MY NEW BLOG

Please visit my main blog at http://myblog.joyreyes.com See you there!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Snack Time

Here's the little girl having merienda with BJ.



Yes, she's eating an "ice cube" while looking out at the terrace for birds. This is her everyday routine everytime she wakes up from her afternoon nap. The dress she's wearing was made by her Grandma from leftover fabrics.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Summer Activities for Toddlers

Found this on a yahoogroup and thought you might be interested.

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KIDSAHOYSHOP.COM'S SUMMER 2008 CREATIVE PROGRAMS:

ART LAB (Tuesdays 4-6yrs 10-12pm / 6-8yrs: 1-3pm)
Art and science are key elements for understanding the world around us and the two are intimately related. Learn by hands-on participation: watch it, find it, hold it, build it. Once students internalize science through hands-on exploration, the concepts will resonate through out their everyday lives. Study the science of a sunset, and then do a pastel of the sunset. Look at a Leonardo da Vinci invention, and then draw your own similar invention idea. The idea is to combine science facts and art projects to delight the children. Geared to the visual or kinesthetic learners. Guaranteed fun!

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ART STUDIO (Thursdays 4-6yrs 10-12pm / 6-8yrs: 1-3pm)
A Journey Through Artists Eyes: An exploration of different works of art by famous artists from the impressionists (Claude Monet) to the surrealists (Salvador Dali) to modern artists like Alexander Calder. Student will create their own artwork (collage, paint, color, rubbings, plant drawings, sculpture, still life drawing, block printing, wire & clay sculpture, and more) based on the artist’s artwork they view.

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LITTLE TREKKERS (Saturdays 2-4yrs old 10am-12nn)
This developmentally-appropriate art program is designed to let your child experience the joys of artistic play using paint, clay, shapes, colors, textures and more! Every session, new projects will be introduced for children to provide a multi-sensory experience
that builds a foundation for creativity and an appreciation of beauty. This program will emphasize on hands-on, experiential activities; and will incorporate music, art, rhyming, games and other activities to heighten interest and reinforce skill building and comprehension.

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CREATIVE KITCHEN (5-8yrs old & 9-13yrs old, 1hr, once a week)
Imagine, Invent, Explore! This is a way for kids to cook up unique and ingenious ideas with exciting activities that will bring out and hone their creativity. This is where we challenge kids to think out of the box, see beyond and wonder “what if?”. Because with a little imagination and skill, kids have the recipe for great songs, stories and many more!

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KIDS CLICK (5-8 years old , 2 hour sessions)
Take awesome portraits! Create crazy U.F.O. photos! Make cool photo essays! This is a chance for kids to have fun while understanding the basic functions and techniques of digital photography. Kids will learn to be in control of the camera, develop the speed and alertness for photography and most of all be creative with what they see through the lens. Each kid must bring their own point and shoot digital camera.

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SHARP SHOOTERS (9-13 years old, 2 hour sessions)
Be the master of moments. The captain of composition. The leader of light and shade. This is for kids who want to go beyond just taking pictures to taking awesome, rockin’ and imaginative pictures. Through these sessions we aim to bring out each kid’s style and
personality, to give them a way to express themselves and show the world their point of view.Each kid must bring their own point and shoot digital camera.

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BOUNCY BEATS (ages 1-2) / 1 hr, once a week
Share a delightful musical experience with your kid as they discover the wonderful world of beats, rhythms and melodies! Bond with your child as you listen to song tales, sing nursery rhymes and play simple musical instruments. Be in harmony with your baby as he/she begins his/her musical journey.

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TINY TUNES (ages 3-5) / 1 hr, once a week
Sing out loud! Dance away! Play, play, play!This is the time for kids to express themselves freely though music. Here they can explore musical concepts such as tempo, melody and harmony while learning traditional songs, creative movement, musical instruments and
more!

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CONCERT KIDS (ages 6-8) / 1 hr, once a week
Be an all around music maker! Learn to create music with others through instrument playing, learn to make your own musical instruments and be the star of musical storytelling! This is where kids get to develop their skills in listening, appreciating and recognizing musical concepts! Plus lots of fun songs, dances and creative movement activities to experience!

