Marriage and Beyond

Motorcycles on Highways

Jennie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:28:27 +0000

My sister and I (who are also neighbors, for the record) have been exchanging chat messages over Yahoo! Messenger since this morning. One gory thing she mentioned over the course of our talk was the accident she saw on her way to the office, along the stretch of C-5 road was a woman on the ground who met an accident. She was still wearing her helmet and the ground was covered with so much blood. DS saw everything up close. Apparently an MMDA was trying to help her up, with all the trauma her body has endured during the crash, I’m sure what she needed then was a stretcher to send her straight to the hospital and later a truck accident lawyer to help her take care of other logistics.

This news reminds me why I am inclined to be negative whenever the hubby expresses his want to go get a motorcycle. He said it is way economical. Sure, it is economical but it is also too risky. As opposed to a car, when a motorcycle gets banged, there is nothing to protect the body from the accident - it hits you straight out. Despite the sky high price of gasoline, I will never be in favor of getting us a motorcycle ever.

To Coordinate Weddings Again

Jennie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:05:08 +0000

One of the things that the hubby assigned for me to do is clean up my hard drive. He has given me a handful of blank DVDs to burn in some movie files that I have downloaded via BitTorrent. I saw this photo of me and the hubby as I was going through files and picking out what to transfer and what stays in my drive. We rendered a song to my sister and her husband on their wedding day, which I also helped coordinate. I was just thinking that it has been quite a while since I last coordinated a wedding. The last one was last December. I have turned down more than a handful ever since I got hooked in internet marketing. I have to admit, I awfully miss doing weddings. More than the preparation for bridesmaid gifts, gathering up of all those countless suppliers, or even booking the hotels and flights for the couples’ honeymoon destinations, it’s the lovely wedding ceremony itself and how it turns out that gets me to plan weddings with passion. (more…)

Set on Homeschooling

Jennie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:39:52 +0000

The day before my folks left for the states, the hubby and I went to our son’s future school. DH highly favors the “School of Tomorrow” system, not just because he has attended its administrator’s training, but also because of the value and quality of education it has in general. The benefit of their curriculum to students goes beyond intellectual. We agreed after checking out the school that this is where our son is going to be enrolled in the next couple of years, that is, if the plan to put up our own pre-school with the same system will not push through.

Speaking of schools, there is one interesting school in Arizona that I have read about. The Nouveau Riche University sets out their students to go for gold. (more…)

Health Insurance for Our Son

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:41:13 +0000

Last night, the hubby and I remembered that our son is already due to see his Pedia. He should have gone earlier, but figured it was okay to schedule the visit just in time for his last dose of his primary complex medications. I am so relieved that he will soon be done with his last two bottles of meds.

On his next doctor’s visit, the Pedia would probably request to have a repeat of chest x-ray done on our son. It is a great blessing that Dra. Reyes is so generous with her time and support that she never bills us on every single visit since day one. She and the rest of her family are church members of our mother church. This is a biggie for us because the hubby’s health insurance coverage does not cover our son’s. It’s really kind of weird, actually one of its kind. We have followed it up with the office, we have given the necessary papers right from our son was just newborn. He’s three now, so we figured we probably should just get one for him independently.

I recently stumbled upon an affordable Health Insurance online. It is interesting to note that this particular company prioritizes in giving no less than high quality health insurance with premium rates that are affordable compared to most health insurance companies I have encountered. They also do free online insurance quotation so you get to really compare coverages and premiums.

We could really use this kind of insurance company in our side of the world. I am really hoping to be able to get our son covered soon.

Chocolates and Migraines

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:30:45 +0000

It is the time of the month for me and these last few days I have been having intermittent migraine attacks. It just occurred to me now that what might have intensified the pain was the macaroni and cheese dinner I had prepared for our family last night. Cheese is the utter culprit to my usual attacks. I love all kinds of cheeses. It is just the weirdest though that while other migraine sufferers point to chocolate as the culprit. For me it’s just different, chocolates just give me a natural high and has never caused my migraine to worsen ever. I even ate a spoonful of Nutella last night and I swear it eased the pain!

Belated Happy Birthday, Yanglee!

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:20:49 +0000

Our Environment Friendly Home

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:19:48 +0000

With the wide range of consumer products that are full of synthetic and dangerous chemicals that harm the environment, it can be quite a task for me to put aside what things to use and not to use. But if there’s anything I really take note of eco friendly products and use them to replace the usual household stuff that we use.

For sometime now I have taken the SLS and DEET factor off our home. This is beneficial especially for my son who does not need to use those commercial products that contain harmful stuff. Even our detergent and scented candles are all eco-friendly. I love the fact that we do our small share in helping to preserve mother nature and even have our son value the environment as we do.

WW: Last Plant Standing

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:10:11 +0000

This is the last plant that remains from amongst the six plants I took home from our trip to Baguio last May. And what is so surprising is that this plant is a lemon pine tree. I never knew a pine tree could ever thrive in such humid and tropical climate. Apparently this lemon pine tree wards off mosquitoes. Perfect to have it stand in the corner of our main door.

