Lighting could make a difference

There are times when I find myself thinking on how to make little improvements around the house. I’ve always been meaning to get more wall décor to add some life to our bare wall. I was thinking of using some Seagull lighting, probably in the form of those stylish wall sconces. They don’t just add beauty to the house but it serves a purpose as well. The subtle lighting could make the living room more dramatic I guess, lol. I’m not really a fan of super bright lighting anyway.

First experience was not bad

Like most of us, I don’t like hospitals. I mean I can’t stand the smell and the fact that I could be exposed to sick people. Thankfully, I don’t get sick quite often. I hardly even get colds (knock on wood!). The first and hopefully the last time that I will be in a hospital was when I gave birth. During my 3 day stay, I have noticed quite a lot of differences from the hospitals in the PI. For one, their emergency and triage area are not crowded. I was amazed with the fancy equipments they used here. The maternity bed that looks quite simple and small at first glance turned out to be fully functional, comfortable and has amazing features. The medical carts they’ve been using looks ordinary but actually is full of high tech apparatus and equipments. Despite the pain I was feeling at that time, my hospital stay wasn't really that bad as I expected. Of course, there's still no place like home but as a whole, I did have a great hospital experience.

Cruisin' together

Yay! It’s February. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Have you got plans yet? Do you want to make this day extra special? How about a cruise to Bermuda? Does that sound fun? They say one should take a cruise even just once in a lifetime. The perfect time to do it is during Heart's Day, isn't it? If you want to know more about cruising, just visit the link above.

Are supplements necessary?

Could there be the best weight loss supplement for post partum mommies out there? It seems like I need one. I can’t seem to lose more pounds lately. I’m experiencing a weight loss plateau. I’m not that careful with my diet though. I eat whatever is available and easy to prepare. You know how difficult it can be to do other things if you have a newborn to take care of. For now, I'm just letting my body do its own thing. Maybe in the near future I'd be more serious with my desire to lose weight.

Aircast boots

I’ve never really thought about how lucky I am to have both legs and arms until I saw a photo of a friend who happened to be temporarily unable to walk due to some leg injury. He wears aircast boot to help him walk around the house. I feel bad for him and I hope he’ll get well soon. I know he’s so eager to get back to his old self as he loves to play basketball so much.

An evil deed

I was appalled with the horrific news about a bus bombing that happened in Manila the other day. Innocent lives were taken away in just a split second by these shameless terrorist groups. It has been linked to previous bombing incidents in the Metro Manila area. All had used cell phones as the triggering device. It’s ironic how such a small piece of a useful equipment could also be used to kill innocent people. Indeed, the world is no longer a safe place to live these days, tsk..tsk..tsk!

Couldn't be bothered

Our house is a mess right now, but we don’t care. My priority is to take care of the little guy. What little spare time I have, I use it to take naps. I’m sure as he gets older I’ll have more time to tidy the house. I’ve been ordering stuff online and it’s a shame that boxes are cluttered all over the house, lol! It’s a great thing we put away our old boxes with lots and lots of textbooks in it. Or else we may no longer be able to see each other anymore around the house because of the boxes, haha!

A new generation of gardening

I learn a new word today. I came across the word hydroponics, but never really know what it means so I googled it. I found out that it is actually a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Pretty neat, huh! I bet this kind of planting system has been used by those large botanical gardens we’ve been to a couple of years back. I've heard you could also use this system right into your own garden. Just visit America's No. 1 leading provider for your indoor gardening and hydroponics needs.

Cypress Tree

We may have to skip a Valentine’s trip this year since the baby is too young and fragile to travel especially in this weather. I remember one trip we had, we went to an arboretum and it was so cool looking at all the different kinds of tree species in Arkansas. Hubby was pretty good in recognizing the names of the trees, shrubs, flowers and stuff. It was my first time to see a swamp cypress tree in the U.S. I know it’s pretty common in the southern US area but I really never pay attention to these things. I've heard there's even an Italian kind of Cypress tree and shrub which looks pretty neat. It can be used to add beauty to a driveway, parking lot and even part of a beautiful scenery.

Adapexin could be the one for you

Have you heard the latest in the world of diet pills? Another pill made it to the market. It’s called adapexin p. It claims to be a powerful appetite suppressant and weight loss aid that will leave you feeling happy and thin. It has Phenylethylamine which is a stimulant similar to amphetamine that occurs naturally as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is also said to be found in chocolate and is responsible for its effects on mood, appetite, and sense of well-being. To all the chocolate lovers out there, this may be the diet pill for you.

Good for them

I think some of my friends had found the most effective weight loss pills. I’ve seen their recent photos on FB and boy they look ravishing. I don’t guess I’ll go that route but I’m really looking forward to shedding off some of my post partum fats. I’m doing better right now though. Only a few pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight but I know it’s not enough. I gotta work more if I wanted to look great. How about you? Are you also trying to find the best diet and exercise routine for you?

2NE1

It’s not until I’ve moved in the U.S. when I found out that there’s a legal drinking age for people here. I was just used to how things were in the PI where you can almost always buy anything alcoholic even from small sari-sari stores. They have stricter rules that apply here for alcoholic which I think is great. That’s probably why turning 21 is such a big deal for most people here especially guys who like to try out alcohol. If you want to make your friend’s 21st birthday memorable, research on some nice personalized 21st birthday gifts ideas. It may not be a common thing to do but it'll surely make this legal age of him/her quite unforgettable.

