Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Heart on the Wall

My daughter turned ten this year and I noticed few changes in her  habits and behaviour.  She became more affectionate towards us  she is also moody at times.  I am not sure if it's part of adolescent stage or am I just being too observant.  I also noticed that she is a lot organized now and  cleaning her room lately.  She  organized her closetand cleaned the whole room.
 One day, she asked if she can take all the photos that I haven't organized an album yet.  I told her to go ahead.  She brought it to her room and locked the door.  After few hours, she called me and my husband to  show what she's done.  
 She said, she saw this on PInterest and wanted to give it a try.  I thought it turned out  great!
She is definitely growing up.  I used to  tell her to clean her room but now, she does it by herself voluntarily.  
 
She used to not like putting away  the clothes that I have folded after  doing laundry, but now she does it because she has her own way of arranging them.  She still don't like hanging clothes in the closet so I still do that for her.
I can't believe that she  will be eleven in  six months.  Time flies and I am glad, we have photographs to look back to.  This heart on the wall is one of the  neat projects she's done this year.  She also told us that since she is ten already, she would study all her lessons by herself.  We used to  review with her whenever she will have a test but now she does it on her own and she  is doing great with it.  I am so proud of this little Miss!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Prank and Gifts

My daughter pulled a prank  on me this Christmas.  She   wrapped an empty box  and gave it to me.  She made me open it and when  she saw my reaction, she laughed so hard.
 She then handed me this DIY gifts that she made.  She said she found tutorials at Pinterest when she made the lemon sugar bdy scrub, face moisturizer, and and make up remover.
I love the rock that she painted, it has a dedication at the back of it.  The beauty   poducts has directions also which I thought was something an adult would do.  But then again, she  think like an adult lol.
My son, got me this photo album during their secret santa shopping at school.  He knows that I still have photos that needed  to be put in album so this was a perfect gift.  I immediately filled it up with photos.
 Ryestein also got me this  salt and pepper shaker during the  Secret santa shop.
My kis reallyknows how to pick a gift for their Momma.  Thank you BUrritos!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

#MsUniverse Pageant's Big Moments: Moments Like this is Perfect for AdoramaPix!

We don't normally watch beauty pageant shows but we  were flipping the channels last night and   came across the Ms. Universe  pageant, the kids wanted to watch it so we  tuned into it  even though it was almost over.  We missed a lot of it as they were announcing the top 5 already when we  started watching.  So before I get into my review of the photo book, let me just briefly mention some big moments in the Miss Universe pageant that happened Sunday, December the 20th.

Steve Harvey was the host and we were all cheering for Ms. Philippines as she has the best answers for the  Q&A so when he announced that Ms. Colombia won again, we were disappointed but then  4 minutes later, he  came back to the stage and started apologizing that  he made a mistake, that the Ms, Universe winner is in fact Ms. Philippines. I feel bad for Ms. Colombia and for Steve Harvey, he must have felt so horrible in announcing the wrong winner.  We were however thrilled that Ms. Philippines won.  She didn't get the  special moment that she deserve but she got the crown.  We also like Ms. USA and Ms. Australia, they were our favorites.  Her facial expression was epic, you may watch the short clip  below i case you didn't watch it.
Here are some photos that I think is worth including in a photo book or canvas,  AdoramaPix is the perfect place for it.   Photos and videos of the  the Ms Universe  is not my own
Now back to my photo book review.  I recently worked with AdoramaPix when I ordered my customized Christmas cards.   I fell in love with the quality of products that they make so I ordered this photo book from them and I couldn't be happier.  I was planning to surprise my husband with this on Christmas but he already saw it as he was the one who received it when it arrived lol.  He said that it is beautifully done.
They packaged it really well and I love that it has its own box for safe keeping.  I would love all my kids photos be  printed in photo book if I can afford it.  Maybe when I win the lottery, I would, lol.
I ordered a photo book last year from another company and I wasn't satisfied of the product.  It came out like a  yearbook rather than a photo book.  This right here from AdoramaPix is awesome.  I can't find anything that I am not satisfied about.  Creating it from their website is very easy because they have a state-of-the-art software/tool that anyone even a non-techie like me can navigate so easily.  
I love that AdormaPix  have different layout and design for their photo book  that you can choose from and their pricing is definitely lower than anywhere I looked into.
Having a photo book each year will be our family tradition where we can show the highlights of our year as a family.  We started it last year, we bought the photo book to  the family gathering and everyone  got the chance to look at it.
The photo I took doesn't give the real photo book the  justice, it just poor lighting on my part when I took t.
Overall, I really do love  how it came out.  You can see how AdoramaPix take pride of the products they make.  I think photo book is a great gift idea  if you are looking for something that would last  for a long time.  I am sure that every family that would receive it would  love it.  I know my Mom loves it when I send her pictures of my kids.  
Here you go again folks, the full clip of the Ms. Universe crowning.  Ms. Colombia got to wear the crown for  about 4 minutes.  I admire  Steve Harvey for correcting himself.  Ms. Philippines did not have that  great crowning moment but it is one to remember for sure.  

