Wow, the most awaited time of the year is over and we are only few days before the new year rings in. It is amazing how our family celebration only lasted for a few minutes minutes but it took many hours of preparation. Don't you agree?
This year we really did not cook a lot. I learned from the past that we just wasted food for cooking too much when there are only 5 of us to partake it. I was also able to convince hubby not to over spent this Christmas. He tends to cook up a storm during occasions like this. This time he cooked 2 main dishes, chicken marsala and stuffed cabbage. I did 2 side dishes, rice and roasted mixed veggies. The girls baked the fudge brownie and I baked apple pie for our dessert.
We had a great dinner and celebration, though I still wish we have more families over here to spend time with at this time of the year.
Christmas is Over
Content Insurance
Back in 2004 I was able to travel to UK and stayed there for almost 7 months in my cousin's house. It was their first house in UK and they were very excited to become a homeowner there. Before I came there, she already told me about the big difference of the lifestyle as well as on how you take care of your stuff. I think wherever you live house insurance is a must if you own a property. But she told me that you can also purchase contents insurance to secure your belongings in case something happened.
I was really ignorant about it back then. When I first learned of it, of course I thought it was neat. Now that I am here in the US, insurance providers also carry those services. Most home insurance also cover contents of your home but there are some restrictions I believe. This is really a great deal since you will have peace of mind knowing that you can still recover something in case of any loses.
Aside from the insurance, we also purchase extended warranties for big appliances we have. Just recently, our microwave handle have some chipped on it. My husband called the company and since it is under warranty, they replaced the handle at no cost. I like how fast the services also. This is why we are happy with our decision about securing not only our house but the contents of it as well.
Our Tree this Christmas
I thought we can get a real tree this Christmas, but we decided to make use of our artificial one instead. So after Thanksgiving we had the tree up and we're working on the decors. I have red and gold for color theme this year for our ornaments as well as other house decorations.
I was at the store to get some Christmas bows but I am aghast at how pricy it can be. One bow will cost you $5. So I went to youtube and watched some instructions on how to make one yourself. I found a good how-to video which is very easy and voila I did my own Christmas bows. I had fun doing it. I utilized my old wired ribbons for my trial ones. It came out good and from now on I will do my own Christmas bows.
This time around I did not buy too many gifts for everybody. I just picked out 2 each for our girls and also for hubby. Our DD1 also picked out something for her teachers at school that she gave to them on their last day before their Christmas break. In all, I think for next years to come I will do a 2-color theme for decorations. It looks neat. I can recycle one color a year and pair it with another one for next year. We'll see if I can keep it as our family tradition as well.
Watching Television
How many hours of television time you should let your toddlers watch in a day? I have read in some books that you should not let them watch telly over 2 hours in a day. I am so guilty of this because I let my kids watch their show on PBS or Nick channel more than 2 hours a day. I just don't have other means of bribing them to stay away from me to do my school work.
I let them watch television once they get bored playing or doing art work in their toy room. My consolation is that they are watching educational shows anyways. I know, it's my bad but I got to give them something to occupy them. Most of the time, even if they are watching telly, they are still bothering me. If this happens, I can no longer be in front of the computer, I need to be with them because the concentration blows out of the window already.
This is why you can wish you have someone to watch your kids even if you are at home. We don't have the luxury of that here, so I need to deal with it and improvise. I know in the end I can see the fruit of my sacrifices.
Travel Website
Do you use the services of a personal travel agent to arrange your travel or you go online to check great Travel deals and compare prices and book? With us, we always do our research both online and with travel companies in our area. That way, we can compare and get the best deal. There are lots of well-known and reputable travel sites online but I also heard there are bad ones.
Travel deal is what we always want when we go for vacation. One travel company that I know that have re-launched their site is the travel co uk. They are now on the roll again and if you check out their site they have deals for all your traveling and vacation needs all over the world. If you decide to go on a cruise, a luxury beach vacation, see the mountains and do skiing or snowboarding, or even see the tallest building in the world, they can arrange it for you at a reasonable price.
One thing that I like most when I search or navigate a webpage is the how easy and clear all their options are as well as how they lay out their different type of services. This travel site I mentioned, in fairness, is so easy to navigate too. They have wide selection of holiday deals as well. So if you are planning of holiday, check them now and see if there is a much of what you need from their selections.
Weekly Recap
First week of December is over. I like Friday because weekend will be spent with family with Daddy not working and DD1 not in school. This coming week will be the last week of our DD1 in school then off for their Christmas vacation.
