I did not realize that deciding to buy a new car would be this stressful. LOL. Since we applied for a loan a few days before Holy Week, we were only able to get the bank’s approval last Friday. So yesterday, we went to Toyota again to get a quotation for Toyota Vios 1.3 J and 1.3 E if it is through bank financing.

Howell was already set on getting the Vios 1.3 E (The only difference of the E model with the J model is that the Vios 1.3E has power lock, power window, power side mirror and mag wheels). And Toyota is also having a promo wherein they are giving the Insurance and the LTO registration for free if we purchased our car through Toyota Financial Services.

I made an Excel sheet yesterday so Howell can get a bigger picture of the price difference between the J and E model and if we will get the car through bank financing or through Toyota’s in-house financing. And after seeing the total amount after adding the interests, he is starting to have second thoughts again. LOL.

So we will see….We badly need to make a decision soon since we have no car to use since we sold our SUV weeks ago and Bela is already going to school for her summer class. Wish us luck and hopefully we can finally make a decision soon.

We said goodbye to our Vitara last week when the buyer picked it up in our house last Monday. Then the next day after Bela’s Moving Up Day program, we went to the different showrooms in Otis and Macapagal area to check out the cars that we are considering buying.

After our car window shopping, our choices were:

1. Toyota Innova – The capacity of this car is just perfect for us specially we are planning for baby # 2 this year. But it is over our budget.
2. Toyota Vios – This car has good reviews and they say that it consumes less gas plus it very well fit our budget. But the capacity of this car is just enough for a small family.
3. Honda City – Howell fell in love with this car. He is even set on buying it but I told him to think it over as it is already almost the price of the Innova.
4. Mitsubishi Strada – This is hubby’s number one love. But I find the price to pricey for a car and considering that it also has a small passenger capacity.

So what did we end up buying? That’s for my next post (Sayang din pang fillers din yun. LOL)

I can't contain my excitement already because in just three weeks, we will finally be heading to Cebu and spend three days and two nights at Shangri-La Mactan. This will be our first time to stay at Shangri-La in Cebu but my good friend Peachy and her family are avid patrons of this five star hotel and I hear nothing but raves from them for this resort so I am sure that we will have a grand time and will finally be able to relax and rest even for just three days.

Since we will be going to a beach resort, I am now thinking to get Laser Hair Removal to prepare me for this trip. Of course I have to be ready to wear the proper swimming attire minus the nasty hair so I am considering having this service from Cultura.

A friend recently tried Botox Maryland from Cultura and she is very happy and please with their service that is why she highly recommends this cosmetic dermatology and laser center to us. They integrate their dermatology, laser and Reveal Medspa expertise to give their patients the best service for skin health.

The countdown is on so I better contact Cultura soon so I will be ready for the beach for our next family adventure with our friends.

I don't know why SM decided to pull out Monterey products from their supermarket and they just started to market all SM Bonus meat products. I guess it is their strategy to monopolize the market but I really prefer Monterey products as I know that it is safe and of high quality.

That is why when a Monterey shop opened just a few blocks away from our house, I was really happy as at least we have easy access now to good quality meat. My only problem when they opened was that they don't have credit card processor so I have no choice but to pay in cash.

But when I passed by their store last week, I am so happy when I learned that they availed of the service of Merchant Perfect, one of the credit card processing companies today.

I wonder why they did not thought of getting the service of Merchant Perfect as signing up for a merchant account with them is very easy and is even free. Once they have an account, they will get the following service from Merchant Perfect:

. Low Swipe Rate
. Free Account Setup
. 24/7 Toll Free Support
. online payment processing
. Free virtual terminal
. Check services

At least now I can shop conveniently with them by just using my credit card.

Hubby and I had a tough day today, as we got so worried since Bela is sick. Last night, Bela was complaining that she feels hot and when I checked her temperature, it is already at 38.5. We just gave her medicine and she went to bed after.

