SIL's 13th birthday

 mama & papa's wedding anniversary

Advertising is very important to any business.  With the right advertisement, it can help drive the customers towards the product therefore promoting sales.  As a media to inform a mass audience regarding a certain product or service, this broadens the expanse of marketing.  

There are many forms of advertising such as television, infomercial, radio, online, in-store, street, celebrity branding, billboard advertising and etc.  Trade shows are great advertising platforms because it draws a greater number of crowd given the number of participants to be seen.  

It is very important to have a good showcase when participating in trade shows to promote a certain product line.  Branding is very critical for people to see and be familiar with a product or company.  Customizing logo mats, logo canopy, trade show carpet and other displays is what Camel Back does best.  They offer large variety of  displays and exhibit booths with different custom options suit for most product specifications.  

Every business requires different forms of advertisement, requirements differ depending on the nature of the  business.  Camel Back Displays understands what it takes to be in the advertising world, see what they can do for you and your advertising needs.

I love that show Teen Mom…I know it’s silly since I’m 35 years old and I have no business watching something like that but I just get a kick out of it. I got satellite tv wilmington when I moved here with the intention of watching all the presidential debates but I’ve been watching a lot more reality TV than I have been watching anything of value. I guess that’s how it goes when you’ve got a really stressful job…there’s something to be said for getting home at night and taking a load off. There’s nothing about being a nurse that’s NOT stressful and I think that though I don’t relate to the teen moms I really like feeling like I’m young again when I watch them. I’m really thankful I never had to go through anything like that but you know, so many people do and I see it every day. I work in the NICU office at the hospital so I see a lot of bad stuff.

A Piñata is a must nowdays in any birthday occasion may it be for babies, kids or older people.  It is usually and traditinally made of paper mache modeled to resemble objects or certain characters.  The design is limitless, it can be almost anything you wish to be.  Many different versions of piñatas are available in most party supply store and mexican groceries.  Some are made of paper mache and some were innovated materials like cardboards, and other containers.

A piñata is filled with goodies:  candies, toys and other things that can be good for loot bag stuffers.  To break a piñata open one must whack it or hit it with a stick until it breaks.  Another way is to have it done with a trap door and opening it with pull strings and colorful cords.  This kind is ideal for toddlers who don't have the coordination and power yet to hit and break a piñata. 

Stuffing the piñata is the fun part.  You can get all the goodies you like, the more colorful the better.  Kids love to see the goodies fall like a confetti.  If you have candies left during the Halloween trick or treating then you make good use of those or better yet buy candy fundraisers, this way you can also help even a bit with your purchase.  Marsmallows individually wrapped will make a very nice stuffer, it's light and ids love it too.  Whatever you want to put in there totally depends on you, no specific rules and no certain restrictions.

We've had several talks about moving to a bigger apartment since we're still saving for our future house purchase.  We had to sort out the pros and cons of moving and came up with a decision to sacrifice a bit more with our little place right now because it will be more trouble for us to move right now.  The thought of having a bigger space is very tempting but with thorough and deep thinking, we figured out we can still make things work for us better here where we are right now.  

Getting an apartment before was very easy, not much paperwork as compared to how they do things nowadays.  Before you will just have to do the tenant screening and if passed, sign the contract and mostly that's it.  It doesn't work that way now, maybe in some other places but as far as where we live they do tenant referencing and tenant credit checks.  It's understandable that they want to secure that the tenant will be capable of paying off his or her monthly dues.  

It's okay to do all these credit check but what's hard is when you don't have any credit history and they have specifics about this matter.  What if you're just beginning with the whole renting thing and you're basically just starting to live on your own?  Of course not all will have the credit history as expected, most especially it's quite hard to apply for credit card for the first time.   

We believe we won't have any problems with these referencing and checking and we're not closing our mind regarding moving.  It will all happen when the time is right.  We'd love to give the best for our little boy by all means but he has to understand and appreciate also that in life we all go through certain compromises and responsibilities.  Through this he will learn how to value simple things and carry it with him as he grow old.

