having an energy efficient home

As one belonging to a family with engineering background, I could appreciate the importance of energy auditing. This could be done only by highly competent professionals who have already extensive experience in the building industry, and with skills which have reached a certain level. Conducting different tests in a home - such as blower-door tests, combustion appliance inspection and testing, carbon monoxide detection tests - are just part of the job.

Home energy auditors may be Home Performance Contractors, Building Analysts, Energy Inspectors or Home Energy Raters, all of whom have only the energy efficiency of a home in mind. It’s sad though that many people don’t realize the importance of hiring competent and trained personnel to do these for their home.

for the figure-conscious

As a mother, sometimes I wonder how I could raise up my little girl so as not to be affected, especially with all the fashion consciousness around these days. Even teenagers nowadays are so figure conscious to hide any body lumps and bulges, to make themselves sexier. And innovations are up-to-date in providing solutions to prevailing needs. This kymaro body shaper must be a favorite if they will know about it. It’s composed of a body shaper up and a body shaper bottom – I salute to the one who got this bright idea! I still wish natural ways such as exercise and diet will weigh more for her comes the time when she will be big enough for these things.

on a saturday

How are you spending your weekend so far?  For us, we started it with a trip to the Asian store to buy ingredients for the dessert requested by friends for tomorrow’s party.  I ended up buying other Pinoy food stuff too. It’s better to stock up on these essential items rather than going there again when the need arises.  

When we got home, C was already cranky which means she’s already sleepy.  She woke up early than us so she also got sleepy first.  But I fed her with lunch before sending her to bed. 

Right now, hubby and C are asleep while me and baby A are awake.  I am thinking of giving baby a bath later, not in one of those walk in bathtubs but only in his baby tub.   Then when father and daughter wakes up, hubby might take the kids out for a walk.  I might just stay home coz I have plenty of things to do!

another sleepless night

I’m sleepy!  Baby A has been waking up every hour since 3 am.  I don’t know if he’s feeling uncomfortable because of his colds or if it’s because he’s hungry.  Finally at 6 am he dozed off, and it was little C’s turn to wake up. Uhuhuhuh…  We tried to force her back to sleep.  Fortunately the two kids fell back to sleep, but I was awakened at 8 with C’s pajama wet with pee.  She was in a deep sleep that she didn’t even feel it.  So that ended my quest to get a good sleep. Now I am feeling tired and sleepy.  My eyes are watery,and I feel like my eye bags weigh a kilo!  I hope tonight’s going to be a good night or else this frequent lack of sleep will send me buying anti-aging products like eye wrinkle cream to treat those little spider like veins around my eyes.  

do you have money?

I may not have money to invest in Outer banks foreclosures, but I’m keeping my eyes open for other investment opportunities.  Just recently, my brother who’s planning to put up a business center in Bangkok for a health supplement product has offered us a business proposal which will cost a fair sum.  Hubby was making the calculations last night, how much the amount is in czech crowns and yep, we can’t afford it.  With our planned vacation in July, our finances are only enough for the travel expenses and a little extra for unexpected expenses. Sigh…  I wonder where we will get the money for this business venture.  I am actually not interested in what we can get out of this, but more of helping my brother come up with the the money for putting up the center.  Hubby and I haven’t discussed it fully yet, maybe he has other options. I hope so…

rain, rain, go away

It’s raining again! Duh!  One more month go till summer time, but the weather has been erratic.  I hope when summer comes, there won’t be any gloomy, rainy and cold days anymore.  I want to enjoy Europe’s spring and summer in a park or garden, sitting in outdoor cushions, eating icecream, while watching little C running around. 

Anyway, according to my reliable weather forecaster, the month of June will bring us more sunny days ahead.  That’s something to look forward to. Now I can picture us going to more outdoor trips and more barbeque food tripping.  That’s better than sulking over the bad weather today. 

baby’s little throne…

Baby A is 4 months old!  At the rate he’s growing, it won’t be long till he will be crawling and starting to eat baby foods.  The baby high chair is already waiting for him to use (which he inherited from his big sister).  This high chair has that old feel because it’s made of wood.  Most children’s furniture these days are made of plastic which makes it convenient for cleaning.  But others choose rustic furniture more because of its country or cottage look rather than its function. 

