This past couple of weeks had been a busy and hectic time of the month for me and I'm sure for a lot of you out there. I had to host two Christmas dinners in my home, one for my in-laws on Christmas eve and one for a friend and her husband for Christmas day dinner. Then the day after Christmas, we had a surprise 70th birthday party for my mother-in-law at an Italian restaurant. The day after that, Saturday, my good friends Lanie, Mira and I had our annual Christmas party with our friends and family. I'm sharing some photos from our celebration.
I haven't been doing much blogging lately. The kids are on vacation and I'm spending a lot of time with them, trying to keep them from getting bored. Dh also had a week off from work which was nice. For New Year's Eve, we always prefer to spend it at home, in the comfort of our living room and our PJs. :o)
I hope this coming year will be a good one for everybody. I'm wishing you a Happy New Year!
What'll I do for the kids! I turned the house inside out yesterday looking for the kids' snowsuits. For the life of me, I couldn't find it anywhere! My son already planned out his schedule for the day the night before. He said that he wants to go sleding and play in the snow. With no snowsuit in sight, how can I let him do that? Uggh, much as I hate driving in the snow, I went to the mall in search of snowsuits for the kids. Thank goodness for my SUV with 4WD! The back roads were already plowed but has fresh snow so it was a little slippery. I was thinking the whole time I was driving that if it was me who need the snowsuit, I wouldn't drive in this condition. LOL
Anyway, all's well that ends well. The kids had a great time playing in the snow. I also went out with them for about half an hour. I helped my son go up our small hill with the sled. We had about a foot of snow on the ground and his short legs gets buried in it. LOL
Too bad it seems we will not have a White Christmas since rain/snow mix is forecasted for this week. Oh well...
Do you agree that the holidays are the busiest time of year? I guess it is for Christans like me. It starts right after Halloween. I had to plan and prepare for Thanksgiving dinner then it goes uphill from there. This year, I have a task added to my already busy schedule. My MIL asked me to buy the gifts for the kids, dh and I, she also asked dh's brothers to do it for their families too. Now, is it just me that think this is unusual? Don't get me wrong, my MIL is very nice and sweet. I just feel that after she reached 65 years of age, she started feeling old and stopped doing a lot of things. :o( Anyhoo, I don't mind doing it. What's 20 more things right? LOL
I want to share some photos from the day we picked our Christmas tree. It was also the first snowfall of the year so the kids were excited. As soon as they got out of the car, they started a snowball fight which lasted the whole time. This tree place is very near our house so it is convenient. We've been going here since my daughter was 2 years old. The owner looks like Santa with his white beard. The kids enjoy the hayride and looking for the perfect tree.
I am ALMOST finished with "decking the halls". LOL It took me a couple of days to finally get the tree 'right'. I don't know why but my inner Martha Stewart comes out during Christmas. LOL I only have two more things to hang and I THINK I am done. How about you? Are you finished with your decorations?
My daughter is a smart girl. She's always at the top of her class ever since she started school. We received her school report card last Friday and as usual, she has all A in her subjects. But, she does not want to be called smart. "Why?" I asked. She answered that she does not want to be a 'nerd'. *sigh* Kids...
I love having Belgian waffles for breakfast. This is the 'real' Belgian waffle. We had this in Antwerp, Belgium and it is 'to die for'! The Belgians eat this as a snack any time of day and having tried it, I don't blame them! 
My family had two Thanksgiving celebrations. Since my in-laws were leaving for their winter escapade in Florida (they're Snowbirds) on Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated it a couple of days earlier, on Sunday. Dh's brothers and their kids came to celebrate with us. We had a traditional Thanksgiving spread with brined and roasted Turkey recipe , gravy, mashed potatoes, sausage and apple stuffing, sausage and mashed potato stuffing, candied carrots, green beans almondine and croissants.
Here's what transpired yesterday morning amid the chaos of getting the kids ready for school.
Dh: Honey, A will not go to school today. She has a fever.
Me: What? Why?
Dh: She is warm and coughing.
Me: How do you know she has a fever?
Dh: I felt her forehead and face. She is warm to the touch.
Me: Did you use the thermometer?
Dh: No, but I know she has a fever.