Anyway, AdoramaPix is a one-stop shop for all your photo needs.  Their services also includes photo prints,  collage prints, canvas, metal prints, and even acrylic print.  This holiday season, I am sure  your family will enjoy  a customized gift so check out AdoramaPix.  You can follow them  through their social media  outlets in    Facebook,  Pinterest,  InstagramTwitter, and  Google+.  They  are offering a free shipping offer for your orders of $39 or more.  

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Fork and Spoon Santa Ornaments and More

New additions to our tree ornament  this year are the  craft projects that my children did in their  classroom and  in art class.  First up is this spoon and fork that were bent and designed it into Santa ornaments.  Aren't they cute?
 My daughter  did this glass ornament during their Christmas party yesterday.  One of the Moms  brought some  glass ornaments, crayons and  blow dryer to melt the crayon inside the   glass ornament, pretty cool isn't it?
 My daughter's teacher gave each one of them  this  glittered cross ornament to hang in the tree.  How very thoughtful of her!
 So here's how it looks.  This is what my son did, a bent  spoon that was painted and decorated  and made it into a Santa  ornament.

 They have a new  teacher in art class this year  and I am glad that she keep the tradition of making an ornament as a project every year.  Their former teacher did this every year with the kids.  It is a special  present that kids bring home   for Christmas to parents.
 My daughter did the fork.  They  are both  unique and beautiful.
  I love presents like this that  would  be part of our family's Christmas tree for years to come.
We drove around Marland Heights  while   one of our kids  was taking piano lesson and was surprised to see the Marland Heights pool well-lit and decorated as well.  This is the first time I've seen it decorated for the holiday.
To my  Shadow Shots friends,  merry Christmas to you all!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Clever Ways to Make Sure You Record a Baby’s “Firsts”


The “firsts” in a baby’s life—first words, first steps, first day home from the hospital, first meal, etc.—are some of the most monumental and precious times of his or her life. These are moments that won’t happen again; a first is a “first” for a reason. You want to make sure you can record your baby’s “firsts” while also taking part in them yourself. As parents, we don’t want to be so caught up in trying to capture the moment that we miss experiencing the moment as well. It’s a common photographer/videographer mistake that should be avoided. So below, we’ve given you some helpful tips on how to make sure you record a baby’s “firsts” as cleverly as possible without missing anything.

Attachable Camera for First Steps
Babies that are learning to walk on their own are going to need some assistance. They won’t get up suddenly one day and decide to do a tap dance in the living room for the family. Learning how to walk is a process that takes a lot of practice and, sadly, a lot of falling over. While you’ll certainly be helping your child learn to walk yourself, you don’t want to miss the fleeting moment where he or she takes his or her first steps. Achieving that balance means that you should invest in an attachable camera that you can attach and leave somewhere, freeing your hands up to teach your baby how to walk while also making sure that, if it does happen, you’ll have caught the moment that they manage to take their first few steps.

