Lemonade Award

I got another award, the Lemonade Award from Mommy Maicel of Simple Delights. Thanks a lot, Mommy!

The Rules of this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Now i would like to pass this award to

Here Finding Me
Anything Goes
Brown Pinay
Mommy Emotes
Everything that has Breathe Praise the Lord

Have a nice week ahead to all of you!

Join the Conversation

More EC Credits sent

Been too busy last week, I was only able to do this today. I've just sent 100 EC credits to the following:

http://contestsaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/
http://www.thepinayblogger.com/
http://www.shebadoo.com/
http://contestlove.blogspot.com/
http://www.se7enize.com/
http://www.etc-atbp.com/
http://www.mommyelvz.com/
http://finlust.blogspot.com/
http://bytesofcookie.com
http://cookietravels.com/

These are in addition to the previously sent 100 EC credits to each of the following:

http://www.mrchngn.blogspot.com
http://www.leytestar.com/
http://lourdesmia.blogspot.com
http://www.mythoughtsoftrain.blogspot.com/
http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com
http://namesherry.blogspot.com/
http://heartrandom.com/
http://sherryshopping.blogspot.com/
http://sherrygo.blogspot.com/
http://www.indocontest.com
http://kranjcarz.blogspot.com/
http://www.brownpinay.com
http://webbycontest.blogspot.com
http://kisahberuang.com/
http://www.dhyarga.com
http://www.randomdetox.com/
http://themelib.com/contests/
http://wiehannecontest.blogspot.com/
http://myearningcorner.blogspot.com/
http://erik-son.net/
http://www.momemo.com/

24 more to go!

Wednesday Inspirations #9

The Best Explanation Ever

We had a discussion on this during our recent prayer meeting. It is very enlightening and it really helps in understanding God's purpose for our lives. This is one of the best explanation of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen:

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed, as the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject about God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with a long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barbershop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist; because if they did, there would b no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like the man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people don't come to me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!

That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look for Him for help.

That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world!"

The Free Ads on my Sidebar

The free ads on my sidebar for the winners of my contest will be up until Saturday. I've already extended it for two weeks as a way of saying super thanks to them.

I'm planning to come up with a new contest, and I'm still finalizing the details.

Secrets of Succesful Marriages

Most couples will agree that a happy marriage requires an investment of time and energy. However, there are many couples who become disenchanted if their efforts don't yield immediate results. They quickly give up, deciding marriage is too much work.

The happiest couples however, approach their relationships differently. The following secrets are what most happy couples usually do:

1. Good marriages don't happen overnight. Most of us grew up believing that love is magical and, ultimately, beyond our control. We don't "decide" to love - we "fall" in love. But something is asked if love's rewards are to be sustained. First, we must pay close enough attention to a loved one to understand genuinely his or her desires. Second, we must act on that knowledge.

The quality of a relationship depends on the way two people treat each other, in good times and bad. Marriages either grow or decline and happy couples know that the vitality of their love is their own responsibility. They are active participants in the quest for lasting love.

2. Love is not easily destroyed. Almost all couples secretly fear that their relationship will stagnate and wither. Yet love rarely dies. It only seems absent because other feelings have been allowed to eclipse it.

When bad things happen in a marriage, both partners need to protect themselves. Fearing hurt and rejection, they withdraw behind masks of indifference. Couples with good marriages understand, however, that the sweetness will return after the storm. Realizing this, they survive crises that pull other marriages apart.

To put this into action, try to pause during a marital disagreement and remember what you felt for your partner at the beginning of your relationship. Let your love override the negative feelings of the moment.

3. Marriage is not a cure-all. The rewards of marriage are so highly praised that people come to believe it is the antidote to heal old wounds. But marriage is not a solution to personal problems. No matter how close your marriage, you and your spouse are individuals before you are a couple. We alone must take responsibility for our feelings of self-worth.

