should we buy a new sofa?

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When Typhoon Ondoy visited the Philippines last September, it brought about unexpected flooding which was described as the worst one ever recorded. Our house in Makati got flooded chest-deep. All appliances on the ground floor got soaked in flood water. Because of the very strong current, the aquarium even toppled over. FF, the flowerhorn fish, was seen day after the storm happily swimming in ankle-high flood water in the backyard.

The living room sofa, after washing it over and over with soap and water, is still very smelly up to now -- 3 months after the flood. We've been thinking of buying a new sofa for the living room. We've been busy visiting appliance stores and comparing different kinds of sofa's available in the market right now.

We're looking for a sofa that can provide comfort and style. Modern yet comfortable seating that can give the needed face-lift to the entire family room (the wall paint was partially destroyed by the flood water). I am actually eyeing a contemporary leather sofa that was creatively designed to clutch all the stuff and frills of different leisure, entertaining indoor activities.

But there are kids in the house that will (most likely) jump, leave biscuit crumbs and crayon marks on the sofa. They will not care if it's a new one or soaked in flood water; expensive or inexpensive. They will (very probably) make it look old, battered and dirty in a blink of an eye.

So, what do you think. Should we buy a new one like this...

or just wait until the kids are old enough to leave the sofa alone.

what did you get from Santa?

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"Here's my wish list Mama, I want to make it simple. I just want a bear."

Before going to sleep, night of 24th, "Mama, I don't think I'm going to get a gift from Santa."

He got the bear. But not without a letter from Santa.

Very happy, he promised to be a very good boy next year.

cutie pic!

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merry christmas everyone!!

are you on santa's list?

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what do you tell your kids? what should they do to be included on santa's list?

how to make flavourful gravy

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My son loves fried chicken so much! But of course, he cannot eat it without gravy. I am not a very good cook and because of that my heart has been broken a lot of times. I can't count the times my son honestly told me that what I cooked was not yummy (says his taste buds, mine liked what I cooked)! Honestly, making gravy from scratch is not an easy task. It is a very challenging task indeed especially if one is not a good cook (really!).

This Christmas eve dinner though, the gravy that I will serve will definitely (hopefully) be a hit! Thanks to the gravy tips video of Club House Gravy. The video helped me practice preparing great tasting gravy that my son and the whole family will surely love.

Club House traces its roots back to 1883, where it first operated in London, Ontario. Because of strict standard of quality, freshness and taste, Club House was able to meet their ultimate goal of putting the best foods on their client's table.

Do you also want to learn how to make flavourful gravy? Club House Gravy can help you make great tasting gravy with no stress or fuss! Go ahead, visit their site.

While you are there, don't forget to visit the newsletter sign-up and contest entry page.

Bye for now! I still have to practice preparing the gravy again. I want to make a perfect, very flavourful gravy for our Christmas eve dinner.

Twas the Night before Christmas Poem

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

credit: carols.org
photo credit: santaclaus.com

Be dazzled @ Bidazzled

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Have you heard of the new online auction market Bidazzled? It was launched in early November of this year. It just turned a month old but Bidazzled.com is redefining the online auction market by offering savings of up to 90% on name brand merchandise all while funding a charity. Bidazzled was designed and created primarily to fund a lung cancer charity - The Ruch Foundation (www.ruchfoundation.com).

At Bidazzled.com auction winners usually save over 80% off retail price. What I like about this online auction market is that Nobody Loses! Those who doesn't win receive up to 50 Bonus Bids as a thank you for participating, and can purchase the auction item less the investment they had in the auction. To those who win an item, Bidazzled usually make an offer to buy the item back through the following options: cash (paypal or check), cash and bids or bids.

There have been 2 winners of Nintendo Wii's who have won with just their 5 free bids during the first month of Bidazzled.

Now, you are going to be dazzled with Bidazzled with these exclusive offers.

Readers of my blog are entitled to 15 Additional Bids. All you have to do is enter this code: BBP1202A on the registration page. I promise that there is no obligation or cost of any kind.

Again, go to the registration page and enter this code - BBP1202A

Bids cost $1 at Bidazzled and are available for purchase in bid packs as low as $25. You also receive bonus bids when you purchase a bid pack. The highest cost of a bid when you dilute the cost with the bonus bids you receive is only $.67 per bid and often much lower.

Bidazzled has a lucrative Viral Referral program also.

*If person A refers person B. A receives 5 Bonus Bids

*If person B refers person C. A receives 4 Bonus Bids

*If person C refers person D. A receives 3 Bonus Bids

*If person D refers person E. A receives 2 Bonus Bids

*If person E refers person F. A receives 1 Bonus Bid.

So, what are you waiting for. Visit Bidazzled.com now.

fruits or vegetables?

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My son will definitely choose fruits instead of vegetables. His all-time-favorite fruit is the Philippines' national fruit - the mango. But why oh why is it so difficult to make him eat vegetables? He's 8 years old already but he still thinks veggies are yucky food.

Your kids - do they prefer fruits or veggies?

photo credit: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

comfortable clothes go green

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My son is a swimming varsity member of his school (as I have mentioned a thousand and one times already). But he has tried a lot of other sports also. This is because he sometimes gets too bored with swimming everyday. One of the sports that he has tried and loved to do is running. I of course has to go with him when he runs. I also try to not embarrass myself by resting when he's not.