So many times we handed over to the manager those "misplaced" mails but there were times when that same mail keeps coming back to our auth florence mailbox, I just simply put it in the outgoing mail slot for the mailman to collect again.  I think I've done that 2-3 times already and the mail never came back.  The post office must have tagged it as returned, it's better that way so we're not held liable for any of those stray mails.

That's the only deal with florence mailboxes, it's usually a whole unit of multiple boxes.  Some mails might be misplaced and if someone doesn't care or doesn't know what to do, it might end up in their trash.  I hope none of our mails were accidentally placed in other unit's box, some people here don't really interact with their neighbors and if they happen to get it,they might just think it's a spam mail. 

Speaking of mails, I need to finish the bill that we have to mail out to our client.  Ciao for now, there's a good pile of mails waiting for me to be sorted. 

One of the many reasons why I haven't been updating our blogs and blog hopping is because I've been working on little by little our online thrift store.  Yup, we're launching our first online store which will have new and gently used items.  Since I've always been into business as a kid I think it's about time to give it a kick again.  Deciding on having it online is a better option for several reasons:  no need to pay for a store rental, setting up a shop requires so much work & time, and best of all I can still attend to our boy without having to sacrifice my time.  Having it online will be less stressful and more practical therefore we're really not losing anything by trying, in fact we'll be gaining experience from it.

The past 2 years I have been collecting and sorting things to include in our online store.  As far as merchandise count we have a good number of items both new and used.  I'll be focusing on selling here in US for the meantime so I can offer more free shipping or less shipping rates, unless somebody is really interested to purchase it internationally then I will figure out how I can do it without making the client pay too much on shipping.  I have taken some photos of a few merchandise and I just need to keep working on the site.  Our items will be linked to ebay for easier purchasing and payment.  

After all the works were done for the site then we'll proceed on getting affordable seo services to help improve search-ability of our site.  This way the probability of the site being exposed and visited will be much higher than just letting it sit alone.  I don't think I can handle much of the marketing because I am still doing other things so a little help can really be good.  This will just be a start of our online store, me and my bestfriend plan to do it also in the Philippines through her.  I will provide the merchandise from here, mostly brand name items in demand there.  One step at a time, no rush on things but we'll get there too.  For now the launch of our "thrifty means shop" is the current priority.

It's been a very tiring day for me having to clean our place almost the whole day, taking care of baby, cooking and organizing all over.  It was good because I was able to check things to throw and things to keep.  I also took the chance to recycle all the boxes we have, wrapping it in vinyl adhesive paper made it look like new and just like one of those shelving bins you buy from stores.  We got too much of those good boxes from all the deliveries over the holidays, instead of throwing it all out making new use of it.

Only today that me and baby practically stayed at home, all week long we were going to all of baby's appointments and doing grocery on the side too.  A day at home is something we need after a very busy week.  Baby has been changing his routine too, sleeping a lot more earlier and waking up so early too.  Keeping up with his activities can really be so draining, at least at home we have minimal running and I get to do some other little things on the side while he's busy playing silently with his toys or browsing through his books.  

During baby's self-playtime I finally get to check some of his toys and had the batteries recharged.  I had a little window time to finally get to check on the Apple laptop batteries which I've been meaning to check for so long.  I was able to catch up with some file organization and mail sorting as well.  A tiring day indeed but I managed to do so much, now I'm ready for the weekend!

Happy weekend to all! 

Baby is almost turning 2, roughly 2wks left and our little boy will be celebrating his birthday.  Up to now I can't decide what to do because the weather is changing and looks like it will be raining later on.  Having it over at the park is the best option but that is if the weather permits.  It is very ideal if the place can be big enough for the kids to play but also safe without us parents having to tail them every second.  

