Mikey Ready For Level 6

I brought Mikey to Gymboree today and tried out Level 6 class which is for 28 to 36 month kids. Mikey is only 26 months and is currently at Level 5. He was the youngest in the group today but he participated well just the same. Oh well for the most part of it actually, if he knows what's going to happen next, he will just leave and explore other play area by himself. I just let him climb up and slide with minimal supervision. He likes to be independent and sometimes shoves off my hands when I try to hold him while traversing a bouncy bridge, he is so fearless that's for sure.

One thing I like about Level 6 is the story time where kids are brought into a room with their own snack and listen to the teacher read a story. Parents are left behind and can just look through a glass window. Anyway, Mikey was OK as he walked to the room, sat with other kids in circle while they ate their snacks together. Then when Ms. Melanie closed the door, he turned his head around to look for me and cried when he didn't see me. Ms. Melanie just sat him on her lap while she read the story and he calmed down and participated. After the story time, the teacher gave them each a colored chalk and they scribbled on the board. He enjoyed that session I know, and now I'm thinking of moving him up to Level 6, I think he's ready to be with older kids

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Black and White Twins

Another medical marvel, a set of twins born to a mix-race couple, one is black and the other one white. They were born in Berlin, Germany on July 11 to a German father and West African mother. This is not the first time it happened though, in 2006 this rare birth also happened in UK to an English father and Nigerian mother with two different color twins. At least they won't have a hard time distinguishing one from the other, as they have different shades.

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Scrapbook Saturday - Bathtime

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Play More Than Music and Art

As you know, when I re-enrolled Mikey for another 24 weeks in Gymboree this summer, he got unlimited free passes to any class all throughout summer. So to maximize usage, I had all his days planned out to attend classes in Art, Music, and Interactive Gym and Play. Last Friday, we attended the Music class, he was clingy at first and then participated later with a little hesitation. The room was cramped and crowded so he might not like the atmosphere. This week we were supposed to attend the Art class, but he didn't like to enter the room at all. When he saw his classmates in the gym he wanted to join them instead. Today was Music class but we ended up in the gym again with kids younger than him. In as much as I wanted Mikey to experience everything, I didn't want to push him to something he won't enjoy. He enjoys climbing, running, interacting, bouncing, sliding, and all physical activities, so I'd rather let him do what he enjoys the most. In that class, he became the leader of the pack as the teacher asked him to demonstrate how an activity will be done. I was a proud mom.

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Online Savings Service

I'm sure most moms here will agree with me that banking online is the most amazing service invented ever. For me going to a bank personally is such a big chore, so I always go with the most convenient way of doing bank transactions - online. If you are comfortable opening and managing your account online, WaMu.com is the perfect place to go. WaMu.com offers free online banking and provides free electronic statements and you can open an account online for as low as $1 minimum balance and apply in about 7 minutes. At WaMu.com you are only required to maintain an average daily balance of $300 to avoid the monthly service charge of $4. You can also open an online Savings Account with free WaMu checking account with no monthly service charge. But if you already have an existing active WaMu checking account, you can also link your new online savings account to it, as long as checking relationship is maintained. Banking with WaMu.com is hassle free and you don't need to worry about your checks bouncing if you sign up for Overdraft Transfer Service. With this feature they will transfer available funds from your linked online savings account to checking account to prevent overdrafts and other NSF transactions but of course subject to transaction limits and funds availability. You also have access to funds by ATM if you need cash. Open, save and grow online at WaMu.com

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Snooze Cruise

After Mkey's Gymboree class today, we went straight to Costco to buy diapers and wipes. It was almost 12 noon and time for his afternoon nap, so easily he fell asleep as soon as I hit the gas. He usually wakes up as soon as I stop the engine, but this time he was really fast asleep. The running around and climbing up at Gymboree wore him down. So I just let him sleep for a while because I knew he'll soon wake up. I made few phone calls and he was not bothered by the noise. Then I noticed it was already more than 30 minutes and he was still fast asleep. So I decided to just stick around and read my magazine which I always carry in my tote bag. So I sat, read and waited, he woke up after 2 hours refreshed and ready to get out of the car. We shopped and ate at the food court. I was in a hurry to get home hoping I could still write the opps expiring at 3:30pm but didn't make it.

