Shopping for Baby Stuff
July 28th, 2010
Motherhood & Pregnancy
2 Comments
SM Molino is a stone’s throw away, so I’m thinking of getting baby stuff there come Saturday. It’s a shame to admit this, but I haven’t really bought anything for Baby 2. My siblings got a wooden crib and my mother got cloth diapers and tie-side shirts. Friends also brought nappies during the baby shower. Pero ako, wala pang nabibili. Huhuhu! I’m thinking of getting Carters’ stretchies at Hypermart. Mura lang eh.
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Pregnancy 2: On Final Trimester
July 26th, 2010
Motherhood & Pregnancy
No Comments
I’m about 3 weeks away from my scheduled cesarean operation. What changes have occurred, so far?
- I now weigh 150 lbs. It’s still within normal range, although a few inanimate objects have already felt the burden of my corpulence. The toilet bowl lid, for example, has incurred 3 cracks since I entered 2nd trimester.
- I still eat a lot and it seems my voracious appetite has taken its toll on my health. My OGCT results show I have high sugar levels. I’m about to take OGTT this week to see if I’ve developed gestational diabetes.
- I’ve been having Braxton Hicks since start of July. I never thought it would be quite uncomfortable. I didn’t experience early false labor while I was pregnant with Candice. As far as I can recall, I felt the Braxton Hicks when I was about 2-3 weeks away from my EDD. With Baby 2, about 1.5 months away before elective cesarean operation. Also, this baby likes to cut capers at nighttime and early in the morning. It’s like feeling a donkey frolic and romp inside your womb in the wee hours of the night.
- My back and ribs hurt a lot and I often feel a nerve being pinched on my right leg. Hence, I now walk with a limp and waddle like a duck. I can’t walk long distances anymore and can hardly stay seated for more than 1 hour. I’ve actually given up Sunday mass and trips to the grocery.
- Despite all the discomfort, I’m thankful that this pregnancy has allowed me to perform tasks and run errands. During the 1st and 2nd trimesters, I was able to work on several writing/editing projects. Yes, even those that had relatively tough deadlines.
- And, guess what, I finally experienced having a baby shower! It wasn’t grand and it didn’t have games or anything like that. But it was fun.
I hope to be able to write more about this pregnancy before I check in at the hospital. If only I could fight off sleepiness every time I sit at my desk.
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Pak That Fly
July 23rd, 2010
Daily Living
2 Comments
This is quite recent. Wish I could record every conversation I have with my 2 y.o. She’s such a chatterbox now. And I love it when she tries to make sense of a lot of things without my intervention.
Me: Candice, what are you doing to THAT fly?
Candice (running around): I’m trying to pak it, Mommy.
Me: What do you mean?
Candice: I’m paking the fly, Mommy. Like this … PAK!
Me: Oh.
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Make Money on Twitter
July 17th, 2010
Work & Projects
2 Comments
I like earning while doing things I like. When I learned about how I could monetize my tweets, I knew I should give it a go. I spend a good deal of time on Twitter, so I might as well milk the darn cow. Anyway, it’s just as simple as tweeting something that you want to share with other tweeps.
Here are 3 sites that offer to pay for sponsored tweets:
Twivert: Earn while you tweet!
I haven’t earned much from Twivert actually. The automated posts rarely come. But I’m keeping the account just for the heck of it. Maybe when my Twitter account gets more followers and produces more posts, I’ll be able to get more sponsors.
Magpie: Convert your tweets into bling-bling
This was really, really good at the start. But I’m now having second thoughts on endorsing this. You might still want to give it a go if you’re interested. I had a bad experience with Magpie. They kept telling me that I’ve been deleting tweets from my Twitter page, which is a breach of terms. The thing is, I have NEVER deleted any post since I signed up for a Magpie account. I just don’t know why their “bot” kept saying that I did. I got 2 or 3 notices regarding this. They temporarily suspended my account twice. After the second notice, I never tried emailing them again for an account reactivation. They permanently suspended my account weeks ago – and all the earnings that I got went to them. Hmph. Bad business.