It can really be nice if we can have a sunny day at the park on a weekend because it's the more affordable way to do it.  Play area is free and there is no time limit,not even the picnic tables have to be paid.  We simply need to bring food and invite our guests, that's it.  Since I am not quite sure how will the weather be I am really trying to look for party places with play area for kids.  I don't think it's practical to rent a place without a play area, the kids will just be bored that way.  It will require more work on my behalf having to haul in toys for them to be busy about though it can be an option.

I am checking out The Jungle Fun where we used to go play indoor, they do cater birthday parties and it includes unlimited play time.  I think that alone is worth the pay already even if the birthday room has specific time.  Considering we have toddlers to attend to it's expected for us to carry bags and other things which will make it uncomfortable chasing them around.  One thing that's good in this place is their lockers.  The place has metal lockers available for visitors' use.  That way parents can be more hands free and can just focus on watching over our kids.  Since no shoes policy there, shoes are collected and placed in the wood lockers at the reception. 

I need to do a lot of thinking with hubs over the weekend and from there we will decide.  We have to keep checking the weather forecast so we can plan things accordingly.  Time flies so so so fast, our little boy is about to blow 2 candles on his cake pretty soon.  Kids really do grow up so fast!  Better enjoy every second and every moment possible and make memories to remember in time.

Lately there were alarming news about people losing their money in their bank accounts due to the tampered self-service checkout counter in one particular grocery here in US.  The situation became so uncontrollable that the store has issued a notice for people to close their accounts in order to save their money.  The amount of damage was in bigger scale, many people were affected and even up to this point I am not sure if the case has been resolved already.  

This incident gave me quite a scare too because I have information here can easily be accessed. I remember when I was offered a rewards card for ACE Hardware all that was asked from me was my phone number.  I was like "wow, just that?", right after the cashier typed in my number he showed me the personal information to verify.  Believe it or not all personal information are there, sadly it truly makes you feel so exposed.

People can't be blamed for being concerned about their confidentiality.  In this modern world where paper data are all translated into online data, it is important for companies to protect and secure customers' confidential information.  Company like Merill Brink translation services offers professional VDR solution for IPO process, keeping  secured online data room accessible through the internet.  Merill as one of the long standing technical translations services provider, with forty years of service to over 500 companies in the financial and legal industries.  Such company is in charge of keeping people's valuable information from being exposed and highly restricted to the public eyes. 

Me and hubs have a tv favorite every weekday evening, The Big Bang Theory.  At first we didn't pay attention to the show as it replaced one of our evening programs.  Not long enough I started getting curious because there's nothing really much to see and somehow a certain commercial attracted my attention.  I started watching it and later on hubs was hooked on it already.  We love it, it's funny and it's not the usual "non-sense" program on your everyday tv program.  We watch it everyday since then and even baby loved it whenever the opening music plays, he usually dances with it.  Of course we try our best to keep baby busy with something else because there are some scenes and word not suitable for our little one.

Every character has their own wit and charm but Sheldon undeniably performs his character really well.  It's always funny too how Rajesh and Howard try so hard to attract women.  They will always come up with certain skits and dialogues whenever they try to hit on a girl though most of the time they fail.  Rajesh somehow manages to work his way whenever he drinks some alcohol, his "mutism" disorder with ladies seems to disappear in an instant.  Lenard however makes us laugh when he puts up with Sheldon, only him knows Sheldon best among all of them aside of course from Penny.

How hard is it really to attract women?  Well it depends and the funniest way to know is to keep watching the super geeks of The Big Bang Theory.  What makes the show unique is that it's not all about sexuality and social issues, there are a lot of facts and theories being stated which are actually quite impressive.  I'm not sure if you'll like it too but worth giving it a try, you just might.

I love going out and bargain hunting in the mall or even just to stroll around and window shop. That's what I do a lot before when I didn't have a baby yet, now it's a totally different story. Going out even just to do a simple grocery, go to the post office or pick up mails can be hard, it all depends on my little boy's mood. There are times when he's on the go but once he feels like staying home and tired from all our playtime outdoors, I have to stay put and attend to him here at home. Compromised is the proper word to say, my time is very much compromised now and I can't just do things whenever I want and go wherever I wish to.