My daily routine is really like most of the stay at home Moms; taking care of the kids, the house chores, cook, errands, etc. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings will be a lot more busy since I have to drop and pick our DD1 to and from school. In addition, I have my school stuff too that I needed to do.
This morning I was able to get the presents I was planning of getting for hubby. I already wrapped it and now under our Christmas tree. For the little ones, I will wrap it later when they are both asleep. Hubby came home before 5pm and we had dinner early. I am just glad that hubby always helped in taking care of the dishes and clean up the kitchen after dinner time. Now I am doing my weekly laundry to get it out of the way.
While waiting for the laundry, I will be doing some online tasks and bloghopping as well as work on my school stuff. I need to finish one more PD so I can submit my AMT Orthopedic Dictations and work on my 2nd test. Good luck to me!
Car Shipping
I remember back in 2007 when we move here in Washington from Georgia, we had a hard time looking for a reasonable and reputable car shipping companies. We have two vehicles and the Army do not shoulder the cost of the vehicle shipment if within the US mainland only. You have to drive it and you are given per diem and allowances for it. So, we drove the truck and shipped my car. It took couple of weeks before the car gets here in Washington state.
My husband found the Car Shipping company online when we searched for it that time. We compared rates for shipping and check out the reputation of the company that we used to ship our vehicle. Good thing we found a really good one at a reasonable price as well.
As a word of advice to those who are planning or looking for Car Shipping company to ship your vehicle here in the US due to military move or address move, make sure to get a company that is licensed, bonded, has a good reputation, dependable, and safe to entrust our price possession. There are companies that are scams and only wanted the money and deliver a very lousy service. Verify the information of the company and make sure they are legitimate and trustworthy to do business with.
Christmas Plans
Wow, the time roll by so quick. I have so many plans for the month, but I haven't been able to do one and we are already on the second week of the month. If we don't act fast and do what we needed to do, this month will already be over.
One of the things that I really need to do this month is to submit 2 tests for my online classes. I did 1 test already but not yet submitted. There are interruptions too. On Saturday there will be the Fil-Am Christmas party. On the 16th, Friday, will be our daughter's school Christmas party, and there will be cookie exchange. Now I need to find a good cookie recipe to bring to school. Then on the 16th some of my friends are planning another Christmas party, where we will have exchange of gifts. I hope with the intermissions along the way, I will still be motivated to do school work first.
I know this time of the year we have so many activities. This also make our day go by faster. It's like you wanted to do all the plans but your time is not enough. The most important thing though is we need how to prioritize. Do what is the most important thing first. Once the important tasks are out of the way, then the rest will be easy peasy to do.
Color Purple
Our DD1 loves the color purple. When we moved here in our house, she already told us she wanted to paint her room purple and pink. So, she is really the girly-girly type. Every time we visit home stores and check out the paint department, she will get color sample of the purple and pink combination. We decided that we will paint her bedroom purple and pink.
As their Mom, I also noticed through the years as being the Mom that, I too, love purple :-) I think she got it from me then. I don't know but I am attracted to it, especially if I am buying clothes for my little girls. The picture above is one of the evidences that we love the color dearly.
With my daughter's love for the color purple, even doing her art work at school she always use the purple crayon or paint. When they were asked to color the pumpkin, she color it purple instead of orange. I asked her why, she answered, "Because I like purple, Mommy"!
Visiting the Land Down Under
My sister and her husband is now currently in Australia. They are going home though this month to the Philippines since my brother-in-law will be done with his schooling. I have cousins who are also living in Australia, and I wish that we can visit them there one of this days. My husband told me we will definitely visit there when we have the time as well as enough money for that trip.
My cousin told me that living in Australia is really great. They came from United Kingdom and just moved there couple of years ago. They like the place so much, the weather, and they can do a lot of things especially visiting beautiful places.
They recently purchased a house and their vehicles. Of course they also had the insurance for it. But I will still ask her if they were able to get a good premium for their insurance. If ever they wanted to get another insurance, she can get insurance quote and see which insurance companies can give them the best value for their money.
I have read that a large insurance company in Austarlia like the CGU Insurance can give the residents all the insurance they need. One can also get insurance quote from their site and see how much premium one will pay for a certain amount of insurance or for anything that one wanted to insure for. For our family here in the US, we have one insurance provider for all our insurance need. We wanted it that way so we can track our expenses in just one company, and it is very important that you trust your insurance company as well.
I learned more that CGU Insurance is trusted in Australia, having millions of policy holders in there care. They have all types of insurance from personal, business, and corporate. If you live in Australia and in need of trusted insurance provider, you can check out CGU Insurance company.
