@jenaspacio , you know so well that majority of my posts are food related. I just went over my IG account and took a screencap.

Instagram makes micro food blogging fun! 9 out of my 10 succeeding IG posts from yesterday were food shots!

In celebration of Filipino’s passion for food, whether it be dining out with family or home cooked meals, Electrolux is embarking on a journey to re-discover our appreciation of Filipino food, culture, and heritage through its Discover-E kitchen campaign.

Electrolux’s Discover-E campaign will have a series of activities: the Discover-E Web Series, photo contest, and the Discover-E Food Festival in June. The Discover-E Web Series will teach avid home cooks easy ways to do Neo-Filipino dishes which they can prepare and enjoy in their own kitchen. Chef Bruce Lim and Chef Rosebud Benitez, Electrolux’s celebrity chefs, will showcase the delicacies of different regions of the Philippines per episode through these instructional 10-minute YouTube videos. The two chefs will be presenting their own recipes and will teach viewers how to turn ordinary and traditional Filipino dishes to 5-star restaurant dishes www.youtube.com/ElectroluxPH1.

To fellow Instagramers and foodies, get the most of your food shots over IG and Twitter and get a chance to win amazing prizes! Joining is easy peasy too!

You basically just do what you have been doing all along — that is, shoot first before devouring your food, then just post with the hashtag #DiscoverE and tag @ElectroluxPH and @jenaspacio on Instagram or Twitter and get a chance to WIN AMAZING PRIZES EVERY WEEK.

Contest period is from between May 15, 2013 and June 30, 2013. Winners will be announced every week. For more information about Instant Discover-E Photo Contest and the Electrolux Discover-E campaign, visit electrolux.com.ph/discover-e.

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“Dapat Tama” by Gloc9 featuring Denise Barbacena

I know I should have been more ready with my list some days back at least. But because aside from being under the weather for the most part, I had to take care of my son’s 8th birthday and my tons of other tasks that have swamped me like crazy. So it’s a last minute “kodigo” list for me.

The first seven senatoriables in my list. I only voted for 10. Because honestly, I do not know the rest who campaigned and leaving it to chance and shading the wrong name, I am so not at peace with. I voted for the following senatoriables:

1. Bro. Eddie Villanueva
2. Angara
3. Jun Magsaysay
4. Grace Poe
5. Gordon
6. Hagedorn
7. Cayetano
8. Pimentel
9. Mitos Magsaysay
10. Honasan

 As frustrating as it is to do this election duty as Filipino citizens, we have to choose to do what is right. I totally understand those who have remained apathetic. Seeing our culture in the hands of vultures can be pretty tiring. From time immemorial up to this past election campaign, candidates have remained the same – vote buying and all those nasties taking place. But not voting, robs us of our right to our voice being heard. And I quote my mom’s Facebook status message on this matter

It is your right and your responsibility as a good citizen to vote. If you don’t vote, don’t complain kung iyong di mo gusto ay manalo at di pala deserve na manalo. PLS. VOTE!!!

Kaya nananalo iyong mga hindi deserving, kasi iyong mga uneducated (those who are uninformed, or those who don’t have the access to the right information), iyon ang masipag bumoto. Iyong mga nakakaalam kung sino ang dapat iboto, sila ang walang ganang bumoto. Kaya iyan ang nangyayari, mga kurakot ang mga nananalo.

I remember, when I was a kid, si Papa, member ng Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), and every election day, lumalabas sila ng kapwa niya Jaycees at habang nakasakay sa isang motor vehicle na may malaking sign na GET OUT AND VOTE and with a loudspeaker, they would tell people na lumabas sila sa kanilang mga bahay at magpunta sa polling place. 

That said, you still have until 7PM to vote! If you still love this country any, GO OUT AND CAST YOUR VOTE!

Many as they are, allow me to get started with my son’s fondess for the musical Phantom of the Opera. Is it too weird that my then 7 year old son (he just turned 8 yesterday) loves Phantom of the Opera? What made me smile a handful of times was when I woke up a couple of days last week with my son (who usually crawls up our bed in the morning) humming to the tune of Phantom of the Opera. Reminds me of when he started humming himself to sleep (a child’s own self-soothing nature, I gathered) when he was a few months old. He then would habitually hum songs first thing when he wakes up. Something I will never tire of and I am not going to apologize for being so giddy over what might seem to be too shallow for some.

At first, I mistook the tune of The Phantom of the Opera to the “You are My Hiding Place” song. Then I remembered as he went along to hum the rest of the song, I figured it was from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. That same day during breakfast, I had the Soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera play on my Macbook upstairs. Our son finished his food right away (no second serving – unusual) and went right up. While I was busy downstairs, hubby reported back that he found our son sitting in front of my computer as the rest of the soundtrack played on. He was so into it!

Our son first watched the Phantom some months back with his Ninong Ted but never got to finish it. Then the week before last week, we watched it during our overnight stay at Kawayan Cove (such lovely place). I was surprised myself that a 7 year old will have interest at all. Hubby and I kinda of found it dragging at first and although I always knew about this movie, I was not a fan. Only now am I taking interest on that play. All because of my son.