So what did I do? I went upstairs and felt her forehead, she was a little warm. But I didn't stop there, I went to the medicine cabinet and got the thermometer. I checked my daughter's temp and it read 97.7 degF. She doesn't have a fever. Of course, my daughter now was expecting to stay home and miss school but she's not getting off that easily. I told dh that she does not have a fever so she is going to school. My daughter of course was disappointed and she started whining. (I don't like it when she does that.) I told her that she does not have a fever thus she IS going to school. So yesterday after school, we went to have her checked and her pediatrician told us that her lungs sounded fine and the cough she has is nothing to worry about.
I don't want my kids to miss school unless they are sick. If they have a fever or aren't feeling well, they stay home. Last school year, she only missed two days. I'm glad my kids are pretty healthy and they don't get sick often. How about you? How do you decide if your child should stay home and miss school?
One thing I enjoy about blogging is meeting fellow bloggers around the world. One blogger half-way around the world that I came to know and like is Joy. I admire her for being able to maintain her blogs real well. She gave me this award and I am grateful. :o) This is my favorite award of all because I am a mom first and a blogger uhmm last. LOL
I am giving this award to the following who I know are the BEST MOMs around. :o) You can get the animated banner HERE.
Mira, Lanie, Amy, Carlotz, Amor, Lou, Liza, Twinks and Twerlyn
* Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
* Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
* Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
* Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.
* Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
* Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.
Facts taken from Women’s Health
And now here is the tag and the rules:
1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Add your link to the list of participants below
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.
PINK Sisterhood
1- Fara 2- Massy 3- N.O.Y 4- Mariuca 5- A Great Pleasure 6- LadyJava 7- Kim 8- Pink Thoughts 9- Turn-u-Off 10- Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 11- STAY AT HOME MOM 12- Fida Abbott 13- Also Mommy 14- Janice Ng 15- Juliana’s Site 16- The Painted Veil 17- Heart of Rachel 18- Mga Muni-muni 19- littlemsfirefly 20. Niko's Blog 21. Lifetime Mom
Kit by © Suzanne C. Walker, 2006
It had been a very busy month for our household. There were a lot of school activities: two field trips, Halloween Trick or Trunk and the annual walkathon fundraising. Add to that the usual Halloween preparation and the Trick or Treat tonight. Halloween for me means the start of the busy holiday season. I hope I can juggle everything including updating my blogs. I'm already behind with a couple. LOL Anyway, I hope you all have fun trick or treating! 
The kids assembled the gingerbread Halloween house kit given by my mother-in-law. It's a kit by Wilton where the gingerbread is pre-baked and all you need to do is mix the icing. I helped them a little bit and my daughter designed it. They sure had fun doing this and ate one part of the roof after they finished decorating the house. We will be going to my BFF Mira's house tomorrow for Trick or Treat with her son Mickey. The kids are excited of course. I just hope it won't be too cold! 
If you have a blog post about Halloween, I want to invite you to add your blog to my Mr.Linky list in my other blog Definitely Maybe. It could be a scary story, a photo of your Halloween decorations, Jack o'Lanterns, your kids or pet wearing a Halloween costume or even you in a Halloween costume. Anything goes as long as it is Halloween themed.
These are our Jack o'Lanterns. I carved the one on the left and my daughter did the one on the right. I helped her out with the trees. This is her second year carving pumpkins with an elaborate design. She gets frustrated easily but she is getting better. I still had to help my son finish his pumpkin. I spent a couple of hours carving the Grim Reaper design. I wish I have the right carving tools for this. I'll have to be on the lookout for these to go on SALE!
Picture this. It's cloudy, windy and chilly. Sounds like winter right? Well, it isnt. This was yesterday when we decided to go to the pumpkin patch. I knew I should've taken my warmest winter jacket but decided against it. What a big mistake! When we got to the farm, I saw people wearing their puff jackets and gloves. What was I thinking? The only good thing is that the kids were wearing their long shirts, sweatshirts AND their winter jackets.
I kept on asking myself why we decided to go on that day? It reminded me of our annual Christmas Tree run: very cold, windy and cloudy. This was the first time we went to a real farm with a hay ride to get a pumpkin so the kids were excited. Anything for the children. That's what parents' want and do. It is great to see our kids laugh and see the excitement on their face. Ok, it was just the little boy that was excited but you get the picture. My soon-to-be tween didn't even want to get out of the car because it was cold. Well, tough it. Afterward, they each got a candied apple. I think that's my daughter's favorite part while my son said it was the hay ride.
So, how much did it cost us to get two pumpkins? Let's see: $18 for the pumpkins, $9 for the hay ride tickets and $8 for two candied apples and two apple turnovers. That is a total of $35 for the pumpkins and the whole experience.
