Trick-or-Treating 2011

This is the first house that we went to. I love how they did to their front yard, very creative.

Meet the nurse and the little sailor. I was suppose to wear my sailor dress too but I did not want to wear something more elaborate than RC so I decided to wear this simpler Red Cross nurse costume. I just made the hat from a paper and later took it off. I love looking at all these decorations. They are spooky but fun at the same time. RC's dress was sponsored by Yandy.com (please don't click if sexy stuff offend you) a few months ago. One of the very few kids' costumes they had.

As usual, I look like I had more fun than RC at the pictures =). She had a simple sailor dress but we still received compliments. She can wear this dress for everyday. It was hard to get her focused on the camera when she just wants to go trick or treating.

We only walked for an hour and RC was tired already. She did not take a nap in the afternoon. I did not know that my slip were showing but it was dark.

This is a good idea, pineapple carving instead of pumpkin. If I don't forget, I'll probably try this next year. This year, we decided not to carve pumpkins because of the mess.

This was really spooky. The face of the man looks real. RC was a brave girl, she did not get scared at all on all the Halloween stuff she saw.

Halloween is over, next will be Thanksgiving. Do you decorate your home with Thanksgiving decors? Maybe I'll start on Christmas crafts instead, after all I'm Filipino and Christmas decors starts September in the Philippines, no kidding! I want a Christmas tree this year but I think I have to get rid of some stuff here or store some so we can make a space for a tree.

I hope you had a super fun Halloween!

Enclume Pot Rack

How do you organize your pans?

This kind hanging enclume pot racks looks very accessible and they are a space saver. They are mounted on the wall or can be hung from the ceiling. They don’t take space in your kitchen cabinets. They can be a bit expensive because most of them are stainless or made with quality materials. Unless you or your husband are handy when it comes to metal, this can be a hard project to DIY.

This will be great for every kitchen.  I have a lot of kitchen décor ideas if only we had enough space in the kitchen or if we could at least renovate. Our landlord will probably let us but the place is not ours. Sometimes it’s is not practical to spend on renovation if you’re renting.  The only negative that I can think of if you have this enclume pot rack is that you should have nice pots too because they are not hidden and your pots are actually a part of your kitchen’s décor.

For more information about enclume potracks, please visit http://www.enclumepotracks.com/. This post is brought to you by their website.  A lot of their pots are shipped for free and they have an ongoing sale at this time. 

WW: Happy Halloween 2011!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope this year's Halloween will be fun for you and your family. We're ready for trick or treating.

I'm linking with Creative Blogger's Party, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Sweet Shot, tackle It Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Time Out Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, Show and Tell Wed, DIY Showoff

Groovy Kid Nation Kid's Songs CD Review

If your children loves kid's songs with groovy music, this CD is the one to get. I can’t complain about the music of Groovy Kid Nation "Music In Motion" Children's Music CD. RC tells me “Mom, let’s dance!”  I was going to take pictures of her dancing but I had to dance with her.

As of learning various kinds of musical instruments, I believe RC is a little too young for that. I think it is also better if this is a DVD so we can watch which instrument is playing while listening to the sounds. Even though, I’m glad that we were given the chance to try Groovy Kid Nation.  The music and the dancing is fun.

There is also a small booklet that comes with it. RC likes reading even just pointing at colors and pictures, she can make her own story from the booklet so it's a learning experience. 

You can buy the Groovy Kid Nation "Music In Motion" Children's Music CD from Amazon for about $16+ which can be eligible for free shipping.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Cutest Jeepney

We went to the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center and took a lot of pictures. I'll share a lot more pictures later. We were suppose to go there for trick or treat but there was none. They probably did it earlier.  But we were not disappointed.   RC had so much fun, there was so much to do there for the kids.

Anyway, this jeepney is so cute but only kids can fit in it!

I'm linking with Mellow Yellow Monday

Cheap Eyeglasses

Because your eyes are deserving of a great pair of glasses!

My eyes are not a perfect 20/20, and so I have a prescription for lenses. I have eyeglasses now that I do not use and they are out of date. The last time I went to an optometrist was about two years ago, and I’m sure my eyes have gotten worse.  At this time, I would admit I don’t have insurance that covers vision exams. I should visit an eye doctor though so I can get a new prescription for my eyesight.

I wrote for Zenni Optical on my blog in the past and I am really glad that I found their website because my husband is now their customer. He just bought a new pair from them.  They offer cheap eyeglasses and a wide range of eyeglasses to choose from.  Their prices are extremely reasonable and you can choose glasses starting from just $6.95 per pair.   If he loses them, or they break, he can easily replace them for a low price.  

