Ensure a Happy, Healthy Home

All of us want our home to be a place where we can be happy and comfortable. It is a place we share with our dearest so keeping it in the perfect condition is not only worth it, it is also necessary. It is also important to know a reputable company to contact to for anything that should be installed or fixed inside the house. Some of the things that a well-maintained house should have is good plumbing condition and in countries with winter climate such as USA, a good heating facility.

Fortunately, there is a US-based company that can take care of almost everything you need for your home maintenance needs. The Mattioni Heating and Cooling Inc. offers quality services for Chester County in Pennsylvania. The fact that they have been around for more than 60 years heating exton pa and heating west chester pa is already a strong testimony of their efficiency. Aside from plumbing and heating, they also do the following: air-conditioning drain cleaning, custom bathroom remodeling, water and sewer hookup and others.

You can visit their site to see customer testimonials and view their contact details at http://matplumbing.com/ Discount coupons are also available for customers in their website.

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Fabulous Finds on a Friday

It is a Friday and one of our boss is on leave, so what can you expect? Everyone seems so relax at the office today, even me, who have to finish a lot of task. This morning, I browse for cute printable calendars and come up with this:

I downloaded each month to be printed later. You can also download this free 2013 calendar here: 
http://freebies.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=freebies&cdn=hobbies&tm=18&f=20&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=3&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//imom.com/tools/get-organized/2013-printable-calendars/



And this afternoon, I get to listen to this heartwarming song via YouTube. This is said to be the theme song of my office-mates who I think are engaged to be married. Find the song too cute and heartwarming that I just need to blogged about it. 

Wishes by Emi Fujita

 

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La Union Trip

My husband’s family is in La Union but because of our very busy schedules, our last visit to his province was two years ago. For the whole 2012, his family has been bugging us to come visit them because they said they already miss us and my daughter so much. For some reason, we would always plan a trip but it will get cancelled at the last minute. But alas, just before saying goodbye to 2012, we were able to finally visit them.  

It was more of a quick road trip because we started traveling early Saturday morning of December 29 at around 5 am and intend to be back in Manila by Dec 31. We opt not to go via the SCTex road but we got lost a bit and also end up heading that direction. We also got stuck in a traffic jam along Urdaneta, Pangasinan. So we reached La Union around 1pm. It was a very hot day so we are all sweaty and tired when we arrived.

But we have to set aside our fatigue as it seems like there is a big fiesta when we arrived.  My husband’s folks prepared lots of dishes, hired a videoke and invited lots of guests. Well, I guess this is how they show their happiness that we are able to visit.

The singing, drinking, chatting lasted all day, I thought they won’t stop. On the morning of Dec 30, Sunday, we all went to a nearby beach in Luna, La Union. This is my favorite part of our trip. The place is so clean so serene, and so beautiful. These are the things why I sometimes consider the possibility of living in a rural area. There is no entrance fee to enjoy the beach. We only need to pay a cottage for Php400. that is very cheap because I think the cottage can accommodate up to 50 people.

My mother in law wants us to celebrate New Year there but we just had to say no. Our travel back to Manila is a breeze because we left at around 4:30am and reached Mandaluyong at 10:30am. We are tired but very happy with the trip and the whole experience.

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Family Day at Manila Ocean Park

The company where my husband works decided to give away Manila Ocean Park tickets for their employees and the family members. It is supposed to be for the family day activity. I am pregnant and not really sure if I would have the energy to roam around this theme park all day but I decided to participate in this activity for my daughter. So one Saturday morning last Nov 2012, my husband, my daughter and I went to the Manila Ocean Park.

Our free tickets give us access to the following: Oceanarium, Fish Spa, Trails to Antarctica, Jellies Exhibit, Sea Lion Show and Fountain Show. We arrived around 9:30 am and though it is still early, the place is already jampacked. There were so many people; most of them are students and teachers on a field trip. I wish the management of Ocean Park would set a limit to the number of group trips because the crowd makes it hard to appreciate the place.

Our first stop is the Oceanarium which is a large display of different forms of marine life. This experience would have been much more awesome if not for the huge crowd. We still manage to enjoy it though and took a few blurred pics.

There is a space where children can pick reading and coloring materials but that time, the crowds makes it look like a battle place.

Then we opted for the fish spa which is just what we needed after braving the crowd. It is a good thing that my husband and daughter enjoyed the fish spa very much. The fishes that nibble the dead skin cells on your feet is relaxing and tickling. They just need to improve this area because there aren’t even small lockers to put one’s belonging while one is in the spa area.

The penguins at the Trails to Antarctica are so cute. I like this attraction even though one needs to pay again just to have a picture with the penguins. The jellies exhibit is fascinating too but can be a bit boring.

Well, we did all that in less than 2 hours so we have lots of time to kill before the sea lion show at 2:30. We opted to go home then just catch other shows next time. Yes, we can do that as long as we keep the tickets and it will not go beyond the expiry date. I guess if you want to catch the fountain and sea lion show, it is best to just schedule your trip around mid-afternoon.

