Under One Roof

With all the parties this month, our neighbors naturally chose to have a spiffy backyard. I like how they cleaned it out, put fresh plants there and wind spinners! At night when the wind blows you can see it spinning nonstop. I love it!

When my aunts dropped by to give us gifts the other day I told them that we should have that kind of backyard in the ancestral house. Aside from the fact that the grandparents will love it, we can also host reunions and family gatherings there. They both loved the idea and I know they are now talking about budget and all that. I think they will convert a part of the back of the house to make the backyard larger to accommodate all of us when the time comes hehe

I want my very own spiffy backyard, too! With the wind spinners as well!

This person I know considers her friends as family members. I understand because she is an only child and her parents are separated. She grew up with her mom and was not treated right by relatives. Naturally, she isn’t close to them and gets to talk to a few of them only. She actually grew up and literally lived with friends when her mom left to work abroad. She began treating friends more as family members since then, the ones she became really close to. I am grateful I am one of those friends.

It wasn’t an easy life for her but I know that it made her stronger and became the foundation for who she is now. All those hardships and being without a family of her own…

Now she has one. She still considers us her closest friends as family members for sure but now she really has an actual family of her own.

I am very happy for her! Family is important. At the end of the day, no matter how fulfilled, independent, brave you are you still go back to your family.

This kid we know is a genius. He is a child prodigy of some sort and would always be seen reading thick books and reciting long passages. He is a wonder to us all who know him! But whenever I see him, a part of me feels the need to bring him down a notch, to make him feel young again and enjoy his youth. He is only 8 years old! At the rate everyone’s treating him, he may be a 40-year-old man.

I thought of giving him a Tom Kuhn yoyo. Something to bring him down from the level he is in academically. He needs to find a diversion that will make him realize that he is still a kid and that there is more to life than being a genius.

I will give him a yoyo and let him have fun!

We don’t always need to be loud to be heard. A whisper is enough to be one with Him. He can hear us loud and clear even when we are not moving our lips. All we need is to fill our hearts with our deepest desires and He will see it, hear it, and know it.

In turn, we have to be silent to be able to hear His whispers…

Have a great week everyone!

My three sisters are asking for what I want this Christmas. I will make my wish a simple one… a kindle ebook reader! They know I am a hopeless bookworm and space is already a problem in my corner filled with my books. A Kindle will not only save me some space but also will make it easier for me to ‘carry’ my books around.

I always have to carry around 2 to 3 books, specially when I know I will be waiting in line with nothing to do. Or when I have to travel. That way I have variety in my reading. I can only imagine how light my bag will be if I already have my Kindle with me.

One of the things that I don’t like at home is the chaos brought on by too many wires from all the electronic gadgets and appliances. I love peace and order at home so seeing the dusty wires in the corners and nooks is making me go crazy. I need cable management as soon as possible!

I would rest easy if I know that the house is in order. At night, I check to make sure all locks are in place, no windows are left open, the main door not left ajar. You can say that I am the OC in the family but hey I am the eldest so I think that comes with the territory. I don’t want anything out of order at home.

The wires will really have to be settled soon. I don’t want the little girl touching any wire that will electrocute her. I will get my dad to be on top of this project.

So how do you resolve a family feud?

I think that when a person gets hurt, it takes a long time for him to heal, more so if the person(s) who hurt him is(are) his kin. Am I right in my observation? Because I should tell you, that’s what happened to us recently. We showed our concern over a blood relative and what came of it? Nothing but hurt and anger. Can you imagine being blamed for saving a relative’s life?

I don’t know what will happen now. I don’t know if the gap will be bridged. Maybe in the future but if something bad happens to that relative of ours and my dad goes berserk over it, I don’t think it ever will.

Evie has the guts to wear something that shows off her skin. She was a burn victim and she has scars on her body. But she is confident enough not to be bothered by it. Sometimes she wears body stockings when she has to show skin. But most of the time she just wears whatever she wants (which is usually skimpy dresses) and she gets away with it!

She once said that it’s all about the amount of confidence you have. You can get away with a lot of the clothes that aren’t really for your body type but if you can carry it with enough confidence, then you will stand out in it. In a good way, I might add. That’s how Evie carries herself. With enough guts and confidence.

The old man wants a macanudo cigar. No one is listening to him so someone else will give the old man his wish. Someone outside his family.

