Thankful Thursday

It rocked us with a 5.4 magnitude. I am very thankful that we were spared of any injury or structural destruction. I am also thankful that the damages all around the county are solvable.
Remember my grandson, Joshua? Earlier he was diagnosed with some developmental speech problems and is currently undergoing speech therapy. The therapist instructed his parents to write down every word that he utters without any prompt. Yesterday, I almost shouted with glee when he said "Grannie, come," on his own. And not only once, but many times during the length of time that his brother, Jacob, and he were with hubby and me.
I am thankful that I am almost right when I said that his speech development is just slower than his brother's. I am sure he'll be more talkative than his Kuya (Big Brother) to make up for lost time.
I am thankful that I gave in to Patrick's invitation for hubby and me to come and join him and his group in their Bible Study night. The topic was on forgiveness. After the session I feel relieved with the thought that I had been enriched with the knowledge of what true forgiveness means and entails.
The session also taught me that the messages in the Bible are universal. It is just a matter of interpretation.
I am thankful that my three little boys have all grown up to be men: God loving, good husbands, great dads, responsible sons.

For more Thankful Thursday participants, visit Iris, here.

Wordless Wednesday

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Still part of the potpourri.....

"Did you feel anything? As if there is something wrong with the car," hubby asked. "Let me park to check," he added.
He checked the tires. All four were OK. He went around the car. He saw nothing wrong.
"Maybe you just ran over a rock or something," I ventured when my phone rang. It was from my daughter-in-law Mylynn asking about her children. I told her we're all OK and on our way to the mall as hubby and I promised the children yesterday.
"You didn't feel it, mommy?"
"Felt what?"
"The earthquake. It was a 5.6.!"
"So that was it. The car swayed during the quake."
She hang up after I assured her again that we are all OK and that the children are getting impatient to reach the mall.
We had lunch after which we let the kids play around the lobby for about an hour before heading home. Then we found out the damage: a favorite ceramic pitcher that was on top of our kitchen cabinet fell and broke.
Thank God that was all!

potpourri of emotions

The last five days had been a potpourri of emotions for me. High and lows, and some in-betweens. The highs included the excitement of seeing a first cousin of my mom who was celebrating her 87th birthday last Saturday. I got this unexpected call from her and while she was explaining to me our relationship I was picturing my mom in my mind. Any news that has any link to her stirs that acidic juice inside me. I lost my mom when my memory skills were not honed yet and there are only one or two pictures (from relatives) that are of no help if I wanted to remember anything connected with her. So listening to Tia Nena was like an elixir to me. I couldn't wait for that Saturday to come. And when it finally arrived, I wasn't disappointed. Although we didn't have the time for more story telling, seeing her was like seeing mom, my Inay. And I will make sure that we see each other again so I can hear and "see" more.
Sunday was the exact opposite. I woke up with this uneasy feeling. We were to go to another birthday celebration so I thought to myself that that being a Sunday, maybe I just didn't want to really go. But when I was in the car on our way to San Pedro to pick up my MIL and a BIL, I knew something was really wrong. As soon as we reached San Pedro, I requested hubby to look for anything that would make me feel better. At the party, I felt whoozy so I just lay down while they enjoyed the lunch and the game of mah johng. I must have dozed for a while making me feel better as the evening approached. As soon as we reached home, I got ready for bed and hit the sack, literally and figuratively!
Yesterday i still wasn't feeling good enough to use my computer.
Today, Jacob and Joshua would like their Lolo and me to take them to Jollibee and I think I am up to their challenge.
And I have nothing but gratitude to flu pills! (chuckle)

Smiley Saturday

I can't help but smile every time I read a comment for any of my posts.
I automatically smile every time the images of my grand kids flash before me.
My face lightens up at the thought of any of them coming for a visit.
Their smiling faces on magnets, or framed on walls, or on my computer make me smile even more.

Who, or what, made you smile today?
For more reasons to smile pay this a visit.
Post Script: Lightening's post today will surely make you smile. Go get a new name using her formula and tell me you didn't.

Thankful Thursday

Hubby and I had the privilege of being with our first grandson, Jacob, for the whole day today. I am more than thankful for that.

Here is why.

