Caitlin's Fear/Food Factor

Tagged by Em and Maver

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1.) Name something strange that your kids love to eat. Doesn't matter how many.

2.) Post an image of him or her enjoying 'the' strange food liking. If none, just a photo of him having a feast.

3.) Add your kids name in the linky love with the blog where you posted this meme.

4.) Get back to Living the Healthy Life Blog by leaving a comment so your kids' name be added to the master list.

5.) Tag as many of your friends with kids.

Kids who joined the fear food factor: ETHAN / MARTHA / JJ / Ozzy / GABBY and NICCO / ESTONG / Kuya and Kowi/ Big Brother AL-kiddo of Mommy Yen / LIZZIE / HALIGILET / DIMPLE / Ethan - kiddo of Mommy Butchay / EU-LEH "Kulit" - Little One of C.A. "tque" / Margaux and Bianca / Mikee / Munchkin Mommy’s ABBY / Alex / Cheska / Joaquin / Bela / CAITLIN / YOUR KID's NAME with your Blog's URL

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Whenever we tell Caitlin to eat (whether at breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner time), she always says "mamaya na lang (I'll eat later)" or "busog pa ako (I'm still full)". If she does eat, she eats rice. That it... just rice. No ulam (viand).

But she loves french fries! So that's what she always gets when we dine out.

Now I'm tagging Che-Che, Kitts, Marie, Apple, Toni.

Relief from the Heat

My Dad picked me up from work the other day, as he would normally do when my brother and I do not bring the car. As we were driving home, our car’s air conditioning died down on us. We had no choice but to pull down the windows. But it was really hot outside! I still had to fan myself. Good thing, Caitlin didn't come along, or else she would have felt dizzy with the heat.

So the next day, Dad took the car to the autoshop to have it checked. Apparently, the ac compressor would have to be changed. As luck would have it, the shop has a Mitsubishi ac compressor in stock (our car is a Mitsubishi Lancer). Otherwise, we would have to look for air conditioning compressors online.

A site that would really be good to go to for auto ac parts needs would be http://www.discountacparts.com/. The site offers a wide range of a/c compressors for any car model/make. They also offer the items at discounted prices. Do check out the site for your auto air conditioning needs.

Planning for our Future

I was going through our monthly bills and other expenses while doing our family’s monthly budget the other day. I couldn’t help but feel weighed down by the figures glaring at me. No, we’re not filing for bankruptcy just yet. And we’re not even in the negative. I can say we’re still doing fine. I just wish we were debt-free so we can really save up and fulfill our dream of having a house that we can truly call our own. We would also love to travel the world, see new places and experience different cultures. We’d like to be able to send our children to good schools/universities. Most of all, we’d like to retire and enjoy the fruits of our hard work.

Then, I came across this site where one can take a test to find out what his/her bills IQ is. I took the test to see if we are still on the right track and are still financially fit.

How did I fare? I think I did fine. I knew the basic concepts of credit, debt, budget, wealth and life plan. At the same time, I learned new things that will help us become more financially fit. Hubby and I can use this new knowledge to better manage our financial status and plan for our future.

So if you’re wondering what your bills IQ is or how financially fit you are and if you would like to learn more, visit Bills IQ now and take the test.

Update: April 2008

April marked some of Sean's firsts.

~ His first "real" bath.

~ His first "pasyal" at SM Block, Bonifacio High Street and Baywalk.

At Bonifacio High Street:

At Baywalk, Roxas Blvd.

And of course, we celebrated his 1st month birthday.

Bloggerwave

I have been doing a lot of blog advertising lately, trying to make money from blogging. The earnings are not much but I still welcome the extra income.

I came across Bloggerwave, another site that allows bloggers to earn from their blogs. I figured, I may as well sign up and try them. I’ve nothing to lose anyway. Let’s see how it goes.

I Have A New Laptop!

Our desktop computer died down on us several months ago. Instead of sending it to the authorized service center for repair, I bugged convinced hubby to just replace it with something more portable and compact. Besides, I've been itching to have my own laptop for sometime now. So we looked at laptop computers as a replacement.

