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

When Ervin Tan of Electrolux Philippines contacted me last month for a video shoot of an actual consumer of their air conditioners for their upcoming launch, I made it a point to clear out my schedule for it. Not because I love being in the limelight. On the contrary I have always been more comfortable working on the sidelines, thank you. Even backstage, as my dear hubby can attest to.  But with my sincere satisfaction on the Electrolux split type air conditioner that we bought last year and especially their service, I felt it was the least that I could do to express my appreciation.

with Ervin Tan, the man behind the Air Care Category of Electrolux

I first heard about the Electrolux Split Type air conditioner last year during the Electrolux Midsommer Festival luanch held in Shangri-la Hotel last March 25, 2010. Being in the middle of summer around that time, it slowly became a torture for me to homeschool and work from home at the same time. It did not take long until the hubby and me canvassed air conditioners around the malls and we actually found the deal on the Electrolux air conditioners affordable.

But trouble came in when the contractor the mall we bought our split type air conditioner from messed up on the installation – from the survey process to the installation proper. First, they came to survey our place to give us the exact amount we need to pay for (materials needed) and when they came back to get it installed, they hiked the price up without us knowing it, which totally defeated the purpose of surveying. But the worse part that the contractor did was mess up our wall. They left an ugly crack when they got it installed. This is something Electrolux clearly has no say on. I just hope Appliance Centers choose their contractors more carefully more than just giving them the job by default on who bids the lowest.

our office nook (my son’s school office and mine side by side) is where we got our Electrolux Air Conditioner installed.

I wasn’t anymore going to bother with it. Let it go and maybe have it fixed when we got our second storey built. But Electrolux called in to survey for feedback on their air conditioner and installation and I had to tell the truth. Electrolux tried to work it out with the handpicked contractor of the Appliance Center we bought the air conditioner from. The contractor did not just belittle the crack on the wall that they caused, they also did not press on the “fixing.” Being swamped with things to do as I homeschool my son and my crazy schedule as a virtual assistant working from home, I actually told Electrolux to drop it altogether. But they were persistent on having my wall fixed and sent in their preferred contractor in no time. My wall wasn’t the only thing that got fixed, my compressor too, which I then found out was also poorly installed outside, with tubes and wires hanging – it was all the while, an eye sore.

with fellow mommies/homemaker and blogger friends, Mauie, Iris P and Iris A, during the Electrolux Halsa Launch held at Sofitel last March 1, 2011

The kind of service Electrolux has is very impressive, in my opinion. I have yet to find a brand who will go the extra mile.  As Filipinos, we are most of the time, expected to just suck it in and let it be. Poor service is the usual default. NOT WITH ELECTROLUX and that’s something I can sincerely vouch for.

As for energy consumption, in almost one year that we have the split type air conditioner – the highest electricity bill we had was P3,500. The peak of summer last year when we had the split type air conditioner on most of the day. We have a separate window type air conditioner in the room as well.

Electrolux air conditioners not only provide pure, fresh air (with the Bio HEPA Filter, Follow Me, Plasma Air Purification, Vitamin C Technologies), but they are also among the most energy efficient in the market, helping you save money on your electricity bills.

I cannot anymore count the number of times that I shared woes upon woes of being a domestic goddess trying to ever so faithfully juggle working from home, homeschooling an energized bunny toddler and doing house chores. To say it can be crazy is a major understatement. It is so easy to get out of sorts. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how it is when the queen of the house is in that state, it can be a lot worse than when a king comes home defeated from an exhausting battle.

Cutting to the chase, after nine years of marriage, my husband and I decided that we can now afford to have a helper. I have always had this issue about helpers that they have the tendency to be major stressors. You are sure not to anymore need weight loss drinks if you happen to hire someone in that league. But after prayerfully considering that we cannot anymore settle to a once a week general cleaning aide, we hired a girl who burned us to the tune of P5,000 via our telephone bill. She was but with us for 5 days! The PLDT bill reflected several calls to mobile phones – the longest being 75 minutes. I was then convinced then that a househelp is really not for us. I consider it a blessing in disguise that her former employer found out that she stole things from her house. Thus, sparing me more days where she can make more calls. Can you imagine how my bill will look like if she stayed a day more than she did!

