When it comes to personalities, my husband and I are opposites. The first years of our marriage are testaments (bickerings, mostly) of living with someone who we are poles apart with. We knew that we complemented each other, sure. But there are just times when the crazies (selfishness) get the best of us. Real life stories are made of that as well.

One of our many differences is that he is sporty by nature. While I’m a bit too comfy on being sedentary. But even if there was no way the husband can have me trek with him, we found a few things that we enjoy doing together.

We learned to enjoy playing badminton before we got pregnant. Then that was it. We recently played again but we can’t seem to get back to the grind of playing on a regular basis. Who would have thought that after almost 10 years of marriage, we will still find something new that we enjoy doing together! Kart Racing! It is probably the funnest thing I have done in a very long while. I was so thrilled that I found myself shrieking my lungs out in the middle of the track as I floored that gas pedal! Adrenalin rush at its finest!

Thanks to Mauie Flores for the shots.

As for the hubby, there was not a doubt in my mind that he was going to excel in this race. A cousin of mine describes perfectly what he does on the streets – no holds barred arcade driving.  By nature, he is a very patient person but drives like a mad man on the streets.  He will mellow for a while when I remind him. But gets back to his old self after a while.  We agreed that this kart racing will have him release his need for speed so he can tone way down when he gets to the streets. Fine by me.

We almost regretted going through the rough Saturday traffic last Oct. 15 to attend the Bloggers Blaze Fun Cup held at City Kart Racing located in Parksquare 1 in Makati. Turned out the race was the best way to express our frustration over the horrendous c5 traffic. It was exhilarating through and through!   Jeff went kart racing again thrice that week, while I had to nurse my sore limbs and biceps. Yes, I suddenly developed biceps, would you believe! We’re going kart racing again very soon with our son in tow. He’s past the 4 feet mark, he will try to do a track or two. Even if he’s past 4 feet, we’re still not sure if his motor skills will allow him to race already. He loves cars and racing way before he can barely utter an intelligible word. Now that he’s practically the radio of the neighborhood, he will play Need for Speed Shift the whole day everyday if we let him. We don’t. Just so we’re clear. Haha! Leave him with a gadget for more than an hour and he gets zombified like crazy.

City Kart Racing was introduced in the Philippines in 2006 by Jean-Marc Freihuber (pictured above with the rest of the bloggers), former French professional racer with 15 years of experience with kart track management in Europe and 4 years in the Philippines. They use state of the art racing machines. These alone tell us that we can kart race with confidence. Plus the awesome technology that tracks racers’ stats down to the last nano second  is the coolest I have seen to date. And did I mention that they have this Facebook App that posts your stats on your wall every time you finish a Heat? You also get a copy of  your race stats over email.

My husband published a more detailed post about the Bloggers Blaze Fun Cup. I wouldn’t dream of beating the hubby in this sport. It’s just not gonna happen. I’m good with that. It’s just fun to know though that I did the best time amongst all the girls that day. My best lap time being 1:0.315. My next goal will be to race under a minute.

I recorded a short clip of the hubby on the track. Real speed is probably ten times more than it seems from this recorded video. Sorry for the shaky capture.  We’re excited to go back. The hubby is already looking into getting hold of Compacc.com shoei helmets for us. He brought some of the young men from church to City Kart Racing last week and they all loved it. We’re bringing a couple more friends on our next visit.

City Kart Racing Makati
7th Level car park, Park Square 1,
Ayala Center, Makati City

Open everyday except for Christmas and Good Friday

Monday to Thursday: 3pm to 10pm
Friday to Saturday: 10am to 12mn
Sunday and Holidays: 10am to 10pm

For more information visit CityKartRacing.com
Contact Nos. +(632) 856-9155 or +(63917) 585-9155

As promised, I am giving a more detailed entry about Hi-Precision Diagnostics Laboratory‘s role in the early detection of our son’s bout with Dengue fever.  We first had our son take the Dengue NS1 test when he had fever last June.  It turned out to be viral.

Hi-Precision Diagnostics has a total of 14 branches. I still did not know before that they have a branch in Pasig, or if it was already open then. So our default was to their main branch in Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City.  Whenever I go to have my son’s blood tested, I always get asked if I had a doctor’s request. Both times, I don’t. I always choose to have the necessary laboratory result ready when we go to the doctor. That’s just me being prudent and practical.  It is for my own peace of mind as well. Even if the doctor won’t request for a laboratory test, with the Dengue fever incidents in the Philippines growing at such alarming rate, it really is better to be safe.

