2011 The Year That Was: Oona and Her Dark Cartoons

Reposted from 14 January 2011 Oona and Her Dark Cartoons

Based on an old stat message I found: 17 August 2010 at 01:49 · View album.RemoveLaya Isabelle Garcellano Florendo is watching igor with oona. After she watched coraline. My daughter, she of macabre humor and taste.

Until recently, Oona has been quite fearless. She wasn't afraid of the dark, had no concept that monsters are scary (thanks to the cuddly Sully and funny Mike of Monsters Inc.) and found humor in Igor. She even watched Igor a couple of times and found Eva nice 'when she's not sick and her eyes don't change and she's bad' (long story short: Eva the girl frankenstein is a nice sort-of monster, got tricked into getting her evil bone activated and her eyes turned black-green-evil. But sunlight and true love win in the end and Eva is saved). She also watched the New Orleans voodoo-inspired Princess and the Frog and the creepy Coraline.

I thought she could very well handle some of the more nature Nick Toons then. She liked the funny craziness of Spongebob well enough and although Flapjack was too gross for me (reminded me of Ren and Stimpy), she liked the friendly little boy with the whale mommy.

Unfortunately, one episode had our hero Flapjack running from monsters. The only way to escape is to tickle the scary things until they laugh and become hearts. Flapjack and his friend the Captain would have escaped too but there were just too many monsters. In danger of being overwhelmed and engulfed by a flood of monsters, another friend appears and helps tickle away the scary monsters, the gloomy skies and creepy landscape. Rainbows and a happy day appears. Bad thing is, the idea that bad monsters can get you had already lodged its filthy claws in Oona's mind.

The next few weeks had us trying to process it through nights she'd wake up yelling at dream monsters or crying. Once, Oona got up from bed and locked the door. She stood there pushing firmly against it, saying that now the monsters can't get in, while she was bracing herself for them to try. When I said there were no monsters around, that's when she fully awoke to tell me she dreamt of being chased. I told her to tell the monster to stop and that it was being bad because it was scaring her. I told her to send the monster to the corner or call the monster's mommy. Or me. Or her daddy. Because we have powers and monsters are afraid of us. Daddy rf also told her that she can use her powers to tell the monsters to 'shoo away, monster!' like she shoos away mosquitoes. (How's that for Daddy empowering our little girl? :D) However, it still took some time and few huge tantrums before she felt brave enough to venture alone into dark rooms and quit dreaming about chasing monsters.

Nowadays she's can differentiate reality from what a dream/nightmare is. And the worst she does is wake up grouchy to tell me she had a bad dream. I then tell her to go back to sleep so she can rest because bad dreams can be tiring and that she needs to be rested to have a good day. She always tells me she needs me to be beside her so I hug her to sleep.

Other parents may not agree with exposing kids Oona's age to cartoons like these but it's always a fine line. Like RF says, we can't shield them forever with how media is nowadays. The best we can do is always be there for them and be with them when they watch, so processing the experience and their questions are immediate. You're always on the same page too and you're able to understand where the other is coming from.

These cartoons are also serving as our common ground for allegorical/comparative material for life lessons.

Like:

1. Not all monsters are bad. They just look different but some are really good.  Some are even just misunderstood. (Monsters Inc.)

2. Some monsters are bad because they're sick. They just need sunlight, to be talked properly with and friends to help them. (Igor)

3. It's not nice to be snippy/masungit. People you love and friends go away if you do. (Coraline)

4. Being industrious is good, but having a bit of fun is not bad either. You need to rest too. Too much playtime is bad too. (Princess and the Frog)

5. And my all time favorite: Love heals. (All of the above.)

Oona is a bright kid, not easily scared or intimidated. She asks a lot of questions and expects answers that would not insult her natural intelligence. She's also a little kid who's discovering the world and that monsters exist. The best we can do is help her learn that not all who look like monsters are bad and that she has her own powers over those that are truly out to get her.

