Almost Three!

My daughter’s almost 3! Exactly one month to go and she’ll soon celebrate her 3rd birthday! Isn’t that exciting? What’s more exciting to look forward on this occasion is that my eldest sister and elder brother are here in the Philippines to celebrate her birthday with us! I can’t wait to be with them since we get to spend so little time with them because my sister is based on the US and my brother’s working as a seafarer and it’s only now that we’re complete as a family.

I’m thinking of buying Hannah a Barbie cake since she’s into dolls nowadays and i just saw a variety of cute Barbie cakes from Red Ribbon. The one that I liked the most costs around P1200 so I think I’m gonna settle with that cake. It’s gonna be a family affair with some of my friends and co-workers from work to be invited. Hannah won’t have a party but there’s still gonna be kids since it’s a kids birthday party  I decided skipping a birthday party because first it’s more expensive and second I just want to spend her birthday with my family and close friends this time. I just hope it won’t rain because I remembered last year rained very hard and we had an outdoor birthday party, so just imagine how hard cleaning up after the rain.

Anyways, eventhough I haven’t blogged religiously here, I don’t want to shut it down completely coz when I decide to enroll Hannah next year as a nursery, I would update here the developments and hopefully recognitions she would get from her school. You see Hannah learns very fast and can’t wait to go to school…me too! For the moment, I am the one who teaches her once in awhile when I dont work so that when the time comes to go to school, she’s already ready and won’t be having a hard time learning.

God Gave Me You

Just wanna share with you a video I did for Hannah. Hope you like it!

Good Health Matters Most

I had Hannah checked up by her pediatrician just this week because of fever. It was already 2 days that she was sick so I decided to let her pediatrician see her. Hannah's not the type whose often sick so the visit to her doctor made me worried. The doctor just gave her medicines and told me to observe if she's going to get well after a week, and if not we have to go back again to have her checked up again.

Before that, there were so many babies and toddlers at the hospital that was sick so we have to wait in line for our turn and too bad the doctor was still not in so we have to wait more until she arrived. To pass time I observed around the hospital and can't help but noticed that the medical scrubs that the nurses use has been changed already. Before, it was just plain off white, but now the scrubs for men and women has some color on it like blue and pink. It was really cute and looks stylish than before. Well, I just thought that maybe the hospital bought it on some scrub stores because you definitely won't find it in department stores.

Well anyway, it has been 3 days that Hannah's well already, thank God for that because I don't have to return her to the pediatrician. I just hope that my daughter will always stay healthy because I am really not fond of going to the doctor when she gets sick. I know all mothers will agree with me. Like me, we all want our children to be healthy and strong and free of any types of illnesses.

Hannah's Birthday

I just thought that it’s only 4 months to go till Hannah’s 3rd birthday! How time flies indeed! Honestly, I still dont have any plans as to what her celebration will be unlike before that I really plan ahead like 6 months before her birthday, I’m already busy preparing and scouting for possible suppliers for her birthday.

I think this time we will have a simple celebration, just family and close friends. I also want Hannah to travel or go on an out of town trip with me if I have the budget. But it is most unlikely to happen this year. Maybe 2 or 3 years from now. I’ll just think about planning her birthday maybe in May or June.

Your Baby Can Read

I recently bought Your Baby Can Read DVD's from an online seller which sells copies of the dvd's from her original copy. The copied dvd's were very clear and the audio is very good too. It consists of 6 dvd's which includes parent workshop, review, starter, and volumes 1,2 and 3.

The video series is designed to help babies and toddlers learn to read early. The video shows babies as early as 9 month and 12 month old already reading simple words like wave, nose, eyes, clap, elbow, etc. I was really amazed at how this video actually works! Currently Hannah and her cousins watches this video series everyday so I really hope they'd be able to learn to read just like the kids I saw in the video. I will let you know if they have any developments though Hannah can read about only 2 words from the video like Hi and Baby. I think that's an accomplishment already, right?

