I Need Sleep

The past few days have definitely told my body that I NEED sleep! I swear, the older I get, the less hours I sleep. Is that really age doing this?!?! Sigh! I kid you not when I say that I average 4-5 hours of sleep a day. I remember the good ole pregnancy days (hehehe) when I'd be in bed at 830 pm and be up 10-12 hours later! Sheesh!

I need an insomnia cure and FAST! This constant lack of sleep has given me either a headache or worse, migraines. Yes, big difference between the two :) A headache I can usually take away with a catnap or a Tylenol. But a migraine? That's something major for me! It h.u.r.t.s big time! And I'd rather avoid having migraines if possible.

Go to http://www.sleep-deprivation-cd.com/ and check out what a sleep CD can do. Sounds very intriguing and hey, if a ton of people stand by it, I'd be willing to try it! :) I have read up on sleeping aids, and they seem to work. Now, this sleep CD claims that you'll never hear the end of the CD. Not sure if you'll look on it as a good or bad thing, but for a sleep deprived mind, it won't hurt, I say. The site is pretty encompassing, offering both technical and layperson's explanations of what the CD can do. I skimmed over the technical as it talked about binaural beats; these have something to do with the frequency the brain recognizes and what it does to help you fall asleep.

Passion for Poker

Despite the fact that I am in Cebu, my dear husband decided to play poker and the kids were left at Apitong to have an impromptu sleepover. Sigh! Japa played with his college friends and luckily, he came out on top again to win enough for the marketing, hehehe.

With wins such as these, he has my blessing to play poker every once in a while *wink*. Yes, every once in a while is good. There are days (and nights!) of course where I'd rather have him at home. And there is an alternative to poker at home: Mac Poker. Imagine playing poker right in the comforts of home. No mess, no silly chit chat (although I think the boys look for this, hehehe), no smoke, no need for hard drinks (again, they may really look for this). And hey, he's got a Mac, so he can actually sign up at this site!

There are options for Fulltilt Poker and Poker Stars. Not exactly sure what those are, but they seen interesting to play. This poker online site is well thought of. Even for someone like me who is no big fan of poker, I can easily navigate the site. Love the green background, reminiscent of the poker table. See? Even I noticed that and made a connection! :) I didn't know there were lots and lots of different kinds of poker plays out there. There's an explanation for the different kinds of the site if you want to read it and impress your significant other for spewing of some poker terminology.

And again, the best part is that dear hubby can play while he's here at home. Yeah!

Going to Cebu

Just got off the phone with Mom and the airlines. Boydee had texted that River was going to be cremated at 10 am tomorrow and the first thing I thought of was that River should NOT be alone when it happens. I know that Boydee and Bang will still be at the hospital while Bang recovers from the birth, so I'm guessing that poor little River would be by herself during the whole thing. I understand that it would be too painful as well for Boydee and Bang to witness such a thing, so I reached for the phone and called Mom.

I told her I wanted to go to Cebu to be with Boydee, Bang and River, and did she want to come. I tgeuss Mom was just looking for someone to go with her, becuse her immediate response was 'Yes!' So I booked the both of us on the first --ok, the second--- flight out.

We arrived in Cebu at 9 am, made a few phone calls to Boydee, and we were on our way to Rolling Hills where River was going to be cremated. We were led to the waiting room for cremations, and we saw the little white basket atop a table. In the basket was a little white box. Inside the box (which had 'disposable sterile gloves' written on it) was a diaper-covered bundle.

We gently took the bundle out. I was surprised it was still so soft, thinking that rigidity would have set it (apparently, it takes 24-48 hours to set it). But it was oh-so-cold. :( We unwrapped the little bundle and we had our first glimpse of our little River. The first thing I said to Mom was "she's a BABY!".....and the tears started flowing.

