Swimming and Boating...

Hubby and I were invited today. His boss normally host a party once a year during summer and invite co-workers to go to their lake house. It was an hour drive from where we are but it's worth going coz I like water. We were late when we arrive and there's not much people in there. We had a little snack then went swimming with other couples there. Here are the photos. :)




I love the sunset. I enjoyed watching the lake houses, condos and the beauty of nature.

My Six Layers

I want to thank Carol for sharing me this meme. Thanks girl! :)


::START::


RULES:


1. Add your blog/s to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. It’s okey if you only post this questions in one blog as long as you answer them.

2. Get back to Me {YEN} and I’ll add your blogs to the master’s list HERE! Note that you are not ALLOWED to change the link of the here.

3. Copy from Start to End.4. Tag as many friends online you know. But you don’t need to be tag in order to join.


Copy this Participants List: Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod It’s Where the HEART Is Around the World SugarMagnolias I Am Mommy All About The Memories Enchanted Play Just My Scrap Whats Up Simply Me Kitchen Deelite A Mothers Horizon In Depth A Life in Bloom Because Life is a Blessing Digiscraptology Joys iN life Life is What we Make it Photo Blog Dancing in Midlife Tune Mommy Talks Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps All Kinds of Me Stuff The Salad Caper Winding Creek Circle InkBabyStudios All Things Me Feels Like Home Because Life Is Fun Blessings and Beyond Mommy Earns Money Online Pinay Mommy Online Clark & Butchay’s Blog Butchay’s World Simply Jen Jenny Said So My Online World My Life in this Wonderful World Biz-N-Honey Aeirin’s Collections My Precious Niche Eds Mommy Life Just Me.. Eds Insights from the Grocery Cart Michelle's Small World YOUR BLOG/S HERE


LAYER ONE:

– Name: Michelle

– Birth date: October

– Birthplace: Philippines

– Current Location: USA

– Eye Color: Brown

– Hair Color: Black

– Righty or Lefty: Righty


LAYER TWO:

– Your heritage: Filipino

– The shoes you wore today: Flat shoes

– Your weakness: I don't know.

– Your fears: If hubby die early.

– Your perfect pizza: Little Caesar's premium pizza

– Goal you’d like to achieve in life: To be the best mom and wife.

LAYER THREE:

– Your most overused phrase on AIM: None

– Your first waking thoughts: My baby

– Your best physical feature: Eyes

– Your most missed memory: Food tripping and Island hopping.

LAYER FOUR:

– Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi

– McDonald’s or Burger King: Both

– Single or group dates: Single

– Adidas or Nike: Nike

– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Nestea

– Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate for cake and Vanilla for ice cream

– Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee decaf


LAYER FIVE:

– A famous person, dead or alive, would you interview: Marcos

– Movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors: None

– Name two of your passions in life : Hubby and my baby.

– Least favorite time of day: Morning

LAYER SIX :

– Use hairspray or gel: None

– Your favorite meal: Supper

– Color is the inside of your head when you close your eyes: Pink

– Listen to classical music: Yes.

– Ever said LOL in real life without thinking about it: No.


::END::


Tagging: Lynn, Jenn and Twerlyn.

We're back in Alabama with a big challenge!

Whew! Time flies so fast when you're having fun. We arrive in Alabama safe and sound. It was a hassle though on my part and hubby because my mother-in-law travels with us and she's very dependent on me and hubby. It would be nice if there's another person with us who can watch our luggages or do something for my mother-in-law if she needs help. But because it's just me and hubby to do all things that needs to be done, I did something that I shouldn't be doing. I helped my mother-in-law lift her body when she's going inside the van getting ready to go to the airport because hubby was getting her medicines at the assisted living. Though the practitioner warned me not to lift 20 lbs or more but I have no choice. I have to help lift my mother-in-law, drag heavy luggages while hubby was parking the car, lift the heavy luggage to weigh for check-in, run around at the airport trying to catch up the skycap guy who's pushing my mother-in-law in the wheelchair and more. Hubby said "Oh, no!" when I told him what I did because we're running out of time and we need to catch our flight. We're all dead tired from the travel but hubby and I have other things to do for my mother-in-law. After leaving the assisted living at 9:00 PM, I decided to shop for my mother-in-laws clothes. She complain that she doesn't have new clothes and shoes and she wants all new stuff in her closet. I guess I have to shop for her instead of shopping for myself and the soon little one. This will be another challenge for me and I'm afraid that she'll become very dependent if I'm around. She already said that I know better than hubby and she wants me to help her not hubby if we go out. She shouldn't be putting her weight on me but I can see that it's going to happen. I hope the practitioner won't scold me for what I did. Hubby and I talked about this last night and we're hoping that mom will cooperate with the Doctor, Nurse and the Physical Therapist.

Sunset at the beach

People at the beach gather around dancing, drinking, eating and playing while the drummers were doing their job. A photo of the event during sunset.
Sunset at the beach.
Me and the sunset.

Our 2 days Vacation

Here's a photo of Sunshine Skyway when hubby and I went there last Saturday. It was raining so I didn't have a good picture of it.
We went to this Long Bridge then drive to downtown Tampa.
We drop by at the foot of the bridge where people can go fishing. The birds behind me were flying coz I think they smell the fish that the fishermen brought as their bait.
Sunday was sunny so hubby and I went to the beach. I didn't really enjoy swimming because the waves try to push and pull me. We then went to the pool and watch the sunset afterwards. :)

Seafoods Mission... Accomplished!