Just to give you a brief backgrounder, it was in 2007 when we first hired a nanny for our little guy. I was in the call center then. So there really was not much of a choice for us then. I only lasted in the company for a couple of months. I miscarried because of the graveyard shift. I had to help the husband supplement our family income and the options were painfully few. It was then that I witnessed how this nanny hit my one year old son with a balloon stick on the side of the arm (left a mark too) when all Jed was doing was ask her to play hide and seek with him. I was on the phone then, with a divider in between me and them, making it her blind side. So she didn’t know I was there all the while. That scenario and the miscarriage were the factors why my husband and I were convinced that it is the home where the Lord wants me to be.

Hiring a house help or a nanny in this side of the world can really be very risky. Even if you hire a help from an agency, there really is no option for a bond or insurance that I know of which will give you some sense of confidence. For someone who practically grew up with nannies and house helps, some of which we learned to be afraid of (literally) because of maltreatment, it will never be easy for me to risk my son to be with anyone but those who truly love him.

It is a fact that even as parents love their children ever so dearly, there are just times that they get to your nerves. How on earth should I expect someone to respond to my son during not so good times when the person is not even related to him, right? This is one of the reasons I had a heart to heart talk with my current helper during our employment interview. Even as we prayed for a reliable and honest helper, we trusted that God will lead us to the right person. One month along, so far so good. It is also a major factor that our five year old son is already self reliant. He barely needs nannying. So the helper’s job is basically just my assistant around the house. I know you are all with me when I say that  it is so important to have a reliable househelp. Welcoming another being into your home, making your personal spaces open to her which used to be otherwise invulnerable is definitely a risk that we will have to take if we choose to hire a help.

Yes, a CCTV can be of help, a hidden one, if I may add. We also take her to church with  us and share to her about God’s love. We make sure she knows that we value her. I believe that is important for her to know that she is part of our team. I thoroughly appreciate her contribution on making things a lot easier here at home. All these said, there really is no guarantee that she’d be through and through good. There is nothing more than trusting God’s hand even in what could be considered a rather trivial part of our everyday lives.

I am thankful for a handful of things. One of which is the helper who initiates things around the house by herself. I hardly have to teach things to her twice. Just the way I want things to be. I can be very impatient and I do not exactly fancy having to repeat myself every so often. I also celebrate having a virtual assistant who can help me with my online tasks.

Outsourcing is probably the sweetest thing I have decided to do. I have been putting this off. Because I thought delegating will mean having to submit inferior quality of work. Which, as of late, proved to be not true. I just thank God for not just a very reliable house help who cooks very good food (burp!). Which might just call for us to use adapexin-p if we do not watch it. I also have a very efficient remote secretary who is very teachable.

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.

Our family has been practically helper free since we started. Going 9 years now. The short periods I did hire a helper proved to be a nightmare when I saw with my very eyes how the nanny hit my 10 month old son with a balloon stick when he was just playing hide and seek with her. The mark on his arm proved this and yet that nanny lied straight faced.  Needless to say, she did not last a month. Ideally, babies should be taken cared of by family members. I say this with conviction, because I only know so well how our patience could really be tested even by our own children. How much more can we expect stranger to have some compassion for someone who is not related to her. Makes sense, right?

But the thing is, life is not perfect. Especially in a household where both mother and father have to get outside employment to be able to sustain their family’s needs. Being helper free is not really an option. It is for us, though. Primarily because I chose to leave the corporate world to support my husband in the ministry and later work from home. But even for us, it can be quite a challenge already to be helper free. The demands of my job as a virtual assistant and web content writer and the fact that the house needs tending every so often, the house can easily become a mess.

We have been considering to hire a helper.  I am most of the time working from home. He might be left with the helper once or twice a week. Given that my son can now communicate, if he ever gets treated badly, he can now tell me about it. I know my son so well that I know if there anything funny going on. An assistant that will help me around the house can really be handy. This way I can focus on doing my online tasks and random research about acne treatments that actually work and the like and even get more creative in my homeschooling sessions with the little guy. My son is very self sufficient. He doesn’t need a lot of attending anymore. Save for having to cook for him and remind him of his nap time and toys to pack away.

But the thing that we will definitely have to give up, if ever, is the privacy. We have been enjoying the four walls of our home with just the three of us and welcoming a stranger in will definitely shake the dynamics of our household. This is really what is withholding us from hiring a helper. So with that helper that I was supposed to meet last weekend not showing up might just mean that it is not yet time.

