My Little Singer

My daughter loves singing. You can hear her sing wherever she is or whatever she's doing. And she hits the notes when she sings, though of course she still can't pronounce all the lyrics! Let me share with you a video of her singing some songs.

Thankful Thursday: Random

²⁵"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

²⁸"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

³¹" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Luke 15: 25-32

We've discussed last night during our midweek service the story of the Lost Sibling. A continuation of our series: God's Lost and Found. Our pastor discussed how it is also important to look not just the situation of the prodigal son but the jealous sibling as well.

• I'm thankful that I have now a better understanding of the story. That the story talks about two different kinds of person. For people who are lost in sin and needs to be saved and the people like the elder son who are upset that God blesses other people.
• I'm thankful that through this story, I appreciate more my parents. How they love us and how we should love and respect them in return.
• And I'm thankful that I understand more the meaning of this statement: "Our time alone with God is more important that our service (works)"
• Also, I'm thankful for my friend's gift. He bought me a book "Exploring Worship" when he went to visit Singapore last week. It was a good book!
  

More thankful entries here.

LP: Sapatos

Hindi ko nagawan na kuhanan ng litrato ang dapat sana ay lahok ko ngayong linggo. Bagkus ito ang ibabahagi ko sa inyo.....

...Tama ang nakikita nyo. Magkaibang pares nga ng sapatos ang aking lahok sa linggong ito. Isang nakakatuwang pangyayari na hindi ko makakalimutan sa buong buhay ko, at aaminin ko, ngayon lang nangyari sakin ito :). Pumasok ako ng opisina na suot ay magkaibang pares ng sapatos dahil sa kamamadali ko. Mabuti na lng may isa pa akong pares ng sapatos sa opisina. kaya pagdating ko ay nagpalit ako kaagad. Mabuti na lang talaga dahil kung hindi, hindi ko matitiis ang kahihiyan. Hahaha! Natatawa ako sa sarili ko (lol!)

WW: Red Sand

{Hubby enjoying the red sand}

View my other entry here and here. For more WW endless entries, click here.

Manic Monday #160

Do you screen your phone calls?
~Yes, but not all the time.

When was the last time you lost your temper?
~I can't remember. I seldom lose temper....:D

When you're lost, do you ask for directions?
~Yes. Though I feel I have a strong sense of direction, I still ask people. It helps when you ask.


More Manic Monday entries here.

Bullet points

I’m short on time, thus the bullet points;

• I finished reading “The Duke” by Catherine Coulter. A romance novel, which took to me as far as Scotland and which I almost missed sans my eagerness to revive my penchant for reading. Three more books are next in line.
• I was fascinated with some few hacks I’ve learned to reformat my XP. With a little patience and tremendous effort, I’ve installed, played and tweaked the program to make my PC looks akin to Mac. And I like it. Now, I’m more inspired to work on my PC.
• I’m thinking of enrolling the little lady to a swimming class this summer. Thanks for Milet’s enthusiasm to look for a school. I’ve learned the school from her.
• So we’ll be going there tomorrow to inquire.

Will be back ….Ciao!

I Am A Mother; I Am A Wife

Thank for this tag Vannie :)

Rules PLEASE:

1. Link with the person who tagged you.
2. Copy above images.
3. Post this on any or all of your Blog/s.
4. Answer the two-part questionnaire following these Rules. (Feel free to elaborate your answers. For questions 8 - 14, post only the one (1) which you believe best describes your choice.)
5. Share this with at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll.
6. Come back to Living A' La Mode (DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK PLEASE.) and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.
7. Have fun!

Master List:

1. Tet of A Sweet Taste of Life
2. Cee of Living A' La Mode
3. Dez of My Life in this Wonderful World
4. Vanniedosa of Life With Style
5. Mhay of Married and Happy About It

Parenting Style

1. Do you exercise full or minimal control over your child's / children's behavior?
~I exercise full control over my child's behavior.
2. Do you expect your child / children to obey 100% or let her / him / them do what pleases her / him / them?
~I don't expect her to obey me a 100% now, but hopefully when she gets older she would.
3. Do you welcome discussion or you simply set rules?
~I welcome discussion. I often talk to my daughter, explain to her why I need to spank her or why what she wants is not good for her. I also give her choices. And these works well with us.
4. Do you reprimand?
~Yes, of course.
5. Do you use spanking for punishment?
~Yes but not all the time. Sometimes I let her face the wall.
6. Do you use some kind of a reward System for motivation?
~Sometimes.
7. Do you enjoy being a Parent?
~Yup. Very much!
8. Are you a hands-on Parent or do you have a full-time Nanny?
~I have a full-time nanny who takes care of her everyday when I'm at work. When Im at home specially during weekends, I see to it that I give all of my time to her.
9. At what age would you let your child make simple decisions for himself / herself?
~I let her make simple decisions now.
10.Do you and your Husband have the same Parenting Style?
~I think I'm more strict than my husband.