This morning, I checked her temperature and she still has fever but I did not think that it would shoot up so hubby and I even prepared to go to work. We are all dressed up and we are already about to leave but I checked her temperature again one last time before we leave for work and I panicked when it read 40 degrees Celsius. I quickly called my mom and hubby decided that we would not go to work and take Bela to the hospital.

We went to her pediatrician around 8 AM. We initially planned to take her to the Emergency Room but we know that they will do all kinds of test as that is the routine in the ER of Chinese General and we don’t want to expose her yet as she might get traumatized. So we waited for her doctor to arrive and it was already 10 AM when her doctor entertained us.

She was given medicine and we were asked to observe for her fever and if it doesn’t improve in 3 days, then she has to have a CBC test and Urinalysis.

Her temperature shoots up again to 39.9 around 3 PM so I gave her Advil as per her doctor’s prescription. When she went to bed, her temperature is already down to 37.6 so I am hoping that it will continue to improve.

It has been a while since I last had hair treatment. Ever since I got pregnant, I did not risk having any hair treatment, as I know that it can be harmful for the baby. Then I am also breastfeeding my son so I still can't have any hair treatment even after I gave birth because it is still a big no-no for breastfeeding mommies.

My son already turned one year old but I don't think I will be weaning him soon which means I have to live with my unruly hair. But then again, I suddenly find hope after my friend introduced me to the site of Lee Beauty, an online beauty supply warehouse.

And the solution to my problem: black hair extensions. Since I can't have any hair treatment, I can just cut my hair short and have beautiful hair extensions so I can have silky soft hair, without the treatment and without any risk of harming my son of any chemicals when he feeds from me.

Lee Beauty not only sells hair extensions but a whole lot of products like lace front wigs for black women, hair solutions, beauty tools, skin care products, nail and eyelashes products and more.

Check out their site as they have a lot of ongoing promos and great discounts.

My sister in law will be giving birth next month. How time really flies. I can still remember, when they first told us about the good news. Everybody is excited as we all can't wait to see the next bundle of joy that will be added to our family.

This is already the second pregnancy of my sister in law but she still never fails to check on pregnancy information as she wants to make sure that she is doing everything right for the safety and health of her and the baby.

One website where my sister in law gets pregnancy advice is the website of Healthy Women. This website offers a lot of information about diet and nutrition, fitness, pregnancy, labor and delivery, child care and a lot of other information. They even have a WomenTalk blog where you can find advice and tips about womens health or just share your own stories and opinions.

One important section of the website is the "Ask the Expert" where you can ask an expert's opinion about any health questions and issues that you have.

The Healthy Women website has really been a big help for my sister in law and it is one of the reasons why she had a very easy pregnancy because of all the tips that she got from this site.

Last Saturday was the PTA meeting in Bela’s school. It is also the gathering of GSPA (Grade School Parent’s Association) where the election of the officers was held.

I was actually reluctant to attend as I am afraid that I might get elected but I know Bela will get mad at me if I did not attend so hubby and I woke up early that Saturday to make it on time to the 8 AM GSPA meeting.

And just as I suspected, I have been “voluntold” to be the Homeroom Representative of St. Gudila. LOL. Thankfully, I was fast enough and “voluntold” another parent to be the Grade Level representative. At least I only need to work up to the homeroom level. LOL.

But I am glad to be of service. As what the officers of the GSPA mentioned at the meeting, they do it for the love of their daughters. And I am an active and stage parent anyways so I am present to most of the activities in school so I don’t think being a homeroom president will make any difference.

My husband and I are thankful that banks offer housing loans because without them, we will not be able to fulfill our dreams of owning our own home. We actually got approved for a housing loan and because of that we were able to purchase a house and in fact, we will be moving to our new home in a few months.

But since the bank will be loaning us a big amount of money and since they are businessmen, it is expected that they will earn something from us through the interest that our loan will incur. And when we computed for the interest, we were surprise because it is almost the amount of our loan.

