What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Still reading Tempting Fate by Jane Green
- Too Far Series (Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far) by Abbi Glines
- This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
- Even Now by Karen Kingsbury
- Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
- Currently Reading: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
- That Thing Called Tadhana
- Edward Scissorhands (A Classic!)
What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Duchess' First Birthday
- Valentine's Day with friends and family
- Family Day last 15th
- Early Summer
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- I had a couple of allergy attacks this month
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Get together with CFC friends for VDay
- Me time to watch a movie, footspa, facial and more
- Evangelization Rally with the kids
- Households! Lots of it!
- Quick lunch with my co-mommies at Cafe Ysabel
- Quick Getaway to Punta Fuego with friends ♥♥♥
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Jollibee Greenmeadows
- Ronquillo's for VDay Group Date with CFC Friends
- Cafe Juanita for Family day
- Greeka Kouzina with friends
- Cafe Ysabel
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- I bought a pair of shoes this month (finally!) for work and night outs. (*wink*)
What have you learned this month?
- I may have known in the past that no one can make you happy but yourself, but this month has showed me more that this is the case. Grow up and own up your happiness. That's what I learned. No one can ever make you happy, except God. But, I have yet to pray that He will make me feel loved again.
It was so good to be back at Circles!
For Father's Day lunch last year, we went to Circles with the whole family.
And as always, it was a lunch worth remembering.
Food was sooo great!
Yes, this early, I'm actually craving for one...
Ack, but I couldn't do anything about it for now. So will just have to stare at this photo until I'm off to work.
How's your Thursday, so far?
1. Relaxing weekend
2. Online Extra work
3. Freshly Brewed Coffee by the Hubby
4. Summer is almost here!
5. Chocolates
6. Households on Weekdays
7. The Secret
8. Viber and friends
9. Blogging
10. Family ♥
To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.
Hey check this out, "Into the Woods" musical play will be shown in Manila soon...
INTO THE WOODS. Presented by Bonifacio Global City, AVIVA Global Marine Corporation, and OLX Philippines. In cooperation with The Picasso Boutique Residences and Plana Forma. Also brought to you by Interaksyon.com, Image Nation Photography, Mac Cosmetics, Lulu Swing Shoes, Citrusnap, Chalk, Metro Magazine, and Stanley Ong Photography.
Into The Woods is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.
Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684
www.MTIShows.com
For those who love the movie, I'm definitely sure you'll love the musical play too! Buy your tickets now at Ticket World, selected National Book Store, selected Robinsons, Ayala Malls, and Resorts World Manila Box Office!
Another wonderful thing to think about today from BeMoreWithLess.com.
I've been trying to live less these days and this helps a lot in my journey...
Do you feel like dancing today? Here's a nice song by Katy Perry.
Aaaaah, my kids just love listening to her!
Have a great Sunday, everyone!
Enjoy Life Wherever You Are
One day, I was in the airport for a 12noon flight for Cebu.
And then I heard the dreaded announcement come. “There will be a delay for our flight to Cebu. Projected time of departure is at 7pm.”
You should have heard the uproar.
People went wild.
Everyone rushed to the counter.
I pitied the airline staff. They faced an angry mob that was ready to lynch them.
Hey, I totally understand them. Some of them had meetings, appointments, etc.
One guy in that mob broke the Guiness of World Records for the number of curse words a human can say in one minute.
The other guy beside him was multi-lingual. He cursed in 7 different languages. English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray,…
I waited on my seat until everyone was gone.
I stood up and approached the hapless, frazzled young woman behind the desk.
“I’m happy the flight is delayed,” I smiled.
The girl couldn’t quite understand me. “Excuse me?” she asked.
I smiled again, “I said I’m happy the flight is delayed. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it. And thank you very much for doing a good job despite what happened.”
She smiled back, “Thank you, sir.” I thought she wanted to hug me.