Sponsored Tweets: Spread the word and earn money
Now, SPTW is LOVE. I tell you. I’ve been tweeting sponsored posts for over a month now. Income stream just keeps flowing. It isn’t much, but it’s there. I trust Sponsored Tweets more than anything else because they’re part of the IZEA team – the same group that manages SocialSpark, PayPerPost and WeReward.
Ad.ly is another in-stream advertising site for Twitter, but I haven’t tried it yet. Have you?
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Frugalista Mom
July 15th, 2010
Daily Living
2 Comments
After going through the 2008-2009 economic recession as a housewife/mom, I have become a recessionista. The word sounds so chic — but if you really go deeper and try to live up to that label, you’ll realize you need some creativity and skill to be fashionably frugal. Throughout the economic crunch, I had to live on a tight budget and scrimp and save whatever I could. While our family was (and still is) somewhat fortunate enough to afford a house, a car, and a helper – we still had to tighten our belts and give up a lot of things.
Two years later, after surviving the hard times, I think I can now call myself a Frugalista Mom. I can plan cheap but nutritious meals. I can recycle a dish or use its ingredients to come up with another dish. I can *almost* predict when it’s time to hold the money and purchase a new LPG. I can work on a certain budget when shopping for groceries. I buy shoes, clothes and recreational stuff only when there’s a sale. And, I’m often on the lookout for good freebies and promos that guarantee a few peso savings.
Coupons are a frugal mom’s delight, too. Whether they’re coupons for Home Depot or HP discount codes, coupons spell SAVINGS. Honestly, I’ve never been this eager to cut out coupons and use them. The newest coupon that I have is this McDonald’s coupon that I got from Drypers. We’re getting one apple pie for free! Last time, we were able to get a McDonald’s hamburger. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I keep the coupons in my wallet and use them when the opportunity comes.
I also use online coupons if the purchase wouldn’t require a huge shipping cost or a gargantuan “minimum” purchase. I scour the web via Savings.com to look for great deals. I actually have my own coupons/deals site (see sidebar), but I can’t use the coupons that I post for obvious reasons.
What about you? Are you a Frugalista Mom, too?
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“Printing Project”
July 12th, 2010
Things & Stuff
No Comments
This was sent to me via email. It’s unsolicited and it’s rather funny. Hee hee.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Good day!
This is Pinky from Philip Cheng Printing Co., Ltd of China.
From your company web, we got to know that your company is an influence company in your business. We are
pleased to approach you in the hope of developing business for mutual benefit.We are a leading manufacturer and exporter of printing services in China. Our products have good markets in
Europe and North America.1. Products: picture albums, magazines, catalogs, labels and stickers, hang tags, packaging boxes, booklets,
flyers, playing cards, calendars etc.
2. Printing Price: Only 40% cost of you printed by local printers.
3. Advantage: perfect quality, competitive marketing prices, good services.
4. Guarantee: If you were not satisfied with our products, we should refund you or reprint it.Any question? No hesitation to contact us. It’s our great honor to work with you for our further cooperation.
Yours Sincerely?
Pinky
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Wednesday is M.O.B. Day
July 10th, 2010
Daily Living
3 Comments
Last Wednesday, I went to the nearby SM Hypermart to get some breakfast items. As I wheeled my mini orange cart toward the frozen food section, I created a mental list of things to buy:
- chicken pesto
- chicken cheddar
- sweet ham
- sweet hotdogs
- sausages
- tocino
- tapa
- etc. etc.
(Oh, the list went on…)
So I did my rounds, scrutinizing labels and throwing stuff into the orange basket. Then I lined up at the cashier. I saw baggers packing items into big brown paper bags. What’s wrong? I thought. Oh, maybe they ran out of big plastic bags that’s why they’re using paper bags and cartons.
