Staying Home

It's the merry month of May and for me, that means the annual readjustment of the "big bills", otherwise known as "the mortgage". This is on top of the annual insurance for the property and fire insurance. Added up, it's enough to make me want to plead insanity. The things you do to keep your home!

It would be nice if the bank sent me a nice advance letter via email or post, how much higher I was going to have to shell out monthly and when that was going to start. However, I got the shock of my life when I was informed that I was already LATE in paying up! So naturally, we managed to incur late charges! Apparently for already two months! And customer service was horribly tied up all the time I was trying to get through!

Since this was as annoying as it can get,  I've been reading up on the different options we have, not only to save my sanity, but also to save on money that increased mortgage rates have jacked up monthly. I found out that one of the good ways to manage this is to keep an eye out for good refinancing. How it works is that you get the benefit of lower monthly payments on a better over all deal. You really save with a mortgage refinance! 

If you're like me, aiming to get the best deal on a new or existing loan, talk to a licensed professional, a good bank with a solid reputation or a trusted loan provider. It pays to explore all your options and the money you save could be put to other uses like another savings account, a dream vacation or even another property :)

Good luck to us all!

Keeping Your Baby Healthy During Pregnancy

Doing what you can to help keep your baby safe pre, during and post pregnancy is important. For example, your diet and fitness regimen can have an impact on the development of your baby during pregnancy, and once the baby is born preserving the cord blood at a cord blood bank is a way to help safeguard the future health of your child. Cord blood banking can help in the treatment of a number of immune and metabolic conditions, as well as other diseases. Considering steps, such as these, can help ensure your baby gets off to a health start and stays on a health road. Let’s examine some of the most common steps for a mom-to-be to take:

Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Caffeine: Caffeine is not good for a developing baby. Expert studies have indicated that caffeine in high levels can be harmful to the fetus. Some studies suggest that ingesting caffeine can lead to low birth rate and miscarriage. Since coffee is a stimulant and diuretic, physicians do not recommend it during pregnancy.

Alcohol: Drinking during pregnancy in moderation was used to be acceptable but now alcohol in any amount is considered unsafe. Alcohol is known to increase the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which can lead to mental retardation and birth defects.

Seafood with High Mercury: Fish contains mercury that could potentially harm a fetus if too much is consumed. Mercury contamination could harm the nervous system of the developing fetus. Pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid seafood that is high in mercury. 

Foods to Consume During Pregnancy


Folic Acid: Foods that are high in folic acid are recommended during pregnancy to decrease complications with development of the spinal cord and other development issues. Without these foods, conditions like anemia may develop or the inability to absorb nutrients may occur. Leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli or okra are high in folic acid, as are bananas, lemons, or mushrooms.

Vitamin A: Vitamin A will help prevent malformations in fetuses. Carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes or yams are all high in Vitamin A.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is found in food such as strawberries, oranges, lemons and broccoli. According to studies, pregnant women need 70 mg of vitamin C a day. 

Fitness


Fitness is necessary to promote the healthy development of the baby. Expecting mothers should engage in exercise on a regular basis, according to their doctor’s specifications. Every woman’s pregnancy is different and will require a different level of fitness for proper development. 

Women need to remain cognizant of what they ingest in order to aid in the proper development of their baby. Expecting mothers should consult with their physicians to develop a healthy regimen to ensure that fetuses develop into healthy babies. Mothers should also consider eating healthy prior to conception for the best chances of a healthy newborn.

This article was written by Alan Cassidy, an active writer within the blogging community covering maternity and childbirth, and always advocating for infant and children’s health. Connect with him on Twitter @ACassidy22

Ensuring the Future with Insurance

I've long wanted to get insurance for the family and my interest has only grown since I came across Term Life Insurance (TLI Family Insurance). The US company offers cheap life insurance quotes, family insurance coverage, whole term life, and life insurance plans that are really attractive for parents like me.

Being on my third child, it naturally crosses my mind that we really need to provide for emergencies and unforseen incidents that would affect their future (cross our fingers nothing like that ever happens!).  Especially since I keep running medical emergencies when I'm near my term! It sometimes terrifies me that my kids and RF would be left behind saddled with grief plus a financial burden they may not be able to deal with properly. I don't want to leave them behind totally overwhelmed, if at all!

I'm glad that TLI also provides several different options and ways on how to lower your premiums. All information are readily explained and easily understood even by people like me. I don't like being lost in terms I don't get and the company certainly avoids the intimidation that complicated jargon brings :) You are able to make an educated and informed decision about what best fits your family budget and needs!

All in all, coming across Term Life Insurance assures me that there are a myriad of possibilities out there that would secure my family's future and protect them from any financial responsibility I would leave behind (should anything happen to me, God forbid!). I would encourage everyone, especially those in the US to look into this and seriously think about what steps you want to take to ensure you and your family are taken care of, for your own peace of mind!

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.