And she was a baby......she was a sizeable baby. I had thought when Boydee told us that she was born at only 1.2 kilograms that River would fit in the palm of our hand. But no, River was almost as long as my forearm, and she was just beautiful. She had thick straight hair, although she had her Daddy's receding hairline :). River had lanugo all over her arms, but those arms were nice and long. And her hands....she had her Mommy's long fingers and graceful hands. It was Bric's hands, a feminine version for sure.

Boydee and Bang called River their little mermaid angel. And that was the perfect description of her. I asked if they took pictures of her and they said no. Well, I had every intention of capturing this little addition to our family on film, no matter if she had lived only a few minutes in our world. Obviously, I won't share any pics here online, as only Boydee and Bang have the right to do that......and I told Boydee that I would keep the photos and would give them to Boydee and Bang ONLY if they asked for it. But I couldn't NOT let River be remembered or be seen by her little cousins. She's part of our family, and I want them to have a face associated with the name. In the future, Bric may ask, so I'll be the family keeper of these few precious photographs of our family's little mermaid angel for now.

Mom and I carried River in our arms for a little it, and then it was time to let go. We gently gave her to the person who was going to cremate her. Mom and I thought we were fine, but when we saw this little thing in the huge chasm of the cremation oven, that did it for us. We started crying again as we privately said our final goodbyes to the little girl we would love, but would never see again.

We said the Rosary and a few prayers for River's soul, and for Bang's speedy recovery. And we waited the hour it would take to cremate River's body and put her in an urn. When the hour was up (a little bit over), the guy came over and asked Mom if we wanted the bones crushed. It was his opinion NOT to crush them, as the ashes would only be a teaspoonful. Mom looked at me and I said to wrap them as is, the little bones filling a plastic bag just enough to fill the urn. There were some patches of bones that looked like petals, according to Mom, and we placed these "petals" that were part of River inside the urn.

Then it was time to go. We collected River and left.

We passed by Crossroads to get some lunch for us and for Boydee and Bang, who were still at the hospital. When we entered, we hugged and kissed Boydee. I turn to Bang and she put up the sheets against her face because she had started to cry. I thought I could hold it in, but I couldn't. And the tears started to flow again. I hurt for Bang, I hurt for Boydee. It was just too much of a thing to bear just by themselves. I was glad we had decided to be with them today, to help them with our presence at the very least. Having family around to share a burden with you always makes it lighter to bear, I say.

It was an emotionally-draining day today, and I am pooped. I've had less than two hours of sleep and I am about to drop.

River, Our Little Angel

I am very emotional while posting this, so this blog post may be a bit magulo, confusing.

A little bit before 11 am, I got a text message from Boydee saying that Bang was having contractions and that they were on their way to the hospital in Cebu. I was in National Bookstore with the kids and I told them to say a little prayer for Tita Bang before continuing with their search for their books. I texted Boydee to keep us updated on Bang's progress.

A little bit past noon, I got this message:

Thanks for all the prayers! We are still waiting for advise re delivery. Waiting in the room. Doctors are still waiting for Bang to go into labor - she is already 7 cm. They will also try to do a vaginal delivery. Keeping you posted.

AT 3:04 pm, I got this message:

Bang just gave birth to a baby girl (normal/vaginal delivery). Date of birth - January 4, 2008 at 1:26 pm. Baptized at the same time as River. Unofficially, River passed away at 2:05 pm. Bang is in the recovery room, should be out within the next hour or so, and she is fine. Thanks for all your prayers. God bless.

And that was that. River would have been Boydee and Bang's second baby, Mom and Dad's 10th grandchild. We got a little angel instead. I tear up every time I tell people the story of Boydee and Bang's journey with this little angel, and how strong they have been, and most important of all, how they have kept their faith. They honestly did NOT deserve that this should happen to them, but, like them, I believe that it is God's will; only He knows why this happened, only He knows what is in store for them.

Boydee and Bang, you KNOW how I wanted you guys to have this baby. You are great parents and River would have been showered with so much love from our families. No words can truly express how I feel, but I feel peace when you call River your little angel. She is our family's little angel. We have someone up there looking at us, laughing with us, crying with us, being with us.