Then I looked around and saw a dangling tarpaulin that says Wednesday is M.O.B day. What the heck is M.O.B.? Then I learned from the cashier that Wed is eco day at SM and M.O.B. stands for “My Own Bag”. Shoppers are supposed to bring their own bags or make do with the brown paper bags that don’t have the usual handles. You carry them like babies.
I really wouldn’t mind having my groceries packed in eco-friendly paper bags. BUT I was alone that day and I had to commute going home. And not to mention the heavy stuff that I’m carrying in my belly. I looked at the contents of my orange basket and tried to calculate their total weight. The bagger said I would have to carry 2 brown paper bags if I want them all punched and packed. No way, baby. So I discarded some items (goodbye, chicken hotdogs and watermelons!) and settled for just a bag of groceries. Whew. In that brief moment, I wished I had my own car. It doesn’t matter if it’s a limo with chrome accessories or a secondhand car. I just need a decent vehicle to carry hefty paper bags for me.
Carrying that one huge grocery bag was a joy though. It reminded me of grocery shopping in the U.S. Maybe when I’m finally able to drive the family car, I’ll do my grocery on a Wednesday. It’s good to be part of this green project.
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Share your dream wedding vow, win a trip to Kalibo
June 25th, 2010
Events & Holidays
No Comments
I’ve been busy with some writing tasks + recovering from a cold, so I haven’t had the chance to update this journal. In the meantime, let me just share with you whatever juicy stuff I get from the mail. This one’s from Philstar.com.
Make the moment last a lifetime. Share with us your dream wedding vow for the most special person in your life. The most romantic vow will win 2 (two) roundtrip plane tickets to Kalibo!
MECHANICS:
1. Promo is open to couples to be married within the year and residing in the Philippines. A certification from the National Statistics Office (certificate of no marriage), two (2) valid ids and other relevant documents may be required for winning participants.
2. Send your entries along with a photo of you and your fiance together to marketing@philstar.com. Entries should be original and free from copyright and should not exceed 200 words. Only one entry per participant may be qualified upon judging of entries.
Kindly indicate the following together with your entry: full name, address, mobile number.
3. Criteria for judging:
Creativity and Originality 50%
Overall Impact 50%
The judges’ decision is final.
4. Submission of entries is from June 4 to June 30, 2010 while winning entries will be announced in philstar.com on July 7, 2010. Winners will be sent a notification via email. Be informed that prize tickets originate from Manila.
5. Relatives of philstar.com and The Philippine STAR employees to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity are disqualified from joining the contest.
6. The organizers reserve the right to free reproduction and exhibition of entered images in all media, but only in connection with philstar.com’s Wedding Month Special, and with an acknowledgment to the entry senders. philstar.com will not make a claim on the copyright of the images entered in this contest. philstar.com or its sponsors do not claim unlimited license to reproduce the images outside of the terms stated above.
For more info about the contest, click here or log on to www.philstar.com Wedding Month webspecial.
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Gifts & Memories
June 3rd, 2010
Memories
1 Comment
This picture brought back so many good memories from the White House. I still miss the place. If I ever win the lotto, I’ll purchase that house and renovate it.
Candice was probably about 1.5 years old in this picture. She was so thrilled when this gift was delivered to us via Air21. It’s a xylophone from Tito Bunny.
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Send and receive money online with AlertPay
May 27th, 2010
Work & Projects
No Comments
Nah, I haven’t given up my beloved PayPal. But since some of my moneymaking ventures require an AlertPay account, I decided to get one. I’ve read some customer reviews regarding AlertPay and most of them seem favorable.
Send and receive money online with AlertPay
Unlike PayPal, though, this one doesn’t allow PH residents to transfer funds to their local bank accounts. I guess I have no choice but to opt for mailed checks. Puwede na rin.
Have you tried using AlertPay? What has been your experience, so far?
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