I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.

This is the DAY!!!! Hubby is coming home after 6 1/2 weeks! His graduation ceremony is at 10am, then he hops on the plane at 2pm. With stop over, he gets here at about 5:30pm. I'm excited because.......

* He can unload the grill I bought for him that's been sitting in the truck for the last 2 weeks. It's uber heavy at 200 lbs. I tried moving it, wanting to just leave it in the garage but it wouldn't budge. And I thought I was Superwoman!

* We can pick up the patio set I bought. I had to leave it in the store because I have no way of transporting it back home. It's funny because when I told him I had bought a patio set, he asked if I was able to fit everything in the truck. I said, "hellooooooooo??? Did you forget that the grill is still in there??" Reminds me of the "how do you put an elephant in the fridge in 3-steps, and how do you put the girraffe in the fridge in 4-steps?" joke.

* I want to see his reaction to the way I arranged the house. I've made the basement his "Michigan Room". He hasn't seen the house since we moved in, and I haven't sent him any pictures. Builds up the excitement.

* The kids are excited to see their daddy. Little Steven told me that his daddy will spank me and give me palo because I'm a bad girl (his response when I tell him I'll tell daddy to give him palo because he's a bad boy).

* I need somebody to drive me to Ann Arbor, to the Asian store because I want to buy filipino foods. I can't remember how to get there, and the GPS can't help because I don't have the name and address of the store.

* *secret* hahahahahahahahahahaha. I can't wipe the grin off my face! lol

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My mom will be here tomorrow, more reason to be happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get Smorty!

Looking for ways to earn extra money??? Extra money is always good. A stay at home mom (for the meantime) like me can definitely use the extra moolah. With the rising prices of all commodities, it sure is nice to have opportunites to supplement our income through blogging. Some say the money is not all that great, but a little here and there is definitely better than nothing, right? Right! I've never been the pro-blogger type. I didn't think I have what it takes to be one. I was scared to try at first, but soon I've realized it's easy, fun, and most of all, it PAYS! It sure is nice to get paid for blogging,isn't it??

Getting started is very easy. You just submit your blog to smorty and find out in a matter of 72 hours (or less in my case) if your blog is approved or not. Once approved, you can start writing your opinion about products, services, and websites. It's that easy! You'll be amazed at the number of reviews waiting for you once you've become a member.

So what are you waiting for, go SMORTY and start earning right away!

I (h)EAR you....

I'll be the first to admit I lack fashion sense. I'm a certified minimalist and I go for for what's comfortable rather than what's trendy. I swore off fads long time ago when I realized my body and my skin color don't always jive with what's hip. Two words. DULL and BORING.

But that doesn't mean I don't seek to better myself in that department. I know I don't want to change my style, that would be too extreme. But I can always enhance it. I do want to accessorize a bit. But I want to start small. Earrings, perhaps. I've always admired those women who wear trendy earrings. But wait, I don't even have my ears pierced!! I've looked at clip on earrings before but most styles are old-fashioned. I don't want to look like a grandma!!

Anyway, I found this nice website offering the latest craze; earpins!! They are pin on earrings that can be used by just about anybody, pierced ears or not. The Earpins offered by Solisa Jewelry go on in a unique way. For pierced ears, you put them into the pierced hole like ordinary french wire earrings and then flip them over and slide them into your ear like a bobbi pin. For non-pierced ears, you can just slide them onto the lobe. The ears look pierced and no one can tell the difference!!

Solisa Jewelry has the largest selection of ear pins on the Web. Whether gold or silver, ear pins add the extra touch needed to make you stand out from the crowd

Car woes?

Are you in need of a new car? Have you tried applying for a car loan but was denied because of your bad credit? It's a pain, isn't it? In a culture where car is a necessesity rather than a luxury, it is important that you know what options are available to you despite of a not so pleasant credit rating. What about car insurance? Are you sure the rates you're paying is the best rate available to you? Do your work. Find the right people to help you. Shop around. Get the best deal on Auto Loans, and save money on car insurance.