If you need to accessorize your bathroom but you aren’t into anything frilly or pink, don’t despair. There are still plenty of options for you and your bathroom. You can make it look classy and elegant while still clearly showing that a man lives there. Choose dark colors for the accessories and let them complement lighter-colored walls. You can also choose bolder colors, just to make a bit of impact. When you look for bathroom accessories, keep in mind that there are more companies today catering to single men and what they’re looking for. You don’t have to get something that looks feminine unless that’s what you want.

Choose your bathroom accessories carefully, too, because you generally do get what you pay for. If you decide that you want to buy the lowest-cost items because you don’t want to spend the money that’s fine, but keep in mind that these things might not last as long as higher-cost items. You don’t have to buy the most expensive thing you can find, either. Try to meet somewhere in the middle, where you can get quality at a good price. That option really is out there, and who doesn’t appreciate getting a great deal on something he really likes?

Accessorizing a bathroom doesn’t mean you have to clutter it up, either. Don’t feel like every surface has to be covered or decorated somehow. There’s nothing wrong with having a minimalist style, as long as it’s deliberate and not just from a lack of concern about what should be in the bathroom. That’s especially true if you have guests who will be using the bathroom. You’ll want to make sure you consider their needs when you’re accessorizing, so they’ll have everything they need when they stay with you. You can get what you need and still keep your own sense of style.

Three things that I have been pondering on these past few days – moving boxes, moving homes and gratitude. It has been three years since we last moved houses. And years before that we moved places at least once a year ever since we got married. It can be pretty taxing, to say the least. But you can very well say that with all the five shiftings we did from 2001 to 2007, we have become experts that we can actually make a living out of it.

As years went by from 2001 and moving was inevitable, there were at least a couple of  things that we have learned.

1. Not all cheap movers are unreliable. We were blessed to have contacted movers who had a very reliable staff who did not complain despite the one rainy night they had to carry our bulky couches and furnishings from the van, through the narrow alley, up an even narrower concrete stairs, and finally to the third floor apartment we last transferred to before we had our own house built. They charge cheap and we actually thought they’d have “cheap service” too. They did not.

2. The trickiest part is always the packing up. We made use of everything that we can possibly make use of from used sacks to moving boxes. All fragile items go to the sturdier Moving Boxes and made use of sacks for items that can be thrown around, like stuffed animals, linens, etc. Sacks do not take up much weight and can be carried by one person. Because we had a library, we made use of a handful of huge moving boxes to make sure the books are protected.

I was recently reminded with these things even as I was getting a little cranky already with the things that needs to get repaired around the house. Three years in and expect a handful and one things that you can no longer turn over to your landlord. Precisely because you have no landlord anymore, which should be good really. Kept my gratitude right in place.

I have been lacking sleep since the hubby left for Africa last week. It has been 7 days today and the most I slept per night since was 4 hours. I am sorely missing him. There was this two days that we barely communicated. Because he was on borrowed time as he had to line up to use the hotel’s common personal computer at the end of the day. That will be in the wee hours of the morning, Manila time. For some reason that function button to turn the wifi on of his Asus netbook failed to work.

I knew it was God telling me to divert my emotions to focusing on praying for him and the team instead. That I did. And I couldn’t be more giddy when he finally got back online yesterday! I also have a lot of work piled up, so I barely have time for sentiments, if you’d come to think of it. Transcribing audio broadcasts for my boss, researching on stuff like Asbestos cancer and working on a book review and a lot of other things in between.

But on top of all that, just today I had an inspiration to work on a home project that I would love to get done just in time for the hubby’s homecoming next week. I’m not just about to tell what that is. Although I know the hubs is to busy to read my posts, I’m not taking any chances. I hope it pushes through.

The summer heat of these past months has been totally unforgiving. It actually has caused us heat exhaustion more than a couple of times. Aside from the fact that I do my job from home, we are also a home schooling family. The steady rise of temperature from 32°C up to beyond 42°C called for us to do something about our air conditioning for home. The humidity actually makes it a lot worse.

