New Year New Hope

It's only a few more hours before we say goodbye to a year full of tragedies.  A couple of weeks ago, the Philippines was hit by typhoon Sendong.  Crops and infrastructure were destroyed.  A lot of lives were lost.  Many young children and elderly died.  Those who are lucky to survive this calamity on the other hand have nothing to eat nor drink.  They even have no clothing to protect themselves against the cold nights.  

My husband and I used to donate used clothing and blankets to typhoon victims when we were still in the Philippines.  Now that we are in another part of the globe, we still managed to find a way to help the victims of Sendong.  Last night we took part in a fund raiser headed by a Filipino community in our place with the cooperation of a Chinese restaurant owner.  The owner promised to donate half of the bill incurred by the participants.  Apart from the donations (monetary and in kind), there was also a raffle which raised quite a decent amount. 

I do hope that Filipino communities from around the world also did their part in helping out these unfortunate people.  If you have not done your part yet, there is still time to do so.  The Philippine Red Cross is accepting donations through PayPal or credit card.  Please click on this link http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow to donate.  Globe and Smart subscribers can also help via SMS by typing the following on your cellphones:

For Globe Subscribers:

via SMS, c/o Red Cross – text RED <amount> and send to 2899 – valid donation amounts are P5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 (For ex, RED 10). Transaction is free.

via GCASH, text DONATE<space><amount><space><MPIN><space><REDCROSS> and send to 2882

For Smart Subscribers:

via SMS, c/o Red Cross – text RED <amount> and send to 4143 – valid donation amounts are P10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1000 (For ex, RED 10).

May all of us be an instrument in bringing new hope to others.  Have a blessed new year my fellow bloggers!

Happy Holidays!

Temperature starts to drop.  Snow flakes start to fall.  Malls are crowded with people trying to get the best bargain for the items they are planning to give to their loved ones.  There is no doubt that Christmas is just around the corner. 

When I was a young kid (not so long ago :)) I regard this season as a time for family gatherings.  Around this time of the year, almost every family holds their family reunion.  People take advantage of this merry celebration to catch up on each other's life or for each member of the family (especially the distant relatives) to get acquainted with each other.  Usually there will be games not only for the young ones but also for the young at heart.  Of course a family affair held during Christmas will never be complete without exchanging gifts.

As I grew toward my teenage years, I wonder why people exert too much time and effort planning on what food they are to prepare for Christmas eve and buying things for their loved ones and for themselves as well.  Isn't it the time we should reminisce what truly happened on that night thousands of years ago?  Have we all forgotten what Christmas is all about?  May we be always reminded that this season is all about the coming of Christ.  It was the time when Jesus was born so that we may have an eternal life. 

                                                     Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

Six Things To Do For Your Health

A couple of weeks ago I had my physical exam.  It was mainly for health insurance purposes.  It has been three years since I have seen my doctor and because there are some things I want to discuss with him, I decided to take advantage of that visit and find answers to the things that keep me worried.

He ordered lab tests to check my blood, urine, vit. D, thyroid hormones, kidney and liver function.  When the results came out, I learned that I am vitamin D deficient so he put me on a vitamin D supplement.  That did not come as a surprise since I really do not want to be out in the sun because of my overactive melanin (hello freckles!!).

This PE made me realize that we should be taking care of our health seriously.  And so, I thought of listing down important measures we must take to keep us healthy.

1.  Get outside everyday or as much as you can.
Vitamin D is vital for our bones' health and we can get it naturally from sunlight.  Exposing our skin, without sun screen, to the sun for at least 15 minutes a day coupled with eating foods that contain vitamin D should be enough to get our daily dose of the vitamin. 

2.  Drink plenty of water.
Drinking water helps our kidneys to function well and eliminate toxins from our body.  It also keeps our skin hydrated to make it glow naturally.  One half of your body weight in ounces is a great place to start.  There is even an app that reminds you to drink water so if you are a smart phone owner, you can install this app for free.

3.  Keep moving.
Doing a 30-60 minute low impact exercise like walking and yoga everyday can get your circulation to move nutrients in and toxins out.

4.  Take at least 100 deep breaths a day.
Deep breathing massages your heart, calms your nervous system, and increases your energy.

5.  Make healthy eating choices.
Eat food but not too much.  Munch on food, mostly plants.  Remember to eat in a calm, relaxed atmosphere.  Enjoy your meal and don't forget to chew.  Do not be in a hurry.  Chew your food for 20 seconds before taking another bite.

6.  Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
If you do not get enough sleep, your alertness, productivity, creativity, and general health are all affected. 

I hope this list will help you start a regimen that would be beneficial to you health.

The Importance of Play

Not so long ago when I was in my toddler age, my nanny used to bring me to a neighborhood park a couple of blocks away from our house almost every afternoon. It was just a humble park with a big slide and around four swings.  One day I came home with a scratch on one of my knees and since then I was forbidden to go to that park again.  What my mom did was purchase a huge swing set so I and my brother don't have to go elsewhere to play.  And since we have a very protective set of parents, we were only allowed to play with our friends/neighbors on the condition that our friends will come over to our house and my siblings and I will never step out of our gate. 

 It was our friends who introduced us to pretend play.  We usually portray roles of each member of the family.  The eldest girl takes on the role of the mom who stays home and looks after the kids.  The eldest boy is the dad who goes to work and comes home at night.  The rest of the kids play the part of the children, the nanny, and the driver.  Often times  we use leaves or flowers from our garden as ingredients for the pretend food we make.  At that time all I know is we are just playing and having fun.  However, now that I am a mom, I learned the true meaning behind play.