A Lens for Our A620

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:08:10 +0000

Our good friend called up the other night and we are so thrilled to hear from her. She has been in Singapore for quite a while now and we badly miss her company. One of the good news that she has shared with me is the roundtrip madness promotion an airline would offer during some seasons and she said she will advise me as soon as another promotion is available. Imagine $70 roundtrip fair/pax! We are looking forward to this one.

She will be home for October and I have got to remind her to buy us one of those digital camera accessories. Techie stuffs are really cheap in Singapore and we hope to be able to get the lens we want for our Canon A620. The hubby loves this baby despite the fact that I have been wanting to trade this in for a lovely D40.

Tuesday Toot: Home Project

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:00:48 +0000

I am happy to report that this week I have been able to successfully turn the house around to welcome our son’s very own study nook inside his room. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the help of my ever reliable handy man/hubby. It’s not easy to work from home, take care of a three year old ever so energetic toddler (home school him on the side) and still be able to wear my domestic goddess crown. I feel it is a feat for me. But sometimes my insides still scream for a helper. lol! I totally give back the glory to God who has allowed me to earn decent money from home and still care for my family.

Time to Get a Mailbox

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:45:09 +0000

My mother called from across the miles a couple of nights back. As expected, she’s checking on the errands she has left for us to do. She had to do quite a number of nudging before my sister remembered to take out the water bill. She’s really got everything figured out. She knows every schedule of every single bill! While I haven’t really seen the bill at all, I was sure it hasn’t arrived yet, just for us to know that my sister had it all along!

One great inconvenience we have been having in our compound is we don’t have a mailbox. It is such an inconvenience because there were already several times I don’t get to receive important billing statements of utility bills and other mails. There was even a time I suspected that my board result got lost in the mail again. This is why it was a major relief when I saw the envelope from Professional Regulation Commission last month! Yay!

A mailbox would really be a helpful addition. I swear we would sometimes see our mails all over the garage. We should not be at all surprised why a lot of mails get lost. A Mailbox Lettering would also be sweet. I found just the right one, a reflective, self-adhesive vinyl lettering that’s easy to install. We hope to get our very own mailbox installed very soon because seriously, we have had it all with all those lost mails.

A Coffee Grinder for the Grandpa

Jennie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:18:12 +0000

It’s been a little over an hour since our little guy has been waiting for his grandfolks to go on line and see them while they chat. I can really say our son really misses them a lot. He would often associate a cup to coffee to “lolo”, mainly because his grandfather is a frequent coffee drinker. Maybe when they come back we should go get him one of those coffee grinders.

From among the varieties of coffee grinders I found quite a list of the best from this wize.com. From amongst the batch, the KitchenAid KPCG100ER Pro Line Burr Empire Red tops the list. A lot of good reviews. This baby is said to be heavy duty, easy to use and does a perfect job. Its adjustment control makes it stand out from the rest. Another plus is its top and lower glass canisters, most other coffee grinders use plastic ones.

Now, I wonder if my folks are ever going online.

Major Body Repair for Our California

Jeff — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:03:54 +0000

At last, after more than five years of using our Nissan California, we will be having its whole body repaired this week. Thanks to our friend who knows someone who can paint a car (he used to be our friend’s employee when our friend was still in the car painting business). We were able to have a quote on the major body repair less the profit of a car shop owner. He was so kind that he didn’t charge us for his possible profit and even helped us haggle with the painter and the car body metal worker.

There is so much repair that needs to be done on the car’s body that it would take at least one panel of metal sheet, according to the initial estimate, to replace the corroded parts. And that doesn’t include the door at the back that we need to buy because it would cost too much for the labor and metal sheet to repair that part rather than getting a replacement.

It would have probably been better to have settled for a used car, like a Camry to stay clear of the hassles of making regular visits to the car shop to make sure the repairs are going well. We’re going to take public transportation for a month or so including Sundays when I have to take my wife and our three-year-old son to church. And I’m sure shops like Koons Toyota would have any model of Toyota Camry Virginia has, being the largest new Toyota Camry dealer in that state. But since we are not from that area and also, and due to financial constraints as well, having a whole body repair works best for us for now. I just hope we do make the most out of that deal.

Father and Son Shopping

Jeff — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:25:24 +0000

It was a few months before my wife and I got married that I learned how to drive. My father went home one day gave us all a surprise when he said that we are going to shop for a car. I remember that we took public transportation to Sta. Lucia mall and my father showed us the car that he wanted. He got us a 1993 Toyota Corolla XE. At that time I didn’t have a driver’s license yet so it took a few weeks before I was able to drive around without someone with a professional driver’s license sitting beside me. I remember back then, my father and I would go out together to look for car accessories for the car he got for the family.

If we were in areas like Alexandria VA, Arlington VA, Fairfax VA, Falls Church VA, Springfield VA, or Tysons Corner VA we would have easily gotten extras for our car. Koons Toyota is synonymous to Toyota Corolla Virginia because they have the best Toyota Corolla selection in the areas mentioned.

I can’t help but look forward to the time when I would teach my son how to drive and maybe shop around together for car accessories, like what me and my dad did.