Obviously, the air conditioner that we have in our bedroom did not suffice. My son’s school office and my own office nook are right at the corner of our living room and there was no way our school routine will be bearable in this kind of heat. We were getting toasted even with two electric fans on maximum speed. So last month, we finally decided to purchase a split type air conditioner for our living area. It took us a while before we finally picked out the unit.

Even as my husband and I are well aware that a major appliance as this will take its toll on our electricity bill, it was imperative that we choose the brand with the highest rating for energy efficiency. And that we did! It would really be nice if we have something like that of the Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency like other countries have. Truth to tell, energy efficient appliances are not exactly the cheapest. But you will still end up getting more value for your money through the duration of their usage.  The installation of the air conditioner in our living area was just in time for the launch of our school year. And now we don’t have to endure through hot, sticky days on end and feeling ever exhausted.

I miss cooking for my family like I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I am doing. But for some reason, I really just miss the times that I prepare fabulous meals for the hubby and the kiddo.  While I cannot exactly quit my job and jump into wearing my old chef queen crown, I’m hoping to learn more meals that are healthy but are also quick to prepare. I cannot anymore afford to do the nitty gritties of preparation for doing viands, casseroles, cakes and cookies, like I used to.

The quest is now on for cooking tips that will allow me to still be able to prepare healthy meals in half or 1/4 the time. As of writing, I have been googling for cooking tips on quick and healthy meals.  I do two shifts on my virtual assistant job.  Plus the events that I cover every now and then.  In a month’s time I’ll be back to an even crazier schedule, when the little guy and I go back to our homeschool class.  So I am now off to prepare for just that. I know it is more convenient to buy or order food for our meals.  But my family deserves more than just that. So I’m off to get started with my meals that I’m going to have lined up for my boys.

Sure, I have not heard them complain just yet. They love me too much to do that. But I would love to see those sparkling eyes of satisfaction that I don’t get as much anymore lately.  Just when I thought I have already devised a system that will allow me to juggle everything and here comes the feeling of being challenged all over again.  But what’s life without a challenge, right? Balance. I keep getting back to that. Plus going back to the essentials of life in the midst of responsibilities.

The very first home appliance purchase the hubby and I had as newlyweds was an Electrolux vacuum cleaner. I was one overwhelmed housewife, to say that least. I grew up with a nanny and later an all around helper in the house. This is the norm of two income families in our country and it does not necessarily come with a “well off” premise. I always knew how to cook, bake but not so much when it comes to doing the laundry, ironing and cleaning department. The overwhelmed me got down to purchasing our very own cleaner helper via the Electrolux vacuum. The rest, as they say, is history.

Nine years into our marriage, we have sailed on beautifully in the household arena with but a few challenges. Yes, we have stood through our decision of being helper free. Save for the once a week cleaning lady that I hire to do some general cleaning, but that’s it. If I was just a plain housewife, then that wouldn’t have been such big a deal. But I am not. Aside from being the queen of our abode, I also homeschool my son and then work from home via web content writing and virtual assistant jobs and cover some events too. Truth be told, I’m not having it any other way. After having had a helper ever since I can remember. It is just bliss to have the privacy that we enjoy now. But this kind of crazy lifestyle isn’t for everyone. It did take a while before I was able to device a system that worked for me. But if there’s anything essential for those who can relate it is this – the household gadgets and appliances!

SRP of the Top Load Washer (T-Drive)
7kg – P14,499
9kg – P19,499

I understand why some wives won’t bother buying such pricey automatic washers – they have someone to do it for them. I don’t! And I’m not gonna kill myself breaking my back for hours a day sweating it out on basins loaded with dirty clothes! I can very well make use of that time doing some online tasks that will pay the bills, thank you. This is where my fully automatic washer comes in – its battered state tells of how well it has served me through the years.

My automatic washer actually needs replacing. It is now more than 5 years old and naturally I was drawn to the washers area during the Electrolux Midsommer Festival held in Shangri-la Hotel in Mandaluyong last Thursday, March 25, 2010. I love that its agitator is high and its T-Drive system solves issues like: unseemly residue stains, uneven cleaning and tangled clothes that regular washers have.

SRP of Air Conditioner
1 HP (horse power) – P23,900
1.5 HP (horse power) – P27,900
2.0 HP (horse power) – P33,900

The next that got my attention was the split type air conditioner.  Unassuming as it may seem, the Electrolux split-type airconditioner  is notches higher than its other just-as-known-contemporaries.