I don't have comfortable running clothes though. Good thing I found Ramblers Way while browsing online for running clothes. I have my eyes on the Next-to-Skin Women’s Scoop Neck top. It is made out of superfine, 18.5 micron Rambouillet wool. The American Rambouillet is considered the backbone of the U.S. sheep industry. It represents some of the best superfine wool available in America. What I like about this top is it can be worn as a soothing baselayer during the day, for almost any activity. The natural fiber wicks away moisture, keeping the top feeling like it’s just come out of the dryer.

Ramblers Way was created with the desire to re-imagine wool as a next-to-skin, superfine fabric, to warm and comfort people of all ages and walks of life. Their worsted wool garments warm and cool equally--wearable nearly year-round. Therefore no problem in buying differnt clothes for the warm and the cold weather. The garments are durable and long-lasting, this is a great way to definitely save lots of money especially during these times of financial crisis. Their worsted wool garments are enzyme-treated for shrinkage, washable and are natural, non-synthetic, and chemical-free. Definitely environment friendly.

Do you need comfortable clothing as well? Visit Ramblers Way and go green as well.

too much tutorial fee

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This December, my son only has 3 weeks of classes. Christmas break officially starts on thre 19th.
But his tutor still charged us full month of tutorial fee. This is so unfair.

christmas wish list

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My son's wish list this Christmas.

Family, family friends, blog friends and of course Dear Old Saint Nick, please inform me so I can countersign beside the gift that you want to mail or hand deliver to our address. If you don't know our address, just leave me a note and I will get back to you right away.

1. PSP
2. Nintendo DSi game
3. R4 SD card for DS
4. Disney on Ice ticket
5. HK Disneyland Adventure
6. wrestler toys -preferably Batista (I don't let him watch wrestling, I don't know why he know who's who in the world of wrestling)
7. art lesson
8. drawing lesson
9. chess lesson
10. to be continued...

protect your data, protect your business

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Are you an entrepreneur, accountant, teacher, blogger or even a housewife who has personal and important data's stored in your computer? Do you know that anybody can have access to your computer and erase all these important data in just a click of a button?

Do you have a backup software in case unforeseen things happen to your very important datas? Do you have a backup software that can protect your computer from hackers and viruses that can damage and delete your important datas?

No?

For a free trial download of the latest back up technology, visit CA ARCserve.

ARCserve technology offers "more than backup". If for example you lost an email or you accidentally deleted one, ARCserve technology products provide Email Disaster recovery. Their software also includes archiving datas. ARCserve backup technology will also definitely deliver return on investments (ROI) to business people. How? System downtime will be reduced, storage will be reduced with Data Deduplication feature and a lot of money will be saved due to no more lost data.

The key features of this back up technology are:

1. Built-in Data Deduplication
2. Protection for Virtualized Servers
3. Dashboard with Storage Resource Management (SRM)
4. Centralized Management and Administration
5. Advanced Backup and Restore
6. Flexible High-Performance Backup
7. Efficient Backup Processes

Current clients are very happy with the backup technology of ARCserve. Why don't you download their trial software right now.

is barney just for babies?

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My son was a big fan of Barney. That started when he can already see well (aside from the colors black, white and red). He watches Barney shows while eating or when he was playing with his toys. People in the house cannot even watch television in the living room anymore because all day long it's Barney singing "I love you, you love me...".

I'm sure you know the rest of the song.

We even watched a live Barney show.

But now, he doesn't like Barney anymore. Maybe because he is not a baby anymore.

Is Barney really just for babies??

Do you want $5,000?

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Here's your chance to win $5,000. All you have to do is enter the “You Gotta See This” Video Contest which was launched recently by Abbott Medical Optics Inc. AMO, global leader in laser vision correction, invites entrants to make a video showing the impact of improved vision, for a chance to win awesome cash and cool prizes.

Here are the prizes for the top seven spots
• One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 — selected from all submitted videos
• Three First Prize winners will win an HDTV package(a $2,500 value) — one per video category
• Three Second Prize winners will win the Flip UltraHD camcorder (a $199.99 value) — one per video category

How to enter?

Users make and submit a video in one of the following categories:
• “My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
• “My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
• “You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure”

Once users submit a video, they can ask their friends to look for their video and vote for it. Voting will determine which videos win a prize.

What are you waiting for? Join the iLASIK Video Contest now. Show how better vision through iLasik could improve — or has already improved — your life.

rj's artwork displayed at CCP

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The Cultural Center of the Philippines was created in 1966 through Executive Order no. 30, with the purpose of promoting and preserving Filipino arts and culture. It was formally inaugurated on September 8, 1969, starting a three month long inaugural festival opened by the epic musical Dularawan. Since then, the CCP has sought to truly embody its logo of katotohanan (truth), kagandahan (beauty) and kabutihan (goodness). The best artists from all over the country and around the world have graced the CCP theaters and galleries, enthralling Filipinos for over thirty years.

Zentangle is an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is a fascinating new art form that is fun and relaxing. It increases focus and creativity. Zentangle provides artistic satisfaction and an increased sense of personal well being. Zentangle is enjoyed by a wide range of skills and ages and is used in many fields of interest. When you create a Zentangle, you create a beautiful piece of art. You also can deliberately create a mood, a focus, a state of mind.

credits: CCP
            zentangle

4 ways to make quick money for the holidays

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Do you need additional cash for buying presents this holiday season?

Here are five quick ways to make fast money .

