Pinay WAHM

This is me today... It started last night to the point that it made me sick. I have no idea what brought it but it's not a good feeling. I was already feeling weak throughout the day so when the dizziness hit me, it just made things worse. I stayed on my left side for the most part because as soon as I changed position, it would just start all over again. It's a lot better today compared to last night. At least I can function...walk around and do some of the chores. I just couldn't get on the elliptical because I'm pretty sure I will get knocked off that big machine. Hopefully it will go away soon so I can go back to being normal again.

I read that this last Black Friday was the biggest so far. Sadly, I wasn't part of that statistics. Oh wait...I shouldn't be sad because it only meant I didn't lose sleep or spent money on things I probably don't even need [or want]. My holiday shopping list is barely touched but I have a few weeks more to go so it's all good. I just got some 'requests' from a couple of nephews - foulmouthshirts for t-shirts . I have no idea what those are since it's the first time I've heard of such...and what do you know, they're t-shirts I probably wouldn't wear myself because they're a little out of my 'comfort zone'...but not for them I guess. I'm not sure if I should grant their request or not. I may have to think about that some more. As usual, I didn't have a hard time looking for gifts for the nieces. It seems they're the easiest to buy for any occasion. Maybe because I kinda' know what girls love to get. Like I said, the

Actually, it's been up for a few weeks now. We finally got a new one after using the same tree for the last several years and we got it a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. We wanted to make sure it's all good so hubby took it out of the box and set it up. It took him about 2 hours to do that so he decided not to take it apart anymore and just leave it up. The little one got very excited of course because it's the first time we have a tree up even before thansgiving. We put the decorations on it 2 weekends ago so it won't look too bare on Thanksgiving. I decided not to put all the ornaments we have this time around and just keep it simple. We went with ribbons and balls only...plus 4 candy canes that the little one wanted and her little 'countdown' clock that we got last year. Since the tree is up already, the little one is now bugging us if we can put some decorations outside the house. So far she hasn't been successful in convincing Dad. I don't see

I’m not sure exactly when it started, but our little one has this neverending love for hats. The very first hat she had was the baby hat the hospital nurse put on her on the day she was born. I still have that hat in her baby box along with many other ‘firsts’ things she had when she was still a baby. We got her quite a few hats, ribbons, bows for her head because she barely had hair until she was about 2. So by the time she was a toddler, she’s so used to wearing a hat already that she would always look for one. Needless to say she also had several toddler hats most of which are still in her ‘hat chest’…which is a toy chest full of hats. Because of her fascination…err love for hats, I always find myself drawn to the hats myself whenever we go some place where they’re being sold. I also find myself browsing for hats every now and then whenever I visit an online store. I wish I know how to make hats myself but I don’t. I totally admire those who can knit, crochet, and even those who

In my aim to divert my attention to something else, I decided to start cleaning, decluttering the home office early this morning. The result...a messier, more cluttered space. I have to stop for a while because work is calling and I have to answer it because I've been ignoring it for the whole weekend. Still. No matter what I do my mind still wanders into that one thing I don't really want to think about. I guess it's human nature that we tend to think of the worst case scenario. I know there's not much I can do on my part right now but wait...but geez, it seems impossible to just ignore it and get on with my normal day to day activity. But...I'll try. The weekend went by...fast? I guess. Saturday was spent at home. I didn't feel like going anywhere. Sunday...I decided I moped enough on Saturday so I dragged my father/daughter tandem and we went shopping for a few clothes for the little one. A few weeks ago I got her a couple of pants online along with some

Can't live with them, can't live without them. This is especially true if you're homeschooling like us. I download worksheets almost daily so a printer is something that I really need around here. But what's a printer without the ink. These two would be useless without the other. The only difference is we only have to buy 1 printer that can last us a a few years while we have to buy a ton of ink & toners year in, year out. I cannot count anymore how many canon toner and ink cartridges we bought for our current printer through the years. Well, ink/toner AND reams after reams of printing paper of course. But that's the way it is and we can't do anything about it...for now, anyway. Our printer is a few years old already though. We've been planning in replacing it for a while now. We want to get a wireless one this time so it doesn't have to be hooked up to another computer for it to be able to print. Aside from that we are also looking at printers that

