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If you are spending too much money on second-hand stuff, why not have a garage sale to sell the stuff that you don’t need? It’s spring in the US so we started spring cleaning too!

My dear sister got the courage to sell our beloved magazines, (most in pristine condition), unused cosmetics, pre-loved clothes and a lot of slightly used stuff like indoor antenna and cellular booster. It’s our way of cleaning and earning too!

We sold the back issues of our favorite magazines at P10 each. Not bad considering that these magazines have been on our book shelves for ages!

The imported cosmetics at P5 – P25, books (textbooks she accumulated all these years but definitely NOT my precious books!) at P10 – P50, and many, many others!

If you need any Smart Parenting, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, OK,  FHM, Good Housekeeping, Working Mom magazine, just send me an email at entrepremom[at]gmail[dot]com then I’d be happy to check if we have a copy of it.

P.S. Our garage sale is so hi-tech that we’re using a CCTV camera for monitoring hahaha

After giving birth to a bouncing tsinita baby girl, I just lost my appetite. So I said “hello” to weight loss and back then it was sooo easy. In three months I was able to shed them all off and weighted about 143lbs. I was so in love with my body though I was not model-thin. It was because I felt lighter and looked better.

Then came Christmas season. The main culprit why I stopped breastfeeding and gained weight again. I just couldn’t say no to the variety of foods arriving almost everyday at home. then WHAM! This time I said “hello” to  appetite and weight gain.

And now, three months later, I am more than decided to shed off this extra weight and be at least 145lbs. How?

I gradually decreased my rice intake and 6 days later my body has fully adjusted and I no longer crave for rice. How cool is that? The rice lover losing interest on her staple food

Praying so hard that I would be successful this time

Seriously mommies, how do you stay focused on your goals?

I am a work at home mom and just like the case of any freelancer, everything is so uncertain. One might be earning lots of $$$ now but everything ends leaving you no choice but to look for another job. I am on it, I accepted this challenge 4 years ago so I am not quitting, but then again, nakakapagod din no? My motivation would always be “it is better this way than seeing myself in a cubicle bossed around by stupid, stupid managers”.

Working at home is a dream job of any mom who wants nothing but spend time with her kids but it requires TIME MANAGEMENT and LOADS of DISCIPLINE. Sabi pa ng husband ko, it’s not a walk in the park. It is hard, much harder than I imagined it to be. At home there are a lot of distractions, an awful lot especially if you have kids and there’s the internet!!! Like right now, I am supposed to be writing pet articles, but here I am blogging like crazy hahaha

Right now we have a goal (see it here) and I really, really need to reach it otherwise all plans will be ruined. We are saving for business expansion, my daughter’s tuition fees and whole lot more. Though I must say that the plan to buy a decent wedding ring has to go back seat first, it doesn’t stop me from visiting online shops for titanium accessories hihi

So mommies, how do you keep your focus?

Ever wondered how you can start selling spa products with only a few bucks on hand? You can at BeauQuest Pharmacy!

BeauQuest Pharmacy is a Filipino owned company serving all kinds of skin care, spa and other dermatological products. All of these are BFAD approved, non-irritating and hypoallergenic. I am using them so I can vouch for this claim.

The good part about this is you can make your own brand!

To see more BeauQuest products and to get their latest updates, LIKE them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BeauQuest/122273401206355

Sharing with you pampering experience with La Reine Nail and Dayspa: http://irispulga.com/2012/03/21/pampered-momma-in-la-reine-nail-and-dayspa/

La Reine Nail and DaySpa offers a lot of services for your skin, nails and body suited for every budget. Their hand and feet services ranges from P50 – P200, various massages from P80 – P299, waxing from P100 – P250 (they do Brazilian waxing too!) Eyelash Extension from P200 – P400 (they did mine and it was really, really awesome!), Paraffin Treatment fromP200 – P450.

They are open for franchise starting this year. A fully operational franchise package costs only P200,000 inclusive of the following:

• Use of trade name and logo
• operations manual
• continuous research and development
• franchise training and seminar
• staff training
• initial stocks
• equipments
• customized staff uniform
• customized furniture and lightnings
• marketing materials
• signages

La Reine Nail and DaySpa’s main office is located in No. 17 Annapolis St. Cubao, Quezon City. For more information, please call Ms. Grace Barrios at 0917.572.7530.

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Don’t know anything about franchising or opening a new business? Get ideas from Center for Small Entrepreneurs. They guide small business individuals to go through each detail of running a business.