Most people use contact lenses these days, but I think most of them also own a pair of eyeglasses to use from time to time to give their eyes a break from contacts or when they are at home relaxing after a hard day at work.

I'm in the mood to talk about accessories today. Photos are from zennioptical.com.

Solar Powered Watch

Many people now rely on a cellphone for telling time. I’ve had conversations with other people who are like me who just use their cellphones.  How about you? Do you use a watch or a cellphone to tell time? 

Thankfully, somebody gave me a watch a few weeks ago as I shared here at my blog. However, the design is funky and will not fit well for any occasion. I will need a watch that I can wear anywhere.  All my watches have dead batteries and sometimes it makes more sense to buy a new one because of the cost of changing the batteries if you do not know how to change it yourself. 

My next watch will probably be solar powered. I think it is trending nowadays, you would not have to worry about changing batteries.  It's also eco-friendly. Thank goodness, they invented this.  I’ve been looking at ladies watches online lately, I just can’t decide yet.  I’m looking for a price that I can afford. I believe they are worth it because of the quality and convenience especially for somebody like me who have watches I can’t use because all of their batteries are dead.  I wouldn’t be looking for a particular brand as long as it’s of great quality and something that I can use for many years.

Does anybody use a solar powered watch? What do you think of it?



This post is brought to you by  bluedial.com

Bale Sandwich and Restaurant

I had a guest post here at my blog a few days ago about tightening your belt and one of the tips is to refrain from eating out. I'm here again posting buying ready to eat food. I love to eat out, but it's true that it is much cheaper to make your food from home. I don't have my own car and  I don't own a fancy phone so maybe this is something I can keep doing but I'll still try to make food from home more often to save more.

One of my New year's resolution for this year was to stop eating at restaurants too much but later this year, I think we ate out a lot again. However, this one is cheap, as you can see it is not fancy at all and the food is delicious. Sometimes  you can find the best food out there at the old and cheap places.

I believe this one is Vietnamese. They give you so much food too in one plate. We requested an additional plate for RC, she had rice and chicken.

Teriyaki chicken, garlic shrimp, spring roll and rice

Teriyaki beef, marinated chicken?, spring roll, some veggies and rice.

There are more than one Bale Restaurant here in Oahu. I am not sure with the other islands. I'll go back at this place for more great food.

 I'm also linking with Yummy Sunday

Apartment Mailboxes

Does anybody else blog about mailboxes aside from myself? I don’t mind writing about mailboxes.  Maybe someday I will have a great nice mailbox outside my home instead of checking apartment mailboxes. Checking the mail has been a part of our everyday routine. Even RC says “Let’s check the mail.” It’s actually one of her tricks so we will go to the park after I checked the mail.  If not, she would cry and won’t walk back to the apartment unless I “drag” her. 

Community mailboxes are actually pretty convenient.  The mail lady comes at the same time and there’s a sign if the mail came or not within the day. I only get to see her every once in a while. If you live in a house and you’re a stay at home mom, you probably will have some kind of communication with the mailman.  I remember my grandma would talk to the mailman when I still lived in the Philippines. 

I think some of the cluster mailboxes can also be used in garages for storage and organization of tools and other things so they’re not an eyesore in the garage.

For more information about CBU mailboxes, please check out approvedclustermailboxes.com. This post is brought to you by their website.

Windex Turns 75! Review and Giveaway Ends 11/9

Windex turns 75 years!  I was just given the opportunity to try Windex Multi Surface Vinegar and Windex Electronics Wipes  in addition to the famous Windex Original Glass Cleaner. Windex makes cleaning easier. Thank you Windex!

Review

Windex Original --We have been using Windex for many years but we have only used it to clean windows and mirrors.  All the finger prints and dust from the windows gets easily removed for streak-free shine surface. You can also use this at sliding doors, car windows, plastic, marble and granite.

Windex Multi Surface Vinegar– I used this to clean the countertop and the floor of our kitchen.  It’s very versatile. I could use this too every after meals to clean our table. It does not smell like regular vinegar. It has a pleasant odor. I like how both the window cleaner and this one have a spray on bottles which makes it really easy to use for cleaning.

Windex Electronics Wipes – This is great for computers, laptops, other electronic gadgets even for televisions. It does not leave a residue that leaves your monitor looking blurry. I think I will look for this at our local grocery store after my supply is gone so I can clean our computers easily and frequently.

