Vote for my girls : M Magazine Halloween Cuties Contest.

Above is the photo I entered for M Magazines Halloween cuties contest. All you need to do is 'Like' M Magazine on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mmagazinebayarea and go through the pictures submitted under Halloween Cuties Contest. I think my entry was number 19 on the album.
Want to enter your little one? Send their non-professional photo to lindsey@lindseyfreitas.com with their name and age! You could win a free shoot with Bellalu Photography!! Voting ends on Nov 5th!

Donkey: "Celebrity Marriages, they don't last ,do they?"

I am not watching 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' for one reason, we don't have cable at home only Educational,kid movies and the likes. But really I don't think I would even if I could, too much drama. Oh well you don't need to anyway they are everywhere, magazines,Internet,Radio and Twitter. The latest Buzz was the recent divorce after only 72 days of being married to Kris Humphries ,now whether it is a publicity or not, the whole thing is CRAZY. Even me writing about it is crazy. But whatever is true,TV plot or not, people love keeping up with the Kardashians.

On the serious note, celebrity marriages,they don't last do they? But why go through the whole thing for nothing. Oh well I don't want to sound so affected lol! If you love the spotlight,you will do what you gotta do to get there. I read an article from a magazine about Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's divorce,that it was for the sake of their kids. Since when is being having divorce parents a better choice for the kids? In the Philippines (at least how I grew up knowing) it is always because of the kids why couples stay married,even if parents sleep in different rooms. It's the sacrifice you have to make as parents. I remember a friend,who was once abused by her husband,I asked her why stay? She said she can't leave because she love her kids,she does not want them growing up without a father. I don't know if there are still stories like that back home, maybe Philippines is now influenced by Hollywood's lifestyle. Oh well, but I don't know why I'm sad. Do I wish I'm a celebrity,yes! sometimes..if you catch my drift!?!?

Too Personal!

This blog is pretty much new, Yes I started it since 2008 but I had only one or two posts back then and I lost interest (got hooked to Facebook,for sure just like many others). It is only this year, about 3 months ago actually that I found out how much I enjoyed blogging. I was wondering if it's okey to write something personal that is too personal, like admitting on the web how much I am struggling within. Admitting it out loud to my self is scary how much more venting it out 'cyberly'. I don't know. I heard it's a good thing to vent on the web and be surprise how much advice you get from people you don't even know. And that you are not alone with your struggle. I don't want to sound like I complain too much, I also know that sometimes friends get tired of listening to the same b#llS*#t you are telling them that all they want to see from you is to finally do something. Sometimes,griping is likely to put you down than giving you benefit,I found that out to be true. Today I want to start a complain-free day and see if I could last a week, NOT- complaining is free anyway.

Our 2011 Halloween

This Years Halloween is the best Halloween night we had so far because of the beautiful weather. I think this was the first time, I didn't freeze to death or got drizzled on. With the exemption that my youngest, bridgybrat is not feeling good. She had a temperature, so she was on a "carry me mommy" mood. Too much candy from Last night.

I have to hide the rest of the candies they got from trick or treating cause I know what is going to happen,they will eat 'em all in one sitting. Went trick or treating today at Tait Avenue, the Los Gatos legendary closed street halloween event, It was crazy crowded.But we are definitely going back there next year. And good thing we came early, we had time to go back trick or treating around our neighborhood where it wasn't as crazy as Tait Avenue. We got better candies too, better means Kitkats and Twixx. Love' em!

By the way,Corrine is wearing Doniella's costume here last year, Bridget is wearing Corrine's little red riding hood costume two years ago. I guess part of the privileges of being the eldest is always getting the new ones. Or until her younger sisters don't yet know how to complain.

I came as my self except for my $2 props, my spider head piece that gave me headache :(

Word-less Sunday

DIY: Jasmine Tea Toner/Moisturizer

An unlikely friend /acquaintance (that is even questionable) brought a bunch of Tea bags from different Hotels He has stayed. This one, intrigued me cause of how it was packaged,Pyramid. Neat actually a scented Tea wrapped in this cute little pyramid bag.

So I tried it,brew the tea pyramid bag but, it was too bitter for me. In short I didn't like it. I was tempted to pour it in the sink but then I realized, I saw a Youtube tutorial about a "Do- it- yourself" Tea Toner or Moisturizer using Green Tea. So I said, the heck a tea is a tea right, I hate to waste an expensive looking tea. On the video she mixed a little bit of Olive oil to the mixture, I didn't do that.