I went back to my seat and I felt like a little boy on Christmas Eve. Because I had this giant gift in front of me: 7 hours of doing nothing. I felt so happy.
I prayed. I read. I wrote. I talked to the people beside me. I walked for my exercise. I ate. I had a mini-vacation right there in the airport!
Sure, I had a talk in Cebu—and I might come late.
But I told myself, I am where I am because God wants me to be here.
My talk in Cebu was supposed to be 7pm.
I arrived at 9pm. I was two hours late.
But when I arrived, the church was still full. People didn’t leave. While I wasn’t there, our local leaders preached to them. And I gave my talk. So people told me, “We didn’t have a prayer meeting. We had a recollection!”
They were blessed.
I was blessed.
Slow Down!
Get rid of hurry from your life.
John Ortberg said, “Hurry isn’t just a disordered schedule but a disordered heart.” I agree. Because of this, he says that our society is rich in things but extremely poor in time.
We don’t have time for family, for people, for relationships.
We don’t have time for ourselves—to reflect, to pray, to breathe, to rest, to enjoy God’s blessings now.
The solution? Learn to slow down.
Here are tips (some from me and some from John Ortberg) on how to remove hurry from our lives.
1. Deliberately drive in the slow lane on the expressway.
If you do this, you’ll arrive home perhaps ten minutes later. But you’ll be less angry, less stressed, and less tired. Here’s what you can do: Pray for all the cars that go ahead of you. Sing a song to God. Imagine God seated beside you.
2. Deliberately park at the farthest spot available in the parking lot.
Result? You won’t have to fight over the nearest parking spots; You won’t have to circle around for hours; and you’re giving your body exercise by the extra walk.
3. Deliberately choose the longest line in the grocery.
We usually look for the shortest. Do the opposite. Look for the longest line. You can be sure no one will fight you over it. Enjoy. Pray. Smile. Bless the people around you.
4. Deliberately chew your food slowly.
As my friend says, “Food is God’s love made edible.” So enjoy your food. Relish it. Savor the taste. It’ll help your digestion. More importantly, it’ll calm you. You’ll appreciate your food more. You’ll be more grateful to God for your food.
5. Deliberately put people before things.
“Waste” time with your loved ones. Laugh, play, and do nothing together. Learn the “art of being” as a group. Last week, I brought all the top leaders of Light of Jesus to the beach for three days. We played charades together. We looked pretty insane. It was wonderful. People ask me why Light of Jesus has remained strong after 30 years. One reason: We play a lot. We have 4 vacations a year!
6. Deliberately take time to enjoy God’s Presence alone.
Each day, spend ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes hanging out with God. Just simply be with Him. Just rest in Him. You can sit before the Blessed Sacrament. Or go under a tree or take a walk. God says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
7. Deliberately stop watching TV.
People watch an average of 4 hours of TV everyday. That means when you reach 65 years old, you would have spent 9 years of your life watching TV. You wake up one day and ask yourself, “Where did my life go?” Remember that failure is not an act but a habit. Instead of watching TV, read a book instead. Or hold an entertainment night as a family. Or sing together. Or take up a hobby. Or play a musical instrument. Or volunteer and serve God in a ministry.
8. Deliberately take lots of vacations.
People work non-stop all their life, retire at age 65, and take a long vacation. Usually, they drop dead after a few years. Because they lose their purpose. I’ll teach you a better way, and I’ve been practicing this for some years now: Take lots of mini-vacations now and never retire! I take about 10 small vacations a year, usually with family and friends. And I can’t retire because I’m not working. Both my ministry and business is just so much fun.
Don’t Ever “Wait” Again!
A lot of people just wait.
When we’re 8, we wait to be 13.
When we’re 13, we wait to be 18.
When we’re in school, we wait to get a job.
When we’re single, we wait to get married.
When we’ve got babies, we wait for them to grow up quick.
When we’ve got teens, we wait for them to mature.