I did have my reservations as I was not so sure if the musical was too intense for a kid his age. Since I had no time to research (I really had no clue what it was about aside from having that creepy masked character), I played it by ear, I was with him anyway. I figured if I find any scene explicit or too intense, I can always pull him away. More than the bothersome scene of young phantom being tormented in a gypsy freak show (where he was saved by a caring young lady), the falling chandelier, I think what I saw from my son’s response that made him cover his ears a couple of times when the musical score transitioned to being intense. He does that a lot even with cartoons. I have this feeling that our son has this heightened auditory learning ability. He picks things up rather easily. I remember him started to mimic our repeated “I love yous” when he was 2 months old! No kidding! I have to get that video uploaded sometime. This might even explain why he appreciates plays and movies like Phantom of the Opera to begin with.

My general thoughts about Phantom of the Opera being watched and enjoyed by my 7 year old son, I do not exactly find ideal. As musical as it is, it still has a handful of scenes suggesting homicide, some mildly seductive nature of music. The smoking and alcohol drinking, I think we have that covered. Since we have already discussed with our son why these things are not good. Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

While we may already have allowed our son to watch it, I think it is too late for him to “unsee” it. Especially now that he teaches me how “Think of Me” goes and requests for me to sing “All I Ask of You” during our karaoke nights and we even do duets random parts of the day. I think what we can do now is talk about the story and be open for discussion, where I know “Right from Wrong” will prop up here and there. As fun as it is to see our son love musicals so much, I would like to keep at being vigilant from exposing him to things that he is premature to be exposed to. “Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” 

I believe it was some years ago that I learned about pomegranates being the best fruits for those who have cancer, prostate and breast, specifically. Health experts reveal that the fruit is loaded with antioxidants and a handful more of health benefits like fight against osteoarthritis, heart problems and so on.

There is supposed to be a better way of getting those precious arils and seeds off a pomegranate. You first have to take the crown off then slice the rind all around without going all the way. But I have always cut it this way and I am okay with it. I actually massage the fruits before cutting them open. I find the arils and seeds come off rather easily from the pockets when I do this.

Some just chew on the arils and spit out the seeds. But that’s totally wasting the Vitamin K and C that pomegranate seeds are known for. Because of my love for my boys and I know that both won’t have patience to chew on each seed, I used a blender (a power juicer would have been best– we’re still praying to have one), I gradually set the speed from slow to high to get those seeds as crushed as possible before I add the ice. 

I make a couple of glasses of pomegranate shake per fruit. No sugar added. Just the arils with seeds plus two scoops of ice. You add water, then it’s not shake anymore. You call that juice. Even my 7 year old loves the sweet shake! Hands down, the healthier way to beat the summer heat. I love that my tummy does not feel heavy as it would when I devour on ice cream. I can only wish pomegranates are readily available anywhere and are not so pricey. Make sure to drink this first before having your meal. I tried drinking after and it does not taste as sweet.

The rind? I don’t throw them to the waste basket right away, I slather those peels on my face. If ever you do this, take note of it, the bloody trails on your face might startle you like it did me an hour after. The rind is supposed to have great astringent qualities, aside from being rich in antioxidants.

Pomegranates make the most refreshing fruit shakes in the world! While I love shakes from the malls, I am not liking those sugar water they add in their product. I made 6 glasses of pomegranate shakes last night. This morning, melon shakes.

 What I had for lunch today? Pomegranate-Melon Shake. It is good to be back to making fruit shakes again. We have not done this in a while. I have been under the weather these past weeks and I cannot remain ill. I still have 4 more days to take my antibiotics. But I have been praying against hospitalization in time for my son’s 8th birthday.

The symptoms I had in 2010 are shooting to being full blown with the manifestations of my allergies present 24/7. I’ve had it with antihistamines knocking me out. I pray that the Lord will sustain and heal me and maybe even use these fruits He provided to restore me back to health.

1. Shop Online

The web is filled with promo codes that you can use to make your shopping more affordable. Even if your taste (and your children’s taste) trends toward the higher end designers , there are coupon codes that will allow you to buy that designer gear affordably. For example, you can take advantage of a Hanna Andersson promo to get both you and your baby ready for summer with organic clothing.

2. Shop the Sales

Every season has at least one major sale. Summer has “back to school” sales that you can use to stock up on clothing at affordable prices. In the fall and winter you can scour 2013 Black Friday ads to find the best deals on clothes that you know you’re going to need: socks, underwear, coats, etc—buy them a few sizes too big so that your kids will actually get some real use out of them.

3. Hand Me Downs

Do you know of anybody whose kids have outgrown their (still in good condition) clothes—and don’t have any younger siblings who are waiting to use them? Why not take these people up on their offers to hand down those clothes to your kids. Offer to pay them at least a little bit for the clothes or work out some sort of trade deal. For example, maybe you can help them with their yard work and gardening in exchange for the hand me downs.