Since Saturday and Sunday were the only days that hubby and I can spend our little vacation, we tried our best to do the things we wanted to do. But of course, my seafoods mission comes first. :)

I cooked this fresh tuna fish for my fish stew last Saturday for lunch and I craved this for weeks. Now I'm satisfied after eating this. ^_^

We went to Sea Critters restaurant after hubby and I saw that the parking lot of this restaurant is full. We thought, maybe Sea Critters is good. I had a chargrilled grouper which was the fresh catch of the day and I can tell by looking and eating the meat that it's really fresh. I like it but it's too spicy and salty for me. I was digging the meat in the middle coz I don't want to have an acid reflux after. Spicy foods made me sick lately.

I was dying to visit this restaurant here in St. Pete. I saw this restaurant at food network because the host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" came to visit this place just to try how good their smoked fish is. The locals and tourists were interviewed of what they think of the smoked fish they had and all of them said that it's the best fish that they put in their mouth. Sounds good isn't it?
So yesterday afternoon after church, hubby and I visit the famous smoked fish in town and I ordered mackerel but it's not available. I asked what mullet fish is coz I'm not familiar with the name and the waitress said that it's a fish with bones in it and a little oily. I imagined the milkfish when I heard bones and oily so I ordered the mullet. It didn't taste like milkfish but I can tell that the fish is really fresh. I was wondering of what fish in the Philippines that has the same taste to it coz the taste is so familiar to me. When I start eating in the middle part, I saw the oily thing which reminds me of the milkfish.

And this was my dinner last night. Mussels! They're still alive when I cooked them. haha

And this is my dinner today. Broiled Lobster Maine tail with veggies and dipping sauce (with the candle heating the sweet buttery sauce).

I think I don't need anymore seafoods this week. I had enough... more than enough that I don't even want to smell and see them again.

Blog Award

I want to thank my friends Carol and Simplymama for sharing this award to me. Thanks a lot girls! :)

The rules of the award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you’ve nominated.

Now I'm passing this to: Sheng, Jenn, Juliana, Lynn, Bregie, Ellaine and Ivy.

I found a Filipino Restaurant!

I was surfing the internet yesterday about Filipino Restaurants here in Tampa Bay and to my surprise there's one close by. Hubby and I went to the Filipino restaurant instead of going to a seafood restaurant because I was craving for Filipino foods. At last, I can go to a Filipino Restaurant and eat what I crave. There were other Filipinas chit chatting in Tagalog when we enter the place and I was disappointed because there's not much food in there. I thought they have Goldilocks bread and pastries, fish and vegetables but they only have bihon, pork and chicken caldereta, pork and chicken adobo, blood pudding (dinuguan) and rice. And because I was hungry already, I ordered rice, adobo and caldereta. I was disappointed with the taste too. The caldereta is oily, the adobo is sour and there's more bones than meat. I don't know if I want to go back there. Maybe I'll give it a chance again but if I don't like what they got then I'll go to Tampa to get what I want. That's my goal here to eat a Filipino dish and eat fresh fish again. Hubby said it's one of our priority. :)

Our Day's Off... Saturday and Sunday...

Today and tomorrow will be our day's off from working at my mother-in-law's apartment. Hubby want us to have our little vacation while we're here in Florida. I know what I want to do with my day's off, shop for the freshest fish we can find which I don't know if we can find it and look for another Filipino restaurant. Hubby and I went to a seafood restaurant. We were looking for a restaurant that serves fresh seafoods so hubby called the owner of the hotel where we're staying and she said that Bubba Gump is famous so we went there and try their food. Here's what we got last night.

Me outside the restaurant.

I got coconut shrimp, tempura shrimp, fried shrimp, fries, cole slaw and 3 different sauces.

This is hubby's amberjack fish with jasmine rice and i think mango salad.

Decisions... decisions...

After hubby knows that I'm pregnant, he said that this will be our last visit here in Florida for his mom coz he's going to spend his vacation to his family (me and our baby). Hubby is the only son and it's difficult for him to fly to Florida if something happens to his mom coz his job needs him too. Plus our vacation won't really be a vacation because every time he visits his mom, she wants him to do something for her like fixing things that are broken, replacing stuff that aren't working, go out shopping with his mom and eating out. My mom-in-law won't go out with other people even if she can afford to pay somebody to bring her somewhere if she needs to. She just want hubby to bring her out which only happen once a year after hubby got married. I feel pity on my mother-in-law coz she said that nobody visit her every month compare to other residents here. But I pity hubby also. He has a life too but he has to make decisions for his mom especially if she's sick coz she can't remember anything anymore. After his father died, hubby is monitoring his mom though he's far away from her. I now understand why oldies here need to be in an Assisted Living Facility. At first I told hubby that his mom can stay with us but hubby is worried that if I work or we have a baby, we can't attend his mom's needs especially if she's sick. Unlike in Assisted Living Facility where they have a nurse 24/7, somebody will monitor them to take their medicines, they get house cleaning, they have a necklace where there's a button that they can push if they fall or if they're sick so they can get help, they have therapist, 3 meals a day, salon and more. It makes us feel more comfortable thinking that my mother-in-law can get help when she needs it. Hubby said that it would be nice if he has siblings who can watch over his mom if he's not available but there's none. And because of that he doesn't want to have just one kid but more than one. I realized how hard it is to have one child because of what hubby is doing for his mom. He needs to make decisions as a husband, a father-to-be and as a son. I try to understand hubby's situation and his mom because she raised my husband so well and I thank her for that. Now that I'm pregnant, hubby made a decision to move his mom to where we live. In this way, we can visit her once a week (coz she doesn't want us to visit her everyday), we can take her out for shopping or dinner if she wants to and we can monitor her things (coz she complained that her jewelries, money and other things were stolen here which made hubby mad every time he remembers the diamond ring that his mom suppose to give me as a wedding present). Oh well, I hope there will be no complications with our schedules in going back to Alabama. Hubby and I were shopping for another Assisted Living Facility in Alabama before we come down here. We found a nice place and we noticed that the oldies there look lively and happier than any Assisted Living Facility that we went to. We just hope that my mom-in-law will like her new place.