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Let Your Hair Do The Talking

I don't have any vanity in life, I can wear brandless clothes and shoes and carry them like they have been bought from an expensive boutique. My only vanity though is my hair. I spend hundreds of dollars for hair treatment, maintenance and products. You know what they say, 'a woman's hair is her crowning glory' and sometimes my moods are dictated by how my hair behaves. Do you ever get a bad hair day or a victory hair? When I was in college I get the 'hmm your hair smells terrific' a lot and that's the worst pick up line I've ever heard. Although I must admit that it boosted my ego and made me keep my hair really smelling terrific, lol. When I got nice compliments about my hair especially from my male classmates, I felt like flaunting it some more and let my victory hair flirt and do the talking. Victory Hair is when I don't need to do anything and let my hair do the flirting. Do you have a flirting ability with your hair? Play the Ultimate Flirting Championship game and test your flirting abilities. Click on the widget below and see how you can achieve victory hair.

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Gymboree Schedule

I had all week planned out for Mikey at Gymboree. Today was his usual Gym class but I thought I would take him to Art class instead since it is only offered on Tuesdays. But since the Art class is at the same time as his usual Gym class, he saw familiar faces around. He didn't want to enter the Art class, he wanted to play with his playmates instead. He was pulling me away from the Art room. I'll see if I can come really early next time so we will proceed to the Art room and stay there so he won't see his playmates arriving. It's good to have unlimited pass at Gymboree I can take him in any class I want so he will have something to do every day. Tomorrow we will attend another Gym class and it will be with another group. He will meet new friends and of course me too.

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Make A Difference, Walk For A Cause

Alzheimer's disease gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn and carry out daily activities such as talking, eating, and going to the bathroom. As the disease progresses change in personality and behavior is also apparent. Alzheimer's disease affects approximately 5 million people in the United States alone and is considered its sixth leading cause of death. To promote awareness of this fatal disease, The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research is calling all volunteers of all ages to take part in the fight of Alzheimer's by joining the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. Make a difference and walk with a purpose in a typical 2-3 mile walk held on a weekend morning in the fall. There are walks in more than 600 communities nationwide you can team up with. Let's move the nation and walk towards a world without Alzheimer's.

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Busy Changing Layout

I was so engrossed with changing the layout of my other blog My Barefoot Journey, that I didn't notice that its almost 3am. I've got two more expiring posts to write, oh shoot! I guess I have to finish at least one. Tomorrow I'll take Mikey to his first Art class and hopefully I can keep my eyes wide open and my head upright.

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Missing Child For Real - Not A Spam

I got this spark from a blogger friend RJ Flamingo of Flamingo Musings and I can't help but sympathize with the parent of this missing adorable boy Amedeo Cuomo who has been missing for over a year now. I know some of you might have received spam e-mails about missing children in the past, and think that this one is another spam e-mail. This one is real, as vouched by RJ herself. Please read through and let's help find this missing boy.

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MISSING CHILD FOR REAL

by RJ FLAMINGO

You all know that I hate spam and there are a gazillion phony missing child notices making the rounds on the web, morphing as they go. I cannot emphasize enough that this is for real. I personally know the person making the request.

This is about the missing son of a very dear friend of a good friend of mine, and he has been searching for his son, Amedeo Cuomo, for over 1 year! Amedeo was taken by his mother, who did NOT have custody.

He could be anywhere in the world, but the last known country was Germany. There is also a possibility that he may be back in the U.S. (California???), or he may be in India - the bottom line is that no one really knows!

Those of you who read me, and others who are SocialSpark friends are all over the U.S. and all over the world. Those of you who blog have readers way farther than my puny reach. That's why I would ask you, from the bottom of my heart, to post this on your own blogs and/or forward it as an e-mail to as many people as you know, in the hope that someone, somewhere, will recognize this kid or his mother and contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (missingkids.com).

The FBI and Interpol are also looking for the mother, so they can be alerted also if anyone has any information as to their whereabouts. Click on this poster to make it larger:

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Scrapbook Saturday - A Poem For Mikey

I recently started doing traditional scrapbooking despite the popularity of digiscrapbooking. This was one of my earliest creations as an entry to a scrapbook contest that I joined in (52 Sketches,,,52 Weeks). My favorite subject is my son Michael, and he is the reason why I wanted to pursue this new hobby in the first place. I was so inspired while doing this layout, I was able to compose a poem for Mikey in an instant! This is my first entry to Scrapbook Saturday. Here's the text of the poem I composed for Mikey.