4. Secondhand

Thrift shops, charity shops, rummage sales—these are all fantastic places to find great clothes for your kids at a fraction of what they would cost new. Look for things like rips and tears and wear around the seat and knees and elbows. Yes you’re buying used clothing but you still want it to last for as long as possible. Don’t forget to pay this charity forward. When your own kids outgrow their clothing, if there is no one in your social or familial circle who would benefit from the hand me down, donate those clothes to those who need them.

5. Make Your Own

Making your kids’ clothes doesn’t have to be difficult. Basic shirts, sweaters and pants can be made fairly easily and quickly. Even if you don’t want to make clothing from scratch, you can learn how to hem and let out clothing so that you can buy things that are cheaper and slightly off fit-wise and make them fit properly.

Kids are expensive. You thought this would stop when they stopped needing diapers. Unfortunately they never truly stop being expensive until they are financially solvent themselves…and sometimes not even then. It’s a good thing they’re cute, right?

A glimpse of our neighborhood a day after Typhoon Ondoy

The water reservoir is said to be as wide as the whole SM Masinag structure itself and two-storeys tall. Leaving me beyond impressed! Right there, SM has earned my respect for caring enough to do something for this community that has practically been more of a catch basin back east way before Ondoy happened.  That huge tank can accommodate 15,000 cubic meters of rainwater. And from that holding water tank, the stored rainwater is processed through sewage treatment for reusing in comfort room flushing (explains why the toilet water is not clear),  irrigation and grounds maintenance. Any environmentalist will appreciate this as SM moves towards going green. The Earth Hour and Earth Day participation of SM Malls affirm this truth as well.

I have witnessed for myself too how SM Cares Program on Disability Affairs follows through from the special access for PWD, to their deaf and mute employees in their malls, to this particular Farm-to-Market Project for PWD farmers. Take Mang Donald Carpo, for instance. Mang Donald is a member of the janitorial personnel of SM Rosales. He received free training to grow papaya. He later sells what he harvests through SM for his own profit. Before working for SM, he sold tupig to motorists along the highway.

SM has surely gone the extra mile to contribute and make an impact on the lives of people with disabilities (PWD) and their respective families.

SM is also instrumental to the flourishing of local businesses. Like that of the Classic Savory Chicken. I remember back in my college days, my friends and I  would have to go to Quiapo to get a taste of their famous Chicken recipe. It was SM’s Tessie Sy-Coson that encouraged Mr. Ramon Tan (direct descendant of the Ting brothers, founders of Savory Chicken) to relaunch Savory in SM.  The same is true for Gerry’s Grill, their first mall branch was in SM Pampanga, the proprietor, being a native kapampangan. This paved the way for them to expand their business even as the mall multiplied.

I also had the privilege to witness the 30,000th tree that was officially planted by VIP guests, Ashley and Alodia Gosiengfiao, Sam Concepcion, Ms. Earth Stephany Stefanowitz with the SM Executives last February 20, 2013 within the grounds of SM Baguio. Kudos to SM for keeping to its word! To date, SM Cares has actually planted more than the DENR required. On top of that, other programs including waste management and recycling programs continue to reinforce the cleanliness of not just its mall surroundings but the entire community where SM operates.

Kudos to SM for its contribution to the betterment of our society and being the example that other big companies and corporations should emulate.

April is World Hemophilia month, and Blood Brothers Aid Inc., a non-profit organization based in the Philippines, aims to raise awareness about hemophilia in the country and to get more Filipinos to recognize the problem and help through blood or monetary donations.

Do you know someone who may suffer from hemophilia?

Following an injury, a person with hemophilia may take a longer time to heal from his wounds because his blood lacks the protein (clotting factor) instrumental in clotting. The usual symptoms of hemophilia include deep bruising, joint pain and swelling caused by internal bleeding, spontaneous bleeding (e.g. nosebleeds), or prolonged bleeding from cuts, after surgery, or after a tooth extraction. Hemophilia can be diagnosed by taking a blood sample and measuring the level of clotting factor activity in the blood.

Help bring treatment to the Philippines

Hemophilia is mainly treated with replacement therapy. Clotting factor concentrates taken from healthy blood is injected into a hemophiliac’s bloodstream. Once it reaches the affected area, bleeding is expected to slow down and eventually stop. This treatment has to be done shortly after injury so as to avoid further pain, as well as damage to the person’s muscles, joints, and organs.

Clotting factor concentrates, however, are not readily available in the Philippines. International groups or volunteers ship medicine in from other countries, though supplies are minimal. In the absence of these drugs, a person in need of replacement therapy would require blood or plasma transfusions, and are at the mercy of the limited supply of blood available in hospitals. There are reported incidents of deaths among hemophiliacs due to the long wait for blood donations.

That’s why it is important for those who might show signs of having hemophilia to be diagnosed at the soonest possible time. It is also why more Filipinos need to be made aware of the disorder, so that we can help provide the support and treatments necessary for people who suffer from it.

