Baby birth announcements in this techie age

Having lots of mommy friends, I have grown accustomed to receiving baby birth announcements. However, I noticed that baby birth announcements have also become more high-tech and innovative.

Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1260742 

Gone are the days when fathers give out macanudo cigars to male friends to announce the coming of a son. In this techie world, announcing it over the world wide web is just as good.

Here are some of the trends I noticed among my mommy and daddy friends:

• Announcing through a Facebook post or a tweet
• Posting newborn photos in social networks
• Creating a digscrap page of the new baby indicating the name, date, and time of birth
• Posting a video or slide show of the baby's first photos on Youtube

Personally, I prefer these online birth announcements. They are less expensive yet, they are more convenient since almost everyone is on Facebook or Twitter.

What do you think? Have you received a unique online birth announcement from a friend or relative? I'd love to read about it!

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Ace Water Spa,Our Experience

When CashCashPinoy offered discounted vouchers for Ace Water Spa in Banawe, I immediately bought 3 coupons. Instead of paying the usual Php 550 entrance fee, I only paid Php 299 for each of our tickets. I promised by boy that we'll bring him the weekend after his exams so we can both relax after the long stressful week. So last March 12, I and my boys drove all the way to Banawe, Quezon City to the first European concept spa in the country.

No cameras allowed inside. This photo was taken while
we were enjoying our free soup in their cafe.

After surrendering the print-outs of our vouchers to the receptionist, we went to the changing/shower rooms. We were given keys for our lockers and swimming caps, too. After changing to my swimwear and showering, I proceeded to the pool here I met up with the boys (women's and men's changing rooms are separate from each other).

We first swam in the lazy river while lying on rubber pads that wee provided in the place. I wanted to try the lap pool but it was reserved for the swimming class in the first few hours that we were there. After that, we went on to discover each of the hydrotherapy massage spots in the spa pool.

I personally loved the Head and Shoulder massage because my shoulders were aching from all the reviewers I made for Rap's exam. I even thought of buying a shoulder brace to help alleviate the pain. The pressurized water falling on my shoulders did help a lot in making me feel better. Rap loved the hydro buoyancy sections because it made him float on water while Dadijun spent so much time in the Rainfall Acupunture area.

Then we went on to dip in the hot herbal pools. Children younger than 12 years old are not allowed in the area. But when we saw some older kids dipping in the pool with their parents, I also told Rap to go with Dadijun in the men's herbal pools. He also went with us to the sauna.

Dadijun promised that we'll come back once my mother-in-law is here. The pools are actually good for older swimmers because the warm water is very therapeutic. I'm glad to know that the Ace Water Spa Pasig branch will be opening soon.


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What Does Your Yaya Wear?

I used to have a yaya (babysitter) helping me take care of my boy when he was still younger and more playful. Although I did not work during that time, our yaya helped me a lot in keeping my mind sane. I was a happy young housewife because of her; I had time for gardening, reading, and cooking. And it's not because I didn't like taking care of my boy. It just felt great that, at least, I had someone looking after him as I do other tasks. Tita Janet, (my boy calls our househelps tito or tita) stayed with us until Rap was four. The whole four years she was with us, she never wore a yaya uniform.

I'm seeing a lot of babysitters here in Metro Manila wearing nursing scrubs and I find it okay. I think it's even better than having yaya wear the usual dress/maid's uniform that some househelpers are using. For one, it becomes more convenient running after naughty little tots in the mall wearing scrubs.

Some people think having yayas wear uniforms or scrubs as a status symbol that their employers want to show. Although my former yaya did not wear a uniform, I'm thinking that this is not always the case. Some maids in our village prefer to wear a uniform because it saves them from having to buy their own work clothes. Other moms, on the other hand, prefer having their yayas wear scrubs to avoid having them wearing sexy clothes or skimpy shorts. They have a point, you know.

Then again, I read in forums that some nurses resent the idea of yayas wearing scrub tops and pants. Oh well, to each his own. As for me, if I can afford it and my yaya is ok with it, then she'll have her scrubs.

How about you? What does your yaya wear? How do you feel about yayas wearing scrubs?

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S&R Members' Treat on March 16-20, 2011

Just sharing this to moms and dads who enjoy shopping at S&R!

Take advantage of Buy One, Take One deals and other huge discounts. Exclusive only to S&R Members! Happy shopping!

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What to do with extra pens

I get lots of promo pens. They usually come from drug companies, event launches, game arcades, and yes, the past election. I keep them all because I assume that I'll be using them in the future.

Just a couple of the pens I keep in my drawer.

Honestly, I never get to use these advertising pens. I still end up buying 0.3 gel pens for my personal use. My boy doesn't want to use them, either. He still prefers using a mechanical pencil over pens even when he's already in fourth grade. So these babies just keep piling up in my drawer and I think it's high time I find new owners for them.