Nursery Cam
A lot of a baby’s firsts may happen in the nursery where they spend most of their time, especially in the beginning. Also, a nursery cam is a good idea for safety reasons as well. Keeping a camera in the nursery serves the dual purpose of safety and baby monitoring as well as having an extra eye out in case your baby says his or her first words or has another new experience. A high-tech nanny cam will ensure that your child is safe and that he or she isn’t left alone. Babies are unpredictable and you never really know when they’re going to say their first word or take their first step. That’s why it helps to be prepared.

Dinner/Mealtimes
Set a small camera, such as the Polaroid Cube, down at the dinner table if you want to make sure that you’re able to capture your baby’s firsts on film. Family mealtimes are full of surprises when there’s a baby, and usually those surprises are of the food-throwing variety. However, if you want to make sure that you’ve caught your baby’s first experiences, keeping the camera at the dinner table and setting it down while you’re eating is a clever way to make sure that you catch the footage you need. If you’re concerned about airborne food (not exactly a novelty for new parents; babies love flinging things), you can keep the camera at a safe distance, depending on the zoom capabilities. A glob of mashed baby food won’t exactly be great for recording, so you want to make sure that the camera is stored in an ideal, yet safe, vantage point.

In the end, making sure you record a baby’s firsts comes down to timing and cleverness. Babies don’t come with a preplanned time schedule; we never really know when they’re going to do something awesome. In order to make sure that we hang onto those moments and capture them just in time, you need to be strategic about cameras and recording. Hopefully, the above tips will help you do so. Good luck!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Gifts Are Wrapped, Just Counting the Days!

I decided to transfer our optic fiber Christmas tree from the dining room to  the living room to finish the look of  our  gift pile.  The small ornaments are great to hang in this little tree.

I am officially done with gift wrapping  for the holidays.  We have delivered some of the gifts for friends and family and  kids can't wait to open up their gifts.  My daughter wanted a bean bag so that's one of the gifts she's getting for Christmas.  That's also the big box you see below.  I think my son would want one when he sees it so I might get him  one for his birthday next month.  
 I find it funny that my kids keeps inventory of how many gifts they have under the tree.  They keep checking everyday lol.  I don't wrap gifts in one  day because  it gets them excited to add one gift every other day or so.
Their stockings are also stuffed so I am all set for Christmas unless of course the husband decides to get more, which he always does every year.  He feels like  what we are giving them is not enough.  I told  him how lucky our kids are because they get to open not just one gift but many during Christmas.  We never had that as a kid.  My fondest memory of Christmas was our caroling tradition in our neighborhood. Caroling is a big  part of every kids life over there during Christmas especially for those who doesn't really have  money to buy  anything.  That was a lot of fun for me, my Mom even came with us  on multiple occasions.
My parents taught us  early on that Christmas is about family.  As long as we have food in the table and we are all gather to celebrate the true essence of the holiday, we are  set.  When I came here, I saw a different way of celebrating Christmas.
But anyway, I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Customized Christmas Cards from AdoramaPix

