Stay at Home Mom Project - Document your Kid's firsts

Congratulations to Cristine and her homemade water colors with Vien, you are our March 15 Sahm Project winner, you win Swarovski Austria mementos!

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Parents, as well as grandparents are always happy to see the first step of their babies or grandkids. It will be all the more fun if it is captured, remember; it's one of those Kodak moments!

However, a photo would not really show that a baby is actually walking so a video would be better, it may not always really be the very first step but at least the very first walk the baby did after learning to balance itself.

Here is my older son, at 9 months old (+ days) walking. His very first step was actually on March 13, 2004 (8 months and 6 days) , this video was taken a month after as he was hesitant to really walk and would prefer to crawl (babies get lazy sometimes).

Second son (below) was a little late in the walking department, his first step was on January 7, 2007 (9 months and 8 days) and this video was sometime in February.

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Then, there is also a recording of baby's first time to laugh, crawl and have a tooth among others. I did a little digiscrapping to it, got it printed and placed in the first pages of my daughter's baby album. (Materials courtesy of Marie @ http://freedigitalscrapbooking.com/)

Thank you for dropping by today's SAHM Project. Please don't forget to leave your urls so I and other moms could visit.

Green Thumb Sunday - Learning to love plants

11 March 08

My daughter had a small project at school...they were given a plastic cup and some seeds, they would plant the seeds and watch them grow, but she was absent from class the day it was given so she was a little late to submit it. She asked for some soil and whole-heartedly sprinkled the seeds on it then asked me for some water. She would then patiently water the 'glass' everyday.

Nevertheless, 5 days after her patience paid off! Voila! That's her cress which she ate two days ago with butter and bread! ;-)

16 March 08

Join the Fun, show what nature is about

Photo Hunt - high

25 March 08

Views from a high building, well I was inside our apartment (9th floor) and above photo is the view from the North window, below photo is from the East window. Both photos taken after a brief falling of snow on a Spring day!

You might also want to join the SAHM Project (Stay At Home Mom Project). Simply click here.

Photo safety

I have been putting photos of my kids without thinking of any risks regarding theft, misuse or other harm some rascals may be up to. I think all of us when posting photos or writing our thoughts gives our audience a certain challenge like 'see my photo and judge it!' or 'read my article and edit it!'

But really, how harmful could it be for us to post photos of our young ones out here? I'd like to hear from you, especially moms...

Project Ex-links

1. Pinay Mommy Online 2. RedRuby\'s Euroangel Graffiti 3. Wena 4. Joliber Mapiles 5. marc 6. janine 7. gizelle

8. Homegirl Space 9. sweetmommy28 10. http://www.huwaw.com - Pinoy\'s Favorite Websites, Videos, Pictures atbp! Visit na!! 11. recepsionist 12. Princess-2 13. nebis 14. Free Essay Website

15. WWW Addict 16. Simply The Best 17. anna 18. Lowell and Julian 19. Rhea Calma 20. Ms. Carla\'s place 21. Annie

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1. Pinay Mommy Online 2. OnlineBiz and Resources 3. Island Paradise 4. Momhood Moments 5. RedRuby 6. Pinaymama 7. Business Mars

8. JeansWomen 9. Pampss 10. Sheng\'s Simple Thoughts 11. Nelle - LucidCreativity 12. janice 13. Femikey 14. sunshineforlife

15. arlene 16. Prily 17. wiselythomas 18. All Things Cherished 19. Pinayjade 20. Mar Roxas for President in 2010

Learn more about Project Exlinks here.

MyPersonality - The Advocate

Kcee has been sending me a lot of stuff that I enjoy, the latest would be this Personality test which resulted to me being an (ENFP) Advocate - that's Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling Perceiving.






Description said as follows: ENFPs are introspective, values-oriented, inspiring, social and extremely expressive. They actively send their thoughts and ideas out into the world as a way to bring attention to what they feel to be important, which often has to do with ethics and current events. ENFPs are natural advocates, attracting people to themselves and their cause with excellent people skills, warmth, energy and positivity. ENFPs are described as creative, resourceful, assertive, spontaneous, life-loving, charismatic, passionate and experimental.

I was not surprised to see ENFP Career Matches to include what hubby and I could be (we are almost identical its scary) those in the list were: journalist, art director, designer, editor, painter, public relation, writer...but I was most happy to see homemaker.

Among the description listed I like this one most:

"ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it."
- Portrait of an ENFP (The Personality Page)

Now I wanna know what Oggi, Panaderos, Lynda, Atari, and Kylies' personalities are.