Wife Style

7. How long have you been married?
~3 years and 8 months
8. How do you feel about being a Wife?
~I love it.
9. What has been your typical sleeping attire since you got married?
~ Pajamas, mostly cotton sleep wears
10. How do you show how appreciative you are of your Husband?
~By being affectionate and vocally appreciative.
11. What do you do when your Husband annoys you?
~Keep quiet for quite some time until he say sorry.
12. You are buying or planning to buy your first house as Husband and Wife ....
~We already did and we both like it.
13. How does your house look like at the end of the day when Hubby gets home?
~Very well kept
14. How do you feel about running a household?
~Exciting and Challenging
15. What is the sweetest gift you have given your Husband so far?
~Hmmm....a surprise birthday party last 2007... a month before he left for Riyadh.


Passing this to Heidi, Nette, Jona, Kitts, Lilet, Toni, and Yette


Also posted it here and here.

LP 50: Paboritong Alahas

Hindi po ako mahilig sa alahas. At hindi rin naman ako maselan gaya ng iba na pag hindi tunay na ginto ang suot ay nagkaka-allergy na, gaya ng aking kapatid. Pero sa lahat ng aking alahas, ito ang aking pinaka paborito. Suot ko ito araw-araw, umulan man o umaraw. Pinagmamalaki ko ito dahil ito ay nagpapaalala sa akin na ako ay may asawa kahit na nasa malayo siya. :D

Thankful Thursday: We're Free

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:22

We’ve just finished the series of God’s Lost and Found last night. These are stories and parable of Jesus which were told in the book of Luke, which includes the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost son. Truth be told, I’ve only came to understand deeper these parables because of our pastor’s series. And the bottom line is about God’s immeasurable love for the lost soul. And because of that love we’ve become free. He set us free!

As Christians we are indeed blessed. And we should not keep this blessing to ourselves. We have a responsibility to reach out, as God wanted us, the lost and help them to be set free.

I’m thankful for my salvation and I am more grateful that I realized these things. Now, I have the deep longing to be able to go and help save the lost.

This week, I am also thankful that my domain is finally up and running. Thanks to my ever-supportive friend, Milet.

What are you thankful for this week? Join or read more thankful entries here

WW: Smooch

Isn't she cute with that pouting lips? :D

More wordless entries here.

I Wish You Enough

Here's something I got from my inbox today...It was forwarded by a friend and thought of sharing it here.

At the airport a woman overheard a mother and daughter talking as theyspent their last moments together before saying good-bye. They announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone".

She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them".

Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

A happy day

It’s a rainy Tuesday. I left the house without an umbrella and I have a runny nose. But I’ll call it a day. :)

I’m happy coz last night hubby and I was able to talk through voice chat. And sure did the little girl. She was so happy talking to her dad and showing him her antics through webcam. We hang up at 12 midnight. So the little lady and I are both “puyat”.

Hubby’s counting the days and it makes us all excited for his coming home. Only 6 weeks to go…

I wonder what will be the little girl’s reaction once she meets her dad face to face.

My Birthday Wishes

I was tag by Mye...

The Rules

1. Make a list of what you want for your Birthday.
2. The list should be 10 numbers.
3. Include the image of this Award on your Post.
4. Give it to 10 Friends of yours.

Though my birthday is still 4 months away, here are my wishes..

1. Good health for my whole family
2. More time with my family and my ministry
3. A more challenging and high paying job (?)
4. Travel (local or foreign )
5. A new car (?)
6. More online work
   
7. More savings
   
8. More fund for the extension of our new house.
9. New job for hubby
   
10. A new baby (:D)

That's it. Passing this to Nette, Kitts, and Heidi

Manic Monday #158

Are you a saver or spender?
~I think I'm both. But lately I am more likely to be a spender for my daughter.~

Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes?
~I'm comfortable walking around barefoot :) ~

Do you talk to yourself?
~Absolutely, time but not when somebody is looking at me. I do in when I'm alone.~

More MM entries here.