If all else fails, Dad has a shotgun and Mom has a shovel. Monsters should be scared of her parents!

2011 The Year That Was: My Very Own Cheer Squad

Reposted from 13 January 2011 Cheer Squad

It's one of those days when I feel like curling up in bed and hiding away from the world. I feel sad and broken these days. Tired. Restless, too. It has something to do with change and waiting for things to happen. I feel like I can't move yet until other things settle down and that's driving me crazy. I guess I don't play the waiting game too well.

Enter Olly, intruding on my pity party, flopping over in characteristic baby Ollyness. She surprises me with a drooly mouth-fart on my arm, mischievously grins at me and laughs when I do cos it really tickles!

Enter Oona from checking out Lola Espie downstairs, singing to herself, 'I like to moov it moov it! I like to moov it moov it! Moov it!'. Infectious vibe, really giving it all she's got! She flops beside us and tickles Olly. General laughter erupts and my heart begins healing.

You don't know if kids somehow know how you feel. It's been said that since they're pure, innocent souls, they're naturally attuned and sensitive to others' feelings. Especially of those closest to them, like their parents. Whenever you're happy, angry or sad, they sense it and respond accordingly.

Times like these, Oona tells me she loves me, out of the blue. She gives me a hug and kiss and once, when I asked her why, she cheekily told me, 'Wala lang! (Oh nothing!) I love you e!' and she kissed me again. My heart was fit to burst.

I've noticed the same sensitivity in Olly. Young as she is, she manages to show her affection with her limited, although growing repertoire of expressions. She coos, babbles, laughs smiles and yes, mouth-farts. She tumbles all over you, tries to engage you in play and generally infects you with intense sunlight.

With this duo, it's impossible to be morose for long. They manage to banish dark thoughts to the nether regions with the light of their love and inner joy. Even if this feeling rears its ugly head time and again, they have never failed to comfort me, bringing me solace and much needed sunshine.

2011 The Year That Was 2: BLAST FROM THE PAST!

Reposting from 1 January 2011 In Retro: What The Hell Was I Thinking?!

The end of the year always brings a rash of retrospectives, introspections, reunions and resolutions. Looking back and inward is supposed to bring us closer to maturity and provide insight, and perhaps inspiration, for us to move forward.

It's not always pretty, though. Especially if you've been putting off facing your issues for a long time.

My latest epiphany was brought about by a magazine photo. Waiting for RF to finish a meeting at the office, I was hanging out with the kids at a nearby cafe. While Olly was bouncing on the couch and trying to chew the armrest (yuck!), Oona got me a magazine before running off with her toy train to chug under chairs. I almost dropped Olly when I flipped open the magazine and right there, where it matters, was the photo of someone I knew from a past life with the title of Big Cheese. (Yes, I'm being deliberately vague.) I already heard he was, but seeing it in print with his smug mug was truly something else! I was flabbergasted. He couldn't even write two cohesive paragraphs in school, how could he be involved with a magazine? What was the world coming to?!

So what, right? Right.

I consider writing to be hallowed ground and I was indignant that someone who couldn't even write a grade school composition to save his life would be occupying a place of power. Words are power, to be treated with respect and veneration. I questioned his right to be there. And yes, I was also comparing myself to him. I was the better writer by far, with intellect, grace and experience. Why was he there and not me?

On another level, seeing him reminded me of how badly I walked the wild side when I was younger. (Ooh! Hot tabloid gossip on Mommyluscious!) Who didn't, right? Like my other best friend Jonas would say, I used to run with the bulls. However, one of my biggest mistakes was running into Big Cheese when he was still Bad Boy. I had this huge fantasy that he was my friend and friends don't use friends. I thought I was the exception to his hard and fast rules about serial dating. Apparently, I was nothing special and to make matters worse, he thought nothing of shattering my illusions. Needless to say, the experience shook me to the core and I began running in the opposite direction with trust issues. I haven't faced him since then.