I just put it in a little travel size spray bottle that looks just like these guys that I got cheap from the drugstores. And put it in the refrigerator. Now I have my own antioxidant sspray

So Now every time I feel like my face is dry I just quickly spray it on my face, It feels so refreshing and it smells terrific! If I ran out, I'll try the Green Tea next time, it may not smell like this scented Jasmine Tea. I heard green Tea has a lot of health benefit to your skin.

Getting even? Who taught you that?

My two year old just hit me in the forehead, of course it hurts and I am the only one to blame :-(

Well,She usually does it with objects, when something hurts her. She come to me every time she bumped into something and always want to me to hit it back.

Like for example she bump on the table, she would want me to spank the table back and say "bad table huh? it hurt you,you bad table you!" and to anything that hurts her. She always tell me what her sisters did to her and she would want me to reprimand them. So to soothe her hurt little ego, mommy gave in. I'll pretend I hit the object back, the stuff that hurt her. Although I know you are not supposed to say " No, hitting!" to your kid and yet you do it right? Mommy mistake # 101 ( Oh and I do have a lot!). One day, her lips hit my head ( hit it pretty hard too) while playing with her. She cried and asked me to kiss her boo-boo, so I did. I said sorry to her, that it was just an accident but then out of nowhere after she stopped crying, slapped my forehead. Hard! I was caught unaware,so she hit my right eye pretty good. It was painful but what are you gonna do? She learned it from me I guess, internalized what I've been doing to those objects that hurt her and did it to me. Time to change huh? Yes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** That is my little drawing up there by the way,thought I tried :)

An Event like No Other with A Piano like no other!

I was thankful I did say yes to my husband when he asked me to go with to this Event at Ralston Mansion in Belmont. He's been working with this piano for about 3 years or so and it has been a long journey. To have it finally showcased to the public is amazing.

The event was overflowing with musically talented people. Theodora Martin is an amazing pianist,who blown everybody away. What a phenomenal pianist,beautiful girl too. I admit I didn't really dig Classical music but I was just so blown away by her talent, I wish she is my daughter. My husband is her number one fan too,eversince we met her and her family about 5 yrs ago. He was always vocal about how unbelievable Theodora is,She was 13 when we first heard her play. The Talent is overflowing last night. They had Marcia Cope-Hart ,an Opera singer and Kaye Bohler,who is a Blues/Jazz singer, both are equally amazing performers/singers.

If you are in the market for a Steinway Piano or someone you know,this one is up for grabs. I heard this historic piano is in the market for $675,000.00. It will be displayed at The Rose Collection in Los Gatos,California.

I had a great time. I saw some Friends I haven't seen in years. The Cheese and wines are great too. It was more of a date night for me and my husband more than a business affair. Time away from our three little brats.

Below are some Photos of the Piano with my husband and my 84 yr old Father-in-law.

Relapse ba ni bai or 'Bughat'

'Bughat'- I grew up hearing the word but I don't really know the exact English translation up until now. I believe its medical term is Postpartum depression. But in my case, my third child is already 26 months old and postpartum is not the right word to describe what is happening with my body. Am right? or could it still be?
I have this headache that is so painful like the most painful kind of headache,my hair is thinning, I feel so sluggish and tired as if I walked a mile in my red stiletto. My mood is swinging 180 degrees almost everyday,I have hormonal acne which I never had before even when I was in my teens & 20's, my sex drive is as slow as 1/2 mile an hour. I'm screwed. I'm in my 30's, 3 kids and bazillion stretch marks after, I was not anticipating this fight against my hormones.
So,I called my mom in the Philippines and she said " Pag tuob Inday kay panuhot na,o nabughat tingali ka nak,sige man jud ka palipas og gutom!" She's been telling me to do 'Tuob' since after I gave birth with my eldest. " Unsa man jud ang tambal sa Bughat ma? " So I did the inevitable, I 'Tuob' my self. I don't know how to say it in English ,I'm sorry but I explained it to my husband as an improvised Steam Spa at home. I boiled a pot water with 'dukot' rice, covered my self with a thick old comforter we have and stayed there as long as I can hold. I was extra careful not to get burnt because the space under the comforter is tight with you and the hot steaming pot. I was all sweaty from the steam when I came out, and the funny thing is, I felt really good afterwards. Don said 'what kind of Filipino Voodoo is that?'
I did some research about the health benefits of steam spa, steam helps cleanse your skin and remove toxins,it helps stiff joints,it helps reduce stress,raise your metabolism, improve your complexions and quite a lot more. Interesting huh? so the Filipino especially the Visayans cause 'bughat' is 'part jud sa atung' vocabulary are improvising and since we can't afford steam spa or we just don't have means to do it...our ancestors are kind of heading towards the right direction when they discovered 'Tuob,madiskarte kasi ang pinoy' it's very innovative concept actually lol.If there is a will ,there is a way! And since we're not rich (yet,lol) and we can't afford to install steam spa in our home,I think I'll do the Filipino version for now.