I can’t understand how some family members can ignore their kin. Some elders won’t be living that long and I am all for giving them the little things that can make them happy. There are stuff I don’t like my dad to have but if I can see that it makes him happy, it doesn’t harm him and he isn’t harming anyone in return, then my siblings and I indulge him from time to time.

Let’s try and listen to the wishes of the elders. We will sure make them happy by giving them what they want.

Something to inspire us today and to keep our faith burning…

I am thankful for a lot of things in my life. Whatever the hardships that come, I know that as long as my family is by my side and those who truly care for me will walk beside me… as long as I know I am on the Lord’s side, everything will fall into place in its proper time. Everything will turn out fine in His name.

Happy Thursday everyone!

If there is a family who knows how difficult it is to be in so much debt you are ready to declare bankruptcy that would be my family. We once had millions in debt due to medical bills, school tuition fees (of 5 children all in private school), my dad’s gambling, and so many bad financial decisions made in the past. There were even debts that spanned years interest of which piled up already. A family filing bankruptcy in utah reminded me of our past situation and I can’t help but remember the misery my family and I were all in.

My parents called up a bankruptcy attorney to help us sort all the debts we had, collectors of which were already harassing my parents to pay up or else. One collector of more than a decade old debt was even demanding that his client be paid right away! Legal help in matters like this is a must. The attoreny told my parents about the statute of limitations and that the more than a decade old debt fell under it. My parents was so relieved that one creditor was crossed out from the list of so many! Can you imagine how much interest my parents would have paid the creditor if the attorney hadn’t told them about the statute of limitations? Of course, later on when the cashflow of the family is starting to ease up, the creditor was still paid.

*Note: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Whenever I get to watch Meet the Robinsons, the movie never fails to make me cry. I saw the movie again over the weekend and as expected, I cried especially during the ending when everything started falling into place for Lewis.

For the life of me I really can’t imagine how a mother can abandon her child. I can’t imagine how a child feels that no family wants him. It’s just so heartbreaking!

If you haven’t watched the movie yet, I suggest you do so with your kids. If you already did, watch it again with the family. It’s one movie I will never get tired of watching time and time again.

Winter is coming. We all know how the cold can damage so many stuff at home if we don’t prepare for it. Have you ever experienced frozen pipes?

My uncle and my dad were talking about the winter and how they need to start removing, draining and storing hoses. They need to do it because once winter arrives and there’s water left in it, it will surely damage the hose when the water turns to ice. The same thing can happen to the swimming pool and that’s what my uncle is really preparing for. He already drained their backyard pool and has put on the pool cover. He bought it specifically for the cold season.

My dad on the other hand is concerned over the pipes. We have experienced frozen pipes in the past and it cost us a lot! We had to call the plumber to check on the pipes, fix what needed to be fixed and replace those that needed replacement. We don’t want that to happen once more. My dad is now always anticipating the things that can go wrong when left unprepared for the freezing cold. Even the water lines are being drained of water for now. Winter is coming and it’s best that we welcome it prepared.

*Note: I am participating in a blogger campaign for Bucks2Blog about frozen pipes and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Maybe it’s just me but for me family always comes first. Before anything else, before my own happiness, I always think of my family. That’s how it’s been all my life.

That’s why I can’t understand why some people can still smile when there’s a big problem hounding the family. I can’t fathom why some people can still laugh out loud, go out and have fun, take photos of themselves enjoying when other family members are crying their hearts out. I just can’t see myself ever doing any of that, or being that insensitive.

At the end of the day, when everyone else have turned their backs on us, when life seems to have thrown all the bad things it can come up with, when we are at our lowest, our family will come running to help us and won’t leave us until we are back on our feet and doing good again.

We may have our differences, occasional fights, constant bickering and arguments, but for me, family comes first. Always.

It’s a little less than six weeks to go before Christmas. I am sure that those with special someones are already preparing for christmas gifts for boyfriend and girlfriend. Am I right, guys and gals?

So what do you plan to give the boyfriend? I remember this one time when a friend was in a panic because a week before Christmas she still hadn’t come up with anything to give her then boyfriend. We were working for the same company then and instead of working, we ended up spending a day throwing gift ideas back and forth until we came up with the best one. Want to know what it is? A romantic escapade a day after Christmas!

Yes, she chose a romantic weekend getaway. Christmas fell on a Friday that year so she booked a place somewhere outside the city for the weekend. She brought candles, flower petals, a bottle of champagne and fresh berries with chocolates. I learned the next day after their getaway that it was a huge success! Her boyfriend loved it!

So what about you? What do you have in store for your special someone?