My mother-in-law and a brother-in-law were arriving today from the Philippines and hubby and I thought it would be a great experience for Jacob to have a trip to the airport. Hubby picked him up at the exact time we told him we would but instead of going straight to the airport, he had to have a side trip to our place because the arrival time was delayed for some two hours. When he learned about the change of plans he didn't say anything contrary. He asked for some fruit salad which his Lolo (grandpa) dutifully made for him, wrote on his "diary", then asked that the computer be turned on so he could learn how to read (from a program his dad downloaded).
Because of the traffic, it took us longer than usual to reach the airport. All that we heard was him singing the "Are we there yet" song. Oh, we had some question and answer and story telling moments, too.
We had to wait for another hour before MIL and BIL finally came out, but Jacob simply entertained himself by playing with the toy car he brought with him. Not a whine or a whimper. He only requested that we buy him fries and nuggets from McD.
We brought him home after four hours more. As soon as he got inside, all he said was "Thanks. I am going to sleep now."
To think that he just turned 6 last week!

For a list of more thankful people, you may click here.

Wordless Wednesday

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Getting closer and closer

Before I went on vacation I prepared a mental list of things that I wanted to get done before the next school year starts. As I look at the list now I feel complete happiness because I got our refrigerator cleaned. Now tell me, isn't that a gargantuan accomplishment?
Now I can see what's inside, not that there was nothing before I cleaned it, but now I can distinguish which is which. When I open the door, I like the smell that comes out. I can again see greens and yellows and reds in their purest hues. There are no more grays and dark tints, not even on the slices of cheeses and hams. Why? Because they are not there anymore. i told hubby and Kirby that that is how I like the refrigerator to look for the next two or three weeks. I simply want it to breathe.
It has been a full week now. And I am getting used to it. After all, the freezer's still bulging.
Another goal that I have almost reached is thinning out the humongous piles of paper on our dining table and China cabinet combined. I still can't understand why they have to send flyers and flyers of advertisements that we don't even take a look at. Even inside the envelopes that hold the statements for our bills. Do they really have to do that? I now arm myself with a paper shredder under our dining table. Everytime I see something in the mail that temptingly looks like a good offer, I close my eyes tight and shred it to my heart's delight.
I still have a long list to cross out but I am content with the thought that I am getting two items closer to the last one.

Pick Your Choice

We all want to belong. We all want to be accepted. We all want to be in. One thing that we all want to be in in is a well fitted attire that thin models wear. I often see children immitating how a popular figure dresses even when doing so, all the bulges protrude underneath that carefully chosen wardrobe. But why? Why do we want to look skinnier than most of us really are? Because of what we see and hear via the different media: TV, newspaper, magazine, even daily flyers that are dropped with your daily newspaper.
Everybody's goal is to get thinner. And if one doesn't get one's wish via exercise or diet then one's recourse is to do it via diet pills. But how much do you know about your diet pills? Do you use a certain diet pill because of the brand name? Or is it because of the price. Or still, maybe because of the attractive packaging. Or do you consider testimonials from satisfied consumer your number one criterion? Which ever it is, it will always be your best move if you will do your own research by reading about the findings on each of the diet pill products in the market, especially the top ten diet pills.
An informed consumer is a better consumer, thin or otherwise.

Joining Smiley Saturday

I was looking for a meme I can do for my Saturdays when I came upon Smiley Saturday. As I read through the description of the site the more convinced I am that I should join it. Who doesn't want to smile? Who doesn't want to make someone smile? Who doesn't want to be with someone who will make him smile? I believe this meme is all that. Giving a smile so everybody smiles in return. What a neat way to start a weekend - smiling.
Be on the list and start smiling.

Thankful Thursday

This week:

I am thankful for that one day in Catalina Island with my cousin, Fe, who is here visiting her children and grandchildren (although she has all the legal rights to stay much longer). Her parents took me and my elder sister under their roof when I most needed a mother's love and care.

I am thankful that my grandson, Jacob, already reached his 6th year on earth and he had a great time in that. I am thankful that I was given the chance to bond with him in a toy store.

I am thankful that my children and their families are finding in their own hearts that loving and believing in Christ knows no boundaries.

I am thankful that taking the trip to the Carolinas with my friend Gloria meant seeing Paul, my godson, in a new light. He has become a man!

I am thankful for those lunch hours hubby and I spent with our friends Larry and Fina. It had been a long time since we had one.

I am thankful that Don and Cezz gave us the honor to see their new nest. May they find stronger love and trust for each other. May the new place provide them and their daughter, Morgan, happiness and fulfillment forever.

And last, but not least, I am thankful that hubby and I are both on vacation. Yiiiipeeeee!!!