Puff The Magic Dragon.

Doniella: I don't like smoking!
Me: Why?
Doniella: Because it's bad for you!

My 6 yr old knows that smoking is bad for your health, and I always let her know why and teach her the effects of second hand smoking as well. So every time she sees someone smoking she make gestures like covering her nose and pretend she's coughing. There was one time that she approached a guy and told him...

" did you know smoking is bad for you?"

Good thing the guy was very sports and told her that he is Puff The Magic Dragon and came up with some silly stories why he is doing what he is doing. But that is not always the case, you can't just tell someone to quit or question them about why they are smoking and expect a silly defensive answer. You might get an answer like, " Why do you care?" or " shut up,b*t@h!." Well, It's their health after all. They can do what they want to do with their free time right? I always thought that it would be cool to come up with something that would not invade other people's environment or those who don't smoke. Something that can be an alternative to smoking that would be really cool.

Monday's Video : Jars of Hearts by Christina Perri

I first heard of this Song from GLEE sung by Lea Michelle and I was like... "what is that song?" I love it so much,I love Lea's Version just because. So I gotta know who did it right? I've listened to this song and watched it on Youtube prolly a thousand times. So here it is,enjoy!

Bedtime Stories Revised

My kids especially Korin and BridgyBrat love to be one of the characters in their bedtime stories. So I have to come up with one that have three characters or two and have their names as the lead. It's hard because it usually is just one main character ( "Bida" ) in stories. If I read Cinderella to them, either one of them wants to be the stepsisters. But there can't be three Cinderellas right? or I could be wrong. They all want to be the main character and Funny how I always end up as the villain,either the wicked Queen or the nasty Stepmother. And according to my 4 yr old,since I am Filipina and I'm brown I could be Princess Tiana.

I have to do something because I want them to have a good night sleep and not end up fighting for who is who and stayed up late. So I came up with my own story...

"Once upon a time,in a far away kingdom there live three beautiful Princesses name Korin,Bridget and Doniella and they all love to dance. The king and the Queen gave them each magic shoes to help them be the best dancer in the whole kingdom..one is purple magic shoes,one is pink and one is Yellow. One day the magic shoes are gone,it's not where they put them last...ah,ohhh......"

That's how the story starts,or that is the introduction,it is basically about their search to find their missing magic shoes...then I incorporate plots from their favorite fairy tales or cartoons on how the characters their stole their shoes. It's been working,they listen attentively and giggles and sometimes ask for one more adventure. Their Favorite so far, is when donkey stole their magic shoes to give to Shrek and Fiona's babies.Whew!that one was a fun adventure for both me and my girls.

Tonight I will have Flynn Rider steal Korin's magic shoes to give to Rapunzel,She specifically asked for it last night. Korin is my 4 yr old co-writer. Her imagination is million times better than mine anyway.

Out of the Blue, I'm feeling Blue :-(

I wonder why? It's a gorgeous day today,perfect weather actually. Not too hot,not too cold and here I am feeling Blue! Like literally the garbage can under my table is full of tissue paper from me crying just because. It's one of those day we're you wish your hormones are to be blame but not really. It's just that I feel so tired,scared,overwhelmed by life itself. I feel like I've been hit by buckets of lemons and I can't find the right concoction for my lemonade to be palatable. Hahhhh! life!!!
I really need someone to talk to but I don't wanna dump my same old sentiments to my friends. It'll be unfair! I wish my Bestfriend Faye is just a "tricycle ride" away. I miss her so much! I wish Yehleen ( my lil sister ) lives nearby, I sure could use a big hug.

Bridgy Brats Vocabulary

My 25 month old babydoll's list of words as of today. She is definitely getting there.

1. Mama and dada = mom and dad,we tried helping her say
daddy or mommy but she simply does not want to.
2. Ha! mama. = she means Hot or it could also mean let's Hide momma.
3. Buh! = meaning stop it or No!
4. Shue = Shoes
5. Hewow = Hello. We were at the park yesterday,she was playing peek-a-boo with
her Dada.She giggles and saying hewo to him it was so fun to watch.

as of 10/08/11

1.haw = house
2. aw! = dog

as of 10/21/11

1. Boo-boo - for her boo-boo
2. u huh how - but how
3. out - get out!
4. Nana - for calling her grannie in the Philippines
5. in da! - The End!

* She Now knows how to sing the Lady Gaga song Bad Romance and it goes a lil something like this...

" Mama..ah ah ahh,Dada Ah...ah ..ahh,mmmm ma...mans!!"