Dinner with hubby's cousin

Hubby's cousin who live close here in Tampa planned to have a dinner with us if we're in town. I The day has come to meet them again and that was Tuesday night. And because I'm pregnant, they asked me of what I want to eat which hubby answered right away that I like fish and seafoods. We went to Bonefish Grill and I ordered salmon which I like coz the taste reminds me of a fresh fish. It was kinda spicy and I wasn't supposed to eat spicy foods coz it will give me an acid reflux but I ate it anyway coz it's really good. We had a little chitchat about their kids, my pregnancy, naming other cousin's kids, work, Philippines and Filipinos in Hawaii who cook good lumpia (egg roll).

Hubby's cousin Charlie, Peggy (Italian), hubby and me.

Filipino Party at Marriott

This event was during the Philippine Heritage Group Inaugural Ball last Saturday evening. We meet other Filipinos who lived from Tennessee, Georgia and from California who's visiting his sister. There was a Little Miss Philippines and a fashion show of Philippine costumes. It's nice to see those costumes again that other Filipinas were keeping. Most of the husbands who attended the event wore Barong Tagalog (Filipino costume for men). I plan to buy one for hubby so next time he won't stand out in the crowd. Here are the photos of the event.

Hubby and me.

Me and my Pinay friends having fun posing while the husbands were taking pictures of us.

Another pose before going home.

True Love Is...

I'd like to thank my friend Nancy for sharing this lovey dovey tag. :)

What does true love mean to you ?
True love is looking at the same direction.

How do you know you’re really in love?
When you have no worry about being with your special someone and spending the rest of your life with this person is the best thing you can think of.

How many times in your life have you fallen in love?
Once.

Have you ever fallen out of true love because you were mad at the moment?
No.

Do you feel love and physical attraction are the same thing?
No, they're different.

If your true love became ill or disfigured would you continue to love them the same way? Well, love is for better or for worst. So my answer is yes.

Should anyone else be able to tell you who to love or not love?
NO!

Do you believe people that ended up divorced were ever truly in love?
To some, yes but I don't think all of them do feel the true love. There are so many reasons why an individual got married. Some got married because of love, others because they want to have a baby or want to have a family, others just want to have somebody to be called a spouse, other's were after of money or they feel pity, for some it's because of lust and there are some who got married because of a deal. It's weird but true.

Would you do anything for love?
If it doesn't destroy my dignity, why not? I know that there are people who commit suicide because of love and that is not dignified. I will do something that is appropriate for love but not anything which include crazy things. I remember somebody who told me that if I marry a white guy, I should feed him (like a baby), prepare his clothes for work, put the food on his plate, do everything and anything for him. Do you know what I think after hearing this? That's what a slave does and I don't want to be one of them. When I told my husband about it, he said "that's how you treat old people at the nursing home. I'm not that old yet".

If you truly love someone, do you feel it should be unconditional?
Yes!

Let us hear other ideas from Ellaine, Cecille, and Ivy.

We're now in Florida

I took this photo on our way to St. Pete from Tampa. As you can see on the right side of the photo, there's an area where you can see some rain. The tropical storm Fay is on its way here in Florida that might turn into hurricane. I hope Fay will soon go away so hubby and I can finish our job here.

Hubby and I didn't have lunch today so we went directly to Crabby Bill's Seafood Restaurant for dinner. We ordered our favorite coconut chicken as our appetizer coz we're very hungry. The coconut chicken really taste soooo good when dip with honey mustard sauce. A perfect match I can say. :)



I was expecting to get the steamed blue crabs coz it's still early but after we order, the waitress came back and said that they run out of the steamed blue crabs but they have blue crabs with garlic and oil. I agree to get the blue crabs in garlic and oil and see if it's any good. My two sides were fries and yellow rice. Hubby got stuffed flounder, a vegetable medley and baked potato with butter and sour cream. We were stuffed when we left the place and I end up bringing home half of the crabs. It's too much for me to finish all the crabs in just one meal.

Busy days

Friday: I had a ladies night out again with my 2 lady friends. We're 5 in the group but the other two were doing something else for their family so only me and my two girl friends went to the Chinese Buffet (as usual) then to Starbucks and went home at 10:30 PM.

