Ways to Deal with Adversities

  My children are very observant and they listen to every little thing that   we say at home.   They can feel the energy that my husband and I have everyday so we try our very best to be  of good energy so we can transfer it to them.  At home we can influence   their mood but when they go out, we can't control what is going on so it is  a hard thing to deal with, however, there are ways we can help our children to cope up and deal with adversities.

 FIND  CREATIVE ACTIVITIES for THEM TO DO - this will take their mind off  the things that are bothering them.  My kids love to  do  any outdoor  activities so even during  winter, they would insist to  do things  outside.  I was a little hesitant to let  them  play in the snow when we had that  frigid  temperature but something was bothering them especially my  daughter  who is very  sensitive so I let them  play outside.  They told me about  a tension that is  going on in the school  and I feel bad that they have to go through that but I guess it is part of the learning process.

FIND  GROUP ACTIVITIES - we are so lucky that most of the parents in our children's classes are  close to us.  Being in a small community is advantageous because  everyone seems to know everybody so when there are events, we always get notified and  we attend  every chance we  get.  One of the Moms organized a bowling night after a tension-filled week at the school to give the students some breather.  It was also a fun night for us parents.

MUSIC  -  a lot of people can connect to music.  Music is  one big part of my children's coping mechanism.  My daughter plays piano when she is bored or  stressed.  Another best way to deal with  adversity is through arts and crafts, there are so many  arts and crafts project that you can do with your children  at home.  These are just some of the ways that works best for my kids.

Steps for Remodeling Your Home

Do you have plans to have your home remodeled at some point in the near future? If you do, it is critical that you educate yourself regarding what is involved in this sort of undertaking. There are big and small remodeling jobs. However, there are certain things that you will need to do regardless of the size of the project. Knowing what you need to do will help your remodeling job go much more smoothly with less of a chance that something will go wrong. Here are the steps you should follow when you are going to have your home remodeled.

Living Room

1. Decide the exact specifications of the remodeling project that you want to have completed.

It is important that you know exactly what you want to have done before you hire a contractor to remodel your home. A contractor will need to order materials and possibly rent equipment based on the project that he will be overseeing. Therefore, you must be decisive on this matter. It will be very difficult if you start changing your mind about certain aspects of the project when the contractor and his crew have already started working.

2. Hire a contractor who has experience doing the specific type of remodeling work that you need.

Not all contractors are knowledgeable about all areas of remodeling a home. Therefore, it will be necessary for you to hire kitchen remodelers  if you want to have work done on your kitchen. Make sure you determine how much experience the contractor has. You should not hire anyone who has under three years of experience doing the type of remodeling that you require.

3. Schedule appointments with contractors to get price quotes.

Contact the contractors who have the necessary qualifications to do the job. Schedule appointments with all of them. These people will come to your home and take a look at the areas that you want to have remodeled. They will quote you a price for the total project. You can then compare the prices of the contractors to see which ones are the most affordable.

4. Prepare your home for renovation.

Block off the area of your home that will be remodeled. Put up barriers to prevent small children from wandering into the area by accident. Post signs so visitors to your home know that construction is going to be taking place in that area.

A Great Start to 2017

We kicked off our 2017 by attending the Sunday mass and  visiting  my father-in-law after wards.   It is important  for the  kids to spend  as much time with their Pap now  that he is still around. Dad might not  recognize us anymore but I want them to show their   love to their grandfather no matter what the circumstance is.  He was there for them  all those time since they were born and it  is fitting that they return the  love  especially now.  It's sad to see  that Alzheimer's really take a toll on Dad.  

 During our visit, I  discovered that in order to engage him fully in our conversation, we kept telling him about the times when he would rock the kids to sleep and he seems to enjoy that and  laugh about it.  So from now on, we will use this tactic to get him engage in a conversation.

 Dad will be 95 years old this year and we hope that he could be relocated  near our area so we could visit him frequently.  He   gets  very good care at Gables though so that's  a good thing although we are so far away from him.

 He was attending a church service when we arrive so after  we visited him, we decided to take him back to the church.

 Our son  volunteered to  push his w\heelchair which I thought was a sweet gesture.  I remember those  times when Dad would take the kids on a stroller and walk them around all the time.  I miss those times.

 It's really nice that the  facility   provide this kind of service to the senior folk.  The singing really entertains them.

 To end the first day of our new year, we started  building a 1000 pieces puzzle as part of our family bonding at the end of the day.