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JUNIOR JAM (ages 9-13) / 1 ½ hrs, twice a week
Be part of a one-of-a-kind ensemble! Create and improvise music through song, dance and instrument playing! Learn to read, compose and perform music like a pro! Get to play cool percussion instruments, improvised instruments and even instruments you made
yourselves! Travel the world through music legends and genres. Discover the harmony that music, teamwork and whole lot of fun can make!

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CLASSIC GUITAR for Beginners (ages 9 and up) / 1 hr, once a week, individual lessons. Discover the music of the masters. Learn to read musical notation and perform classical music through guitar plucking techniques. Rule the art of classical guitar and keep timeless pieces playing! Requirement: students should bring their own nylon-stringed guitar

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ACOUSTIC GUITAR for Beginners (ages 9 and up) / 1 hr, once a week, individual lessons. Learn the basic guitar chords of your favorite rock songs and pop hits! Master those strumming techniques and get ready for stardom! Requirement: students should bring their own nylon-stringed guitar

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PLAYDATES/THEMED PARTIES FOR SMALL GROUPS OF 10kids (SATURDAY 2-4PM) Themes per Saturday to be announced by 1st week of April.

(All programs above are taught and facilitated by either a Fine Arts, Music or Art Education graduate from UP)

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EXCITING NEWS: WATCH OUT FOR AN EXCITING FAMILY EVENT THIS SUMMER!!! THE CARAVAN OF FUN IS COMING TO TOWN!!!

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Feel free to forward to everyone you know especially those who live in, around, and near Malate, Manila. We look forward to A ONE-OF-A-KIND Summer ARTventure with you!!!

DISCOUNTS given to TWO OR MORE programs taken per child or for 2 or more siblings.
Want to mix & match different PlayShops?
Ask us to help you create your child's fun 8-session combo-program today!
Choose a progressive 8-session program or pick from available stand-alone programs.
Creative Journey Begins April 7, 2008 - Ends May 30, 2008 (TBD)

Email us TODAY @ kidsahoy@yahoo.com to reserve your slot with the following info:

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Try it out mommies! I personally like to enroll Sandy in a ballet class or ice skating next year. How exciting it would be to see her prancing around in tights or gliding on ice wearing her cute skate shoes.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Photos Tag

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to www.photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box.
3. Use only the first page.
4. Insert the picture into your Blog.

1.) What is your Relationship Status?
married

2)What is your current mood?


3.) Who is your Favorite Band / Artist?


4.) What is your Favorite Movie?


5.) What kind of pet do you have?


6.) Where do you live?


7.) Where do you work?


8.) What do you look like?


9.) What do you drive?

10)What did you do last night?




11.) What is your Favorite TV Show?




12.) Describe yourself:




13)What are you doing today?


14.) What is your Name?


15.) What’s your Favorite Candy?

Design your own shirt

Found this Tshirt Printing website that lets you design T-shirts online. You can choose the shirt style from long sleeves, shorts sleeves, tank tops and sleeveless. The color options are huge and the sizes range from small to XXL. You can also use the artworks available from the Tshirt printing site or upload your own design. There's an option to write words using different fonts, add names and numbers so you can use it to design for a team uniform. Aside from that, this Tshirt printing site also sells various apparel from baseball jerseys, woven shirts, headwear, fleese, children's and even mugs.

Trouble at work

All our client sites are down. Yaiiks! This means we all need to be on our toes as we pacify and answer client inquiries about their f@ckd up websites. I hope there's something that I can do to help our company but my hands are tied. The tech guys will have to do their magic this time.

I can't sleep, I'm worried. We're talking about hundreds of websites that are down for more than 36 hrs here. What if they all decide to move to a new host / ecommerce platform? Crazy, crazy day.

Unbearable Weight

I'm gaining weight everyday! I thought I was safe because I'm still breastfeeding but apparently, not. For the last two months, I gained a total of 6 lbs, which normally shouldn't be a big deal. Only it goes to my thighs and hips that I'm not comfortable wearing shorts anymore. Summer is here and there's no time to lose. I need to take out our rusty fitness equipment from the stock room so I can get back into shape. The problem is will I ever find time to exercise?

