I was having a chat with a fellow mother one day. She shared to me her struggles about her teenage daughter.  According to her, she could no longer control her daughter's rebellious attitude. She doesn't listen to her when warned about making friends with boys.  She was even thankful about this pandemic because her daughter was forced to stay at home. But then her daughter stayed late at night chatting with her friends.  Her fear was that her daughter might have a boyfriend already.  She just don't know what to do anymore. 

I could not really relate to her considering that my kids,  specifically,  my daughters are still on their primary years.  Then I just looked back to who I am as a teenager.  My Mom is really very strict. There were lot of things that we're not allowed to do: getting home late,  having boyfriend,  going anywhere with friends,  and a whole lot more.  I really could not understand my Mom back then.  I just thought that maybe she just doesn't want us to marry at an early age.  Well,  I  actually get that and I'm really scared too that's why I really don't have boyfriends in my teenage years. But making friends was a whole different story.  My classmates really find it difficult to bring me along with their getaways.  But I  learned not to stressed out my Mom considering the hardship that she has to go through just to send us to school.  However,  back then I wasn't able to enjoy my teenage years.  I'm not saying that I was being deprived by what life had to offer back then,  I just felt that I was missing something but I just couldn't identify what was that missing piece. 

Right now,  being married for a decade already, slowly it sinks to me how a mother really feels.  I have so many apprehensions for my kids.  But with what my fiend shared to me about her daughter,  I wasn't quite sure anymore if I'll follow the footsteps of my Mom in dealing with my own. I don't want them to feel being deprived but on the other hand, I don't want them to live their life based on how they think or feel.  And to be honest,  I'm quite scared about the future. I'm scared if I could tame them when they will be in the outside world,  when they will gain independence from me.  That's why it is my constant prayers that God will lead them to a group of friends who could be a good influence to them. Our world right now is totally different from what I grew up with.  With all those social media influences,  where almost everything is permissible,  i couldn't help but fear for my kid's future. 

As a Mom I know I'm not perfect. I still have lots of things to learn.  I'm just scared that someday,  I will  have the same sentiment with that Mom. 

Lord please guide me and enlighten my mind always in finding ways to tame my kids and ushered them to become the kind of people that they ought to be.  Amen

To my beloved nephew, aim higher but keep grounded. Being the eldest among your cousins, they will surely look up to you with pride. We love you so much!

Happy 21st!

This is one of the reasons why I so love August, so many birthday celebrations. However, unlike the old times, what we could only do now is a virtual celebrations. 

To my beloved Mom who immersed herself in the land of milk and honey, Happiest Birthday!

I truly blessed the day that God created you, we love you so much and hope to see you soon!

Teaching is a challenging job, much more this present day that we are embracing this new normal education. Honestly, I don't like this kind of scenario. I preferred face-to-face teaching. I believe that learners will learn more if you are just within their reach. But we are left with no choice other than to get used to the modular distance learning approach.

If you are a teacher of core subjects like Math, English, Science, and Filipino, teaching using the modular method would be great. However, if you are a teacher handling technical subjects like Drafting- then you're innovativeness and competence in computer manipulation are a must. 

But the real challenge is not really about how good we are at delivering our lessons. The real challenge is how our learners respond to our way of teaching. Truth be told, the majority of those who enrolled in public secondary schools are less fortunate, in fact, they could not even afford to buy a mobile phone. 

The previous school year was like a baptism of fire for both students and teachers. There are so many lessons being gained from that one academic year. Teachers tend to become too lenient for some students who failed to comply or complete all the requirements. 

The previous year was also the year where there are so many teachers who applied for that teacher exchange program with other countries. Whatever their reasons, one thing is uncertain- do they lost the joy in teaching here in the Philippines? 

Speaking of joy in teaching. I would admit that I am one of those teachers who planned to teach abroad, but not as early as now. Financially, emotionally, and technically I am not yet prepared. But mentally? Yes, I am somehow quite excited. But it's a tough decision considering that I have  3 younger kids who still need my care and attention.

I was really thinking that I have lost that passion, the passion to teach with all my heart. However, this pandemic taught me something else. When our city was classified to undergo Enhanced Community Quarantine in the mid of July, many have lost their jobs. One day, while passing by a fast-food chain, I was saddened by the fact that the hub that used to be so jampacked with diners suddenly becomes empty. Only those food panda riders were busy waiting outside to take orders. That scenario made me realized that no matter what, I should be grateful that I still have a job, that I should learn to love it all the more.