It was a great day to start our new year.  How about you, what did you guys do during the first day of the year 2017?  My Mom always told me when I was a kid that no matter what you do on the first day of the year, that's what you will  do for the rest of the year.  ABC Wednesday

Christmas 2016 at Home

Christmas morning is always exciting  for every family, ours included.  Our children always have a hard time  falling asleep on Christmas eve for the excitement  over  opening gifts the next day.  This year was a little different because our kids  knew  the truth about Santa already.  It doesn't mean that they are less excited, they are more excited if  we can top what Santa brought them over the years.  As it turned out they said that this year is the best Christmas ever (but they always say that lol).

Last year, I had the feeling that  our daughter  had a suspicious about Santa but she didn't say anything.  This year, she wrote something about Santa  and her brother  accidentally read it so we told them that they are old enough to be "Santa" themselves so they can make someone happy this Christmas by being  the Santa.  They were ecstatic about the idea.

Our new neighbor is so nice.  Last Halloween, they left some  treats for the kids at our porch and this Christmas, they also brought them some gifts.  Thanks Larry and Karen, you guys  reminds  us of our former neighbors who became our family in the former  neighborhood that we lived in.

These are the gifts that they have  brought us.  My son had this  remote controlled car, my daughter had an art set and they also gave us this  art piece for our new home.  We loved everything.  We always thank God for always   giving us great neighbors no matter where we live.

Our daughter is like a mini-me, she loves  making something personalized to give as a gift. 

She made this one for her brother which I think was really  awesome and thoughtful!

Our fur babies have their own gifts as well.  Fresh lettuce for our guinea pig Dunkin and a new ball for our super hyper  Jack Russell Terrier, Champ.  I recorded a video of Champ opening his gift and it was awesome, I haven't had the chance to upload it though.

When it comes to  stocking stuffer, I love getting my kids some things that they can use like toothbrushes, undies, socks, mittens, and sweets!

I love this new  keyboard my husband got me for Christmas.  It lights up  whenever it's dark which I really love.  He also tried to get me  something for protecting myself when I go  jogging or walking by myself but he had to cancel it because of some legal laws where he bought it.  He would still get it though, he just need to have a it shipped in one of the  stores here in our places for  legality purposes.

Our kids  got some stuff for us too.  They got me and my husband a new tennis rackets.  They said, we don't have  an excuse now if we lose to them.  Now that's a real challenge there because they are better  in tennis compared to us lol.

I really love how thoughtful these kiddos are when it comes to giving gifts.

My son's face lit up when he saw one of his gifts, a football.

Here they are sporting some of their presents.  

The big gifts they received  includes violin for  her and a laptop for  him.  Just seeing how  happy our children  were for the gifts they received is already a great gift for me and my husband.  Celebrating  the first Christmas here at our new home  was great.  We reminisce our  old times at our first home but glad we have a home now that provide us enough space for all of us.  This year has been  full of ups and downs for us but we are truly grateful for all the blessings that we  have received especially A NEW HOME.  From my family to yours, we wish a  joyful and fruitful new year.

Fun-filled First Football Season

"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. "Vince Lombardi

Is anyone else  glad that the election is over?  I know I am!  I can finally watch  TV without negative ads on, oh boy, I am so glad.  Half of the nation is happy and  half of the  nation might be sad or devastated  with the result.  But you know what, no matter what the result is, we should  accept it and move on.  After all, it is not the government that would fix our  problem but us.  It is up to us to address whatever issues we have with  our lives.    Protesting or rioting on the street will not do any good.  I know  we have the right to voice our opinions and concerns but I wish that it is not done the same manner as what we are seeing these past two days.  Oh my, what a thing  for the world to see.  But anyway, nuff said!  

 Working together can really achieve success.  If we can just put  all our  energy into doing something productive, we will be alright.  Anyhow, I took these photos during the last home game of the Jr. Dons football.

This season was a learning experience for all these little fellas.  It was a learning experience for me too as I didn't have any idea how football works  despite my  husband's effort in explaining it to me lol.  I guess when you have a  child who love the sport, you will  get to learn the sport.

Most of these kids are first time players so  they were defeated  for every game they played.  Most of the teams they played against were  in the higher grades and they have years of experience compared to them.  But it was okay, they will be better  next year and the year after that.  They need more practice to be good at it.

The most important thing is that, they had fun while learning how to play.  

They made friends with other kids and the sport taught them about working together as a team and the camaraderie  and sportsmanship

Parents also  learned how to work together as team by volunteering.  I worked at a concession stand once and hubby work on the field with the markers.

We are looking forward to another season next year.  For now, we are glad it is over.  While it is fun, it can be exhausting also.  

Till next season again.  I will  always be scared for my son's safety but  this sport is teaching him a lot of lesson so it is worth it.  I will just keep my prayers that  God will protect him and all the other kids from harm while they play the sport.  Until  next time..