On our 2^nd visit, we catch the sea lion show at 4:30pm. We arrived 10 minutes late though so can’t say much about this. The sea ions are adorable but you need a great spot to really appreciate the show.

The musical fountain show made our second visit worth it. It was breathtaking and entertaining. The show lasted only for 30 minutes but it seems like an hour has passed. 

Just for info, here is the schedule of Manila Ocean Park Attractions:

Oceanarium/Fish Spa

Mon & Tue. 10 am – 7pm (last entry – 6:15pm)

Wed to Fri – 10am to 8pm (last entry- 7:15pm)

Sat and Sun -9am -8pm (last entry- 7:15pm)

Jellies

Mon to Fri – 10 am to 7pm

Sat & Sun – 9am to 7pm

Swimming : Mon to Sun: 8am to 5pm

Sea Lion & Exhibit (20 mins)

Mon to Sun : 11am/ 2pm/ 4:30pm

Fountain Show: Wed to Sun: 7pm

Trails to Antarctica

Mon & Tue: 11am -8pm (last entry-7:15pm)

Wed & Fri: 11am -9pm (last entry- 8:15pm)

Sat- Sun: 10am-9pm (last entry- 8:15pm)

Bird Show: Mon-Sun: 3:30pm (one show only)

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My Planner for 2013

Every year, I am used to getting at least one planner as a gift or a freebie. Last year, I got a planner from Watson’s which has proven to be so useful for me. It was simple but has just the things I need for a planner. The year before that, I won a Belle de Jour planner which is all fancy and girly and fun to have. For some reason though, I find it too overwhelming and bulky. 

The year 2013 started though and I find myself without any planner yet. I have been planning to go to the bookstore to buy one but my husband keeps on asking me to stay home and rest due to my delicate condition (almost 6 months pregnant). Fortunately, I found out about Dunkin Donut’s planner promo so I asked my husband to avail it for me.

So now, I am happy that I finally have a 2013 planner. It is so cute and the lego design makes me feel that this year is going to be fun, easy and light.  I got it for free after purchasing 2 dozens of Dunkin Donuts. It is a great deal though the planner is really too small for me. Maybe i’ll get another planner next time. For the meantime, I can’t wait to use this mini planner.

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Hello 2013!

Happy New Year!

I am excited about 2013 because I think that this year will bring many changes in my life.  For one, I will give birth again this year. I am scheduled for an ultrasound this January and once I know the baby’s gender, I will start thinking of a name. I have been searching for auspicious birth dates for April this year because I will again deliver via caesarian operation.

I am also about to make a major career change as I intend to look for a better job after giving birth. I may even be a full time/stay at home mom for a while and just look for freelance job opportunities. Well, leaving my current job is a risky move and it will also mean letting go of some luxuries and comforts but I believe that better things will happen or will come after making that big decision. 

There are many things I want to try this year and I am certain I can do it. Yes, 2013 will be a great, wonderful year. Thank you God for all the blessings and for another opportunity to create wonderful memories

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The Kumon Reading Program

I am happy to say that my daughter’s love for books is very evident at such a young age. And she is always saying that she already wants to go to school. She got the idea from her cousins who are already grade schoolers.

So when I saw an ad about a Kumon 2-week free trial sometime last September, I decided to sign up my daughter for the reading program. It is a great opportunity to test if my daughter is ready for a school setting. Well it is not really a school setting because it is more of a tutor-student type. I am also curious about Kumon method and it’s great that the orientation they gave to all parents who registered for the free trial is comprehensive and inspiring. 

After the trial, I decided to enroll my daughter because when I ask her, she said she wants to continue and she seems to enjoy the worksheets. I think it is also a good way to prepare her for pre-school. Although it is not really a classroom type- she gets to see other kids and mingle with them a bit and get to be comfortable with a teacher.

I find the enrollment fee a bit high though. First-time enrollees need to pay Php2300 because there is an additional Php500 for the miscellaneous fees. Then it becomes Php1800 a month per subject (they offer reading and math) for gradeschoolers and below. The fee for high-schoolers and older is Php1950.  

My daughter needs to go the center two times a week and a session is supposed to be for an hour but sometimes it only takes 30 minutes. Anyway, my daughter also gets to take home worksheets for the days when she is not in Kumon. I am quite shocked that they also have worksheets to do for Christmas and New Years day. They said they do this to instill the discipline of studying but I think it is a bit too much.

These worksheets forced me to take an active role in my child’s studying. At first, I am tempted to just research and print my own worksheet because I feel like I am the one who is actually teaching my my child. Maybe I might consider this in the future, but for now, I don’t think I have the luxury of time for that option. 

I think the Kumon system works though it is also very doable at home. As for me, I am happy with my child’s progress so I would still recommend it to parents who want to give the best to their children.

One downside though is that the center where my daughter goes to is quite small and on times when there are so many students, I am not sure if the teacher can still devote lots of attention to my child. 

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