Everytime we go in a store, the little one really takes her time to check everything that fancies her. I do that sometimes but she does it ALL the time. It's fine by me when we're in a store because it's easier to watch her without really staying beside her. It's another story when we're in a mall where there are a lot of stores and stalls in and out of the stores. Last time we were at the mall, she stopped to check display on those Trade show display cases in the middle of the mall without letting us know. I kept walking in front of her thinking she was right behind me only to realize she was looking at some colorful display. She said they're "fancy" so she had to check them out. I don't really mind her looking at stuff on display, but when we're in a big place where she can easily get lost I'd rather she sticks to the plan. But she's a girl who likes to window shop. I guess I just have to tie her around my waist when we're in the

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In the last few weeks or so, hubby and I have been talking about getting a replacement for our dependable but overused SUV. We've had this car since the little one was born and it racked up quite a few miles already so we figured it's time to 'retire' it already. But before we do that, we would like first have to find a way cut some corners in terms of our monthly spending. Right now the one bill we would really be glad to get rid of is the monthly mortgage we have for the other house that's been sitting idle for almost 4 years now. If we sell that house even without any profits, we could probably get us 2 new cars. But since it's next to impossible to actually sell a house right now, we're thinking we can probably refinance the house to at least reduce the monthly mortgage...then we can get us a new car. Before attempting to refinance the house, we need to do some work on it first...mostly cleaning, in the house and around the property to boost its chance f

...summer? So it seems because I'm back to wearing shorts & shirt after weeks of being in either leggings or sweatpants. Hmmm....looks like mother nature is a wee bit confuse. And guess what? It rained this morning as well...totally weird. Just for the kick of it I called the husband to ask if he ordered some rain...tee hee. Heniwey....it's Thursday! Of course you know what comes next right? Weekend!!!! Oh....I meant Friday. Next week will be a short one because it will be Thanksgiving this coming Thursday. Usually, the Friday after TD is day off for the man of the house. If that's the case, the little one will have a field day because Dad will be home for 4 straight days...I guess she'll have 4 field days then? Ha! I don't know yet what the plan is for our TD. Well, I do. It's just that we're waiting whether we'll have company or not. I'm guessing...NOT. But whichever it goes....it's fine by me. As long as the 3 of us are together I could ca

I was watching a re-run of the show Friends yesterday where the episode was about Chandler shopping for an engagement ring for Monica with Phoebe. Phoebe was supposed to help Chandler choose the ring but all she did was asked if the store had any $10 engagement ring. Of course that wasn't quite the case. In reality though, don't we all want to find inexpensive stuff like cheap engagement rings? Ten dollars may be a stretch but cheap engagement rings are definitely around, we just have to look to find them and do our research. One way to save in engagement rings is by looking into loose diamonds. From what I've read, buying a loose diamond is a great way to cut the cost of an engagement ring. Another option is buying a pre-owned one. I know buying a used jewelry is not for everyone but if you're on a tight budget, I think it will be a good way to go. I came across this site online where you can even make a counter offer on their loose diamonds as well as on their pre-ow

I noticed I haven't posted anything about the halloween that just passed. As usual, our little donned a costume on the day. It's her 9th one which means she already donned 9 different costumes. Let me see if I can recall all of them... Year 1 [2002] - Lioness Year 2 [2003]- Pumpkin Year 3 [2004]- Snowhite Year 4 [2005]- Ballerina Year 5 [2006]- Princess Year 6 [2007] - Jojo Circus Year 7 [2008] - Cinderella Year 8 [2009]- Bat Year 9 [2010]- Fairy Wow! Some good memory I have, eh? I just got all that from the top of my head. I didn't even have to stop to think...LOL. Round of applause for me, please. Ha! Just kidding. So what was she this time around. She was VAMPIRE Queen ! She's a very friendly vampire, too. I'll be posting a picture of her [in costume] doing the rounds at the mall ~ the only place we go to on this specific event. As expected, she had fun going around the mall for candies. Afterwards, we went our merry way already. I wonder what she&#