Yay! mommy so happy,we don't want to be super worried but I guess,it is but natural to be concern. My mother in-law said she didn't talk till she was 3 and she never stop since then lol! That is what we are hoping for.

here is a video of her attempting to interpret the little mermaid's song....enjoy!

" She " Nothing Hill OST- Just being Nostalgic

I love this song too much,It brings back memories that I'll remember till the day I die. I miss my radio days so bad that all I do is listen to this song and I am back there. This was my parting song every after my program. I miss the fun times with the people I worked with and eventually became my best of friends. You guys rock!

It's just sad coz when I go home,I wouldn't be able to visit my old radio station. ABS_CBN bought DYPR,sucks ;-(

Terrible - twos :-(

The Terrible - Twos stage can strike as early as 18 months,yes that is true with my now 6 yr old and 4 yr old girls. I didn't like this stage in my children's development cause it is when they test us parents if their little found power over us will work. With my Little BridgyBrat it started just about three weeks ago,I noticed my little sweet cooperative angel is gone,and I'm left with this little manipulative,controlling lil person. She does not like the clothes I pick for her,does not like the shoes I ask her to put on,She like changing her clothes 4 to 10 times a day. She cries just because she can.She screams and cries like you're hurting her. She grabs her big sisters toys cause she think everything is hers. She have very little vocabulary but she can scream " Mah,Mah!!" At first I thought she is calling me but rather she meant "Mine,Mine!" She'll throw a fit when she doesn't get what she wants. She sure knows how to test my limits. I wish I have a tip to share if you are going through the same thing...I am still going through terrible twos with my four year old,so I better do a good job with the third one. I can't wait for this phase to be over already.

"Video for the day" America the Beautiful by: Doniella

Our little Doniella, singing America The beautiful.

Tipsy Tip of the day: Yay! A Cheaper way to whiten your teeth!

I am not paid to do this,but this tip really worked.For me at-least and for some people. I am on my fourth day of using it and I see a lot of difference from before. When I was in the Philippines,I was told that yellow teeth means stronger teeth but I guess whoever he/she was,they're wrong so I had my teeth professionally whitened twice here,the last one was a year ago and it was a horrible experience.The sealant leaked and it hurts like hell and all I got was an apology from the dental assistant.For the price I paid,I wasn't too happy with the result. So I guess this experiment I did is not going to hurt me financially right even if it won't meet the standard lol. Well,you can't beat $1.99+tax of Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda right? At the back of the container you'll see it says Oral Hygiene,see? Warning though it taste really bad :(
And I'm learning a lot about hydrogen peroxide and it's uses,like for cleaning floors,glass windows,counter tops etc. It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-mold and anti-mildew. Best of all it is cheap.

The picture above was taken the first night I tried it. Then the picture below was taken today.

What I do is mix 1 part of hydrogen peroxide with 1 part water,rinse my mouth with it,let it stay in my mouth as long as I can. Then do the same with a tbsp of baking soda,mix with half a glass of water,rinse my mouth with it. Then I brush my teeth with the regular toothpaste we regularly are using. I do it at night. Just because I feel like doing it at night you can do it anytime of the day of corz! Warning again ding ding ding!! = It taste AWFUL :(

It's not going to come out like the Hollywood Actors' sparkly white teeth but close enough to give the World my much needed smile right?

Doniella's School Challenge Homework : Halloween Poems

Black Cats,Silly Bats

Halloween is here.

Haunted house,trick or treat

Let the Fun begin!!!

------------------------------


Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern

Where's your candle light?

I want to see your silly face

And scare us kids all night!

by: Doniella - Grade 1

School's Fun Walk

This is the second time my daughter participated at her school's annual Fun Walk and she always loved it. It is a fundraising event,the goal is to collect $150.00 per child. The weather is perfect today but enough for the kids to shed some sweat. Last year she did a total of 16 laps and this year she did the same although the track is now longer for graders.

They're warming up here!

I asked her to drink a little bit of water after her first lap.

The DJ is so cool too,he played cool songs you can dance with all throughout the event. Korin keeps telling me, "Oh Mom,that's your song!"

she is starting to get tired here,was looking for the 'Orange Slices' station for some energy booster.

I asked her to slow down coz she's been running like a horse,told her she could walk it's a Fun Walk after all!

"Popsicle ice pop please" they deserved it! well done kids! Well done my darling Elle! It overflowed with Popsicles I guess,coz even her two sisters got one each.yay!happy campers!

cheers to the teachers and Parents who volunteered for making this year's Fun Walk...fun for the kids and successful! Oh and I did get a popsicle too...chocolate!