So when we learned about Nationwide Biweekly Administration, and on how they can help us save on interest, we got really interested. With the Interest Minimizer Program that they can facilitate for us, we can convert our payment from monthly to weekly or bi-weekly scheme without changing lenders or without any balance transfers. This will significantly reduce our interest by thousands of dollars and it can reduce our years of payment by six to 10 years.

We will be reviewing Interest Minimizer Program, as we know that this can help us save big and use that savings for some other useful things for our family.

Before, I am not actually a coffee drinker. But ever since I started working late, I needed to drink something that will keep me company until the break of dawn so I can finish all my work. That is why I will have to drop by at a coffee shop before going home from work to get my coffee fix but then I realized that it can really be expensive if I do it everyday. Maybe I will save more and still satisfy my coffee craving if I have my own coffee brewer at home.

And that is how I discovered bunn home coffee maker. What is best about Bunn's coffee brewer is that it is very easy to use so it is never impossible to prepare the best cup of coffee at home.

Bunn's technology for their coffee brewer makes sure that the water is always at optimal brewing temperature so coffee is not over extracted, which makes the coffee bitter. It also evenly mixes the coffee grounds to extract and create the ideal flavor for your coffee. And since it brews fast, I can get coffee in an instant any time of day.

With Bunn's coffee brewer, I can get to have coffee-shop quality coffee everyday.

Hubby and I just got back from watching the Cirque du Soleil show, Varekai. I left work at around 5 PM so I can meet hubby early so we can have dinner first before the show.

We had dinner at Yellow Cab around 6 PM and just walked from Yellow Cab to Quirino Grand Stand. We had some picture taking outside and inside the Big Chapiteau and as always, hubby bought souvenirs of the show.

The show started at exactly 7:30 PM and it was amazing. I was actually bored at the first scenes but I clapped and shouted non stop for the next performances like the flight of Icarus, two men in straps performing acrobatic figures, the young woman balancing on cranes, and the finale (my favorite) the Russian Swings. I also love how the two clowns make the show funny and more entertaining.

After the finale, all the performers went on stage and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

We actually had no plans at first to watch Varekai but I gave in after hearing the raves about it and I am glad that we did as this show is definitely a show that you should not miss.

If we did not purchase the property of hubby's colleague here in Manila, hubby is so keen in pursuing his plan of constructing a swimming pool at our house in Bulacan. According to hubby, it will serve two purposes. One is that it will be our weekend home and with a swimming pool, for sure we will always love to go to our house and spend our weekend there. Second is that we can even rent the house and the pool for extra income.

I was actually not in favor with his plan as I know how difficult and expensive it is to maintain a swimming pool. We need to replace the pool cartridge filters, the sanitizer and the clarifier often to keep the pool's water clean and germ free. But hubby did some research already and if we can rent out the place at least once or twice a month, we can get the money that we will spend for pool maintenance like above ground pool filters and we may even earn some extra money.

But the purchase of pool filter replacement cartridge will be put on hold for the meantime as we will delay the construction of the swimming pool as we will start paying already for the monthly amortization of the property that we just bought. But I know in God's perfect time, hubby's dream for our house in Bulacan will soon turn into a reality.

In less than a month, we will finally be moving to our new home. I have not been feeling excited about it as I am anxious and scared of the financial burden ahead of us but now that it is already finalized and there is no turning back, I am starting to feel excited already. At least even if we have a huge financial responsibility now as we pay our monthly amortization, it is all worth it because at least this house is something that we can call our own.

At the ground floor of the house are two spaces that we can rent out but hubby is thinking of converting it to a studio so he can try his luck on business. As a supportive wife, I am already starting to look for business card printers to order the business cards for hubby's new business and I am so happy to discover Print Early.

Print Early provides online printing services like club flyers, envelopes, labels, brochures and almost all printing needs. They have a very fast turnaround of only 24 hours so you can get your print outs right away. They have an online calculator so you can get quotes instantly, even the shipping fee. Plus, they offer online proofs so you can readily see the layout for checking and approval.