I was asked to fill out the Patient Registration Slip as soon as we got there.  During our first visit, I also had my son’s blood and Rh (Rhesus Factor) typing done, while he was already there for blood testing anyway. This earned him his Hi-Precision Diagnostics Patient Card.

The Hi-Precision Diagnostics Patient Card serves as his blood type card as well. My son’s blood type is printed on the covered portion of his card (above photo).  This card also serves as a discount card, 10% off on all laboratory tests.

As I mentioned in my previous Dengue post, I called the laboratory to schedule for a home service blood extraction. I could have been accommodated if I called a day earlier. Unfortunately, I called late in the afternoon, so their next day schedule was already filled up. So we went to the laboratory first thing the following morning. I already had a bad feeling about my son’s fever, given that it hardly responded to his paracetamol medication and the sponge baths that we gave him.

The medical technologists who do the extractions at Hi-Precision Diagnostics are really good. My son bravely announced that if it’s the same laboratory he was going to have his blood extraction done, then he’s okay. His basis was his first blood extraction with them which he said did not hurt at all.

The following are Hi-Precision Diagnostics Walk-In and Home Service Rates that I was able to inquire of. I did not ask for the home service rate for Blood & Rh Typing because I already had that done on our previous visit.  They also charge a home service fee of P450 for our place of residence. I think this depends on how far your place is from their laboratory.

NS1

Walk In  P 1,220                   Home Service       P 1,300

CBC & Platelet

Walk In        200                   Home Service               235

Blood & Rh Typing

Walk In        130

I think the price difference and the home service fee are reasonable, given that the patient will not have to travel to the laboratory and wait in line.  I’m thankful that we have access to such convenience despite our being third world country in so many counts.

I was given a piece of paper (above photo) with instructions on how to download the results online. They said to wait for the results to be available in four hours. I actually only had to wait for one and a half hours for the CBC Platelet result to be available. The Dengue NS1 came in around the fourth hour.

Hi-Precision Diagnostics played a substantial role in my son’s Dengue fever being detected early. When tests such as this is made available at our disposal, the number of deaths caused by this dreaded Dengue should go significantly low.

Hi-Precision Diagnostic Center, Inc. (Main Branch)
440 – 442 W. Long Building Del Monte Ave cor. Biak-Na-Bato, Bgy.Sienna, QC
Tel. No. 413-79-50
Fax No. 712-3471
Mobile: 0922-890-6664

Office hours: 6:00am to 6:00pm Mon to Sat
6:00am to 12:00nn Sundays

Website: www.hi-precision.com.ph

Believe it or not, there is now such a thing as Philippine Spring Cleaning Day and it is happening on May 11, 2011, coinciding with our unico hijo’s 6th birthday. Spring Cleaning to begin with, may not sound so local as it is. Spring, being non-existent in our local geological context. But Spring Cleaning is really more than just a season.

Allow me to share the origins of  “Spring Cleaning” via Wikipedia:

Another possibility of the origin of spring cleaning can be traced to the ancient Jewish practice of thoroughly cleansing the home in anticipation of the spring-time holiday of Passover (Hebrew: פסח pesach‎). In remembrance of the Jews’ hasty flight from Egypt following their captivity there, during the eight-day holiday there is a strict prohibition against eating anything which may have been leavened. Jews are not only supposed to refrain from leavened foodstuffs (known in Hebrew as חמץ chametz), they are expressly commanded to rid their homes of even small remnants of chametz for the length of the holiday (Exodus 12:15). Therefore, for the past 3,500 years, observant Jews have conducted a thorough “spring cleaning” of the house, followed by a traditional hunt for chametz crumbs by candlelight (called bedikat chametz [Hebrew: בדיקת חמץ]) on the evening before the holiday begins.

According to research, 1.5 million lives are lost due to cleaning and sanitation-related diseases. One life in every 20 seconds can be saved if there is a strong and compelling campaign that pushes for cleaning and sanitation in the country. USAID 2008 data, also states that the Philippines loses 77.8 billion pesos every year due to poor sanitation, which later on causes an absenteeism rate of 8 days every year for a common Filipino worker.