The happiest couples know that for a marriage to last, both partners must first learn to love themselves. Otherwise, they will never feel worthy of another's love.

4. Love is acceptance. Too often we believe that love gives us license to remake someone. We try to smooth out our partner's rough spots, even though in the process we may diminish the qualities that endear that person to us.

It won't work. Even when a mate seems compliant, he or she will unconsciously resist the pressure to change or conform. Certainly, problems should be negotiated if they are making life intolerable. But it may be worthwhile to reconsider the phrase "for better or worse". It's in the wedding ceremony to remind us that we all have shortcomings.

Truly happy couples understand that love means accepting a mate's flaws. They know that a person's desire to change grows out of a sense of being accepted as he or she is.

5. Lovers are not mind-readers. One of the fantasies of love is that a mate is somehow tuned to our innermost thoughts and dreams. When a spouse fails to anticipate these, we feel disappointed, or even betrayed. But it is simply not reasonable to expect a mate to guess what's on our minds. Those who feel understood by their partners know that, ultimately, we are responsible for making ourselves known. When you tell your spouse what you need and he or she responds to that request, that is a genuine indication of love.

6. The best relationships are always changing. Most of us believe that a solid relationship never alters. The truth is, marital relationships inevitably change, just as individuals do. Couples who encounter the most difficulties are those who stubbornly resist change for fear that their love may not be strong enough to survive.

Couples in enduring relationships have the flexibility to greet change with acceptance and a positive attitude. It is important to believe that the love between you and your mate is strong enough, and the trust great enough to allow each other respect and room to grow.

7. Infidelity poisons love. "What my spouse doesn't know can't hurt" is a flimsy rationale for an affair. Even if it doesn't lead to separation, an affair can permanently damage a bond of love because it is a basic violation of the marital commitment.

When we respect our marriage vows, we feel comfortable with ourselves. We don't have to worry about covering our tracks. But when we act dishonestly, we secretly know it and feel devoid of character. And we cannot love another if we do not love ourselves.

8. Love doesn't blame. Before we marry, most of us take life's lumps in our stride. If things go well, we feel it is because we made the right choices. When they don't we understand that this, too, is the result of our own actions.

Then we marry. If we are not careful, we begin making our partner the focus of blame: "If I'm unhappy, it's because of you".

Marriage partners are, unfortunately, the most convenient scapegoats. It's easier to find fault with what he or she is doing than to examine how we have created our own unhappiness. Such blame is not only unjust but self-defeating, for it reinforces a sense of personal passivity.

Don't allow yourself to fall into the trap of blaming. Assume a more affirmative posture in your marriage - and in life. The more responsibility you assume for the quality of your life, the happier you - and your partner - become.

9. Love is unselfish. While mature love requires a balance between giving and receiving, spontaneous unselfishness is the essence of love.

Real love asks that we put our own needs on hold and respond to our mate's not endlessly, not unilaterally, but often. In fact, we feel more "in love" when giving to a partner than when receiving.

Giving is contagious. It encourages reciprocity. A word of caution, however: don't give to get, for that is unloving. Neither should you give unendingly to a spouse who takes advantage of your loving intentions. The happiest marriages are those in which both partners give 100 percent - and receive 100 percent in return.

10. Love forgives. All couples hurt and disappoint each other at times. One of two things then happens: either we forgive or we slowly accumulate resentment. For love to last, we must be able to forgive. Simply shelving our feelings, or putting them out of mind, is not forgiveness. Nor is explaining away the other person's behaviour. Forgiving is a genuine, voluntary release of anger and hurt. And it is necessary in order for a relationship to flourish again.

The most important rule of love is this: towards both your partner and yourself, behave only in ways that enhance your own self-worth, dignity and integrity. When you feel good about yourself, you possess the confidence and personal contentment necessary for love to remain truly alive.