Apply online for bad credit auto loans at TheAutoFinder.com. They offer Auto Loans of all types, including bad credit auto loans and new car finance options for consumers nationwide. The Auto Finder can also help with our national car dealer locator, auto classifieds, car buying guide, free credit report and auto lease guide. Finding an auto loan or bad credit auto loan is made easy at The Auto Finder.com.

Life is not that complicated. Let the right people help you and save yourself the hassle and frustration of finding and financing a car. You'll be surprised.

My weekend

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time sleeping at night. I typically hit the sack at midnight, sometimes 1am, hoping to get at least 6 hours of shut eye. But more often than not, I find myself awake at 3 or 4 am, and if I'm lucky, at 5am. I'd then go to Alexis' room so I can use her laptop. I figure, if I'm already up and can't go back to sleep, I might as well watch TFC online. *sigh*

A big storm hit the midwest early evening last Friday. It was a fast moving storm with some tornado warnings. I parked both cars in the garage and we stayed in the basement/family room. We were watching the news to keep track of the storm when the power went off. The storm lasted a good 15 to 20 minutes but the power outage lasted about 6 hours. Some parts of Ohio and Michigan were without power for the entire weekend.

addendum

it's past 12 now and my belly's twistin' and turnin'. I think I'll go downstairs to get me some rice and salted duck egg with tomatoes. hayyyyyyyyyyyy fat rolls galore.

Portable Sauna

My first exposure to sauna was in Germany in the early to mid 90's. I was shocked at first when I found out that not only was the sauna coed, it also required everyone to be in the buff (at least the one in Lauterbach where I used to live). My friend had already paid for both of us and it was too late to back out. I was shy at first, as my Filipino culture dictates conservatism, but I just put in my mind that none of the people around there know me. Anyway, to my relief, I didn't at all feel uncomfortable. I guess being "nude' is just as normal as breathing in Germany.

Anyway, we would go in for maybe 10 or 15 minutes at a time, come out, take an ice-cold shower (good for the circulation), go outside to breath in the nice smell of winter, then lounge in the resting area while sipping juice or water. We would repeat this process a few times during our visit in the sauna.

The first thing I've noticed was how soft my skin felt immediately afterwards. I felt like I've lost some weight too. I had more energy. More importantly, I wasn't getting the winter colds that I usually get at that time of year. I was definitely healthier! No wonder, saunas are known to:

Burn Calories and Control Weight

Increase Blood Circulation and Strengthen the Cardiovascular System

Relieve Pain

Ease Joint Pain and Stiffness

Clear Cellulite

Remove Toxin and Mineral Waste

Improve Skin

Improve the Immune System

Reduce Stress and Fatigue

Too bad life is a little bit more complicated now and I can't even find the time to go to the sauna. And that's why I was happy to see Portable Saunas being offered online. For as little as $149, I can enjoy all the health benefits at the comfort of my own home, at my own pace, at my own time.

Geburtstag

Happy Happy Birthday Mommy!!!!!! We love you!!!!

Mix-Mix

9 more days and hubby will be back from SC (recruiting school). We pick up my mom from the airport the day after. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!

I recently got in touch with someone who I haven't talked to in ages. Our communication pretty much stopped when she moved from Germany to the US years ago. I was excited to talk to her at first, but in a matter of minutes, my excitement dwindled into a "ho-hum" state of mind. I don't know why, but I have a short fuse when it comes to all the bragging and "my shit smells better than your shit" kind of talk. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely happy about other people's achievements. It's not my persona to be jealous, or envious of other people's crap. It's just that I abhor people who think they're the big shit, when in all reality they are nothing but a second rate trying hard copy cats. It's tasteless. I just want a normal conversation, is that too much to ask?

On another note, I would like to congratulate my pretty neighbor des for landing a new job. It all happened to fast; she had the interview today and will start work tomorrow. IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU.

