My 6th year anniversary wedding prayer

Thank you Lord for giving me such a wonderful husband. A husband that is always there for me. A husband who loves me truly and could deal with my tantrums. A husband who always try to provide his family's needs and wants. A husband that will wake up in the middle of the night to put our kids back to sleep, he does that every night so I could have enough sleep. A husband who doesn't want to shop but will still go to the store for me. A husband who will say he loves me while we are in the middle of an argument. Thank you Lord for those 6 years that I had with him and I am praying to you to bless us more years together. I love him and I can't live without him, you know that.

Throwing the best Mad Men party possible for my friends and family

Guest post written by Mimi King

I feel like every other person that I talked to within the past month was planning on throwing a Mad Men party. But miraculously, I was the only one of my friends who was going to be throwing one. I guess that most of my friends also live in tiny apartments where they can't really invited a bunch of people over without everyone being uncomfortably close. So I gladly took the party throwing reins.

I spent quite a bit of time online finding some good party ideas for it and while I was doing that I saw the website debtsettlementfamily.com/calculate. I glanced through it some and after I did that I decided to use it to help find out how much debt I have and what to do about all of it.

I know that Mad Men had a whole lot to live up to for everyone and I think that we can all agree that it did live up to all of those things. At least for me and my group of friends it definitely lived up to our expectations, thankfully!

Renewal of Passport

We went to Chicago,IL last week to renew my passport. My Philippine passport will expire next month so I really had to renew it. I actually feel fortunate that the nearest PH embassy is only 4 hour drive from our  house unlike with some filipino/as that needs to fly to get to the nearest embassy. But anyway, here is the list of the requirements I submitted:

1. Accomplished E-passport form
2. My latest passport
3. Photocopy of the 1st and 2nd page of my passport
4. Photocopy of my green card and state ID
5. Self-addressed stamped flat rate envelope with tracking number from USPS (I paid $5.76)
6. Passport renewal fee ($60)

*Note: Every individual has a different case so you better call or visit the website of the embassy with jurisdiction over the state in which you live for your individual requirements.

We got there 54 mins early before they opened so we decided to eat in the nearest Italian restaurant for breakfast. I didn't get bored waiting on time as I was busy looking and observing everything in Chicago. I saw lots of people walking and trying to get to their destination and I also noticed the traffic we encountered. I guess I am not use to seeing lots of people around me now because we live in a suburb plus the traffic here is not as heavy as there. The people seemed nice to us tho :)

Anyway, going back to my passport application, we came back to the building and saw a line. An officer there asked for my requirements one by one. He made sure that I have them ALL, and also, that is where you have to pay for the renewal fee. After a couple of minutes of waiting, my name was called and I was asked to go to the other room. The room was full of applicants waiting. An employee there probably saw that we have an infant with us so she was gracious and kind to us. She let us sit in the comfiest couch in the room, yay! :) After an hour of waiting, my name was called and my passport photo was taken there. The employee also made me sure that the info I gave to them was right., and oh yeah! they also took my finger prints there and that was the last step of the processing.

Hairless for FREE

I got this Schick Hydro Razor in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I "like" them on Facebook and they send it to me for free. Then last Sunday, I bought Skintimate at CVS ang got them all for free. How?

*Skinmate $4.19 each
Less .55 coupon
= 3.64

Received $4 ECB (Extracare Bucks)

I did 5 transactions to get all these for FREE. I kept using the $4 ECB to pay for my next purchase :)

Couponing is addictive!

It's true! I find it addictive, enjoyable and of all the addiction in this world, this is the only addiction where you can save money instead of wasting money hehe. I love couponing and I think even if I get rich, I'd still do it because I find it a hobby where I can do both of my favorites, shopping and saving at the same time. Here are some of my haul for the last couple of weeks.