I admire the both of you for staying so strong through all these. I would have been a wreck, I think, but you have been pillars of strength for each other, and we will take our cue from you guys. I wish I could have been there with you, even if it were outside the delivery room, holding Tita Nonie's hand. Mom would have been there if she could have gotten a flight.

Our love, prayers and hugs go to the both of you, as well as to little River. May she rest in peace.

Back to Exercise

Woke up with a jolt today. When I saw the clock blinking 745 am at me, I jumped out of bed. I had promised Raegan that we were going to National Bookstore to claim her prize from Faber Castell. But before that, I wanted to exercise first......just to get it over with, hehehe. I figure the morning is the best time for this, so I don't have to think about having to do it sometime during the day.

So I get dressed in some shorts and a top and get on the elliptical machine. Thank goodness Japa had agreed to put the machine in the room.....beats having to go downstairs in our home gym to work out all by my lonesome. At least in the room, I get to turn on the TV and watch something interesting. In this case, I'm hooked on House (season 2) and the interesting episodes keep me occupied for the half hour I'm on the elliptical. Now wouldn't it me great if our 36" tv would be replaced by an LCD TV instead? No glare from the windows to think of at all; the elliptical is right next to the window and I have to play with the blinds a bit so I can actually SEE the tv screen. But like I said, at least there *is* a tv in the room; if I had gone downstairs, I'd have to bring my laptop to be able to play the disc on it.

I've been pretty good about exercising so far. Hehehe. Yes, it's only FOUR days into the new year, but I've been verrrrry good! So yay for me!

Ok, Raegan's showered and eaten breakfast. Off to National we go!

Starting the Year Right

New Year, new resolutions. It's always nice to see everything we MEAN to do sometime during the year in black and white, right?

A few things I *have* to list down. Some random stuff as they enter my mind as I type:

1. have x-rays taken of the household help - this is a must as we have the kids to consider
2. schedule myself for all kinds of tests - from thyroid to brain (for constant migraines) back to maybe a colon cleanse?
3. exercise more
4. take more vitamins - especially calcium!
5. take an accounting course of some kind
6. be involved in work more
7. decrease the number of creative teams I'm on - just pick those that I *really* want to stay on
8. spend more time with the kids doing "fun" stuff :)
9. take the time to check on the kids' school stuff - I've been neglecting this, big time
10. LOSE weight!!! - this is almost always on my list but somehow it never gets done, hehehe.

Oh my! Random and I have TEN things already?!?!?

Happy Birthday Tita San!

It would have been her 51st birthday today. We celebrated it nevertheless, at St Alphonsus, with Fr Benny presiding. Short and sweet sermon followed by yummy dinner at Ponzo's. And yes, I ate a lot. Again.

{The DASH}

Fr Benny said that our lives, as seen on our tombstones, are defined by our birth date, our date of death, and the dash in the middle of those dates. Out of all three, the most important one is the DASH. This short, single line represents our entire life: what we did with our lives. This dash defines what we were, who we were. So the question is, how meaningful is that little dash that will represent our whole life when we die? Will it represent so much, or is it just a line? Only we can tell, only we can control what that dash will mean.

For Tita San, her dash is laden with who she was. She was a strong, vibrant, bursting-with-life woman. She was mother, sister, aunt, friend, confidante, and a whole lot of things. She brightened a room when she entered it, she filled that room with laughter, with music, with love. She is missed for sure, but she won't be forgotten.

Happy Birthday, Tita San, wherever you are! We love you and we miss you!