Become a Blood Brother

Take the first step into helping by joining the Blood Brothers Aid Inc. community via Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-Brothers-Aid-Inc/347564769650?fref=ts The page will guide you in learning more about hemophilia, how to help, where to donate, and how to spread the word.

With Bonakid Choco Boost’s chocolatey goodness, you can power up your kids’ adventures by letting them join the Bonakid Choco Boost Amazing Toy Adventure Promo. By simply purchasing specially marked packs, kids get instant gift certificates and the chance to win an exciting 60-second shopping spree in Toy Kingdom. 

Bonakid Choco Boost is a powdered milk drink specially formulated to help support the nutritional needs of children 7 years and older. It has boosted levels of Calcium, Iron and Zinc to help support children’s physical and mental development to power up their daily activities into everyday adventures.

The Bonakid Choco Boost Amazing Toy Adventure Promo will run until May 31, 2013. Visit the Bonakid Choco Boost Facebook page for the complete mechanics and updates on the promo.

If you happen to frequent Google like I do, there is no way you cannot notice that green, earth theme it displays on its search page. It was when I remembered today is Earth Day! Happy Earth Day, folks! Earth Day has been celebrated since 1970. But I will have to admit to learning and celebrating about Earth Hour first before I knew anything about Earth Day!

Marriage and Beyond is totally towards supporting Earth Day and it advocacy. As readers might have noticed, our family has been towards going green for as long as we can remember. As the Lord has sustained us here on earth, we are to choose to be better stewards of our resources and our mother earth. There are a handful of environmental issues, sure. But to not care is like giving our children and the generation after them nothing to hope for but the reality of climate change taking its turn for the worse.

One of the many supporters of Earth Day is SM Supermalls. I happened to swing by the Eco Fair held in Megamall and  present were DENR Director Atty. Juan Miguel Cuna, Mall Manager of SM Megamall Ian Mathay, Head of Environment Committee Liza Selerio, Roberto Guevara of EDNP, Regional Operations Manager Jojo Navera and Executive Director of Earth Day, Voltaire Alferez.  I love that more than being one of those who pioneered in using eco bags, SM is actually doing more for the environment by educating its customers how we can actually be friendlier towards our environment. 

Mr. Tony De Castro a.k.a. Mr. Bulate

Mr. Bulate jump started the learning seminar with his Organic Farming talk. I forgot what his real name is. Mr. De Castro said for us not to hesitate calling him Mr. Bulate. He is all for organic farming, its sustainability and many benefits. He believes that earthworms are the angels of the earth and has proven his points several times over during his talk.

I was thrilled to have seen as one of the exhibitors, Plantex. I recently just mentioned the brand a couple of weeks ago in my post about Stinky Pits. The first time I blogged about Plantex was in 2011 – A Mom’s Fab Eco Find.

 Alabaster Miracle Oil

As I was going through the exhibit, this particular product interested me enough for me to purchase a bottle. It claims to heal a handful of things. I have been researching about it since and so far, my son gets to sleep faster these days. It must be  the lavender scent I got or we really have been awfully tired with all the taxing tasks of moving houses. Anyone of you have tried this yourself? How do you guys find it?

Here is hoping that we go beyond jumping on the going green bandwagon and actually stay conscientious as we go about our day to day living. Suffice it to say, a little can really go a long way. Like for instance, last week, instead of driving to places of appointments, I left the car somewhere and took the train both times. That’s less carbon footprint from me. It’s those little things we do and if we try to see things from outside the box, we will have a better perspective and as we go along, we are able to sustain the habit that we have hopefully formed. Happy Earth Day 2013!!!

Aside from getting our belongings transferred back to our home, we had to contact our network storage server provider to get our home office running, including our much needed network storage device. If there is one thing that we have to prioritize, it’s the storage area network because we can’t afford the downtime. I had to send several e-mails over the past week to get in contact with technical support, but have since learned of a great company Digiliant, and wish I had known of them before. If you know someone who is in the same situation, Tweet this in case it is helpful to them.

As for the home office fixtures, we are eyeing a couple of ready made ones, since we have not found someone who can work on a customized one for us. Meanwhile here is a photo essay of the last three weeks of the house construction.

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

We are thankful that the construction is over weeks before our son’s 8th birthday. He has been aiming to have his birthday celebration at his newly renovated home. That thrilled cheeky boy! He has been eagerly helping me clean the house to get it ready for moving all our stuff back in these past few days. He has always been Mama’s ever reliable little helper, that boy! These past few days have been incredibly tiring – the humidity and the unforgiving summer heat is not helping, but I feel so blessed to have come this far! As of typing, the Lord has already provided a reliable person to work on those retouching and unfinished little details of the house. It brings me back to the realization that in this imperfect world with trials coming from all directions, God’s grace will be ever sufficient and He has always proved Himself faithful every single time.

Today, family day means these boys jamming to some songs that they would randomly pick. Although they still do some roughhousing every now and then, they speak this language of music that I totally find entertaining. Above is an intro of one of the songs we sing at church, “Forever and Ever,” I had this recorded some months back. My son would often play using the keyboard and the hubby via Garageband on his iPad.