We looked at different brands and models of laptops. They were all so confusing to me. Though I work in the IT industry, I'm not that well-versed when it comes to computer hardware specifications. I'm more of the "just-give-me-the-ready-to-use-machine-and-i'll-use-it" type of person. Hubby (who also works in the IT industry) was not much of a help either. He just left me to read/understand all the specifications of the different models and decide on which one I like.

The first decision I had to make was to choose between buying a sub-notebook like the HP mini-note or a standard laptop. I liked the handiness of the mini-note yet I wanted the features of a standard laptop. I finally decided on a standard laptop. The a small price difference between the mini-note and a standard laptop (at least, versus the models I included in my shortlist) became my deciding factor.

The next decision was to choose which brand/model to buy. I really had a hard time with this. I also had to consider our budget aside from the laptop specifications. So that means, Apple laptops are out of the list (I'm wishing for a Macbook Air... heehee!). Since I'm now more confused than ever, there's nothing left for me to do but to inquire and ask the store clerks of the store from which we were to buy "my" laptop :)

So yesterday, to make me feel better and brighten up my mood after having a crappy and frustrating Friday at work (which is a different story altogether), hubby and I went to the computer store to look at the brands/models of laptops I have in my shortlist. As usual, hubby left me to do the "asking/inquiring". The store clerk who assisted us was really helpful. He explained to me the pros/cons of each model. He told us which would be our "best buy".

I finally decided on a HP Compaq Presario V3901TU. Hubby bought it for me as an advanced anniversary gift.

Now, should I already be thinking about Lexmark printers (with a few extra stocks of printer toners) and scanner? Just kidding!

Thanks, Honey! I just love my new "toy"!

Brillante Weblog Award

Thanks Toni for this!

The below recipients of the Brillante Weblog are welcomed to put the Logo on their personal blogs and have the honor of passing this award to seven other bloggers.Here are the rules for passing on the award:

1. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I'm passing this on to my fellow WifeSpeakers.

A Funny Thing Happened in Florida

As most of you know, my line of work has required me to travel and be assigned overseas for months at a time for project assignments. My travels have brought me to several countries in Asia, to Australia, and to several states in the US.

Though the main purpose of my travels is business or training, I made sure that I get to visit at least some of the tourist attractions of the places I have been to. I would often schedule my sight seeing on weekends. Somehow, it sort of felt like I was on vacation even if I am there for work.

I remember, during my first foreign assignment, our team decided to go on a trip to Orlando, Florida during the Holy Week break. We visited the Universal Studios, MGM Studios, and Disneyland. But since most of us are Catholics, we still tried to observe Holy Week as much as we could.

The last day of our trip coincided with Easter and before we headed for the airport to go back home, we all decided to hear Easter mass. So we drove around the city to find a church. As soon as we saw one, we parked our rented van and ushered ourselves inside.

We noticed something odd during entire the mass celebration – the priest had his back turned towards the whole community. We thought maybe it was because it was Easter. Then communion came. We wondered why we were given actual bread and not the host that we were used to.

It was only when we got out of the church after the mass that we noticed it wasn’t a Catholic church! Haha! We had the laugh of our lives but we figured it’s our good intention that counts.

Before we actually went on the trip, we refered to online travel guides for available Orlando tours. We found http://www.trustedtours.com/. A travel site that offers discounted tours of several key cities, such as Las Vegas tours (that included a visit to Madame Tussauds wax museum), etc. You can even subscribe to their site’s newsletter, which by the way gives you a chance to win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate just by signing up. It's that easy!

Next time you’re planning to go on a vacation, you may want to check out this site :)

My Newest Inaanak (Godchild)

Welcome to the Christian World, my dear Angelyn! Sorry, I can't be there to witness your christening. But I'll see you next year, okay? Be good. God bless.

Love,
Ninang Cez

Online Shopping and Bargain Deals

How time flies! It seems as if we just celebrated New Year and now, August is almost over. The ‘BER’ months are coming. This only means one thing – Holidays! Holidays that we always look forward to!