Armed with the battle cry of  “I clean. I save,” the Philippine Spring Cleaning day, in partnership with Department of Health (DOH), UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) and Reckitt Benckiser, is the first public and private initiative for cleaning and sanitation to prevent infectious diseases that can be spread inside the home.

Our family is all for Spring Cleaning and we try our best to not limit the top to bottom to bottom cleaning tied to a season. It does not just keep our house tidy, it’s also like Diet pills that work fast as it involves a lot of working that might as well be exercise for me. This is why we join Lysol and its partners in celebrating the very first Philippine Spring Cleaning Day on May 11, 2011.

Here’s an online promo I’d like to share with you, my dear readers. Share your best tip in cleaning your home and get a chance to win a gift pack from Lysol.

1. Put your best tip in Philippine Spring Cleaning Day in commitment/tips page.
2. You also have to email your tip to philippinespringcleaningday@gmail.com with your name and contact number.

Best 20 tips will receive gift packs from Lysol. Happy Spring Cleaning!

I have been preaching on a sermon series about Maintaining a Balanced Life and have dealt with the topics of mental, physical and spiritual balance in the last three weeks. In this post, I would like to share with you some principles on maintaining balance physically.

First of all, I just would like to say that God wants us to be healthy. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in perfect health. The Old Testament is full of rules and regulations about health. Jesus spent much of His ministry healing people. He was concerned about physical health.

1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “Therefore glorify God in your body.” But how do we honor God? By using our bodies for God’s glory and honoring Him through it by taking care of it, respecting it and protecting it.

Now, what should our motivation be in doing this? There are actually physical and spiritual reasons. Most of us are aware of the physical reasons which are:

• We’ll feel better. If we take care of our body, we’ll feel better. We’ll have more energy, fewer pains. We’ll be more alert, less depressed. Somebody said, “Health is what makes today feel like the best day of the year”
• We’ll look better. We’ll have better complexion, look more attractive, develop a stronger self-esteem and have more confidence.
• We’ll live longer. There are countless studies that show people in shape live longer.

The spiritual reasons are:

1. God made our bodies.

Psalm 139:13-16 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”

2. Jesus paid for our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

When Christ died on the cross, He paid for us. That includes not only the soul but the body as well. He bought us. So in a sense, physical fitness is a stewardship issue. Your body is really on loan. Jesus paid for it and died for it.

3. The Holy Spirit lives in my body.

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

This is true if you have come to a point in your life where you admitted your sinfulness before God and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, trusted Jesus alone to save you and committed your life to Him to make Hi the Boss and Manager of your life. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit indwells believers.

If God made my body and Jesus died for my body and the Holy Spirit lives in my body, then I better do the best I can to make it a worthy temple.

How do you do that?

Here are six practical but Biblical tips to have physical balance:

1. Maintain your ideal weight. Scientists know that you have an ideal weight based on your bone structure and your height (BMI of Body Mass Index). You can check this online and you have to base it on your height. Did you know that people who claim for disability appeal are growing younger by the year?

2. Balance your diet. That means controlling the quality and the quantity of the food we eat.

3. Commit yourself to a regular exercise program. Most of us are convinced of this but not committed. A common excuse is, “I don’t have time.” My response is, “Do you have time to be sick?” If you do not find time to exercise, you will be forced to find time to be sick. But don’t make the common mistake of overdoing it at the start. Don’t try to get in shape and do it in one session.

4. Get the right amount of sleep and rest. Rest is so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments. He said every seventh day you rest. Jesus, in Mark 6:30-32, insisted that His disciples take a vacation. He took them to the desert. He said, “Come apart for a while. We’re going to go out to the desert.”

5. Avoid taking in stuff that is bad for your body. This covers substances like alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, drugs, etc.

6. Live in harmony with God. Our emotions have a tremendous effect on our physical health just like our physical health has a tremendous effect on our emotions. You cannot fill your life with guilt and worry and bitterness and anger and fear and expect to be in optimum health. A heart at peace gives life to the body.

What is peace of mind? It comes from two things. Peace of mind comes from a clear conscience and a purpose for living. When you have those two things your health is going to improve.

Just as the hubby has warned me with last week, it really is about consistency after all. A week since I got back to my toes and worked out, I slid right back yet again in an instant. But one thing I’m really happy about is we finally got rid of that nasty bug that has been going around the house for months!