Until now. (In a manner of speaking.)

After the shock and indignation wore off, I found myself blurting out, 'What the hell was I thinking?!' How could I have let someone exercise so much power over me? I let my shame rule me so long that I avoided putting myself out there for fear of being too exposed, that others would see the dirt instead of the beautiful things I could do. I was afraid of being laughed at, shamed and publicly ridiculed. (And of course, I was also wondering whatever possessed me to think he was attractive. There's really no accounting for taste, is there? RF agreed and assured me that my taste had improved since then, his gorgeousness daw being testimony to that. Haha.)

Okay, so maybe I'm partly being petty, not just a little jealous, immature and small-minded about the whole thing. People change and it may only me being trapped by the past because of my fears and insecurities. He might have been changed by our run-in too, hopefully for the better, right?

So what's the point of all this rambling?

The New Year symbolically brings us another shot at so many things. Seeing that face from the past made me realize how much I've grown. I never would have seen it from this persepctive a few years ago. I would have been paralyzed by fear, as if he were looking over my shoulder, waiting to shame me. Now, I feel slightly ridiculous. It's not really just about him, but me too. My shame, my inability to forgive myself for putting myself in such a situation when I should have been wiser. My fear over what what he could say about me. My anger over my own stupidity and how I/our friendship didn't seem to matter to him. My jealousy over his success and accomplishments which I felt he does not deserve since he was a jerk and I feel like a better human being. Haha. Anyway, not so generous of me right? (Where's the moral ascendancy there, Laya?!)

Why did I let fear of him hold so much sway over me? I was young and foolish, but isn't that the folly of youth? I should let go of the fear and anger now, forgive myself and set myself free. It's about time to live the adventure instead of being roped down by jealousy. After all, this is about me and my life, not him. He may not even remember I exist so why let him exercise control over my existence, right?    

Apparently, him being in my head is a bad habit to break even when I hadn't realized he was there in the first place. From being an event, he grew even bigger to being an entity and symbolic of my fear of being in the light. On that scale, I realized that people like him, or past events, become OUR excuse for hiding away. They may have hurt us then, but what we do after the incident is what truly matters. It's all up to you to get up and not be afraid. When I realized the full extent of this, when I faced all THAT and my deep shame at my contribution, I knew I had more courage than I thought I had to finally put myself out there. 

I'm glad to feel more assured of myself that even if I trip up in public, so what? Will it matter in another year? The people who matter to me won't stop loving me and my real friends won't be ashamed of me. I needed to live through the wisdom that one should believe in one's own intrinsic value and that I shouldn't let anyone make me feel less the child of the universe that I truly am. That we all are. (Okay, including people who need a few more rounds on the incarnation wheel to evolve.) In short, I had to believe that I was not a pathetic, worthless piece of trash undeserving of life's good things and the association of good, decent people.

This year, I am not going to wait for the planets to line up and the stars in the sky to arrange themselves. I'll place them in order if I have to, but I will not sit in the sidelines anymore. I will make my own fortune and hitch my own wagon to my own dreams which I will shoot past the moon to land in the heavens. I will go make my beautiful things and what others say be damned cos I know my stuff is the shiznit. I will not be jealous of others because it is their journey and I have my own. I will be brave, be bold and courageous. All because I deserve as much good of this universe as anyone else.

Now, as for do I want to reach out to him? (No.) Fear again? Maybe...but better safe, in this instance, than sorry. I don't want to be disappointed again. But more importantly, it's because I learned that moving on sometimes means leaving things behind, back in the past where they belong. Moving forward with years of bad baggage can slow you down and leave little room for the better things that the universe keeps putting in your way.