It is around this time of year that I begin to think of possible gifts for my family, loved ones and friends. I have always believed that gifts should be well thought of. We do not give gifts just for the sake of giving one. At least, that’s what I do. I think of gifts that would really be appreciated by the person I am giving the gift to.

I usually get gift ideas from browsing in department stores or malls and from surfing the Internet. I have seen a lot of thanksgiving ads, Christmas ads, etc. that offer lists and selections of possible gift items to give to everyone and anyone you can think of. And since it’s Black Friday on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a lot of merchants are offering Black Friday deals. Offering the deals online makes it even better. No more queueing in front of the stores as early as 5am – sometimes, even earlier. No more squeezing and elbowing your way through the crowds. You can do your holiday shopping in the convenience of your own home and on a good bargain at that!

I am especially looking for gifts for my 2 little ones – Caitlin and Sean. Toys R Us is offering great bargain deals for a lot of their items. But the list is quite long. I’ll have to shortlist my choices. This may take some time.

Wish me luck (that I control the impulsive buyer in me) or I might just end up buying more than what my 2 kids actually need. Haha!

Tagged: What Makes Me Happy? What Makes Me Sad?

Tagged by Emz.

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Here are the Rules:

1. List things that makes you happy and what makes you sad..

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.

3. Tag other online friends you know...Toni, Jeng, Emz, Cez, You

What Makes You Happy?

~ Hubby

~ Caitlin and Sean

~ Cheesecake

~ Ice cream

~ Shopping

~ Eating out

~ Dates

What Makes You Sad?

~ Sickness in the family

~ Failed relationships

~ Lost friends/family/relatives

I'm tagging everyone in my blogroll.

Our Dream Room

Hubby and I have always talked about having our own house someday. We would talk about how many rooms we would like to have, what kind of furniture and appliances we would like, how we would decorate each room, etc.

One thing we agreed and dreamt of having is an entertainment room equiped with a complete home theater system – a huge plasma TV, 5 DVD/CD changer, high quality book shelf speakers in 6.5 inch, center channel speaker, left/right rear channel speakers… the works! We would love to just lounge around and eat popcorn while watching our favorite movies. Caitlin and Sean would have a blast watching their favorite children’s show/movie/cartoons or playing their favorite video games. Family time would mostly be spent in this room, I’m sure. Memories will be made from the moments we spend in that room.

I do not know when this dream of ours will become a reality. But I am quite sure that this will come true someday.

Tagged: Spreading the Blog Love

Thanks, Juliet, for this :)

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(Pls. don't remove) Credits: Elements/Paper by Dani Mogstad/ Layout by JennyL

Rules:

1. Don't remove the credits when you post the image.

2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and pass this tag to many of your friends.

3. If you have more than one Blog, please post this to all your Blogs so your other Blogs can be listed to the Master List too.

4. Remember to come back here at A SLICE OF LIFE (pls. don't change this link) and leave the exact post URL so I can add you to the Master List to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.

5. Spread the BLOG LOVE FEVER!

BLOGGERS:

1. Jenny Said So 2.) Simply Jen 3.) This and That 4.) Bargain.Sales.Deals. 5. A Slice of Life 6.) Aussie Talks 7. When Mom Talks 8. Mommy Talks 9 Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps 10 All Kinds of Me Stuff 11 The Salad Caper 12. Winding Creek Circle 13. InkBabyStudios 14. Me and Mine 15. Creative in Me 16. For the LOVE of Food 17. Little Peanut 18. Pea in a Pod 19. It’s Where the HEART Is 20. Around the World 21. SugarMagnolias 22. Nita's Random Thoughts 23. Nita's Corner 24. Nita's Ramblings 25. Batuananons 26. Thomas Web Links 27. Filipino Online Community 28. Thomas Travel Tales 29. Bohol Paradise 30. My Wandering Thoughts 31. Arts and Entertainment Center 32. Great Finds and Deals 33. Make Money Online 34. Entertainment News and Beyond 35. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts 36. TnT Kit 37. Aha Mama! 38. A Zone for Digiscraps 39. RazorianFly :] 40. WebGeek Journal… 41.All About The Memories 42. Spymama 43. Alamak OiOi 44. HasH's Personal Blog 45.Jean's Live it Up... 46. Living A' La Mode 47. Bits and Pieces 48. Juls Random Thoughts 49. Cez't La Vie 50. YOUR BLOG HERE