More than stressing myself out and looking into lipozene, I think my main concern is to quit the sedentary lifestyle altogether by setting a goal of having a regular exercise. Three weeks is all it takes to make a habit. The 4 minute workout is really what makes sense for my packed schedule. Now, I need to get the hubby to workout with me soon.

New year came in and reminded our family that we need to take steps to live healthier. More veggies, less meat. We welcomed the new year not in our best health. My eyes started becoming vulnerable. The number of hours I spend on the computer has taken its toll on my poor eyes. But I am still thankful that my vision is still 20/20. I have been going back and forth to the eye doctor to have it checked. I was first told I had conjunctivitis, then allergy, then dry eyes. For which, I was given artificial tears. Now I can no longer function in front of the computer for more than 5 minutes without my multi-coated spectacles. I can’t even manage to have my hair dried in front of the fan without getting my eyes all red. I might have to go check with another doctor just so I could have a clear diagnosis of what this is.

This is aside from the fact that I have been sporting this cough that was passed on by my son first week of January. He only had it for 4 days, while I have been pretty miserable for a good couple of weeks. Thank God I am a lot better now. The hubby was sick too for some weeks with the same bug. But his recurrent complaints are more of his aching muscles here and there. Thankfully, nothing serious like he would need acl braces for. He’s doing Aikido twice a week and Mixed Martial Arts once a week. Those are probably the culprits. He said it himself, he is not getting any younger. I am still hoping to get him convinced to go vegetarian, or if all, for us to lean more on veggies than meat.

We are praying that we will be healthier the rest of the year than when we were when we welcomed 2011 and it starts with our lifestyle choice. It is a blessing that our son is not so hard to convince. He now prefers whole wheat bread over the white one that we got used to. So that’s a good start.

More and more households are turning “green” nowadays. Yes, that includes our home. We have been using mostly biodegradable and all natural household products for some years now. There are a handful of benefits of going green in our homes. Whenever we use eco-friendly products, we automatically reduce the risks of toxins coming into our home. Resulting to a healthier us.

Although our society is more conscious now, especially so that we are already tagged as the “Wellness Generation,” good quality all natural alternative products are still painfully scarce.  Just a few weeks back, I actually had to go to this Sesou kiosk in Glorietta to do my green shopping for our supply replenishment.

My son has been using GIGA VCO soap since he was a baby. I love that he does not get sour smelling even after long hours of play time. I have recently discovered Plantex Green Organic Bath Soap that does the same. The best part about it is that this soap dissolves the slowest. It is such a treasure find, if you may. I tried Human Nature too. But I was deeply disappointed. Sure, their products smell so fragrant from the bottle. But my son would smell sour as soon as he’d get sweaty.

To think that during my first few visits to the Sesou kiosk, I dismissed the Plantex items that were in the stall.  They were rather plain looking and do not exactly go in very attractive packagings. But given that I was no longer going back to using Human Nature and with GIGA‘s rather fast dissolving soaps, I was ready to experiment on Plantex Green Organic bath soap during my next visit. I was not the bit disappointed. Just check out the photos below for proof. Please note that both my son and I are using this very soap and we would even sometimes bathe twice a day.

November 2010

January 2011 (as of this writing)

The sweet thing about is that I got the affirmation straight from my mom when she asked why I had to put cologne on Jed when he is just home. She said that Jed smells good even if he’s sweaty. I told her that it’s my newly discovered soap. She immediately told me to buy her the next time I go buy our supply. For P75 (less than $2), this soap is so worth it! I tried searching the web and found out that they have a whole bunch of other household products. Sesou only carries Plantex Green‘s soap and toothpaste.

Nope, Plantex Green is not paying me for this post. I just thought it was just right to share my fab eco find. We all could make use of a greener household and sweet smelling loves of our lives.

Whoever said that a home educator’s life is easy cannot be more wrong. Homeschooling isn’t a walk in the park. But it still is the road we chose to take anyway for a host of good reasons. Aside from our desire to be our son’s primary influencer, we also would love to see him maximize his potential in a way that, in our opinion, traditional school cannot do – at least in the duration of his formative years.

Our 4 year old son graduating with honors on his first year of preschool (March 2010)

Admittedly, parents go the extra mile for their children to reach their full potential and we consider this choice of ours, “our extra mile.” Let’s face it, children are born into this life with the pressure to be not just achievers but well-rounded individuals as well. It is but normal for parents to want their children explore their potential to the fullest. What parent would not want his child to achieve the best that he or she can, right?