Children's Place Coupon

I'm a certified bargain shopper. I don't really believe in paying full price on stuff I know I can get at a discount price. I am always on 7th heaven when stuff gets marked down. When they get dirt cheap, I find them irresistible. And who can blame me? Money does not grow on trees, you know. And if I can help it, I'd rather shop for the best deals first before I let go of my hard earned money, and that of my husband's. lol.

Same thing goes for children's products. As my kids grow, I find their needs growing as well. As they get bigger, my wallet gets thinner. Oh, what headache!From clothes, to shoes, to accessories, to toys, to what have yous- the list is endless! And because they grow up too fast, I can't remember how many times I find brand new clothes or shoes in the closet that they can't wear anymore because they've outgrown them already. It's inevitable. Just imagine the anguish if you paid full price on all those!!


Cutting cost on children's products can be challenging sometimes. After all, don't we all want what's best for our kids? Generally, we want to save money but at the same time we don't want to skimp on the quality. And just what are the cost cutting measures we adopt? We clip coupons, we look for store bargains, we look at weekly store fliers, and we browse the Internet for good deals. It's tough. But......

As you know, excellent deals can be found online. You just need to know where to find valuable discounts before you shop. Take children's place coupon for example. Right now, they're offering an exclusive Children's Place coupon for 15% off, good through 9/3/07. There's a wide range of available products just for kids. So what are you waiting for? Enjoy shopping while you save!

Health Insurance Leads

Are you a health insurance agent? Do you realize the importance of having health insurance leads? Or have always you tried making it on your own? Making those numerous phone calls for leads not only take up most of your precious time but can also be a very tedious process. With leadsclearance.com, all you have to do is pay a small fee for the health insurance leads, and the service will send you leads on a regular basis. This way you can spend more time on selling your policies, and less time trying to find leads that may be interested in your services. You need to be aware of the great benefits of buying health insurance leads from leadsclearance.com and it's affiliates.

How does it work? Plain and simple. They gather information from interested parties via their website or other methods. From there, they pass the information to the agents who pay for the leads. All the agent needs to do is close the leads they receive and get paid. It's hassle free. You can preview prospects before you buy. Pay only for what you select, with no pre-payments, no up-front costs, no contracts, no cancellation terms, no blanket billing authorizations, no blind monthly fee and most of all, these leads are priced to sell! It's like opening up a vault of numerous resources you can use to boost your earning potential.

Overall, health insurance leads for agents are on demand. With more and more people buying health insurance, it is important for an agent to find relevant leads to be a success. Because when they have leads to work with, things are easier and the money follows in the end. And if you are an agent you know that this is what matters most.

hot boiling lava

I woke up in a funky mood. I'm pissy and I don't know why. I feel I'm boiling inside and about ready to explode. Uggh, I feel sorry for whoever crosses my path today.

Auto Insurance Leads

As an auto insurance agent, you are aware that the insurance industry makes for an unsteady income. Earning potential fluctuates with the number of insurance policies you sell. There are many responsibilities to take care of and you always have to be on top of your ball game. You may not think that Auto Insurance Leads are important. You might even think you can make it on your own. But you know the market is not always good. Sooner or later, you will run out of resources. If you find yourself in a slump, help is just at your fingertip.

Auto Insurance leads are generated by internet marketing partners holding top positions on all major search engines. Their unsold inventory is being transferred to LeadsClearance.com for liquidation at a fraction of the price they are charging their premium accounts. There's no pre-payments, no up-front costs, no contracts, no cancellation terms, no blanket billing authorizations, no blind monthly fee and most of all, these leads are priced to sell! Should the lead turn out to have a bogus contact information, leadsinsurance.com will credit the cost to your account. It's totally risk free!

Auto insurance leads from leadsclearance.com can make your job easier. What you pay them is well worth all the hours you put in trying to collect leads on the phone. You can cut back on the amount of time and the work you put in the process. Let leadsclearance.com do the hard work for you, and you can focus on the fun stuff such as closing the deals and collecting the moolah.

Boost your earning potential!! Go to leadsclearance.com for details.

Free!!!