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I'm spreading the blog love to Jen, Mel, Em, Maver, Meeya, Weng, Cata, Che, Toni, Jeanny, Che-Che.

On the Road to Recovery

As I blogged here, my grandmother suffered a heart attack a few weeks ago. She is now doing remarkably well and has been responding to therapy. Because of her positive response to treatment and therapy, she was already sent home. But the doctor said that she would require 24-hour care. Someone has to be with her at all times (24/7).

This is not really an issue since all of my dad’s siblings are there to take care of her. Besides, sending her to an elders’ home that provides hospice care, such as the San Antonio assisted living home care, is not an option. If it were, it would definitely be the last alternative. But everyone is willing to look after my grandmother’s needs. Suggestions were brought up on how to go about it. Schedules were set to make sure that someone will be there to assist her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Everyone may have to sacrifice some of their time but none of them minds. After all, she’s their mother, our grandmother.

I really hope and pray that she gets well soon.

What's in a Name?

I was chatting with J earlier today about a common buddy who gave birth just last week. And since J is also expecting her own bundle of joy anytime soon, our conversation lead to her upcoming delivery and how soon-to-be parents decide on the name of their precious little one.

I have always believed that a name can define one’s personality. That is why hubby and I really took our time and were really careful in deciding what to name our children. We wanted to know that meanings behind each name that we’d include in our shortlist. The Internet was a very good resource and we came across an unusual baby name list site.

Before we knew that our first baby was going to be a girl, we prepared two sets of names.

We chose Caitlin Bernadette if we are having a girl. Caitlin is an Irish name that means pure and innocent; while Bernadette is a French name that means brave (or in some sites, courage of a bear).

If it’s a boy, we decided on Sean Patrick. Sean is also an Irish name that means God is gracious; while Patrick is a Latin/Irish name that means noble.

The meanings behind those names were just beautiful and we wanted our child/children to possess those qualities.

Thankfully, God has blessed us with a girl and a boy. I’m sure you already know what we named them.

Moving Up Day 2008

Here's the real reason why I wanted to give birth on March 7th so badly...

Caitlin's Moving Up Day (a.k.a. Graduation Day) was scheduled on March 15th. And I just wouldn't miss it for the world! I figured that if I gave birth on the 7th, I’d have a week to rest and recuperate.

Thankfully, I gave birth on the 7th and had a week to rest. And so on the 15th, off we went to Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City where the event was held. The event was titled Kids Musical (after the tv movie hit High School Musical). Each class performed a special number in between the awarding ceremonies (per level).

The Toddler Class, where our little girl belonged, performed a dance number to one of the songs from the movie (I just can't remember the title).

Caitlin while waiting for their turn to perform

Dancing Caitlin

After their performance, awards for the Toddler level were given out. Caitlin was given the Miss Spongebob Award.

Caitlin being given her award

"Miss Spongebob"

Miss Spongebob

Caitlin is able to amazingly absorb lots of information. Her remarkable memory and skills truly inspire her classmates and teachers.

After every level has performed and every kid awarded, the finale was performed. The kids sang Seasons Of Love (from Rent). A slideshow of pictures taken throughout the year was shown while they sang. Then, halfway through the song, the children went off the stage and headed for their parents. Caitlin handed me a candy rose, kissed and hugged both hubby and I. It was so sweet -- I was teary-eyed.

"Seasons of Love" performance

Kids Academy family

With Teacher Matz (Toddler Class teacher)

Our gift for Caitlin was waiting for her when we got home. She's been bugging us for a bike for some time now and that's what she got :)

Her Winnie the Pooh bike

Congratulations, sweetie! We're so proud of you!