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Technorati Tag Repost



Backed with popular demand, here’s the technorati tag again.



I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes let’s hope a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:
One of the fastest ways to see your Technorati Authority explode!
Increase your Google PageRank fast
Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
Build your community
Make new friends!


And these are the people who already took part on this tag:
*Blognation, Pinoytek, Reyna, Bluep, Kotsengkuba, Buraot, Iris, KCee, Banco De Reyna, Mitch, Melai, Malen, Beng, Sasha, Divaness, Jojitah, Joanjoyce, Gzel, you!

On Hoshimura Mai's 'Sakura Biyori'

Another Bleach ending that I like.

Romaji Lyrics

juuroku de kimi to ai
hyakunen no koi wo shita ne
hirahira to maiochiru
sakura no hanabira no shita de

aitakute kakenuketa
hi no ataru kyuu na sakamichi ya
kouen no sumi futari no kage wa
ima mo kawaranu mama

kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
marude nagai yume kara sameta you ni
miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora

suki deshita suki deshita
egao sakisometa kimi ga
boku dake ga shitte ita
migigawa yawarakana ibasho

sakura no shita no yakusoku
"rainen mo koko ni koyou" tte
nando mo tashikameatta kedo
ima mo hatasenu mama

kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni sotto yomigaeru
kimi mo ima dokoka de miteru no kanaa
ano hi to onaji momo-iro no sora

oikaketa hibi no naka ni
kizamareta ashiato wa
nani yori mo kakegae no nai takaramono

kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
tomedonai omoi ga afuredashiten
amida ga komiageta

kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
mada minu mirai wo mune ni daite
miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora

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English Translation

I met you at sixteen
And we shared a love a hundred years old
Under the fluttering, dancing downpetals of the sakura tree

I wanted to meet you, so I ran on the steep hill road where sunlight lands
and in the corner of the park our two shadows are unchanging even now

You, and me, and the sakura weather
I sway in the wind and dance back again
As if I had just awoken from a long dream
I look up and see a pink sky

I was in love; I was in love with you as your smile began to blossom
I alone knew aboutthat soft place on your right side
The promise under the sakura tree of
"Let's come here again next year"
We reaffirmed it to each other so many times but it remains unfulfilled even now

You, and me, and the sakura weather
I am gently revived by the wind
I wonder if now, you're looking at it too,the same pink sky we saw that day
I chased after those days;the footprints engraved in them are the most irreplaceable treasure

You, and me, and the sakura weather
I sway in the wind and dance back again
My endless emotions overflowed out of meand tears filled my heart
You, and me, and the sakura weatherI sway in the wind and dance back again
Holding to my chest a future I can't yet seeI look up and see a pink sky

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I Spy Sunday - Guidelines and List of things to Spy

Please use this photo and link back to this page.






1. A theme for each Sunday is listed here.

2. Post a photo in your site that best depicts the theme. Fun posts are also welcome. Please post your own photos only. You may post your photo as a second object if you have a City Daily photo.

3. Leave your url on the Sunday post here so we all have a list of who are participating. (I will be doing the Mr. Linky post too soon.)

4. If you would like to suggest themes please do so and if you would like a best post for the week we will work out a voting system.

-This meme is to enhance our skills in the different approaches of photography while at the same time presenting stuff from our City. I surely hope we'll have fun!

Theme list

This list will be updated often so please check back once in a while.

April/May - Macrophotography

April 20 - Pollen/Stamen

April 27 - Pencil

May 4 - Grass

May 11 - Seeds

May 18 - (open for suggestion)

May 25 - Free macro subject

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June - Still Life Photography

June 1 - Chess

June 8 - Window

June 15 - Fruits

June 21 - Cat

June 29 - Lamp

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Green Thumb Sunday - Plum blossoms

Another Flower Macro shot, but this time plum blossoms. Above, white ones which really makes me smile...notice that below is the actual size of a plum blossom.

This small blossoms when together looks so elegant, very much like a Japanese woman wearing a kimono. Also, in Japanese culture, they play much during weddings and other occasions. It is about this time of the year too (perhaps last week) that they celebrate the Plum Blossom Festival.

But what made me smile the most are the pink plum blossoms! I thought at first that they are cherry blossoms but looking closely they do not have much petals. So far, my most favorite flowers (in order) are sakura (cherry blossoms), tulips and ume (plum blossoms). How about you? What's your most favorite flower?