My kids' New Year's resolutions for 2011

Guest post written by Carmen Hooten

A few weeks ago my daughter Alice walked into the living room when I was writing down my New Year's resolutions for 2011. She asked me what i was doing and I told her. Then I had to explain what resolutions are and she decided that she was going to make a few too.

I thought it was cute that she wanted to make some resolutions too, so I humored her and helped her with hers. I told my mom about it on Facebook a few days after that and she though that it was funny too, but would encourage Alice to keep hers. The same night that I was telling my mom that, I happened across the website CLEARWIRELESSINTERNET4G.COM and after I looked through it a little bit, I decided to sign up for that provider's service.

Out of all the kids New Year's resolutions that my daughter made, the cutest one is probably that she's going to play tea time with her stuffed animals every day. I told her that was okay and that if she told her stuffed animals that, she was going to have to stick to it.

2.5 yr old Hannah identifying pictures on flash cards...

Hannah's just so awesome! Please view my video of her identifying the pictures on the flash cards. Mind you, it was not simple pictures, the pictures were paintings done by famous painters!

New Year's Eve family plans

Guest post written by Andrea Pruitt

This year, I'm not going to go to any of our friends' New Year's Eve parties. IÕm not really into all of that. Christmas just left me so exhausted that I think that I'm about all partied out by now. I thought that this year I would do something nice for my family instead.

I got the idea when I was responding back and forth with my aunt via e-mail and our clearwire wireless internet. I hadn't spoken with her in a while and she had gotten a picture of our kids in the Christmas card that I sent her. It was nice to just catch up with her, even if it was just through e-mails.

That got me thinking that I hadn't visited my great-aunt in a while, so I'm spending New Year's in the nursing home with her. Of course I wont' be staying late becuase they don't allow visitors in there very late but I think that she'll really appreciate it. I love to listen to her stories and could always hear a few of them.

Happy New Year To All!

Hope we all gonna have a better year than before! Good Health for you and your family and more blessings too!

Bitter Rivals In the NBA

Guest post written by Jeramy Sparks

Growing up in an NBA family means that claiming a favorite team is a must. Along with this means you also have some bitter rivals. None of these rivalries are more enthusiastic or cutthroat than the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics.

Growing up in L.A. means that Lakers are the goto team for my entire family. So every year that there is a home game against the Celtics, my family is there. We throw on our jerseys, pack up the car, and then set our home security alarm (home security systems Louisville information) before heading off to this intense match up. The air is practically electric as we near the Staples Center, not long ago our beloved Coliseum. We know that we will be in for a treat as flyers are handed out at the door with custom chants for the Lakers and personalized nagging for the Celtics. The magic of this rivalry cannot be beat and we are always blessed with an enthusiastic, exciting game. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but every year we will be at this game without a doubt.

Excited For Tomorrow!

It's gonna be the last day of the year 2010 tomorrow and we are all excited since it would be another time to light our lucis which is the only one allowed on our home to light up when the clock starts to wind down to welcome the New Year. We were never a fan of firecrackers because we have children to protect so the blowing of horn or torotot in Filipino, is the only way to welcome 2011 as well as lighting of lucis.

There are some superstitions that some Filipinos follow in order to become lucky on the coming year all of them pertaining to a coin or money which means to have more money in the coming year. Some of them are wearing polkadots, the polkadots being the shape of a coin, preparing fruits with a round shape on one's home, for children, jumping up and down to become taller and a lot more. I must admit that when I was younger, I tend to do some of this stuff believing my wishes would come true. A lot of Filipinos still do some of this superstitions and I cannot blame them since it has become sort of a tradition here.

I just hope, there would be less accidents this year since we all know how dangerous firecrackers are when not handled carefully. So let's all start welcoming 2011 with a bang but all in a safe manner!

Gifts for the Holidays

Guest post written by Dawn Ditter

This year, I have really fallen in love with internet shopping. I really just started to get into it recently. These days, the options are endless, and I can do most of my holiday shopping without having to leave the warmth and comfort of my own home. IÕve been shopping for years and years, and I know how crazy the holidays can be. IÕd just as well stay out of the crowds and the cold and have the nice UPS man bring things my way. Last week, I was waiting for my final packages to come, and thankfully I have received everything on time. The company that shipped my presents even giftwrapped the items for a little extra money. How wonderful is that?