Tagged: Dating 101

This is an overdue tag from Che.


Players: Ozzy’s Mom, Me,Myself + 2, Kidd Designs, Fun.Fierce.Fabulous, Me and Mine, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, Creative in Me, Notable Bistro, Sugarmagnolias, Around the World, Eds Mommy Life, My Precious Niche, Just Me.. Eds, My Virtual Closet, The Real Deal The Real Me, My Views On My So Called Life, Cez't La Vie, YOUR BLOGS

1. When was your first kiss and where?
It was June or July 1997 (can't remember the exact date). It was actually a stolen kiss. I was caught by surprise. Pero, I kissed back. Hahaha!


2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last?
My first real relationship was (and still is) with hubby. We've been together for almost 11 years now.

3. What age were you allowed to date?
Di naman talaga ako pinagbawalan. But my parents requested me to finish college first (note: it was a request; not imposed). And guess what?! I actually did as they requested :P


4. What’s the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager?
Sent a letter to my crush thru my cousin

5. How long was your longest relationship and what’s the secret?
My longest relationship is with hubby. As mentioned above, we've been together for almost 11 years.

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
2 days short of 6 years

7. How did you know he was the ONE?
I just knew :)

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kids(s) to date?
Honestly, I don't know. Pero biruan namin ni hubby, we'll allow Caitlin to date when she's 30. As for Sean, we haven't decided yet. Hehehe...

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
I'll probably be a cool parent. I wouldn't want my children going out/dating behind my back. I'd rather I knew who they are going out with, where they are going, what time they'l be home, etc.

10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating?
I'll probably tell them what my parents told me when I started dating -- "Alam mo na kung ano ang tama at mali (You know what's right and what's wrong)". Yun lang!


Feel free to snag :)

On Wedding Planning

Cousin P who is set to be wed this coming September, dropped by the other day to give us an invitation to their wedding. He and his fiancee got Caitlin to be one of their flower girls. This is going to be her second flower girl stint. Being the stage mother that I am, I am very excited. I grew more excited when Caitlin fitted the gown she will be wearing for the wedding yesterday.

Anyway, I asked cousin P if they’re all set for the wedding, as it’s barely a month away. He told me that there are still a few items in their list that need to be taken care of. I am not sure if they hired event planners for the event. If they did, I think they only got “On-The-Day” services. Otherwise, they would not be too stressed with their wedding preparations.

When hubby and I got married back in 2003, it was a must for us to hire wedding coordinators. We were both busy with work and since I was usually out of the country, we knew for sure that we would need the services of one. The decision proved to be a good one. We were spared of the hassles of looking and going after suppliers. So if you’re getting married, I suggest you hire wedding coordinators for stress-free wedding preparations.

If you are getting married in the US and is contemplating on hiring one, maybe you can consider Center of Attention – http://www.centerofattention.com/.

Center of Attention
www.centerofattention.com
Michele Fox Gott President
818-842-7800
866-856-5821
michelefoxgott@yahoo.com

They are a full service event production company. I’m quite sure they’ll give you your money’s worth.

Goodluck!

On Blogging

I just realized that I have been blogging for quite some time now – for almost 4 years actually. I did not expect myself to keep at it for this long. In fact, I was even hesitant at first to start one, as I am not a very good writer. If truth be told, I dreaded having to write themes and compositions when I was still in school. I spent hours and hours just finishing a writing assignment. So it’s not surprising that creating my own blog was not really one of my interests. I did not know where to start or what to write.

But I knew a lot of people who keep personal blogs and sometimes not just one. I also found several blogging resources with some even offering free blog applications. And so I signed up and started my own blog. Intially, just so I could say I have one.

I wrote very seldomly at first and most posts were about my first pregnancy. But when I gave birth, my postings became more frequent. My blog now served as a personal journal that kept stories mostly about my family – milestones, celebrations, events, funny moments, etc. I eventually grew a genuine interest in it and found myself blogging every time a “blogging moment” presents itself. It also helps me relax at the end of a taxing, and sometimes stressful, day at the office.

