When I thought about retracing how My Nuffnang Story started, I’d easily see myself transported back to my early years of “working from home” through blogging. After installing the codes across all my blogs, I basically just left them there. It was not long when I received an offer I could not resist. I was tasked to do a couple of advertorials with rates that only my international clients could afford to pay back then. From then on, I was pretty convinced that Nuffnang is one legit entity. I have had seven decent payouts to date. Yay!

While the income that I receive from Nuffnang is something – it does not wholly comprise My Nuffnang Story. In fact, the income part really is NOTHING compared to how Nuffnang was instrumental to impacting my personal life.

Trixie of Nuffnang contacted me in August to write for Philstar Unblogged. I deliberated with myself quite a bit. With already too many shoes I need to fill in, I had my doubts but went right along anyway. With regular blogging, we bloggers basically get away with just about anything – typos that we easily overlook, for the most part. With a mom for a grammar nazi and certified OC at that, there was no other person more qualified to proofread for me. For reference, I have archived articles contributed to Philstar Unblogged by Marriage and Beyond.

At the bottom of one of Mama’s proofreading feedback she sent over email reads…

That was the note I almost missed.  Mama was proofreading my “Life in a Fishbowl” article. It was her response to my sentiments about my growing up feeling rejected. This is what vulnerability does to you when you blog.

I teared up a little lot. It is almost embarrassing to admit how a person can feel validated by one simple apology and affirmation. The reason is simple – it goes back to time immemorial. Backed by too many misunderstandings and personality differences, hurt and more hurts that piled up through the years. Plus all the dynamics common to a dysfunctional family. Which also brings about our resolve to be intentional in our parenting as we choose on a daily basis to be the family God has designed for us to be.

Nuffnang was instrumental to filling up that particular hole in my heart. It may not mean a lot to the majority who will come across this post. But it means the world to me. Parental affirmation that I was longing the whole time I was growing up, I was finally able to get a hold of now that I’m 35. Nothing is ever too late.

Yes, sounds melodramatic much. But there is no way I am to water down something so real to me. I bet my mom will be surprised even as she reads this. If it wasn’t for that writing gig I had to do for Philstar through Nuffnang that I had my mom proofread my articles for me, a part of me will probably still be wallowing at that tiny corner of my heart about being the least favorite daughter, living to die knowing that I was never good enough for my mom. That simple note made a world of difference in my life and I have Nuffnang to thank for. You were an avenue of my healing. Whether I win an invite to the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011 for this entry or not, I have always believed that it is right to give credit to whom it is due and my pondering along what My Nuffnang Story is brought me to this state of gratefulness. Thank you, Nuffnang!

It is not unbeknownst to our dear readers that we, from time to time attend blogger events, launches and the like. While we know that there are some people who are absolutely appalled at the idea of brands taking advantage of the online media (and vice versa), we figured that it really is just a matter of filtering through the invites.  For one, there are a handful of innovative brands and services that we came to know via this avenue.

So when I learned about Blogapalooza holding its very first event last month, well, let’s just say, I was curious to check it out. Aside from being able to catch up with blogger friends, I also got to hear from brands (most of which we already patronize) and got acquainted with an interesting few that we only heard about at the event.  It was all in all a very good avenue that WhenInManila came up with that allowed for brands to be introduced to the online community. And what savvy and catchy name, at that.

Marikenya.com, MarriageAndBeyond.com and PinayAds.com

Did I mention that I also scored a huge Carlton luggage at the event when I helped solve a fellow blogger’s dilemma of having to commute the enormous hard case luggage home? At a price that she could have refused but chose not to.  Thanks again, Nicely! It will be perfect for my next getaway with my boys. Thanks to Tripologie too! They have branches in Eastwood and Alabang. It was my first to hear about Tripologie. We only go to one travel bag shop before. Now, there’s another travel stuff store we can check out that also carries the quality brands we love – Tripologie!

And here is when I launch another blog contest. I’m raffling off 5 of the Gift Certificates I received during the Blogapalooza event and 1 Phiten Rakuwa Bracelet.

5 Gift Certificates:

1. Galileo Free 2 Week Scholarship –> Here’s an article I wrote about Galileo Enrichment Learning Program.

2. Sparkle Gift Certificate –> Check out their website www.sparkle.ph

3. Jap-Ok! Resto and KTV GC –> complimentary use of KTV room for two hours with complimentary Golden Chicken Shots. (good for 4 persons).