The peak so far of summer came a few weeks ago, with humidity threatening and actually had a few suffer from heat exhaustion. My workstation at home isn’t air conditioned. So this got us to plan to buy a split type a/c. It wasn’t until the speakers from the Electrolux event talked about how different their split airconditioners are that they got my full attention.

The new Electrolux split-type air conditioner has an energy efficiency level as high as 11.6, making it amongst the most energy efficient in its class. This means it costs less to operate, saving your family money, and helping save the environment as well, as it releases less harmful carbon dioxide.

And when it comes to staying cool, its Follow Me Technology, a feature unique to Electrolux, allows you to set the exact temperature you want and have the cool air follow you as you move throughout the room!

It also has Air Filtration Integrated System, which helps you breathe easy with a number of air purification technologies. The innovative Bio HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter removes over 95% of bacteria and 99% of dust particles, eliminating the problem of re-pollution when the filtered air is re-circulated.

Meanwhile, the Active Plasma Filtration system reduces the incidence of allergies, asthma and even the common cold by guarding against 99% of airborne allergens; 95% of harmful bacteria and 85% of viruses, while its Gold Fin Protection helps prevent both the condenser and evaporator from the onset of rust and is highly capable of stopping the growth of dangerous bacteria.

It even helps you get healthy with its Vitamin C technology, which helps soften your skin, reduce stress, inhibit bacteria and combat free radicals that cause cell damage.

All I can say was, “Wow!” The Follow Me Technology did sound a lot like Twitter to me and it was just cool (like literally)! But that Vitamin C technology just about blew me over. I so like that! I have always known that being in an air conditioned room for long hours can actually make a person’s skin dry. That’s one case solved by Electrolux which is just sweet. Makes me think that I should be writing about it in my beauty blog as well.

SRP of new refrigerators
from P14,000 – P47,000

Another equally interesting product that Electrolux launched was their new line of refrigerators that offer market fresh for food even in the heat of summer. With features like the Active Deo Fresh system that absorbs stray odors, a Multi-Air Flow Cooling System that maintains a constant temperature inside the refrigerator and humidity control that helps keep vegetables from wilting, the Electrolux refrigerator helps make meals more delicious by ensuring that food retains their original flavors and freshness longer.

Guests were able to test this firsthand as we were given strawberries (traditional Midsommer fare), kept fresh inside the new Electrolux refrigerator. Yumm!

with fellow bloggers during the Electrolux Midsommer Festival

We will rest when we die. This is a funny quote my husband says when we become crazy busy. Crazy busy, in a good way. Truth be told, I have been lacking sleep. The most I get nowadays is 5 hours a day. It’s a blessing that I don’t get as much migraine attacks anymore.

If there is anything I am grateful for this week is my mom’s boy helper who she allowed me to hire him for one day to do some general cleaning around the house. My usual weekend girl hasn’t been available lately. My guess is that she has finally put up her own store. Because of all the things I do, especially now during the preparations that we have to do for our son’s upcoming graduation and my online jobs, not to mention the regular chores I do everyday around the house. I sometimes cannot imagine how I do it all!

Late this month we will be off to Baguio with my relatives. My favorite aunt is coming home after so many years and we are so looking forward to spend time with her. I cannot wait to stuff our Kipling luggage for the trip! Manila heat has been crazy nowadays. The Baguio weather will be such a refreshing change.

Nine days of cleaning up the house and we’re still not done. While it is true that we are extremely grateful that we are intact through it all, we cannot help but still feel exhausted from time to time. It’s like we’ve been cleaning up since forever and it doesn’t seem to end.  The Lord alone sustains us, this much I can say. Counting the blessings and people who ministered to us by reaching out, have done a great deal.  

Just to give you a glimpse of the devastation this typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) has done to our abode, allow me to share some before and after pictures. 

our washroom before typhoon Ondoy

Ondoy and his wrath

my tiny but immaculate kitchen before Ondoy 

What this calamity has done us is beyond words.  A few days ago, with the forecast of a yet stronger typhoon by the local name of Pepeng (Parma), we were on our toes.  Packed our stuff and ready to evacuate.  Last week was the craziest week, to say the least.  Throwing away design furniture and all the endless cleaning up, plus these storms coming one after another, have its way of destabilizing even the most steady person.   