Thankful Thursday: Only God Knows

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Our preacher last night shares, “God gives us good things. Our choices, judgments and decisions are only the things that make them look bad.” I was contemplating on this statement until before I went to bed. Yes, indeed all things are from God. Whether we look at them as good or bad, only our faith can tell. As the adage says, “Whether good or bad, only God knows, for God is God!”

The past days, I had my series of emotional ups and downs. But still I believe that God is in control of everything. This week I’m thankful…

• That my brother is recuperating. He’s still feeling weak because of the hospitalization but he’s getting better and better each day.
• For God’s provision, we we’re able to pay for his hospital bills.

• For God’s wisdom. We almost got caught of a scam as posted here. Truly He is guiding us and giving us right judgment every time we need it.
• For my husband’s trust on my opinion. He always shares and consults me every time and I’m grateful for that.

• For everything good or bad experiences I had theses past days. Truly God is amazing and in control.
  

What are you thankful for this week? Share it here.

WW: Above and Beyond

More wordless entries here.

I'm still here...

It’s been quite a while. My last entry was Thursday of last week. So now here I am, trying to take a break from my slight hiatus. I do have some updates to post but whenever I regain my root from my fluctuating blogging mood, I end up staring blankly on my monitor. Not knowing exactly what to write let alone how to begin a post. I end up feeling lost. Aside from the fact that online work is super slow these days. My newly bought domain is still not running yet and I’m already getting impatient with GoDaddy. Hayz!...Anyway, as I don’t really want to fill this post with lots of frustrations, here are some updates on me this past few days…

• I brought my youngest brother to the hospital last Thursday. He was diagnosed of fluid-congested lungs. The fluid has to be removed immediately and an operation has to be done. The fact that I am the only person who can take him to the hospital (all my sisters are at work), I was the one who helped him be admitted. He was there for almost a week. He underwent two operations to completely remove the fluid and four X-ray procedures to check if all fluid were removed. And finally, the other day, he was discharged. Thank God he’s okay now. Still weak but recovering.

• Hubby received a letter of appointment from a hospital in Madrid, Spain. The other day we were able to talk through YM and he mentioned about his application and immediate job offer. He also sent me the appointment letter. After reading it I had the feeling that it was fraud. Why? Because of the awe-inspiring benefits they’re offering. Amazing pay, weekly allowances, new car, a super nice accommodation. Based on this alone, a wise person can tell that there might be a catch, right? Plus, I noticed that the appointment letter was not written on the hospital’s letter head. There isn’t any logo of the hospital. Plus, when I checked the hospital’s website, the name of the HR director was not even the one who signed the letter. Aside from that the signatory of the letter mentioned that my husband will have to send them €900 for the processing of his working permit though he also said that it’s refundable. My instinct was telling me that this is a scam. A fraudulent scheme. I told my husband to check with their HR if there are other employees who were offered the same. And sure enough, there are other employees who were sent the same letter but from another signatory. Their hospital told them that it's indeed a scam.
  

*I’m heaving a sigh* If we weren’t wise enough we might be already caught by this trap. Thank God for the wisdom.

So there…I was able to compose a long post. I never thought I could write this in just 10 minutes. Haha! Have a great day everyone :)

LP 48: Bag

Ito ang aking unang beses na pagsali sa LP at ito ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito.

Ito ang bag na binigay sa akin ng aking kapatid dalawang taon na ang nakararaan. Hindi po ako mahilig sa mamahaling bag, kahit ano basta maganda at magagamit, okay na sakin. Nakakatuwa lang ang bag na ito dahil sa kanyang kakaibang zipper. Nakita nyo naman kung gano kalalaki ang hawakan ng zipper niya. :D Madalas akong makatanggap ng papuri sa bag na ito sa tuwing ginagamit ko sya, marahil dahil siyaý kakaiba. :)

Thankful Thursday: He's There

I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.

(Psalm 34:4)

I am not able to attend our midweek service last night. My sister sent me a text message that we need to rush our youngest brother to the hospital. She said he needs to undergo an operation (she said the procedure is called thoracortomy) ASAP because his right lung is already congested with fluid. I was stunned upon reading the message. Since I am the only one who can take him to the hospital, I went immediately to the house to assist my brother.

In times like this, truly we can only trust in God because He’s in control of everything. When he was undergoing a procedure prior to another chest X-Ray, I was praying. While inside the X-Ray room and while he was there lying on the bed, I was praying. Truly God is great and he is good and I thank him for that.