Many teachers might be losing that passion, many might have that urge as well to look for greener pasture, but hopefully, they will also realize the things that I did.

In just a span of 3 days, two scam stories were on my feeds and getting viral online and it has something to do with food businesses. Nevertheless, it made me wonder, how on Earth scammers do exist in this already aching world? I mean, how do they do that? Where did they get the guts to do such a thing?

Does poverty make them do it or they were just too bored that they love to prank people selfishly?

May their souls be forgiven.

This year will marks my two scores of existence if God permits. I still have more or less 70 days to grind before I will bid goodbye to 30's and yet I have manifested the signs of ageing already. 

First, I've started taking Losartan 50mg to regulate my blood pressure;

Second, I have so many things in mind that I I would like to do but got less energy to fulfill it;

Third, I easily get tired!;

Fourth, I'm easily get irritated;

Fifth, I am so (with emphasis) forgetful! 

And the lists could go on.

Was this only me or everyone else of my age got the same progress?

Please lift me up by sharing your thoughts below

#roadto40

#ageing

As a public school teacher, I was not assigned to solely teach my students, I have other vital functions to perform. Currently, I am the Learning Information System (LIS) Coordinator in our school where I was tasked to monitor our enrolment, dropouts, moved-ins, and moved-outs, facilitate school form requests, and the like. I was also tasked to submit the  Monthly Enrolment Report to our Division Office. Indeed the role was pretty tasking and oftentimes it drained my energy and eventually affects my teaching career. Aside from being a LIS Coordinator, I was also given the tasks to write a communication letter, edit a video, layout a tarpaulin, and troubleshoot some of my colleagues' ICT-related problems. The task itself wasn't that stressful, what makes it become stressful was when deadlines are coming and not everyone is cooperating. Stress is manageable so long as you are not all by yourself. In an organization, teamwork is totally important in getting the work done on time. If one fails to cooperate, it could affect the majority. And if everybody is helping, things will go on smoothly. When it is always the scenario, stress is just an expectation but never a reality.

Can you imagine a world without flowers? And I mean, real flowers not those that are made of plastics or cloth. No matter how the world may evolve, regardless of how far technology will take us, one thing will always be certain, flowers will never be outdated. It will always be the number one choice of almost all women. As for me, I truly appreciate it if I could receive a bunch of pretty fresh flowers. 

I happened to stumble on florist nyc - Plantshed site from, of course, New York City and I was so amazed at their collection of flowers. But not only that, their actual shop is not your ordinary kind of flower shop that we usually encounter on the malls or along the streets. it's actually a floral café where you'll not only get to enjoy their collections, but you'll be satisfied with their other mouthwatering menus. Indeed, their unique concept is a crowd-drawer that could really fit the lifestyle of any New York citizens who gives premium to nature at its best. Flowers are among those stress-reliever gifts of nature. Whether it is intended for home decoration or special occassion, or even for a gift, they could cater to all your floral needs. Their collections include succulents, premium flowers, cacti, and some merchandise that you could take home with you. So if you're a New Yorker, never miss the opportunity to commune with nature by simply visiting and enjoying a relaxing moment and have that "feel at home" aura at Plantshed Floral Café. You can also order online, just visit their site for more info.

A married relationship does not guarantee total commitment among the couple, that's a fact! I learned a thing or two about this just recently. It's quite hard to bear being in a relationship for quite sometime only to realize that your partner may love you but his heart  doesn't really belong to you. Then you could just only wonder, how did it happened? 

There is this what we call "first love" and there is a song that could back it up which says, 'first love never dies'. 

If you happened to be on that kind of relationship, you have two options-stay or just let go. Either way, it can cause you real pain. But trust your instinct that you'll get by sooner than later, just learn to accept the truth though truth hurts but it could set you free.

    If you are considering migrating to Canada but quite confuse about what part of Canada you would like to go to, you may want to consider Calgary. With its population of more than 1.4 million people, and ranked as the most livable city in North America and the fifth livable city in the whole world according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, then what else are you looking for? Furthermore, Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the third most diverse major city with more than 120 languages spoken in the city. Calgary sits within the prairies just east of the Rocky Mountains, where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet.

