Notepad Corner

To bear a child is the most precious heavenly gift a woman can receive.  Incomparable and unparalled  sense of happiness overwhelms the heart of a mother.  To love, to care, to see them grow and to cherish every moment with our kids are immeasurable deeds of a parent. This writing is warmly dedicated to a boy who’s turning 3 years old this February 14.  Meet Austin Nathaniel Serrano, born February 14, 2008, the only son of Carlos Serrano and my friend Christine Pham, who’s diagnosed with Advanced Stage of Bilateral Retinoblastoma Stage D - R eye with vitreous seeding and stage E - L eye with a detached retina on  August 25, 2009. Austin Yes, Austin is fighting and struggling for his life from this cancer disease.  He cannot see a thing anymore at the moment.  Being a mother, my heart seem to torn apart the moment I learned about Austin’s condition.  I cannot help myself crying while reading my friend’s journal in Austin’s website.  This bumpy journey that their family goes

Have you tried Aromatherapy? I am very interested of trying it in our home but I am skeptic too for it might do harm instead of benefitting from it.   I’ve been inquiring my friends’ responses and experiences who are into it and with the help of reading and researching about its pros and cons, I found out the following facts: Essential oils, the pure essence of a plant, have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly and safely.  There are quite a few products on the market that contain unnatural ingredients including fragrance oils and claim to be aromatherapeutic. It's important to look at the ingredient label when seeking true aromatherapy products.

Do you know that we can save on groceries and still eat well?  A complete supermarket is a haven for culinary ideas, however I cannot spend luxuriously for I must follow a budget.  Over many years of strolling through mall supermarkets, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me find the right ingredients, cook our family favorites and still control expenses. Tapa and tocino are always requested to be included in our menu at home, due to steep prices of meat, what I do is I ask the butcher to cut meat thinly so a kilo goes a long way, dividing it into 3 or 4 servings and pack it separately for easy and orderly stacking in the freezer. I opt to buy fruits and vegetables in season, then planning my menu around it.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are cheaper when they’re in season.   If fresh produce is not in season, prices skyrocket, so If it’s not in season, I buy canned or dried.   Fresh mushrooms, for example are delicious used in soups and pasta dishes, but dried shiitake mushrooms ar