Jeff and Jed playing to the tune of Oggie and the Cockroaches theme song. Jed on the iPad and Jeff using Jed’s guitar. They have this plan of setting up a music room at home with good guitar amp and a drum set to follow. We will see how this will turn out.

Now if you guys can get your cars thoroughly cleaned without having to use water, wouldn’t that be great?  Spray n’ Go Waterless Car Cleaners are the latest innovative and nifty car cleaning products that were designed to reduce the frequency of washes with their product being water and dust repellent. These innovative products remove water spots, preserve your car paint, add an extra gloss and protect it from extreme sunlight! Now that’s something we know all too well from our sun-shiny Manila climate.

Spray n’ Go Waterless Car Cleaners make use of Filipino-made eco-friendly and biodegradable products. It lubricates to remove stubborn dirt without the risk of scratching the paint. The product evaporates to prevent further spotting. It also enhances the gloss of your car making it look refreshed.

And as promised, Marriage and Beyond is giving away 3 Bottles of Spray n’ Go Waterless Car Cleaners to one reader! Yay! Joining is easy too! We will announce the winner on May 1, 2013!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As I searched the web, I found out that we are not alone in this kids smelly armpits dilemma. In fact, most moms who are in the same boat have girls and boys who have started exhibiting smelly pits as early as two years old are not even from tropical countries, and we are! If that’s any consolation. Haha!  

Plantex Green Organic Bath Soap

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure Castile Liquid Soap

My son has exclusively used organic soap and shampoo since birth. I have blogged about them in the past. Above are some of the products we have used. Before Plantex, we also tried GIGA VCO soap, Human Nature, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure Castile Liquid Soap, et. al. The latter being our favorite and practically have stuck with until I started making my very own castile soap! I know! I have yet to blog about that too. Microblogging via Instagram (follow me! @jenaspacio) is so easy that I share bits and pieces there more often than I do here, including my soap making.

Tom’s Long Lasting Deodorant 

Although Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap has tamed my kid’s stinky pits a tad, it was still pretty much there. I was still set to solving this upsetting olfactory pits issue. And because the least I would do is expose my son to Aluminum, Parabens, or Propylene Glyco, ingredients that are in most commercial deodorants.  Those ingredients are said to cause cancer, alzheimer’s and other health issues later in life, I had to choose a natural deodorant to get rid of that stink that continues to upset my olfactory glands. The first I tried was Tom’s of Maine Natural 24 Hour Deodorant on my son’s pits. I found it a total disappointment. Either Manila’s humidity is really so nasty or the product does not exactly deliver.

Human Nature 100% Natural Pure Strength Deodorant

As opposed to the Tom’s pricier P400+, not very effective deodorant, Human Nature has totally nailed it with its Pure Strength deodorant variant and it only costs no more than P89.75! Beat that. I had my son use their other Aloe deodorant first (the one with the green cap) and it does not half deliver, at least for these particular pits. Haha! What Human Nature failed in their former deodorant and even their kid’s bath formula (smells so fragrant from the bottle but my son would smell sour the instant he’d get sweaty), they totally make up with their Pure Strength Deodorant. I love that it is very affordable too! For the record, all three of us now use this deodorant. We just place our own bottle in different places in the dresser to avoid switching. While this issue might not sound as someone needing a long beach rehab, it is still as real as can be.

From the time we first used Human Nature’s Pure Strength Deodorant, we did not go back to the brands we used before. Don’t be fooled, that very manly packaging does not limit it only for men to use. In fact, its musky lavender scent smells so similar to my Lavender Pure Olive Oil Castile Soaps.

Neem leaves freshly picked from our frontyard

Now that’s not yet the kicker to this Mommy’s stinky pit solution discovery. Okay, that does not sound right. But you know what I mean. It took me this neighbor who rang our doorbell asking us for a sheaf of Neem leaves. He then educated us that this tree is what is called, “Miracle Tree.”  Apparently, it is called miracle tree for several reasons. And yes, I also plan to blog about it. But as I searched about it online, I found out that it has the ability to to eradicate nasty pit smells! To think I almost thought of cutting that eye sore of a tree.

I did not really search for a recipe for this neem leaves solution for pits. I just used my mommy instinct. I had the leaves thoroughly washed and grind them. Twice a week, before Jed’s midday bath (he takes a bath twice a day, at least), we have this tickling session of me rubbing these ground neem leaves all over his pits. This kid finds joy in very trivial things. We leave the pits soaked with neem leaf juice for around ten minutes before he steps in the tub. True enough, despite the unforgiving summer heat and humidity at its worst, those pits have found their you can’t get more natural ultimate solution – Castile Soap, Neem leaves and Human Nature’s Pure Strength 100% Natural Deodorant.

While other might brush this off as only for the depressed bunch, it can actually be an effective tool for anyone to achieve success.