    But if you want to know if it is costly to live in Calgary. Well, for one, you must have a decent job that could get you through with Calgary's cost of living. My sister is currently living in Canada and she said one job is not enough to have both ends meet if you are just new there. Before, she used to have two to three part-time jobs. Good thing she found a permanent job that allows her to work 8 hours a day. The minimum wage in Canada is $15 per hour and Calgary's salary is typically above the Canadian average. The economy in Calgary focuses much on the petroleum industry thus making Calgary the wealthiest city in Canada. The city continues to be known for its 'can-do' attitude and business-friendly environment. The cost of living in Calgary is high relative to smaller towns around Alberta, but quite reasonable compared with most Canadian cities. Residents in Alberta pay no Provincial Sales Tax, instead, they are paying General Goods and Services Tax charged at 5%.

    House prices and rent prices in Calgary are competitive, with plenty of accommodation supply. Purchasing a house in Calgary will cost you at most $420,000, which still depends on the house's size, location, amenities, age, and condition. Before owning a house, you need to check your financial capability, otherwise, you can have other options like a monthly mortgage and the like. If you are living alone, you can opt for a condominium which is a whole lot cheaper of almost 50% compared to a single-detached house. There is also a good supply of rental properties, most of which are unfurnished. Renting a standard one-bed apartment will cost around $1,000 per month, while two-bed versions cost around $300-400 more. But if you really want to make the most out of your money just simply browse on the internet and you can find Calgary Homes For Sale.

    For the mode of transportation in Calgary, they have their Calgary Transit, a public transit service owned and operated by the city of Calgary. A monthly pass will cost you around $100 per month. Living in Calgary without access to vehicles can be totally challenging. It can be difficult to get around Calgary if you don't have a car.

    Calgary has a variety of cafes, restaurants, and pubs available which have impressive offerings in terms of dining out. There are a lot of steak options across the city and most restaurants offer daily specials that are worth a penny if you want to treat yourself any day of the week. But if you are looking for a greater place to pig out, then 17th Avenue is typically the best place to go as many of the best pubs and restaurants are situated here.

    Calgary was also known for its annual Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo festivity that happened every month of July. it is also known as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." It is participated by cowboys from different places gathered together to showcase their talents.

    Why live in Calgary? Aside from the fact that they are the most livable city, Calgary is clean and beautiful with a modern, attractive downtown, a good-sized meandering river, and the Rocky Mountain backdrop. The Rockies are easily accessible by car from Calgary, with world-class skiing in the winter and incredible vistas in the summer. It has clean air, one of the sunniest climates with low rainfall and most of all with its friendly people.

    So what else are you looking for? Come and live in Calgary!

When there's a surge of COVID 19 earlier last year, the cases of death rose higher but those casualties were all strangers to me. Then 2021 came, just as most of us thought that things are getting better, the news in India suddenly erupted with reported thousands of lives being cremated due to this pandemic. Then the local cases increase with the so-called new strain of COVID 19. It was reported that the virus is now airborne, which is more alarming and life-threatening. The number of infected is getting higher every day so does the mortality rate. But what was disheartening was the fact that those whose lives were claimed by this deadly virus are not total strangers anymore. They are the son of a friend, a churchmate, a husband of a superior in my department, and a former colleague. 

I haven't met my friend's son, but I am very close to this friend of mine, the mother,  who is a very prayerful and kindhearted woman. I can feel her agony because when his son was admitted to the hospital, all she could do was pray and ask God for a miracle because her son was far away from her. She was supposedly waiting for him to be home after two years of being locked down but when that happened, he was already inside a jar with his ashes.  Then next was my churchmate. It's been a while that we haven't seen each other because she was too preoccupied taking care of her ailing father and brother. It all started with the flu then the difficulty of breathing. Just when she was about to be admitted, she died right in the triage of the hospital. She was not swabbed but declared as COVID 19 casualty. Then another one was the husband of our former School Superintendent. Just a few minutes after he got his first COVID 19 vaccine, he died. Reportedly, it's not due to the vaccine but to his heart attack. Then lately, a colleague from the university where I previously work. I don't know the exact cause but I just read on a Facebook post from his subordinates that he has now turned into ashes. 