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Live TV

So you think you should be on TV? Why don't you try blogtv.com to see if you can make it? This site lets viewers / visitors to show the world their talent by doing a live show online. Anyone with a PC and web cam can have a chance to feel like a star, even create his or her own fans club. The site is very easy to navigate so you can jump from live shows, recorded shows, change channels or view who's online. I like that you can invite a co-host while you're doing a live broadcast simply by pressing a button. When you do this, the co-host's camera will be included in your show and he/she will appear on the left side of your own camera window. The viewers have an option to rate the videos that they like. The higher the ratings, the bigger the chances are for the show to be featured. To protect all viewers, there are blogTv.com moderators that are ready to block users who are showing insulting and illegal contents.

Personality Test

Click to view my Personality Profile page

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Big Kids

Have you heard of beer pong? Nope? Join the club. Apparently, it's a popular game between adults, ranging from 21 to 35 years old. Of course, you'll need to be an adult before you can drink beer. ;)

From the site selling beer pong tables:

"Two teams go head-to-head; taking turns shooting ping-pong balls into a triangle of cups at the opposite end of the table. When the ball lands in the cup, the cup is removed until one team sinks all of the cups on their opponent's side."


Sounds fun? I haven't seen anything like this but I guess it's popular in the States. I'll suggest this to my friends so we can try it on one of our adult parties.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Fun Sexy

Tagged by Vannie




You Are Fun Sexy



You're funny, quirky, cute, and sassy.

Guys always have a great time with you, and that alone is sexy.

You've got an upbeat, optimistic spirit that totally shines through.

Any guy would be crazy to turn you down!

Friday, March 21, 2008

IT Expert

Want to start a career in IT? Check out the technical schools from the Tech Training Schools website (http://www.tech-training-schools.org/). They offer various IT Trainings from network design, database design, computer science and engineering, web development and even e-business for those who are interested to be successful in ecommerce. The site also provides technical certification to prove your expertise on a certain subject. I've always wanted to be a certified Internet Webmaster but just didn't have the time to get one. But now that Sandy's getting more easier to manage, I'm thinking of taking advantage of the online certifications that are being offered from the Tech Training Schools website.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Ready for the big bed?

We've been co-sleeping since Sandy was born. Now, at 30 months old, I am almost sure that Sandy is ready to move to her own bed. It's just The Husband and me who are having trouble letting her go. We have been checking out at toddler beds similar to the ones being sold at this baby furniture website. They looked so cute but I doubt if Sandy can use it for long. She's getting taller each day that I'm thinking if it's more practical to buy her a real bed and just put it on the floor. Well, I guess we can try a nice mattress for now to see if she's really ready. I'm hoping that this will lessen her nursing at night too and that she can sleep longer. As for me, I think it will take a lot of getting used to before I stop myself from checking on her every 10 minutes.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Things to buy

I wish we have directbuy here so I can get all our furniture there. I'm going crazy computing everyday but I have no idea how we can manage to save enough money to be able to buy all that we need in five months. I don't want to touch our savings and whatever we have in the bank so I'm trying to start a new savings just for furniture. The Husband said we should just buy the most important stuff like beds, refrigerator, aircon, TV but I can't help but think about carpets, window treatments, lighting, etc, etc. You can blame it on my frustration of becoming an interior designer LOL.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Buying Gold

Investing in precious metals has always been the best way to preserve one's wealth and purchasing power. It's unique, durable and does not wear out when passed from hand to hand. It also protects you from inflation, deflation and political uncertainty. To learn how to buy gold or silver, the Monex (www.monex.com) website offers various articles and resources to help you choose the type of precious metals you want to invest on. Gold bullions are available in three forms - the 10-ounce gold bullion bar with .995 fine purity, 32.15 troy ounce gold “kilobar” and pure .9999 fine gold bullion, which is the purest gold bullion bar available to the market. All precious metals from Monex are certified with its weight and purity.