That fast and it's over. Yeah, I'm talking about the weekend of course. But as I always say...it'll be here again in a few days...eh? We had a productive one [I think] since we were able to accomplish most of the things we wanted to accomplish. Believe it or not our Christmas tree is already up. There's of course a story behind it which I'll be sharing when the time is right...LOL. Anyway, one of 'goal' over the weekend was to find a topper for it...and we almost didn't find one. We went to 4 different stores and 3 or them didn't even have a topper on display. Instead I gravitated towards the plus size clothing section. As expected all of the stores we went to are having sales right now. I figured I might as well use my time looking for possible gifts this Christmas for my sisters-in law who are happily plus size ladies. Seriously. They are really happy they are on the 'healthy' [that's how they call it] side. Sadly we weren't able t

...since it's only Thursday where I'm at but in other parts of the world....

Two nights ago the husband was talking to his oldest sister on the phone. Just like any other time they speak, the idea of us going up there is always brought up. As soon as they hang up the phone, hubby said he wants to go up there...again. He always says that so I tend to just say okay. This time around I know he's serious because he really wants to go somewhere with snow ASAP. That's why I'm thinking of getting me some coats. I think I only have 1 coat thick enough for our coldest winter around here. I know I will freeze out there if I dare use that coat. So since yesterday, I've been browsing for coats online. I am looking mostly at plus size coats because I want to get bigger ones even if I'm not a plus size myself. Also, I noticed that a lot of the coats I like so far are only available in bigger sizes. What's up with that? Anyway, I am also looking for coats for the little one since like me, she doesn't have any coats thick enough for snow. Hubby has

I guess with the videos I posted here in the past of the little one singing as early as when she was less than 2 years it's obvious that she likes music. Honestly, I don't know anybody who doesn't like music . Music may not like some people but that's beside the point...LOL. Kidding! Music is something introduced to most before being born. And once a baby is born, music is used to either soothe or put a baby to sleep. So yes, music is a great part of many people's lives...from the time we're born to the time we're...well, you know. Singing is probably the favorite past time of Filipinos. They say that a party without a sing-along [karaoke, videoke] is not complete. I agree of course. I actually taught the little one here how to sing-along even before she can talk in straight sentences. Right now she wants to learn how to speak my language. I started teaching her years ago but she'd forget it because she doesn't have the practice. To familiarize her w

It seems we're always faced with them every single day of our lives. Of course they vary from very simple to very complex ones. I'm quite bad when it comes to decision making. I guess this has something to do with my aim to please...most of the time anyway. I don't like conflicts and I certainly don't like them arising from a decision I made. Lately, I am faced with a very important decision to make. I kinda' [there's that word again]made up my mind already a few weeks ago...then things started happening. Maybe the decision I originally made may not be the right one. But then again...maybe it is. As you can see, I'm quite torn right now. This particular decision I have to make sooner than later will have a great impact on our lives...how great...that I'm not really sure. I [maybe we] still have time to make the final decision but I can't help but be stressed about it. I am not THAT stressed but the stress is there nonetheless. Hopefully I'll be a

Yes it is! So far it's been going okay. It's not as busy as the other Mondays so I'm trying to take it easy. We're also having a very pleasant weather today. It's in the mid-70s right now and the highest will only be in the low 80s. Our weekend was spent going around looking for stuff but nothing stressful. We were sort of 'browsing' for things we want and MAY want in the future...LOL. I was also able to go to the Phil. store yesterday to pick up supplies. I didn't get as much ~ no frozen goods this time around because I thought we were swinging by somewhere else but we didn't. We will have an early start tomorrow because I have an appointment with my doctor. I am hoping nothing too serious is going on. I'm trying to stay relaxed as much as possible but it's a bit hard sometimes to do that especially when something that you can't really explain starts happening to your body. Ugh! Oh well...I just hope I'll find the answer in my visit