Indeed, it is so disheartening to realize that their lives were claimed by this deadly virus to which until now has no certain cure. The vaccine was not even 100% reliable. In fact, rumors were circulating in social media that the vaccine was lethally intended to depopulate the world. This rumor causes some to have a second thought about getting the vaccine.  My husband got his first dose already. He got some after-effects like flu and fever though it was manageable. He got a text informing him of his second dose but was rescheduled due to time constraints.  As for me, I signed up already but didn't get it yet. With this rumor,  I really don't know what to believe but I kept on asking God that when my days will end, it should be because of the aging factor, not because of this deadly unseen enemy. I am still looking forward to getting the vaccine considering that I have little lives to protect, my son and daughters.

Prayer, after all, is the best thing that we can do.

#COVID19

#CovidVaccine

Everyone learns differently, especially young children. It is important to accommodate and celebrate these differences inside the classroom. That is why many educators are turning toward a new type of learning—holistic learning. Read onward to learn how to effectively incorporate holistic learning materials into your elementary school classroom.

What Is Holistic Learning?

Holistic learning is a teaching philosophy that aims to educate the whole of a person, rather than simply teaching standard academic concepts. This means combining the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspects of a subject into a complete, well-rounded lesson. Students are encouraged to reflect inwards on themselves and recognize how their actions affect the world around them. Similarly, lessons are designed to reflect real-world scenarios and often feature local problems the students can help address.

What Are the Benefits of Holistic Learning?

Studies show that students who typically struggle in the classroom experience increased academic success when holistic learning is incorporated into the curriculum. Additionally, holistic learning cultivates empathy, thoughtfulness, and emotional awareness, resulting in students who feel empowered to connect with others and contribute to their communities.

Which Tools and Materials Are “Holistic”?

There is a plethora of holistic, pre-made lesson plans and enrichment items you could bring into your classroom. Puzzles promote dexterity and logical thinking. Board games teach children the importance of rules and cooperation. Read-aloud picture books mix visual and audio stimuli. Browse around to see what works for your unique students.

How Does the Classroom Itself Contribute to Holistic Learning?

Research indicates that the physical setup of a classroom affects a student’s ability to learn. When arranging your classroom, try to incorporate natural light, relaxing sounds, and interesting colors. To promote connection and communication, organize desks to face each other in small groups. If possible, add plants and other naturalistic features that your class can nurture together.

All educators want to do their best for their students. The current state of the education system makes that different. However, change is possible, one classroom at a time, holistically.

Indeed it's very true that you'll only get to know your partner when you'll be living on the same roof and as time goes by of living together.

It can't be denied that there's no such thing as perfect relationship among married couples. There will always be flaws, shortcomings, misunderstanding and even relationship gap. However, there might be no perfect relationship, but there are still many couples who remain in the commitment til their last breath. How did it happen? How do they make it work?

ACCEPTANCE.

Yes, indeed. Acceptance is the key in order to have a highly effective marriage. According to the book written by Nancy Van Pelt, "an important prerequisite to accepting your partner at face value is the ability to accept yourself just as you are" She said that self-worth is an honest appraisal of oneself. That is accepting your limitations that you've been unable to change and the ability to move ahead after failing many times. Through self-acceptance, it enables you to pay attention to others as well and become tolerant of the weaknesses of others as you are of your own.

Personally, before I got married to my husband,  I have so many expectations that only my mind could imagine because as we build our own family, I have so many frustrations because of all those unmet expectations. But what can I do? So, instead of resenting, nagging, and blaming him (which I actually did before), I accepted him and condition my mind that it's him and I can't do anything about it. My full acceptance of his total being actually resulted to positive result because by the time I stopped nagging him, he's now more open and more easy to deal with especially in rearing our three children. 

Indeed, acceptance is the key. If you find it so difficult to do, just reconsider that you have different backgrounds, different upbringing. Reconsider as well that you have different beliefs and principles in life. By the time you marry him, you're not only marrying the person in flesh, you are also bound to commit down to his soul.

Longing for a lifetime commitment?

Accept and meet halfway.

I'm a Mom...

Far from being perfect...

A work in progress...

But coping and trying harder to become one.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

My Lola

My only Mother

My sisters

My sisters-in-law

My aunties

My cousins

My Mom nieces

My Ninangs

My female Mom colleagues

My female Mom teachers

My female Mom church mates

My female Mom friends

My female Mom acquaintances

My female Mom students

My female Mom neighbors

Even to InaTays

and all the mother women reading this! 

The world would be a whole lot different without us! 