1. I thank God for the strength he gave me during that time.
2. I thank God that the result of the latest X-Ray confirms that it’s not fluid and he does not need to undergo an operation.
3. I thank God for the peace in our hearts and minds and the comfort God gave us.

God is indeed a great healer and an ever present help in time of need.

More thankful entries here.

On Diapers

I’m glad that now I get lots of savings on diapers. My daughter has stopped using diapers during the day and even when we go out. She only wears one during the night. I haven’t tried completely removing her from diapers though, but I know going out with the little lady not wearing a diaper is already a big accomplishment, right? Plus I’m now buying diapers that are on the same quality but lesser price. I buy it at the diaper depot near us. They sell a variety of imported cloth-like diapers in different sizes, there are lots of choices. They also have adult diapers of many kinds, toilet papers and a lot more. I already thought of putting up the same business eons ago, I just don't have the needed capital yet, hehe! But maybe we can put one up when we transfer in San Mateo. I think that’s a good business. What do you think?

Cleaning Stuff Toys without Throwing them in the Laundry

My daughter loves stuff toys. She had a collection of this toys and every night, she would get them all and line them up on the bed before she sleeps and bid goodnight to them one by one. And this is why I always see to it that these stuffed toys are clean. But, truth is, it's often hard to keep stuffed animals clean without throwing them in the washing machine. And as much as possible I don't throw them in the machine as my daughter will never want them leaving her sight. Good thing, I got hold of this helpful tips in cleaning stuffed toys. This tips will tell you how to freshen them up in a few simple steps.

1. Place toys in a bag.
2. Pour ½ cup of baking soda into bag.
3. Shake toys around until they are well coated. The baking soda will help draw out any dirt, soot, and odors.
4. Remove toys from bag and dust off any large amounts of baking soda.
5. Use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to suck up any remaining residue.
   

That's it!

A Result of an Act

My husband and I had a chat last night about his co-worker who’s been caught with a man inside her room. It was an incident that brought her into prison…Middle East Countries specially Saudi Arabia are excessively strict with this kinds of cases. I think after imprisonment she will be deported. Now, she will be needing one of those immigration attorneys out there to help her, or maybe the Philippine government agency can help her. I pity his co-worker, but it’s her fault…it’s just the result of her wrong-doing.

Changing Pose.

I was surprised to see that same time last year, I posted a picture of my daughter doing the "bend"pose. Her fave pose last year....

(this was taken from my post last year)

And now, the changing time also changed my daughter's fave pose. And here it is.

See, my daughter's really growing up so fast. I already have a little lady.

Funny Past

Have you ever felt discomfited because you either enter or exit the wrong door? I did. The first was when I’m still in college. I was in hurry and wanting to catch up on my next subject that I didn’t notice I entered the wrong class. That was so embarrassing. Then just last week, in a government office, I was busy sending a text message that I didn’t notice I was exiting the wrong door, I guess blame it to the obscure exit sign. Those are two unforgettable incidents and whenever I’m reminded of the first one, it makes me laugh.

You Changed My Life

I know..,I know...late na naman ako as usual. Minsan lang naman kasi ako manood ng sine these days and dahil sa hirap ng ekonomiya natin ngayon, dapat pinipili ang panonoorin, haha!

Anyway, I've watched this movie last Sunday with my nanay, simply because I love the two: JLC and Sarah. I love their first movie "A Very Special Love" and I expected that the sequel would be a great one too. And I am right, I got my money's worth. Para akong teenager na kinilig sa kanila. Two thumbs up. Aside from that na remind ako sa hubby ko kasi "Bebeh" din ang tawag ko sa kanya. hehehe!

There are lots of forums about the movie and to sum them up, (coz I've read quite a few) the movie is recieving positive, good reviews. I don't care about those who give nasty and bad feedbacks, all I know is that the movie is a good one.

If you want to laugh, kiligin, at maging teenager kahit sandali..watch. this. movie. :D

Planning? Dreaming?

Now that the house was painted…only a few more weeks of waiting and it will be turned over to us. As you can see there’s still a lot of construction to do (since we want to have an extension and fence/gate. We need to renovate the kitchen area and transfer it to the extension. And since we will replace some things like the kitchen faucets, the window casings, etc., we will need additional funds…But I won’t worry on that. God will provide and I know it will come on time.