Perhaps, because the world is such a small place, Big Cheese and I would bump into eachother again. I really wouldn't know what to say to him when that happens, I can only hope that he too has put it behind him and he has changed for the better. Or if the worst does happen and he attempts to put me into an undesirable situation with unacceptable references to our past association, may I have the grace, wit and humor to respond in such a lady-like manner as to level him to treating me with as much respect as I am demanding now.

Or maybe, it would already suffice to smile and deliver a velvet-clad gauntlet with the sucker-punchline, "I know, right?! What the hell was I thinking back then?!"

2011 Reposts The Year That Was 1: Daddy and Oona

Re-posting from 9 Feb 2011 Dad and Oona and Boys

RF has been moping that Oona was growing up.

Since we co-sleep, meaning we share one bed with the babies, RF is one end, then Oona, me and then Olly. The babies normally squash me in the center and all RF and I can do is touch feet or hold hands while I'm smothered under beddings, pillows and babies. Waking up with kinks in my back and a crick in my neck happens, but what can you do? Since Oona has been our wittle babypotpot for the longest time, RF got used to her snuggling up to him when she was a baby. Nowadays though, her concept of personal space has evolved. Now, without her say-so, she doesn't want to be hugged too much, kissed, tickled, snuggled or babied like she used to be (mostly by him since RF is more playful than I am). Every night when she's about to doze off beside me and RF comes to say goodnight, she'd get irritated and say she only wants Mommy to snuggle with. Sometimes she'd throw a last minute tantrum because Dad would just lie there beside her, looking at her to tease her and she'd be pikon: she'd yell, thrash and end up waking the baby or being scolded and general mayhem would ensue with me giving a murderous glare at a tiptoeing-away RF for leaving me with two howling babies to put to bed AGAIN. Sometimes though, after a bad dream from which she'd wake up crying, she'd ask him to hold her until she falls asleep. I would always tell him to let her fall asleep on her own since she's gotten too heavy to carry, but Daddy the Softie would always say it's okay, smile blissfully and say that it's his rare chance to baby his little girl. 

So I'll let them be.

I told RF not to keep teasing her and that when she says No, she means it and that's what we're trying to teach our girls. Respect personal space, let others know boundaries and No, means no. It starts the foundation for being firm in their decision-making process and implementation in the future. One that I hope would be effective enough to thwart hormonally overactive teenage boys without resorting to penile injuries (which I will teach them to deliver when they're old enough to know when to use it). Of course Daddy teasing and being playful is different from what we're building up to with overeager boys, but you get my drift. Besides, I told RF, we know she's not the sporting sort enough (pretty much like me) so why keep pushing her buttons, right? I know where she's coming from when she gets pissed off because she takes more after me than RF when it comes to being teased. Or pretty much a lot of other things...I believe she looks like hubby but the details are all me.

Anyway, last night I came upon them talking about it before going to bed. I was pleasantly surprised when RF informed me that he and Oona were having a serious conversation about how she wanted to be held and what was good for her. She said she didn't want a hug that's too tight and that his arm shouldn't be too heavy when he hugs her. RF was asking her questions and she was seriously holding her own, offering her opinions about his different hugging suggestions like he shouldn't squash her tummy, etc.

Listening to them, I kinda felt weepy and happy at how my little family's growing. I was relieved too that the situation didn't have to reach Do-I-Have-To-Think-Of-Everything-Myself proportions. I wasn't even annoyed that the idea didn't come from me and that I was in no way involved in facilitating a "grown-up" exchange between them. I was glad I didn't have to do anything but watch my little girl, our baby, blossom into expressing herself clearly and firmly. After all, I think all she wants was to feel in control of herself and the situation, be understood and her input accepted. That, and her personal space recognized, her persona, her being respected. I realized how momentous this otherwise "small" occasion was, for her and for us as parents. RF is in effect teaching her about communicating her wants and needs in a no-nonsense way, firm in knowing that it's her right to be treated fairly and her feelings and opinions taken seriously. Self respect and valuing oneself, right here! I could only hope that she doesn't forget about this when she's older and boys become part of her awareness in the hormonal way. Of course I am fearful, but I am praying that we are able to ingrain a strong sense of who she is and how precious a human being she is, not to be trifled with or taken advantage of. 