Anyways, I hope one day our plan of visiting the land down under will pushed through. I heard so many things about the place and I want to experience is grandeur as well.
Affordable Eyeglasses
I was in my kid's school this morning earlier than my usual time to pick her up. I went to the pharmacy after I dropped her off and instead of going home I went to her school straight. There were other Moms already their waiting at the nursery along with siblings of my daughter's classmates. One of the Moms mentioned about her expensive bill from her eye doctor. She had her eyes checked recently and was prescribed for a new eyeglasses.
While on our discussion, I had mentioned to them if they checked online for affordable prescription eyeglasses. I know that there are lots to choose from if you are just diligent enough to research. One good example of this is Zenni Optical. With my research online since before, the brand ZENNI really stood out for their quality, high fashion, and affordable eyeglasses. It will not cost you an arm and a leg to get one. I mentioned this to her and she told me she will check it out.
I learned through my research for affordable eyeglasses also that the affordability of Zenni's eyeglasses is because they manufacture their own products. They do not compromise quality even if their prices are low compared to other providers. Aside from manufacturing their own products, they also have marketing strategy to bring out their product directly to the consumers. They also make sure that their products are of great quality and last long as it is a health necessity aside from just a fashion statement.
I know I will also be needing a reading or prescription glasses soon and I know where to get mine. I already checked their site and found lots to choose from. I am glad this provider of eyeglasses is just a click away, you can get one at the comfort of your house.
Our Growing Girls
Our DD1 had a school photo session earlier last month. I was told that we can have our DD2 join the photo shoot also with her sister or by herself, so I let her wear her nice dress, courtesy of Tita Coleen, and brought her with me to her sister's school. They both look nice in their dresses. The photo shoot went well. It took a little longer because DD2 won't look at the photographer. She is distracted by people and things around her.
When we got home I tried to take pictures but I have to bribe her with a lollipop to pose for me. Looking at them together just melt my heart. They grow up fast and such sweet and adorable little girls. I can't thank God enough for the two of them in our lives. I can't imagine living without them. They are my priceless treasures!
Holiday Saving
This time of the year is somewhat the most expensive. Starting with celebrating Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas. If you are not careful and watch what you are spending, you will find yourself in the pit of financial burden. This is why I learned to shop wisely. After Thanksgiving all stores will participate in Black Friday where you can score good deals on almost everything you need. I surf the internet and check websites that offers coupon codes or deal alerts. I love the Cool Gadget News and Discount Coupons at geek alerts for cool gadgets. You can find lots of great deals and coupons through this site for any electronics you want.
Geek alerts also offers 1800Flowers promo codes if you want to send special flower arrangements and holiday baskets to your loved ones. If you like free flowers and free shipping you can also check out this great offer of FTD coupons, still at geek alerts.
Using coupons and coupon codes can really help to lower the cost of what you need for this holiday. I love coupons and bargain shopping. I am thankful that you can find websites like geek alerts that can help shopper like me to score great deals when shopping. They offer promotions and deals for almost all stores. This promotions and coupons are really big help for my family especially in this time of financial hardship. So check out the links above and score great deals too while you shop on Black Friday.
Thanksgiving Celebration
Thanksgiving is here again. Of course it is time to celebrate and be thankful for all the blessings that we all received through the years. It is not only this particular day that we give thanks but every day in our lives.
I am so thankful for everything that I have right now; my family, friends, and relatives. I am thankful that God continues to bless us with good health and sound mind to do our daily tasks and decide rationally. I thank God for the ups and downs that He let us experience in order for us to be strong and courageous to tackle the odds of life.
This thanksgiving we will celebrate it here in our house. This will be the first time that we are going to celebrate in our home. This is one of the things that we are most grateful for this year. And I am hoping to celebrate more years of Thanksgiving here with my family.
Kids Dental Appointment
On October 4 I brought the kids to their dental appointment. DD1 first had her teeth cleaned and polished. She did really great. The hygienist did not have a hard time getting the x-ray and cleaning her teeth. Even the dentist who checked her teeth after did not take long to see her teeth because she was very cooperative.
For DD2, it was her first time. She is 17-month-old so I was expecting she will cry and won't open her mouth. One thing that will really make her cry though was when I will ask her to open her mouth especially if she is eating and have a big bite of food. So when the dentist ask her to open her mouth, at first she was hesitant. I was helping her and with a little prodding, she opened her mouth and the hygienist was able to polish and put fluoride on her teeth.
The dentist visit was great with no crying babies. They did great and they deserved the stuffed toys that they got from the dental office. I am so proud of them and I am hoping for next visits DD2 will be used to it already.