Join

Photo Hunt - Metal

Metal Ostrich.
8 February 08.

As part of a recycling project, a youth organization near our area created this big bird out of metal scraps. The bird is as tall as the tree nearby.



For more please visit: PhotoHunt.

You might also want to join the SAHM Project (Stay At Home Mom Project). Simply click here.

How to make your blogger photos bigger when clicked

Following the tutorial last time, this topic is about making your blogger photos even bigger when clicked on.

Go back into that tutorial to learn about flickr. When you have uploaded your photo, select it then click the link just above the editor. See where the link button is in the illustration below.

When you click the link button, a hyperlink pop up window where you will be prompted to select the type of link you will include will be shown.

Sometimes, this feature will be blocked, all you have to do is click the pop up that will show and select 'allow scripting.'

The default for the hyperlink type is http: so don't change this.

You then go to your photo in flickr. Select all sizes and the various sizes of your photo available will be shown.

Choose large and scroll down. Just like last tutorial, there are 2 ways in linking photos from flickr to blogger.

We did number one when we want only a bigger photo than we usually have. This time, choose option number 2, the one with the photo's url.

Copy the code and paste it to the pop up box and click ok.

Finish your post and then publish. Click your photo to see the results.

Tagged -Viral

This tag is really something! I got this from Kcee I thought it would be easy to just copy and paste but the links got lost as I do. Well, twas worth anyway...thanks Kcee!

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Cut and paste the following starting here.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

BaReFooTed Me, Mirage as Usual, add your site here..

So who am I tagging now?

Jam, Ida, Eastcoastlife, Rach, Sandy, and Dyosa - please email me a hello at dog_lapss@yahoo.com so I can email you the html... =)

Stay At Home Mom Project - Tea-candle Glass Decoration

I have been collecting candles and candle holders for as long as I can remember...as I was caught in the hype when I was still in the Philippines. I still buy some up until now but due to lack of space at home I could only buy small ones.

For today's SAHM Project, the kids and I simply decorated our own tea-candle holders.





What you will need:

Clear,small glasses (in which a tea-candle will fit)
Tea candles
Window color gels

Wet tissue (to wipe off colors from hands)
apron




How to:



Squeeze the gel on glass, make patterns, dots or draw anything you like. Just make sure that you hold the glass properly so it won't get wiped off or stuck on fingers.












Use different colors alternately...pause for about two minutes to let the gel dry up before using another color. This will minimize the risk of wiping the color off or mixing them with other colors even at the tip.










































And there! Have the gel completely cool.










Finished products, that of the youngest has been rubbed off a little, he was happy holding the glass however he wanted.














By daughter and by me. =D














With lit tea-candles.









Two thumbs up for Mommy Razz and cutie Nicole who were the first to post for today's SAHM Project. Mommy receives a Big Hello Kitty bag while Nic gets a smaller one....please go visit their 'clay play'.

Get the chance to win too, post yours now!

Photo Hunt - I Spy

I spy...a Sp(y)der!

For more please visit: PhotoHunt.

You might also want to join the SAHM Project (Stay At Home Mom Project). Simply click here.

Separation Anxiety?

My son will be 2 years old in 2 weeks time. Though a little young, I thought that it would be good for him if he goes now to the same Kindergarten where his older brother goes. If he gets used to it, I'd have a few hours in the morning to do things at home or perhaps go on a language or cooking course.

As part of the integration, I am to stay with him for the meantime until he gets used to being with Moni and Gabi and the other kids.

While there, I was able to take photos of him enjoying everything and seeing how he enjoys it there made me think of the times when we were playing together...those times when I was teaching him how to say dog, hund, inu, el perro and aso or cat, katze, neko, el gato and pusa...and how I would laugh when he would keep insisting that a pig is an 'aso' or a cow is also an 'aso.' How he would make me laugh as he says words with 's' in a funny way...

Like, him being in the kindergarten means less for me to do but less fun for the day too! He would help me hang the clothes to dry, he would pick them up one by one and give it to me while saying 'Momie, o' motioning a shirt up for me to take. When we're finished, he would take the hamper back to the washroom...

He has had times of being naughty, sure. But most of the time, he is naughty only when he is with his dad. =D

One time, after bringing my daughter to school, I saw as i opened the door; him, with a very patient expression as if waiting for me. Hubby said he got angry as the little boy played with butter, and at the same time spilled cooking oil on the floor-lol.


