Mirage

Toys and Gadgets

26 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

stockphoto-nov-dec-toddler

(Taken 2008, printed for Working Mom Magazine’s monthly contest for the theme: Me and My teacher)

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When hubby hasn’t introduced the PSP as a common gadget at home, my kids played with educational toys such as this one; wooden cubes with numbers, letters and pictures of things that the kids would identify. Big sister loves playing teacher to little boy. I’m not against PSP or any other game console, I play once in a while too, particularly that of Nintendo DS games like Sudoku, mdas for kids and other mind-challenging games. I just like traditional toys because it’s not so stressful to the eyes.

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(Learning colors in five languages with the help of Lego blocks.)

I strongly believe kids can learn up to five languages, considering that their mind is not as congested as ours (adults). I’m seizing the moment to teach them slowly, starting with the basics…e.g. numbers, animals, colors and so on. In this particular photo, it is with the help of their favorite Lego blocks. Sample? Red, pula, rot, rojo, aka….that’s English, Tagalog, German, Spanish and Japanese….the order of which is our fluency.

(For the theme: Lights, Camera, Pose!)

Up to this day I am still a stagemom though I have not been active in submitting my kids’ photos to contests as much as I used too. I still carry my camera as much as I can and take photos of them…This photo of my daughter is the latest I submitted for a chance to be featured in a billboard. I received a confirmation from the organizers (NIDO) and I was told that this will appear sometime in August 28-29….oh that’s tomorrow at SM North Edsa…the boys’ photos will appear there too!

So in case you want your kid’s photo seen in a billboard, check out this page.

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Join us!

Category: Mommy Moments 10 Comments

Gold!

24 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

In this distressed economic times, people are torn in investing their money and time from real state, jewelries and gold. However, among these, gold has been the most useful asset from old until now. Even in an unstable economy, you can be sure that gold is liquifiable and would be sold in whichever part of the world. This is the reason why banks keep gold in their reserve, which makes me actually wonder if those who go bankrupt didn’t invest as much. Gold coins are your safety net for the future. To buy gold coins, you need to look for a trusted expert on it.

If you collect gold, it is an assurance that you have invested well for the future. In any case, there are many opportunities for gold in the market. You can buy gold bullion and sell it later on, it is acceptable in every country and every currency. Another advantage is that gold bullion coins are in demand to buyers nowadays. Otherwise you can have an gold ira transfer (Individual Retirement Arrangement) and use your gold when the time comes, with a certainty that your gold value will grow. Knowing why and how to buy bullion and gold coins will lead to a more secure financial stability.

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Kids and Movies

19 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

Movies, one of the things we enjoy with the kids to is to watch them. Be it at home or in cinemas…Hubby, is particularly always in the know of the latest films but we would also watch old movies that we like.

I more of forget to take photos of the kids with the movie standee…the latest we saw was Airbender back home (SM North Edsa Cinema) and out of excitement, we all forgot about taking photos. So below is from The Chipmunks 2 movie we watched at the Donauplex.

(For the theme: kids and movies)

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Spazieren gehen or simply walking is another thing that we do most of the time. No particular place to go, we just walk where our feet take us. Back home, we brought the kids at the Quezon City Memorial Park and the Lamesa Ecopark (more of this soon)…this was far different from the park they used to visit, the ice cream and cotton candy vendors in particular were new to them. That was why we let them have some. Don’t you miss dirty ice cream?

(For the theme: Park Day)

We were just wandering until we ended up at the Circle of Fun amusement park. The place is relatively small compared to where we would always go but there were lots of enjoyable rides and many other things to do. So we let them try how it is to be a hamster for a few minutes (lol). They actually asked for it, the hamster ball, but it was not an easy feat. The balls need to be filled with air while they sit inside…whew! The little boy started crying as soon as he was in so he didn’t get to experience the fun and difficulty of a hamster’s life…

He was however, happy and excited riding his own boat, a ducky-boat at that! There weren’t much kids that time, it was a Wednesday so most of the kids are in school…the attendant were very friendly and considerate, they let the kids bumped into each other or more or less 15 minutes.

