Today, I am sharing a video made by my sister for my daughter Rica. It consists of Rica’s pictures when they were playing dress up last summer with perfectly matching background music entitled Fashion by Lady Gaga. This is part one only for there are still more pictures yet to be posted. Apparently, they collected so many photos because Tita Tin and Rica love playing dress up and had a number of bonding moments doing it.



People who know me can tell that I am not keen to fashion. For me, the simpler the better and I doll myself up elegantly only when necessity calls for it. What I’m trying to say is that fashion is not my passion. This is contrary to what I observed in my daughter who is naturally and fabulously chic. Rica can confidently wear any type of clothing. She moves with poise and knows how to smile and pose in front of the camera. So from whom did Rica get this trait and influence? From my sister Tin-Tin who has a better fashion sense than I do.

Every time I watch this video I am reminded of God’s glory and generosity. In my every pregnancy, I always pray for a healthy baby but God is so generous that he blessed me not only with a healthy baby but beautiful, intelligent and talented as well…and now I have four. Rica is my first born. Looking at her makes me feel so grateful of God’s love.

I am sure you also have your story of God’s love and generosity. Let us be grateful and expect more to come

With the recent declaration of Dengue epidemic in Davao del Sur and possibly in other provinces in the Philippines as well, we would like to disseminate information about a practical but effective way to manage thrombocytopenia or low platelet count that often become fatal if not addressed immediately.  Please click the link below or the tawa-tawa photo to read Mama Sez's article.

Practical and Effective Ways to Treat Thrombocytopenia and to Prevent Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

Always remember that immediate action is critical so if there is suspicion of dengue fever based on symptoms, go to the nearest hospital for proper diagnosis.  Once confirmed for dengue virus, seek medical advice and stay in the hospital.  Work with your doctor on how to integrate the information you obtained in the above mentioned article with his or her treatment plan.

Tawa-tawa and rehydration helped my own sister-in-law recover from dengue hemorrhagic fever.  Others have attested to the effectiveness of this herbal remedy.  So please share this information by using the buttons below.  You might save the life of a relative, friend or neighbor.

“Mama, had Papa told you that you are beautiful? How did you feel? Was it good” That was my 8-year-old son’s query while we were having dinner one night. “Huh?! Why do you ask?” was my surprised response. But before he can explain, I answered his question truthfully so he'll continue to be open about the topic.

“Well, there is this girl in class who is so beautiful and I want to tell her that. I was wondering if she’ll feel good about it.”

“Of course, but consider befriending her first before you tell her that, talk about other things with her, know her likes and dislikes” was Papa Sez’s advice.

“You know, we are always too busy in school and I haven’t got the chance to chat with her, so what I did was show her a thumb’s up sign which means to me…you are beautiful.”

When asked what the girl’s response was, my son flashed a gorgeous grin and said “She also showed me a thumb’s up sign!!!” Talk about LEVEL UP.

In the afternoon of the same day, our 10-year-old daughter informed me that she already knows what’s going on during menstruation because they studied the menstrual cycle in school. She was just wondering if she can handle the pain. But it was only after this conversation with our son that Papa Sez and I finally recognized the level up signal. Our school kids are leveling up and so are we.

Parenting never stops as our children grow; we only level up like in cyber games. In the very popular online game Farmville, we earn more cash and coins and get access to more commodities and equipment, get to do more and even expand our farm as we level up.   For those who'd like to level up their Farmville skills fast, discover Farmville Secrets by clicking on the book icon to the left.

Distinctly, when we level up in parenting, we earn gratification for our every child’s milestones in growth and development; we get to do more depending on the kid’s growth, developmental and social demands; and we also have to expand our horizon and understanding of our kid’s new situation.

For every step that we take as we climb the ladder of Parentingville, we become more enthusiastic about the next. What awaits us in the next chapter of our child’s life? Though the anticipation scares us at times, we carry on because we wouldn’t want to miss our chance…a chance to assist and guide our child in every step of the way, a chance to help in times of difficulty and a chance to rejoice in times of success. So parents, better be equipped with the necessary tools... because before you know it, it’s time to level up again.

Consistency in following a weekly exercise program is always a challenge to most people, and we are not an exception. In order to fulfill a minimum of 30-minute workout to elevate our heart rates in 3-4 days per week, we imagined ourselves to be doing walking, jogging or occasionally swimming. However, as parents, lots of surprises crop up that throw well-laid out plans out the door. Setting expectations too high could lead to frustrations and therefore not helpful to happiness and well-being.

We recently found what could be a good way to go around the many limitations in our current situation. Without leaving the house, we can do our exercise with the help of free fun exercise videos that we found in youtube.com. Exercise need not be too strenuous or fancy. What's important is that one feels the heart pumping and beating faster.

We enjoyed the following exercise routines by Paul Eugene. Why not try them out. The kids might enjoy it as well. The five videos below makes more than 30 minutes of fun easy steps to get you to have a good sweat followed by a cool down routine.











Paul Eugene also has exercise videos catering to those who'd like praise music.