Our 4 Year's Old
Last May our DD1 turned 4 year's old. We can't believe how time flies and now we have a soon to be kindergartener. She is growing healthy and she is mama's little helper. She is a good older sister as well. We can't thank God enough for bringing her to our lives.
Her first year of preschool ended yesterday and this coming school year she will still go to the same preschool. We are still thinking of where she will enroll for kindergarten. The next school year she will go to school three times a week and only half a day. I registered her for a morning class to prepare her for kinder and grade school. She usually wakes up around 9AM and I need to train her to wake up before that to prepare her for school. This means early morning wake up time for me as well.
I think if you become a Mom there are many things that you thought you cannot do or will not be able to do that you will do no matter what. Even if it is a trial and error thing. I would say I am not a perfect mother but I am doing my best to become the best for them. It is always my prayer and hope that they will grow to be responsible citizen and become successful in life.
Our DD2 Turned 1 On April
I wasn't able to post anything about our two lovely girls the past weeks. Last month our DD2 turned 1-year-old and we can't be happier of her milestones. She is growing fast and we are very happy with her development. Along the way there were some trials regarding her weigh issue but everything is settled now and other worries were being ruled out.
For her birthday celebration, we did not really had a grand one. We just invited few of our friends and the celebration went well. I think everybody enjoyed especially the kiddies. Our DD1 will not be able to remember her 1st birthday but she can have pictures to look in to when she is old enough.
Below is her picture when we were coaxing her to play or eat with the cake that was meant for her. But we were waiting so long that she did not touch it with her hands. When I tried to dip her fingers into the icing she was shaking her head. I gave her a spoon and she started scooping the cake but did not put it in her mouth.
Back in the Groove
I have been busy with life and updating my two other blogs is what I can only do for the last few weeks. Now I am back groovin' here again and will do my best to post updates of my two girls as well as my mommy moments. For being busy house hunting and stressing on it made it more difficult for me to think of what to post.
We had lots of activities these past months and I haven't had the chance to download the pictures and other captures until last night. I will be uploading it on facebook also so my family back home can look at them. Some of the activities we have had was our daughter's 1st birthday, their time at the park when we got a nice spring weather even for just a day.
As to myself, I am way behind of my studies and now I have a new instructor and I am confident that with her I can be as open as I want to be and she is very helpful. I will be in good hands and will be successful in this program. Hubby is also busy with work and studies. He is now taking Calculus and I know he needs all the time he can to do this class. On top of it all is the waiting game for us to close on a property. I am so anxious to move to the new place so we can really start being in our own property. I know too many going-ons, but despite all of it I am thankful that God is always there for us and guide us through.
DD2 @ 10 Months
This picture was taken when DD2 was just 8-month-old. This was our morning routine then. She was just learning to crawl on her tummy. Her big sister love to play with her on the floor. She is the one who give the little one toys to play with.
It is so amazing how they changes from day to day. Right now she don't crawl on her tummy anymore but on her hands and knees. She is already 10-month-old, and she can pull herself up. She use edges of our couch, coffee table, bed, and even legs of anything to hold on to.
She is now learning to take some steps while holding on to furniture. She is aggressive but cautious little one. I know this is also the time of bumps and falls and I am glad that DD1 is very protective and watches her every time she is on the floor. DD1 call me up when her little sister is picking up small things or call my attention when she sees little sissy is somewhat in danger to her eyes.
It would be fun to watch later on when both sisters can play together and converse to each other while doing their activities. Hubby said to expect little fights from here and there, but I know it is typical to siblings. We'll see though how they're going to deal to each other once they're a little both older.
DD2 @ 9 Months
Our DD2 just turned 9-month-old today. Yay! She is not so baby, er infant anymore. Although her weight gain is not that much but she is developmentally right on track. I am so proud of all her developments. She is a petite baby but she surely is an aggressive little one. She is not afraid of trying things.
At 9 months she love to make noise a lot. She don't want to be in her car seat but wanted to stand up or on the floor playing. The first word she uttered when she was 7 months old was ma-ma but it's adding every day since. She is very sweet but so impatient. I believe most babies are. She cries right away when she can't get her way. She has eyes for me now that separation anxiety is up once she can't see me in the same room with her. The pedia said it is normal at her age.
I think our DD1 can't wait to play with her little sister. They both like playing on the floor together. I am glad that she is a loving sister. I know I still have to watch her when around her little sister because she still can't control herself being a toddler not to be rough during play time.
My two girls are growing fast and soon I will be sending both of them to school together. I will miss them being babies but I will be the happiest Mom if they will grow great kids and adult.