When we’re working, we wait for our retirement.
But if you really live in your “Now”, you’ll never wait again in your life. We enjoy where we are.
When someone is late and says to you, “So sorry to keep you waiting,” you should say, “I wasn’t waiting. I was enjoying life. I was breathing in God’s love. I was living and happy and blessed.”
Of course, if you say that, people will think you’re kookoo or had shabu for breakfast.
But that is essentially what living in your “Now” is. You don’t really wait. Because waiting means you’re attention is focused on your future.
Not you. You’re attention is focused on your “Now”.
And you’re grateful for that “Now”.
Example?
If you’re single, don’t “wait” for a husband. Enjoy your singleness now. Embrace your freedom. Breathe in the blessings of God. Embrace His peace. Love His presence.
If you’re still childless, don’t “wait” for a baby. Enjoy your marriage now. Embrace your life today. Be blissful where you are.
If you’re still financially hard-up, don’t “wait” for prosperity. Be grateful for the prosperity you have now. And because gratitude attracts what you’re grateful for, this will attract more prosperity.
Enjoy Your Imperfect Now
After my talk, a woman came up to me and said, “Bo, my husband passed away 3 months ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said.
“Can I ask a favor? Can you give this message to all the wives out there?”
She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
I didn’t speak. I let her cry.
She went on. “My husband wasn’t perfect. But I’ll give anything to hold his hand again. I’ll give anything to sit beside him now. I’ll give anything to hear him laugh. I’ll give anything to serve him again. But I can’t. It’s impossible. So please Bo. Tell the wives to enjoy their imperfect husbands while they can. Because it won’t be forever.”
“I will tell them,” I said. I prayed for and gave her a hug.
To this day, I tell her story in my talks often.
Enjoy your imperfect “Now”—your spouse, your kids, your parents, your in-laws, your friends.
Rest In God
I love it when the Bible says, “But Jesus would go away to lonely places where he prayed.” (Luke 5:16).
I love it because if it’s good for Jesus, it must be good for me too. In fact, Jesus also invited his friends to do exactly the same thing. “There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn’t even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest for a while.” (Mark 6:31)
I have two last things to say to you.
First of all, you will never be alone.
Jesus says, “Let’s go off by ourselves…where we will be alone.” That means He’ll bring you there. He’ll meet you there. He’ll accompany you in your trials. He’ll never let you go.
Second, I believe that “alone” place doesn’t have to be a geographical place. That “alone” place is actually within you.
In the middle of noisy traffic, you can go to your heart.
Be quiet.
Be alone.
Be open.
And breathe in God’s love.
Enjoy your “Now”.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
SOURCE.
You Can’t Live On Yesterday’s Manna
One day, Jack and Poy met on the road.
Jack noticed that Poy looked very sad, almost weepy.
He asked him, “What’s wrong, Poy?”
Poy cried, “Three weeks ago, my aunt died and left me an inheritance of P100,000.”
Jack was surprised. “Well, that isn’t too bad.”
Poy shook his head. “That’s not the end of the story. Two weeks ago, my uncle died and left me an inheritance of P500,000.”
“My gosh, I’d like that,” Jack said.
Poy wailed and said, “That’s not all. Last week, my grandfather died and left me an inheritance of P2 Million.”
Jack was blown away. He said, “That’s fantastic! Why are you so sad?”
Poy cried and said, “Because this week, nothing! No one died!”
What’s the problem of Poy? He got fixated with his past blessings. But you can’t live on yesterday’s manna. God gives different blessings each day. Learn to appreciate what God is giving you today that may be different from what He gave yesterday.
But there’s a third group of people who live in their “Now”.
These people enjoy each moment that God gives to them.
These people enjoy the strawberries of God.
Strawberries are found only in your “Now”.
In your present moment.
Make a choice today to enjoy the strawberries of life!
Question:
Are You A Human Being
Or Human Doing?