De-Asthma-tizing

The previous post got me thinking. Even though we live in an area with tropical weather, we still use our air conditioning since we all like to sleep comfortably at night. We've also been having a rash of coughs and colds the past few weeks; I've been hit in a major way when I started coughing, and my sinuses were hit as bad, causing me to have some migraines. Not a good thing to have while hurriedly wrapping all those gifts! :)
The boys have had asthma attacks as well, and Ranger especially, had to be nebulized for 2 cycles in the past month or so. Weather changes are likely the culprit. I was reading up on humidifiers and how they can help prevent allergies by somehow "injecting" some moisture into the air. I *know* I gave Japa a small room humidifer a few years back; I think I have to unearth the thing to see how much of an advantage it is for the boys to have. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him actually use it! Maybe he wants a branded one, something like a honeywell humidifier. At least their product ranges from small humidifiers to some that can encompass the whole house!

The honeywell site is pretty informative too, considering there is so MUCH to know about humidifiers! And I didn't even know there were different kinds either! For starters: evaporative, vaporizer, ultrasonic? Um hello! Wish there was just one kind so it would be easier to purchase, but apparently there are different kinds of humidifiers for different purposes. Guess I need to do some research on one that will help with asthma and other allergies for starters. Then secondary needs are for cracked lips and sinuses. Last to think about? My new wooden floors! Wouldn't want them cracking all over the place now would I? :)

Other de-asthma-tizing things I've done for our home recently include getting some memory foam, anti-allergenic pillows for everyone. I need to label those so there's no mix up of pillows (thereby preventing squabbles, hehehe). Curtains have been stripped down as well; although those poor windows look so bare now! I need to get the ball rolling about having them measured for roller blinds. Carpet has been taken out in the entire upstairs, replaced by wooden maple flooring. Oh! And new mattresses of course, replacing the gross old ones with nice, springy, CLEAN ones.

Keeping my fingers crossed, I think the boys ARE improving asthma-wise. Here's hoping it continues throughout the year!

Cleaning Up

I can just imagine the all the firework junk over at Apitong after last night. Yikes! Major clean up, for sure! Here at home, it's major cleaning up as well, with Christmas gifts all over the place, and some wrapper strewn somewhere in the room and den. Sigh!

I need to get some plastic containers for the kids' toys for rotation purposes. I think I got that idea from Janet Phillips, but I'm not sure. The kids' toys are stored in huge bins, with only a few toys left out. The bin stays hidden in the closet. After a few weeks, or when I see the kids being bored with the current set of toys, it's time to take out the toy bin and rotate in and out some toys. According to Janet, it works like a charm, and the toys stay nice and neat at the same time! I soooooo need that organization and method to all this toy-chaos in the days following Christmas!

The rest of the house isn't looking too spiffy either. Because of the Christmas rush, doing some fixing up was put on hold. Yes, the upstairs looks a lot neater with the new wooden floors in, but the downstairs definitely leaves something to be desired, hehehe.

I was reading on the scrapping boards about the new Dyson vacuum cleaner. Seems it's a huge hit, and a lot of people got it for Christmas gifts. I need that cyclone-type of suction for the gross dust in the carpet downstairs. Ugh. I shudder to think about how thick it's gotten! Our old vacuum cleaner sounds pitiful in comparison to the Dyson power that the website says it has. I can just imagine. This vacuum would work well here since for some reason we accumulate a ton of dust. I'm not sure if it's the surrounding, or if it's due to Shirley's cleaning incompetence.

We're slowly going to renovate the downstairs as well, changing the carpets to wooden floors. A slow (not to mention expensive!) process, but it's got to be done. I *want* the look of the house changed! But a vacuum cleaner---most likely a handheld---will be retained because I want the mattresses, pillows, curtains, sofas, etc, to be vacuumed once in a while. The boys have asthma, and it's improved by leaps and bounds ever since we got the wooden floors :) So yes, we still need a vacuum cleaner, and one with super duper strong suction at that.

Ok, off to scrap some much needed pages. It's been a loooong time since I scrapped and I need my ME time :)

Happy New Year!!!

It's 2008!!!! Happy New Year to everyone!!!

We had a blast (pun intended, hehehe) at Apitong. A lot of us cousins counted down together, even if it WAS a little bit past midnight. We all had different times on our watches and Mom and Dad were taking their sweet time going out onto the garage and lawn area where the fireworks were set up.