You can't even imagine it 😉

    I can't stand looking at the news of a pile of bodies being cremated or burned in India and the number is increasing every day. Indeed, the new strain of Covid 19 is worst than before. Also, in our nearby town, a priest was infected but been to a congregational meeting thus infecting others, as of now, that priest died after battling Covid 19 in the ICU then one of those who got infected through him died as well.

    A good friend of mine was grieving as well after losing his only son to Covid just recently. Then some of my churchmates who went to the same company and the same office were quarantined because one of their colleagues got infected. That is how alarming Covid is right now. The rate was already more or less 2% of the total world population. We could only expect that it will increase with the regular establishment operation. Most people are still too relax to consider the real score about COVID, some are even hesitant to get the vaccine because they do not trust it.

    

    People are slowly forgetting the essence of life by living carelessly. Or maybe they are just trying to make the most out of their life. However, COVID is contagious. We must not forget the fact that not all people have the same perception about life. If one happened to live their life in "come what may" status and won't mind if they will get an infection or not- how about those people whom they will possibly get infected with? Indeed, it is disheartening to see somebody grieving because of the untimely death of a dearly beloved.

    Let us not allow ourselves to be the cause of the desperation of others. Let us be mindful and extra careful.

    Let us be responsible!

#COVIDisReal

I posted this yesterday on my FB Wall:

Yes, we just celebrated our 10th year Wedding Anniversary yesterday. I am very vocal when it comes to my feelings and opinion. I speak what's on my mind and what I wrote on my wall is absolutely true! If I have to assess our marriage, it is very far from perfect. That reality versus expectation scheme did really happen to me. I expected a lot from my husband when we are still not married but things didn't go as I thought. However, that was just from an idealistic persona of me. I do love him and it takes authentic patience to accept the whole of him. But he is not bad, he just doesn't meet my expectations. 

On the other note, I realized as well, am I perfect for him? Did I also meet his expectations of me? If we based our relationship on each other's expectations then maybe, just maybe, 10 years is too long for both of us. The truth is, we're both imperfect. Our zodiac even tells us that our compatibility is up to 15% only. Funny, but the good thing is that we don't rely on the zodiac or any astrological predictions. we based our marriage relationship on God's will on His perfect plan for both of us. We are like two individuals with different views in life, but somehow we complement each other. He is actually the exact opposite of me. But Science proves that opposite poles attract each other. But seriously, we both believe that God destined us for each other.

Anyway, thanks for cheering with us to forever!

    

Everyday is a miracle, I should say. With the increasing cases of COVID 19 infection in our locality, life becomes uncertain that is why I am thankful to God for the day that me and my family is spared from it. My heart goes to those who were in the hospitals struggling to fight the virus as well as for their families. My Mom and brother in-law who are currently residing in Iowa, USA were once infected but I'm thankful to God that there is no complication. 

The only way to prevent ourselves from infection is by taking good care of ourselves and following the protocols mandated by our government agencies. For a working Mom like me, it is really very difficult to maintain social distancing though I'm on mask most of the time. Past few weeks ago my asthma was triggered thus I'm into hard cough, runny nose and headache for more than a week, good thing I can still smell and taste. But during that time I was totally panicking, fearing that I I might have the virus and I'm with my kids and family. I've reassured myself by conditioning my mind that it was just my asthma hitting me again. And yes, it really was coz by now I'm already okay.

Panicking is a normal reaction but our instinct must be stronger than our emotion.

Living in uncertainties? Trust God then your instinct.

Happy Sunday!

Family is life, having both parents upon growing up is life!

Well, I honestly admired all husbands who stand by their wives through thick and thin. And a hand salute to all the wives who remain faithful to their husbands amidst adversaries that their family life has encountered.

The common reason why family falls apart or why marriages have shattered is because of infidelity. Me, being a product of a broken family knows how it feels to have a shattered home. I know how it felt to grow up without a father, and believe me it's not really easy.

The sad thing about having a broken family is that not all kids have the same way of coping with the situation. Not all kids have the courage to accept the fact positively. There are those who became lost and became a problem themselves. I have seen a lot of young ones slowly ruining their lives believing that their life is already trash after all and there is no future waiting for them. As a teacher, it becomes a burden to me. I wish I could explain to them that there is still a brighter future waiting for them if they won't allow their situation to overwhelm them. However, I cannot just control their actions as well as their perspective in life. There are those who tried to but still fail because they have less or no parental support. My heart truly bleeds for them.