I am so glad that I discovered them at the perfect time as they are offering 10% discount on their entire inventory so I can even order postcards printing for hubby's new business venture.

Hubby is home. After being away for 6 days because of a remote work in Baguio, he arrived last night with loots for me and the kids.

I am glad he is finally here, at least my best friend and confidant is back. Lesser chance for me to go crazy as I have someone now who can listen to all my rants and problem. LOL.

But he was so dead tired last night as he has been working late hours while he is there in Baguio so we were only able to talk for a bit and he got my Starbucks fix first before dozing off to sleep. LOL.

Tomorrow, we will go on a date as we watch Varekai. I am so excited and I am really looking forward for a QT and bonding time with hubby. Then in a month, it is time for our family to go on vacation with friends at Shangri-La Mactan. Good Times.

I installed the Cirque du Soleil application on my iPhone and I watched the video trailer of Varekai and all the more I got excited because in just four days, I will get to witness the show myself as I go on a date with hubby to watch the show on July 14. (I got so excited that I decided to print our tickets but I forgot that I have to buy first computer video cables as the cable of our monitor has been bitten by rodents and thus needs replacement).

I just read the blog post of Anton Diaz, a famous blogger, and he clearly describes the different act and the characters of the show with pictures which adds up to my excitement. I also learned from him that the tickets I purchased were one of the best seats in the house (and when I checked now, tickets in that section is already sold out).

So it is a date for me and hubby on the 14th. Too bad they doesn’t allow to take pictures but I am sure it will make memories that I will remember forever (or maybe I will be like Anton who will get addicted to Cirque du Soleil shows that I will also target to watch all Cirque shows across the globe. Why not, first stop will be Zaia in Macau. LOL).

It has been two weeks already since I have been using my new Mac and I must say that I am loving it. I was hesitant at first to switch from Windows to Mac as I heard that MAC OS is completely different from Windows but I am happy that I did the switch as I find MAC OS faster and reliable than Windows. The boot up alone only takes a couple of seconds while it takes minutes to boot from Windows. And it is actually not that difficult to learn MAC OS as it is as user friendly as Windows, though it just takes a little getting used to.

Now I am happy because I can do a lot more with it than just type using Word processing application:

• Since it has a wider screen (compared to the 10” screen of my netbook), I can comfortably browse the net, read articles online like the latest showbiz news that I heard about natalie portman's engagement ring, and multi task as I can open many windows at the same time.
• I can install Adobe Photoshop so I can go back to digi scarpping again.
• Watch my favorite TV series as my MAC now comes with a DVD player (my netbook doesn’t have a DVD player so I can’t use it to watch movies and TV series from DVD).

Now I am happy that I switch to MAC and I think what they say about MAC is true, that once you go with MAC you won’t be coming back to Windows.

Last Sunday, we received a call from the caretaker of our house in Bulacan to inform us that utility bills are already due. Since we have nothing planned for that day, my husband and I decided to drive a few hours north of Luzon and visit our house.

On our way to Pandi, Bulacan, we decided to drop by Walter Mart as hubby needs to buy the shampoo for our Labrador dogs. Walter Mart is the nearest mall (if I can call it a mall) near our house and look what we were able to do there:

After checking out the grocery, the kids were even able to try the rides at the arcade. Then we went to Handy Man to buy a new doorknob and to Pan de Manila to but cheesy Ensaymada for snacks.

At least we are seeing some developments in Pandi, Bulacan. Before it looks like a very secluded province, but now new establishments are starting to rise in this quiet town.

A friend of mine will be migrating to the US soon and so she needs to sell some of their stuff that they have no plans to bring with them when they move like big furniture, jewelries, her husband's various collections and more.

She is so busy preparing for the big move and so she doesn't want to deal anymore with the selling of their things. That is why I suggested to her that she contact military surplus auctions, Affiliated Auctions & Realty.