So we finally decided that we were going to count down TOGETHER and we did. When we hit 1, we all yelled Happy New Year. Pretty much everyone started jumping up and down AND shaking coin purses and piggy banks stuffed with coins. Yes, it was one big NOISY party!

Then the fireworks began. Not sure how Rondic set it up, but it was L.O.U.D!!! There was this long snake of a thing of fireworks which, when started, lasted for a whopping FIFTEEN minutes!!! Whoa!

Took lots of pics of course, but everything's still in the memory cards, hehehe. But by the time a half hour or so had passed, the air was thick with gross smog from all the firecrackers that went off when it struck midnight. Even the kids were in on the action, lighting their little firecrackers-----not sure what they're called exactly, and I'm not even going to venture to guess!

It was Ranger's FIRST time to hold and witness fireworks and he was not scared at all! In fact, he was right in front looking at everything that was going on! Thanks goodness he had had a nap in the afternoon and he was in such a jovial, total-party mood!

It is now past 2 am and we're finally home. Need to get some much needed sleep to start the new year right, eh?

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Happy New Year's EVE!

The very LAST day of 2007. This is it! We say goodbye to the year of the Pig, and say hello to the year of the Rat. Ewww. I hate rats! Grossness!!! But look at what the Chinese Zodiac says will happen to me, born in the Year of the Rooster, in the year of the Rat:

Financially too there’s good news for Roosters. Your tremendous popularity and good relationships with others is likely to have positive ramifications on your income also. Rejoice, Roosters; you have the best financial luck of all the zodiacs this year. So even though it is not really your year for investment, you could and should take your chances. Go ahead and invest if any opportunity presents itself. Your good luck will surely rub off on your investments too.

Cool!

Some more Rooster things to look out for:

In general, none of the Rooster's traits appeal to, or are well tolerated by the Rat. After the Horse, the Rooster is the sign most likely to have a challenging year. There will, nevertheless, be a few opportunities. A cooperative attitude, and winning allies. are likely to be keys to your success. On the other hand, if you succumb to the Rooster propensity for arguing and quarrels, you could have a very difficult time. It is up to you to minimize the damage by displaying the right attitude.

The Rooster in a relationship needs to take care and avoid missteps, as small problems have the potential to erupt into larger, uncontrollable ones this year.

As it is not the best year for relationships, you must be particularly careful when the added stressed caused from relationship problems could be detrimental to your health. The best thing for you to do this year is stay active and use the physical activities to reduce the added stress levels you are experiencing. Remember, the mindset of the Rat can be particularly aggravating to a Rooster, so take care of yourself.

If you have not already created a budget for the year, now is the time to do it. When you do, make sure to plan for the unexpected as heavy expense may occur and have you dipping into your hard earned savings. Take care when shopping and spending, as the temptation for something new could come back to bite you down the road.

Ooookaaaaaay. That creating a budget part is screaming my name, for sure! Hehehe. Gotta watch out for that!

Let's see what the kids' chinese horoscopes say about them. I'm sure they're going to ask once they hear me spewing this stuff at their father, hehehehe.

Raegan, year of the Tiger:

The Rat year is likely to present more challenges than the Pig year, for you. Do not be surprised if you occasionally find you cannot get your way this year. In fact there are likely to be many of clashes of wills. The better you can keep your emotions under control, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. The Rat is comfortable with logic, not passion. You will have to carefully pick your battles, as you probably will not be blessed with many, good opportunities.

Your best option this year socially is to get together with people who share your same interests or hobbies. Social networking events and organized groups are a good way to meet new people. You should be able to garner much love and support from your family and friends.

Those Tigers that hunger to conquer more things than your body can handle could find themselves susceptible to sickness or injury. In addition, too much work and non-physical activity could have your Tiger physique resembling that of the Pig.

Keep a careful eye on your budget, and watch expenses, as over-extending yourself could result painful shortfalls at the end of each month. It is a good idea to review your long-term financial plan, or to write out a financial plan if you do not have one.