4. CreatiVoices Productions GC –> 1 Hour recording time worth P3,500

5. 360º Fitness Club Free 7 Day Pass GC –> www.completethecircuit.com

Phiten Rakuwa Aqua Tita Bracelet in Maroon

Here are articles I wrote in the past on what I have to say about Phiten Rakuwa bracelets:

–> Road Testing Phiten’s Rakuwa Bracelet
–> Lovin’ Phiten’s Rakuwa Bracelet
–> Phiten Product Relaunch

You know, the drill. Here are the Contest Mechanics:

1. You have to be a “liker” of Marriage and Beyond on Facebook.

2. Share this contest on your Facebook wall. To share, click on the Share button located at the bottom of this post. Then post on your Facebook Status: “Marriage and Beyond is giving away GCs from Galileo, Sparkle Spa, Jap-Ok! Resto ktv, CreatiVoices and 360º Fitness Center and a Phiten bracelet. Join now!” (To tag, type the “@” symbol then follow it with “Marriage and Beyond.” Then type in the rest of the required phrase )

3. When you’re done with the Facebook status wall update, go to the comments section of this post and paste the link of your Facebook entry with your name and email address. (To get the link, hover to the time of your shared post (e.g. 4 minutes ago) and copy link address. Paste this to your comment to make your entry count.)

4. Contest is open to everyone who has a local address. Free Shipping.

5. One entry per person.

*To be fair with other contest joiners, I will be requiring the drawn winner to send me a scanned ID for verification. There were a few entries in my previous giveaways that were suspicious.

6. Deadline for entries is on October 24, 2011. The winner of the GCs from Galileo, Sparkle Spa, Jap-Ok! Resto ktv, CreatiVoices and 360º Fitness Center and a Phiten bracelet will be raffled via random.org.

I cannot help but notice that there are a whole bunch of people who are joining my beauty giveaway than those that I give away on Marriage and Beyond. We’re actually thinking of giving away a PS3 and an Xbox game next, gears of war 3 ashes to ashes. These giveaways are running until Christmas season. Contest joiners, please make sure to follow the easy instructions.

UPDATE:

Congratulations, Jeniffer Gangan!

Please email me via jenaspacio (at) gmail (dot) com your Full Name, Shipping Address with Zip Code, Mobile Number and Scanned ID so I can send your GCs and Phiten bracelet the soonest!

Rarely does a Facebook application catch my attention. Aside from the occasional games I tried for sometime (all of which I have totally abandoned to date), this I Star App has got me thinking. All of us, girls, are sure to be good at one thing or another. Most of which, we hardly know about each other. So I thought it was fun to just stop and think of something that we star at.

I star at being able to juggle homeschooling with the rest of my online and homemaking tasks. It’s a challenge that I thank God I was able to pull through. Although I have already hired an assistant before 2010 ended, I was practically helper free for all the 9 years I was married. This, for me, is something, especially so that I grew up with a house help (a nanny when I was younger) for most of my single days.

On the funnier side, I also star at making my big toes dance. My husband is pretty amazed about it. It’s something that I thought, all along growing up, that everybody else is capable of doing. Turns out it is a rare talent and I have it!

How about you, what do you star at? You can head on over the app and share where you star at as well. It’s fun! Shine on, Sister!

Our son is grounded from watching videos and playing the game consoles this week. He acted up last Sunday when a boy in church won’t allow him to borrow his Ben10 toy. As adorable as he seems to be (at least to us), this little guy also has some naughty tricks in him and because despite of the number of warnings, he still pushed it.  So it is a no videos week for him, aside from the spanking that he got for pushing the boy.

Jed is reading “Old Mother Hubbard”

We are happy that he has accepted the consequences of his actions and he is actually making the most of his time reading and writing the whole week. We also explained to him about pardon. That he might get pardoned within the week if we see him doing good. And I have been getting good reports from my mom too (who I left him with whenever I am out) that he does not insist on watching tv or playing on the computer when we are out.

Yesterday was something else. I was telling him that I will allow him one Sid the Science Kid episode for the day. I was actually expecting him to go giddy over it. But he said he would rather finish where he left off with his reading! That is coming from a five year old fella!