1. Sell Something - One person's trash is another's gold mine. Put up a garage sale (in your garage, where else?) or sell your old things (clothes, musical instruments that you've never used, etc) online.

2. Online Tutor - Tutoring pays well not to mention that this is an in-demand service. If you are a very patient person and you like teaching, this is the part time job for you.

3. Moving Advertisement - You can wear a t-shirt or a costume that advertise a business. Companies are willing to pay through inexpensive ways to get their name out there.

4. Freelance Writer - You don't need to have an English degree. Start with searching online to look for writing jobs. Just make sure that your articles make sense, not just to you but to other people as well.

You don't have to break your back doing hard labor to earn quick cash. Just try out my list and you will surely find one easy part-time job that will work for you.

toys for sale

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I never threw away any of RJ's old toys, not even a single one. Lately though, I've noticed that he doesn't play with most of it anymore.

We decided to sort out his toys and have a garage sale.

He wanted to keep half of the toys.

Me, I want to keep all of it.

Garage Sale is this weekend.

ways for family to have fun this christmas

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Christmas is the time of year when we celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is also the time when we gather with our loved ones to catch up on what happened to each and every member of the family during the year. Families congregate anticipating laughter, good food, gift exchange, Christmas music, Christmas stories and good holiday entertainment.

"It's better to give than to receive." Gift giving time is one of the highlights during Christmas gatherings. This is a great opportunity for parents to teach their children that all gifts received should be appreciated equally no matter how big or how small, how expensive or how cheap the gifts are.

Holiday games are a great way to entertain the family members during the gathering. Put on some Christmas music, lay out all the food on the table and throw on some Santa hats. Then gather everyone up and play games like Charades and Christmas Trivia.

Many games can be altered and played with a Christmas version. Parents should teach their kids the value of sportmanship and to have fun whether they win or lose.

Have fun this Christmas season everyone. Happy New Year too!

teaching your children to be rich

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Have you read Robert Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad, Poor Dad?

Me? I haven't...yet. I have read a lot of reviews and forum discussions about it though.

I know.

I am centuries late already. I have a copy of the book a long time ago but put off reading it in favor of fiction books. Such a waste of time? No, not really, I dont think so. I already started reading it, better late than never.

Here are some excerpts from the book that might make you want to read it.

"If you want something, work for it."

"You're only poor if you give up. Keep going. Don't quit."

"A nice car and a nice house does not necessarily mean you're rich or you know how to make money."

"Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to make quick decisions is an important skill."

"It's fear that keeps most people working at a job. The fear of not paying their bills. The fear of being fired. The fear of

not having enough money. The fear of starting over."

"You're taxed when you earn. You're taxed when you spend. You're taxed when you save. You're taxed when you die."

"The main cause of poverty or financial struggle is fear and ignorance, not the economy or the government or the rich. It's selfinflicted fear and ignorance that keeps people trapped."

"I want to teach you to master the power of money. Not be afraid of it. And they don't teach that in school. If you don't learn it, you become a slave to money."

Want to learn more? Go ahead, read the book.

If you have read it already, what have you learned from it?

What are you thankful for?

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Thanksgiving is a time for remembering all that we are thankful for. During Thanksgiving holiday, parents should use it wisely to teach their children about the history of the holiday itself. There are a lot of fun ways for children to learn about Thanksgiving. To make it more interesting, enjoyable and not boring for the kids, parents should teach about Thanksgiving by engaging their children in activities and amusement like cooking, puzzles, trivia and crafts.

In our family, thanking God everyday is a must. We always include in our evening prayer our heartful thanks to God for all the blessings that we have received. Thanksgiving should not just be celebrated during Thanksgiving day itself. It should be celebrated everyday because every single day of our life God doesn't fail to give us what we need.

I am thankful for my son. I am thankful for the people who loves me unconditionally. I am thankful for my parents for giving me a good education. I am thankful that we do not go hungry. I am thankful for the good and the not-so-good situations that God puts on my way everyday to teach me new lessons and make me a stronger, wiser person. I am thankful for a lot of things.

We don't have to wait for another Thanksgiving to thank God for our blessings.

What about you, what are you thankful for?

wow, thank you

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thank you friends for always visiting, eventhough i haven't written a post for weeks already. just having some problems (check out my other blog).

surprised and happy though when i looked at my pagerank today. thank you and come back soon, i will try to write posts more often.

One million hotel rooms 3-Day Super Sale

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Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific at amazing rate! On October 27-30, 2009 travelers are invited to take advantage of savings when they book on-line . Over one million rooms will be on sale, with rates starting as low as US$30 per night. Stay period is from Dec 09 till Apr 10.

are you ready for halloween?

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Just had a fun afternoon today at our condominium building. My son, together with a lot of other kids, went trick or treating.

During one of the games, the party host asked the boys and girls to make two separate lines. As you can see, my not-so-shy son is in front of the line. Yup, that IS his costume. Scary, I know. And there's another one who looks exactly like him near the back of the line! During the balloon twisting show, the little boy beside him got scared so I asked him to take off his mask.

 

The balloon twister was so good. She made a monkey climbing a banana tree. She also made Nemo complete with bubbles, weeds and swimming in water.

Because the twisting of the balloons are so complicated and takes a long time to make, not all the kids were able to have twisted balloons as a souveneir. Last year, all the kids went home happy because everyone gets to have his/her own balloon.

And my son was complaining that only two games were played. More time was alotted for the balloon twisting.