A Poem For Mikey
You paint a sMile on my face everyday,
With your Infectious smile my boredom is kept at bay,
You put a twinKle in my tired eyes,
Because you are funny and silly at most timEs,
You are truly an angel sent from heaven above.

(Sorry MammaDawg, this is quite late, I just backdated it, I attended an overnight scrapbook workshop 8:30pm Friday till 5am Saturday, I was a sleeping beauty on Saturday,LOL)

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Unlimited Summer Pass

I re-enrolled Mikey in Gymboree classes for another 24 weeks. They had a promo for summer enrollees, a free beach towel and unlimited pass to all classes for the whole of summer, which were so great. I wanted to take advantage of all these free classes, so I planned which class to attend everyday so he'll have something to do each day. Today we attended the music class, next week we will attend the art class on top of the regular Gymboree class that he has and then once a week we will attend the open gym for 2 hours. There is one open day which I intend to use for Library reading session. I'm trying to look into days where there will be no conflict in his schedules. At least an hour of activity a day of reading, play, music and art is good enough to help Mikey in his development.

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Turn Your Business Ideas Into Gold

There's a new online pro-business community on the web where people meet to share and contribute business ideas that will be voted for through the online community. This online business community is administered by Gogme.biz which stands for Globally Owned Globally Managed Enterprise. The members of this online community are called aspiring entrepreneurs and Gogme.biz facilitates these entrepreneurs to collectively own and manage a business entity over the internet. This is a good idea considering most bloggers are into business of making money online anyway, why not join a community to further their revenue generation? The online community makes collective decisions on business planning, marketing and other activities through internet polls and forums.

If you have great business ideas that you don't know how to implement yourself, you can join Gogme.biz community and turn your ideas into a business venture to be collectively executed by a community of aspiring entrepreneurs. The contributors of the final 10 business ideas selected through voting by co-owners will receive US$1,000 cash reward and a higher chance to win in the bidding for business takeovers or franchises formed by the implementation of the idea. But even if you don't win, you will have a crash course on entrepreneurship and learn the ins and outs of business just by joining the community.

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Breast Self-Exams Good or Bad?

I was watching the news on TV the other day and their health news on breast self-examinations really confused me. I always believe that women who do breast self-exams are more likely to be saved from breast cancer for possibly detecting potentially cancerous lumps on their breast. Since I had a health scare last year after my mammogram, I always do breast self-exams. But there was a study made about breast self-exams that they may be causing more harm than good to women, that breast self-exams don't have cancer survival benefit for women. According to the study, breast self-exams could even hurt. There were women who do breast self-exams regularly and actually had more benign biopsies that are unnecessary and costly too, without finding any cancer anyway. And some of these women struggled with anxiety and fear that they might have breast cancer. Well in my opinion, women should always be attuned with their body changes, they should know how their breasts should feel like and look like. If you notice change and have unusual feel to your breast then you should see your doctor.

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Drive Potential Customers To Your Door

Ok, you have a business, you sell great stuff, you have a website to promote your great stuff at, but does any potential buyer visit your site? In the midst of chaos of the online world, how can a company survive and stand out from the rest of the competition? No matter how great your products or services may be if nobody is visiting your site what good will that give you? Create some buzz, build up your company and generate more revenue. Put your company's website at the top ranking on the key search engines like Google and Yahoo. Most people go to a website through search engines and being on the top 10 ranks will give your website a greater edge from the competition. More visitors drawn to your website means more potential revenue. Brand Identity Guru, Inc.'s Boston Search Engine Optimization Services create and implement an effective internet campaign and search engine optimization (SEO) and positioning strategy that will surely drive more people to your website than ever before. You need to have a strong presence on search engines and Brand Identity Guru, Inc. can help you on this aspect. They will help you get a first page exposure to get ahead of the competition. More visitors to your site means potential revenue, because these visitors are either ready to buy or are planning to buy, so get ahead of everybody.

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An Ideal Marriage

Joke of the Day ;-)

Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked.

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Prescription Eyeglasses For Only $8?

I was just talking to my husband about making an appointment with our eye doctor for a new pair of eyeglasses. Prescription eyeglasses are something I can not do without, especially since I'm always working online, my eyesight deteriorated tremendously over the past years. Our insurance covers a pair of glasses each for hubby and I, only every other year and we've already used them up last year. So this year we're anticipating to have an out of pocket expense of at least $270 for two pairs and it may go up depending on the frames we choose.