After being exposed to moms and teachers who all believed in homeschooling, I opened my heart and eyes to this learning option. It was in 2007 when I had the chance to be with them and up until now, deep in my heart I fervently believed that my kids deserve no less than the best education and no other person could give it to them but us, their family. I’ve had my share of traditional school drama, read it  HERE. On that post I have expressed my disappointments in my child’s teachers and the entire traditional school system.

What pushed me to post about it was the talk given last Saturday by HAPI or the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands in Rockwell tent as part of the Expo Kid event.

The talk mainly focused on why home education is the prime education option, the five tools for a successful DIY homeschooling and why more and more families are considering homeschooling. Homeschooling moms and kids, media partners and interested parents gladly joined the discussion and threw in a lot of questions during the Q&A portion.

Exploring Homeschooling:  the D.I.Y. Education

 

Will Smith is known for being one of the big stars of  Hollywood, with blockbuster movies like Independence Day, Men in Black, and I Am Legend under his belt.  Will and his wife Jada try to remain grounded amidst success, and remain focused on what’s really important—love for family and character  — values they passionately impart to their children Jaden, Trey and Willow. Desiring to pass on these important values, they decided from the start to homeschool.

Based on the same goal of building a strong family foundation through this learning option, Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) makes it possible for parents to learn about home education. It assists parents by pointing them to the right providers, trainings and resources to be able to homeschool well.  The coming Philippine Homeschool Conference 2012 this May 19 is a big event that invites everybody interested in homeschooling to come, discover, learn and be enlightened.

 

Home education as a prime educational option

 Homeschooling brings a customized educational experience at home, one where the parents decide to fully take charge of teaching their children. This is D.I.Y education at its best. . Because inarguably who would know our children best? Who would be most loving and nurturing to them but their parents.  Perhaps that’s one of the major reasons why  homeschooled children become achievers.  We have homeschoolers like  Christopher Paolini, best-selling author of fantasy novel series Eragon; Tim Tebow, star NFL quarterback and the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy at age 20; Serena Williams, tennis champion; Joey Logano, NASCAR champion racer; Jonas Brothers, an American boy band, and locally, Paul Tan-Chi of the Ateneo UAAP basketball fame and incumbent President of the 200-member strong Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA).  The list goes on of well-known homeschoolers from the past—George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, C.S. Lewis, Pearl S. Buck, Florence Nightingale to name a few.

Five tools for a successful D.I.Y. homeschooling

HAPI believes that a successful D.I.Y. education will have five tools to work with, namely: a ruler to represent the learning context, a hammer for the learning content or the curriculum; sandpaper for enrichment activities that bring out and hone the talents and skills of

 the homeschooler; sharpening steel for the support group with like-minded and helpful parents; and lastly, the plumb line which represents the standard (purpose) that will guide the homeschooling journey and “keep straight the path”.

 For learning context, homeschooling can be done through a homeschool provider, or independent of one, but both with varying degree of Dep Ed supervision. Learning content or curriculum can be customized, with a range of textbooks to choose from. For enrichment, there are a growing number of service providers for music, arts, PE and life skills programs. Support groups, like H.O.M.E. Library, are rising to the occasion as parents recognize the need to consult and get encouragement from others in the same journey. Grounding one’s reason for homeschooling on a clear purpose is understandably the most important tool for D.I.Y. education. For example, you must define what true success is for your child and let that guide you.

 

Homeschooling by choice

In the country, more and more Filipino parents are homeschooling by choice, and discovering its priceless benefits, The association has put their number conservatively at 3,000 families.   HAPI has made it its mission to be a catalyst in nation-building by advancing home education and unifying home educators in the country. . It is also affiliated with the largest homeschooling organization in the world, and envisions a movement of transformed families creating positive change in their communities and the nation as a whole.

“We believe that the teacher-student relationship is intrinsic to the parent-child relationship. Parents have a natural God-given influence that will work to make homeschooling fulfilling for both. Through the Philippine National Homeschool Conference 2012, we hope to inspire more parents about homeschooling’s real life benefits,” says HAPI President, Gerry Argosino.

The Philippine Homeschool  Conference is set to take place on May 19, 2012 in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong with the theme “Laying a Strong Foundation”.  International speaker Debra Bell a homeschooling authority in the U.S. and best-selling author, and our own inspirational speaker and author Bo Sanchez are slated as keynote speakers.   The event will be honored by the presence of  Dep Ed officials like Atty Tonisito Umali, Asst. Secretary for Legal & Legislative  Affairs.

To know more about the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) or how to register for the Conference, visit www.hapihomeschooler.com and/or email hapihomeschooler@gmail.com.

If you are a restaurant owner or planning to enter the food business, you may need restaurant uniforms for your staff, check out Chef’s Garb.

Chefs Garb Exchange Inc. is a manufacturing and trading company specializing in kitchen and service apparels.