Meanwhile, I also had to child proof our computers and install Chrome Nanny. For a few minutes a day, I usually allow him to use one of the computers in the house to play online educational games via the PBS Kids. And because sometimes he also needs to “google” words that he encounter from his readings. He goes to search from time to time. One time he landed on cigar auction sites and asked me what it was. So I had to do some explaining. Just to be sure, aside from giving him his own log with password on the computers, the Chrome Nanny has got to be installed too.

For some reason, Akismet seems to be not working so well. Spammers are able to get through it and I still get tons of “spam” comments in my inbox. Here is a word to our regular spam commenters who think their spam comments will get through – don’t count on it.

If you are at all to comment, do read through the post and quit leaving random things to promote your site. If you read through my post and you have a valid comment, even if your site links back to prevent pimples or what not, I will be bound to approve it. But no blatant promotion of your sites on my comment section please.

In this day and age, no one wants to just be a number. The assigned numberson your plate are merely for identification, so why not get the identifyingfeature that you want? With number plates you are provided with the safetyand protection that your vehicle warrants. In order to get the number platesyou want, you first have to be sure you want your plates to read a personalizedname or statement that you’ll own as your very own.

So sit down and decide what it is you want your plate to say. Whether you useyour own nickname or provide a little inside joke, you are obligated to followa few rules. There is a minimum of characters you must use and it completelydepends on the regulations of your area. You can use a prefix or buy a space toseparate your names as long as you adhere to the guidelines. With a few clicksof your mouse you may be able to have an answer about your personalizednumber plates now. If you don’t want to have a word, you can opt to have aseries of numbers that suits you best. This way, you are an individual withouthaving to have your personal life exposed for other drivers to see.

Within moments you will have the answer you have been waiting for. Will youhave the number plate you want or will you have the predetermined numberthat the government issues you and everyone else? It’s easy to stand out andyou can soon be an individual on the road as well as off. Get started and findyour perfect number plate now. Let them all know who is in that car of yours.

Yes, that is right. I got scammed by a certain Chinese woman from Harvard University. Fellow virtual assistants, beware of this outsourcer who will sweet talk you into doing a job for her and keep on delaying payments, agrees with you on terms and conditions initially. Then gets back at you during pay up time with the words “I have gone over budget for this project.” I just altogther told her to keep the $162 dollars to herself. Not because I don’t need the money. I’m doing my virtual assistant job precisely because we need the pay that I receive to help supplement the family income. I write random articles from acne treatments, beauty product reviews to every possible topic in my paid to blog job. The excuses she has been giving me have gone beyond ridiculous.

I give my best everytime I do my job and the insult that she has done to me has gone beyond tolerable. I guess this is the risk we have to take as virtual assistants. Since we are normally paid after a week or so after we have rendered our service, we really have no assurance that the buyer/client will pay up. I rest on the knowledge that each one of us will have to give account for whatever we do. I have done my part in good faith and she has withheld from me what is due mine.

The Lord has always been faithful and I refuse to be put down by this person. I have chosen to let the “Chinese woman” remain anonymous for now. I could get the word out if I want and throw her name like a bomb all over the blogosphere, even report her to Harvard. Because she is clearly giving the institution a bad name, but I won’t. God will know what to do. He knows my heart, intentions and I pray that if that Chinese woman was just too frazzled that time she was dealing with me, that she gets to her senses and will not victimize another virtual assistant again. What we reap, we sow.

I spent the majority of this day sorting clothes from the little guy’s closet. This is something that mothers with growing kids have to get into doing every so often. I have already stashed away clothes that don’t fit him anymore and will soon be given away to friends who have toddler boys.

I also got busy sorting my own closet. I placed aside clothes that I have not worn in the last year. No diet pill review will change the fact that I am not going to go right back to my normal weight. But it is good that I was able to order a few items from a fellow blogger who has a supplier that allows for her to sell great quality clothes for so much less than if I shop from the department stores. Otherwise, I cannot really afford to change wardrobes at all.

I finally got Lady Rouge’s plate. A few days short to 2 months since we got her. It’s registration is good for 3 years. Sweet! Something I don’t have to worry that long is always a good thing, right?  I can only wish it’s the same with the insurance attached to it so I won’t have to bother looking for a good and reliable cheap auto insurance next year. That’s probably asking for too much. One thing I will have to keep in mind is that I cannot go out driving around the metro during Wednesdays. I’m loving Great Wall’s Peri so far. Although I first had to adjust from driving the old Nissan to this cutie pie of a car when it came to elevated grounds. I don’t remember having the same issues with Charlie (Nissan). I know I wouldn’t have these issues if it was an automatic. But I have always preferred a shift stick rather than a “matic” anyway. But as the hubby says, I’ll get used to it in no time. I certainly hope so.