Oh well, at least the kids enjoyed guessing what she was making.

When will you be having a halloween party at your place? Hope you enjoy it as much as we had a good time today.

 

Happy Halloween everyone!

Mommy Moments #1

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This is my first ever Mommy Moments. Just like any ordinary kid (read: only child), my son throw tantrums and it doesn't fail to surprise me that he does it anywhere, anytime. Now though that he is 8 years old already, it doesn't happen that often.

He was crying already and to make matters worse, my 11 year old cousin played with his hair making him more angry. Mama's hugs and kisses made him stop cying.

free games for your mobile phone

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You can't live without your mobile phone. It is with you 24/7 even when you are sleeping. What is the use of your moble then during times when you have nothing to do and is bored to death?!

Check out FreeMobileGames.mobi. Your days of boredom will be over in a jiffy.

tummy ache

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RJ has a tummy ache since yesterday. When I picked him up in school, he was so weak because he vomitted twice already. We will visit his pediatrician this afternoon since her clinic is only open from 4pm-6pm on Thursdays. Didn't want to bring him in the emergency room because of not-so-good-experience before.

do you need a kitchen makeover?

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If your answer is yes, then you're in for a treat. If you are a Canadian resident, all you have to do is join the $32,000 worth kitchen makeover contest of Maple Leaf Foods. PLUS, you could win 1 of 12 Frigidaire fridges stocked with new Maple Leaf Prime Premium frozen chicken! As a bonus, every entrant into this contest will be eligible for a $500 rebate offer from Frigidaire.

What are you waiting for? Enter your email every day until December 15, 2009 or risk losing your chance of winning.

After joining the contest, don't forget to check out the Maple Leaf Market and say hello to the Butcher, the Baker and the Pasta Maker. The Butcher will give you an expert advice about meat and food safety as well as shopping tips. The Baker's years of expertise enables her to give the website visitors new tips in the kitchen. The Pasta Maker gives entertaining ideas as well as answer frequently asked questions.

In the market, you will also meet "the Cook". She will help you plan and prepare a great meal in just a few minutes that the whole family will love! With just a few clicks, you can search for fresh recipes and customize a shopping list that will help you create a wholesome, healthy dinner without any sweat at all.

By the way, if you were to win the contest what would you do to your kitchen?

what's my blog rated?

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Created by OnePlusYou - rate your blog also

It is good to know that human beings of all ages can read this blog. I started this blog  to document the everyday activities of my son, so it is such a relief knowing that I did not put any words that will discourage young people from visiting this site. I have met a lot of wonderful mom's thru this blog and I hope to meet a lot more through the coming days.

don't forget to read my posts and do leave a comment everytime you visit (",)

advice on using Nintendo DSi, anyone?

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My son has a new Nintendo DSi. This is the new version of the popular Nintendo DS portable gaming console. His is blue.

He does not have new games for this "new toy", he is using the game cartridges from his Nintendo DS lite.

He likes this better than the DS lite because of the new feature that was added. It has a 3-megapixel external camera and the internal one on the hinge has a 300,000-pixel resolution.

He is having so much fun changing the look of his photos.

He can only play on Sunday mornings though, that's what we agreed on before buying this gaming console.

Any other advise on how I can help my son not get addicted to playing Nintendo DSi all the time?

Check out Amy Africa's Qlog

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Amy Africa's Qlog (pronounced "clog") is 99% Queries and Quintessentials and 1% Quibbling. Do check it out at http://www.amyafrica.com.

Right now, the QLOG is just a few months old. Amy's readers can expect about 2-3 posts a week about everything from analytics, conversion, creative, and email marketing,to navigation, SEO/SEM, shopping carts, and other topics of interest. There will also be guest posters on various topics so users can hear from other experts in the field.

Her latest post is about Tiffany and Co. Just like any of her posts, this post has tips on how this company can better improve itself. Some users agree on her tips and some do not. Why don't you join the conversation by checking it out at amyafrica.com.

You are also welcome to submit your internet marketing question, which will be answered by Amy and the audience on the QLOG itself. Amy Africa, is a member of a usability group that regularly reviews performance results from hundreds of companies. She keeps abreast of the latest trends in ecommerce, making her an invaluable Internet marketing resource. You will save thousands of dollars by getting her advice before you make any significant changes to your web site.

If you want to receive informative and definitely-sure-fire tips from Amy, don't forget to sign up for Amy's Newsletter or subscribe to her Qlog and these free tips will be delivered straight to your inbox.

teach your child to pray

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My son can already pray the Lord's Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be at the age of 2. He joins the family in doing our nightly prayer everyday.

He attends a Chinese-Catholic school. Last year when he was in first grade, he was the only one in his class who knows the prayers mentioned above.

Now that he's in second grade, in his Christian Living Education class, they are asked to memorize the Mysteries of the Rosary.

Last night, he led the praying of the rosary in the house. I am so proud of him. I hope he continues to be a prayerful person. This, I believe, will make him grow into a good man.

teach your child to be responsible

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I have mentioned on my other blog that we have a very messy bookshelf in our house right now. A few days ago, I asked my son to check if there are books in his collection that can already be given to his younger cousins.

This is one way of asking him to fix his side of the bookshelf because I got tired of always telling him to put his books in the bookshelf properly.

He is asthmatic so I asked him to wear a mask because the inner side of the bookshelf was a little dusty already. I guess that's where he put the books that he doesn't like to read anymore.