Rogan, year of the Rabbit:

The scratchy Rat often takes the Rabbit out of its comfort zone. So, this year is likely to be a lot more challenging than last year, especially since the Fire Pig year is one of your most favorable. The middle months of the year are likely to be the toughest. Although you want to avoid risk throughout the year, it is especially important during those months. You will best be able to take advantage of the good times if you can keep your emotions under control, especially when things don't go your way.

Your time is best spent with loved ones engaging in your favorite activities or just plain relaxing. In times of stress, your loved ones could prove to be your best ally.

he optimistic outlook from your relationships does not seem to carry over to your health. The fast-paced action from the Rat year could play havoc with your delicate Rabbit constitution. Your jangled nerves may cause you to be more accident-prone than normal. You may want to take more precautions, like being a little more alert and conscious of your environment. It is a good idea to bolster your immune system by getting plenty of exercise.

Along the same lines as your health, your wealth situation may have a dim outlook. Be vigilant in this year of the Rat, as you could be an easy target for swindlers and con men.

Raine, year of the Dragon:

Hopefully the Pig showered blessings on you last year. If not, don't worry. This year promises to be even better with your good friend the Rat in charge. You could enjoy success but this is still not the best of years, as Earth does not favor your luck. This is a year for avoiding risk. As a Dragon, you could be something of a dreamer. If so, this is the perfect year for you, since Earth promotes practicality. This means you have a good chance of realizing one of your big dreams.

The good-will of the Rat towards your career sector will likely overflow into your relationships. If you are able to come down from your lofty perch and express your emotions and love to your friends and family, many happy moments will likely follow. The Earth element of this year favors family, humble actions and heart-felt gestures. Your social life should be rather active.

You may feel like you are getting a double shot of espresso with the combined energies of your very active social life and the high-octane fuel that is derived from the year of the Rat. One word of caution: Although you may feel like a superhero, you are definitely not one. Take the same precautions that a normal human being would.

Although your health is in very good shape, your financial fitness may not quite be at the same level, as the Earth element favors conservative actions over risky ones this year. Try not to overlook financial planning and savings.

Ranger, year of the Monkey:

The Monkey, of the 12 signs, is the one most likely to have the best year. Fortune smiles upon you with your big Rat friend in charge. If you are a typical, mentally quick and multi-talented Monkey, opportunities there will be aplenty. There is only one, major concern: The Achilles heal of both the Monkey and Rat is overconfidence. This could make you forget that the Tiger rules the first month and won't do you any favors. As good as the year is, therefore, a slow start is advisable.

Your chi levels should be persistently higher throughout the course of the year. This means a year of generally good health. You should see progress on any existing long-term illness as well. Take this as an opportunity to increase your care and further your progress. With increased activity and social life, just make sure you get some rest along the way.

Finances should be generally good this year. Expect to see positive changes from 2007, as the year of the Earth Rat should be more stable for you. This is one of those years that bodes well for savings and those savings could pay off big in the years to come.

There you have it! It's blogged for posterity now, and for easy reference *wink*.

Off we go to have the Eve mass at Celebrity, some late dinner at Ayala and some fireworks, and then to Apitong to count down the end of 2007 and the start of the new year.

TTFN!

Almost the End of the Year

The last few days of 2007. And here I sit pondering what went on this past year. As is always the case during the tail end of any year, we wonder where the year went. It always goes by super duper fast, doesn't it?

Let's see if I can do some sort of spontaneous recap on some milestones:

Ranger:

turned a precocious 3
went to school for the first time ever
talking oh-so-clearly now

Raine:

swimming star, winning the majority of her events and always medaling
invited to the sparring and school team for Tae Kwon Do
discovering that she seems to be a natural athlete

Rogan:

loves kid's band (doing the guitar)
joined the varsity chess team at school
can beat his Ate at freestyle
had his First Holy Communion

Raegan:

swimming star, medaling in all her events
has beaten 2 boys in her age group in the IM
has emerged as a natural leader in dance, choreographing her class' presentations
started wearing 'trainers' for her teeth

Mama:

joined even more Creative Teams
scrapped like heck the latter part of the year
went on a kid-free anniversary trip
started exercising again (this is VERRRRY major!!!)
had some physical therapy sessions for an increasingly healthy back

Papa:

getting more fit than ever
made some investments, including stocks, bonds and land investment for mining purposes
is on a mission to keep the kids fit for the rest of their lives, hehehe.