(For the theme: Rides in amusement centers)

Category: Mommy Moments 5 Comments

Dressing up

18 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

During summers I prefer that dawty wears a dress (or skirt) for that girly look. She may not agree always because she can of course move freely wearing shorts and jeans. We would have long discussions regarding this but I’d end up on the winning end.

I also prefer wearing dresses and skirts. Not only because I got used to but because I find it more comfortable. Save for those occasions that hubby and I plays tennis I would always go on a skirt outside.

Of course, kid’s dresses costs less than women’s dresses unless they come from France. My favorite designs where I mostly buy my daughters include Zara, Benetton, Next and Marks & Spencers…though I would also go without the labels because I’m quite they’d look good on my daughter anyway and that my daughter would look good with them.

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I on the other hand, thrifty as could be would wait when my favorite shops go on sale. H&M, Zara, Orsay and New Yorker would give as much as 70% off on their dresses…imagine how much I could save up for that! I’m not the only one who feels satisfied, the hubby as well who gives me my salary (I’ve been working as his employee/assistant since the beginning of the year and I get the minimum wage salary.)

(One of my favorite dress -same color as my iphone case, lol)

Category: Fashion Leave a Comment

Log Furnitures

17 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

Rattan and log furnitures are a common sight in a living room from my home country, the Philippines, which is also one of the main supplier of rattan, cane and other wicker furniture materials around the globe.

Five years ago, when we were looking for furnitures and stuff, I was surprised that hubby chose this rattan bed, he said “it feels a lot like home.” Along with this bed we bought an L-shaped leather sofa, unfortunately, it looks beaten now, after 5 years of enduring being jumped on by the kids.

Browsing online for sofas led me to this page of elegant and country-inspired log furniture and rattan furniture page. They offer a wide range of log, cane and rattan furnitures in the latest and fashionable design that fits one’s taste (and living room).

Their collection are crafted with great details and designed to suit an individual’s need…different sizes – small and compact to big corner seaters. There are L-shaped sofas, 2 seaters, 3 seaters, couch even footstools and coffeetables to match. I mentioned a couple of times that we want a renovation and redesigning of mom’s house. We’re considering a country-look so log furnitures might be the best option.

Category: home comfort zone Leave a Comment

Growing plants in our no soil flat :)

15 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

Hydroponic; from Greek hydro meaning water and ponos meaning labor. It is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Perhaps the nearest layman’s term would be water culture. This method got me interested because living at the 9th floor of the building means I only get to plant on pots. Although we have a balcony, winter is not really an ally to the plants.

(photo courtesy of http://www.growlightsled.com)

This is why hydroponic systems is the best indoor gardening method I can use. For some years now I’ve kept fortune plants in a vase with only water in it. It would thrive but somehow stop growing and eventually dries up later on. I think the knowledge behind hydroponics is the secret for making those poor plants live longer. So let me tend to the plants for now…

Category: gardening 5 Comments

Bonding time

14 Aug 2010 by gmirage1

dadanddani When it’s cold (read: winter), the hubby has a way of bonding with the kids aside from getting wet in the snow. He would allow them to watch and play video games. If it’s a schoolday, they have to finish all homeworks first. If it’s a holiday or during the weekends, they are given more playtime.

It’s a different story for the little boy. Since he doesn’t go to school yet, he can watch regardless of the time. I see to it though that the hubby plays games that are’n too violent, well there’s just Littlebigplanet for that category but the characters there blew up too!

The lcd monitor in the photo proved useful for their gaming purposes. Hubby bought this from a friend who had used it for like 3 days only! (Yes, a steal with guarantee still intact!) Though this is the 3rd monitor at home, he likes using it most because it’s easily movable unlike the other two which are mounted on the wall.

Anyway, since it’s still summer we were out most of the times. Apart from going home (Philippines), we are spending time out by the Danube river where the kids can run at the vast greenery and where hubby can test-fly his RCs! More about that soon.

Category: Uncategorized One Comment