Readers Digest, 1988, Connell Cowan and Melvyn Kinder

Best Mom Award

I got another award from Mommy Elvz. Thank you so much mommy Elvz. This is the best award that I received so far... who doesn't dream to be called a Best Mom?

GET THIS AWARD ON YOUR BLOG CLICK HERE

Now, I would like to pass it on to other Best Moms:

Anime Lovers Family
Hipncoolmomma
Bytes of Cookie

Hope you grab this award!

Wednesday Inspirations #8

November and December are busy months for my family.

As always, all our weekends are fully booked and it's really difficult to squeeze in last-minute activities. This year is particularly busy because of the college entrance exams that my son have been taking one after the other. My husband is also busy with his corporate giveaways business and since he also has his full time job, he can only do the legwork for his business during weekends. One time we went to Divisoria to scout for new items, and after spending the whole Saturday there, we both realized that we can't do that all the time, we have to split the tasks and one should stay at home to be able to do other errands. This is how it is if you're both working, all the errands for the family are done during weekends. It doesn't help at all that we have no househelper. Sometimes it's really frustrating to see the house in a mess, with all the laundry and ironing that need to be done, and the one that you hired to do it for the day will say that she's not available and will just do it in the next three days.

Aargh! Sometimes, it takes a toll on the relationship within the family. It happens to us, and I know in most other families also. Sometimes we forget that we are first and foremost a family, and that we have a relationship that we need to nurture no matter what it entails. Like my daughter Faye, every time I tell her during weekends that I need to clean the house, she always say that I shouldn't do that every weekend, or sometimes she says that she wished that we have a househelper so that we'll have more bonding time together.

Fortunately, the two older kids, Earvin and Izah, are already helping around the house. They have alternate assignments of dishwashing, as well as other tasks like ironing and washing their school uniforms, mopping and sweeping the floor. Faye also has simple tasks that she needs to accomplish like fixing her bed, and sometimes she also voluntarily sweeps and mops the floor. For this, I'm grateful to their Dad, because it was him who taught them these things.

But sometimes, although the kids are helping, there are still a lot of things that are left for us to do. But then, I realized, we can only do so much. We cannot have a perfect home -- and who does, anyway? All we have to do is to lower our expectations. Our expectations on how the house should look like; our expectations on what food is on the table --- c'mon we cannot have well-prepared meals all the time!; our expectations on our kids --- this is where we need to adjust the most.

What's important is we are slowly instilling in the minds of our kids the importance of knowing the responsibilities that they have at home.

I think, as parents, this is what we need to instill in our minds also, that good relationships within the family is far more important than having a very clean house, an empty laundry basket, and organized closets and kitchen, because this is what our kids will remember as they too start to build their own families.

EC Credits Sent

I'm still completing the sending of EC credits to those who joined my contest, and so far, I have already sent 100 EC credits to the following:

http://www.mrchngn.blogspot.com
http://www.leytestar.com/
http://lourdesmia.blogspot.com
http://www.mythoughtsoftrain.blogspot.com/
http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com
http://namesherry.blogspot.com/
http://heartrandom.com/
http://sherryshopping.blogspot.com/
http://sherrygo.blogspot.com/
http://www.indocontest.com
http://kranjcarz.blogspot.com/
http://www.brownpinay.com
http://webbycontest.blogspot.com
http://kisahberuang.com/
http://www.dhyarga.com
http://www.randomdetox.com/
http://themelib.com/contests/
http://wiehannecontest.blogspot.com/
http://myearningcorner.blogspot.com/
http://erik-son.net/
http://www.momemo.com/

I still have to send EC credits to 35 more blogs. Whew! Still a long way to go! Please be patient...

Wednesday Inspirations #7

My Realizations for the Past Week

1. It's not worth it to be too much of a worry-wart. The key to all of our worries is prayer, and of course, our trust in God that He will take care of everything, all we have to do is to let Him know that we need Him.