Something For Me

I'm in the process of buying something nice for myself. Yes, you heard that right. It's not for The Husband and not for the little girl. It's a bit expensive but I know it will be worth it. And no, it's not mineral makeup, which I'm planning to buy on our next month's Mommy EB. I can't tell what it is yet because The Husband might read it here LOL. I will post a preview soon. Yay, I can't wait!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Fashion Schools

Looking for a career in fashion? There's a site called Fashion Schools where you can browse through fashion schools, articles, famous designers and careers. The site is very easy to use because the information is organized categorically. Whether you're looking for fashion schools in Los Angeles, you can easily get a list by choosing that option on the drop down menu. Clicking on a school will take you to another page where you can request more information from the school itself. I've learned that there are so many jobs that you can do in the fashion industry. There's the designer, buyer, merchandiser, sales manager, stylist and more.

Five Things

Snagged from Alpha

1) List Five things.
List five kind things you do for yourself.
List five kind things you for your closest friend, partner or child.
List five kind things you have done for a stranger.

2) Tag five people.

5 Kind Things I Do For Myself.
1. I drink coffee a lot to keep me awake
2. I watch Coffee Prince any chance I get to relieve stress
3. I try to watch what I eat (sometimes)
4. I keep myself updated with the latest design technologies
5. I try to be happy and positive all the time

5 Kind Things I Do For Closest Friend.
1. Let them talk nonstop about their worries
2. If they need anything that I can give, I give it to them (free design, music, photo, scrapbook LO)
3. Go to their parties and gatherings especially when someone needed a pick-me-up badly
4. When they need advice, I give it to them whether it's not the one that they want to hear
5. Make them feel good about themselves if needed

5 Kind Things I Have Done For A Stranger.
1. Give extra food or drink
2. Give money for fare
3. Let someone go in line first because they are in a hurry
4. Smile a "i-know-what-you're-going-through" smile at a mom who I can see is about to break down after dealing with her toddler's tantrum in public
5. Help a foreigner with directions including the best places to go because he seem to be lost and too shy to ask.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Wedding Flowers

Do-it-yourself brides are popular these days because of high wedding costs. Fiftyflowers make it possible for future brides to save a lot on their weddings by offering wholesale flowers. At a cost below wholesale price, they provide freshly cut and processed flowers from premium roses, calla lilies, rose petals, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, peonies and many other flowers. They deliver these flowers via FedEx right at the bride's doorstep or any location that the wedding coordinator will specify. Aside from wholesale flowers, they also have a Wedding in a Box product where they offer beautifully arranged flowers from the bride's bouquet to the corsages to table centerpieces.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

His Car

The Husband has been talking about car parts, bumpers, tail light guards for over a week now. He's so excited about buying a car so he's doing everything he can to make me rub some of the excitement on me. I, on the other hand, is more concerned on how much we'll have to pay for these additional accessories. He seems to have forgotten that we need to work on a budget plus the fact that we need to save some more for the car insurance.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Questions of the Week 10



1. What color are your eyes? Dark brown.

2. Anything pierced? Ears. I used to have three piercings per ear.

3. What was the last thing you ate? Coffee and bread sticks with butter

4. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Why? Green. I just love how it looks on me, on designs, everything.

5. What is the best advice ever given to you? Seize the day

6. What sport do you hate the most? Everything haha. I'm not really into sports.

7. Have you ever been broken hearted? Once or twice. I've broken so many hearts too so it's fair enough.

8. Do you wish on stars? Up to now, yes.

9. Are you a daredevil? Not really. I hate going out of my comfort zone.

10. Do you like to walk in the rain? Yeah, but it needs to be somewhere clean, without mud LOL.

Unsecured Personal and Business Loans

Applying for unsecured personal loans is easy with the help of AfsLoansOnline.com. This consulting company for unsecured loans has over 140,000 lenders that they monitor regularly so they can match them with their clients' needs and requirements. From $10,000 to $100,000, you can use your unsecured personal loans in any way you like - vacation, home renovation, education, business expansion, etc. AFSLoans doesn't ask for application fees and with their 100% approval guarantee, you don't need to pay anything if your loan was not approved. Their site also offers a pre-qualification form for those who are interested if they are eligible for unsecured personal loans but not yet ready to apply.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Preschooler

She's going to school!