Saturday: The Inaugural Ball of the Philippine Heritage Group here. Hubby and I attended the event last night together with our friends. We went home at 12:15 AM and headed home. Hubby and I took some pics but I will post them later when I have more time to do it. :)

Sunday: Time for packing things for tomorrow's travel. Hubby and I still do a little shopping for something that we need to bring tomorrow. We didn't have internet this morning which made me bored good thing that somebody came over to fixed our line this afternoon. Now I'm happy coz I can blog hop and drop ec again.

Monday: Fly to Tampa Florida. Hubby and I will visit my mother-in-law and bring her here before my tummy grows. We'll be there for 2 weeks with a double purpose. It's our vacation and helping my mother-in-law in packing her things. In short, it's work and pleasure at the same time. I just hope the hurricane will soon go away so hubby and I can go to the beach.

I need to finish packing. Thank you for visiting. :)

Kick Ass Blogger Award

I want to thank Lynn for this nice award. You're so nice for sharing this with me girl. :)


Do you know any bloggers that kick ass?

Maybe they’ve got incredible, original content. Or they’re overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it’s someone who simply inspires you to be a better person… or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off.

Whatever the reason may be, I’m sure you know at least a couple of bloggers that kick ass. Well… why not tell ‘em so?

LOVE ON ‘EM

Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers”
Let ‘em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they’ve received an award Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to http://www.mammadawg.com/
Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on


Passing this on to my dear blogosphere friends who never fail to put a smile on my face, Ellaine, Bregie, Princess, Webloglearner and Texas_sweetie.

Dating 101

Thanks Sheng and Hailey for this tag!



Players: Ozzy’s Mom Me,Myself + 2 Kidd Designs Fun.Fierce.Fabulous Me and Mine Little Peanut Pea in a Pod Creative in Me Notable Bistro Sugarmagnolias Around the World Eds Mommy Life My Precious Niche Just Me.. Eds Can of Thoughts Pinaymama's Diary Sheng's Simple Thoughts Michelle's Small World YOUR BLOG



1. When was your first kiss and where? ..::.. After I graduate in College. Where? Somewhere out there. haha ..::..

2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last? ..::.. My first real relationship that I can think of is with hubby. ..::..


3. What age were you allowed to date? ..::.. According to my father's side I can have a bf after I graduate College and have a job already. My stepfather is okay about dating early as long as I know my limits. And my mom, I don't know. She confused me a lot about life. ..::..


4. What’s the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager? ..::.. I don't think it's love, maybe infatuation. Calling the guy if he can't call me. ..::..


5. How long was your longest relationship and what’s the secret? ..::.. It's been 4 yrs. now and counting! Trust and respect is very important to us! We try not to upset each other and we always support each other's interests. Being open to each other is another thing that helps us to know each other better. If he said or do something that is not acceptable to me then I let him know about it. Patience and understanding are needed especially for those who got married with foreigners coz of the different cultures and how they were raised. ..::..


6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down? ..::.. A year and 1 month. After 2 years we got married! ..::..


7. How did you know he was the ONE? ..::.. I was actually scared of getting married after hearing bad experiences of married women that I know. But when I met hubby everything's changed. I just knew that he's not the guy that will hurt a woman when he pass my test. And I pray for it too. ..::..


8. Now, at what age will you allow your kids(s) to date? ..::.. Hmm Depends when they're ready and I'm ready. haha . . . ..::..


9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent? ..::.. I think both. Parents should be a little strict and guide the kids. ..::..


10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating? ..::.. To be responsible of any decision they make. Learn from their mistakes and move on. ..::..



I'm passing this tag to Princess, Laradee, Nice, Pangit and Lynn.

It's All About Me

I got this tag from Lynn. Thanks for sharing girl. :)

{START COPY}


The object is to complete each of the following snippets.

Participants: Startin’ A New Life, Too / All Things Me / Because Life Is Fun / Feels Like Home / My Happy Place / Iam Dzoi / Suburban Sass / To the Moon and Back / Raising Sandy / Mommy Talks / Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps / All Kinds of Me Stuff / The Salad Caper / Winding Creek Circle / InkBabyStudios / My Colorful World / Random Thoughts / Explore Manila / My Online World / My Life in this Wonderful World / In Depth / Ed's Mommy Life / Just Me..Eds / My Precious Niche / T☺ni's Attachments / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Lynn's Chic Spot / YOU

{END COPY}

I am: Just a simple person with big dreams for my family.
I think: I'm bloated lately.
I know: that someday I'll gain a lot of weight. huhu
I have: a very loving, caring, understanding and supportive husband. Lucky me! :)
I wish: we can buy a house someday. :)
I hate: when I'm not feeling well. It made me moody.
I miss: Filipino foods!
I fear: Death.
I hear: the water flowing in the kitchen sink. Maybe hubby is washing the dishes. haha
I smell: Nothing.
I crave: for TOCINO yesterday, today and tomorrow. LOL
I search: ideas about something that interest me thru the internet or books.
I wonder: how small my baby is right now.
I regret: allowing others to take advantage of my weakness.
I love: my husband.
I ache: my back, shoulder, neck and abdomen.
I am not: a girl, I'm now a woman. hahaha
I believe: I can fly. LOL!!!
I dance: alone or with hubby, friends, family and relatives.
I sing: if I'm in the mood. (",)
I cry: when i'm down or when i heard something that is not acceptable to me.
I fight: for my right.
I win: the raffle draw last Easter Sunday for the first time. haha
I lose: my appetite lately!
I never: want to have debt. That's just a headache.
I always: am down to earth.
I confuse: hubby with my grammar. I wish I can talk English like my native language.
I listen: to music and the sounds of nature.
I can usually be found: at home.
I am scared: when i hear some noise and nobody's around.
I need: to take some rest, rest and more rest.
I am happy about: having the freedom to do anything I want here in US.
I imagine: of what life would be ones baby comes along.