Our son’s Most Number of Excellent Marks and Best in Sound Recognition awards

Truth be told, the ground work laid at home has a lot to do with a child’s success. For some, it might mean that a child has to take brain boosting supplements like Nutroplex. My son’s health is amongst the top of our priorities. This is also the reason why he has been taking brown rice since he was 6 month old, for its nutritional benefits. As much as we would like to serve the ideal sustenance at home, the fact of the matter is, brain boosting ingredients like Iron, Calcium, B Complex, magnesium, et. al are some of the nutrients they need that are often deficient in a typical diet.

Progress Chart, Goal Setting Pad and Congratulations Slip

One of the ground works that I speak of is teaching a child to set goals. Yes, as young as my son is, at 5 years old and an incoming First Grader at that, he is taught to enter on a printed card his pace objective for the day. This is then placed in front of his office table. The topmost pad (Goal Setting Sheet) in the above image is where our son writes the number of paces he sets for himself to finish during the day. Goal setting prepares the child for independence, responsibility and success. Even as he is trained to make this a habit, he will be less likely to have a hard time with more complex subjects as he grows up. And later on as he pursues whatever career path God has purposed for him to tread. One of the things that we believe in – Do not do for a child what he can do for himself. More often than not, he surprises us how he is able to do far more than we expect of him. Which reminds me a lot of the First Law of John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – Law of the Lid.

The cardboard behind the pads is where we place the stars that mark his progress. It hangs on the wall at the side of his office table. The congratulations slip is what he is rewarded with whenever he has completed a set of pace. We sometimes exchange a reward for a congratulations slip. But we also do not do this on a regular basis to make sure his motives for doing his school work is in check.

These are just a few of the things that we have been doing in our homestead. Most of which, we have started long before we started homeschooling. This brings us back to emphasize the child’s need to be nutritionally capable. Supplement if you must. You cannot expect a child who is lacking in nutrition to achieve and mount up with wings like eagles. Education should focus not mainly on making sure that a student gets employed when they graduate, but for a person to live life to the full.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Nutroplex.

I personally think taking care of oneself is essential. Whenever I see people giving me that look of expectation that a pastor’s wife should look like a drag, I really just let them be. Stereotype, I have never been and that I will never be. My relationship with my Savior is solid and will never be dictated by anyone. Especially by those who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are aplenty. But I’m not going into that. I have lived to see how God saw us through past persecutions and He has been faithful. I am leaving the judgment to Him as I press on doing what I do.

It is not bad to look good. But we have to make sure that we don’t beautify just our outside canvas. We have to be beautiful from the inside out.  I am not going to enumerate that things that I do to prove to anyone anything.  Whatever happened to not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing, right? People seem to have a career out of shoving to everyone’s faces their good deeds.

I digress. But not quite. Because this has something to do still with beauty.  If you are scheduled for a wart removal or acne treatment anytime soon, you might want to stay tuned on KikayCorner.net for the weekly promos of Flawless towards the countdown to National Flawless Day. Let us just  not overdo trying to look good on the outside when we’re all rubbish in the inside. Constant works in progress, let us all be.

Once in a while I am led to good reads as I do online research, whether personal or job related. I have been looking into some health related reads recently. The reason being, my husband has been having this shoulder trouble that he complains of from time to time. Although he has already got an x-ray done, he is still yet to do a follow up appointment with his doctor. His shoulder is not as bad as before, but he still can’t lie down on his right side without pain. My interest to read about shoulder muscle troubles led me to a person with a name of Richard Fields.

Richard Fields is a New York Developer and Philanthropist gave $7.1 million dollars to the University of Rochester Medical Center for neurological research and care. This gift will allow for the hospital to conduct a research and clinical center of excellence for facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), a form of muscular dystrophy. As my little homeschooler and I tackled doing this to make a difference, the person of Richard Fields and this act of kindness just drew me to read more about him. My hope is that we will have people like that locally. Although there are medical advances, we still have a long way to go.