One of my former co-teachers in Taiwan loves to give personalized gifts. I'm not only talking about giving unique wedding gifts where she only has to buy one gift at a time but unique gifts for the Christmas season as well. In the 4 years that I worked with her, I got several unique, mostly personalized, from her because we got really close during those years. But during the holiday season like now, she would place bulk orders because she didn't only give gifts to those who are 'close' to her but she gave everyone a gift. What she did every year was to get the most complete list of teachers and staff from the personnel office to make sure everybody got a personalized gift before we all went home for the holidays. I can only imagine how much she actually shell out during the holiday season but I know she's happy with what she's doing. Every now and then I still get something unique from her in the mail. She's just that kind of a friend...she doesn't let

Just like any other weekend, ours passed way too quickly. We were out on both days either running errands or just being out and about. Saturday was spent at a small furniture store that sells electronic fireplaces. You know how that is…you go in a store with a purpose and you end up looking at everything they have. We did find the fireplace hubby wants…on a brochure. They didn’t have the actual one on the floor so we’ll have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to actually see it. Yesterday, Sunday, we decided to have our car washed. The place that we go to for that is close to our other house which is still up for sale. We decided to swing by the property just to check how it’s doing. As usual, I felt bad while we were there because up until now it’s still sitting there with no takers yet just like a lot of other for sale properties. Everytime we visit the place I can’t help but think about the misfortune of coming across that homebuilder/contractor that screwed us of our hard earned money. Hiring re

Yep! The much awaited....weekend! And it's not just an ordinary weekend here mind you. It's the weekend where we get a free hour...of sleep. Yay! For those on this part of the world, don't forget to "turn back" your clock an hour before going to bed on Saturday night. That means we get that extra hour of shut eye this weekend. Woo hoo.... No great plans for us this weekend. The man of the house will be home so the little one is all giddy because Dad will be around for 2 full days. It just tickles her to no end when he's home. For one, she can spend the time bugging him instead of me bugging her to clean her room/bathroom or finish her 'unfinished' worksheets...LOL. Well, that's the only way for me to finish my own chores...when she's doing something herself. Anyway, it's time to take a break. Ciao!

That's my birthday cake this year...and I ordered it myself! At least I didn't bake it myself, right? So why did I order MY OWN CAKE? In the past years I didn't. Hubby would just come home with a an ice cream cake which he'd usually pick up on his way [home] from work. Last year before my birthday, I saw this cake being advertised on TV. It's called 'Caramel Pecan Crunch'...and it's made by a supermarket chain around here. I told hubby that's the cake I wanted for my birthday so he looked for it but couldn't find it so he ended up getting the usual ice cream cake for my birthday last year. So this year, he asked me to order the cake myself IF still wanted the caramel cake....so I did! I called in the day before and he picked it up on my birthday on his way home from work. And that's the story of the cake. Probably not interesting to you...but it's quite interesting to me so I thought I'd chronicle it here just for future reference: T

I am officially a year older. Happy to report...I don't feel any different. It feels like I didn't age. LOL.... As usual, my birthday came and went without much ado...just the way I like it. I've never had a birthday party 'per se' in my life. The only birthday celebration where I had friends over was during my 18th birthday. Even then, I only had my closest friends around. Anyway, my day was spent the same way I always do...working and tending to chores and the little one. At the end of the day, the hubby came home with a birthday cake that I ordered myself. Ha! Story about that in another post. As for my birthday present...hubby got me the new touch screen computer. I don't have it yet because we just ordered it online over the weekend. It will be here sometime this week or next week. With the new computer coming soon, I am seriously considering taking a Microsof Office Training course for future use. I know the basic Microsoft Word & Excel but that's

Halloween is finally over and I'm a year older! Ha? How did that happen? LOL... Anyway, we had a good time accompanying our little one to the mall to do her trick or treatin' last night. As usual, we were one of the early birds so we finished earlier. The crowd was just coming in as we were wrapping up. Woot! Our little trick or treater had a grand time of course. I took pics while Dad took the video. As usual there were a lot of young ones & young once in costume but think the crowd at the mall was not as big this year. Either the trick or treaters did it in their own neighborhood this time around or just stayed home. After trying the grilled subs and the 'gourmet' french fries...haha...we drove back home already. On our way home we passed a few groups of kids in costumes walking around. What baffled me though was a group of kids walking along a busy road. I *think* there was an adult with them but still it scared me to think how easily one of them could be hit by