Not a bad year, eh? Here's looking to more good things happening in the next year!

My 2008 Calendar

Here it is!!!

I used Shabby Princess templates of course, although I had a little bit of difficulty doing these this year. Somehow the templates were a tad bigger than the CD cases (which I used last year), so there was some cutting to be done.

I did them on the iMac and I used the Bluetooth feature of the apple computers to transfer files from the desktop to my new macbook pro. You have to love the technology of fiber optic cables, eh? Or are they just some sort of airwave technology? Hehehe. Sorry, I'm not a techy person when it comes to these kinds of terminology! But anyhoo, I *am* using the Bluetooth devices as I'm typing now. Cool huh! Now THAT is multi-tasking!

TTFN!

Ok, NOT Quite Over

I was wrong when I said the holidays were over. We're right smack in the middle of it still. Sigh. Christmas is over, yes, but we still have New Year's Eve and Day to prepare for. Not that I have any major preparation to do, since I've already mentioned to Mom that I absolutely canNOT have the New Year's Eve midnight mass here in Abada. I am just too taxed and stressed out from playing catch up with everything to have my home ready for the mass and the feast after mass. I just CAN'T do it this year.

Is it age that's making me feel like this? Or just because I'm generally tired? Hopefully, it's the latter, hehehe, and not age! It has been extremely stressful this holiday season. Seems like I'm always in a rush. Most of the time, especially when I'm wrapping gifts, I find myself thinking that I wish I could stop time, even for just a little bit. Not so I can wrap leisurely, not so I can shop some more. No, I just want time for MYSELF.

I have NOT scrapped in close to a week and I'm stressed because of that too. Scrapping is my ME time. My time. I find solace in that and it makes me find peace somehow in this chaotic world of ours. Chaotic world made even more so because of the mad holiday rush. Sigh! Lately, I've been wishing that I just want to stop everything and curl up in a recliner and stay there. Fine, and maybe scrap a page or two.

I just *NEED* to scrap to relax. But I can't find the time!!!

***

Check this out. Is this really ME????

You Were An Angel This Year

You Were 15% Naughty, 85% Nice You know you've been a super good girl this year So good, that you may have missed out a little... Don't worry, Santa will make it up to you!

Were You a Naughty Girl or Nice Girl this Year?

Whatcha think? Hehehehe. Do these blog quizzes lie? :)

And it's OVER

Well.....not quite over, but Christmas is done. Finished. Over. And I can rest. A bit. Major preparations are done and over with. Most major parties, the majority of gift wrapping, the stress. Almost over. We're over the hump and just a little bit more of gift wrapping frenzy left. Yes, and some shopping too, since I never had a chance to really go out and shop when practically the WHOLE family were in the States.

Don't get me wrong. I LOOOVE Christmas and the holidays. I usually thrive on the preparations and the general hustle and bustle of the season. But for some reason, everything just seemed to pile on me this year, which made it hard for me not to enjoy the holidays thoroughly. Maybe a lot of it has to do with my family not being in OUR home---I'm sure that would have been a major improvement and a stress-beater in the sense that I could have done all my wrapping a whole lot earlier.

No, it wouldn't have worked if I had wrapped in La Vista. I did NOT want to transport all my gifts to another house just to wrap them. Besides, I had to search for some gifts, too, from my stock cabinet, hehehe. I'm sure anyone reading this blog will understand that.