2. Blessings come to those people who never forget to look back. We should never forget where we came from. The most basic symbols of these are our parents. It is our duty to God that we should take care of them when they are old, the same way that they took care of us when we were still young.

3. Our children do not belong to us, they were just entrusted to us by God, so, let's make sure that when we are asked by God whether we've been good stewards of our children, we can really honestly say Yes.

4. Having good relationships within the family are more important and should always be the priority. All the problems that a family will encounter will be easily solved if everybody contributes to making sure that the family will stick together to overcome these problems.

5. Our new family motto: Don't sweat the small stuff!!!

I'm a Top Momma!

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from TopMomma.com that the picture that I submitted to them is now featured on their front page!

It was a picture of Faye and her Dad looking so identical together. When you click on the picture, it goes directly to this blog. I'm not sure how long it will stay on the front page, i think it depends on the number of clicks that it generates, and then it will give way to the other blogs.

Beaded Lanyards - ID Laces

Last weekend, I was able to finish several beaded ID laces with the help of my dear husband. I have orders to fill-up so I took advantage of the long weekend. I always take pictures of the finished products for my brochures just in case other people will order, and I just thought of posting it here.

We were able to finish 21 pieces, and when I brought them to the office today, only 5 were left. My goal is to finish at least 3 per day and at least 10 during the weekend because my regular clients are already ordering for their Christmas gifts to their friends and officemates.

Just want to share with you that my kids are also involved here. There was a time when I had an order for 100 pcs to be brought to USA, fortunately it was summer vacation, so I was able to get my kids involved, and as an incentive, I paid them Php5.00 for each ID lace that they finished. Nice way for the kids to be "entrepreneurs".

Top 10 Entrecard Droppers for the month of October

Thank you so much to my Top 10 droppers for the month of October.

Viral Linking

I got this while I was doing my usual EC dropping, and I want to join in the fun!


{Start Copy Here}

Rules:
1. Copy paste from {Start Copy Here} to {End Copy Here}
2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and PASS this tag to many of your friends
3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs, the more the merrier.
4. The use of NO FOLLOW on links is not allowed, Let's all be fair!
5. Remember to come back here at JENNY TALKS (pls. don't change this link)and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.
6. Spread the virus.. oooopps I mean the VIRAL LINKING and happy blogging!

BLOGGERS:

#1. Scraps & Shots #2. Simply Jen 3. This and That 4. Fab & Chic Finds 5.A Slice of Life 6. Jenny Talks 7. Tech Stuff Plus 8. Food on the Table 9. Aussie Talks 10. When Mom Talks 11. Moments of My Life 12. My Crossroads 13. A Life in Bloom 14. Because Life is a Blessing 15. Digiscraptology 16. BLOGSILOG 14. Cherry's Comfort Zone 15. DigiScrapz: Captured Memories 16. Buzzy Me 17. Fab Finds, Etc. 18. Thinking Out Loud 19. Wishing and Hoping 20. PRC Board Exam Results 21. Jobs Abroad 22. My Blog Portfolio17. Race Corner 18. Mommy Talks. 19. Home and Health 20. All Kinds of Me Stuff 21. Ink Baby Studios 22. The Salad Caper 23. Winding Creek Circle 24. Aggie Scraps 25. Momma Stuff 26. We Are Family 27. Gandacious 28. Busynessworld 29. Folcreative 30. Swanportraits 31. Rumination Under The Clouds 32. Consciously Think 33. Sprawt 34. Healthy Skinny 35. Geekyology 36. When Mom Speaks 37. Rumination 38. Amiable Amy 39. Captured on Time 40. Pit of Gadgetry 41. Me and Mine 42. Little Peanut 43. Creative in Me 44. Around the world 45. Pea in a Pod 46. For the LOVE of Food 47. Music of My Heart 48. It’s Where the Heart Is 49. Blog in to Space 50. A Mothers Horizon 51. Simply me 52. Whats Up 53. Comedy Plus 54. Lovin' Life 55.Ozzy's Mom 56. Apple and Candie 57. I was once lost in love 58. Pinay in Love 59. Pau's Big Thoughts 60. Twisted Angel 61. Hailey's Beat and Bits 62. Living A' La Mode 63. Bits and Pieces 64. Honey and Daisy 65. Pinay Ads 66. Great Kingkay 66. It's Naptime 67. Lisgold 68. Signe Says 69. Thomas Web Links 70. Thomas Travel Tales 71. Nita's Corner 72. Great Finds and Deals 73. Nita's Ramblings 74. Batuananons 75. Filipino Online Community 76. Healthy Living and Lifestyle 77. CompTechGadgets 78. Nita's Random Thoughts 79. Make Money Online 80. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts 81. Kitty's haven 82. This and That 83. Shoppaholic girly 84. My Life in this Wonderful World 85. My Online World 86. Joys in Life 87. Journey in Life 88. Tere's World 89. Jean's Live it Up 90. Muzikistah 91. Maharot 92. SUPASTAH! 93.Life is a constant journey 94.Amazingly Me 70. Treeennndddzzz 96. otwarteInfo’s 98. AdventureSage 99. in-Tech Revolution 100. LovingMore 101. From Melissa's Desk 102. denz Recreational 103. Network of Combined Ideas 104. Sheltered Not Shattered 105. Mommying on the Fly 106. Me, Myself and Darly 107. Stay at Home Mom 108. Harmony in Motion 109. My Happy Thoughts 110. Mommyhood is Thankless 111. Life is Random. SO.I.AM 112.Life's sweet and spices 113. Rainbow Colored Me 114. My Oweini Life 115. All About Mye Life 116. Is it Bedtime Yet 117. Super Coupon Girl 118. My Life.... My Journey 119. Project Wicked Blogs and Reviews 120. Life According To Me 121. WilStop 122. I Love Pixels 123. Cellulitic Bliss 124. Underneath It All 125. Momstart 126. Pinaymama's Diary 127. My Heart 4 Him 128. 1StopMom 129. Random Chronicles 130. Maeyonnaise 131.Blessings in Life 132. Survivor Mom 133. Sharing my Thoughts

{END Copy Here}

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Consider yourselves tagged!

15 Diet Tips that can change your life

Got these tips from various magazines. Mind you, I still haven't eaten rice --- it's been one month already, yipee!!!

I found these tips helpful and I would like to share these with you:

1. Select your weight goal. Write it down. Put this note where you will see it everyday.

2. Weigh yourself every morning for the rest of your life.

3. Drink several glasses of water a day. Water is essential to every bodily function. It is also inexpensive and calorie-free, making it the perfect drink for dieting.

4. When you're under stress, you may want to eat. Break the stress cycle with exercise and a hot bath.

5. Always be aware of calories. Sugar, for example is a leading additive in foods. Read all labels carefully for any sugars ending in ose: lactose, sucrose, dextrose, maltose and fructose.

6. Decrease red meats which are high in fat: increase fish and poultry.

7. Avoid excessive amounts of caffeine-filled beverages. They may be bad for your blood pressure; they may also make you nervous, and many people eat more when they get the jitters.

8. Eat a balanced diet that includes lean meats, raw fruits and vegetables.

9. Stick to a set schedule each day and eat on time. Most dieters starve all day to indulge at night. If no food has been eaten, the blood-sugar level drops, you crave food, and you may lose control.

10. Never shop for food when you're hungry.

11. Limit your salt intake. The more salted food you eat, the more you want.

12. Don't take less than 20 minutes to finish a meal.

13. Avoid foods that are served with sauces. Sauces are often rich in butter, suga, salt and flour, adding to your calorie count.

14. Learn to relax before a party. It will fortify your self-control when snacks are offered.

15. Remember: you are learning a "way to live", not just a way to diet.