Now, if I could just finish all my blogging to do’s :)

Tagged: To My Friends

Received this from Em. Thanks!



FRIENDS: 1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. My Life's Rollercoaster Ride 5. Princess Vien 6. Deviously Creative 7 Doll Me Up 8 Living the Healthy Life 9 Mind Bubbles 10 Vanity Kit 11 Stripe&Yellow 12 Something Purple 13 Em's Detour 14 Cez't La Vie 15 YOU!

We need friends for many reasons,
all throughout the season.
We need friends to comfort us
when we are sad,
and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need friends to give us good advice,
We need someone we can count on,
and treat us nice.

We need friends to remember us
one we have passed
sharing memories that will always last.

Spread the poem of friendship.


I'm passing this back to Em and sharing this with Jen, Mel, Maver, Weng, Meeya, Cata, Che, Jeanny, and Toni.

On Phone Cards

I used to travel a lot earlier in my career, back when I was still single. I got assigned to overseas projects for months at a time -- sometimes alone and sometimes with a team. But with or without company, I cannot help but feel homesick during those times. I tend to call home almost very day. Good thing there are phone cards available that I can use to call my family back home. Hearing my loved ones’ voices never fails to ease the feeling of homesickness away. And with the frequency of calls I make, I am sure I would have blown off my per diem on phone calls without those Manila phone cards. Haha!

Tagged: I Love Shopping!

Thanks, Toni, for this! :) And may I just say that I do love shopping!

~Start copying here (no need to right click the image)~

Credits: Paper & Elements Created by Kim Jensen / Layout by JennyL

1. Don’t remove the credits when you post the image .
2. Please link back to the person who tagged you
3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too
4. You need to pass this tag to many friends you think loves shopping.
5. Come back at BARGAIN.SALES.DEALS.and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.
6. Enjoy Shopping !!!

SHOPAHOLICS : 1.) A Slice of Life 2.) Jenny Said So 3.) Simply Jen 4.) This and That 5.)Bargain.Sales.Deals. 6.) Me and Mine 7. ) Little Peanut 8.) Creative in Me 9.) Pea in a Pod 10.) Quicker8 11.) Just Me.. Eds 12.) The Journey Continues... 13.) Our Growing Family 14.) Cez't La Vie

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If you are a shopaholic, this one's for you. Feel free to snag!

Stylish Eyeglasses

Caitlin has been complaining about her eyes for some time now. She says they’re always itchy and they sometimes hurt. So I took her to an opthalmologist to have her eyes checked. It was just some allergy, thank God! All the while, I was worried that she might be required to wear some glasses. Although, if she did have to, I found a selection of incredible stylish new frames from Zenni. And they also offer Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses. So they don’t cost much.

Caitlin loves pink and so I looked for a pink pair from their selection of children's frames. Here are some of the frames I found for her...

And I found out that Zenni Optical was on FOX news! This makes it even better. Knowing that it has been featured on TV makes me more convinced to consider them when buying frames.

But that has to be postponed for now. As I said, Caitlin won’t need them yet. And I hope she doesn’t anytime soon.

Halloween Costumes

An officemate/friend invited Caitlin and Sean to a double celebration, her son’s baptism and daughter’s birthday, this coming weekend. The party has a “Royal Ball” theme and the invitees were asked to come in princess/prince costumes.

And so I went online to search for nice princess/prince costumes for my two kids.

I found these Barbie Princess costumes for Caitlin


Rapunzel Barbie costume


Barbie Princess costume

I think both costumes will look great on her. I just can’t decide which one is better. What do you think?

Unfortunately, I did not find a prince costume for Sean. I guess I will have to head for the mall to do some actual shopping.