Dare to be different

I thought it was cool I found out that one of my female friends has an interest on target shooting. I mean it’s not usually a common hobby for girls but it’s nice to have something different. She was influenced by her husband who loves to target shoot as well. They would make it like a weekend date or something. They invested quite a lot of pricey stuff for this hobby of theirs. I’ve heard they just bought a new nikon rifle scope to make their shooting experience more fun than ever.

A possible workout

When my body is ready and able to exercise again, I might try doing some ab workouts routine. I used to have a DVD on hiphop dancing that claims to strengthen and flatten the abdominal muscles but I never really get so much use with that. I know discipline is the key. It might be a while before I do some abdominal routines since I had a C-section but even just thinking about it gives me something to look forward to.

Initial steps to my pre-preg weight

Surely I won’t need any fat burner to get rid of some old pregnancy fats yet. Sleep deprivation, breastfeeding and holding the baby itself for good almost 24 hours helps burn unwanted fats I guess, lol! Three more pounds to lose and I’m back with my pre-pregnancy weight which is not ideal if you ask me. I know I still need to lose more if I wanted to look good but in time I’ll be able to go back to exercising and taking care of myself better.

One month milestone

Taking it one day at a time makes it a little bit easier for me when taking care of my little one. I have been sleep deprived for quite some time now. Gone were the days when I can take 10-12 hour sleeps. I'd be lucky to get just a 3-hour sleep a day lately. Yes, it's been tough and I'm not even going to deny that. Nothing prepares me for the big change in our lives. But just looking at how innocent and fragile my baby is, and that he needs me more than anything else in this world, that had kept me going. Has it really been a month since I have him? Yes, it has been. Wow! I consider it a milestone. I know it's going to be a long journey for us but I intend to cherish every second of it, take photographs and souvenirs and enjoy the time that I can still cuddle him because before I know it, he'll eventually grow bigger and become independent.

My little "grunter" (a very noisy sleeper, lol!)

tummy time

A place of serenity

There’s always something cool about log furniture. We currently live in a small town that used to be a famous vacation spot for young and adults alike that like to be close with nature. We have a beautiful lake and river where one could fish, swim, boat, camp or just about anything you’d like to do for a nature adventure. So we have very rustic cabins to stay here in our town that’s so full of old but cool-looking log furniture. It’s a perfect getaway if you want to be at peace with nature.

My body hates me

Although taking care of a newborn is very rewarding, I wouldn’t deny that it has almost taken its toll on me physically. I haven’t been sleeping very well since I gave birth and I have been feeling achy all over my back from holding the baby a lot, coupled with no sleep and exhaustion of course. So even if hubby has not taken any massage therapy program online, there’s nobody here I can turn to and ask for help but him. He’d rubbed FlexAll every night on my shoulder blades and lower back. It may have not taken the pain completely but it helped a lot with the discomfort. I can’t imagine how bad my back and shoulders would hurt when my little one puts on more weight in the next few months. I don’t want to think about it, hehe!

Shocked!

I never thought giving birth in the U.S. can be very expensive. A week after we were discharged from the hospital, we got a letter from them informing us that Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance couldn’t cover the cost of the baby’s delivery and care because he was not added yet to our insurance policy. I was floored when I saw the bill. It costs almost P200,000.00 in Philippine pesos, just for the baby alone. I didn’t know how much was the C-section since I was already covered by Jeff’s insurance so the company took care of that. But yikes, it’s freaking expensive. We called our insurance company right away and had the baby added to our policy. Thank God it was just a phone call away and everything was settled and we didn’t have to pay the ridiculous amount. Phew!

Change of priorities

It’s been a while since I've shopped online. While I was nursing my little guy in the middle of the night, I thought I’d browse online and see what I like. It used to be shoes womens that I was almost obsessed about. But lately, it’s been baby’s clothes and stuff that I always end up checking with. I end up buying a Moby wrap for carrying baby around the house and a "white noise" audio cd for baby as well. I realize when you become a mom, you tend to forget about yourself and just focus about what the baby needs.

It's not yet over

Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping rush may be over but huge discounts can still be enjoyed online. How? Just visit buy.com and check out their fancy and inexpensive stuff that are part of their Black Friday deals. So if you haven’t thought yet what to get for your other half on Valentine’s Day, you might want to have an idea of their fantastic items. It's never too late to get good stuff at an affordable prices so hurry, check them out!

Vulnerable but very ecstatic

It's been 3 weeks since I gave birth but the memory of my birthing experience was still vivid. I find myself looking again and again at our hospital photos and can't help but be grateful that everything went well. I have been busy taking care of our little one thus explains my long absence in my blog. But as we enter the new year of 2011, I just thought I can't go on blogging without sharing the most precious event that had happened in our lives recently. So though I definitely don't look glamorous in these photos, I still choose to share myself with you guys in my most vulnerable moment. After all, this is my personal blog so I want to be up close and personal as much as I can, hehe. Below are two of my most cherished hospital photos when I gave birth to our baby boy. It was a tough ordeal and these photographs will always remind me that through it all, I survived and managed the pain and the difficulty of giving birth. These may be the ugliest photos of me in this blog, lol! but surely one of the happiest captures ever.

The first time I set my eyes on my little one

A family at last!