President of Kishda Marketing and Development, Inc. patterned her 6-month program to this book’s objectives. Ms. President, fondly called Kish, listed the most common activities in this life that she has never done. Some of these are to: 

1. Finish reading one whole book per month (simple, but she has never finished an entire book even when required in school);
2. Establish and boost the sales of their waterless car cleaners brand, Spray n’ Go, by a certain number monthly (ambitious, as Filipinos are hesitant to shift from conventional car washing);
3. Lose a certain number of pounds by month (ideal, because this manifests one’s discipline);
4. Organize one event by the fourth month (beneficial, as this sharpens one’s management skills);
5. Run a fund-raiser by the fifth month (common, because we are all taught to share what we have with others especially those in need).

Watch this page, Marriage and Beyond will soon host a giveaway of these nifty environment friendly, waterless car cleaners!

Kish, came up with an idea of celebrating her birthday differently this year by having an auto show. Being in-charge of the sales and marketing of Spray n’ Go Waterless Car Cleaners, Kish has been introduced to the automotive industry. Vaguely contemplating on the plan, she was reminded that it was on her list to run a fund-raiser and immediately put it on paper to show to her friend and fellow Assumptionista, Hasmin Canlas, who volunteered to organize the show.

Hasmin, together with Kish, now approached the foundation closest to their hearts. Assumption students have been interacting with Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc. (TWH) since we can all remember. Incidentally, TWH is in need of financial assistance for the construction of the powder-coating facility of their wheelchairs. This concept gave birth to the title Wheels For Wheels, as suggested by Brent Co, general manager of AutoIndustriya.com. The powder-coating facility is in fact currently being outsourced by TWH, which, when operated in-house, will support the livelihood of their beneficiaries. The equipment for this has already been acquired through donations, and is in storage as they await the funds.

Instilled by their school, the two Old Girls went ahead with the plan, guided by core values service and gratitude, where they coined their team’s name SNG Productions from. The team has now grown, consisting of fellow Assumption alumna volunteers from different batches, as well as their friends outside school.

One of the individuals who offered to help is Randy Olarte, CEO of VIP Productions, now in-charge of the auto show specifics. Lizbeth Dela Cuesta, owner ofLoving Lima Productions, also offered to showcase their talents at the event. Other talents are Carlos Jesena of Extrapolation / Payin Dues, and Barry Diokmo of Havana Affair from Batangas. Notable persons who also offered to present special custom car competition awards are: Alex Isip of Alex Car Restoration, Francis Pallarco of C! Magazine, and Brent Co of AutoIndustriya.com (as media partners). Celebrity guests will also be joining. Like the event’s page to keep yourself updated: http://www.facebook.com/autoshow.bgc

With all the help they have acquired and are still gathering, SNG Productions, is now holding the Wheels for Wheels (Benefit) Auto Show on 11 May 2013 at theBonifacio Global City from 2:00 P.M onwards. 100% proceeds of this event will be donated to the proposed powder-coating facility of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc.

For partnerships, sponsorships, donations, volunteers or other inquiries, you may contact 09228547432 or 09189856658.

As one of the sponsors, Spray n’ Go Waterless Car Cleaners will be giving away free products at the event. Be sure to join! You may also join to be one of their product dealers or service outlets. Contact them at (02)5771153 or spray.n.go@live.com for inquiries. To know more about their products, see their AVP below.

Aside from car care products, Kishda Marketing and Development, Inc. is also offering home care, skin care and personal care products carrying the Personal Collection line. For dealerships, you may reach them at (02)9643644 or kishda.mdi@live.com.

This 6-month program, benefit auto show, talent showcasing and giveaway altogether show that we can all definitely achieve happiness by sharing it with everybody around us.

Apparently, just like each individual has his or her own “Love Language,” we also have our own Money Language (and secondary one) as per the “Money Couple,” Scott and Bethany Palmer. My husband and I started reading this book (we read together using his iPad), around the same time we started our 52 Week Money Saving Challenge 2013. I thought it cannot be more timely. While it may have something to do with money, the book actually has little to do with tips on saving money. The 5 Money Personalities made us understand more about our “Money Relationship.”

While that might have sounded a little awkward, believe me when I say I kind of felt that way when I first skimmed through the book, but what it teaches totally  made sense. It cannot be denied: Money is the root of so many broken marriages. Check out the divorce and annulment statistics. As the Money Couple said, “you and your spouse have a Money Relationship. It’s at the core of the way you make decisions about money. Understanding how that Money Relationship works is essential to a thriving, healthy marriage.”

When the Money Couple professed that they have “cracked the code,” I first thought, “Okay, that was very confident for them to claim!” But when we read along (chapter by chapter like we always do when Jeff and I read together), we found ourselves looking at each other and agreeing, “yes, that’s you and that’s me” with a lot of oohs and ahhs in between.

To give you an idea, the book is broken down into 3 major parts. Part 1 talks about “It’s All About the Money.” Part 2 talks about “The Heart of the Matter and Part 3, “Reclaiming Your Marriage.”