For more thankful people, please visit Iris.

Bill Management

Twenty years ago all I had in mind was to have a job that will let me and my husband support our three sons, afford the monthly mortgage to a house we owned, have enough food on the table and be able to go with our friends on vacation trips. After getting the jobs we wanted, we bought a house but had to foresake some of our vacation plans. We updated the house, bought more items on credit until that time when bills started to rule over us. Husband and I decided we had to ask for help so we could go into a debt consolidation process.
Had I taken a Bills IQ test then, I would have failed.
I just took a test on how financially fit I am a while ago and I got a score equivalent to a B. I consider it good and it makes me feel good. I may not be perfectly financially fit but I learned that personal financial management really helps especially now that I am considering retirement. I still have time to save for that retirement nest.
I will encourage everyone, especially the younger ones, to find out their Bills IQ. If the score is on the A level, you will just need a little tweaking when it comes to say, saving that salary upgrade, or, if it is below A, then think hard on what you can still do to increase your score because it will only mean a happy, peaceful and enjoyable retirement years.

Wordless Wednesday

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Where did the week go?

The whole week of last week was like a roller coaster for me. I attended a workshop on integrating technology in the classroom and my days were literally and figuratively filled with, well.... just that --- integrating computer into my daily life. Our instructors were all good that the eight hours went so fast during those five days. Each night I got home, I would still be all pumped up to complete the assignments I couldn't even open my mails! Everything went well. I now have enough technological skills to use so I can prepare materials to make my classes more engaging.
Weekend had been busy too. Jacob had his 6th birthday in a park. Oh, he had so much fun with his guests he wouldn't wake up when I called the following day so we could go to a toy store for his gift from me and his grandpa. Late in the afternoon, his parents brought him and Joshua and we all went to the store. When we asked him what he wanted, he said: "A toy I can sit on and drive." It almost didn't fit inside the van.
Then, yesterday, hubby and I took a visiting cousin to see Catalina Island.

1-2-3, which pill is for me?

Twiggy started it.
Ever since that decade when she stared at us with her pair of wide opened black eyes and mini skirted A-line frocks, we've never looked back. Skinny is and will always be the look.
That is also when diet meals, diet drinks, diet pills, etc., started popping up like pop-corn in a pot. But how many really lost weight, and kept it, because of eating, drinking or taking any of these? To tell you frankly, I don't know. But with everything and anything, it is always good to be educated about any product that you will use or take, especially if it means putting it in your mouth, like weight loss pills. You have to know how each type of pill work.
Do you want to be detoxified? Or, maybe you just want your appetite to be suppressed. Do you want to lose weight slowly or do you want to get 3 sizes thinner before your wedding next week? Each of these pills work and react with your body systems in different ways.
Before getting started on any of these weight reducing pills, specially if they are sold over the counter, it will be wise to read reviews written about each type.
Better still, consult with a medical professional before trying anything.

Images from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia

Because of the workshop I am currently attending, I don't have enough time to blog about our trip last week, nor, do I have time to visit. I will make up for lost time next week. I haven't edited most of the pictures, either. Using what I will have learned from this workshop, I might even be able to create a movie out of the shots we took. Just a thought: Gloria and I have been looking for a peach pie in all the menus we had but there was none. We had a cobbler, but guess what! It used canned peaches!!!

Taking Care of Your Tomorrow

I wish I've known of this medical breakthrough fifteen or twenty years ago. As far as I can remember, I always had very agonizing experience with my "monthly visitor", the term we used for monthly menstruation. It was so painful that one time, seeing my agony, my dad said to me: "OK, you can get married anytime you want, get pregnant and have babies. Right away!" He said it, I think without thinking, because he thought that delivering babies will take away the monthly blues! Well, to my disappointment, it didn't.
After reading the following news article, I should have welcomed my monthly blues, no matter what, if only to be able to help myself and others so there will be no suffering from unwanted illnesses or ailments.
As I get older, I can feel that my joints are not as cooperative as they used to. There are times when they resist my movements making it uncomfortable and sometimes painful for me to raise my arms or bend my knees. If I were able to save some cells through my monthly blood releases, I may be spared from forthcoming painful days.
My elder sister showed signs of PD five years ago. Had she had the opportunity to save her cells, her condition would have been slowed, or even stopped. Now she can barely hold a glass of water without spilling the content. And she is almost always in pain.