Sending out Christmas cards to friends and family is  part of my family's tradition during the yuletide season.  It's our way of  letting them know that we are thinking about them  on the very important holiday of the year.  I don't  know about you but I love receiving  cards via snail mail.  I know that  you can send a digital one but I think traditional cards are still special.  This is our fourth year of getting a customized holiday cards.  This year, I ordered our   Christmas cards from AdoramaPix.  They have 121 designs that you can choose from.
I chose this 5 x 7 double sided snow dance design.  They used a classic linen paper for printing  and it cost $10.68 for  a set of 12 cards with envelope, that is 89 cents per card.  This is my first time  working with them and I can say that they have a  super  awesome customer service.  Designing your card is super fast and easy.  IT involves three simple steps and they ship  right away as soon as your order is done.  
My daughter love helping me with this  task.  She gets to know who the cards goes to and she  sometimes ask how are we related to them when she doesn't know that  address but it is one way of teaching your child the joy of sending out cards and letting the people know that you care for them.  
We sent all the cards out last week so hopefully, our friends and family will start receiving it this week.  I love sending it out early  especially to our friends and family  overseas so they can get it before Christmas.
We chose to use the photos we took with our fur babies so they can be in our family pictures as well.
It's definitely festive inside our home. I love the scent of our Christmas tree candle when lit, it definitely set  our mood to the holiday spirit.  I am almost done  wrapping gifts which the kids are  starting to  investigate  but I told them that if they sneak around and  open it before Christmas, "Santa" might not come lol.
The hallway is the part of our home where we display  cards that we receive from friends and family.  For now, it only has our personalized cards from previous years and the one that we are sending.  
The kids also want to incorporate all their craft projects on this one so we put them all here.
So how about you guys, are you all ready for the big holiday? Are you done shopping for gifts. If there's one wish that you want to ask what would it be? If I could have a wish granted just for Christmas, I would love to celebrate it with my family overseas. I miss them so much! That's one downside when you are living thousands of miles away, visiting your family is very costly. I am just thankful and blessed that I have a husband and children who lifts my spirits up during this time of the year when I miss my family back home the most.
Anyway, AdoramaPix is a one-stop shop for all your photo needs.  Their services also includes photo prints, photo books, collahe prints, canvas, metal prints, and even acrylic print.  This holiday season, I am sure  your family will enjoy  a customized gift so check out AdoramaPix.  You can follow them  through their social media  outlets in    FacebookPinterest,  Instagram, Twitter, and  Google+.  They  are offering a free shipping offer for your orders of $39 or more.  

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Outdoor Christmas Decor 2015

In the  country where I came from,  Christmas decorating  starts  when the BER months starts, which means that in September, you will see Christmas  stuff out already.  Radio stations even  start playing Christmas songs on this month.  Crazy, you might say but it's just the way it is over there.  There is no big holiday like Halloween  or Thanksgiving over there so  Christmas  is celebrated  earlier and  longer.

When I came here, most people   don't start decorating  until  Thanksgiving is over.  Some even wait  a couple of weeks before Christmas to decorate.  Christmas is the only holiday where I love to decorate so I want to do it early.  My husband always  tell me to wait after Thanksgiving.  This year however, he  encouraged me to  decorate early especially outdoors.  I think he learned his lesson when we did our decorating outside last year and it was freezing.  I am glad he let me put the decorations out early because we had  some  warm weather in November.
 I purchased this big Christmas balls  during the off season sale last year.  Our cherry tree in the front yard is so bare after  the leaves  fell off so  decorating it a little bit gives it some  color.  I super glued the tip of the balls to the  string before I hang them on the branches  so the wind won't knock them out. 
 It was morning when I captured these photos so it  look dark and not as colorful as it is.
 The tree is big and I only have  18 balls so it wasn't enough to cover  the branches but it's okay.  I added some  small balls to them now and it looks alright.  I would love to put a nativity scene  in our front yard but I haven't got a chance to  buy one yet.  Maybe next year.
The green garland I used is supped to light up but some does lights are burnt out so I just did not bother to  plug it but we put another set of lights  around the railings.   I bought  four set of these big bells  also last year  and  hang it in the front railing.
 The big balls and these bells are our new additional decor this year.
 We should have bought all silver color instead of blending the gold ones but I guess it doesn't matter.
 Below is the wreath that my daughter and I  redecorated last year.  We glued some Christmas balls around it and added the poinsettia flowers.
 Below is the wreat we bought a couple of years ago.  I added  the red cloth on it and tie it like a bow.
I get a little bit homesick when  Christmas time rolls around because I miss my family back home.  To cope with that, I  love to decorate and reminisce my  simple but  joyful memoris withmy family back home during Christmas.  You would think, ten years of living here in the States would not make me nostalgic anymore but it does once in a while.  I wish I live close by and visit  my family  often.  I am just thankful  that I am blessed with a  loving husband and two greatkids who cheers me up everytime I am feeling homesick.  But anyway, that's the wrap of  my outdor decor for Christmas.


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