Thoughts of summer evoke so many popular American pastimes including barbecues, picnics, sunbathing, and pool parties. Swimming is the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. A dip in the pool is also way to relax at a barbecue with friends and family during warm summer evenings. Swimming is also a dynamic form of exercise, appealing to people who often are unable to do other forms of exercise due to pain and health problems. However, many people do not have the means or the space to install a below-ground swimming pool in their backyards, especially in urban areas where the yards are often too small to dig a hole for a pool. An above ground swimming pool is the perfect solution to this type of problem. With hundreds of manufacturers creating all various sizes and styles of above ground swimming pools (http://pcpools.com), customers can find a pool that will fit virtually any space and any budget. When an above ground swimming pool is installed, the benefits are innumerable.

Friends and family will want to come over and enjoy the above ground pool, making your yard the most popular yard on the block. Above ground swimming pools are also easy to keep clean and maintain. Since above ground pools are self-contained and often feature a pump to keep the water flowing, the pool is clean and refreshing. In fact, many pool services will keep the filters clean and the water chlorinated in an above ground swimming pool thereby ensuring an optimal summer environment. Finally, many available above ground swimming pools also feature fun options such as slides and basketball hoops while also having convenient features such as covers that keep the pool clean and warm. For many families an above ground swimming pool is the perfect addition to any backyard for hours of summertime fun for all ages.

Marriage and Beyond is cooking up a contest and it should be up in a few days. Now to have a head start, you might want to think and list down your best management tips and how important it is to teach children the value of time. I will make joining easy for you. Because all you’ve got to do is write the answer to the question on the comment section. That’s it! No need to research on prototype 37c review or the like. This is going to be one fun contest and best of all, I’m picking 3 winners with the best answer! How much cooler can it get?

The hubby and I had to cut our respective post paid lines with one mobile network. It was the first network I ever subscribed with, dating back from 1997. I was with them 10 years and they only proved to deteriorate in their service, despite the various new offers they give out to clients, new and old. We finally said our goodbyes when we knew we have had it with all the charges from nowhere in our bills. That is, after six long months of following up on the reversal of the charges. I don’t know how other clients put up with them. But I definitely know a bunch of people who have switched to the competing network with the same sentiments as ours.

One of the things that lured us to this network was the free cell phones that we can avail of with the plans of our choice. And every so often we can actually upgrade units when our contract with them got expired. That is what most mobile networks offer their clients and it works. But we just had to decide against it when we have had it. We can always choose another network with similar offers anyway. We chose to switch to prepaid subscription instead which has worked for us for some years now. I also love that I can do reloading business while we are at it.

And when I say job, I have plenty. If at all, multi tasking has become my forte. Aside from web content writing, covering events and being the sole queen of my household with no help, I also manage to do virtual assistant jobs for a few hours each day.

I especially love that I learn more in each of the things I do on a daily basis. Especially when it comes to my virtual assistant job. With web content writing I try to squeeze out all the creative juices I may have in my system. But with my current va job, I am able to take in things that I otherwise will not be able to come across with. I guess it’s one of the reasons why this job comes easy for me because I love learning about new things.

We have decided that we will have to delay the construction of our home’s upstairs. The reason being, we need a vehicle that we don’t need to have repaired week in and week out. In less than a couple of weeks, we will be bringing home our very own spanking brand new baby. We are pretty excited about it. We have been praying about this for years and the Lord is ever faithful to have our prayers answered. Like He always would, in His perfect time.

Meanwhile, we will probably start with the construction of the upstairs in late 2012, Lord willing. But whoever knows? It might be sooner? While waiting and because of the nature of my work from home job and our homeschooling set up, we had to device a way to get our respective office furniture (the hubby’s, mine and our son’s) fit in our 48sqm, 2br, 1t&b home. It’s sweet that the hubby was able to customize each of our own nooks with just the right sizes of office tables to get everything to fit in without looking crowded.

And so the countdown begins. We will be breaking in the brand new baby as soon as it is home.