As a precaution, though, I am enrolling her and Olly in self-defense classes as soon as they're able and teach them the value of a good kneeing.

Anyway! I was so proud of them both. I really felt happy and I knew, no matter what we are yet to go through, muddling through this business of being a young, growing family, we'll be okay. :) Surprises, adventures and all.

Getting Everywhereness Anytime-ness

This post brought to you by TracFone. All opinions are 100% mine.

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I sometimes wonder what the world would be like when the girls grow up. Will they still have trees? Will they know what the sand feels like on the beach? Will there be flying cars and would the stars still be visible at night? I wonder if I would be able to talk to them when they’re at *that* age when talking to Mom and Dad is a suggestion they’d rather not take us up on. I wonder if I’ll have to secretly implant tracking devices or hire someone to follow them around to make sure they’re safe (if I don’t do it myself!). Paranoid much?

Senior Value

I guess I can only hope that someday, we’ll still be able to keep in touch when they’re at the beach with their friends and they won’t think it’s weird or distasteful. I'd probably be an old fogey by then, but I’d willingly shell out for fones like Tracfone especially during the summer. Right now, it costs very little to get all the kids a Tracfone so we can stay in touch.

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Coming across TracFone, it offers the least expensive way to own and use a cell phone in America. There are no contracts, no credit checks, no activation charges or cancellation fees. No surprises! It also has great nationwide coverage and excellent reception and connectivity. No excuse for being in the middle of nowhere!
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I sure wish that when it’s time for the girls to march out there and conquer on their own, wherever “out there” may be, I won’t have to implant tracking devices just to know where they are and if they’re okay. I hope they’ll be able to pick up a Tracfone and tell me themselves that the stars are gorgeous, the beach is beautiful and they’re thinking it would be so cool if we were there with them too. :)

TracFone is Get Everywhereness <3

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Recently RF went out of the country and I was a little upset because my celfone service got cut. I couldn’t call or SMS him and he had a lot of trouble trying to get in touch with me. Of course there was email, but when his laptop batteries ran out, he couldn’t access his email through his current celfone service. Bleh. At least he was only gone for a short time and just incommunicado for a day.

It got me thinking about the kids of course! Fast forward to the horror of being incommunicado when they’re old enough to be out and about on their own!

Get into Everywhereness

I hope there’s still something like TracFone when the time comes! I read up on available, reliable plans because of this particular incidence and so far, I like the benefits.

Get into Everywhereness 

Tracfone is a big help during the summer when the vacation mode sets in. It costs very little to get all the kids a Tracfone to stay in touch. As for the cell phone bill, TracFone offers the least expensive way to own and use a cell phone in America. There are no contracts, no credit checks, no activation charges or cancellation fees. No surprises! It also has great nationwide coverage and excellent reception and connectivity. No excuses not to get in touch with Mom and Dad from the middle of nowhere :D

Senior Value

And the brand names they carry aren’t bad either! They have phones from leading manufacturers like Motorola, Kyocera, LG, Nokia and Samsung. You and the family can choose from simple "CandyBar" phones, to Bluetooth®-enabled "Smart" phones. You can get simple phones for simple needs, like calling and texting capabilities for under $10.00 or pick out other great phones packed with features like camera/video recorder, web access, app capabilities, mp3 player, and full QWERTY keyboard, for only $29.99!

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I’m really gunning for a Tracfone for all of us. Tracking devices for each member of the family would cost much, MUCH more :P

Straight Talking Happy

This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

With domestic goddess duties, the girls growing up, and the new baby beginning to make its presence felt in my innards, it’s a wonder I haven’t sprouted six other arms yet. (I’m about to, I think.) And as usual, budgeting is driving me batty on a monthly basis.