With the present economic condition, whatever I can do to stretch the household budget is so welcome. It's really great news to learn that I can still get a pair of glasses for as low as $8 from a company called ZenniOptical. Wow, $ 8 Zenni Optical Rx Eyeglasses, is this for real?? What a huge savings that would be mean. ZenniOptical offers affordable yet high quality, fashionable and stylish prescription eyeglasses online. They have huge selection of frames to choose from, with single vision lens, sunsensor lens, tinted sunglasses, bifocal lens and progressive lens. Their prices are low and affordable because they do away with middlemen, no retail overhead, and practically no advertising expenses. ZenniOptical Rx eyeglasses are definitely a budget stretcher.

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Michael and Daniel

I was out with my son last Wednesday for my car's regular oil change and check up. It lasted longer than I thought so I skipped going to the mall to buy undies at Victoria Secret. I promised my Korean friend that I will stop by for a quick playdate because we missed her son at Gymboree for two weeks already. We were supposed to stay for only an hour because Daniel has an appointment with a teacher at noontime. But Mikey got so engrossed playing with new toys so I had a hard time pulling him away from them, we ended up staying until 3pm.

Daniel and Mikey always enjoy being around each other, they are almost of the same age, Daniel is just older by 8 days. They ran around the yard, blew bubbles, scribbled chalk on the driveway and watched Baby Einstein DVD together. Sometimes they could be rough, wrestling each other for a Thomas the Train toy albeit tons of other toys lying on the floor. 'Share' and 'wait for your turn' are definitely not in their vocabulary yet.

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Goodbye Candles, Hello Renuzit TriScsents

I love scented candles and I have at least one candle in each room and bathroom of the house. I always leave them burning in the bathrooms and in the kitchen whenever I'm cooking to keep the air fresh and fragrant. But ever since my two year old son has mastered the talent of climbing up to practically anywhere, it poses danger to just leave candles on the counter. Good thing I found a better alternative that is safe and gives more lasting and longer fragrance.

Yesterday I had the privilege of receiving a package of Renuzit TriScents Transform Your Home kit in the mail. It is an electric scented oil air fresheners with three Seaside Breezes scents in a reusable plug-in warmer. I immediately plugged it in one of the bathrooms downstairs to see what it can really do. I switched the setting to medium and just keep the door opened. I was actually intrigued at its promise of refreshing a small and large room so I put it to a test. I was honestly amazed at how the fragrance traveled and lingered in the kitchen and all the rooms downstairs, and even in the hallway upstairs, unbelievable. I love the idea of it having three scents that alternately releases fragrance every 45 minutes, so it continuously renew my home, what a brilliant idea! Renuzit TriScents passed my test in flying colors, now I won't have any use for my scented candles anymore.

If you want to get the same experience and transform your homes as well, visit http://www.triscents.com and print a coupon for the Renuzit TriScents Starter Kit now, you won't regret it.

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Of Saving Gas and Showing Off Son

Last Thursday, Mikey and I visited my aunt and uncle in Billerica, its about 60 miles away from our place straight off 95 North. But since the last time I filled up my tank, gas price was at $4.11 a gallon, hb and I decided to just use one car, drop him off to work then we'll proceed to aunt's. His work is not actually along the way, its off 495 North. I drive an SUV and oh boy did it suck up a quarter of a tank just one way. It's really a pain to drive anywhere these days, but it's good to see my aunt and uncle again after about three months. And they were so delighted to be with Mikey because he's changed in that span of time. He was talking a lot and communicating very well, and he understood and repeated everything they say so it was fun.

When we dropped off hb at work, he was the proud dad showing off his son to everybody at work. In the morning not a lot of people were there yet, so he told me to be back around 5pm so everybody will be there since they will be all in a meeting. I was a little bit late because it was rush hour, some have already left, but we still met several. I was so thrilled to see how proud hb was showing off his son to everybody and telling them about Mikey's antics. I met his big bosses for the first time but I've met most of his co-workers in the past already. Its good to see them again, but its even better to see the look at hb's face while showing his unico hijo ;-)

Mikey at dada's office seriously talking to somebody on the phone ;-) nah!