This also brought me to what my mom recently told me. Her latest sonogram shows that she is missing one of her thyroids, taken out during a cyst removal operation she had around 20 years ago. This, the doctor told her is causing her rapid weight loss and when she asked why it took so long before this side effect showed, she was told that weight loss who loses a thyroid usually happens as a person ages. Now our dilemma is not knowing how to trace that bad medical practitioner who operated on her. We can only hope that it does not have any other long term effects and pray too that there is a way we can trace who that bad doctor is. Even people with considerable influence in our country find it hard to get justice due theirs. I guess my prayer is that we will get some help of sorts just so we know what we ought to do about this.

Heartburns have been common occurrences to me since late last month. The thing about relying on Google for pretty much every single information you might want to look into, is its tendency to give you a scare. Especially if it is health related. I would like to believe that I have well dropped my hypochondriac tendencies in college.  Which was brought about a lumpectomy when I was 19 years old. It is liberating to be free of worries. I think the natural approach that we now have on health is the better alternative. Our family is less sick the last few years, for one. I may have a few issues with weight which just might get me to consider herbal diet pills. But I will have to go see my doc first before anything else. And as for the heartburns, I haven’t had them for almost a week now.

These are two of my current bedside books. Reading books is something I’m glad I am able to go back to doing again after a while of hiatus. I recently just published the post review of Captured by Grace. I loved it so much that I asked the hubby to read it for my birthday present.

I am thoroughly enjoying reading books that I have, once again, put working out aside, which is not good at all. The heartburn that I still get every night when I lie down on my left should get me to my toes. And the digits too that stare me in the face when I check the scales remind me over again. I know I have no excuse anymore, especially now that I replaced my busted Wii Fit with Wii Fit Plus. I will get to this soon. For one, I really won’t be a good steward if I only take care of the intangibles. Health is still wealth.

My husband has always been a sports buff who has been actively playing all sorts of activities, from soccer to basketball and even martial arts. He has a regular exercise regimen, which I have always admired in him. I continually reinforce this with healthier food choices. He can get very picky with food sometimes. But with a little nudging and giving him materials I have studied about the health benefits of incorporating a particular food in our diet, he is almost always agreeable.

But this very agreeable man of mine just recently rebuked me of my health choices – about my now non-existent exercise regimen otherwise known as sedentary lifestyle, that is. This actually made me stop and think as I later agreed with him. Now that he is looking for a Dojo place where he can resume his Aikido program in, I can’t believe I actually asked him if he thinks I can join him. And he got pretty thrilled as he answers as a matter of fact, that there are women who are Aikido black-belters. Yikes! I honestly cannot see myself going on a rolling spree and getting my joints wrestled. I wasn’t too serious when I asked him that and he was taking me on a mini-orientation drill already. Just what did I get myself into!

With my chronic arthritis that attack from time to time since I was a teener, I know he’ll cut me some slack and allow me to just grab a hold of running shorts instead and join him once a week whenever he goes to run in Marikina Sports Park. I have no other choice for now as my Wii Fit CD won’t play on me anymore. I am praying that I’ll finally get down to this and be a better steward of my health.

As a mom, I have always considered myself vigilant especially when it comes to my family’s health. My husband even jokingly labeled me once or twice to be a witch doctor of sorts – for I always come up with a seemingly, self-concocted, non-traditional solution to random health issues.   They take my prescription nonetheless, basically because they always work. In my defense, everything I serve my family, I always make sure I looked into beforehand. From the sweet potato juice that I make to boost the immune system, the lemongrass juice that takes care of colds and respiratory issues, the probiotic kefir shake, the propolis ointment for burns, cuts and skin issues and just recently wheatgrass juice, et. al. And in all fairness, they do wonders to the things I needed taken cared of.

For some reason, I also find myself picking up Halal certified food items from the supermarket whenever I do grocery shopping. It gives me a sense of confidence that I’m not giving my family second rate food stuff specifically because from what I’ve learned, Halal certified products have passed strict dietary guidelines. I just find it neat that consumers like us can now get hold of a list of products that are Halal certified via the internet. We can even get updated on Halal certified food and products in Facebook. Now it is easier to identify products during my replenishing-the-pantry errand days.

We have been considerably healthier since we have started doing these health choices.

It was early last June when I tried my hand on cultivating my own wheatgrass. Dubbed as possibly one of today’s Power foods, wheatgrass has a lot of nutritial benefits. Some of which are: detoxification, helps digestion, blood flow, can substantially lower the rate of one having colon cancer. So I ordered a bunch of wheatberries from the Wheatgrass King from Baguio. I got the package after a few days and got my cake trays and spray bottle ready.

