tales of a pinay single mom

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christmas, kids, wordless wednesday christmas 2009, christmas tree

We got back from Boracay two weeks ago and we’re already planning our next trip to the island this year.  It was a memorable one for us.  It was the first time after a long, long time that everyone was present for Christmas dinner.  Even my sister who had a misunderstanding with my dad was present for this once in a lifetime event.  But they’ve actually kissed and made up even before the trip.

So offices and businesses were close during the holidays and that included my brother’s car shop.  Yes, he closed his shop to join us.  He rarely gets a vacation.  Having a full time business is more stressful than being employed.  But it has more perks and advantages.  You could potentially earn more if you have a sound business plan.  Anyway, my brother plans to get one of those business credit cards to increase his business’ credit score.  It won’t do anything for his personal credit score but it would definitely build a credit reputation for his business.  And as every businessman knows, a good credit history is crucial in any business.  And I hope this step helps his business grows so he could shoulder all the expenses of our next vacation.  I only wish him success. He has been working hard.

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It was a busy week for the family this past week.  A lot of last minute shopping, prepping and cooking, and packing.  We had to do a lot of packing this week because we spent Christmas and New year outside of home.  It’s nothing compared to a house move requiring a moving company, but it’s still tedious.  But it was all worth the extra effort as we enjoyed many days with our loved ones.  Speaking of moving, never do it yourself.  I know it’s the “in” thing to do, DIY, but moving is a different issue.  It requires professional people to do the job.  If you need a moving company, trust ABF U-pack Moving with everything frommoving and storage services.

Anyway, I hope it would be like that each year.  I’m actually planning an out-of-town trip for New Year 2011 this early.  Yes, I’d like to avoid cramming and last minute planning for this year.  I guess it would be best since the family has entrusted me with organizing major events and happenings this year.  And I won’t let them down.

chores, christmas, errands, events, family, reviews Add new tag, christmas, new year, out of town trips

So we’re heading to Boracay for Christmas. I’m so excited since I have not been to the place for more than ten years now. Plus the fact that I’ll be with my family this time around. My past visits were part work and part leisure everytime. This time around would be all about fun and time with the people who truly matter in my life. Nearly everyone’s present except for my my mom, my sister and her family who are living abroad. Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all.

christmas, events, family

I was looking for a great pair of shades for our trip to Boracay this Christmas when I came across an article by Eric Hammer mentioning about cheap eyeglasses from Zenni Optical. Well, I’m not yet in the market for a pair of reading glasses but it might come in handy in the future as my eyesight is not the same as when I was younger. So I visited the site and I particularly like the line of holiday eyeglasses they are offering. For as low as $10, you’d get a decent pair of eyeglasses.  Isn’t that great especially now that everyone is on a tight budget.  They are high quality and yet they’re also very affordable.  Nothing can beat that.

christmas, finances, me, reviews, shopping boracay, cheap eyeglasses, christmas, holidays, zenni optical

School ends this week for my son who is in college. Christmas vacation officially starts this weekend for him.  But one of his teachers decided at the last minute to give the class something to do on vacation.  It’s a last minute assignment and project.  Of course, my kid panicked at first as he was so bent on doing nothing while on vacation.  That’s why you call it vacation, right?  He has to compile home and family articles. When I heard about it, I told him not to worry because I know a site that is full of such articles. He finally relaxed and slept after hearing it.

chores, christmas, reviews, school christmas, home and family, kids

I know now what to give to friends’ newborn kids this Christmas.  It would have to be organic baby clothes and I really think they would love them.  It’s the perfect Christmas gift for kids up to 24 months since it’s made from natural materials and none of that synthetic ones that make baby’s skin all itchy and irritated.  Now the only problem is what specific item to give.  Funkoos has a lot of great cute stuff that it’s hard to choose.  Should I go for the bodysuit or the sleep gown?  Or both?  In any case, I think any item would be much appreciated.  Besides it’s the thought that counts or so they say.

christmas, kids, reviews, shopping christmas, funkoos, organic baby clothes, organic bobysuit, organic sleepgown

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you heard about Dirt Devil Online Shopping Guide?  If you are into shopping online, then you should have this guide.  Christmas is just five weeks away and I’m sure all of us are rushing to do our shopping so we could focus on the meaning of Christmas once it comes.  To tell you honestly, I haven’t started with mine.  Although I have had my list with me for three weeks now, it has not been used yet.  It’s a good thing I found this holiday guide that would help me with my shopping.  I might be doing most of my gift shopping online this year.  Perhaps most of my gifts would be bought online especially after reading through the guide and learning where to get discounts and coupon codes on practically everything.  This guide has over 300 ways to save when online shopping.  I especially love the idea of the second annual free shipping day which will happen on December 17, 2009.  That should save me a lot of money.  You know how much shipping costs these days.  Sometimes it’s more expensive than the item itself.  For the couples, you won’t have a hard time finding that perfect gift for your partner.  The guide has plenty of gift suggestions for him or her.  If I were you, I would go on over to DirtDevil.com and download the guide now.

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Another thing that excites me about Christmas is the Christmas eve dinner.  And this year, it was decided that dinner would be in my home.  My father and my siblings and their family are coming over and I would be in charge of the food.  Now, that’s a huge responsibility because this event is centered around food on the table.  Of course, the only other thing that competes with food are the Christmas gifts.  So I would need all the help I can get.  I need the best kitchen gadgets and utensils like my soup bowl sets and Corelle Dinnerware Sets. Yep, it’s that time of the year where these utensils are put to good use.  So as early as now, I would be planning what to serve on Christmas dinner.

christmas, events, family, home, party, reviews, shopping christmas dinner, christmas eve, family

I’m always looking for Christmas gift ideas.  I’m tired of giving the usual gift basket, assortment of cookies and pastries and even toys for kids.  Plus I don’t have time to look through every item in the mall for that perfect gift.  Then the idea of Gift Cards came to mind. I mean, why not? At least the person you’re giving it to can choose what she likes for herself. No more guessing game for you. I’m quite sure that anyone who receives a gift card would be ecstatic. Who does not love shopping and for free since it’s a gift. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone.

christmas, events, family, friends, kids, reviews, sharing, shopping gift cards, iTunes, norstrom