Our core competence is our fully customized designs that serves each clients needs. Each product is carefully designed based on form and functionality. Chefs Garb also takes pride in its product research and developing team that brings innovative products to cater to the most demanding client.

We cater to a diverse market ranging from various food and service related institutions to individuals clients.

Our product line includes Chefs Jacket, Pants, Apron, Shoes, Headgear, Accessories and Service Uniform

CHEFS GARB, kitchen apparel and accessories for Chefs by Chefs

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefsgarb

On March 8, 2000 at exactly 4:15PM in the afternoon, I said “YES” to a noble man named Marcelle. Ours was a whirlwind romance and we have hurt people along the way (his ex and mine) but there were really no regrets. I must admit that we’ve had our ups and downs but at the end of each day, we know that we only have each other leaving us no choice but to stick together no matter how hard it takes — no choice, eh?

So how’s our relationship 12 years and 2 kids after? Definitely sweeter.

Ours is not perfect. We fight (but no hitting and throwing of things, definitely!) and we argue, though not everyday but meeting halfway is one good thing we’ve learned along the way.

We have no money, seriously, which makes life even harder but that’s awful reality we have to face. Do we argue about it? Yes but do we fight? No. One thing I learned today is that no matter how small or big our problem is, we should communicate OPENLY and CALMLY.

Financial matters is one touchy subject in every relationship, so my trick now is not surprising my husband with “surprise bills”, it’s hard on my case but it’s worth the effort naman.

Marcelle and I still have a loooong way to go, but with each other on our side, we’ll get through this together.

What makes my daughter’s heart leap for joy? It’s art materials. She is the type who can sit for hours if given the right art materials. Like most parents, I am also proud of my daughter’s achievements and would take pride in witnessing her learning milestones.  Just imagine her surprise when I handed her art materials from Enfakid this morning, it was priceless

We always make it a point supply her with all the materials she needs to fuel her passion. She has this book which she uses to draw and paint whenever she likes it.

If you are a proud mother like me and has a daughter who’s fond of drawing, you have a chance to win a trip to Singapore, a collaboration between Enfakid A+ and National Geographic for Kids!

Calling all moms and dads who have kids ages 3-7 years old. Submit  submit their illustrations of anything fascinating they learned from the January-February issue of National Geographic Little Kids (included with Smart Parenting magazine), or from the website http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/littlekids/.

The entries themselves should be submitted on http://www.seewhattheylearn.com where they will be displayed for public voting on the site until March 30, 2012. After the votes are in, the top 10 entries from participants 3-4 years old, and from participants 5-7 years old, will be shorlisted. A panel of judges will then select the two (2) Grand Prize Winners from the top 10 of each age category.

Each winner will receive a trip for four (4) to the Singapore ArtScience Museum, inclusive of airfare, accommodations, museum entrance fees, and pocket money. The winners will also be featured in a future issue of National Geographic Little Kids.

You may also promote your child’s See What They Learn entries through Facebook, Twitter, and email to encourage support from your relatives and friends. Submit their drawings now, and you could soon be on your way to one of the best learning experiences.

For details, visit http://www.seewhattheylearn.com/index.php/mechanics.

I patiently waited until she turned 6 months before I let her eat her first solid food: mashed potato. Things were different with Yoe, my eldest because at 4 months, I already fed her Gerber banana, which caused her picky-ness these days. I am not so sure if it’s really Gerber that caused it but they often say that Gerber products are very tasty (and awful – at least for me!) that’s why babies who eat it becomes so picky when they grow older.

With Lana, I gave her plain mashed potato using an adult spoon. Why adult spoon? Because of superduperstitions. It is believed that babies who were fed first using a serving spoon are not food-picky when they grow up. I just used adult spoon because I don’t want her to get fat from too much eating :p

Why wait until she’s 6 months?

Waiting until six months to introduce solid foods into your baby’s diet will help minimise the risk of her developing adverse reactions to foods and allergies. This is particularly important if you have a family history of allergies, as the incidence of adverse food reactions, allergies and celiac disease does decrease if you delay weaning until this time.

- Blessed Mom

Lemme! lemme!

Sooo eager to try solid food!

“What the hell was that?”

water, yey!

Boy, that was bad. Tsk!

Her feeding schedule are as follows:

Week 1: Mashed Potato – 9am & 2pm

Week 2: Mashed Carrots – 9am & 2pm

Week 3: Mashed Squash – 9am & 2pm

Week 4: Mashed green veggies such as green peas and beans - 9am & 2pm

After this I will try to introduce her to fruits like apples and bananas. I’ll feed her rice when she’s about 8 months.