Anyway, speaking of costumes… Halloween is less than 3 months away and I don’t think it is ever too early to look for Halloween costumes for the kids. Caitlin had never gone trick or treating before so I thought she’d go this year. I’m sure it will be a good experience for her. Who knows, she might want to go trick or treating every year! And although Sean is still a few months old and too young to join his older sister, it will still be nice to have him dress up for the ocassion.

And since I am already online and searching for costumes, I took the time to browse and look for cute Halloween costumes for them, as well.

Wouldn’t Sean look real cute in any of these?


Baby Blues Clues


Care Bear


Fearless Lil Lion

As for Caitlin, she can either reuse her princess costume or wear this


Cowgirl

She’d be adorable!

As much as I want my daughter and son to look cute and adorable in their costumes, I also have to consider Halloween costume safety.

It is important that their costumes come in colors that are bright enough for motorists to see since children go trick or treating during the night. If the costume is not bright enough, it is suggested that reflective tape be sticked onto the costume. It is also important that costumes be of the right length to avoid tripping. Make sure that nothing can cover the child’s eyes. And of course, it is always best for an adult to accompany the children.

Anyway, just looking at these costumes gets me all excited. I can’t wait to see Caitlin and Sean in their costumes! Pictures galore! Now if I could just decide which to buy :)

What time of day am I?

Snagged this from Toni

Caitlin's Monthly Log for June/July (Nursery Level)

We received the 1st of Caitlin's monthly logs from school. It is sort of like a report that provides us of her progress in school, as well as her teacher's observations and suggestions for improvement.

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Caitlin seems to be a veteran in school already, adjusting right away to the school environment and going through the routine smoothly during the first few days of school. She would be quick to follow the rules and instructions of her teacher and would also help out by reminding classmates to do the same - such as packing away, lining up, etc. It can be said that through her example, the other children have learned to adjust more quickly in school. Caitlin's independence can be seen in how she shows responsibility for her own belongings an dhow she can finish activities with very minimal supervision from her teacher. How she relates with her peers can also be applauded. She would oftentimes offer to help her classmate pack away and would also save a seat beside her during snack time for a classmate. Although she is already cognitively advanced for her age, Caitlin's passion to learn remains as seen in how she would always be excited for activities that her teacher prepares. Her enthusiasm influences the other children, which in effect creates a positive learning atmosphere. Caitlin is also beginning to become good at and seems to enjoy solving patterns or guessing what comes next after a series.

Despite this however, there would be instances wherein Caitlin would easily give up on a task she finds a bit difficult or doesn't feel like doing. It is suggested that at home, she be encouraged to finish tasks despite this behavior. Caitlin also seems to be a bit hesitant at times to try our new things or gets easily bothered or stressed with changes and distractions in the environment, such as when there is a birthday party wherein a lot of activity is going on or when another child is crying. She sometimes manifests this anxiety through cyring and always wanting her teacher to be around wherever she goes. It is believed, however, that this concern may be addressed through constantly providing a secure environment for her both in school and at home.

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We are very happy with the positive feedback we received on Caitlin's performance in school. We also took note of her teacher's suggestions for improvement.

I actually have the same observations. Even at home, Caitlin tends to not do an activity just because she doesn't feel like it or when she gets bored with what she's doing. She's also quick in saying "di ko kaya (I can't do it)" when a new activity is introduced to her without even trying it yet.

As her teacher suggested, we just need to continue encouraging her and help her overcome her fears/insecurities.

Web Hosting Resource

Now that I have started to gain back my interest in blogging, I am thinking of hosting my own blog site. I searched the net for available site hosting services and came across webhostinggeeks.com.

Webhostinggeeks.com is a web hosting review and rating resource site. It has listings of the top web hosts available -- including relevant information, rating and review for each. It also provides links to the web hosting sites so that anyone can easily go to that particular site and see if the hosting services it offers is fit for their needs.

I recommend this site to anyone who is considering of hosting his or her own blog/website. It is a good and informative web hosting resource for anyone.

Anyway, I’ll let you know when and if I finally decide to host my own blog site :)

Sean Patrick's Arrival

Sean at 3 days old

They say that every pregnancy is different and that was true in my case. My pregnancy with Sean was different from when I was pregnant with Caitlin.