Giveaway: One of my readers will receive the same 3 pc Windex that I received - Electronics Wipes (1pk/25pcs), Multi-Surface Vinegar (26 FL Oz) and Original (26 FL Oz) . Contest will end on November 9, 2011 8 PM Hawaii Standard Time or 11 PM Pacific Time. This is open US residents only.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Just leave a comment on this blog post. (Please also leave your email address especially if you join using the anonymous comment feature so I can contact you if you win.)

EXTRA ENTRIES: PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY

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3. Like Windex on Facebook (2 entries)
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6. Tweet about this giveaway. Please leave the URL of the tweet. (1 per entry/ can be done daily) You can RT this:
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10. Join another giveaway on my blog if there's any. Please let me know which one you entered. (1 entry for each giveaway)

I have another giveaway 3 pcs of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream Approx $50 in value. I hope you also enter it.

Disclosure: I received the item(s) mentioned above through FRN, no other compensation was received.

Fitness Alliance: Exercise

Being active and engaged in exercise can be challenging especially if you live a busy lifestyle. Exercise is definitely recommended not to have a beach body but to be active, strong and healthy. For some, losing weight is a must because it is also a part of staying healthy.  But if you have a beach body, that’s great too!

We can exercise with our bodies alone. You can do pull ups, sit ups, jumping jacks and other forms of exercise. If you would like to extend your fitness routine to the next level, you can start going to the gym or buy some exercise equipments. Remember to consult a professional if you will ever do an extreme body workout. You probably have seen some of TV programs on showing people losing a lot of weight and doing heavy lifting and other kind of strenuous  exercises.  They have fitness trainers and are constantly being supervised.  

If your goal is losing weight, you can check on your weight regularly but don’t expect to lose weight everyday. You can do a 90 Day Review or a quarterly review of the weight that you lost.  As with any other goal, you will have to keep yourself motivated and consider exercise as a part of your life.

____________________

I received a small compensation for this post. This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance.

Colorful

Tuck your shirt in... Yay or Nay? It reminds me of the 80s.

Here are some pictures taken by my small camera. I love love love it, it's very handy and I can take pictures anywhere but it gave up two days ago.

RC's a Modern Kiddo!

RC got featured HERE at Modern Kiddo. I hope you show  her some love  by visiting her feature. I submitted it early this year and she just got featured today.

Thanks!

RankPop.Com Website Review

The people I know who are bloggers like me are concerned about how easy their pages online.  But how do these search engines relate web searches to your website or blog?  Well, the answer isn’t so easy to explain, and most of it is due to proprietary methods of handling data, but some of the relation is also made through the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. 

You can work with a SEP provider who will help make sure your website or blog gets noticed.  The number of page views will increase and the volume of traffic to your website should grow after working with a SEP provider.  But how do you know who can provide affordable SEO services?  You can do web searches looking, or you can check out RankPop.com.  They are a SEO company that only takes payment after they get results for you.  Their guaranteed SEO services will improve your site’s ranking based upon the use of a list of keywords that you agree to, or you don’t pay them anything.  So if you’re looking for a company that provides affordable SEO services, you should check out their home page at RankPop.com.  If you visit their site, you might also get some free laughs.  I love how they put humor in their site.

As I previously mentioned, I probably would try this kind of advertisement if I have an online business I want to be noticed. I consider myself a small time blogger and I still have a lot to learn about promoting a website or blog.


This post is brought to you  by http://rankpop.com/

Calypso Studios Bracelet and Modify Watch Winners Are...

#73

mframe said...

I Like Calypso Studios, Inc. in Facebook

#129

Angela Hsaid...

I like MomDaughter Style on Facebook.

Winners were emailed.

Thanks for all who joined. Please keep on joining!

Personal Finance: Tightening Your Belt

With the recession drawing itself out and no sign of a full recovery insight, individuals everywhere are finding themselves in a position where they need to cut personal spending. Perhaps you were laid off from your job, and are currently unemployed. Maybe your investments in the stock market have been losing money. Or it’s possible that you have a job and healthy investments, but that neither is returning as much as they used to.

In this sense, for whatever reason, it is important for many of us to cut spending. While it usually isn’t too difficult to forgo the purchase of an expensive car for a cheaper one, or to trade the planned vacation to Guam in exchange for a road trip, it’s more challenging to cut expenses that we already have and are used to. Here are a few ideas of things to cut:

Your Cell Phone Bill
Do you really need to own the hottest new phone with an unlimited data plan? For most of us, the answer is a pretty definitive “no.” Instead of being weighed down by expensive contracts, then you may be better served buying a Prepaid Cell Phone. Less flashy,certainly, but it definitely provide excellent service and a savings as well.

