Summer is officially here! Summer vacation is not until next week for my son but he is home earlier than usual as they are just finishing the required number of school days. It is louder than ever with my kids’ constant bickering earlier than usual so my work time is severely compromised. As when before I had at least four hours of quiet time before my son arrives from school and the princess naps, now I do not even get a single hours wherein I can work straight! I need to act as referee every 30 minutes. Usually, what movie to watch is the culprit. Even if we have 2 TVs! (Maybe we need another DVD player!) Not to mention they are always hungry! I am running out of recipe ideas to cook – I might as well get a BBQ grill as the kids love grilled food!

I am looking forward to the summer though, even though I am pretty sure the heat will be a killer. I am already thinking where to get the kids tanned. My kids are fishes, you can leave the whole day in the pool and they would only leave it to eat. I guess a pool with a BBQ grill is necessary. Swimming poolside with grilled food is the best summer experience. It’s too bad the inflatable pool we have won’t fit the small garden we have here, we can just have it in our own backyard. I need to buy barbecue grills but it would still be a great investment. The husband prefers traditional grilled food – cooked by fire has the best taste and I have to agree. This fire pit grill with rotisserie is perfect:

• • Main grill included large handles for easy removal of grate
  • Cooking grate has an adjustment range of over 18 inches
  • Full diameter handle/safety ring
  • Burns wood or charcoal

If you are one who loves to entertain at home (and maybe have a pool, getting these outdoor kitchens is something that will make your lives easier:

You got everything you need to entertain with ease and style!

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I never knew I would get to say this but meet our new baby, Scamp.

I still cannot believe we have a dog. And I still cannot believe I was able to allow my kids to have one – I have always been very vocal on not being ready to have one. I have always believed having a dog is like having a baby – and boy, I am not ready for another baby.

But the kids have wanted one ever since Santino came, so there.

Meet Scamp.

Santa’s belated Christmas pwesent to the kids – he is half pekinese and half shitzu and is only 3 mos old. Martha is now telling me that Scamp needs a bed, a cage, a plate and a dede (water bottle). Let the nightmares begin.

I used to love dogs, until I was 6 and a neighbor dog bit me. So I have never really gone back to loving them.

But Martha is something else. She never really forgot that Santa was to give her a dog. Even though we were supposed to have brainwashed her to caring for a Nemo instead, she would always say, “Wait ko lang dog bigay ni Santa.”

Thanks to real Santa Lolo, the kids now have Scamp. In fairness, he really is a beauty (ang amo ng mukha). The kids are so beyond excited. Lolo, of course, is a hero. And a millionaire (the kids see him as the richest man in the world). Thanks Dad!

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The #1 online Rx glasses store, Zenni Optical, gets a boost of confidence as they are featured and got a glowing review on an article at Examiner.com. Eric’s Review of Zenni Optical is not only the truth, it also give us a perspective how prescription eyeglasses are ridiculously overpriced these days. The have the Lowest Price Progressive Glasses in the market. And for a husband who loses his glasses from time to time, you can bet we are only going to buy them from Zenni Optical from now on.

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This June, I will officially have two kids in school.  I would like to think that this is not because I am getting old .

Martha will be going to his Kuya’s school as well and I was more nervous for my little princess than I was with Matthew when he started schooling. With Mato, he was just so eager to go to school. It also helped that the pre-school was just in front of our house . With Martha, not only was I caught in a dilemna if she was ready or not, it was I had limited choices where to enroll her. I wanted a playschool for her but didn’t want to take chances of pre-schools that I have no feedback from. My gut instinct told me to go with the school of Matthew and I am happy that I went with my decision. After talking with their directress, I am sure that I am placing my daughter in good hands.

Now I do not know who is more excited, me or Matthew. Martha could not care less, you know, she just wants to be sure she will have a bag and a teacher. (Because she has Elmo books already)I am looking forward to buying for two this summer – for a boy and a girl. I am not looking forward to the expenses (maybe an online cash advance will help) but I am looking forward to the experience. Let the chaos begin!

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March 4th, 2009.

Full Force.