Life's been hectic the past few days. I'm so wrapped up with wanting to get the house organized that I sometimes forget to take a break. I've been semi-neglecting the kids too, who thankfully have been very cooperative since I've started this unpacking and rearranging "project". As a treat, I took them to Chuck E Cheese today. We shared a large pepperoni and sausage pizza for lunch and I bought $20 worth of tokens. We were able to unwind and forget the chaos that's waiting in the house for us.

It was fun, but can be costly if done on a regular basis. As a SAHM, I need to find more ways to entertain my toddler without spending a fortune. He's at the age where he's like a sponge ready to absorb anything and everything thrown at him. He is also a bit hyper and I need to constantly channel his energy to something positive. Aside from physical exercise, he also needs brain stimulating activities.

To get his creative juice flowing, I've resorted to free clip arts for kids. Free clip arts is not only for arts and crafts projects. One can also find puzzles and coloring pages for hours and hours of fun. There are several learning activities to choose from. So if you're on a tight budget like me but still want the best for your kids without breaking the bank, free clip art for kids is the answer.

BBGB

Mom & dad (in-law) celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary last Saturday, August 11th. The girls (sisters-in-law) and I planned a special Sunday get-together at the farm to celebrate the special day. They were so happy to have all the grandkids around. In this busy time, it is rare to have all members of the family get-together for a day of fun.

Sister-in-law Alicia happily shared that they're still getting presents for Baby Blake who's 10 weeks old. The latest gift she received was purchased from an online store called BBGB specializing in baby and mom gift ideas. She's overwhelmed with excitement everytime she gets cutesie stuff for her first baby. To think she and her hubby waited 10 years to have one!!!

I checked the website myself and I found the gift ideas awesome. All items are carefully selected and put together with babies and moms in mind. They have Baby gift baskets- deluxe and bath time basket, baskets with muffins and cookies for mom and baby- plus unique baby gifts like bath time gift sets, wagons with 10 piece baby accessories, moses baskets, and diaper cakes. There's an ongoing 25% off sale, shipping is free and of course 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Read the testimonials from satisfied customers!

So what are you waiting for? If you are looking for the perfect baby shower or homecoming gift, check the website out and give that special newborn the unique present he/she deserves. But don't leave mommy out, make them feel special and send them your love through BBGB. You'll be glad you did!

On a roll......

Yes I am. The very first sponsored post I posted was approved!! I'm ecstatic. Dunno why. This could be the start of something good (*fingers crossed*).

Quality Bar Stools, anyone?

Moving stateside is not an easy feat. From a comfortable lifestyle in Germany, we found ourselves starting from scratch again as we embark on a new journey. Thankfully it didn't take long for us to find a home that suits our needs. I immediately fell in love with the kitchen. The breakfast bar is what sealed the deal. All I needed to do is purchase quality bar stools to complement our kitchen bar.

But, with two kids in tow, shopping is an almost impossible task. Browsing stores with two whiny kids just doesn't cut it. I always end up empty handed, and frustrated. Not even superwoman can get the job done, imo.

Luckily, with today's technology, I don't even have to leave the comfort of my home to get what I want. I've heard about this fantastic website that offers quality bar stools from top manufacturers at DISCOUNT prices. There's options galore to suit your taste- Metal Bar Stools, Wood Bar Stools, Aluminum Bar Stools, Wood/Metal Combo Bar Stools, Indoor/Outdoor Bar Stools and even Contemporary Barstools. They can even customize orders. And oh, did I mention that shipping is free in the continental United States on orders over $500? Backed with their 100% quality guarantee, who can beat that??

When it rain, it pours

I've got another TAG. Yes yes yo! But, unfortunately, it'll take a little while before I can post it. Kasi naman, kailangan ng (wastong) pag-iisip at pagbubutinting upang maayos na maiprisinta sa madlang people ang "face behind the blog". Dahil sa ngayon ay super duper mega over stress ako, ay baka mukha ng mangkukulam ang mai-post ko dito. Mahirap na no, baka nerbyusin pa at bangungutin ang aking mga mambabasa (OO, kasali ka doon, 3 lahat kayo, kaya sumuko na kayo, napapaligiran ko na kayo!) kapag nakita nila ang hitsura ko ngayon. Malaking pananagutan yon....