On Child Care, Discipline and Our Son’s Future

Jennie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:16:08 +0000

Right from when our son was in utero, the hubby and I were convinced that we are going to raise up not just a child we can live with, but a child who will be a blessing to others. Despite the many controversies Baby Wise has with a lot of attachment parenting groups, we held on and we have since seen the benefits it reaps our family, especially our little one. He is more social, bright and confident than children his age.

It is just logical that parents set the rules because children do not have the slightest clue on what’s right and what’s not. One basic foundational thing we have as an anchor in child rearing is, “freedom comes with responsibility.” The child has to know his restrictions primarily because he doesn’t know any better.

11 mos. 1yr. 1yr., 3mos.

1yr.,6mos. 2yrs.,9mos. 3yrs.(current)

Even now that he is just past three years old, he knows and understands why he is not allowed to play with things that are not toys. He has also learned a certain level of discipline that even if we eat outside the house, he remains seated on his chair until he is done. All of us have seen enough adults chasing kids to eat their meals. Discipline and self-control is taught from childhood. It parallels with how the Lord wants his children to stay under the umbrella of His protection, because once we step out, we subject ourselves to heartaches and pains that sin brings.

When our son grows up, we will allow him to decide for himself what he wants to be or if he wants to go to a school just like the Nouveau Riche College. (more…)

Manchester: Football and GMC

Jennie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:55:33 +0000

The Father’s Month was officially over when the first day of July came in. The only thing that the hubby wanted for a father’s day gift was to be able to play soccer at least once a week. He’s doing that ever since. You see, he has stopped playing for awhile especially the months that I was ill. It’s a delight for us the impact of his love for soccer has influenced our son. Right from two years old, the little guy recognizes the logo of Manchester United and every other football team in the world. Another thing is our son obviously favors soccer over basketball despite the fact that the latter is far more famous in the country we live in.

When my boys’ favorite English football club, Manchester United was crowned as the UEFA Champions, the hubby will not stop raving about it- on how great the players were. Manchester is not just a big name in football. This place is also the place where Werner Dealerships are found. Check out the New GMC Manchester NH. They carry out the tradition of excellence both in what they sell and customer service. (more…)

GPS Technology

Jennie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:19:36 +0000

When my mobile phone broke down last month, I was set on getting a GPS Tracking capable unit to replace my old one. But the cheapskate that I am, I figured I would settle for a TFT touchscreen phone that is dual sim active. It served the purpose of replacing a defective phone, plus it carried my landline phone sim that allowed me freedom from having to lug around with another mobile unit. Too bad though, this unit does not include a GPS technology which I am so fascinated about. (more…)

New Mercedes DC

Jennie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:40:11 +0000

I remember when I was working in a bank so many years back, one of the officers I would often come in contact with would share to me her hubby’s fascination over Mercedes Benz. In fact, over picking a newer model of car, he chose a slightly beat up Mercedes. During that time the hubby was still my fiancé and he was just new at driving his first car ever, a ’93 Toyota Corolla XE. I wasn’t much of a car fan,then, even up until now. All I really knew was drive and that was it.

The old lady would rave all about Mercedes and the classic that it is. Among the things she would say over again is that a Mercedes is a top of the line car and would always be super reliable, being the world’s oldest German brand name in automobiles. It’s hands down a great value for your money and it will last you a long time. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Washington DC, you might want to check out the great inventory at the New Mercedes DC . Whether it’s an E-class you are looking for, or you might be a sports fanatic and you would rather a new Mercedes SL-class. They have whatever model of Mercedes you are looking for. Call Toll-Free: 888-444-5473 for more information.

Today’s Home Project

Jennie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:19:39 +0000

I am done with the little guy’s room yesterday. I have finished all the major tasks it needs. No more clutters all over his room. Only one thing left to do is sort his toy box and give away stuff he does not play with anymore. The nursery room back at our church could really use these additions.

After I’m done with some online tasks, I’m off to work on our master’s bedroom. The sheets need to be changed and the drapes as well. I love the sweet smell of freshly changed sheets and changing the drapes gives the room a brand new look. Most of the nice drapes and curtains that I have are given by MIL. She has good taste and I have not bought a single curtain in so many years. Primarily because she has given me tons to mix and match with my beddings.

I am so loving this polka dot bedding by JoJo Designs. (more…)

Today at the Bank

Jennie — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:57:31 +0000

After having been a bank employee for three full years, it made me realize how so much more professional my former employer is over the other banks that I come across with- only when it comes to dealing with clients. But as for how employees are dealt with, well that’s another story.

My mother will not get off my back until I have done the errands that she has set for me to do since last week. I’m okay with that – I don’t think life will be complete without her ~~occasional~~ frequent reminders on just about anything! It’s just funny how she could do this even if she’s on the other side of the world. This morning I woke up with a YM message from her about the exact things I need to do. Her O.C. personality really makes her stand out and ultimately drives her to be excellent in everything she does, despite the fact that she would often rant on her being absentminded.

I went to two banks this morning to do some errands and because I am doing one of which for my mother, I was properly equipped with authorization. I cannot imagine how this bank would have me go to four different stops just to claim one card! I am sure this is also their procedure when one has to claim personal checks. (more…)