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A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

How do I save money? That's a rather hard question to answer nowadays. Given the present economic situation, do we still have a penny left to save? I used to be a spendthrift before my son came, I buy anything on a whim. But when my son arrived and I had to be a stay at home mom, I learned to be a wise spender. I only buy stuff that we really need; I pay all our bills in full to avoid paying interests; I canceled our subscriptions to newspapers since we can access the latest news on the internet anyway; I buy generic brands or store brands instead of the popular brands; I cut out coupons and I buy all our household necessities in bulk because they are much cheaper.

But there are still other ways to save money other than the ones I just mentioned. If you have a piling debt and are overwhelmed trying to straighten out your messy finances, Bills.com can help you in a great way. The common debt pit that most people are in right now is Credit card debt. Most people have more than one credit card with credit line maxed up and then they only pay the minimum amount due each billing period. So in the process they get caught up with mounting interests and ended up neck-deep in debt. Bills.com can help you with tips and advices on how to tackle your debt and be debt-free. One way is to Consolidate debt by lowering your interest rates, or getting a better loan or cutting your payments. Bills.com will help you find the best solution for consolidating and paying down your debt, whether through Debt consolidation, Credit counseling Debt relief, or other forms of Debt help. I may not need these tips because I've been very good in paying all our credit card bills in full.

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A Parent's Great Gift To A Child

Very early on in my son's tender age I already saw his love for books. He would always take my hand and press it against his book as if asking me to read it to him. Until now, I see how he gets very enthusiastic and excited at just about any book he gets hold of. He can sit and browse through the pages of books for a long time, longer than other boys his age would normally do. He has relatively long attention span and he listens very well. He also picks up quickly when I identify pictures for him in a book. When I take him to the library for story telling sessions, he listens and participates. His love and interest for books made me encourage him even more. I read to him at least 15 minutes everyday, I watch Baby Einstein dvd's with him and explain what's going on. I demonstrate to him how animals and things sound like and basically talk and do interactive play with him a lot.

Recently I was introduced by a friend to Barefoot Books, a company started by two mothers who abandoned the security of corporate world to do something that they believed in. They wanted to publish children's books that are quite different from the rest. They took a big risk and wondered about whether anyone is going to listen or if anyone would ever buy their books. But their strong belief and great conviction in the values they cared about gave them the determination to pursue their dreams. They are convinced that it is never too early to introduce children to other cultures. They believe that children can appreciate high-quality art, and enjoy the music as well as the meaning of language from a very young age. Children deserve the best, and they are dependent on their elders to help them make connection between themselves and others, between nature and culture, between learning and living. They need their parents' and teachers' interest, involvement and time.

As I learn more and more about Barefoot Books, I know this is exactly what I want my son to grow up with. As a stay-at-home mom, I take my job as a teacher to my son seriously. I believe that what you teach a child can shape him into what he will become when he grows up. I always find ways on how to engage my son's imagination and enhance his development. I not only look for books with eye-catching designs but also with great contents and high educational value. Although I always say that my son drains all my energy during the day, it is all worth it when I see how he is learning new things and getting smarter every day. I find comfort at the thought that the involvement and quality time I spend with my son's learning are paying off.

So this is why I decided to be an affiliate and sign up with Barefoot Books, I am one with their goals and aspirations for little children. I give Barefoot Books two thumbs up for their great works. For all mom bloggers out there with little children, I am inviting you to be a part of this great community of educators and share their creative books, CD's and other gifts that offer high educational value and lots of fun. Becoming an affiliate of Barefoot Books, not only give you the access to own great books that help enhance your children's development, but it also gives you some earnings on the side. JOIN BAREFOOT NOW!

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All About LASIK

I've heard so much good things about LASIK procedure but I'm just very reluctant to try it. Maybe because I'm not really sure if I can be a candidate for it or I'm just scared of any possible side effects it might cause. Although I have friends who have had the procedure without any problem, but still I'm not very sure about it. I guess I need more LASIK information to make an informed decision.

LASIK is the popular vision correction procedure, that is safe and successful as reaffirmed in the recent FDA panel meeting. LASIK is one of the most studied medical procedures, well established and has an exceptional track record as it delivers superior safety and better visual results than ever before. It combines 3D mapping and customized treatment for all first all laser technology. According to Dr. Kerry D. Solomon, MD, a world renowned ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon at Storm Eye Institute, not everybody is a candidate to LASIK procedure. Those with thin, irregularly shaped corneas or unrealistic expectations are not good candidates. The procedure is fast and nearly painless, but with any other surgery recognizing benefits and risks is vital. Serious complications are less than 1% which include dry eyes, halos and double vision that can be resolved over time or are managed by enhancements or eye drops therapy to replace the eyes' moisture.