Dumating today yung first shipment namin ng household goods. 1000 lbs lang, pero parang natuliro akong bigla. Daming aayusin. Paano na kaya kung yung 11000 lbs naman ang dumating??? Lakas pa naman ng loob kong ipa-schedule this coming Friday. Miss ko na kasi ang king size bed namin. Sawa na akong makitulog sa mga anak ko. Imagine, kung hindi sa Bratz na kama eh sa Nascar bed ako natutulog? Akong mag-isa lang ang matuturete sa Byernes. Ay, paano ba yan???? Sakit yata ng ulo itong pinasok ko. Kasi sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung saan ko ilalagay ang karamihan sa mga gamit namin. Yung binili naming "german schrank", susme, saan ko ilalagay yun? Ang laki-laki kaya nun? Nababaliw na yata ako, kinakausap ko ang sarili ko, pero ayaw ko naman sumagot. Kasi naman, naman!!!!

Ding, ANG BATO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tatluhan

Ako ay na-TAG. Nakatutuwa sapagkat isang malaking karangalan ang ma-TAG ka ng isang kapita-pitagang kaibigan. Salamat ng marami!!!!


Three things that scare me
1. death
2. spiders
3. plane rides


Three people who make me laugh
1. Steven liit
2. Noring (kulitan kami sa YM, kinakabagan ako pagkatapos)
3. Alexis

Three things I love
1. this laptop im using right now. (the kids hog the TV kaya ito lang ang outlet ko sa ngayon)
2. Doing dishes, believe it or not
3. this new house


Three things I hate
1. boring parties
2. uncertainties
3. uber friendly people (yun bang nakakasukang friendliness, parang hindi totoo ang dating eh)

Three things I don’t understand
1. why it's harder for me to lose weight now.
2. kung bakit nagpapaka-plastic ang tao. i mean, kung galit ka eh ipakita mong galit ka, hindi yung kukwento kang galit ka kay ganito o kay ganun tapos makikita ko magkasama din kayo, nakakairita yan huh. nawawala credibility mo sa akin. lol
3. why life is a competition sa ibang tao

Three things on my desk
1. laptop
2. phone
3. coffee mug


Three things I am doing right now
1. ala eh, nagsasagot ng tag
2. nakataas ang paa.
3. nagkakamot ng pwet (hahaha joke lang)


Three things I want to do before I die
1. settle my children
2. makapagpabago ng buhay ng ilang kapamilya
3. kuman......ta sa stage.


Three things I can do
1. magkulong lang sa bahay.
2. manood ng marathon ng mga kabaduyang telenovela
3. mabuhay na para bagang may sarili akong mundo.


Three things I can’t do
1. i can't show my weaknesses in front of other people.
2. i can't pretend i'm somebody i'm not
3. i can't forget, heck, I can forgive but definitely not forget.

Three things I think you should listen to
1. listen to what your heart tells you
2. listen to your inner self. believe in your gut feeling.
3. your parents (someday magiging ina ka rin, at mare-realize mo na para sa kapakanan mo ang lahat ng sermon ng magulang mo sa iyo.)


Three things you should never listen to
1. chismis. wag kaagad maniniwala. huwag na huwag manghusga ng kapwa dahil lamang sa chismis.
2. marketing ploys. sali na natin ang mga scammers. naku dami nila ngayon, me bagong style na naman sila. kapag may nagpadala sa inyo ng checke eh wag na wag nyong ika-cash.
3. mga walang kakwenta-kwentang bagay. wala ka namang mapupulot don, pwera na lang kung mga kalokohang chikahan kasi kahit papano eh may mapapala ka (utot).

Three shows I watched as a kid
1. walang kamatayang VOLTES V
2. Mazinger Z
3. Heredero, Yagit.

Oh, huwag ka na mahiya, tag mo na ang sarili mo. Gayahin mo ako, walang hiya....hehehe