Here’s a high chair that would go well in cabins or log cottages:

In our case, the wooden high chair was sold to us by hubby’s friend. And since I was still a new parent back then, I didn’t know what to look for in kid’s furniture and immediately grabbed the offer.

Photo taken from the Log Furniture.

if you miss Cebu….

… this song is for you!!!

See You In Cebu (Y101) - Unknown Singer

Davao city, here we come!

One of the places we plan to go to in PH is Davao.  My big sis always includes this place in their itinerary when they visit the country because my bro-in-law has many relatives here.  They also bought a lot in a posh subdivision within the city.  

Since I synchronized our trip with that of big sis’, we decided to tag along with them in Davao.  I have been researching for the beautiful Davao sights which we can tour, and this Eden Nature Park and Resort caught my eye.  It looks like a wonderful and relaxing place for the whole family to stay.  Aside from the forest which we can trek, there are many activities for adults and kids alike. There’s a mix of nature, adventure, leisure and other interesting activities.  They also have a swimming pool for those who likes water fun.  They have fishing and horseback-riding.  I was thinking of trying the latter. I haven’t tried any adventure for a long time and this one looks okay enough for me to do. I don’t know if they require riders to wear riding boots, or if we can just use our regular footwear.  Or maybe they provide these items for their clients.  

Whatever!  This whole Eden experience looks soooo promising and so much fun!   Unfortunately we’ll be staying there for only a day.

getting ready for a trip to Philippines

Now that our plan to go home to Philippines have been set, I am starting to shop for pasalubong (gifts) for my family and friends.  I am eyeing for the malls’ season sale so I can get discounted stuff.  It actually already found some good buys - 50% off on the regular price.  Really good I should say! 

I have two more months to hunt for pasalubong items.  That would be enough time to do all the shopping.  I chose stuff that are light and easy to pack as we only have a limited baggage allowance.  I don’t want us to exceed our baggage limit and also haul heavy bags when we arrive PH coz we still have to travel from one city to another before settling down in our hometown.  

Weeee! I can’t believe we’re really going home.  What I have thought of as only a plan, a dream because of financial constraints is starting to get real.   Thank you Lord for providing for our needs!

busy moms need to pamper themselves

Last Mother’s Day, one of my friends posted her thoughts about being a mother in her Facebook wall. According to her, motherhood is a tough yet often unappreciated job where you get no pay, no day-off and resignation is impossible, but it is worth everything when you see your kids’ smile and happiness. Wow, I couldn’t agree more. The cutest smiles from my kids are enough to take away the stress and tiredness of being a busy mom.
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another quick breakfast food

Mornings are usually crazy in the house especially when both kids wake up at the same time.  I have to change their diapers, prepare food for C, feed her, feed the baby, feed myself…  Sometimes I give C bread or crackers to munch while I feed her little brother.  Then prepare her breakfast when everything else has been settled.  Foods for breakfast should be quick and easy to prepare, just like this porridge from Marks & Spencer.  It only takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and it’s also nutritious.  It’s good for health fanatics and for those who are looking for diet pill that works coz fiber-rich foods aid in prevention of constipation, lowering cholesterol and most of all, weight loss management.

It comes in 8 indivually packed packets good for one bowl and with different flavors too.  The pic above shows the strawberry flavor.  

sleep well baby A

My three months old has finally settled into a routine.  That’s good news coz I don’t anymore feel as tired as when he was still a newborn.  He also has learned to sleep on his own when he’s asleep.  I simply put him inside his crib or let him sit in his rocker and few minutes he’s fast asleep already.  Yipeeeee!  I can bear lack of sleep but back pains I can’t.  It’s good that my baby isn’t used to being carried.  That’s a big difference with him and his ate.  His ate used complaint a lot when she’s left alone or when she’s placed in her crib, but not baby A.

Although I still don’t get a straight 8 hour sleep coz I feed the baby every 2-3 hours, I am thankful that he’s not a cry-baby.  I still might get acne once in awhile for ocassional sleepless nights but there are many  acne treatments that I can count on when that happens.  No worries.