For people who are considering LASIK procedure, it is best if you can talk to people who have done it already and ask for referrals to find a good physician. Do you own research so you can make an informed decision. There is an estimated 2 hour exam which includes 3-D mapping, customized wave-front measurements of your eye and an examination of your corneas to determine if you can be a good candidate for this procedure. LASIK changes lives for the better, with today's advanced technologies there is no better time to have LASIK.

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Children For Sale

The TV is usually on behind me while I'm writing my post online. I turn around from time to time when I hear something interesting on tv. But the feature of NightLine on ABC Network really glued me on. It was a heart wrenching investigative report on children being sold in Haiti. The reporter posed as a buyer looking for a 10 or 11 year old girl to buy. He was in a restaurant talking to a guy with information on where to get a child, the asking price was initially at $300 and he haggled and got the price slashed to $150, but he told the informant that he will still think about it. The next day a different set of guys came and met the reporter and offered a child for a price of $10,000 and promised that the child will be available in few hours. When the guys left, the waiters in the restaurant who overheard the transaction, talked to the reporter and offered a child for sale too. It looks like Haiti has a lot of children for sale like a commodity.

A 9 year old girl was just left by her mother to a family because her second husband doesn't want her. This girl is treated like slave and is beaten when she commits even the slightest mistake. Another girl was rescued by a mom from slavery but left again in an orphanage where she can be better off. My heart was broken into pieces seeing how the little girl cried and begged her mom not to leave her again. Oh I just couldn't stand seeing children being neglected by parents and even the government can not do anything about it. I hope something can be done to save these children from slavery.

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Women, Take Control Of Your Health

Stem cells research has been surrounded with controversies despite the significant benefits it will supposedly provide because it requires destruction of human embryo. The pro-life movement who are the opponents of the research argue that stem cell technology can fundamentally devalue human life while supporters argue that the research should be pursued because the resultant treatment could have significant medical potential.

There is an interesting article that appeared recently in CNNMoney where it talked about stem cells found in women's menstrual fluid. This is really great news knowing that the key to treating a number of potentially life-threatening diseases may be found in vital stem cells within our own body. C'elle provides revolutionary research and technology that provide women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving vital stem cells found in our own menstrual blood every month. This procedure is non-invasive, fast, painless and stress-free. So no matter how busy we are in juggling careers, family and a host of different activities, we can still take charge of our own future right at home. We can now take control not only of our future health but even those genetically close to us. Below is the complete article from CNN Money.

Press Release:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

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41 Year Old Mom Is Going To Olympics

I was so amazed at Dara Grace Torres as I watched her compete for a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. At 41 years old and a mother to a two year old girl, she finished first against swimmers nearly half her age in the 100-meter freestyle last Friday and then set an American record on Sunday in the 50-meter freestyle trials. She is setting yet another record as the oldest swimmer to ever make the American swim team and as the first swimmer from US to compete in five Olympics. She first represented the United States in the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles. She was 17 then, and the prodigy of American swim team, Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff, hadn't even been born yet. She will be going to Beijing for the Olympic games in August with Natalie Coughlin (who I learned is a Filipino-Irish) and Jessica Hardy. By the way she already confirmed that she is pulling out of the 100-meter freestyle competition so she can focus her efforts on the 50-meter freestyle, so it means that the third finisher Lacey Nymeyer will be taking her position in the Beijing Olympics.

Dara Torres is an inspiration, It just goes to show that age doesn't matter if you want to achieve your dream. Torres said that she considers herself a working mom and she just finds a good balance between training and motherhood, but her first and foremost priority is still her young daughter.

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Stylish and Inexpensive Prescription Glasses

My eyes are getting worse as I sit in the computer often. I only use over the counter glasses that I bought from the pharmacy and I've got several of them that are now broken. They're very cheap and flimsy, what do you expect? I guess its time to get real good ones, sturdy and stylish but not very expensive. I don't want to spend a lot of money for a pair of glasses that my son might just break again. Oh well, he always finds his way to my purse and his favorite thing to grab first are my eyeglasses.