I have always known that green thumb I had none but I was still secretly hoping that I will successfully grow my own supply of wheatgrass.  Besides, I thought, it was just grass. So it should thrive without my having to give it extra care, right? Wrong. My first attempt and I killed the berries. Yes, that soon. But never say die, so I headed on to my second and third attempts.

Day 3 and Day 5

wheatgrass in full bloom

I am thankful enough that I was able to juice thrice, at least. After the third attempt, molds got the better of my wheatgrass trays and I practically just gave up on it out of frustration. Maybe it’s just me and my need to go buy myself a pair of green thumbs.

The juicing is not as hard as it may seem. I just basically just gathered up a bunch of grass, immersed it in water with vinegar and salt (to clean the grass), rinse and dunked it to the blender. Although cheese cloths are what they usually use in the video tutorials I watched over YouTube, I figured that unused and clean cloth diapers (lampin) will do just as well.

This was how my wheatgrass tray looked like after harvest. I was told that it can grow up to three cycles. But the most mine did was twice. They grew mold already after. I’m really not certain if it’s the humidity of Manila that killed my wheatgrass. Allow me just a bit to console myself.

I just poured a cup or two of cold water after the bunch of clean wheatgrass is dunked in the blender and set the power on high for a couple or so minutes. It is fairly easy to do, if only I could have them thrive, then I will really keep at it. But I think it is worth the try. The power food that it is should do more than just opiate detox but should also keep you in tip top shape. For now, I’d probably settle for the wheatgrass supplement. Woe is me who can’t grow grass.

the pulp that remained after the juice was squeezed through the cloth

wheatgrass juice

My son loves it! (he calls it yummy wheatgrass juice) I do too. I have yet to convince the hubby though. Although the taste is undeniably of grass, wheatgrass juice actually tastes sweet.

I think my system has finally kicked off the cold bug I have had for months. It did not help that I don’t get to prepare our kefir shake on a daily basis. I know I ought to do it on a daily basis especially so that those babies (grains) grow like crazy in this kind of unforgiving weather that we have.

When my immune system kind of dwindled, it was not just the colds that got me attacking. There’s also this persistent zit on my face that is possibly brought about by the lack of sleep. I know it is all my fault and I am sure to get back to a healthier sleeping habit. First, I have got to get this zit taken cared of with some good acne treatment. I’ll probably stash away my current brands for now and go back to using organic thanakha to make sure I don’t get scars.

The heat has been extra unforgiving these days! The El Niño phenomenon is making an extended stay.  It has taken its toll on my health lately. I wasn’t able to work the whole day yesterday because I was too weak from heat exhaustion.  I was also having stomach trouble that drained me off my electrolytes supply.

But am I glad to wake up today feeling a whole lot better. Nevermind if the weather is still the same. It’s just so hard to get sick nowadays.  I feel I lost so much weight from all the purging I’ve done yesterday, when I surprisingly fit into my old jeans. Talk about diets that work! But this isn’t exactly my idea of getting off my extra pounds. Now I have to load on those fruits and get right back to making kefir shake. And let the probiotics do their trick.

Last Wednesday, April 28, 2010, I attended an intimate event with the beautiful ladies of Elianto Philippines, together with 5 other beauty and lifestyle bloggers at Kimono Ken at SM North Edsa. It was fun chatting (I mostly listened) and hanging out with these sweet ladies.

As a mom, I know so well how easy it is to take ourselves for granted given all the overwhelming tasks we have to take care of. While motherhood, no doubt, brings about such wonderful, priceless moments, it can get pretty crazy sometimes. It’s not all bright and shiny everyday, to say the least. This is especially true if you choose to be a hands-on mom. The dynamics of motherhood is immense and the natural default could easily be such that you have everything taken cared of except yourself.

While the essential is still a person’s soul, I believe a mother does not cease to be a woman even if motherhood has come. Your priorities might have changed and for a while after giving birth, it will only be natural to undergo a period of adjustment. But the important thing is to strike a balance as you device ways to prioritize all the ongoings of your life.

I personally have come to love Elianto products, specifically their nail line.  I have been using it for years now. Truth be told, I have practically stashed away all my other pricier brands, in favor of Elianto. I was pleased as I found out from attending the event that Elianto has more to offer than just their nail line. Their make up products are actually made from the finest of natural ingredients, which I have been always partial toward. In time for Mother’s day, Elianto currently has Mother’s Day Gift Sets.

