I got the scare of my life!

We attended a seminar this morning in the Washington Building at Marina Bay in Coastal Road. The seminar was in 22nd floor and it started at around 9:30am. It went well, and we were all engrossed in listening to the speaker when suddenly, at around 11:00am, we felt like our seats were moving.

At first, my husband thought he was getting dizzy due to hunger (we still haven't eaten our breakfast because we had to rush to this seminar). Then I told him, "It's an earthquake!" And everybody else felt it too. We kept on looking outside the window to check the ocean, since the building was just beside the Manila Bay, and we were scared of a tsunami happening.

We relaxed a bit when it stopped, (but actually, I didn't because I was thinking, Oh my God, we're in the 22nd floor of the building!), and then suddenly after 3 minutes, it occurred again! That was when we all decided to go down, via the stairs of course. I was really scared, we kept on counting the floors as we went down, and we really rushed when we felt more tremors when we were in 3rd floor. We really breathed a sigh of relief when finally we were on the ground floor.

All I was thinking at that time were our kids whom we left at home. I immediately called them up to check how they were. They didn't feel anything but just the same, I instructed them that just in case there's another tremor, they should all go outside the house.

When we opened the radio in the car, we learned that it was Intensity 5, and the Epicenter was 35 km from Mamburao, Mindoro. According to Philvocs, the Epicenter was way below the land so what we felt was actually just around Intensity 3 or 4. But just the same, since we were in the 22nd floor of the building when it happened, we really felt it and yes, it was really scary! It was like, I couldn't think of anything else, good thing that my husband was there, and he maintained his composure and he kept on reminding me not to panic.

Thank God, we were all fine.

Bingo, Anyone?

As a family, we have enjoyed lots of board games together. I still remember when I was a child, since I didn’t have any sibling, I spent time with my cousins and my playmates playing Bingo. We had so much fun during weekends and it was our way of bonding together, and even until now, whenever we see each other, we still reminisce on those memories of our childhood.

Now that I have my own kids, most of the times I share with them my experiences during our family time together. A few months back, my youngest daughter took an interest in playing Bingo and she really asked us to buy her a set of Bingo cards, and she’s playing with it even up to now. It was a plain set with chips but she just really loved it! So, I’m really excited now when I learned that there is now a Disney Bingo. Aside from the fact that she really loves playing Bingo, I’m sure she will really be more excited when she sees the Disney characters that she can play with. Now, we can play together using this DVD and it will be more fun because we can also play with it as a family. It’s even more exciting because Christmas is just around the corner and we can also buy it as gifts for our kids, godchildren, nieces and nephews, I’m sure they will also love this.

My Kids' Names

Mommy Ruby gave me a tag about the history of the names of our babies. Thanks Mommy Ruby, I enjoyed doing this tag...

—START TAG—

Our kids have two names each, and we got them from the initials of our first names, E & F. That was the first thing that our kids' names have in common. The next thing is that their names are somehow interconnected with each other. To illustrate:

Our Son: Earvin Francis
Our Daughter: Eliza Francesca
Our Daughter: Elizabeth Faye

I'm not sure if you've noticed that Francis is connected to Francesca, and Eliza is connected to Elizabeth. I've also coined their names into Jejeizahfaye -- thus my site's name -- because those are their nicknames which I've always put in gift tags and Christmas cards, and it has stuck over the years.

—END TAG—

Now I am tagging Mommy Girlie and Mommy Cielo. Hope you grab this!

Wednesday Inspirations #1

It's the middle of the week, and it's during this time when I sometimes feel exhausted with work in the office, and also the time when I'm anticipating the coming weekend to spend with my family.

So now, I thought to myself, how can I make this day more meaningful enough to last until Friday in time for the weekend with my family? Here's what I have decided, starting this week, and every Wednesdays thereafter, I will post any inspirational messages and random thoughts that come to my mind that have helped me in my journey as a Mom and as a Wife.

For today, I've thought of acknowledging here all the people that are close to my heart and that have touched my life:

1. My dear husband Egay - for being a nurturing person, for pampering me and indulging all the quirks that go with being married to an only child -- it's not easy, you know!