Juggling numbers is as challenging as juggling duties so I’m always looking forward to easing the load somehow. Take cell phone bills for instance, with how much we are paying, I only use it for emergencies, texts and barely for picture messaging. I can only surf the web on my mobile if I’m on our home WiFi because using my current service’s connection would cost me both arms and two more arms I wish I had.

My original hope was to be able to use my cell to keep in touch with the outside world with quick calls to friends, mobile blogging and facebook status updates or chats. I also wanted to keep hubby happy with pictures of the girls’ daily adventures while he’s away at the office so he would feel that we haven’t forgotten about him. But no thanks to budget, those hopes remain cherished dreams.

Hook, line and sinker Just recently, I read about Straight Talk and I am SO envious of those who are already on it! I love the idea that I would feel richer with Straight Talk because I can immediately cut my cell phone bill in half. PLUS, I don’t have to be on a contract to get everything I need!

I can just imagine how much I could save switching to Straight Talk! I could put the money away for that family vacation we’ve all been wanting to have! Or go SHOPPING!

There are also no hidden costs, surprise bills and absolutely no credit checks. It features great nationwide coverage and excellent reception and connectivity. I might even be able to call someone underwater!

Everything you need The “All You Need Plan” (I don’t just need it! I WANT!) meets the needs of heavy users (like me!) with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data. The Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, including calls, text, picture messaging, and web. But for A WHOLE YEAR, imagine going unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for only $499.00! 411 calls are included at absolutely no extra charge and it’s all free from activation, reactivation, and termination fees!

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Straight Talking: Feel Richer By The Minute!

This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Since the advent of the cell phone, I have always found it an amazing way to communicate and reach out. Especially on emergencies. When I was a teenager and cellphones were the size of a shoe, we used our friend’s bulky cell phone to call our parents when we were stranded somewhere. Calling from the middle of nowhere was more acceptable versus the consequences of not letting them know we needed rescuing. Of course, there were still consequences but being chewed out was better than hiking the dark highways in the middle of the night.

When I started working and I needed a cellphone to keep in touch with the outside world, I decided on a plan. Little did I know that all that “keeping in touch” via text and voice call minutes would kill my paycheck and bury me in debt! It coincided with my boyfriend going out of the country, so you can imagine how we racked up the bills. We tried to be meticulous about the minutes and the promo rates but somehow, little “surprises” cropped up in the billing. So after paying that off, it was go pre-paid for me (which still ate up a lot)! I ended up using my cell for texts and emergencies only.

Now, for all my readers State-side, here’s a plan I’ve just heard about called Straight Talk. It actually makes you feel richer by cutting your bill in half without sacrificing calls, texts or even surfing the net from your phone! What’s more, you don’t need a contract, there are no surprise bills and no credit checks!

Hook, line and sinker I could actually spend the money I’m saving on something else for the kids! Or me! Better yet, maybe put it into the vacation fund! Yay!

Everything you need With great nationwide coverage and incredible reception/connectivity, their monthly plans cover great deals even for the heavy phone users. The “All You Need Plan” has 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data. The Unlimited Monthly service is only $45 that includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web. Then for a whole year, you can have unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for only $499.00! 411 calls are included at no extra charge and it’s absolutely free from activation, reactivation, or termination fees!

Call a friend Straight Talk also has an International Long Distance Service that features an incredibly flexible prepaid calling service. It allows you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates. This would have been really useful when the boyfriend was out of the country! Imagine what I could have saved up for with all that we spent calling each other back and forth!

Hook, line and sinker Finally, Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung. You can even choose from a wide array of smart phones; touch screen phones, and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth®. And for the kids, there are great reconditioned phones available from $10.00 with a camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability.

