Life’s sweets and spices

Hubby’s friend Thirdy is a trucker based in Los Angeles. Just like him, Thirdy is a gearhead. But unlike my husband, he loves trucks and pickups. He recently sent photos of his Chevy Siverado. And just like my hubby’s car, his pickup is loaded with truck accessories. It looks awesome. Thirdy is set to come home for Christmas and hopefully will spend a few days with us. They’re like brothers and haven’t seen each other for more than a decade. I’m sure he’s as excited as hubby is. I’m looking forward to finally meeting him.

Now that times are really tough, budgets are useless if they are not realistic.  We set aside money for food, utility bills, gas, vitamins, medicines and regular check-ups.  Insurance is another issue, I strongly consider it so my family will have something in case something major happens. A term life insurance is the simplest type to get at this time because it’s very affordable.  This is the cheapest kind of insurance and yet it addresses my worries in case something bad happens.  How about you?  Have you considered getting an isurance for you and your family?

Responsible parenthood does not only entail proper care of the children by both the husband and the wife, more importantly, it means planning for the future and getting them prepared for unavoidable circumstances.  Hubs and I are strong believers of insurance and whether we admit it or not, it plays a big role in our lives.  We believe that every parent should take time and money to care for their loved ones and prepare them for the worst even if it never comes.  You may get feasible insurance quotes from many insurance companies, what’s really important is it’s affordable and able to deliver your needs.

Joey brought home his report card yesterday and proudly showed me his grades. His grades are good but he’s a bit worried his dad might not buy him the playstation 3 he wants for Christmas because he’s 2 points short of the deal. Hubs promised to buy him one if he gets 85 average this second trimester. I told him he still got a month and a half to make up for it and not to worry too much because I’m confident that he can do it.

According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, children now have 51% more homework than kids had 25 years ago.  My son is in 6th grade and stays in school for 8 hours.  He usually gets home tired and sleepy with 3 or more homeworks to do.  He rarely goes home with just one or no homework at all.  It’s bonus for him when he does.

I recently read an article about how to end homework hassles and found the tips effective.  I’m sure I’m not the only one having problems with homework overload so I’d like to share it with you.

Don’t let them start with their homework right away and get help from the “ha” breath first.  Tell your kids to stand and raise both arms overhead as he inhales, then have him bend forward with arms and head hanging toward the floor as he exhales through his mouth with a loud “ha” sound.  Repeat 10 times.  Experts say, the forceful exhalation helps clear the lungs of stale carbon dioxide.  The process allows for deeper breaths that optimally oxygenate every cell in the body, increasing energy and alertness.

Familiar music can help increase your child’s concentration.  If he is easily distracted by noise, put on his favorite music in the background while he studies.  According to William Stixrud, Ph. D., familiar tune functions like white noise and block out distractions.  He says, when the mind is accustomed to a piece of music, the subconscious brain processes it, leaving the conscious mind free to focus on the homework.  Listening to a favorite song ups the release of dopamine which increases the ability to focus.

When your kid is tired and feeling lazy to do his homework, give him a red pen and ask him to draw a few triangles that point upward.  Ask him to focus on making each triangle tall with a narrow base.  Repeatedly making the upward pointing motion sends a message to the brain to take action.  A handwriting expert explains that within moments your child will be filled with inspiration and raring to go.

When life was still easy, my family is always out during weekends.  Saturdays are spent with my inlaws and during Sundays we dine out and go to the mall after hearing mass.  The kids might not have get everything they want but they’re living comfortably.

Life is much different now with the constant inflation, add to that the loss of our apartment monthly rental income.  The apartment is still there but the income goes to the bank.  We are paying for a debt we did not even make, it’s just so unfair that we have to suffer.  But, oh well, life is sometimes like that and this post is really not about the apartment.

I am always running on a tight budget, but I am still blessed because I have my store and I have my blogging income to help with some of the expenses.

Being brought up to live simply is such an advantage.  Me and my siblings were well provided for, anything we needed were given to us.  But anything we want more than that we had to work for it.  I am thankful that I was brought up that way and I am lucky to have a husband who was brought up the same way as I am.  This value is what we are teaching our children.  We are thankful that in our present situation, the kids have been very understanding.  But there are times that I feel guilty because we are not able to give them what they need immediately.

It was my daughter’s birthday last week and instead of dining out, I just cooked a special dinner.  Before I went to the grocery I asked my son, “Is there something you need?”  His reply was, “No mama, just get everything for ate, I’m fine.”  I was so touched, before he would casually reply “Ok, please buy me this… and I need a new….”  Things that he doesn’t really need but he saw in ad that he’d like to try.

Living simply is really not easy but if we learn to live within our means and be content, then our lives would be less complicated.  Oh and more thing that I learned, never under estimate your children’s power to understand even at a tender age.  If you carefully explain to them the situation, it’ll be easier for them to adjust.

Now, our Sundays are spent at home.  Lounging with hubby and the kids after a homemade dinner watching tv or dvd is one of the activities we enjoy most.  We feel a lot closer and I can focus more on them.