Affiliated Auctions & Realty can help my friend sell her stuff by including all her things in their regular gun auction and other product auction. What is nice about Affiliated Auctions & Realty is that their auctions are published in Trade publications and in the Internet so they have a wide buyers base. They even can deliver payments from the sales of my friend's stuff in less than 30 days.
Another option that they can offer is direct sale so my friend can sell coins and her jewelries with them so she can collect the money right away instead of putting her stuff in a consignment.

I am sure Affiliated Auctions & Realty can help my friend to sell all her priced and valued possessions.

My one-year-old son loves to grab on things that is within his reach and his latest causality was the Prescription Eyeglasses of my mother. He grabbed on the frame of the eyeglasses and now it is in two pieces.

My mother was just laughing after she saw what happened. But anyways, it has been a while since my mom bought new Prescription glasses and her old one has served its purpose already and it is time to get a new one.

To make up for the damage done by Cobi, I even offered to pay for it. I am confident that I can afford it even if my mom requires Progressive glasses because I know an online site where I can order affordable designer eyeglasses and that is popularglasses.com. Their progressive glasses are created using sophisticated lab equipment so I am sure that I will get the best product for my mom.

All their products are 100% guaranteed to be authentic and it even comes with free shipping. Now all I have to do is ask my mom to choose the frame that she wants from the designer brands and then I will just add the progressive lens that she needs so we can replace the eyeglasses that Cobi broke.

Last June 30, we took the 12:35 flight of Cebu Pacific to Legazpi for the 1st death anniversary of my mother-in-law. All the family will be in Bicol to offer mass and prayers for mama.

We arrived in Legaspi at 2:00 PM where we were fetched by Papa and my brother-in-law at the airport. We then went straight to their house for the mass that will be officiated by my brother-in-law.

After mass, we went to the cemetery to visit Mama and offer flowers and candles then we checked in at Fernando’s Hotel to leave our stuff before going back to the house for dinner.

The next day, my in-laws went to the fishpond of hubby but we begged off as it will be a long walk in the rice fields and it will be a big challenge especially if we have two kids (one is almost 10 kilos. LOL) in tow.

We met up with them around 1 PM where we had lunch at hubby’s place then went to Rizal Beach as per Bela’s request for a quick dip. After swimming and enjoying the beach for a few hours, we went back home for dinner and then they brought us back to our hotel.

On our last day in Bicol, we had breakfast in Jollibee then we met up again with my in-laws where we dropped by the cemetery again to say goodbye to mama and then went to the market to buy some pili nuts for pasalubongs. We also dropped by for a quick pictorial at Embarcadero before finally heading to the airport for our 2 PM flight back to Manila.

Since we have two kids in the house, the health and safety of our kids should always be our top priority. That is why we always tell our house help to make sure that the house is clean all the time to get rid of germs that might bring sickness and virus.

But germs and bacteria are really hard to trace, just like toxic mold. It can hide underneath the floors, the carpets and walls and who knows what type of bacteria and sickness it can bring to our family. That is whey when I heard of ImmunoLytics, I got interested with them right away as I heard they could help Test for mold in our house.

The process is just simple as all they need is just send us Mold test kits. By following the instructions in the packaging, we can get a sample and send it to ImmunoLytics and with their Mold detector techniques in their laboratory, they can trace the presence of molds that thrive in our home.

With the results in their hand, they can suggest for ways on how we can eliminate toxic molds and they can even give contacts for experts who can help us with our problem.

It is difficult and nerve wracking for parents like me to see my kids get sick. That is why I will not think twice to get the service of ImmunoLytics to protect my family from germs, bacteria and mold that may be harmful to our family's health.

Since we bought the property in the suburbs five years ago, hubby and I have been thinking of a better way to utilize the property. We can't make it as our permanent home as it is far from the city and from where we work so it can only serve as our weekend home.

But hubby and I were thinking that we should be able to come up with something to put the property to good use and that might even give an additional income for us and that is when we thought of fruit tree.