I tag: YOU! ^_^

My taste buds make me crazy...

My friend at work was surprised when I told her that I cooked beef steak Filipino style yesterday coz she according to her pregnant woman are very sensitive with smelly foods. Well, not me. I like to smell the fried onions and garlic which made me drooling while cooking. I was craving for bistek so I went to the store yesterday to get the freshest beef and bought one lemon for the bistek and 2 bi-color sweet corn. I like the yellow sweet corn but it's not available so I bought the bi-color one. I was excited when I finished cooking my bistek; it smells like the bistek in the Philippines. But the problem is my taste buds. It was delicious on my first bite, the next bites were different. I pause for a while and asked myself "Is this the taste of a Philippine bistek?" Hubby was wondering of what happened coz I was excited to eat at first then I slow down. I said that I was craving for the bistek but after having a bite of it, I don't like the taste anymore. Grrrr! At that moment, I was thinking of what I really like to eat and my Aunt's home made tocino popped up in my mind. Yes, I was craving tocino but I like to eat my Aunt's tocino, not the one in the store. Geee! I lost my appetite right away but I forced myself to finish my rice and give my bistek left over to hubby. Hubby said "I like it!" Well, good for him.

Here's the photo of yesterday's bistek.



I was thinking of eating something sweet but it should be healthy. I hurriedly cooked the sweet corn for me and hubby. I was excited to eat it so when it's already cooked, I brought the plate of sweet corn in the bedroom where hubby is. He's talking to his mom on the phone and was lying in bed. I know that hubby won't talk and eat at the same time but I want to eat when I have an audience. haha I was nibbling the sweet corn while listening to hubby and my mother-in-law's conversation. Hubby warned me already that the sweet corn is too much for me but I didn't listen. I was able to finish it but again, the first half of the corn was great and the next half taste different. I don't know why there's always a bitter taste to all the foods I ate. I think it's because of the iron that I'm taking everyday or maybe there's something in the prenatal vitamins that they gave me which changes my sense of taste. I think the only thing that doesn't taste bitter is the pork rinds (chicharon/es). It taste sooo good with the spicy vinegar but I don't want to eat it all the time because it can cause heart burn. Here's a photo of pork rinds (chicharon/es) and the spicy vinegar.



Hmm My taste buds really made me crazy. I hope someday my taste buds will cooperate and won't give me a bitter taste of the foods I like. That will be a big relief. ^_^

List Your Six

I grab this tag from my friend Andrea. I just thought that this is nice. Thanks Andrea for this. ^_^

Rule:

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today.

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.

3. Tag other online friends you know.



Today, I feel..

1) Tired

2) Sleepy

3) Stuffed

4) like I'm having an acid reflux

5) to blog hop but there's not enough time

6) Of course, I feel preggy! LOL!!!



Links: Creative In Me Little Peanut Me and Mine Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias IamDzoi My Happy Place To the Moon and Back Raising Sandy My Colorful World My Life in this Wonderful World My Online World! Life Is A Journey Michelle's Small World YOUR BLOG HERE!

Tagging those who are interested to repost this and join the fun. :)

Preggy talk

According to my friend every woman is different. There are preggy women who don’t experience the morning sickness or the fainting and other pains but there are some women like my other friend who doesn't want to eat anything because she vomits after she ate. Hmm I hope I won't experience that. I still want to eat regularly without vomiting.

The practitioner told me to eat protein every now and then. I ate a little bit of fish with vinegar (inun-unan) and fried fish for my lunch which I was excited while cooking coz I crave for Filipino foods. I was happy after smelling the two dishes but I was disappointed when I ate them because the taste is different. I used the frozen fish from the Filipino store coz the owner said that it's good type of fish. How I wish we have fresh fish here like in the Philippines. I ended up throwing the fish with vinegar into the garbage coz it taste bitter. I save the fried fish for another Filipino recipe.

My lunch yesterday the fried fish and the fish with vinegar (inun-unan).

I ate guava yesterday afternoon for my snack then cooked bisaya vegetable stew (otan bisaya), paired with rice and fried dried fish. I was very hungry when it's dinner time. I waited for hubby and suddenly I felt weak again. While I was eating I was also catching up my breath. I thought I'm just hungry but I think there's something more. Hubby took my boost drink from the fridge the one with high protein and a few minutes later I felt a little better. Hubby told me not to wait for him if I feel hungry coz he doesn't want me to be sick again. I took a nap after dinner then I sleep a little early.

I woke up at 4:00 am today to call work coz my car is not working. I was hungry at that time but tried to ignore it. I get up after 30 minutes coz my tummy was really hungry. Hubby told me to nibble some pork rinds (chicharon) that my friend gave me or crackers but I want something hot to sip. I decided to cook half of the chicken noodles and added 1 egg for protein. I went back to bed smiling coz my tummy is already full. haha I took advantage of getting up late today coz I'm not going to work. I crave for another Filipino dish again which is bokchoy with fried fish. I was happy to smell the cooked bokchoy coz it smells like the dish in the Philippines. It's the first time that I ate bokchoy with fried fish here in US.