On the ride back to the house, I whispered to my dh "We should've gotten the pumpkins at BJ's instead."
I spend half a day in the school library every Wednesday. By sheer luck, both my kids’ library time falls during this day so they get to see me in school. With the 4th grade, I do not have to do anything other than say ‘shhhh, quiet please’ and sometimes ask certain students to sit down and not move. J Working with kids reminded me why I did not choose to be a teacher. You need a lot of patience, of which I only have this much. I can just imagine myself turning into my Social Studies teacher, the one that is feared by everyone. LOL So far, I have not turned into Cruella DeVille…yet!
I grabbed this from a blog I dropped an EC on. My friends know a lot of things about me, here's a chance to know a little bit about my dh.
1. He's sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen?
- Football or baseball if there is a game on, NFL Network, ESPN or FearNet
2. You are out to eat: What kind of dressing does he put on his salad?
- Ceasar Salad Dressing
3. What is the one food he doesn't like?
- Meatloaf
4. You go out to the bar: what does he order?
- Beer
5. Where did he go to high school?
- Ashland High School
6. What size shoe does he wear?
- 9 1/2
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be?
- Probably something sports related.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
- Chicken Parmesan
9. What would the husband eat every day if he could?
- Fiddler on the Roof Cake
10. What is his favorite cereal?
- Lucky Charms
11. What would he never wear?
- earring
12. What is his favorite sports team?
- New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics
13. Who will he vote for?
- Who knows? LOL
14. Who is his best friend?
- Moi
5. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
- Hmm, I don't know honestly. I'll have to ask him about that.
16. How many states has he lived in?
- Two: Massachusetts and California
17. What is his heritage?
- Irish, English, Italian and French
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday: what kind?
- Fiddler on the Roof
19. Did he play sports in high school?
- He's a jock. LOL . He played baseball, basketball and track
20. What could he spend hours doing?
- Watch sports, play golf and computer games
Yes, I am the queen. I think I might be the only queen who cleans the toilet among other things. I am a stay-at-home mom to two kids under 10 years old. So what is it like to be a full-time mom? Uh, crazy! Don't get me wrong, I love being able to stay home and take care of my family and the household. But it also meant giving up on a career I've built for 9 years. There are days where I miss the adult interaction I had when I was working full-time but I sure do not miss the pressure cooker I was in. Yes, the money was good but kids grow up fast and I will trade all the money in the world just to spend these precious childhood moments with them. We might not have the fancy luxury car or live in a Mc Mansion but I am happy and content. We have our own house, his and her cars and the kids go to a Catholic school. What more could I ask for? Just one thing, come to think of it. It would be nice to have a maid service, then I will feel like a queen of this household. :o)
I celebrated my birthday last weekend. I guess I'm considered middle-aged although I don't feel like it. Most moms my age have high-school aged kids and some even have kids in college. I, on the other hand have young ones. Do I regret starting a family late? No, I don't. I met the right guy when I was in my early thirties. I'm sure I would've been miserable jlike some women if I settled on any man just because I want to have children. I also didn't want to marry young. I wanted to experience life and what it has to offer. It's all about choices, that's what I told my cousins. One married right out of college and the other married while in her senior year in High School. They were both pregnant when they got married. Now, both of them are separated from their husbands and have kids in college. Too bad there is no divorce in the Philippines. I'm sure they want to find a life partner.
Now that both kids are in school full-time, I have some free time to help out in school. They have opening slots for recess and library. I think I will sign-up for the library slot. It's getting cooler and I don't want to be outdoors come winter time. The library will have more work but I don't mind. This will give me a chance to get to know the ohter kids in school and their teachers.
I really think that having dinner as a family is important. This is sometimes the only chance for the family to be together and talk about the goings on in everyone's day. In our household, we have family dinners almost all days of the week. There are times when one of the kids would want to skip dinner because they're not hungry but it does not happen often. I know that in some families, this is hard to do because of different schedules. If this is the case, then make an effort to at least eat together at least once a week.
I am a full-time mom of two school-aged children. My first-born is a girl who is 9 years old and my youngest is four year old boy. Now that both of them are in school full-time, I have a couple of hours free to do whatever I want. I thought that I will be able to do more for myself but I end up doing chores and do some blogging. Hubby even commented that blogging is now like a full-time job for me since this is what I have been doing almost every day when I am not doing stuff around the house. This blog is about my life as a mom and a housewife.
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