2. My son Earvin - for being very helpful at home. Since we have no househelper for the past two years, we (it's actually my DH) have trained our kids to help around the house, and so far, Earvin is the most cooperative. He cleans the house (sweeps and mops the floor), washes and irons his school uniform, and washes the dishes.

3. My daughter Izah - for being very sweet. Everynight, she never lets me go unless I respond to her Goodnight, Sweet Dreams, Love You... And it's never enough that I say that once...

4. My daughter Faye - for always expressing her feelings and for always speaking out her mind, for being the clown of the family and the neutralizer between Kuya and Ate. For all the cutesy drawings and handwritten notes and cards that she never fails to give me regularly.

5. My Papa and Nanay - for always being there for us. Nanay wakes up early everyday to cook breakfast for us, and for that I'm truly grateful.

6. My dear sis-in-law Ate Esphie - for all the support and the inspiring messages that she continuously gives me, for the patience that she has shown me whenever I have my moods, for the guidance and support that she has given to Izah (her Godchild).

7. My Couples for Christ Family - this community has really helped my marriage. It keeps us grounded and really helps us to focus more in our family and raising our kids. We continuously gain lots of insights from the experiences of other couples during our prayer meetings, and these really help us whenever we encounter the same thing in our own family.

I really thank God for these people, they are really close to my heart and though I don't always show them my appreciation, I'm sure they know in their hearts that I truly love them and that I appreciate all the things that they have made in my life.

No Rice Diet

I really have to lose weight.

Every time I visit my cardiologist, he always reminds me that, especially when I had an elevated blood pressure last February. It was at that time that I really got serious by eliminating rice from my diet, and yes, it worked! I lost a few pounds then by just eating salad and fruits during lunchtime, good thing that our cafeteria in the office has lots of choices, which is what my husband keeps on telling me, he always say that it's really easy to go on a diet in my office because of the numerous meal choices.

But then, it really takes lots of will power to do that because, hey, who likes to eat kare-kare and adobo without rice?

I want to really get serious now because the last time that I went to my cardiologist, I was complaining of difficulty in breathing everytime I walk up the stairs and I was blaming my heart problem, but he insisted that it's because I gained a few pounds since my last visit with him.

I really have to focus now!

Win it Wednesday!

I'm trying my luck here! I'm joining a simple contest in Youth Ministry Ideas for a chance to win $15 to my Paypal account. The contest will run until September 24 and the winner will be announced one week after. It's an easy contest because the only requirements are to leave a comment in the post and to blog about it. So there, hopefully, I win!

A Mom's Priorities

My kids have always been my priorities over my work. Whenever there's a conflict in schedules between work and my family, like when I need to attend a school activity, there's always no doubt in my mind that I will attend it, no matter what happens. My belief is that they're only young once, so, I should make the most out of it. So, when my son told me that parents were welcome to watch the culmination of their Filipino Week celebration, I grabbed the chance and took my leave from the office since it's now rare that he invites us to his school activities, I guess because he thinks he's grown up already? But in this activity, I think he was excited because he was part of the fashion show and the dance.

My commitment was again tested when Faye was included in the Battle of the Brains – Spelling Category in her school. The schedule was wrong timing in my office because of heavy deadlines, but, I had never missed any of her competitions in the past, ever since she was in Preparatory, so, I’m not about to miss it now. I have always told myself that the negative reaction from my bosses is nothing compared to the pain that my daughter will feel just in case I won't be able to attend her competition.

Two days prior to the scheduled competition, her dad has already told her that Mommy might not be able to attend because of conflict in schedule, and that Nanay (her grandma) might be the one to go to school to support her. She cried and my heart was torn, I really couldn’t bear it. I told her Dad that I really know my priorities --- that is, of course, my kids --- and that I have already decided that I will attend her competition. So, when I went to school, Faye was really surprised when she saw me because I didn’t tell her that I’ll be able to make it.

She did good in the competition and although she didn’t win, I know that she was very happy that I came to support her. And that’s what’s important more than anything else, right?

hurdling ACET --- after UPCAT!