My lunch today. Bokchoy with fried fish and soy sauce.

What about for tomorrow's meals? I don't think I want to eat the left overs again. It seems that I want to eat something new every meal and I want something hot to sip. (magpagatas) haha

I hate these chores tag...

A tag from Lynn and Butchay. Thanks ladies! (",)

~~~START COPY~~~

This meme is pretty simple.

Here are the rules:

1.) List down the household chores you hate and why. Do you think you can survive without helpers and nannies?

2.) Copy the image.



3.) Tag as many girlfriends you want, the daddies and hubbies can also join.
4.) Add your blog's link in the domesticated divas linky love. You can add all your blogs.
5.) Leave ME a comment and I'll add you up in the masterlist.



DOMESTICATED DIVAS: Living the Healthy Life / Sripe & Yellow / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Em's Detour / Insights from the Grocery Cart / Living A'La Mode / Joy's In Life / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Sweet Temptation /God’s Best Gift / MommyAllehs Up-Close And PersonalMy Precious Niche / Just Me.. Eds / Eds Mommy Life / Butchay’s World / Clark & Butchay’s Blog /Michelle's Small World / YOUR BLOG HERE



~~~END COPY~~~


My Answer:
The only chore I hate doing is ironing clothes. Lately I'm too lazy washing dishes, cooking and even grocery shopping. I guess that's what preggy women do, wanted to relax and rest. (",)



I'd like to tag Katelove, Simplymama and Hailey.

My Yesterday and Today

I got this tag from Lynn. Thanks girl! (",)

Here are the Rules:

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today and yesterday.

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.

3. Tag other online friends you know.

Yesterday

1. Went to Church with hubby.

2. Took a nap after lunch.

3. Vacuum the carpet.

Today

1. Cooked lunch.

2. Talked to a new bisaya friend that I met at my OB's clinic.

3. Washed beddings and pillow cases.

Participants : GailAdi / Momeen / Emmyrose / Dennis / Dette / Jirl / Janny / Nanay Belen / Carol / Something Purple’s cucina / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Stripe&Yellow / Something Purple / Em’s Detour / Spin180 / Wisdom City / MY Happy Place / IamDzoi / ClikTrik / I Love the Thirties / Ozzy’s Mom / Me,Myself+2 / Kidd Designs / FunFierceFabulous / Blogger Happy / Berry Scrappy / Everyday CHI / My Colorful World / Explore Manila / Random Thoughts / When SAHM-one Speaks / Deranged Insanity / Mighty in Spirit / Straight from the Heart / Simple Delights / Motherhood in a Nutshell / Love Is / Wonderful Things in Life / My Life's Adventur" / Photographic Memories / The Joy Of Life Forever / The Fountain Of Happiness / A Message From My Heart / The Adventurous and Sporty Side of Miah / MeiYah's Blog / MeiYah's PhotoBlog / MeiYah's World / MeiYah's Sweet Nothings / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Lynn's Chic Spot / Michelle's Small World / your blog here /

Tagging those who are listed in my blog roll. :)

30 minutes meals?

I was shocked hearing this but I was impressed when I saw Rachael Ray doing it for real. I was curious of how she do it so I follow her show to know how she makes her 30 minute meals. I thought she got a secret but I noticed that she prepare what she need right then and there. That's one secret. If you know what you have in the kitchen and where to locate them then that will make it easier for you to just grab them when you need it. After watching Rachael Ray for more than a year and other food network chefs for less than a year, I kind of figure out the trick in making quick and easy meals but delicious ones when finished. I do have lots of different cook books but I don't follow everything especially if I don't have the ingredients needed. I mostly modified the recipe and most of the time the result were acceptable to hubby, some are great and some are okay according to him. There are entrees that I need to eat rice so I cook rice almost everyday when I need to. Then I figured out how to save time for cooking rice. Cooking the rice in the rice cooker only takes 30 minutes and that's good for 2 persons. I cooked 2 cups of jasmine rice which is more than enough for me and hubby and I put the left over in a Ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. The next day, I just heat the rice in the microwave before dinner. In this way I can concentrate in cooking one entree for me and hubby or just for hubby only. As a Filipina, there are foods that are easy to cook but hubby doesn't like to eat. Like the sardines and egg. Others don't know about this so I'm sharing this to everybody.

I mashed the sardines (ligo); add 2 eggs and a little salt. Mix them together with the sauce of sardines and cook in a skillet. No oil needed. Stir the mixture every now and then so the bottom part will not burn. You know that it's cook if it's almost dry. Serve with rice.

If you have left over, put it in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. You can put the left over also in a microwavable plastic container and the next day you just heat and eat.

Another thing is using the crock pot. I tried this many times and it really works great for me and hubby. You just put the ingredients into the crock pot before going to work then set the timer to cook the food inside for 8 hours. As soon as you come home, the food is ready to serve and still hot.

But if you and your partner are okay to eat foods over and over again then multiply the ingredients so you'll have left over’s for the next day. In that way you just heat and eat the next day and go to bed early.