Well. Not really. We're enrolling our little girl to a summer school to test if she's ready. Or a better explanation would be if I'm ready to let go of her LOL. The schedule is from 10AM to 12PM and will be on a daily basis. Nannies and parents are allowed to stay outside the room but they prefer if the kids will not see us. They said that kids tend to get more paranoid and clingy if they know that their mommy is just hovering outside the door. Haha, I know I would!

I really hope Sandy's ready and that she will have fun in school. At least this will be me 2 hours of free time a day so I can concentrate at work. She has been so bored lately that she hates seeing me in front of the computer.

We took her photo for her 1x1 ID.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Secure Mailbox

We tend to misplace one or two credit card bills every other month. I don't know if it's the mailman's doing or our helper, who usually receives them, is just too careless. Anyway, I know I should be more careful in letting these things scatter around the house. Aside from credit card bills, we receive important documents too like our earnings on our investments, dividends on insurance and more.

In the US, there's a company called USMailboxes that installs locking mailboxes. They used to install secure group mailboxes for the US Postal Service but because of the growing number of identity theft cases everywhere, they are now also offering this service to developers, homebuilders and homeowners. There are different types of locking mailboxes from their website but one thing that they have in common is that all of them are created sturdy, secure and vandal resistant.

I'm not sure if we have something like this locally I do believe that this is something worth investing.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Better Half

How long did you date? We dated for two months and then he proposed bwahahah. San ka pa?

How old is he? 32 going on 60

Who eats more? We eat a lot but since I have an excuse (breastfeeding), I’d say I eat more

Who said “I love you” first? Him, of course. As if it’s a contest no haha

Who is taller? He is.

Who sings better? Him. He breathes and lives music

Who is smarter? Definitely him.

Whose temper is worse? Siya pa rin haha. But only because I know to control mine.

Who does the laundry? The help. But when we were just starting, we used to wash our unmentionables by hand. This used to be the main reason why we fight all the time. Try washing 10 pairs of dirty socks with your hand and I doubt you’d have enough patience left.

Who does the dishes? I used to do it

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who pays the bills? I manage our expenses and his role is to go to the bank and pay all of them

Who mows the lawn? No one

Who cooks dinner? He used to. He’s very good.

Who drives when you are together? He does. Siyempre, di ako marunong eh.

Who is more stubborn? I am

Who kissed who first? He did. Alalang alala ko pa sa Baguio ito naganap at hindi kami magboyfriend nyahahaha.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? No one haha

Whose parents do you see the most? His

Who proposed? He did. While we were talking in a fire exit inside our old office, he asked all of a sudden if I want to marry him.

Who is more sensitive? I am

Who has more friends? I do but I rarely see them anymore.

Who has more siblings? Him

Who wears the pants in the family? I do. No, him. Well, I act as if he does but in the end, it will always be my decision LOL. But these are just for the minor decisions ha. When it comes to major and life changing ones, I won’t do anything unless I have his whole-hearted approval.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

On PageRank

Pageranks are dropping like flies. Even those that are not doing paid blogging have found their blogs being slapped with a 0 PR. I wonder what Google's reason behind penalizing small blogs? I do feel bad about those who are using blogging to pay the bills. Using your earning to go ga-ga over online shopping is one thing but if you need it to augment your monthly income, then you'd be terribly disappointed. I know I will! I once used my earnings to pay for our old credit card bills and it was really a huge help. I hope something new and an even better way to earn money online will come out soon.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Cancer

Watched a TV special last night about
mesothelioma. It's a cancer that affects the membranes that surround the lungs and also the lining of the abdomen. I learned that this cancer is caused by asbestos, and that factory workers, plumbers, laborers, machinists are more inclined to have this disease. It sounds really dangerous. Treatment can be done through surgery, chemo, and radiation therapy but there are also non-traditional options like photodynamic therapy and immunoteraphy.