Perfect for working moms – this special eye care set combines 2 of elianto’s bestselling eye care items. The brightening eye zone patch effectively lightens dark circles. It also contains collagen to firm and tone the undereye area. The cooling eye gel mask works wonders for stressed eyes– simply pop into the freezer for an hour, place over the eye area and feel it ease the tension from tired overworked eyes. Comes with a free leatherette pouch. P299

Elianto’s spring flowers Eau de Toilette collection. Formulated in France, all scents are inspired by various spring season flowers – cherry blossoms, tulips, camellias. P299

How about a gift of manicured nails this Mother’s day. This nail care kit comes complete with a 3 way nail buffer, nail trimmer, Strawberry Nail Polish remover, and a bottle of nail lacquer. Elianto’s nail polish is renowned for its rich spectrum of colors and rich exuberant tones. Comes with a free leatherette vanity pouch for mom’s other nail care of makeup items. P399

Sparkle Nail Lacquer set is perfect for moms who want to add some dazzle into their look. The Sparkling Diva line is a limited edition of luxurious nail shades in rich, glittering colors. Comes with elianto’s floral inspired nail art to add a splash of glamour. The Strawberry nail polish remover is scented and infused with Vitamin E to nourish nails and keep them strong and clean. P399

Elianto’s eyeshadow set for moms has four delectable eyeshadow shades with a spring inspired refillable palette. Comes with elianto’s bestselling Rose Cleansing Tissue – all packed in a metallic satin cosmetic bag. P699

After the sumptuous meal at Kimono Ken, the beautiful Elianto girls tooks us beauty products shopping over at The Elianto shop right across the restaurant.  There were a whole lot of great finds and it wasn’t until we realized the mall was about to close that we have been there a while.  Here is my loot. Watch out for my review I’m having live over at my beauty blog,  KikayCorner.net.

Cosmetic bag box shape (black) – P599

Classic mini brusher set – P499

Miracle White BB Cream – P799

Deep Sea Lip/Eye Make up Remover – P399

Nail Color in Grape Wine – P99

I am already loving their products. Especially their make up remover. It can easily replace my Clinique Take the day off in a heartbeat. My skin isn’t breaking out as well with with the BB cream. Here’s what makes it even sweeter,  Elianto Philippines is sponsoring a contest via my beauty blog, KikayCorner.net. We’re currently finalizing the mechanics. Meanwhile, you might want to go to Kikay Corner’s Fan Page and subscribe so as not to miss the update.

]]> http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2010/05/02/mothers-gift-ideas-and-contest-alert-win-elianto-beauty-products/feed/ 2 http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2010/04/20/flu-vaccination-for-the-family/ http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2010/04/20/flu-vaccination-for-the-family/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:16:38 +0000 Jennie http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/?p=5526 When I said I wanted to lose weight, I never meant to lose it in a manner that I have to get sick. But that’s what happened. Now that I think about it, our family was not able to get our flu vaccination for this year yet. Maybe it is time to get that scheduled [...]]]>

When I said I wanted to lose weight, I never meant to lose it in a manner that I have to get sick. But that’s what happened. Now that I think about it, our family was not able to get our flu vaccination for this year yet. Maybe it is time to get that scheduled soon.

I know I hardly have a need for weight loss pills. But when you are suddenly faced with a closet full of clothes that barely fit you, it can be a bit bothersome. I have always belonged to the same size right from college and it can be frustrating. Especially so that I cannot afford to change wardrobes just yet. I have definitely lost appetite and I was told that honey could help me get my sense of taste back. Not that I would love to balloon again. But because I need to up my resistance to kick off this cold bug out of my system. And when that’s done, they I’ll finally get my shot. 

I have been under the weather the last couple of weeks and it’s awful. The bug caught me and for some reason it stuck. Although my colds is not as bad, I still have the sniffles. I haven’t gotten sick for more than a year now and I was hoping this year will be as good as that of 2009. The sleepless nights have finally taken its toll on my poor immune system.

But I’m hoping I could totally kick out this bug soon. Now I don’t need best weight loss pill anymore. Although this is not the plan, but I’m losing most of the weight that I wanted to get rid off for sometime now. It just occurred to me that it’s time for us to get some flu shots.

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