And horror of horrors! For the first time in a long time, I resorted to the store-bought To-From cards! Ack!!! Hahahaha. I had absolutely NO time to do anything digital homemade cards. At ALL. So yeah, the horror and shame of it all. Oh well. There's always next year eh?

So what did everyone get for Christmas? Amidst the various food and clothing gifts I got, guess what I got??? No, no women's lingerie of any kind (besides, I'd look horrible in those right now, hehehe) or appliances (thank goodness).....some of the most useful gifts I got were a GC for The Lilypad (whoohooohoooo!!!) from Randy and Stella and.....drumroll please......a brand new macbook pro from Japa!!! Yeah!!!

He did try to surprise me with it, but I guess I know my dear husband too well, as I saw right through him. He asked me if I REALLY knew about the whole thing and I told him that his actions pretty much gave him away. Hehehe. Of course, it was still a pleasant surprise to open the laptop during Christmas eve. Yes, I have some photos but it's too much to wade through right now.

Yes, Christmas is over, but I've got a few things to do still. Scrapping has been the LEAST of them too! Sigh! Gotta make time for that SOON.

Christmas Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Movie Wait...

We....well, the KIDS......are waiting to see this movie:
Yes, it's probably a cheesy movie, one that would most likely earn a B-movie rating from moi, but they seem to be excited to see it. Maybe because it's the holidays? Sigh. But the stupid MTRCB has ruled that during the holiday season (from around Christmas I think to New Year's Day) ONLY Filipino films can be shown. Hence, the Manila Film Festival. I'm all for helping local industries, but really, forcing the general population to watch certain genre? Puh-leeze!

Another rant over, hehehe. It's nearing Christmas and the stress is just about killing me!

Ranger's Christmas Program

This is the first real proof that my baby is now in school!!! His Christmas program somehow makes it all official!!! Sigh! Ranger did really well, when compared to his siblings. Raegan, Japa says, was another one who actually danced and sang during her very first ever appearance on stage, hehehehe.

Ranger looked quite dashing in his long sleeves, vest, necktie and jeans costume. He had a single large Christmas bell tied to his wrist and his class danced and sang to Jingle Bell Rock.

He was swaying a little bit in the beginning, then he saw us in the audience, stopped, waved and yelled "Mama, hi!". Hehehehe. The girls and I then did the actions for their dance (following the other kids) so that he would follow suit. Thankfully, he did!
Isn't he a cutie? Yes, I am allowed to be biased since it's MY blog!!!

Another blog quiz for a Sweet Reward Point over at the SSD Blog:

Your Holiday Stress Level is Moderate

The holidays sometimes stress you out, but mostly because they wear you down. Take it easy! You can have a fun holiday without running yourself ragged.

What's Your Holiday Stress Level?

This is probably an understatement, because I am HIGHLY stressed!!! Aaargh!!!

Ok, vent over. Now to resume gift wrapping. Yes. Still.

TTFN!

My Handwriting

This is SO me, I think :)

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a laid back person with rather low energy. You aren't lazy... you *are* sensitive and empathetic. You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical. You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Taking this quiz for a Sweet Reward point over at SSD :)

Wrapping Frenzy Part 3

Well, I did finish ALL those gifts for the Marytown kids. I've been wrapping alllllll morning, trying to wrap the gifts for the office staff. It's our office Christmas party tonight and I'm STILL wrapping! Hehehehe. I have yet to look for gifts for my baby and mommy/daddy for the Kris Kringle AND wrap those, too!

To top it off, I have NO idea what I'm going as, or what to wear. Futuristic theme. Hmmmm...Need to think about that and it's already past noon! I've got a few hours to rest my back, finish wrapping AND figure out what I'm going to be! Aaaargh! It's the holidays!

I canNOT believe Christmas is just around the corner. With all the things I still have to do, can someone stop time? Or at least SLOOOOOW it down?!?!? Please???

Ok, gotta go. I'm at mom's right now since we don't have stupid internet connection. Again. I am SO hoping that it comes on sometime today. I'm in withdrawal!!!!