He did a great job of sorting his books. He was able to give a bag full of books to my sister's kids.

Now, he has free space in the bookshelf. He can buy more books that is appropriate for his age.

He now read "novels". That's what he call books without pictures.

I hope his side of the bookshelf looking organized won't just be for this week. Now, it's my turn to clean my side of the shelf.

how to find the best web host?

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The best way to find the right webhosting provider for you is through the services of WebHostingGeeks.com. Web Hosting Geeks has an extensive list of different web hosting providers. The web hosting providers are ranked by the best price-value ratio. Host reliability, uptime, key features, bonus features, customer support, past and current user feedbacks, user-friendliness and hosting awards were also taken into consideration as well.

It is not difficult to compare the services and features offered by the different web hosting services since independent customer reviews and ratings are also available on Web Hosting Geeks. The best web host providers can be found on the sidebar under the Web Hosting Awards category for better searching. For a customer to check out the best windows web hosting provider, just click on Best Windows Hosting tab on the sidebar.

For new web developers, there are a number of articles on the website that you will find beneficial and useful for you. An article about SEO was very useful for me since I am new in blogging. For those who wants to start their own online shopping website, do read this article about e-commerce .

Check out Web Hosting Geeks, you will surely find the best web host provider for you in your area.

trying to change layout

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sorry for the messy layout right now. i am trying to change it to a more clean layout, but obviously since i have basically nil knowledge on html, please bear with me.

if you have any suggestions, how-to's, etc please don't hesitate to leave a comment. It will be well appreciated.

i made my son cry (almost!)

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As I have said on my previous posts, my son is a very picky eater. With the desire to play with his classmates right away during lunch break (instead of putting food in his stomach), he doesn't finish his lunch most of the time. Early morning of each day, while preparing his lunch food, I can't help but think that I am pretty sure I will again find his lunch container still half-full when I pick him up in school later during the day.

Today, I wrote him a note on a piece of paper. I taped it on his lunch container.

When I picked him up, he said: "Thank you for your note, Mama. I'm sorry I didn't finish my lunch. I almost cried when I read your note".

He was so touched with my note, it made him cry (almost!). Last time I made him a note for lunch was when he was still in preschool. Technically it was not a lunchnote, it was a recess note because he only stays for 3 hours in school at that time. I guess this is my first ever lunchnote for him then.

When I checked his lunch container, I was so happy that he almost finished his food. One more bite would have been enough to finish it.

Oh well, that is better than finding it still half-full right?

another one?

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Another swimming competition to go to this Saturday. I hope there's a Wi-fi connection at the swim venue. That's my son, butterfly event, from two weeks' ago's competition.

How to monitor your employees

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ActivTrac, which is short for Activity Tracker, is the answer. Using this software is the best way to keep track of how your company's computers are being used without physically visiting your employees workstation.

Here are some of the reason's why employer's should consider having this software installed in their offices.

ActivTrac compiles history of applications used and records statistics on websites visited by their employees including document titles and URL's.

ActivTrak displays current activities of all employees on one screen at one time. Employees or managers can set up the alarm feature that can notify of activities of interest, to lock user's out of certain applications or websites, or to automatically record screenshots.

Visit their website to learn more about ActivTrac. If you are planning to buy already, don't forget to visit the Employee monitoring tutorial page.

nothing can stop us from winning

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My son's team is getting ready for another swimming competition. Regular training is usually for less than 2 hours but they train for more than 2 hours whenever they are getting ready for a competition. Not even a storm can stop them from training.

free swim training

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The swim varsity try-outs at my sons' school was two months ago. Non-varsity as well as varsity members from the previous school year were required to join the yearly try-outs. Only 40 slots are open every year to 4 - 18 year old boys.

Today, I got a letter from the School Director. My son was able to get a slot in the schools' swim team. Yipee!

I am so glad! I am so proud of my son. We don't have to pay P13,000/year ($270) + P500/competition ($10.50) for him to join the schools' swim club. Members of the school varsity are entitled to FREE everything (from training to competition fees). Members of the schools' swim club needs to pay for everything. Not to mention that if one wants to get the monthly payment option, it's triple the price!

That will save us P 25,000 -P 40,000 ($520 - $800) club membership fee for this year. What can I buy with that amount? Should I buy more shares in the stock market or just splurge it on shoes and clothes?

I'll just imagine a new fur coat (with that amount? maybe a non-designer-fur coat).

"Yeah right", you say, "humid weather in Manila remember?"

I did say "I'll just imagine" right?

twitter update

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trying to find my way around twitter.
help me out, please follow me  at http://twitter.com/mybabyrj

Nanny Trouble

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Every single day after school, except on weekends of course, I wait for my son finish his Chinese tutorial before accompanying him to his swim training. I am the only parent there waiting, most of the kids either have their yaya (nanny) or driver waiting for them. Some just wait for their parents to pick them up.

A girl, my son's age, accidentally wee-wee while getting her things in the waiting area today. How did I know? Because I saw the yaya's (and the driver's) crowding around her, asking simultaneously, "Why are you wet, did you pee?" "Where's your yaya, you don't have one?" "Go to the bathroom and change". As much as I want to help the child, I don't want to embarrass her more by joining the yaya's around her. I just called the tutor to help her out.

I can't help but overhear the yaya's beside me talking to each other.