The first part introduced the 5 Different Money Personalities:

1. Saver
2. Spender
3. Risk Taker
4. Security Seeker
5. Flyer

The book gave us the link to the Money Personality test on the web, filled in our details, but never received any mail as the instruction said. Not too sure what was up with that. Anyway, given the many examples and the detailed explanation on the first part of the book, we were able to identify our respective Money Personalities. As we were expecting, Jeff and I are the total opposites. I’m a Security Seeker and he, a Flyer. Yikes! If you know what that means, it has the ability to create serious tensions and conflicts.  Then there are our secondary money personalities. Discovering our respective Money Personalities is quite a revelation in our 12 year marriage.

It is just liberating to know that choosing to love each other unconditionally on a daily basis can’t be all that hard anymore. We can actually come to a point where we can understand each other’s completely different way of dealing with money. No more having to point fingers or shake our head in disapproval over what we formerly thought our spouse’s seemingly idiotic way of handing money. Going beyond that and seeing the dynamics of dealing with another money personality, in a marriage at that, we can see the beauty of God putting together two different and distinct individuals to still share one heart. What revelation! Although essentially, it’s not something you can easily get out of some Print Management Software. Applying the principles and understanding where your spouse is coming from can help a great deal.

We highly recommend The 5 Money Personalities by Scott and Bethany Palmer to all married couples. Get to the root of money arguments and actually learn to work together through them. The potential impact this book can cause married couples can be huge. Personally, it has been a source of blessing to our marriage. The Money Couple has indeed cracked the code for couples to effectively build a stronger Money Relationship.

Disclosure: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

unpolished brown rice

We thought we were doing good. Apparently, as we went along, we learned that parenting does not stop when our son learned to eat solid foods. Sure, I had him learn how to eat the bitter gourd and all those  infamous veggies and fruits. But living with parents with our lifestyle, he was bound to pick up our unhealthy habits and actually prefer them over the healthy stuff he used to eat. He essentially was eating brown rice from 6 months up to around  6 years old. I always cooked his brown rice separately. Then we hired a helper. My son had his first diarrhea during that time and his second. Then I found out the helper was handling the brown rice all wrong and kept on getting spoiled. I taught her several times but when it happened again, I just decided to drop cooking brown rice for Jed. Dropping the habit of our son eating brown rice altogether.

Essentially, our son’s diet shift can be factored back to our family’s not very ideal eating habits. Slowly, our son took a liking on eating on eating foods with empty calories.

He is growing all right. But I also learned from the recent Aqiva Food Talk event when Ms. Luz Callanta, Nutrition Expert and Lecturer, discussed about malnutrition not only pertaining to those who are stick and bones looking kids. Those stocky ones, regardless of how cute they look, especially kids who are obese are also considered malnourished. Affirming my thoughts of cutting down my son’s food intake of the usual ones he would devour on. Definitely, less of those empty calorie foods.

Because I was able to initially start my son to eating healthy, I figured it is going to be easier for me to reintroduce him back to that habit. That would also mean a lifestyle change for our family, in general.

Delamar hosted the “Aqiva Food Talk, Fight the Diet Shift.” Present were Ms. Luz Callanta, Nutrition Expert and Lecturer, Dra. Bernadette Benitez, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Specialist and Celebrity Mom and TV Host, Mikee Conjuangco-Jaworski.

“It is normal for a child to go through a Diet Shift, as experimenting with new food, and developing tastes for new food, are all part of growing up. The problem is when the child gets exposed to more types of unhealthy food, and would start to prefer these over other food that are ideal for his age. This usually heightens at age 4, when he starts tasting sugary snacks from classmates, and begins craving for fried and crunchy food from the malls, etc. This is when parents should start monitoring their child’s intake of unhealthy food, and continue teaching them to eat healthy.” explained Dr. Benitez.

Jed at 6 years old. It was around this time that he entered the Diet Shift phase.

In a recent study done by Dr. Emilie Flores on the dietary characteristics of Filipino children, ages 1-6 years old from NCR, it is alarming to know that only 20% consumed fruits & vegetable at least once a day. Truth be told, our family do not meet the minimum acceptable diet standards based on the WHO indicators. My concern draws me back to my son getting the proper amount of nutrition his growing mind and body needs.

Celebrity Chef Jackie Laudico also taught mommies to make Very Berry Pops, Vegan Burgers and Kiddie Canapés. The Very Berry Pops are made of Camote cake. Well prepared and styled healthy foods are much more appealing to kids.

It has been over a year since Jed stopped drinking milk regularly. If at all, he would only have it with it cereals. But I love that ever since I introduced him to Aqiva, he has grown a liking to it and loves to drink milk at least once a day.  Giving my son Aqiva everyday ensures me that whatever nutrients he misses out on the food that he is served with, get supplemented with A.Q.I (Adequate, Quality and Important) Nutrients. AQIVA is packed with 40 ingredients including 25 essential nutrients, scientifically designed to support the child’s nutrition especially during the Diet Shift phase.