That very night when typhoon Pepeng was set to have its landfall, I kept waking up in the middle of the night, getting the shivers of terror even as the rain grew harder.  What happened when I finally was able to sleep a couple of hours, I woke up severely nauseated that I had to run to the toilet.  I so prayed and prayed.  I knew the stress is coming into me like I have never experienced before.  Overwhelmed with a lot of things and the Lord gently reminded me to “Be still and know the He is God.” (Psalm 46:10). I heeded and I was suddenly fine.  :-)

Here is another valuable parenting insight that we can use in our homes.

One of the roadblocks to harmony in family life is when siblings act foolishly and end up hurting or offending each other. Foolishness may be demonstrated by teasing and playing around beyond what’s appropriate or wanted. Usually one person wants to stop before the other. Angry words and tears often bring an end to what started out as fun. Incorporating a “Stop Rule” in your family will help children, and parents for that matter, know when to quit.

The Stop Rule is simply this: When a child wants to be done with a teasing or tickling game, that child just says, “Stop” and the other child must stop the game. Even parents need to stop when a child doesn’t want to be teased anymore. In fact, a good way to teach this rule is for a parent to tickle a child and stop immediately when the child says “Stop.”

Of course, to make this work, you as a parent need to be available to enforce the rule. When you hear one child say, “Stop,” watch and see if you are needed to step in to enforce the rule.

The Stop Rule teaches children the value of their words. When someone is relentlessly teasing, your child will know that his or her personal boundaries are being violated and want to seek help. This is a helpful rule for creating boundaries in relationships between siblings or playmates and it teaches children adult solutions for solving their childhood problems.

For more practical ideas on helping siblings deal with foolishness, consider the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

The hubby and I were invited last Friday to the Downy Anti Bac event for bloggers. We were in Palawan when I received the invitation from Yehey! and I couldn’t be more interested. It was introduced as a new way to repel pesky mosquitoes and still smell good at the same time. Boy, have I become some sort of an O.C. when it came to that. It all started soon after I gave birth, some four years ago. Truth is, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Imagine my delight when I found out that the product is that of Down Anti Bac, no less. My first thought was, okay, that’s not a new product at all. But still I was keen to listen and learn. I found myself open to the idea that this could help our household ward off mosquitoes. The idea of getting rid of those pesky pests that are notorious is bringing about a whole barrage of sicknesses, sounded good to me. If you would remember the Dengue Scare in our village, then you will understand.

I should say that the people behind the event really knew what they were doing. It couldn’t have been more perfect than for them to hook us up and get tips and pieces of advice from the the Editor-in-Chief of Good Housekeeping herself, Jing Lejano. For one, warding off pests should really start off with cleanliness. Jing Lejano toured us around this huge and classic house and gave us some household tips and hints on how to maintain the overall cleanliness of our home. Being the author of Handy Tips and Hints, this is such a welcome topic for me. I always could make use of a thing or two to share with my readers.

Our household uses Downy from time to time, that is if my usually biodegradable fabric conditioner is not available, but now that I have seen it for myself and even as the people behind the Philippine Association of Entomologists (PAE) have vouched for Downy Anti Bac that it decreases the mosquitoes landing incident on fabrics by 33%, how was I to negate that.

Check out this actual test:

You might be as intrigued as I was on how exactly Downy Anti Bac works. First allow me to enumerate some facts how human attracts mosquitoes, as I have learned from the people behind the Philippine Association of Entomologists (PAE):
Human attracts mosquitoes because of:
1. sweat/body odor.
2. Carbon dioxide released from breath and skin
3. skin temperature and moisture

Downy Anti Bac works because :
1. the anti bacterial ingredients control the growth of malodor causing germs as it maintains fabric freshness.
2. fragrance technology provides long lasting freshness.

{Reference: Bernier U.R., Kline D.L. et al. Analysis of Human Skin Emanations by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry 2. Identification of Volatile Compounds that are Candidate Attractants for the Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes Aegypti))

All the research that I have read about this is saying a lot already and although Down Anti Bac does not exactly guarantee to totally repel mosquitoes, the decrease of 33% of landing incident is enough for me to do the switch. Plus our newly laundered clothes smell fresher than ever. Don’t just take my word for it, try Downy Anti Bac and see for yourself.