Don't get me wrong because I am not complaining, I am simply stating the facts why I embrace now online sopping. If before I can be all over anytime and still manage to juggle my work all together, now it's all about our boy and work whenever possible. It helps a lot to sop online for things most especially my groceries, I get to have things I need without going to the stores and spending a good hour to finish. Even baby's diaper supply I buy it online. It's way cheaper with a 15% discount plus free shipping, I can even decide whenever I want it shipped and how often. Very convenient huh?!

I do admit missing the fun of checking racks and aisles of goods looking for the best deals but even if I get to go to the malls and groceries, baby doesn't have all the patience in the world to ride in the cart and shop with mommy for so long. At least doing my online shopping gives me more freedom to check things without much pressures of having to rush because baby's getting fussy already. I do it here at home comfortably, with that I manage to get also the best deals using online coupons, discounts and all. One site which I love watching out for deals is nomorerack.com, they always have great items with huge discounts almost 75-90% off. Imagine that! If you are lucky enough (actually fast enough) to grab their deal of the day, you can get expensive items for merely fraction of its price.

There are many other sites where I love to shop but for mere fun of waiting for greatly discounted deals I go to nomorerack. Shipping is very reasonable for only $2 per item and if I were to pay for shipping this price is definitely a winner. What's cool on this site is your eligibility of grabbing free items and friend deals. It may be hard to get particular products you wish to see in their deals but you can always find something else. I can't complain with their prices, you can hardly find those items with the same price in stores unless you wait for some black Friday or cyber Monday deals.

No more tiring walks, long lines and time consuming sorting when you do things online, I get so save my time and energy to have more time to focus with our little boy and relax a bit too. I guess those are enough reasons for me to love doing most of my shopping online.

It's been a warm winter this year.  It's surprisingly warm enough for me and baby to be out and about without having the need to use our car.  On a really sunny day we usually stroll around the neighborhood and walk our way to the park.  Not much windy days too which gives the chill even on a hot sunny day.  

We particularly like going to Morgan Park because baby loves to play around the artificial rocks by the playground.  He would weave through the spaces and climb on to the biggest rock then start running around again.  Quite a workout for mommy to keep following him around, definitely not safe to let baby play unsupervised around those big rocks. 

Not only that we get to enjoy the park, going back home is also quite a sight.  We love passing by a very nice rental home with outdoor bamboo furniture, we get to enjoy a little break from the long and tiring walk.  Their outdoor sitting makes me feel a lot like home remembering our "bahay kubo" or nipa hut at the roof deck where we used to hang out and sing some karaoke.

If we were to have our own house here for sure we will get some of those outdoor furniture for the patio or garden.  Bamboo furniture gives a more homey feeling with an Asian touch of style therefore it's a winner for us.  Backyard X-scapes has great outdoor furnishing solutions which meets our taste.  The bamboos and other outdoor decorations are remarkably impressive for its price.  We've got the place to get our outdoor furnishings so all we need to have next is our own house to furnish and decorate.

"Laughter is the best medicine"

Rain chains are great addition to give a rustic appeal to any garden.  It has been used by the Japanese even before as alternatives to downspouts.  During earlier times, rain water is collected and stored intended for household usage.  A rain chain aids in transporting the rainwater for easier collection. 

Regular downspouts look plain and simple, if any it is better concealed than exposed.  Unlike rain chains which are decorative in design, it is very much ideal to have it as a water feature.  It is usually made of metal cups with holes in the bottom chained together in which where the rain water runs from a roof gutter.  Some rain chains are used as a stand alone water feature in garden, not necessarily mounted on a roof or to a gutter.

It is quite calming to see and hear the flowing water through the chains.  Sometimes during the cold winter season when temperature drops it is even more pleasant looking through the frozen chains rain water.  It's like glistening icicles in the middle of the frosty garden.  Whether it is running water or frozen as ice, it adds a certain charm to any space.