Last Sunday, my son took the Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET). We anticipated the heavy traffic, so we left the house at around 9:30am -- his schedule was 1:00pm-6:00pm since there was no available slot anymore for the Saturday and Sunday morning schedules. We arrived in Ateneo at 11:00am, and we were planning of just checking the building and the room first and then we'll have our lunch outside, but we decided against it when we saw that the vehicles were starting to build-up already, so we just had our lunch in the school's cafeteria.

We stayed outside the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center Building, it was a long wait and it didn't help that it was really hot and humid. Faye just entertained herself by running around the area and taking some photos, but she got bored eventually.

They were allowed to get inside at 1:30pm, and by that time, we were already feeling tired because of the heat. It was even better in UP when he took the UPCAT because at that time it was raining so the weather was cool even if we stayed in the school's canteen, but not in Ateneo --- the kids didn't want to stay there while waiting for Kuya, so we went to SM Pasig and stayed there until it was time to go back to Ateneo to fetch him.

Traffic was even worse when the exam was finished. They were dismissed at 6:30pm but we couldn't leave at once because the cars were not moving. We were really tired, we had dinner at 8:00pm, and we even had to wake up the kids because they were already sleeping. And uugh! it was Monday the following day! oh well, at least, two schools down... La Salle and UST next.... and then, what else?

Domestic Seafood Cook-Off

If you’re from the US, there’s a chance for you to win a trip to New Orleans just by voting on the five finalists of the 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-Off.

All you have to do is to vote for the dish that best represents the tastes of domestic, sustainable American seafood, the creativity of a talented chef and a great idea for a family meal.

I visited the website and honestly, it’s not easy to choose among the five finalists, because judging from the photos, they all look delicious and nutritious, but since I always go for shrimps I chose the Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet created by Chef Brian Landry from Louisiana. I even got more excited because when I checked the recipe, I found out that it wouldn’t be difficult to re-create since the ingredients are readily available in large supermarkets, and not much preparation is needed so families like us who always run out of ideas for a meal would really enjoy this recipe. I really love recipes with shrimp as the main ingredients and I can always finish a plateful or two without minding the additional pounds that I will gain from it. I know that my family will also enjoy this, because aside from the fact that it’s very beneficial to use domestic seafood because of the nutrients and its freshness, it’s also always available locally here in the Philippines.

So what are you waiting for? Choose among the finalists for the cook off by visiting the website, and grab the chance of winning a trip to New Orleans, which also includes Southwest Airline roundtrip tickets, hotel accommodations, dining experiences and more!

Awesome

I got this from my daughter's book, and yes, for us, Mommies, it's just Awesome, as shown in her teacher's stamp.

I asked her why she considers me as her angel. She said, "You're my angel because you always show your concern for me". Wouldn't your heart melt with those words? And then she added, "Because you always allow me to use the computer and to watch DVD when I ask permission from you."

And then I asked her why she considers her Dad as her best friend. She said, "He's my best friend because we always have bonding time together, and he always plays with me".

These moments are priceless and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

Propagating Friendship Award

I love the blogs of these people and I'm glad to pass this award onto them! All they need to do is to leave the following message on their post when they pass the award on to their chosen eight bloggers.

They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut or that they propagate? Then let's try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.

I would like to thank Mommy Ruby for this wonderful award. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

Now, I am passing this on to...

Jellybelly / Bambi / Mommy Sheng
Arlene / Nanay Belen / Mommy Cielo
Mommy Lei / Joy

Grab it guys!

Don't Forget to Dream

Life may not be easy, but we still need to dream. We should not lose the faith that everything is given to us for a reason. God will never forsake us no matter what. I have seen this happen in my family, and really, although we have encountered so many trials, He has never forsaken us.

I have stood my ground and lived my faith by remembering that all these things are temporary. In God's time, everything will heal itself, everything will be alright, and everything will be according to His plans.

Most of all...

I live in awe of the beauty of the things around me, the nature, the people.
I hold precious in my heart my family and friends.
I love the work that I do each day, whether it be in the office, at home, or in our church community.

I think the most important thing that we should remember is, when facing life, we should all be spontaneous --- with the inquisitiveness of a child --- and let those positive inner thoughts be a beacon to inspire others.

We have all been born in this world for a special reason.

As we proceed through the years, it is like unraveling a mystery story to discover who we really are.

Each of us is the author of our unique mission here on earth.

Don't forget to dream!