Prevention is the best medicine. Let's prove that mantra.

The following is a Press Release from CNNMoney

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

On the third day ....

7 am
On this third day of the workshop, with three other participants, we are going to do a filmed news report. It will be real fun.
12 noon
We've just finished filming our newscast on identity theft. I happen to be the reporter on the field who interviews a famous victim. One of our younger members is doing the editing. I wonder how it will come out and most of all, how I will come out on film!!! I kidded our photographer to place Madonna's head on mine, instead!
4 pm
T'was a very productive day. Digital natives vs. Digital immigrants was very evident in the way the assignment was approached and done. Although we won't see the finished project till tomorrow, I know. The natives, those who were born into the digital age, had all possible gadgets embedded in their work, while my group, which is composed of immigrants (those who are trying hard to catch up with the natives), had very limited innovative moves!
Well, that is the very reason why I am in this workshop: to do some catching up.

Happy Birthday, Larry

If there is somebody who always celebrates his birthday with a BIG BANG!, it will be our friend Larry. How?? Why?? Because July 4th is his birthday, that's why. And how is July Fourth celebrated? With fireworks and barbecues and picnics and parties. Right? And what's enviable about it is that the whole country celebrates his special day!

This maybe belated, Larry, but with a big bang, we wish you more birthdays to come!!!

Lunch Break

I am currently on my lunch break on the first day of a 5-day computer workshop. The workshop is about integrating technology in the classroom. I always look for workshops like this because I like so much to really try using computers more in my classroom. My very big problem, though, is where to place the computers so that the students and I can use those to our advantage. Another problem is how to keep one, even just one, working all the time. I used to have three but the placement was such that that I couldn't monitor which sites the students were trying to sneak on so I had to return the sets. Besides, new commercial refrigerator and freezer came in that left no room for them. The latest blow was when another teacher used the classroom during my summer break and when I came back I couldn't log in to the only computer in the room without questionable pictures popping in first!
Our first exercise is quite interesting. Creating a standard based lesson using an easy to manage template. My only wish and hope is that I can apply it when I start classes in September.

Hey, Mom, Dad! Look what I got from Santa!

What child doesn't look forward to Christmas? And what parent doesn't use Santa Claus as a bait to make a child behave especially during those busy months before Christmas?
As a child growing up, my image of Christmas is none other than that of an old smiling man with bulging tummy in his red red suit and his white beard moving with the air that comes from his mouth as he bellows his HO HO HOs.
Next to this image is the same man with a large sack full of gifts intended only for the good children. Bad ones can get some left-overs, if ever there would be any!
Half of the year my grandkids know they had to be extra good so they would have the chance to receive the gifts they've been dreaming of. Those who have started to read and write start composing letters, too.
What child would not be thrilled to get a return Letter from Santa mentioning that he is receiving the letter because he had been on Santa's Nice List? And what parent, or grandparent, wouldn't smile seeing the same child gape in awe as he/she reads (or the parent reads to him/her) Santa's mentioning his favorites like food, game, toy or pet or friend? Just try telling him there's no Santa Claus!
And don't be surprised if the following morning he runs around his neighborhood to ask who received Letters from Santa like he did!
For the older children who still believe in Santa, it will surely be a thrill to see in the mailbox a package in red with his or her name on it showing Santa's North Pole address complete with Santa's stamp and seal! Listen as the child reads the letter enthusiastically and watch the glow in the same child's face as his/her favorite things are mentioned and of him/her being a nice and good child is being acknowledged by no less than Mr. Santa Claus.
Moms and Dads, start your children to write those Dear Santa Letters and be ready for the shouts of glee and looks of surprises as they open their own letter from Santa.
You may even suggest to their teachers to make it as part of a homework assignment. That will mean at least one homework-free day for you!

On the Road Again,

Our friend, Gloria, invited hubby and me to join her in visiting her son, also our Godson , in North Carolina. We flew in on Monday, just in time for dinner. Slept like a log. Tuesday, he gave us a tour of Camp Lejeune. Met his special girl, too.
Yesterday we drove to Georgia to visit one of her nieces. I'd say it was the longest road trip I had ever had I thought the wooded roads would never end! But i truly enjoyed the greenery that led and followed us.
Glad I am able to use my laptop now. I couldn't at the hotel. Unfortunately, I forgot my cables so I couldn't download any pictures, yet.
Today, we will be visiting an island (I forgot the name). Will update you when we come back.