With Caitlin, I had

- spaghetti and pineapple cravings

- clear and glowing skin

- placenta previa. I even had to be confined for a few days and go on bed rest for weeks at a time.

With Sean, I had

- a hard time keeping any food down (read: not to throw up) with Sean. I even lost some weight during my first trimester. Although, my total pregnancy weight gain were the same for both pregnancies.

- breakouts (pimples)

- pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)

As I mentioned here, I had to work from home during the last week of February until I give birth due to my PIH. I closely monitored my BP level everyday every 2 hours and had to see my ob-gyne almost every other day. My due date was on the 17th and my ob-gyne didn't want me to give birth until I reach full term. But I was already having difficulty on my pregnancy that I wished she would schedule me for a CS operation asap (I had a repeat CS with Sean, by the way). I kept on bugging asking her to schedule me on the 7th (I have reached full term by then) but she insisted that we just keep monitoring my BP and see how it goes.

On the evening of the 6th, I had another appointment with her. She took my BP and it was high (around 160). So she instructed me to take my medicine and have myself admitted at the hospital. She wanted me to be well-rested before she operates on me the following morning. I'm giving birth the following day! On March 7th! Yay, I got my wish! Hahaha! :D

So hubby and I went home and announced to everyone that I'm giving birth the next day. We packed our bags (I didn't have my hospital bag ready yet), arranged for my parents to look after Caitlin, and set off for the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, we went straight to the emergency room and handed the note from my ob-gyne (with her instructions) to the resident ob-gyne on duty. Hubby took care of getting my room while I waited at the lobby. After a few minutes, we were admitted.

I didn't get a good sleep that night. How can I when every now and then a nurse would come in and check on my BP? Add to that the excitement of finally seeing Sean! Sometime during the night, we were informed that my CS operation was scheduled at 8am the following morning. But that was still tentative since they are still trying to confirm the schedule with the anesthesiologist. They finally got hold of him and the sched as moved to 6am.

At 5am the next day, a nurse came and asked me to get ready. They have already requested for me to be wheeled to the operating room. So I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I had no time to take a shower. After a few minutes, a nurse and 2 orderlies fetched me.

I was in the operating room just before 6am. I was prepped for the operation. My BP was closely monitored. I had started to feel groggy by the time my ob-gyne arrived. But I managed to stay awake the whole time. I remember taking a glimpse of the BP monitor from time to time. I remember Sean being pushed out -- all 7.37 lbs of him :)

Finally, I heard his cry. It made me smile. My ob-gyne managed to tell me that my baby is a boy and perfectly healthy before I finally fell asleep.

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Though he came unexpectedly, we are very thankful for Sean. He made our family complete. We now have a girl and a boy. As friends would say, "Quota na!".

Update: March 2008

Here's my update for March 2008...

March 3 - Caitlin's first visit with her pedia dentist. Her dentist was really nice. She easily earned Caitlin's trust. They first read a book about Barney going to the dentist. Then they counted her teeth. She checked each tooth. Caitlin was really cooperative. After the visit, she gave Caitlin Dora stickers.

March 6 - Check up with my ob-gyne. My BP level was still high. I was instructed to have myself admitted at the hospital. She scheduled me for a CS operation the following day.

March 7 - Gave birth to Sean Partick. I will do a separate post on my birthing story :)

March 9 - We took Sean home.

March 15 - Caitlin's Moving Up Day. She was given the Miss Spongebob Award. I will do a separate post on this, as well :)

March 19 - Caitlin's first haircut. Since it was already summer and was getting too hot, we decided to have her hair cut. We took her to a kids' salon at Robinson's Galleria. When we got there, we signed up and waited for her turn. She played at the play area while waiting. When it was her turn, she sat very still and was very patient. She didn't complain... not once.

March 23 - Sean's cord stump fell off. Of course, like any mom, I kept it :)

March 29 - Sean's first pasyal to Gateway Mall :)

That's it for March! :)