 Total Reg Price : $29.99 each

Total Paid : $4.99 each

All FREE! I only paid $2.38 for tax :D

TOTAL AMOUNT: $104

TOTAL PAID:$26

My son Liam was born on November 11, 2011 (11-11-11)

My husband and I were both happy that our son, Liam, was finally born and he was born on the date we really wanted. I was scheduled to induce on the 11th of November, but on that day, I was already on labor around 5AM, so, the midwife told me that no matter what, he was really destined to be born on that day.

He weighed 8.7 lbs and 22.5 inches in height. He was really pretty long hehe. The labor was not bad because I asked for epidural and it took me 40 minutes to deliver him via normal delivery.His brother Zac welcomed him with a hug, smile and a kiss. Looking at them together makes me always smile.

I am very happy to have Liam as part of our family and thank you Lord for that wonderful blessing.

My second haul of groceries

This is the second time I went to the grocery store with my hubby to shop and used coupons. This time, I had the courage to double coupons, but before I do that, I called the store first and confirmed to them if they double coupons. I did that because I want our shopping to be hassle-free. This time, we did not save as much as our first haul, but the savings that we got was not but either. We saved 54% of our grocery which I think is not bad for a beginner in couponing like me.

NOTE: There are 3 more liquid dish washing soaps that were not included in the pic below

San Antonio Orthodontist

We just came home tonight from my husband's cousin's house to visit his new apartment. The apartment he moved in is much better than his old apartment. When we got there, he has visitors from Texas. It was his highschool friend with his wife and two kids. While all the men where talking about football, I had a little chit chat with my cousin's friend's wife. We baked cookies for the kids and made dinner for everybody. In the kitchen while cooking and talking with her, I noticed something in her teeth. Out of curiosity, I asked what it was. She said it called "invisalign" or sometimes called "invisible braces". I have never seen something like that in person although I already heard something about invisible braces.

She told me that her teeth is actually looked much better now. She showed me a picture of her teeth from her Iphone before she get the braces. By comparing her teeth now from the pic of her teeth she showed me, I saw the big improvement in her teeth. She told me that she went to a San Antonio Orthodontist to have her teeth fixed. She said that San Antonio is 70 miles away from where they live but going their to fix her teeth is worth the travel.

I got busy talking to her about her teeth and braces and I forgot the cookies that we were in the oven. We smelled something burning in the oven and so we end up baking another set of cookies, haha! It was a wonderful night talking to her though in spite of burnt cookies I baked, haha!

Oriental rugs

I always dream of moving to a nicer and bigger house. Don't make me wrong, the house we live in right now is a decent house, but my family is getting bigger and we are going to have another addition very soon, so yeah, we definitely need more rooms.

Right now, I am already excited to design our future house. Watching HGTV on cable channel gives me a lot of idea on how to design a house without spending much, how to fix, clean and arrange furniture, how to be creative and inventive in designing the house and lots of tips about buying your dream house. One time, I was watching this episode on HGTV, and one of the designer put some oriental rugs on the floor. Those oriental rugs made the room looked nicer and looked fancier. Those rugs truly made a great difference and it beautified the room. I told myself that I want to have those kind of rugs too when the time comes that we have a new house. I am learning a lot of things and ways on how to design the house because of that channel. And that is why I kept on watching shows there whenever I have time. And yes! I want fully decided to have one of those oriental rugs for our future house.

My first haul of groceries using coupons.

I was so nervous the night before I shop at CVS. Why? because that was the first time that I shopped and used bunches of coupons. I spent hours of planning and computation on how much savings I will get. And of course, I was worried because of the what ifs that might happen. What if they won't accept my coupons? What if my computation is wrong? and more what ifs. I am glad though that everything went well and everything happened according to my plan. Here is the picture of my first haul.