Todo lo que necesitas Gosh! Where was this when I was stuck in the middle of nowhere?! I wish this was already available back then! If this had existed before, my cell wouldn't be for emergencies only! (Attention, ex-boyfriend-who-is-now-my-hubby! Take the hint! :D) 

For more information on what these phones offer, please check out these YouTube videos: 
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For some real Straight Talk customer testimonials please check out the videos below: 

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Blogging At A New Home

Please check me out at my new dotcom: Mommyluscious :D it's still me and the kids!

Spice Up The Food Trip!

This post brought to you by TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

My family loves food. We take our food quite seriously while having fun experimenting with different flavors and cultural food traditions. Some people go out of town for sightseeing or extreme sports adventures but my family goes food tripping :) Sometimes on a lazy day or a special occasion, we'd order in, be it Chinese noodles and dimsum or special mushroom burgers and kamote fries. However, the all-time favorite would be a hot, fully-loaded, meaty pizza with four cheeses and a stuffed crust! (Or if we're trying to be health conscious, an all-vegetable pizza with all the cheeses known to man!) 

Whatever it is we eat, we love to spice it up with TABASCO® Original Red. Have you had it with pizza? Eggs? Mac & Cheese? The options are endless! It's so much more than hot. Especially on pizza, meat is meatier and the cheese is so much more cheesier! My mouth waters just thinking of the juicy flavors TABASCO® Original Red unlocks and enhances so you get the best of every tasty bite. 

Staying in during movie nights or a game night is much more fun with good food readily on the table. I know it's football season and the Super Bowl is right around the corner so why don't you round up friends and family for a game-watching marathon? Check out the Game-Day Party Menu and Pizza Perfected for recipes and great ideas to help make TABASCO® Original Red part of your game day traditions! (Or any day for that matter!) They have great pizza varieties, dips, finger foods, chilis and wings!

Whatever the menu and wherever it is we food-trip, on the road, the living room or a restaurant, TABASCO® Original Red makes the experience extra special. We even keep those little sachets from the pizza deliveries as our emergency stash! :) So whenever we feel it, wherever we are, we always have TABASCO® Original Red on hand :)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Original Red was the first sauce introduced by the McIlhenny family back in 1868 and continues to be their most popular sauce of 6 total sauces.

• Additional Information: TABASCO® Original Red is not about heat for heat’s sake. It’s about what heat does to the flavor of food.

• The simple combination of salt, red pepper, and vinegar are perfected in a 3-year aging process that produces a hot sauce with the uncanny ability to bring the most out of your food. Other hot sauces add their own specific flavor to food. TABASCO® Original Red simply enhances the flavor of food.

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Fire Up That Pizza!

This post brought to you by TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whenever there's a special occasion, the family eats out or orders in. Since we love food, it can be anything from Chinese noodles and dimsum to the classic burgers and fries. But of course, the all-time favorite would be a hot, heavenly, fully-loaded pizza with the works (meat, sausages, cheese, tomatos, peppers BUT no anchovies please!). For sure, it'll disappear in 15 minutes flat with my brothers around! My babies are still too young to demolish a slice on their own but Oona's working her way up to half a slice of a family size!

Of course, the pizza won't be complete without TABASCO® Original Red on it. I find that the sauce just brings out the flavor of the meat and cheese! Meat is meatier, cheese is cheesier and if you put it on eggs, they're even...eggy-er (Whut?! Haha!). It makes my mouth water just thinking about it now. It's really so much more than hot. TABASCO® Original Red unlocks or enhances the flavor of food so you can get the best of every bite.   M   Mm M M          The possibilities of TABASCO® Original Red+food is positively endless! 

Now that it's football season and the Super Bowl is right around the corner, why not make pizza and TABASCO® Original Red YOUR very own game day tradition? Visit Pizza Perfected for recipes and ideas to make your pizza extra special!

And why stop at football season? Game day can happen any day, for any game, be it basketball, hockey or even scrabble! It's a perfect excuse to have a family day and have a party of sorts! If the family wants more food, check out Game-Day Party Menu for ideas and recipes that I'm sure everyone's going to love! There are wings, chilis, dips and more finger foods for actually any occasion you can think of!