Yaya1: "Kenkoy (not real name) pee accidentally while sleeping when he was still in preschool. You know what I did so he'll get scared and not do it again?"

Yaya2: "What did you do?"

Yaya1: "I got mad at him. I removed the bedsheet and wiped it on his face. It worked, he never pee again on the bed"

I was so shocked and angry at the same time. I am very sure the parents know what the yaya did. That yaya has been with them from the time the child was born until now that he is in 3rd grade.

This is the reason why I decided to be a SAHM and not get a yaya. If only I can find somebody like Nanny Fine.

Can you share experiences you've had with your child's caregiver?

photo credit: http://www.imdb.com

the right infant formula for your child

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I breastfed my son for more than a year knowing that breast milk is the best source of nutrients for him. In the United States, the federal government encourages mothers to breasfeed to also save money. As much as I want to exclusively give breast milk to my son, I had to partially formula fed him due to "inadequate" supply of milk on some days. It was mind-boggling for me to choose which infant formula is the best for my son. I wanted to purchase the best baby formula available in the market. I compared the ingredients and the nutritional values of all the infant formulas on store shelves. In the end though I chose to buy the most expensive baby formula, thinking (and hoping) that it is almost at par with breast milk.

I just recently found out that all baby and instant formula are subjected to meet the same nutritional requirements as stipulated by the Infant Formula Act. My decision then was a mistake, I could have just bought a store brand instant formula since the quality and safety of the manufacturing are also inspected in the same way by the FDA.

Parents can find at Parents Choice's website a baby formula savings calculator wherein one can compare the prices of different milk formula brands. Do visit the Parents Choice website to learn more about choosing the right instant formula for your child.

my son is snoring already

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I guess I had too much coffee tonight. I still can't sleep, my son is sound asleep already hours ago. I should just watch the news then.

long weekend again in the Philippines

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The President declared September 7 a day of national mourning for the Executive Minister of Iglesia Ni Cristo. We might go out of town this weekend, to the beach maybe, because my son easily gets bored after a few hours of staying in the house.

I like travelling and discovering new places. There are lots of ways to travel to and from Manila. But since we are just planning to go to a beach near the city, we'll just take the car. We want to relax when travelling (who doesn't, right?) so we'll just hire a driver.

What about you, any plans this weekend?

the school bus is here!

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My son needs to wake up at 515am during school days. He always complains that he is still too sleepy to wake up. Although his school is just 15 minutes away from our place and classes starts at 730am, school bus still requires to pick him up at 6am. It's because they need to pick up other kids on the way to school. I prefer to let him go to school in a school bus because it has a nanny that can help carry his things and bring him inside the school already.

Oh well, maybe next year we can just get a driver. I don't want to drive here in Manila.

graphics credit: http://mtbethel.blogs.com/

another swimming competition

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Another swimming competition tomorrow. We have to be in the swim venue at 6:30 am, the head coach is very strict about being there early to get the best seats and for the swimmers not to miss the team's warm-up. My son, together with his teammates, will do some laps (the warm-up) in the pool and then we have to wait for the competition to start at 8 am. Hours of waiting for my son to finish his events - 50 meters breaststroke, 100 meters backstroke, 100 meters butterfly, 100 meters IM (fly, back, breast, free) and 50 meters freestyle.

Goodluck RJ! Win or lose, I'll always be proud of you!

i love avent

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A friend, who is a new mommy-to-be, asked me if I can recommend a baby bottle that she can buy. I right away told her that she should buy Avent bottles.

Yes, it is expensive compared with other brands in the market. But I have tried all those other brands and I give a thumbs up to Avent bottles only. I still have my son's bottles up to now, although he doesn't use it anymore.

papaya is good for you son

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A few months back, my son had a very bad tummy ache. He still went to school that day but that night he had a fever. He didn't go to school the next day because he still had a slight fever. Also, his tummy ache was on and off, when it's painful he was really crying and then it just suddenly disappears (the pain). We went to the ER of Cardinal Santos Medical Center that afternoon but they didn't give any medicine and they kept insisting that it was just a virus and it will go away the next day. Will never, ever go back to ER again. I had to pay more than a thousand pesos for that diagnosis (from the stool and urine test).

My son still had a slight fever and unbearable tummy ache the next day. We went back to CSMC but this time we visited a Gastroenterologist. The doctor asked him to lie down and pushed lioghtly around his stomach. Just that (no tests needed) he knew already what the problem was. RJ needs to eat lots of fruits and veggies. Topping the list is papaya and prune juice. The next day, fever and tummy ache gone.

According to Home Remedies website,"The papaya is an amazingly rich source of the proteolytic enzymes. These are the chemicals that enable the digestion of protein. Papain, which is the most important of these enzymes in the papaya, is extracted and dried as a powder for use to aid the digestion, and it is often used as a meat tenderizer, the enzyme partially breaking down the meat fibres - digesting them in fact."

To know the rest of this article, visit the Papaya Health Benefits article.

photo credit: http://papayalovers.com/

good quality automobile parts supplier

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Our Mitsubishi L-300 van has been sitting in the garage for some years already because of some defective parts. One major component that needs replacement is the steering rack . It is very important to have high quality replacements to ensure safety in driving especially since my son is always with me wherever I go. A few months back, we started looking for suppliers of high quality automobile parts.

CarSteering.com has a wide variety of high quality steering racks, be it power or manual steering, that are very affordable. Primarily, they just cater to major dealers of car supplies and accessories. Lately though, they started supplying directly to the public.