Total Regular Price                               :  $38.12
Total Sale Price                                    :  $18.98
Total Value of Coupons  Used              :  $  4.48
Extra Care Bucks                                 :  $  7.00

Total Amount Paid                                :  $  7.13
Percentage Saved                                 :   81%

Claddagh Rings

Have you ever heard about claddagh rings? It is a traditional Irish ring that that symbolizes love or friendship. I never heard about it til I got intrigued with the ring my friend was wearing. Her ring was gold with a heart and a crown on top of it. I have never seen a design like that so I asked where she got it. She said it was given to her by her Irish boyfriend. I asked her "Is that an engagement ring?" She said laughed and said "No". She pointed me the heart on his ring, she said "See how I wear this ring? It is on the right finger and notice that the heart is pointing away from my fingertip. That means I am romantically involved with someone". I asked "So, is it like a promised ring?" she replied "Kinda, I guess". She also explained to me that if a person is wearing that ring on his or her left finger, that means that person is married. I find it interesting to know different culture of different country and I feel like it is fascinating to know different kind of belief as well.

I am happy for my friend that she is in love and I hope and wishing to see her wearing claddagh ring on her wedding ring finger.

Louder by Charice Pempengco

Here is the latest single of Charice Pempengco. She is really getting better and better. Love her!

She is getting married!

I could not believe that the niece of my husband is getting married! She just announced that she was engaged last month and now they already have a date for their wedding. After she told us that she was engaged, I kinda had a flashback of the time when she was only 16 yrs old. That was her age when I saw her picture for the first time. And now, she is 22 and will get married! Well, in my honest opinion, there is nothing wrong with her getting married. It just me that could not believe that she has grown so fast and will get married next year.

She was originally here from Indiana and moved to Charleston, North Carolina when she went to military. There is where she met her fiance and the latest news I heard from them is that they are looking Charleston real estate because they are planning of buying a house there. I believe that her fiance is originally from North Carolina so since their jobs are there, they do not want to move else where.

She is a good daughter and good to everybody. I am glad for her that she finally found the right man for her. I wish them happiness and long blessed marriage.

I love being married to a nurse

My husband is the one who most of the time takes care of our little one. He is the one who feed him, change his dirty diaper, play with him, entertain him, change his clothes, give him a bath and put him to sleep. So basically, he is not just our son's daddy, but also a "part time mommy".

It is hard for me to take care of our toddler for now because I am pregnant. I can not chase our son whenever he wants to play. I can not give him a bath because my belly is so big that it is hard for me to bend over and reach him from the tub. I can not hug him and hold him that long because of my big belly and I can not stress myself in taking care of him because stress is not good for a pregnant woman.

My husband does not only take care of our son, he also takes care of me. When I feel sick or I am not doing good, he is there to be my personal nurse and I am happy that nurse is his profession because he knows what to do whenever one of us is sick or not feeling good. So, as a thank you gift for my loving and caring hubby-nurse, I bought him some nursing pins. The first pin says "Nurses Care" and the second pin is a red heart pin. He is such a good nurse and I am blessed to have him as my hubby.

Best way for girls to lose weight

I found this very cool and funny video.

Microsoft Excel Training

  A friend of mine from Hawaii told me that she takes her son to a Story Telling once a week in the library. I never heard of a such a thing as that so I asked her what is that about. She said that that is where toddlers and kids spend their time in the library and they do crafts and listen to story telling. I got interested in it so I called and inquired at the library here in our hometown as to if they have anything such as like that. The librarian told me that they have "Toddler Time" and that is where my son fits because of his age. Toddler Time is every Thursdays and it is 30 minutes of fun for toddlers.

   Aside from that, the librarian asked me if I knew someone who would be interested in volunteering to teach Basic Computer. I told her that I have a BS degree in Computer Science and I am willing to volunteer. She told me that most of the people that I would teach are in their 40's and up or senior citizens who are interested in learning basic computer. It is only a one hour per week volunteer job so it will not occupy a lot of my time so I said "YES! I want to volunteer" besides, I think I am capable of teaching people :)

   I am thinking that accepting that job might make someone get very interested in taking their computer knowledge further. Wouldn't it be nice if one of my future students wanted to take advanced Microsoft Excel Training or other advanced computer training after learning basic computer from me? So yeah, I will volunteer, because I want to help by giving computer lessons to those who can not afford to pay for it.