Another recipe that is quick and easy is making a casserole. I cook tuna casserole for hubby almost every Friday. It's really quick and easy that I noticed I can cook this in 30 minutes. You only need pasta, Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup or other flavors that you like, tuna in a can and cheese for toppings. Cook the pasta according to package instruction and once cooked, drain and pour the tuna and cream of mushroom soup in the same pot, then mix together. Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish then top with shredded cheese. Heat in the microwave until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

If you are into multi-tasking like me then you can cook an entree, a steamed side dish plus rice or steamed potato in just an hour. Want to know more? Ask me. :)

PS.
I'm not an expert but I want to help my friend jenn who's willing to learn the quick and easy meals. Just want to share this to those who are interested to learn what I know and tried.

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyers

Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin are the Criminal Defense Attorneys in Los Angeles | Southern California Criminal Defense rated as “Pre-Eminent” Criminal Defense Firm on the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register and the top 5% US Law Firm. This firm specializes in defense cases not only in the County of Los Angeles but also in Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Judicial Districts. These three Criminal Defense Lawyers have a combined 50 years of legal experience and credentials which make this firm a great choice if you’re facing criminal charges in the Counties that they serve. I call them the “Dream Team”, aggressive and experienced professionals.

Rosie's 2nd Birthday!

Today is the 2nd birthday of Ilocana's daughter Rosalinda. I thought hubby and I were late but we're not. We waited for the rest of the Fil-Am couples to arrive and while waiting for the rest of the group hubby went to Walgreens for a quick shopping for my supplements. He arrived just in time when it's time to eat but hubby didn't eat because he's afraid that he might get sick. He decided to wait til later when it's almost time for us to go so if ever he gets sick then he can take a rest at home. He was sick before we went to Ilocana's house but I told him to take Advil for his stomach ache. Good thing that he was feeling okay while we're there. We had fun and enjoyed the food and of course before going home, we bring some left overs. We drop by at another friend's house who went home early because the daughter had a tantrum at the party and Ilocana forgot to give them their kids toys. We added some left over in the plastic bag for my friend as her snacks if she gets hungry. hehe That's what Filipinos do here. I was sort of used to it now that if somebody forget to bring something, we'll drop the food to their house and if they're not there then we just leave the food beside the front door and call them later that there's food outside. haha Funny but I think it's cute too. My friend's husband said that Filipinos are weird coz we look out for each other. Well, we care for each other because we're far from our family and we know that we sometimes crave for our food. So if one can't go for a gathering then we just drop the food to our friend's house so our friend can eat what we eat even if she wasn't able to attend the little gathering. Isn't it nice? Here are some photos we took for today's event. ^_^

The birthday girl feeding herself. ^_^

Rosie and grandma.

Husbands at the table, excluding hubby coz he's beside me. :)

Me and my pinay friend. *_*

Great Eyeglasses for Less!

Are you in need of new eyeglasses but doesn’t have a budget for it? Worry no more my friend, you can get the eyeglasses you need with a price that is very affordable to you. Zennioptical.com is recommended by many people because of their affordable and stylish prescription eyeglasses online for less from $8. Even the popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program The Clark Howard Show, recommended Zennioptical.com. Isn’t it amazing? Yes, this website offers a great variety of stylish eyeglasses that you need. They have a huge selection of frames with single vision lens, sun sensor (potochromic) lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. The reason why they can afford to sell their products for less is because they don’t have a middleman so there’s no advertising budget and they sell only their own manufactured frames directly to their customer. It is such a great advantage for the customers who are looking for the best price and wants to get the best eyeglasses that they dreamed of. As you can see, products that don’t need advertising are popular. Because of the popularity of Zennioptical.com, their customers are the ones benefited by the low price that they can give. Aside from the low price that customers are willing to pay, the frames that they have can add beauty to your personality. This is a great opportunity for those who are looking for the best eyeglasses with an affordable price. Try it and you’ll see.

Modified Beef Stroganoff

There are times when I don't know what to cook and I'm in a hurry to cook coz hubby will soon arrive. As a typical Pinay wife, I want the dinner served when hubby arrive so the foods are still hot and after dinner I still have time to blog or do something else. Good thing that I have cookbooks to choose from so I just pick one that can be cooked fast and change the recipe if ever some of the ingredients are not availabe in the kitchen and add something that I think would work okay with the meat. This is suppose to be a beef stroganoff. I just add the green breans coz I don't have time to steam it. I think I cooked this in less than 30 minutes. The result was great! Hubby said he'll eat it again. -_^



My modified recipe:
1 lb beef top sirloin steak, cut thinly and bite size
1 small onion, cut into 1/2 slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp cooking oil
4 tsp all-purpose flour
1 14 oz. can beef broth
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
10 pcs green beans, cut into 2 inches

In a 10 inch skillet cook and stir onion, garlic, and half of the beef in hot oil until onion is tender and beef is slightly pink in center. Remove from skillet.

Repeat with remaining beef and green beans. Return rest of meat mixture to the skillet, sprinkle flour and ground black pepper over the meat. Stir to coat.

Stir in broth, tomato paste, and worcestershire sauce. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Serve hot.