Only mothers can....

Last Friday was the distribution of the 1st quarter report cards of my 2 kids, so, I filed a half-day leave. When I told my supervisor that I was taking a half-day leave, she said, "OK no problem". She didn't even ask me why I was taking a leave, I just volunteered that I will get the report cards of my kids.

I wouldn't forget what she told me.

She said, "Oh, Don't stress yourself, whatever the results of their grades might be, don't forget to tell them that you'll love them no matter what. Remember, you're the only person in the whole world who can love them like that, unconditionally, because you're their mother."

I thanked her a lot for those words of wisdom and I took it to heart while I was talking to my daughters' teachers.

Blog in Transition ---- again!

Remember my post two weeks ago about my blog being in transition? You must have been wondering whatever happened to my new domain.

Well, I encountered some problems, my order was cancelled by Google Checkout, and I had difficulty reaching their support. The emails that I got from them were all auto-replies and after several attempts it finally dawned on me that I wasn't talking to humans!

So, after two weeks, I couldn't wait anymore, I just decided to register another domain, jejeizahfaye.com. I guess it's really meant to be, because remember I couldn't decide whether to use sharingmythoughts or jejeizahfaye. So, I guess the circumstances finally led me to use jejeizahfaye.

So, please bear with me, hopefully everything will be alright in 3 days time. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Heart Breaking Story

I think I have received this in the email several times, but it never failed to break my heart

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I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back.

The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.'

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: 'Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.''

Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.

The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to.

'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.'

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. ' No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.'

His eyes were so sad while saying this.

'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.'

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me.'

'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.'

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!''

'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.''

'My mommy loves white roses.'

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket.

I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.

Then I remembered a local new spaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl.

The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma.

Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away.

I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was expos ed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of th e little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever.... The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine.

And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

My top 10 entrecard droppers for the month of August

I'd like to thank those who never fail to visit my blog.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

Do you have a shy child?

I do.

My youngest daughter is really shy whenever she's with other people. She's not the type who easily warms up to other people, even close relatives, so, whenever there's an occasion in the family, we know that it will take her hours because she starts playing with her cousins.

According to the books that I've read, 7 to 12 years of age can be a tough time for a child. It is, after all, the age when she starts to go to school and spend more time with other children.

Psychologists say that it's important to build the self-esteem of your child. Shyness and friendliness are related to self-esteem. Friendships between the ages of 7 and 12 provide youngsters the emotional support they need to have deeper friendships in their adult lives. With adequate social interaction, your child can feel accepted, competent and purposeful which are the three components of self-esteem. Therefore, it is the role of the mothers to set the stage for friendships that are beneficial to your child and her playmates.

Another important advice from psychologists is not to push your child to overcome her shyness immediately. That's what we do with our daughter. We take it one step at a time, we don't push her, we acknowledge her moods and her weaknesses. We understand it when she just wants to be alone and didn't want to play with her cousins, or if she just wants to watch the other kids play. At the same time, we give her room for opportunities to make friends at her own pace.

School Activities

Last Thursday, I was a full-time Mom. I took a leave from the office to attend the school activities of my kids. I had to drive between 2 schools because my daughter had Sportsfest at the same time as my son's Buwan ng Wika activity, and it was tiring, but I didn't mind it at all.

I grabbed the chance to go to my son's school because it's rare that I get to attend his school activities, so when he told me that parents are welcome to watch the activities, I arranged my schedule and told him that I'll be able to attend. I was also curious because for the past 2 weeks he was busy preparing for their school's Buwan ng Wika, and he even had costumes and he said he's included in a fashion show and a Spanish dance. So, we were like, Really???

The fashion show was very interesting because they used recycled materials, like, CDs, diskettes, trash bags, juice packs, etc. for their clothes, and the Spanish dance looked like it was well-rehearsed although my son said they only had one rehearsal for the complete set, and they even won 3rd place! I didn't include here photos of his partners because the parents might stumble on this blog and might not like it when they see their daughters' photos on the web without their permission --- the same way as I would have felt with my own kids, so, I just cropped and just posted here my son's photos.

My daughter was included in the Table Tennis team for their Sportsfest but they didn't have a scheduled tournament on that day, so, we just had some photo ops.