I wish to convey this message to my fellow parents out there, especially to those mothers like me. If you think your marriage is in doom, and no means left to aid the situation and you thought of ending the relationship- please make sure that you don't abandon your responsibility as a mother. Do not neglect your duty as a parent. Explain to your children why there is a need to end the relationship because even the kids can feel the toxicity and eventually will understand your decision. But never ever abandon them for another man to be with, that is totally a horrible decision. 

Our situations may vary but we could come up with the same solution- holding on to our role as a parent. Our children don't necessarily have to become a casualty of our failed marriages, they should not suffer because we made the bad decision. Let's not add insult to injury. Let us be sensible enough no matter what.

Bottom line, let our conscience, our common sense, and our faith in God be our ultimate guide in rearing our children.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) never failed to remind us about the protocols that we must all follow in order to minimize the cases of COVID 19 infections. Social distancing, wearing of mask and face shield should be strictly followed. However, with the normal operation of malls and other establishments right now, keeping the social distancing protocol become a real challenge, much more with the "Community Pantry" that became trending nowadays.

Personally, I have nothing against Community Pantry because it revives the Bayanihan Spirit of every Filipino. However, if the crowd cannot be controlled anymore, that is where the problem might start. But with proper coordination of the organizer, maybe the situation can be regulated.

It just need a little understanding and greater discipline among the benificiaries.

Yes, indeed! Stay positive, not with COVID 19 but with our perspective in life. Honestly, it's quite difficult to live calmly when you know that there's an ongoing threat around us like an enemy who's gonna attack us anytime they want it. Most of us right now are living in fear, in anxiety, and in confusion as to what awaits our future with this global pandemic. Though things seem lighter than before with most of those establishments going back to business, obviously not because it's safer but because our economy is so down already, still, the COVID threat is stopping us to live our life the way it should be. 

Personally, as a teacher, I never felt as drained as what I'm feeling right now with all those pile of works, paperworks, that tries to prove that yes we're still doing our job amidst pandemic. My kids back home misses going to school. My daughter even told me that she's playing a "pretending I'm in school" game and I just let her be because I, as a mother, understood the boredom that they have to go through. Just imagine they are not allowed to go out or go to the malls. I'm just glad we could still go to the church then some beaches because that's there only means of outdoor getaway. It's more than a year already so no wonder heartbreaking news of suicides can still be heard on the radio or TV news. People with less support from others will likely to commit such painful act maybe because they could not contain the depression and the changes that they have to overcome.

That is why it is really so important to stay positive, to view life as precious up to the last breath. We cannot change the situation but we can choose our reaction towards the situation. Moreover, when things seems so low, LOOK UP. Let us draw our strength from the Almighty.

God bless everyone!

This is one of the most often asked question and yet some could still not comprehend the meaning of this cliché.

To some, having everything you need and want in life is a guarantee that you could really live your life to the fullest! Well, I beg to disagree because there are those who have less in life yet was able to make a great impact to the universe, if I may exaggerate.

Living life to the fullest does not depend solely on your possessions, it's more on your position in life- not the literal one but much deeper than what we think. When I say position it means differently.

Position of your priorities. Are you on the right track? Are your priorities carefully planned by you or you're just among those who live in "come what may" mindset?

Position of your giftings or your talents. What did you do about your talents? Are you making use of them for others or you just keep it to yourself? 

Position of your attitude- or most likely, position of your heart. Is your heart okay. There might be some negativity that's trying to pull you down. Are you holding grudges against someone? Are you having inferiority complex? Insecurities? Our emotion plays a vital role in our daily existence. What we feel often resonates with how we behave and how we treat others.

We cannot live our Life to the fullest when we do not reconcile with our very own self. When we could not overcome our shortcomings, and when we could not ease up the burdens in our heart. 

Dealing lots of life's issues? Look up and cast all your burdens to God.

 Be blessed.

    Dominant as I am, I always speak what's on my mind. Perhaps, being a teacher also influence the way I express myself. My hubby always relies on me when it comes to decision-making because according to him, I am more practical compared to him. Well, he is absolutely right. In our school, I also have an influence when it comes to decision making as to what's good and what's not to purchase. Influencing others with what you believe is a real challenge for a typical blogger like me. This is what prompts me to create a blog way back in 2008.  