Log on to their website to browse their Specialty and Performance Catalog.

i want a pet

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After buying a new bicycle in Cartimar a few months back, we decided to look around hoping to find more good finds. Cartimar is a place in Manila, Philippines where very affordable things are sold. Plants, vegetables, fruits, bicycle parts, pets; name it, they have it. We found our way on the lane where pets are being sold. Aquarium fishes, hamsters, turtles, birds. Then my son saw a baby golden retriever.

"I want a dog, Mama."

"Sorry, you can't have a dog. Let's just buy a fish or a turtle for you."
My son is asthmatic, he also has allergic rhinitis. He had it when he was just one year old. I feel sad that he can't have a pet dog like any boy his age. But prevention is better than cure, right? So he has to avoid things that can trigger his asthma attack.

Is there a dog asthmatic kids can have for a pet? Maybe you, yes you reading my post right now, can answer my question. The information you will give will be greatly appreciated.

A Satellite TV Provider is just a call away

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Just like any other necessity in our lives, owning a television should be a must in every household. Aside from the internet, the fastest way for us to know what is happening around us is by switching on a television. Not only do we get information from watching tv, we get entertained as well. Some people nowadays even do their shopping in front of a television set.

Are you thinking of buying a satellite TV? There are a lot of Satellite TV Retailers that we can find across America. These retailers can help us find the best deals, promotions and packages on reliable Satellite TV Providers.

What are you waiting for, start researching for the best deals now.

get your kids into sports

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My son is a member of a swim club in school. Everyday, for 1-2 hours, he needs to attend swim training. Training is usually done in the school's 25 meter pool. Yes, it's not an olympic size pool but the training that my son has to do everyday consists of swimming 400 meters of the four strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle) and that's only the warm up. Swimming everyday (except on wednesdays, he has basketball practice) even on weekends helped his body become stronger.

He is asthmatic and I have noticed the decline in the number of attacks he had since being active in sports. Sometimes on weekends, we run for an hour in the track oval of ULTRA.

are you looking for a web host provider?

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I started blogging more than 3 months ago. Since I'm using a free blogging service, the features offered are somewhat limited. Although I am satisfied with what I'm using right now, the space will eventually ran out and I then have to put up my own site.

As early as now, eventhough I don't need it yet, I began searching for a domain web hosting service that can host my personal website. I basically need a web host that is reliable, affordable and has good technical support.

When I searched online, the results page showed hundreds of domain web hosting providers. How will I be able to compare all the providers based on my requirements? Luckily for me, I found a website that has an extensive list of different web hosting providers.

Using the services of WebHostingRating will definitely save you valuable time in searching the internet for a web hosting provider. As I have said, you can find here a list of different web hosting services that even has a link to each of the web host provider's website.

It won't be difficult to compare the prices, services and features offered by the different web hosting services since independent customer feedbacks and ratings are also available on WebHostingRating. Ratings are also categorized for better searching. For example, Unix users can compare unix web hosting providers in its own category separate from windows web hosting providers.

If you're a newbie in web development, there are articles on the website that you will find useful. Do check out WebHostingRating, your search for a web host provider will be a piece of cake.

Disclosure Policy

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This policy is valid from 31 July 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

thank you for visiting

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I haven't been very active in writing new posts here so I was surprised when I checked my PR and discovered that I now have a PR 1. To all of you who always visit and leave comments, thank you. I hope you will leave a comment everytime you visit because reading your comments puts a smile on my face.

my son doesn't want to study

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I have posted a few days ago that my son's classes were cancelled until the 6th of July. New lessons, homeworks and other study guides were posted on his school's website. The school thought that it will be helpful so that the students 10-day stay at home will be fruitful. But the teachers just dumped on us parents a week load of new lessons. They didn't even break it down into daily activities.

I tutored some kids a few years back. Teaching my son these past few days was very stressful for us both. His "delaying tactics" was too much for me already. When I call him to study, that's the time he has to go to the bathroom first or last 5 minutes of play time (which extends to almost an hour). Even the peeling of a banana became an excuse to delay his studying, "This banana is so hard to peel, I'll get my book when I'm done eating this banana Mama".

Patience, I need more patience for these coming days.

no school because of A(H1N1)

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While watching the latest Transformers movie last friday, I received a text message from my son's school that classes will be suspended for 10 days because one student was diagnosed with A(H1N1) virus. Homeworks and other school projects will just be posted in the school's website to make use of staying at home more productive.

Some parents became annoyed that they have to help their kids everyday considering that they already payed a very expensive tuition fees. The kids won't even be able to go to their tutors since most are around the school area.

For me, the school deciding to call off classes for 10 days was a good decision. This is also for the benefit of the school community.

This is very beneficial for my son because even the yearly swim varsity try-outs was cancelled. He can practice for a few more days in the house.

happy birthday RJ

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Today is my son's 8th birthday. He asked me to wake him up at 12 midnight, so I prepared something that will make it memorable. I cut out a big "8" out of a sliced bread, the first one looked like a snowman with a small head so I made another one. I spread Hershey's syrup on the bread and this is how it looked like =)

RJ can barely sit up. He just blew the candle before the "happy birthday" song was even finished and went right back to sleep.

When I woke him up at 5am to prepare for school (service picks him up at 6am), he saw the bread with the candle and asked me if I woke him up at midnight. He didn't even remember blowing the candle =)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

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Tomorrow is Father's Day. To all the loving father's out there -- Happy Father's Day to you!