While IÕve enjoyed hanging around the house, I will have to go out to get some holiday supplies and make my appointment with the Miracle Ear Testing Center before too long. However, I am just glad that I avoided the holiday madness by shopping online this year. This might just be a regular thing for me from now on.

Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe for the Holidays

Thanks for the guest post by Jonathan Curtis

With the holiday season in full swing, many people will be traveling to spend time with family and friends. It is important to stay safe and have an enjoyable holiday season, free of injury, property damage and other mishaps. Here are a few safety tips for the holidays to keep in mind during your festivities.

-Designate a driver

If you will be consuming alcohol at your holiday parties, make sure to designate one person who will drive everyone home safely. Make sure this is spelled out in advance.

-Secure your home

The holidays are open season for theives waiting for your to leave home so they can clean you out. Make sure you set your home alarm system from www.home-alarm-systems.com before you leave. Have neighbors collect mail and newspapers so that burgulars won't know you're not home.

-Have a babyproofing kit

Visiting relatives? Make sure you take along items to babyproof their homes to protect your youngsters. This kit should include cabinet locks, outlet covers and window blind ties. Remind family members to shut bathroom doors after use. Ask grandma to put her pill case on a high shelf, out of reach of little hands.

-Secure your pets

Traveling with Fluffy and Fido? Make sure they are in pet car seats while traveling on the road. Not only can they get hurt in an accident, they can also cause accidents by roaming freely in your car and getting under your brake pedal. A six pound cat can also become a projectile if you brake suddenly, causing damage to the cat and other occupants in the car.

Have a safe holiday season by following these helpful safety tips for the holidays.

An Effective Online Marketing Strategy

If you are a company looking for an effective marketing campaign to boost your business, then it is about time to hire a professional and highly skilled Advertising Agency that can help you strategize well and create a well planned advertising campaign that will effectively persuade your prospective clients to buy your product.

And if you want to expand your business and hope to attract more customers, an efficient online marketing plan must be developed to ensure that a steady flow of customers will visit your site otherwise a not carefully planned business site will leave potential customers bored and worse without anything to buy from your site. This is where a team of advertising specialists or what we call experts enter in the picture to develop and conceptualize an effective campaign to draw customers into your business. With proper online marketing strategy tools, your chosen advertising company will help you on everything from search engine optimization to pay per click management. Through this tools, potential customers who are searching for the products that you sell, will eventually lead to your company from the search engines such as Google and Yahoo, appearing as high as possible in the search results.

When you really want your business to succeed, you must plan carefully as to what marketing strategies you will apply so as not to waste any money you put on your advertising budget. With professional advice you get from advertising specialists, there's no way you could lose on your business if you are properly managed by a team of highly trained individulas on the advertising industry.

Watching Big 12 Championship Game - Go Cornhuskers!

Posted by Arden Wallace

It's that time of year again! It's time to watch College Football Conference Championship Games on satellite tv from http://www.direc4u.com/ and cheer for the home team. Okay, so my home team Texas Longhorns won't be playing in the Big 12 Championship Game this year, but I'm watching anyway and I'm pulling for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. As a Texas Longhorn fan, I just can't pull for Oklahoma! This year may be the last year for the Big 12 Championship Game since they won't have twelve teams in the conference next year. Nebraska comes to the championship game ranked number thirteen in the BCS rankings. Oklahoma is ranked number nine after beating Oklahoma State. So, who do I think has the best chance of winning? The statistics show Oklahoma should win not only because of their higher ranking this year, but because they are 6-1 in the championship games they played in before. I think the Cornhuskers will win though. I believe the Nebraska defense will shut down the Sooners passing game. Nebraska hasn't won the championship game since 1999, but with any luck this will be the year. So, I'll be breaking out the chips and salsa and enjoying a few hours of Big 12 Championship Football before the season is over and college football takes a vacation for a few months.