Fixing the Honda motorcycle

My father-in-law just bought this motorcycle at Honda last year. He got upset because my sister-in-law borrowed it and hit the curve and from then on, it looked like something has misaligned that needs to be fixed. Aside from that, it needs oil change. He got more upset because the motorcycle's manual is nowhere to be found. I helped him looked for it to solve the problem, but it was no success. We called the manufacturer to ask and buy for a copy of the manual but they have none.

My father-in-law almost give up in looking for its manual,so, what I did to help him was to look over the internet to find where I could purchase its manual. I typed the words Clymer Manuals and there I found a good website where you could purchase repair manuals for your vehicle. I knew there is still a way to have its manual hehe. My father-in-law is the type of person who likes to fix broken things and so as much as possible, he would like to try to fix his stuff first on his own before he takes them to a professional. He normally fix everything by his own though.

Thank God! I found that website or else taking his motorcycle to the repair shop would cost my father-in-law more.

Over Fatigue

So, I came 10 minutes early at work yesterday so I could have some time to eat. I clocked in 11AM and 30 minutes after, I had shortness of breathing. I kept drinking water in between taking order from the customers thinking water will help me feel better. Sadly, it came to the point that I was catching my breath and everything turned black on me. I leaned on the wall and told one of my co-worker that I can't breathe. I drank half glass of water again and came back to work. I took another order from the customer and in the middle of it, I can't talk anymore because I was catching my breath. I apologize to the customer and went to my manager. I asked her to continue my order taking because I am about to pass out. I clocked out right away and I sat down. One of the managers came to me, hand me the company phone and a glass of water.

I called my husband right away and told him to pick me up ASAP. One of our regular customer came to me and she stayed with me til my husband came. She was very nice :) Everybody described me as "clammy" (pale and sweaty) at that moment. I told him that I just want to stay at home and take a rest but my husband insisted to take me to the ER so there, he took me to ER.

Diagnosis? Over Fatigue. The doctor required me to rested for 3 days and gave me work excuse letter. Well, instead of just taking 3 days off, I just filed for maternity leave because I am afraid that there might something bad happen to me and the baby if I stress myself more. And oh! they found out I have UTI so I am taking anti-biotic.

A chat with a long time friend

I am so happy to chat with my long time friend especially since she will be here in the US pretty soon. Yes! Her visa got approved and she will be in Chicago pretty soon! I am so happy for her because after her long visa journey, she together with her whole family will move in Chicago.

We talked about the differences of the environment, the people, the laws, the food, the weather and the culture between the US and the Philippines. She is actually excited, anxious and sad of moving here. Excited because she could finally see the US, anxious because she do not know on what her life will be here and sad because she needs to leave her work, relatives and friends in the Philippines. I told her that I know the feeling of that but at least she will move here with her family unlike me that I left my family.

I also told her to prepare for a long hours of flight. I told her that I had 24 hour flight from Manila to Indiana. She was shocked and said "I wish I have a private jet to avoid lay overs". I replied to her "I wish I owned private jet companies", then we both laughed.

I can't wait!

Last night, I could not sleep good because contraction kept waking me up. That was the first time it happened to me. Normally, I only feel contraction whenever I am awake. I went to my weekly appointment today and I am still 3cm. I thought I am farther than that because I feel heavier and sorer and I could not believe that I only gain 1/2 pound from my last week's appointment.

They told me that they will not going to induce me til I am 39 weeks because right now, the baby's lungs are not mature enough. So basically, what will happen is its either I will be induced on my 39th week OR wait til the baby come out on its own. I know I am getting close of  getting there but it seems like the waiting is getting longer. I am praying for safe delivery and a healthy, happy baby boy :)