    For more than a decade of blogging, I am truly overwhelmed with how I was able to influence others. As a Mom blogger, I am fond of blogging about family issues, family concerns, parenting, and the like. I love to share what I found to be worth sharing when it comes to child-rearing. My experience also taught me a lot of things that is why I am confident enough on what to share on my blog. Indeed, blogging becomes an outlet for me when I want to address my thoughts to a bigger audience. Blogging also taught me to write things that bother me or excites me! What excites me the most is when I am getting feedback, comments from my readers. I also get the chance to meet my fellow bloggers and befriend them and was able to join a blogging community who are willing to support one another by giving helpful ideas about blogging especially for an ordinary blogger like me. I may not be a famous blogger but at least I am able to share my thoughts with the world.

    When I got married barely 10 years ago, the first two years were what I could consider as the peak of my blogging career with so many opportunities coming from different sponsors. Indeed, blogging at that time became a good source of income. I was able to pay rent and buy groceries. However, during my second pregnancy which was eight months after I had my first child, I barely got opportunities because I seldom update my blog. From three blog accounts, I gave up my two other blogs because I cannot manage them anymore due to my motherhood roles while working at the same time. Then I was assigned to teach Educational Technology among students taking up Education. My passion for blogging was revived thus I inspired and encouraged my students to create their own blog too. It was a great fulfillment for me to see some of my students pursuing blogs and having them among my followers. I even have one student who was really very good at writing which remains a blogger up to now. I felt so rewarded when they sent me messages retelling the good experiences they enjoyed upon blogging.

    

    Right now, I am slowly encouraging myself to go back to my first love, which is writing. And I am all the more encourage to blog because of some opportunities which I could consider as a real blessing for me. Before I used to have one sponsor that gave me at least three per month opportunities before but since the pandemic started, it was stopped and I could never blame them. I am just so glad that I stumbled upon the work of Lindsay Detwiler, the famous blogger, and I was totally inspired by her passion as a blogger. Her work influenced me to push further and rekindle my passion for writing. Indeed, she is a very effective influencer for giving me such inspiration. Now I have all the reasons to revive my blog and have my ideas be shared with the whole world!

I might be a late bloomer but I've just downloaded and installed the Tiktok App. The initial intention was just for compliance actually to the requirements of one of my sponsors. But as I browsed through different posts, I was amazed with those tutorial posts, mostly technical one like computer manipulation. Mind you, I've tried each of those tips they gave and it actually works! There's also this fitness coach that posted easy  to follow exercises, isn't it a good app after all?

Be the judge!

If you are looking for a place to spend your summer with even just for a day, I highly recommend the Alibuag Beach Resorts  at Sugbongcogon, Misamis Oriental. I was with my colleague and her family, and that was my second time to go there. I am more excited with my second trip there because I was with my whole family. We also fetched my best friend in Balingasag. The kids truly enjoy their time, they love to swim after all.

How about you, where you gonna spend your summer?

Before, I thought life would be a whole lot easier if you have somebody to lean on or it would be nice and rewarding feeling if somebody depended on you that much. But that was actually before.

I can see home shattered because one felt so exhausted being the sole breadwinner of a bigger family. I can see friendship shattered because one friend is too co-dependent to the other.

It is not really bad if you have someone to depend on in times of need or somebody depended on you when they are in need. But what is unbearable is if that someone doesn't know how to take responsibility to himself as well as to others. If that someone don't value "shared-responsibility" and instead became a burden to others, that's what make things or the situation bad. If the person become selfish and to self-centered, that's where and how the conflict will start.

So as an individual, we should have our stand. We should have learned the value of sensitivity, looking after the other and not just minding ourself.

That is also called, COMMON SENSE.

There's a line in a song that goes, "shame on YOU if you fool me once, shame on ME if you fool me twice"- of course most of us are familiar of the song Life Goes On by LeeAnn Rimes.

What did the song imply? It's too heavy to handle actually. It's a song of a girl who fall in love for the wrong person but eventually realized the dilemma she's been through.

Unfortunately, not all madly in love individual have the same realization because there are still those who choose to continue to live in stupidity (sorry for the word), those who choose pain over common sense.

If you are involved with the WRONG person- don't hold on, you must stop it before you lose your sanity. Never allow that person to hurt you over and over again- that is called SELF-RESPECT.

Have you tried going to the market with no particular list on what to buy then you saw fruits and veggies on sale then out of compulsion, you bought and brought it home but could not figure out what to do with it because, in the first place, you really is not good in cooking?