Here is a poem dedicated to all papa's: What Makes A Dad. Here is a Father's day gift that kids can make for their dads: Hugs and Kisses. Are you interested to know about the origin of father's day? Click here.

Happy Father's Day also to all the single moms who unconditionally took the responsibilities of being both a mom and a dad to their kids.

first day in 2nd grade

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Summer vacation went by so fast. Tomorrow is my son's first day of school. I attended the parent orientation today and was quite disappointed that they didn't even put hand sanitizers in the classroom, they did put one in the administration and registrar's office for the school employees. Considering the tuition fee that they charge, the only thing that they did was send out a text message to not let kids with flu-like symptoms go to school. I just hope no one caught the A (H1N1) while vacationing out of the country. Hoping also that those who went out of the country be more responsible and not let their son's go to school if the 10 days self-quarantine is not done yet.

Lasagna, anyone?

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As I have said on my earlier post, my son is a very picky eater. I can count on my two hands the dishes that he likes to eat. Topping the list of his favorite food is pasta. He can eat macaroni and cheese on any given day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Today, I decided to cook another pasta dish that my son likes to eat. Lasagna. It has more ingredients and takes much longer to cook than the I-can-cook-with-eyes-closed mac & cheese.

Try cooking this Lasagna recipe for your family also. I’m sure they will love it.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 medium sweet white onion, diced
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, diced
1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles - unbroken)
1/4 cup sugar
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 28 oz can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/2 6 oz can (3 oz) tomato paste
1 lb Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese (large flat square slices)
3/4 lb freshly grated parmesan cheese
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Italian Spice
Salt
Garlic Salt
Parsley diced (fresh flat leaf preferred)
1 Garlic Cloves, minced
White wine vinegar

Method
1 Brown lean ground beef in skillet until lightly browned and cooked through. Put a few layers of paper towels in large bowl. With slotted spoon, remove browned beef from skillet draining off excess beef fat and put on top of blotting towels. After all the browned beef has been removed from the skillet, drain off and dispose of excess beef fat. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. (If your ground beef is sufficiently lean, there won't be any excess fat to drain.)

Add diced green pepper and onion to skillet. Brown for a few minutes on medium high heat, add browned beef back to the skillet, lower the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently.

2 Transfer browned beef, green pepper and onions to 3 Qt. pot. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste. Open stewed tomatoes and dice, then add to 3 Qt. pot. Add oregano, parsley, Italian Spice Mix to taste, probably 2 teaspoons of each. Add a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of garlic salt, to taste. Add a dash of white wine vinegar. Add sugar a couple tablespoons at a time, until desired level of sweetness, no more than 1/4 cup of sugar. Note that it is hard to follow a pure recipe when it comes to pasta sauce. One Italian spice mix is not like the other, nor is one can of tomato sauce not like the other. So you really do need to taste the sauce as you are adding the spices, sugar and vinegar.

Stir and allow sauce to simmer 15-45 minutes to thicken (do not scorch bottom, stir frequently). Remove from heat.

3 Cook 1 lb lasagna noodles in 6 Qt. Pot per cooking directions (al dente). (Note noodles may be cooked in advance.) Stir often to prevent from sticking and be sure that water remains at a low boil during the entire cooking to prevent noodles from sticking. I usually add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the cooking water to help prevent sticking and I add 1/2 teaspoon of salt so the noodles are more flavorful. Drain in colander and place in cool water filled pan to keep from drying out and sticking together.

4 In dry lasagna pan, ladle one cup of sauce and spread along the bottom of the pan. Apply a layer noodles 3 length wise (edges overlapping). Ladle in sauce sparingly into center trough of 3 noodles. Apply a layer of mozzarella cheese slices on top of lasagna sauce. Place ricotta cheese dollops (about a Tablespoon) every 2 inches in center of noodles on top of mozzarella cheese slices, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese in thin even layer on top of ricotta cheese. Apply second layer of noodles, repeat three time topping with noodles. If you have extra sauce and cheese you can spread that over the top. Tent lasagna pan with aluminum foil (not touching noodles or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Note - Flavor improves for second service and may be reheated in convention or microwave. Leave aluminum tent on for storage (Do not allow aluminum to touch the sauce.)

You might want to try one of my son's fave dessert - the Mango Float.

recipe source: Elise.com

23 people, positive with Influenza A (H1N1) TODAY!

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This is getting scarier by the minute. 23 new cases of A (H1N1) were reported today. The Philippines now has a record breaking 77 cases, the most in Asia. DOH official's said that this is due to our government’s "very good surveillance system and transparency in reporting".

As I have said in my previous post, my son's school moved the first day of classes from June 10 to June 16. But due to these disturbing developments, I am thinking of not letting my son attend the first week of classes. If you have been following the news lately, a lot of the confirmed cases were reported by schools on the first day of classes.

I'm sure the people infected with the disease went on with their daily activities before being quarantined. Did any of them go to Megamall while I was there? Did anybody with swine flu symptoms used the MRT while I was on it on my way to work? Those are the questions that might be running on your mind right now.

It won’t help us and our family if we panic. This is the time that we should take care of our health more. We should exercise more, drink our multivitamins, drink lots of water and take care of our hygiene.

For more information on how to stop the spread of the disease, read my previous post.

Sources:
Inquirer

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