Your Transportation Costs
If you’re like most Americans, you spend over $100 per month filling up your tank with gas. When factoring in the cost of other repairs and maintenance, then a car becomes even more expensive. Unless we live in a big city it’s hard for many of us to completely trash the car, but we can still cut down on its use by walking and taking public transportation whenever possible. And, when it’s nice outside, your body and your budget will probably thank you in the long run for investing in a bike.

Your Food Costs
Many people eat out at restaurants and fast food establishments largely outof convenience. We don’t know what to make for dinner or we didn’t pack anything for lunch, so we find ourselves heading over to the near estestablishment and paying $10 for something we could have made for $3 at home. The solution to this issue: adequate planning. Before making a shopping trip, plan out all your meals for the next couple weeks, and then buy food accordingly. It’s a bit of a hassle upfront, but you’ll find that the added discipline iswell worth it in the long run.

These are just few ideas of how to get started cutting your budget. It’simportant to realize that cuts can come in nearly every facet of your life. All it takes is a realization of a potential cut – and a willingness to carry it out – in order to start making those financially beneficial lifestyle changes.

_______________________
This is a guest post.

Lunch Dinner Cocktails

It's RC's idea to wear her wings. Maybe I can consider this as her second outfit this Halloween. She wears this a lot in the apartment and pretends to be a butterfly.

I think RC was a little shocked with the darkness and the loudness of this place. I was too. Well, it's always nice to try new restaurants. This one is more of a bar. I think we were the only ones who were there and not drinking any type of alcohol. Everyone except for their staff were also watching the football game and shouting at the top of their lungs. It's a different kind of lunch.

The food is great and the ambiance is actually cheerful. The waitress was very nice. I wish they have a plastic cup for RC's drinks.She almost spilled it because she reached it and trying to lift and drink on her own. I'm being so watchful since that first time she broke a glass at a restaurant.

RC did not want to eat anything else except for the french fries.

I had the Hawaiian plate.

By the way, here's the name. I managed to take a picture of it.

We also went to Target that day and I got to spend a gift card that I won sometime ago.  I always have to spend more than the gift card. I wish I'll win a shop till I drop shopping spree (this is me dreaming).  I'm happy that I won. I shopped for "potty gadgets" for RC. I think she is ready for the transition from having a small potty chair to sitting on the toilet. We started yesterday.  I'm so proud of her. She's not fully trained yet but I thought it is going to be harder.

I'll announce the winners of the Calypso Studios bracelet and the Modify watch tomorrow.

Smart Thinking Lifestyle Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms

Thanks to Tervis for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website http://www.tervis.com to learn more about the world’s first smart cup.

After my daughter was born, I took off two months from work. I didn’t want to leave her each morning, but I felt I needed to keep working to keep our income at a reasonable level and I had great health insurance at the time.  We fell into a routine and it didn’t seem so bad, but I still hoped to becoming a stay-at-home Mom.  That didn’t become a reality until about three months ago when our daughter was about two and a half years old. I feel great about my decision to quit working especially since she was getting sick a lot at the child care center.

Living with a two year old full time is not always easy.  Her communication skills are improving each day, and she’s starting to say simple sentences, and she can usually let us know what she wants, so the crying to let us know she needs something has mostly stopped, thankfully.  I try to schedule things to do with her each day, like reading time.  She loves to have a book read to her, and it doesn’t bore her if we read it ten times a day, she enjoys it each time.  I also set aside play time each day when we sit together and build houses with blocks, or pretend phone calls on her toy cell phone, anything to have time together where she’s learning new things and improving her thinking skills.  I’ve seen a big improvement in her speech and learning since I stopped working, and I enjoy every minute of it. 

We’ve been going through potty training over the last three months, and she’s doing really well at it, and almost has it mastered.  It would have been much more difficult if I was still working.  We make a big deal of it each time she goes potty, and she joins in the celebration.  Our being enthusiastic about her achievements has made her a very eager learner and she just absorbs anything we try to teach her.

Trying to work at home while taking care of our daughter full time is challenging, but the tradeoff is that I get to spend all day with my daughter.  It was a little difficult at first, but through scheduling things each day, I’ve found that it’s easier now.  One other point I need to make is to be sure to get out of the house sometimes, it’s hard to stop going to work each day and stay home without getting bored occasionally.  Make sure you schedule some time for yourself and let your significant other take over with the child care for a while each day so you can relax on your own.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Tervis, visit their website http://www.tervis.com.