I found exactly what I was looking for at zennioptical.com. ZenniOptical.com sells stylish prescription glasses online at very affordable prices. Since they do away with middlemen; virtually don't have advertising costs; and sell their own manufactured frames directly to customers, they can afford to sell their glasses at low prices. As I browse through the site of ZenniOptical.com, I found huge selection of frames with single vision lens, sunsensor lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. Now I'd say it's the right time to get a new pair of glasses for myself.

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Swimming Pool For Mikey

Hb and I have been talking about getting our son a swimming pool because he started loving the waters now. Unlike last year when we took him to a pool in RI, it took a lot of prodding to get him to his floater even. Finally last week, hb got him an 8' x 30" Intex easy set pool with 639 gallons water capacity where he installed in the backyard. It comes with a filtration pump and cover, so it is ready when Mikey feels like jumping into the pool. Unfortunately, for the past days, the weather has not been great, either we get rain or its overcast, so the water doesn't get warm enough to dip in. Yesterday, I dipped in with Mikey, the water was a little bit cold so we didn't really stay very long. Mikey shivered quickly so after 30 minutes, we got off the pool. It was nice though. This week the weather forecast is still not very promising, I guess we will get more rains and thunderstorm, so its still lousy for a swim. I'm also thinking of enrolling Mikey at the Y for a swimming lesson, hopefully there will be available slot left.

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Mystery Mom Blogger of the Day!

Thanks so much to Mom Bloggers Club for choosing me as the Mystery Mom Blogger of the day. And I want to acknowledge Ann of Ann Again and Again for this great news, I wouldn't have known it if she didn't leave a message here ;-). To all my fellow mom bloggers I encourage you to join this great club where all mom bloggers converge. It is a place where anything and everything mom should know is talked about, see you there!

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Impromptu Cookout

We didn't have any plans for 4th of July till our friend Joan suggested to have a cookout. We originally just have two single friends coming over and then the company grew to twelve adults and kids. When I thought food wouldn't be enough, we ended up having a huge feast. When Filipinos throw a party, expect to have so much food on the table. Aside from the food I prepared, friends volunteered to bring additional food and drinks too which was so sweet and wonderful. The best part was they helped me clean up after the party too, how great is that?

Unlike any other parties I've hosted, this one is not too stressful for me. I didn't stay late the night before to clean and cook because everything will be grilled anyway and we were in the company of very good friends who wouldn't mind the house not so spick and span. Hb and I are just so comfortable being around these people. The night before the cookout, hb was so sweet to volunteer making the potato salad while I just marinated the chicken. The morning of the party I just prepped the green salad ingredients and fresh fruits and stashed them separately in ziplocks. Then I skewered the chicken bbq and sliced the ribs. So before everybody arrived, I got everything ready for plating.

We had grilled back ribs, hamburger, hotdogs, chicken bbq, pork bbq, pancit, green salad, potato salad, corn on cobs, snow cones, palitaw, cassava cake, mixed fresh fruits, ice cream and Indian food. Best of all, we had great time, great laughs and great company.

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Does Not Always Go As Planned

As a mom, I'm so used to things-not-going-as-planned scenario. When you have a toddler, you need to be flexible because things may not always happen the way you planned them. Like when I need to take my son to his 10:30am Gymboree class, I always get everything ready at least two hours before. I should leave the house at 10am to give me more time to buckle him up and drive. But then at the last minute he will take a dump and so everything else will change. I'm the kind of person who always show up on time in any appointment, but after having Mikey, my girlfriends are so used to me calling them that I will be running late. Since most of my mom girlfriends are into the same situation, we understand each other's predicament.

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123 Meme

Wow time flew so fast, we're now in the second half of the year, before we know it, we'll be busy shopping for Christmas presents again ;-). Ok I'm not in any hurry to get to that season yet so let's get down to business ;-). I got this wonderful meme from a new blogger friend RJ Flamingo and here it goes.

The 123 Rules:
1) Pick up the book nearest you with at least 123 pages. (No cheating!)
2) Turn to page 123.
3) Count the first five sentences.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag five other bloggers.

What To Expect, The Toddler Years -- Page 123:

"Children need to be allowed to make some mistakes, and to learn from these mistakes. If you make it impossible for your child to get into trouble (stashing away all the knickknacks, for instance), you won't have to say "no" as often, but you'll also miss out on important opportunities to teach. Be flexible, leave room for errors your child can learn from, but not when safety is an issue."

Now, who shall I pass this tag to? Francine, Sweetipie, Xue Hui, Zhoe Wynz, Tess, You're next!

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