It is exactly two years and one month since our brand new house was turned over to the hubby and me by our awesome contractor, Tita Eliza Bautista. It was more like a labor of love for her, more than business. She was hands on from start to finish. This collage was made shortly after the turn over. We were more than happy with the finished product, to say the least. I did not get the marble kitchen counter that I want, all right, but it was still more than what we have bargained for.

We never thought it was ever possible for us to be homeowners, if it was not for the kind of home loan deal we got. It was really a blessing. No mortgage was needed to be done, not even down payment. The lot was a gift from my folks, so all we really have to figure out is the damage for the house construction itself. During that time we did not have access to extra income just yet. After a whole bunch of inquiries and visits to Pag-Ibig, trying to figure home loans out, we were given an offer that we could not resist. At the same rate of interest with Pag-Ibig, no down payment, we were on our way to building our very own home on the first month of 2007.

To date, we have less than twelve years until we pay our loan in full. We love that we are able to maintain our home that is not rented anymore.  So if there’d be anything we decide to have done, improvements and all, will be all up to us. Even as the second law of thermodynamics (Law of Entropy) slowly eats up our home, we are still thrilled to maintain it. It was God’s tangible way of letting us know that “we will not want” during the peak of what we could consider,  the most trying time of our lives. We celebrate and are thankful for God’s faithfulness through the years.

One of the many things we are often are often tackled during marriage counseling is how to affair proof a marriage. Another is how to cope with infidelity. The answer is not easy. In fact, there is really no single defining answer to such question. The hope of a realistic chance that things will ever be back to normal is even thinner. That is if we look at it in the perspective that is humanly possible. But even as the Lord said that His grace will be sufficient, it is in fact possible.

This monster that is called infidelity in a marriage never comes in uninvited. But the invitation is sometimes very subtle that it cannot be detected until it smacks you in the face. It usually begins when the spouse involved in an affair allowed his or her guards down. It starts like any usual innocent relationship, very often with someone who is very familiar to you.  It almost always starts with an attachment that progresses into an emotional affair. If there is something like that of a GE alarm that should serve as a warning, it should be convenient. But since there is none, it is really up to us to be very conscious on the way we get involved when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex.

It also does not help if a spouse feels ignored or taken for granted in the marriage relationship. The hubby and I would often go back to having the couple go through the book, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Just like what  GE home security does. It prevents the incidence of uninvited people getting into our homes by teaching couples to level to each other and learn to speak the spouse’s love language. This will help a couple to absorb the reciprocation of love in marriage more effectively. Just like what a GE security system do to the physical home. When you come to think about it, it totally makes sense to choose to acquire a second language, in the event that you and your spouse happen to speak different love languages.

As the old adage says, “Prevention is better than cure.” And when it is done by speaking each other’s languages, it goes beyond just prevention, but making the most of what is marriage is purposed for to begin with. Nothing is sweeter than a great marriage. With a great marriage, your spouse ceases to just be your wife or husband. He or she becomes your bestfriend and lover rolled into one, until death separates you.

This week’s Mommy Moments is particularly hard for me. You see I take around 500 shots a month since the little guy is born, so choosing from amongst the thousands can be pretty challenging for anyone. 

Any wife and mother will always find joy when she sees her beloved partner in life sinking beautifully into fatherhood with so much grace like my dear husband does.  For someone who has an absentee father for more than half of his life, he is thoroughly excelling in this area.  Proof that it is ultimately a man’s choice what he decides to be and not be dictated by his past circumstance.  For this matter, whatever kind of family of origin he came from.  I love Jeff more each day for being the kind of man he is and the father that he is to our child.

From the thousands of photo files I have in my external hard drive, I chose less than thirty. I opted to make a collage instead to get them all to fit in one post.

After having realized that I average eight blog entries a day, it is actually amazing how I am still able to plurk and connect with fellow bloggers across the world. I should say it could be my way of relaxing, alongside looking into these gorgeous vessel sinks online to replace the one in our lavatory.

Today we rejoice even as the little guys is doing pretty well. I know it does not help that it is extra humid today, but we’re happy enough that his temperature is no longer hitting the fever mark. With that said, I am set to enjoy a good night’s sleep tonight, to catch up on the previous nights lack of.