It was a couple of weeks ago that the hubby and I considered buying a second hand 2004 Altis instead of buying a brand new car. It’s way cheaper for one. We really could make use of a better car than the 1989 hatchback we’re currently using now. Its being submerged during the Ondoy flooding did not help its already ancient state. So much repairs are needed to be done and it has dented so much of our savings already, that the wisest thing to do is just have it replaced altogether.

A second hand car would mean no warranty, that’s one thing to factor in. And even a cheap car insurance will still be a lot. So I stood by the price I was bargaining with the owner for. I rested in the hope that if it’s for me, then the Lord will let us know. But if it’s not, God has got something better in store for us.

I just learned some days ago that the second hand car was sold already. So there goes our decision. We’re buying a brand new one instead!

The hubby and I “hoarded” on copies of the March 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. After browsing through racks upon racks in supermarket and department stores for days, it was only recently that we were able to get hold of them. Sure enough, we took everything in the magazine stand. They only got 4! That does not really count as hoarding yet, right? And if there were more, we would have gladly gotten more. For how often does anyone get to be featured in a magazine, right?

As I was reading through this ish, it got me all too thrilled to see coupons upon coupons and I love a handful of stores that they have discounts of! And then I found myself hoping there was one for a weight loss pill. I’m kind of getting desperate, but not over the edge just yet. But the hubby is nudging me no end to come join him as he plans to jog more regularly now. I really would rather play badminton than jog, which I hope we could get back to doing.

Anyway, I  love that my mom is all too proud showing her friends of the featured article. I overheard her telling someone again today. Have you bought the issue already? Aside from reading about how we monetize our blogs, you will also love the coupons that they have in the March 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping.

The hubby and I were interviewed by Rowena Wendy Lei last December for Good Housekeeping March 2010. And I was finally able to get copies yesterday! Yey! It is our first time to be featured and allow us to just relish the moment!  The hubby and I basically talked about how we ventured into monetizing blogs and shared some bits and pieces how we make money online.

The article is pretty lengthy. Here’s just to give you a peek..

Hmm.. they switched my middle name and last name. But it’s still me all right. I don’t mind much. But it would have been perfect if they got that one right.  Go grab your copy now!

The hubby has announced some weeks ago about launching his online store. I recently did a quick tour and the store did look very interesting. Smilds has allowed for people to venture into this kind of online business without the hassle of leaving the house and having all the transaction done in a click of a button.

What’s really nice about this kind of online store is it offers better service. Meaning, customer protection for both parties, seller and buyer is existent. It is hard enough to earn money nowadays, let alone just have scammers get away with it just like that. No more having to physically go to the stores and get those items under ls2208, no more lining up! The hubby also offers cheaper items online, than if you were to go buy them yourself from your regular department store. Don’t just take my word for it, check it out yourself.

Here are my son’s office and mine, side by side. Both were hand made by the hubby. It was imperative that both tables were placed like such. It would be the most convenient, even as we do our home school classes everyday. I couldn’t have imagined we will be able to pull it off.  I remember at around the same time last year, we were trying to figure out how we will be able to fit in our son’s study nook in our tiny house.  Just look at what we were able to squeeze in.  Not just our son’s office but mine as well.

The hubby built my office table, November of last year and just this week he built his own.  For that, I am the most relieved.  Now I can get the dining table clear of clutter. He has been using the dining table as his workstation at home.  We are praying to be able to build a second storey this year and I could just about guess that we might be having more space by then. Although contemporary furniture from the department store may be a tad better looking to the majority, than the hubby’s wood works,  for me, his are still the finest.

It is the day after Christmas and guess what I have been up to? Rummaging on stuff struck by Ondoy that I left at the table in our garage to dry. Most items were already discarded months ago but there are still a few things we hoped to salvage and so after exactly 3 months, some documents, books, even pictures are now completely dry. I still had to sort them though and finally throw away the hopeless stuff.  It’s heartbreaking to throw pictures away but I’m left with no choice.  But there were a bunch that I was able to salvage and that’s just a blessing. I had to sanitize everything as well. Needless to say, after 6 bags full of trash and a bunch of things I had to clean, sanitize and place in their respective compartments, only half of the day is over and I am already spent. But am I so glad that I finally got this out of my hair.

My next blog post will be contain some teachings from Hope for Parents in Pain seminar I attended in Faith Fellowship in 2002.  The material is too precious to just throw away.  Hence, the post after this.