Well, it happened to me most of the time. I once brought ingredients for Chicken Tinola (minus the chicken) and I just put it inside the refrigerator then days passed by it all dried up and gone to waste- what a waste of money! This often happens for busy working Moms like me. That feeling of having all the will but not the power to do it by yourself because you are just too tired to work in the kitchen after an all days work!

Somehow I learned my lesson from all those waste. I learned not to buy out of compulsion anymore. I see to it that once I bought something for meals, I should have enough time to prepare for it to avoid the same mistakes again. That is why I preferred buying ingredients during weekends so I have enough time to cook.

The ready-made food in the bottle is also a big help for busy Moms like me. That Spanish sardines in a bottle can be a better option. However, I minimize buying processed food because of preservatives, not unless it's chili sauce because I knew for sure that it has no preservatives at all just like Dandom's Chili Sauce. Talking about chili sauce, here's another thing, instead of making your own, why not trust it to the experts? In that way, you could free yourself from the hustle of grinding and estimating the taste of your sauce? My colleague once bought a kilo of fresh chilies because she wanted to make her own chili sauce but failed to do it because, yes, she doesn't have the luxury of time. The ending? she just threw all those dried-up chilies- just like throwing away her money because chilies are quite expensive.

The Original Dandom's Chili Garlic Sauce

So, a piece of advice from a not-so-good cook Mom like me? Spare yourself from the hustle- you want chili garlic sauce? Why not try Dandom's homemade Chili and garlic sauce? It is made from fresh chilies and fresh garlic, plus you can be assured that it is of superb quality and savory flavor because the maker herself is a licensed food technologist. How do I know? She's a good friend of mine and I could really vouch for her expertise!

Where to find them? Check their website at https://www.dandoms.com.

What is your stand on Reproductive Health Bill? Are you caught in between?

This has become a hot issue in the previous years. People on Congress were on hot debate regarding this matter, some even took one's opinion personally. The Church stressed out their defiance against the RH Bill. If you have gone through the full text of House Bill No. 5043, I am pretty sure you have now your stand. I didn't go through the whole issue, I just read the different opinions from those who were able to read it. Some made a responsible opinion while others don't. I really don't know if CORRUPTION has something to do with this. 

My attention was caught on Sec. 12 of the said bill which has the following provisions:

SEC. 12. Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health Education. – Recognizing the importance of reproductive health rights in empowering the youth and developing them into responsible adults, Reproductive Health Education in an age-appropriate manner shall be taught by adequately trained teachers starting from Grade 5 up to Fourth Year High School. In order to assure the prior training of teachers on reproductive health, the implementation of Reproductive Health Education shall commence at the start of the school year one year following the effectivity of this Act. The POPCOM, in coordination with the Department of Education, shall formulate the Reproductive Health Education curriculum, which shall be common to both public and private schools and shall include related population and development concepts in addition to the following subjects and standards:

a. Reproductive health and sexual rights;

b. Reproductive health care and services;

c. Attitudes, beliefs and values on sexual development, sexual behavior and sexual health;

d. Proscription and hazards of abortion and management of post-abortion complications;

e. Responsible parenthood.

f. Use and application of natural and modern family planning methods to promote reproductive health, achieve desired family size and prevent unwanted, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies;

g. Abstinence before marriage;

h. Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other, STIs/STDs, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and other gynecological disorders;

i. Responsible sexuality; and

j. Maternal, peri-natal and post-natal education, care and services.

In support of the natural, and primary right of parents in the rearing of the youth, the POPCOM shall provide concerned parents with adequate and relevant scientific materials on the age-appropriate topics and manner of teaching reproductive health education to their children.

In the elementary level, reproductive health education shall focus, among others, on values formation.

Non-formal education programs shall likewise include the abovementioned reproductive Health Education.

I just don't know if teaching such a subject to young elementary students will make a good impact. I am not even sure if they will be able to comprehend such topic. Let's take into consideration item f, the use and application o natural and modern family planning methods... I don't think they will really be able to grasp the importance of such topic when all they could think of was how Spongebob was able to do some tricks on Patrick. Their mind are completely oblivious on this kind of issue. 

I do not know how the Congress and the President himself will be able to deal with this issue... The bill isn't really that bad but I guess it needs to be reviewed once and for all. They should weigh things out before coming up with final decision. Above all, they should take the Biblical truths into consideration.