Get Professional Cleaning Service For Your Home

Whenever we clean our house, it always takes us about half a day for all the tasks to get done. We particularly always have a hard time cleaning the rags, carpet and the tiles on our bathroom, even our upholstery has become too hard to clean by ourselves. We always felt exhausted after a day of cleaning so my mother suggested we get professional help on dealing with household issues. I asked her where can we possibly get service on residential carpet cleaner austin or professional tile cleaning austin, and she said there are lots of companies that specializes on cleaning services so it won’t be really hard on finding one.

So I asked our neighbors if they can recommend any cleaning companies that offer rug & upholstery cleaning austin within our area and they did suggested some that are close in our home. This companies truly are heaven sent to us especially whenever there’s an occasion on our home and guests are coming over since we won’t have to tire ourselves anymore because they would do all the job. Now we could relax more and do other important things saving us precious time.

Joy of Christmas light displays

Guest post written by Grant Beck

I love to just take my family riding around in the mini van and go and look at all of our neighbors' Christmas lights. Any time that we go to the movies or out to eat or are just out at night, I take the long way home so that we can go and look at lights.

But we also put up on our lights too. I was online ordering some replacement strands for some of the lighted decorations that we have and that's when I came across this website and read it. After doing that I decided to change over my internet access to that company at home.

I take a lot of pride in my Christmas light displays so I like to make sure that they look all updated and ordered a lot of replacement strands and bulbs so that I could go ahead and fix things as they broke, which always happens a lot during the holiday season. I actually like to check things periodically to make sure that everything looks okay and find stuff while I can ahead of time.

Friends Catching Up

My childhood friend who is incidentally working as a nurse in London, and I recently had a chat to catch up with each other. We were both so busy with our respective jobs and family so it was a welcome treat to talk about what’s going on with our lives. She showed me her latest picture taken at the hospital where she currently works. She looks so cute wearing her scrubs so I told her how I liked the way she dressed up on her work. She told me that the scrubs were their hospital uniform and that they were given different scrub sets to wear on their duty. I then told her how nurses today has become so stylish on their hospital uniforms unlike before that you can see white only uniforms on hospitals.

I also showed her my latest picture and she told me that I really looked good but needs to shed some pounds. .. ouch! I assured her that I’m trying to diet even if it’s really hard because I do love to eat a lot! Well, anyway, we had a really good time catching up that we lost track of time. I wish we can get to chat more often. Friends, besides family are the people that matters most to me.

Mr. Bean The Animated Series

Hannah has a new favorite TV show to watch! And you know what it is? Yes, it’s Mr. Bean The Animated Series! Everyday, she’s asking me about changing the TV channel to Disney to watch Mr. Bean The Cartoon. And when she’s watching you could never interrupt her coz she’s so glued on the tv monitor! I am so happy when I see her laugh at Mr. Bean’s antics coz I can see that she really enjoyed the show so much. I wonder, where can I buy Mr. Bean animated series on dvd coz I really want to buy Hannah one. All I can see is not the cartoon type.

Ribbon Candy~ A Delicious Part Of My Holiday

Contributed by Cameron Hodge

I might be one in a million, but I love Christmas ribbon candy. My mom and dad always kept a large bowl filled with ribbon candy during the holiday, and even today I am quiet fond of it. It not only tastes delicious, but makes an excellent centerpiece as the many different colors add charm to the table. It comes in so many different shapes, sizes, and designs, and I love to mix it up with an assortment of all that I can find. My husband enjoys eatting it too, so I know none of it will go to waste!

I was watching the HD satellite TV last night, and guess what I saw? An advertisement for my favorite ribbon candy! I can not purchase any until Thanksgiving is over, but I can not wait! This ad made me want my favorite holiday treat so much more. Maybe that is the reason I pack on the pounds during Christmas, and not the ham and turkey after all! Oh well, adding 20 pounds to my weight is a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the delicious ribbon candy.