I still got lots to say about the things I'd miss with my little boy not being around. How he would feed everything to the fishes, like paper and coins, or how he would put a whole tissue roll down the toilet bowl and how he would scribble permanent ink on our sofa and walls.


Tsk tsk...I guess it is true, moms have more of the separation anxiety than the kids, no? =D

It really is hard to let go, or it is too early to let go and see my little boy becoming independent, not needing mommy anymore...*sigh*

Annoyed

It was not a good day. I was standing at the waiting shed for 5 minutes with my 2 boys. I saw the bus coming so I positioned the stroller, getting ready to heave it up. The annoying thing happened, the bus didn't stop, the driver looked at me, motioned his head like saying 'oooppss' and shrugged his shoulders... =(

So what I did is take the plate number and wrote it along with the time he passed us by...coz as a rule, the buses should stop no matter what! Unless they are broken are what we call Sonderwagen, they should stop! I unfortunately forgot to call the Wiener Linien, the government owned transportation sstem in Vienna...I know there isn't much telling them could do but its SOP too so, bus driver of 32A 2149 LO going to Strebersdorf at 8:15 am, you saw us at Rittingergasse, hope next time you stop so we don't get late to whatever things we should attend to! =P

Annoyed

It was not a good day. I was standing at the waiting shed for 5 minutes with my 2 boys. I saw the bus coming so I positioned the stroller, getting ready to heave it up. The annoying thing happened, the bus didn't stop, the driver looked at me, motioned his head like saying 'oooppss' and shrugged his shoulders... =(

So what I did is take the plate number and wrote it along with the time he passed us by...coz as a rule, the buses should stop no matter what! Unless they are broken are what we call Sonderwagen, they should stop! I unfortunately forgot to call the Wiener Linien, the government owned transportation sstem in Vienna...I know there isn't much telling them could do but its SOP too so, bus driver of 32A 2149 LO going to Strebersdorf at 8:15 am, you saw us at Rittingergasse, hope next time you stop so we don't get late to whatever things we should attend to! =P

Green Thumb Sunday - Spring and planting

7 March 2008

Yesterday, I posted crocus buds, today this blossom...I took this the same day with the buds...was the first to open up.

I went to the Garden supplies shop some time last month to buy some soil and also additional pots. I bought a plant with many off shoots from a nearby grocery store (yes, they sell plants too lol). So I decided to divide the off shoots and that's why there's the need to buy soil and pots =).

The smallest sack available were 20L, I took one and there still remains much soil until now.

While looking for a pot I saw these! Well, just inside the shop and none in the streets yet, only the crocuses are really visible.










Here's one of the many off shoots of the bigger plant, which name unfortunately run off from my memory (again!). Waaaahhh!

Happy GTS everyone!








Join the Green Thumb Sunday!

Photo Hunt post - "Different"

Buds are up!

7 March 2008

Found some crocus buds yesterday of two different colors, yellow and violet. Aren't they nice? For more please visit: PhotoHunt.

You might also want to join the SAHM Project (Stay At Home Mom Project). Simply click here.

Stay At Home Mom Project - Call for Participation

I have been posting some stuff I do at home as a stay at home mom (SAHM). So now I am creating this meme for all moms: stay at home moms, work at home moms(WAHM) and working moms out there!

1. Blog about things that you do with your kids; a)small or big projects such as painting, glass-candleholder decoration, visiting museums or baking.

b)Personal stories of you setting up a small business at home, how to do it and how you handle it or things that you could suggest to other stay at home moms. (Please don't forget to include a photo or two). You can also blog about things that you do or did to improve your skills, learn something new or enhance self-esteem.

Previous posts are welcome as long as they include photos.

2. I will be posting every 1st and 15th of the month, and would also feature one mom with the most unique suggestion. She would also be receiving some small tokens from me sent to her mailing address =). The chosen mom for the 1st of the month will be featured on the 15th and the chosen mom on the 15th will be featured on the 1st week of the next month and so on...


3. For the title please use “SAHM Project: (What your project is)” or something like that. Tag your post with SAHM Project.

4. Visit Mirage as Usual on the 1st and 15th and let everybody know what you've posted by leaving the URL on my posted SAHM Project for that day.

5. Everybody loves comments, so be generous...leave comments for those who are participating as much as you can, this way others will also find yours.

6. Right click on the image and save then link back to this post by placing it on your sidebar or in your post. Sorry about this, I've been learning how to upload the code that we can use but I am an amateur at HTML and coding. New Icons are also welcome.

Support this project, let others know!