That right corner on the above photo is where we are going to have the home office installed. The installation of the sliding windows will come last. We are thinking of having a side by side office with my son just like before. Only this time, it will not be cramped one. We have had this setup since we started homeschooling. I believe this is the best way to have it so I can readily check on his school work while I multi task and check out some software testing methodologies as part of my online task lineup. Task Management and Project Estimates can be efficiently managed with the correct software in place, so I feel it’s worth the extra effort in finding the right tools. I should tell you that part of my search took me to an interesting site that offered some great tools in this area. Click here for more products that they offer in relation to software testing and Project Planning, Customer Support including the system requirements needed. Some great resources here for home offices and corporate settings as well. I have sidetracked … but so many people are reported to be working from home these days, that when you find something good like this, it’s important to share it with others who might not be aware of something that could change their work life dramatically!

Meanwhile, to get back to the office construction … we went to check out some furniture at office depot, but I am not sure that we have found the perfect office table that will perfectly fit our nook. I am beginning to think that it is best to have a customized table made for a neater look. Since our homeschooler has already outgrown his preschool table, we think this 7 year old’s 4’6′ frame will be able to function better doing his homeschool work in a standard sized workstation as opposed to his little boy’s preschool table and chair.

Above is one of the photos from homenewdesign we are shooting for our home office setup. In the event that we do not get the measurements we require for our office, we will just have to have a customized one made. In hindsight, this might save us money considering the cost of ready made furnishings that are commercially available. When the home office has been built, we will be off and ready to set up software testing tools to get the office running. The plan is for a good work environment as well as the right tools for quality and efficiency.

Our house’s construction progress is currently on its 10th week. There were and still are some withstanding issues. But we trust that even with the current stresses this house project is giving us, we remain hopeful that God will see us through its finishing phase. Week 7, although not as impressive as home improvements NJ, has given us a sneak peek of what we are to see when the construction of our house’s second floor is done.

(1) The family room,  a portion of which will serve as our home office. We actually deliberated on this since there are two free rooms downstairs that can serve as our home office. Since the office will house the gadgets and electronics, in the event that there will be flood scare, it will be a hassle to transfer them. Defeating the purpose of having the construction of the second floor built, to start with. (2) Walk-in closet. (3) Upstairs Toilet and Bath. Behind it is our son’s bedroom. (4) The frontage where the balcony will be.

Since the seventh week of the house construction, (1) the bath tub has been transferred to the upstairs toilet and bath. (2) Half of the downstairs toilet and bath is already demolished. (3) The current pitiful state of what used to be a contemporary black and white themed toilet and bath. (4) Installation of pipings for the upstairs toilet and bath.

Since its previous week, the tiling of the second floor toilet and bath has already started within Week 9. The construction of the first cabinet in the walk-in closet  has also started. Week 9 is also the time when my son and I were able to actually go up the stairs to check out the construction progress for the first time. It was only the husband who was able to go up via the scaffoldings during the previous weeks. Needless to say, the cheeky boy was thrilled! I purport that he will gladly sleep on his own when we finally get settled.

With all the complications of having to deal with the stresses of this home renovation, we are still looking forward to the next couple of weeks when we can actually move in, get settled and get right back to our daily routine.

*This post is a sponsored. However, all the opinions and views are my own.

This or That?

In either of the above scenarios you could incorporate a theme to add another layer of fun. Feeling nostalgic? Put together a theme designed around the era of your childhood; i.e. a “90s” party or have a literal “Pampered Chef” party using recipe cards as invitations and requesting kitchen gadgets and/or lingerie as gifts. There are a variety of fun theme ideas to think about.

Hosting a Black (or Pink) Bra Event

When choosing bridal shower invitations for this event look for classic black and white (or black and pink); you can insert flyers with all of the “charity” details. *By the way, the “charity” is your honeymoon fund or at least the expense of your night out. However, you could also choose to donate to a real cause instead. There are many great local charities.

Request that the invited guests arrive wearing a basic black bra on the outside of their clothing. Inform them that they will be designing a bra for “charity” and will not be bringing the bras back home. *Pick-up a few extra brassieres in various sizes at a thrift store just in case someone forgets theirs or brings a guest.

Ready, Set, Go! It’s Your Party!

Put together baskets of decorative embellishments; think beads, lace, feathers; include things that are edible like life savers, vine licorice and more. Don’t forget to toss in glue guns, glue sticks, mini sewing kits and so on. Do you want to push the envelope by adding “adult” options?

You can see how silly this can get!

Grab your Maid of Honor and everyone else’s attention. Announce (and demonstrate) that everyone will be decorating each others bras (while they are still being worn) throughout the evening. Explain the bras will all be auctioned off at the end of the night. *Be sure to discuss this with the venue’s management in advance. Ask if they have a sound system and microphone that you can use to auction them.

The More the Merrier

The more people who see your party goers participating and having fun, the more people will want to get into the action. Have the braver members of your party walk around the club/bar/lounge inviting people to help decorate.

Don’t forget to make sure everyone in the bar knows the hostess is a bride-to-be and that they will all be a part of making her last night as a single woman a memorable one.