Of course, the most important thing to remember is for the family to eat together. That's truly what makes any meal and any tradition special!

FUN FACTS

• Original Red was the first sauce introduced by the McIlhenny family back in 1868 and continues to be their most popular sauce of 6 total sauces.

• TABASCO® Original Red is not about heat for heat’s sake. It’s about what heat does to the flavor of food.

• The simple combination of salt, red pepper, and vinegar are perfected in a 3-year aging process that produces a hot sauce with the uncanny ability to bring the most out of your food. Other hot sauces add their own specific flavor to food. TABASCO® Original Red simply enhances the flavor of food.

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Butt Paste, Anyone?

This post brought to you by Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know it sounds weird but really, what else would you call diaper rash creams? :D Anyway, Oona had a lot of problems with rashes when she was still in nappies. So much so that she still remembers how irritating and sometimes painful they are. Now that she's older, she's really fastidious about her personal hygiene (wearing clean underwear, washing after using the potty, wiping dry and making sure the toilet seat is clean with sanitary sprays and wipes even in private CRs). I'm glad, not only because she's a girl, but also because I don't have to worry about things other than just rashes now that she's bigger (which could mean nastier skin problems).

I think we ran the gamut of rash creams, from ordinary zinc oxide, petroleum jellies and the more expensive ointments. What was really effective was the Boudreaux's Butt Paste my friend sent me one particularly painful time (for howling baby Oona's butt and our ears!). Specifically formulated by a pharmacist and a respected pediatrician, it has 16% Zinc Oxide to treat and help prevent diaper rashes and Peruvian Balsam to soothe irritations and promote healthy skin. It didn't dry and chafe her sensitive skin and continued protecting her sore bottom even as she wet her diaper again. And since Boudreaux's Butt Paste is pediatrician recommended, I have no worries for using the New All-Natural Formula they came up with for Olly.

Featured on shows like Oprah, The Today Show, ESPN and TLC, I was intrigued to see that they've developed other products as well, like a lip and cheek moisturizer for infants. You know how sensitive skin gets dry sometimes! They also have a shampoo and body wash!

The Butt Paste has a pleasant smell and is readily available in convenient and handy travel sizes of 1oz, 2oz, 3oz and 4oz flip top tubes, with a 16oz jar you can keep on the diaper changing table.  It goes on and cleans off easily though it can stain clothes a little, so be careful! 

To try it out, just click on over to their site and get your FREE SAMPLE! You can even use it for yourself! ;)

Baby Butt Paste!

This post brought to you by Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

Diaper rashes have long been my nemesis. It can keep the baby up all night and diaper changes are a struggle. You can't use just any diaper rash cream because sometimes the baby ends up worse with an unknown irritant from the cream!

I know Boudreaux's Butt Paste sounds funny but it does its job really well! At first I thought it's just one of those novelty products that would be here today but eventually disappear from the shelves. However, they've been featured in a lot of shows like Oprah, Tonight, People Magazine, ESPN and While You Were Out TLC! They've even developed other products along the baby care line like a body wash and an infant lip and cheek moisturizer.

 Boudreaux's Butt Paste® was specifically formulated by a pharmacist and a respected pediatrician to protect baby's skin. It has 16% Zinc Oxide to treat and prevent nasty diaper rashes and Peruvian Balsam to soothe baby's irritated bottom and promote healthy skin. With a nice scent, you won't even mind using it on your rashes and sensitive skin.

In flip top cap tubes and handy travel size, it goes on and cleans off easily (though it might stain clothes a little, so just be careful). It's available in MANY convenient sizes of 1oz, 2oz, 3oz and 4oz tubes, and a 16oz jar to stand by on baby's diaper changing table.

Check them out for your FREE SAMPLE! :)