Of course children play to have fun.  But that is not the most important reason why we should encourage our children to play.  By observing how kids play, I learned that play helps children grow in more ways than one.

1.  Playing outdoors keeps children fit.

Most kids, if not all, love to run.  So while they are playing tag or just running in the playground going from one structure to another, they are unaware that they are having a good form of exercise by burning calories.  Another benefit kids get from playing outdoors is that they get their natural dose of vitamin D from sunlight. We all know that vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium, thus making our bones strong and saving us from getting rickets.  

2.  Playing improves children's motor skills.

Every time kids play tag, jump rope, or play in the playground, they are helping themselves by improving their gross motor skills.  These activities entail the use of their arms and legs such that each time they try to climb up the slide, their arm and leg muscles are working together for better muscle coordination.  If, on the other hand, you have a child who likes to draw or color/paint, or is just plain crafty, he/she is still having a therapeutic form of activity my enhancing his/her fine motor skills.

3.  Playing enhances social skills.

Giving toys to your child and having him/her sit and play with it is not enough to help his/her social growth.  As a parent, it is our responsibility to teach our children how to make friends.  If we bring them to a playground or simply allow them to have playdates, they are developing the ability to interact with their peers.  Not only that, as time goes by they learn problem solving skills by knowing what to do when some circumstances happen.  For example, while your toddler is playing with his friend, his friend suddenly snatched his toy from him.  Your toddler's initial reaction is to cry or shout at his playmate in hopes of getting the toy back.  But as your toddler grow older and more mature, with your guidance, he will start to think of a more diplomatic way on how to have his toy back like using words instead of crying (i.e. I am not done playing with it.  May I have my toy back?).  Or he could just simply ignore the act and find other toy to play with.

4.  Playing expands imagination and vocabulary.

I am always amazed at how kids use a lot of verbal skills while playing.  Every time I bring my toddler to a  playschool, I see older children gathered at one corner pretending to cook something for lunch in the toy kitchen.  They seem to be infused with a lot of ideas on what ingredients they should put in and how they are going to cook their food.  I even remember one girl asking another girl if she wants to taste the banana soup she made.

There are many more benefits your child can get from playing other than those I provided.  Bottom line here is let your child engage in interactive play rather than having him/her play all by himself/herself or play video games.  If by chance, there is no other kid in your household your child can play with, then by all means do the honor and play with him/her.  So what are you waiting for moms and dads?  Go to the playroom and pretend play with your little one or head out and go biking.

Pre and Post-halloween Deal

The most awaited Stuff-and-Save promo from Old Navy is back! All Old Navy card holders can take advantage of a 30% discount on purchases using their ON card thru November 3rd.  Since I like buying everyday clothes from ON, I took advantage of the opportunity and went to their store last Friday.  I was thinking of buying a wool-blend coat but decided against it because I didn't like the cheap plastic buttons.  So I just bought a couple of thermals, four leggings and sweater dress for my little girl, a pair of ski gloves and two pull-over sweaters for my boy.  Not only did I save almost $100 from my purchase, I also got a $30 certificate from their SUPER CASH promo which I can redeem on the second week of November.  Now that is what I call a sweet deal.

Unfortunate Event

Today I read a news about a toddler girl in China who apparently was run over twice, once by a van and the second time by a truck.  I was hesitant to watch the video at first because I am also a mom of a two year old girl but curiosity got into me.  While watching the video, my hands were trembling and my heart was beating so fast I couldn't breathe so I'm warning those who have weak heart not to watch it.
Anyway, here's what happened.  The little girl was walking down a narrow street alone against the traffic when she was hit by the van.  Being a driver myself, I can assume that the driver of the van is only driving at around 15-20 mph and I can certainly say that he had time to hit his break.  So I wonder why he did not stop, instead he chose to have his van roll over the girl's fragile body.  What is most disturbing is the fact that passersby did not even have the conscience to help her.  They just looked at her as if she was just some dead animal lying on the street.  Then another truck passed the street, rolled over her body like she was a piece of garbage who can't feel any pain.  Luckily there was a good samaritan who took courage to move her limp body to the curb, cried for help, and tried to look for the girl's parents.  That was the only time the mother found out what had happened to her daughter and rushed her to the hospital.  Both drivers were arrested and detained but I cannot accept one of the drivers' reason as to why he left the girl almost lifeless on the street.  He said he'll only pay 1500 dollars if the girl dies as opposed to at least 15000 dollars if she lives.  How can a person say that?  Does he not have any child?  Who does he think he is to take away a precious child's life?  As for the mother, how irresponsible could she be not to know her child's whereabouts?  I strongly feel that the parents should also be held responsible for what happened to this little angel.

Here's the link to the video:
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/26983425

The doctors said the girl might not make it but I do believe in the power of prayers.  So I am asking everyone who reads this to please pray for this little girl.

BC Bloggers

Two days ago I saw a post about BC Bloggers.  I learned that BC Bloggers help bloggers fill their blogrolls fast by being linked to the homepage.  So, I visited this site Mommy Diary and decided to give it a try.   There is no cost to join so all you bloggers out there who want to build your blogrolls easily, all you need to do is sign up to the link above.