport. First of all observe your child, and do not make him do activities that doesn’t want to do. Between six and eight years old, you should choose together individual activities such as: swimming, skiing, ballet, gymnastics. After eight years old, team sport can be included: tennis, football, basketball, handball, volleyball. Make sure you involve him in the decision, so that he feels he’s important.


3. Do volunteer work
Every child should know that volunteer work is very rewarding. Start easy and talk to him about the importance of protecting the environment and Mother Nature. Explain terms such as pollution and global warming. You can do volunteer work as a family, such as gathering trash from forests or you can sign up in a organization that plants trees. Nobody expects him to do hard work, but he will learn that if he wants to enjoy nature and fresh air, he needs to protect the things around him. As he grows up, you can experiment with different volunteer opportunities, such as taking care of animals, spending time with people in retirement homes.

Volunteer work will shape his character and make him understand that sometimes you have to work for free in order to make the world a better place.