There is a big vacant land at the side and at the back of the house where we can plant different fruits trees like Grape plants, nuts, and even flowering trees. Thankfully a friend recommended Willis Orchards. This is where we can buy the fruit trees, plants and even flowering trees that we want for our farm. Their price is so affordable and they give excellent customer service as they will even give us an advice on which tree and plant is perfect for our environment. And their commitment does not end after we purchase our blueberry plants from them as they will give us tips on how to maintain the flowers and trees that we will plant in our land.

And in the future, income will come to us as we harvest our first crop.

1. Macbook Pro

13 inches

Intel Core i5 2.3 Ghz

4 GB RAM

320 GB HD

Price: P55,000

2. Macbook Unibody White

Interl Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz

2 GB RAM

250 GB HD

Price: P44,000

3. Macbook Air

11 inches

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHZ

2 GB RAM

64 GB SSD

Price: P45,000

4. Macbook Air

11 inches

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHZ

2 GB RAM

128 GB SSD

Price: P55,000

All items are factory sealed with 1 year Apple Warranty. For inquiries, just send me an email at clod0327@yahoo.com

Hubby is away and our nanny is on her day off (which actually is every Sunday) so it is a very busy weekend for me. Yesterday, I was only able to work in the morning as I accompany Bela to her first day in Gymnastics class.

Since hubby is not around to drive us, we will probably just be staying at home the whole day for Sunday. Which actually works on my favor as I still have tons of things to finish:

• Search for our life insurance as it is due for renewal already.
• Work on all my pending tasks. The downpour of work that I received this week overwhelmed me but I am not complaining as I have been praying for this, as I really need the extra money to pay for our bills. But I better start with it this weekend, so I can finish at least half of it so I don’t have to cram during the weekdays.
• Search for party options for Bela. It is already July and I still have no concrete plans for Bela’s 6th birthday party.
• Upload our recent travel pictures.
• Upload Cobi’s birthday pictures from Ksnaps and Jojo Francisco.

Doing this would be a great challenge as I have to take care of the two kids in between plus I only have 4 hours of sleep so I do hope that I will last the day and finish all my To-Do List.

The US Embassy is having a campaign to promote America here in the Philippines in an event dubbed "America in 3D: A Road Show in Diplomacy, Development and Defense." Their first kick off activity was a 3-day event held at SM North EDSA last March and this week, they will be going to the provinces as they launch America in 3D in Baguio City.

Hubby will be one of the support staff for the event. He will handle the set up of all the technical equipment needed for the event so I am sure he will be super busy starting tomorrow. Thankfully he brought with him his Magnum's wide width boots.

All Magnum boots, like their duty boots, are so comfortable yet very durable that my husband can stand long hours wearing the boots as he perform his duties running around the venue and doing all the physical work to set up all the equipment, but still his feet won't hurt at all because of the comfortable, yet durable material that Magnum boots are made of. Hubby even brought with him his waterproof boots, as it is the rainy season already so he does not need to worry if he has to go out wearing the boots in the rain.

It will be a super busy weekend for hubby but I am glad that at least his Magnum boots will help carry some of his burden as he performs his duty.

Picture snagged from US Embassy's FaceBook Page

After staying in New York for three days, we took the 9 AM flight of Delta airlines for our flight to Los Angeles to meet with our good friends from college and from my childhood. Every time hubby and I go to the US, we never fail to drop by Los Angeles as this is the only chance that we can get to meet up with our friends there because they haven’t got the chance to go back to Manila for a short vacation.

Our flight arrives a few minutes early so Neil, the husband of my best friend Jacq, is not yet at the airport when we arrived. But after just a few minutes, we saw the warm and welcoming face of Niel entering the airport and so we drive from the airport to their house for lunch and where we waited for Jacq to arrive.

After lunch, we went to The Grove for some window-shopping and then we decided to go to Sta. Monica Pier since we haven’t been there in the many times that we have been to LA. It was so cold when we arrived but Bela and Audree (Jacq’s daughter), still managed to play in the beach.

After sunset, we drove back home, pick up take out food from a Chinese resto, had dinner at home then call it a night as we are to leave early the next day for our visit to Sea World in San Diego.