Learning to Heelys: Review

I just got my first Heelys over a week ago. It came in great packaging. I love the colors I got which is orange and gray. There are so many colors to choose from, you can go from all black to crazy purple or pink colors. Will I learn to use these roller shoes? You might have seen kids at the mall, at the grocery store or just about anywhere where kids use Heelys and they look so comfortable wearing them and it looks so easy to use. I thought I am one of the old ones to get Heelys but these shoes are available in adult sizes too. You can check out Youtube for videos of how to learn to use Heelys.  Here's one of them.

Installing the rollers is pretty easy.  Learning to walk or should I say roll these Heelys will be a challenge for me.  First because most of our apartment is carpet.  Second, I probably need somebody to guide me to learn. I tried using it in our kitchen but I think I will have to go downstairs at the first floor to further practice.  I think it is not too late to learn. I am just a stubborn learner, not sporty at all but practice can get things better. I’m not giving up yet on learning how to use these. Maybe I should keep this for RC later on.

Heelys is going to have a Black Friday Special!  From November 25-28, if you buy Heelys, you can get the second one for just $25!

You can buy Heelys at http://shop.heelys.com/. They are also now available at Zappos.

You can find them in Facebook and Twitter.

Overall, I am very happy I got the chance to try these Heelys. 

Disclaimer: I got a pair of Heelys in exchange for a review.  No other compensation was received. Thank you so much Heelys!

Swimming

 

Whenever we go swimming in the morning and then go to the park in the afternoon, I feel like a productive mom and I don't feel so bad about sitting infront of the computer in between. RC loves to swim and giggles so hard once we hit the water. I need to buy her some swimming gear. It's a bummer because the last time I had a fever the next day. I think it was because the water was cold. RC is tougher than me.

I was inspired by this mom on TV and her two kids has progeria and she says that everyday her goal is to make her kids happy and she takes them everyday at the pool because that is what they love doing. However, I want to think that there is a lot of future for RC and I have to prepare her for it by not spoiling her. It is really hard to draw the line sometimes, motherhood is challenging. We love our kids but we want what is best for them so we also have to provide discipline.

Croatia

When people think of European countries, they normally think of France, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and Switzerland, but some of the most beautiful scenery is located in the new countries which used to be part of the former Yugoslavia.  In 1991 Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia and became a new nation, and fought four years in their war of independence.  Croatia has over 1000 islands located in the Adriatic Sea, of which less than 50 are inhabited, and a long coastline. 

The Adriatic divides Croatia from Italy and is a truly wonderful place to travel.  Croatia is ranked number 18 on the most visited places and tourism is a big part of their economy.  One of the things tourists can do when visiting is to reserve a boat and sail Croatia.  The long coast and large number of islands will make any sailing trip a lifelong memory.  I think if we travel to Europe that we will try to visit Croatia and the countries around it.  I have seen the country highlighted on travel channels and it looks like a very relaxing and scenic country to tour.  If you are interested in reserving a sailboat, check out Croatiayachtclub.com.  They have a wide variety of boats and locations to choose from. 

I participated in a campaign about Croatia. For more information in sailing Croatia, please visit http://www.croatiayachtclub.com/. 

Article Review: Top 10 European Ski Resorts

I would love to go to Europe because I want to see the beautiful old castles and other historical sites, especially their architectural details. I would not have thought of going to Europe and ski, but when I was introduced to this article Top 10 European Ski Resorts, it seems so fun and the views are amazing. Now, if I can only make my body cooperate during cold weather and try skiing. The article is very precise with the destinations and has descriptions of each. It has great pictures too. Some of the places mentioned, I probably cannot even pronounce well, they are tongue twisters for me.

We know that Europe is also a safe place to visit in general and most people know how to speak English. A lot of Americans go to Europe to travel. I honestly never tried skiing yet and I haven’t been to Europe. I would love to go someday. It is just so far here from Hawaii and I think at this time I would have to go first to the Philippines which is my home country before I go to Europe.

If you would like to know about the top 10 European Ski Resorts, please visit http://john.articlealley.com/top-10-european-ski-resorts-2370845.html. The article also has a video of people skiing.

I will receive a small compensation writing a review for the article.

Fabric Painting With a Toddler

RC loves anything about coloring. I tried fabric painting with her. These are photos when her hair was still long. We used her old faded top that she also used as a dress when she was younger.

She is having a hard time squeezing the fabric paint out so she just worked her own wonders to the shirt.

This is her work of art. 

 

I think it is much better when I help her. 

This is what happens when I don't make her use an apron while painting, even the dress she was wearing got painted. 

I love being a stay at home mom!

I'm linking with Motivate Me, Just Something I whipped Up, More the Merrier Monday, Making the World Cuter , Craft Catwalk, Creative Bloggers Party and Hop. A Round Tuit, Amaze Me Monday, You Rock, Show and Tell Friday