Today was a monumental day. It was Martha’s entrance exam for Nursery in the same school as Matthew’s. It was a disaster waiting to happen at the very start because Martha was wanting to go to SM not the school. She didn’t want to follow the teacher and when she was asked to sit down, she shouted, "I DON’T LIKE!" I could have died in embarrassment – there is no school I would want for her but this one. Fortunately the Tuya came to the rescue and sat beside his little sister, calming her down. Notice even the Lolow and Lola were present, I told you it was a show of full support! I even made an effort to make sure Marts doesn’t throw a fit when she saw her outfit – the poodle brooch and prints saved me from a major fight with my little tweener girl. After her test (which by the way she just went out of the room after answering – no sense of classroom rules at all!), she was running down the corridor shouting "Maaaa, tapos na test ko, punta na tyo sa SM!" I hoarded cans of PlayDoh, took the boy book shopping and have them eat whatever they wanted. This was one of those days I wish Edil was out of work – but somebody needs to work for the benjamins here. We cannot rely on payday loans forever.

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When I was still single, all I ever wanted was a house to call my own, with a husband and kids and a stable job. It’s what I’d like to call a picture-perfect life. But when I had kids of my own, I realized that I prefer a movie life compared to a still photo. So I wanted a bigger house. When we moved to where we are right now, I realized that I do not necessarily want a bigger house, but a house big enough for my kids to grow up comfortably in. I have always remembered an article I read that your house needs to grow when your family grows so it must be designed to handle extensions and renovations. So now I appreciate a wide lot – we can build a small house for now and once we grow as a family (and save more money), we can have it extended. The wide expanse of land can be wonderful areas for my kids to run and play with. It can also be beautifully landscaped as well. Landscape Design should be handled by a landscape designer and architect so they can recommend the perfect materials for your project! How can one who has no experience plan walkways, know what stone to use and where to situate flowery shrubs, waterfalls, ponds and lamp posts?

This is a sponsored post.

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I am not really surprised that my kids have big feet, I can safely say that they all got it from their mother. I have size 11 feet and I am also extremely flat-footed. Up to when I was around 9, I was also knock kneed as well. My mom had to buy me the ugliest shoes to correct them.

My son, who is 9, is size 8 (men’s) and my daughter, who is turning 4 in 2 months, wears size 11 (kids’). I foresee that we will be having a hard time finding perfect shoes for them in the years to come. I am already having a hard time even now.

In the coming schoolyear, I would have two kids going to school and I am anticipating a hard time looking the right school shoes for them. I actually look for shoes that are high quality, I don’t care if it’s expensive. My kids will use them to death for 10 months, 5 times a week, 7 hours a day. If it will be last the whole school year, then the expense will be worth it. I also know the importance of having shoes fit perfectly. The feet of our kids can still be moulded into whatever shape you have their feet fit into, so I veer away from pointy shoes. Ankle support and shock absorption soles  which are non-slip (I imagine school kids run a lot, even if they are told not to) are also important. Leather school shoes need to be soft and supple too, so that their feet won’t have callouses and corns.

I strongly suggest you use this gauge to measure the size of your kids’ feet, especially if they are babies and are just starting to walk. Your babies need all the support they can get!

And yes, we are only talking about shoe shopping here – we also need to cover books, supplies, uniforms. I feel I have a headache coming!

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If there is a seven-year itch in marriages, I think we can safely say that we are experiencing a very dire house itch. It all started with the husband, on his way to the grocery, saw an open house banner on one of the villages we pass on the highway en route to the grocery store. He went in, was showed a model house, some home plans and their prices. He wasn’t that excited because we are as broke as can be and cannot afford anything right now but the agent explained to him how loans can work – from the monthly Pag-IBIG payments we have been contributing. That’s when he got excited because it can almost cover everything already.

Of course, it would not be the dream home I want – wide open spaces with a sprawling garden and spaces for extension and renovations. But as the husband said, if not now, when? We have been looking over at house plans finding ways to make the floor plan more functional for us. I am actually surprised with the husband’s focus on this one. Between the two of us, it is mostly I who plunge head on and take risks (read: take loans!) and he is the one always saying we need more money, save first, etc. I am still asking for a sign if we should pursue with it or not. The husband is right, we are not getting any younger. We need to start now because we would not want to have our kids grow up without a house to call their own. Maybe when I finally become rich (I don’t see that happening unless I practice what I slaved 8 years for!!!), I can finally use the house plan I really want. Let’s just pray that the lot I want is still there.

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