I'm thinking of donating my extra pens to the public school in our barangay. I see kids walking to and from that school outside our village and I pity some of them. I even tell Rap how lucky he is that he wears a decent uniform to school and has complete school supplies because some of these kids don't. I believe that my promo pens will be much appreciated by these kids. I might even ask help from friends and collect their extra pens much like The Pencil Project in the States.

I love pens. I also love collecting awesome personalized pencils and personalized envelopes. But when they are kept unused for a long time, they just add to the clutter and visual noise of my desk. It's better to just give them away to people who need the most, don't you agree?

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LSM 3rd Trimester Exam Reviewer for Grade 4 Science (with Answer Key)

LSM Grade 4 Science 3rd Trim Exam SY 2010 -2011

Click here for Answer Key.

You are free to reprint it should you find it useful as long as the watermark is left unaltered. The contents of this reviewer should only be used for personal purposes. I would also appreciate link backs to my site. :)

Contents:

• Soil and soil erosion
• Weather and climate
• Water cycle
• Types of weather instruments
• Earth's rotation and revolution
• Phases of the moon

The worksheets I am posting were either used by my son or the students in my tutorial center. As such, the course guides that were used in making these reviewers were only the ones issued by their respective schools.

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LSM 3rd Trimester Exam Reviewer for Grade 4 Filipino (Wika)

LSM Grade 4 Filipino 3rd Trim Exam SY 2010 -2011

You are free to reprint it should you find it useful as long as the watermark is left unaltered. The contents of this reviewer should only be used for personal purposes. I would also appreciate link backs to my site. :)

Contents:

• Bigkas ng salita: malumay, malumi, mabilis, at maragsa
• Pagkakaiba ng pang-uri at pang-abay
• Salitang tinuturingan ng pang-abay
• Pagkilala sa sugnay ng pang-abay
• Mga pang-ugnay: pang-angkop, pangatnig, pang-ukol
• Uri at bahagi ng liham pangkaibigan
• Pagbibigay ng interpretasyon sa grap

The worksheets I am posting were either used by my son or the students in my tutorial center. As such, the course guides that were used in making these reviewers were only the ones issued by their respective schools.

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Getting To Know Pioneer Sparxx Max

Who among you owns an insurance policy? I know I do because I believe in being prepared for the future. However, I also believe that most people cannot afford insurance plans.

This is why companies like Pioneer Life Insurance came up with Sparxx Max which is basically bite-sized accident insurance and savings account rolled into one. For only Php 550, one can be receive Php 100,000 Personal Accident Insurance, Php 50,000 Cash Burial Assistance, and Php 300 start-up savings. Getting a Sparxx Max account is easy. Registration is open to individuals 0 to 59 years old.

Sparxx Max also requires no medical records whatsoever. The insurance-bearer just has to purchase Sparxx Max, activate the one-year coverage, and he/she is insured! To top-up the savings account, all the insurance-bearer has to do is to buy Sparxx Max cards in denominations of Php 300 to Php 5,000 from Pioneer offices and select 7-11 branches. Credits can also be bought online via Sparxx Max’s official website, the Pioneer Life’s website, and Load Central Retailers. You can also check out these sites to know more about the product.

I'll be registering Rap once I top up my Load Central credits. He actually saves money from his weekly allowance. We decided to just get him a Sparxx Max account after seeing this table. His money will definitely earn more here and he'll not be able to withdraw the money until it matures.

Now that you know bits and pieces about Pioneer Sparxx Max, Pioneer Life Insurance seeks your help in providing information that will help them create more innovative and affordable products for the public via this simple market research activity. All you need to do is to provide your name, telephone/mobile number, email address, and your mailing address so that a Pioneer Life Insurance representative can contact you. Since these are sensitive details, I will request you to email them to me via mail@the24hourmommy.com. In exchange for this, Pioneer Life Insurance will be giving you a Sodexho Gift Certificate worth Php 300 which you will have to claim at the Yehey office, 38th Floor Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

We will only be accepting up to 20 Metro Manila respondents, male or female, aged 18 to 34 years old, until March 10, 2011. I guarantee you that this activity will strictly be for market research; you will NOT be sold an insurance policy. I have already responded to the same survey questions that they will ask you over the phone. Phone-in survey period will be from March 14 to 16 between 10AM to 4PM.


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LSM 3rd Trimester Exam Reviewer for Grade 4 HEKASI

LSM Grade 4 Hekasi 3rd Trim Exam SY 2010 -2011

You are free to reprint it should you find it useful as long as the watermark is left unaltered. The contents of this reviewer should only be used for personal purposes. I would also appreciate link backs to my site. :)

Contents:

• Rehiyong SOCCSKARGEN
• Rehiyong Caraga
• Rehiyong ARMM
• Ugnayan ng mga Bansa sa Timog Silangang Asya
• Ang Pamumuhay ng mga Unang Pilipino
• Panahin ng Pananakop sa Pilipinas
• Impluwensya ng mga dayuhang mananakop sa kulturang Pilipino

The worksheets I am posting were either used by my son or the students in my tutorial center. As such, the course guides that were used in making these reviewers were only the ones issued by their respective schools.