Planning for our Future

Planning for the future is good not only for you but also for your family. Though it takes time, effort and patience before you get the good results but it’s really worth it. As early as now hubby and I planned of what’s good for our baby. Having a baby is not about raising the child but also educating the child. That’s the best gift you can give to your kids because knowledge is power and no one can steal that. But if you have no idea about saving, financial planning and protecting your wealth then don’t worry. You can still have the good future that you want if you act now and take it seriously. There’s a website that will help you to save money today. Even if you’re in debt, you can find debt help and loan quotes to save your future. I’m talking about Bills.com. If you are in desperate help or in need of proper guidance then check this website and try Bills IQ test. As you answer the IQ test, you’ll learn something from it too. After taking the test, you’ll see the result and that’s your opportunity to change how you think about money and try to change the bad habit into a good one. Honestly, it’s not too late for you to start planning. This website has articles that you can use as a guide for financial planning in the future. There are tips also that you can follow if you want to. I’m glad that my Bills IQ result is 98% A which means I’m on the right track but I still want to know some more tips to continue to be on the right track. Bills.com can improve your financial score and give you a good financial health. It made me feel confident that hubby and I are doing the right way. Now that hubby and I will soon have our first baby, we plan more seriously about saving for education plans, purchasing a new house and continue to contribute for our retirement plan. Aside from those plans, hubby is now seriously investing in the stock market. The moment he knew that I’m pregnant, he started researching seriously about the stock market then investing little by little. It’s nice to know that he’s following it everyday and watching it grow.

Brillante Weblog

I want to thank my gorgeous friends Sheng and Simplymama for sharing this Brillante Award. It is so nice to receive such an award like this. Thanks a lot my dear!



The above recipients of the Brillante Weblog are welcomed to put the Logo on their personal blogs and have the honor of passing this award to seven other bloggers.Here are the rules for passing on the award:

l. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog

Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I want to share this to Lynn, Ellaine, Bregie, Pinaywahm, cecille, texas_sweetie and simplymama.

Franchise Opportunities

If you are business minded person like me, then you’re in the right place. I’ve been dreaming to have my own business but we all know that we should do a lot of research before deciding to open a business. Months or years of planning, researching, preparing and so on. It’s very important to have a plan, goal and the strength to open a new business knowing that your future lies in it. The success of your business depends on how much knowledge you got, the patience in running the business, your determination, hard work and learning more to achieve the success that you want in your business. For me the easiest way to have your own business is franchising. In this way you already have an idea of what you want. Maybe you want to franchise a fast food, salon or anything that interests you the most. Once you know of which one you want, you can now do the next step. Go to Myfranchisepath.com because this website can help you in any way you want. You can read their franchise buying guide like franchise 101, the frequently asked questions, things to consider before moving ahead and the steps to buying a franchise. This website is very helpful if you are serious in looking for a good franchise that will match your needs. The good part is they offer free phone consultation if you want. This is a good franchise opportunities that you can get in just a click of the mouse. A car repair franchise might be a good one for a man who likes to work with cars or window covering franchise if you like to work on windows or have knowledge about it. Whatever your interests are, myfranchisepath.com has a system matching people with the right franchise.

Freebies and some update...

I got these freebies at the OBGYN's clinic. They are so nice for giving me lots of samples that really works great on my health. The vitamins really made me feel great everyday as if I'm not pregnant. The dizziness, nausea and cramps suddenly becomes lesser after I started taking the vitamins. But this morning I didn't take my vitamin because they're going to draw some blood on me. They didn't tell me to fast but hubby said that his Doctor told him to fast if they draw blood on him for some tests so I just drink water. The practitioner repeated the exam. again and after that a woman draw blood on me filling 2 empty blood collection tubes and 2 blood collection tubes that has a little bit of something inside. They told me not to lift 20 lbs or more, not to eat salty foods to avoid high blood, not to eat sweets to avoid diabetes, no smoking, drinking or illegal drugs, eat veggies and fruits, eat little portions only but frequently, drink lots of water and juices, eat cream of wheat if I need some iron and so on. The practitioner said that I'm so tiny and they want to see me a little bigger. Well, for me not yet. I don't wanna gain weight too soon. I don't think it's good for me and the baby. :)

We didn't stay at the OB's clinic for so long coz I was the first patient. We only spent an hour and 50 minutes and went out for brunch. We ordered the breakfast menu and the one I got are mostly oily. It seems that the foods I ate wants to come out and until now I still feel so full. There are days that I easily go hungry almost every hour but not today. It's almost 6 hrs now since I had my breakfast and here I am, feeling like I just ate a whole plate of food. I don't know if I can make it to the Chinese Buffet tonight with my friends for our ladies night out. We'll see what I feel later.

Anyways, after eating breakfast hubby and I went to Wal-Mart to buy a whole tilapia fish and squash for my fish stew. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart didn't have what I need so I decided to come back next time. Hubby continued looking around while I looked at the cribs, strollers, car seats, bouncers and high chairs. When we're at the counter I felt weak as if I'm looking for a fresh air again. I told hubby to go home after paying what we got. When we arrived home I took my vitamin and lie down on the couch then took a nap. Now I'm confused of what to shop for the baby coz my friend told me that I don't need to buy a bouncer coz she already have one sitting at their garage. Another friend said that she has a base or something for the car, car seat that she no longer use and other stuff. Then my co-worker asked for my home address and email address yesterday coz she said that she'll send me some good freebies. It seems that there are lots of hand-me-down stuff and clothes from my Filipina friends that they keep just in case one of our friends gets pregnant again. I guess I just have to wait. It's too early to buy stuff for the baby plus the baby didn't start kicking yet.

Happy Weekend! ^_^