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Musophobic Me

If there's one thing that will definitely take the life out of me, that would be seeing mice or rats. I'm telling you, all hell breaks loose at home when I spot even a tiny mouse. I can go stand on top of something just so the mouse can't go near me. Embarrassing as this may sound, I have to admit that I also cry like a baby when I see one.

I almost lost my mind last night when I spotted a tiny mouse scurrying across our living room carpet and into the bathroom. I immediately jumped on the couch and hollered for help, hahaha! The alalay came to my rescue and killed the mouse in the bathroom. It's been more than 24 hours and I'm still not using the bathroom downstairs. Even its pretty Danze faucets will not make me use it now, probably not in the following weeks. That's how traumatic the latest mouse-sighting was for me.

What's your greatest fear? Are you also musophobic like me?

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LSM 3rd Trimester Exam Reviewer for Grade 4 Math

LSM Grade 4 Math 3rd Trim Exam SY 2010 -2011

You are free to reprint it should you find it useful as long as the watermark is left unaltered. The contents of this reviewer should only be used for personal purposes. I would also appreciate link backs to my site. :)

Contents:

• Ratio and Proportion: Simplifying ratios, finding the missing term in a proportion, word problems, direct proportions, and partitive proportions
• Finding the percentage, rate, and base
• Basic Geometric Ideas: Point, line, line segment, ray, and plane
• Kinds of angles and angle pairs
• Polygons
• Perimeter and Area
• Graphs

The worksheets I am posting were either used by my son or the students in my tutorial center. As such, the course guides that were used in making these reviewers were only the ones issued by their respective schools. For worksheet requests or for sharing your kid's course guide, send me a message through mail [at] the24hourmommy [dot] com. I will try to furnish one but that will still depend on my available time and references. :)

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El Kabayo, Clark Pampanga

One of the things that we weren't able to do when we went to Clark Pampanga was to visit El Kabayo, Clark Pampanga. Having made quick plans of seeing the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival, we were not able to reserve our accommodations and were forced to just go home after. I saw how pretty this place was from a friend's blog who dropped by the place when they also went to the balloon fest. How I wish we took time even for just a quick look-see.

All photos courtesy of Clark Subic Marketing.

Not only is this a place for cowboys, cowgirls, and equestrians, this can also be a favorite hang-out of people who love authentic cowboy food! Kids and adults alike will also definitely enjoy horseback riding while checking the place out. I also heard they offer horseback riding lessons.

We'll sure be visiting this place soon especially that summer vacation is nearing.

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Rap is in the finals!

More than a week ago, I wrote about Rap competing in the first-ever Kulturang Pinoy Quiz Wiz for elementary and high school students in Metro Manila. Well, what do you know? My boy got in and will be competing in the finals on March 20! It was truly surprising because, even with Christmas vacation, we didn't have time to study for the quiz bee. It does pay when one reads because my boy loves reading about random things.

This school year really is the best, so far. My boy took part and won in almost all of the quiz bee competitions that were held in his school (except Filipino, LOL!). His adviser rooting for him to bag the gold this year. Although we're a little bit sure that he can get the gold medal this year, we're still not keeping our hopes up to avoid being disappointed like last year.

Anyway, my husband and I are super proud and happy about it. My husband might buy him the gadgets in his wishlist as a reward. Rap is actually asking for a bigger electronic keyboard since he wants to take piano lessons this summer. And he's also asking his dad for a new PSP. His old one was bought way back in 2007 so I think it's but fair to give him a new one for all the effort that he's been doing in his studies.

As for me, the Hong Kong Disneyland travel I promised him is in the works already. I already requested for additional NSO copies of his birth certificate so we can already apply for his passport. But with my husband not having time for a vacation this summer, we might just take the trip during the Halloween or Christmas school breaks. Gee, I'm glad that my boy only wishes for HK Disney. I can't afford a US trip even with free setai 5th ave accommodations which was offered to me by one advertiser.

We're keeping our fingers crossed on the 20th although I'm not expecting too much from him. Being in the finals and being the youngest in the competition is already a big achievement! Wish us luck!

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Baptism souvenirs

When Rap was baptized in September 2000, I only made sure that we have a buffet feast in a fancy restaurant after the rites. I didn't even have invitations printed out by a supplier. I just bought invitation cards from the bookstore. Being the new and naive mom that I am, (ok, I'm a cheapskate, too!)I also failed to prepare baptism souvenirs.

This time however, for my niece's baptism, I think I may help my sister find some.

Isn't she a darling?

I have already been looking for samples from personalized baby gift sites to see what we can buy from our local suppliers. We're actually looking for the most inexpensive item that we can find. Yet, that should be something cute and unique. Suggestions, anyone?

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