Do you want to be happy?
One key to happiness is mastering the Art of Being.
We’re supposed to be Human Beings. But we’re so busy, we’ve become Human Doings.
We’re not present in the here and now.
So let me give you now the golden rule of living in the present moment: Wherever you are, be there.
Even during the difficult moments of your life.
Do you get annoyed when…
o …you get stuck in traffic?
o …you wait in the doctor’s clinic for a long time?
o …you’re rushing and then receive a phone call?
o …you stand in a long line in the grocery?
o …your kid asks you for something while you’re resting?
o …your friend drops by when you’re busy?
Instead of being annoyed, I suggest you receive these interruptions as a gift from Heaven.
I also call these the “Gift of Pause”.
I repeat: Wherever you are, be there.
This may sound strange, but I’ve come to enjoy traffic.
Why?
When I’m in traffic, I’m forced to do nothing.
So I focus on God.
I reflect on my blessings.
I become deeply grateful.
Every time I’m stuck in traffic, I’m given a wonderful opportunity to practice the art of being.
To live in the present moment.
I can hear you now.
“Bo, you’re nuts.”
Then the next story may change your mind.
Where You Are Now Is Exactly
Where God Wants You To Be
One day, survivors from the 9/11 tragedy had a small gathering. On that day, they shared the reasons why they were still alive. They were alive because of small, insignificant interruptions.
One man was late for work because his son started kindergarten that morning.
For another guy, it was his turn to bring donuts for the staff.
Another guy put on a new pair of shoes that morning. But along the way to work, he developed a blister. So he stopped by a drugstore to buy a band-aid.
And that’s why he was still alive.
Interruptions are not so bad after all.
Friend, next time you’re annoyed because you’re stuck in traffic. Or you have to answer a phone call. Or you have to repair your car. Or any other little thing that may annoy you…
Thank God for that Gift of Peace, the Gift of Pause.
Remember: Where you are now is exactly where God wants you to be.
...to be continued...
SOURCE.
Here's another reading that is worth sharing by Bo Sanchez.
One evening, a man was walking in a dark jungle.
Suddenly, he saw what seemed like a tiger running towards him. Horrified, the man ran away as fast as he could.
But alas, he didn’t know, he was running towards the edge of a high cliff. Below him was a thousand meter drop—and sure death.
He was able to stop and turn around. In the darkness, he saw the tiger moving towards him.
Instantly, he made a decision. He said to himself, “I’d rather die by falling than by a hungry tiger!”
So he closed his eyes and jumped off the cliff.
But instead of falling a thousand meters, he landed just a few meters down on a hanging vine! It was actually a root of an old tree that was jutting out of the cliff.
He was saved!
But suddenly, from out of nowhere, he saw a big rat crawl out of a little hole. It ran to the base of the vine he was holding—and it began to eat through it! At anytime, the vine will snap.
He was a dead man for sure.
From the corner of his eye, he saw something red. It was a strawberry. A little strawberry plant was growing in the side of the cliff.
What should he do?
He plucked the red fruit.
Placed it in his mouth.
Closed his eyes.
Chewed it.
Licked his lips.
Mmmm…
It was the most delicious meal he ever had in his life!
God Gives Strawberries Every Moment
I can hear you now.
“Bo, what happened to the guy? How did the story end?”
That’s the point. There is no end.
We don’t know what happened to the man.
But this we know: He enjoyed his strawberry.
You and I are like that man.
We hang onto life by a vine.
Actually, our life hangs by a thread.
At any moment, that thread can snap.
You can die anytime. (My 31-year old cousin died this way. A vein burst in his brain and boom, he was gone. Last night, he slept strong. The next morning, he was dead.)
The rat eating the thread you hang on is time.
Every single day that passes is one day closer to your death.
Every single step you take is one step closer to your tomb.
Our lives are short. Very short.
I love what Fulton Oursler said: We crucify ourselves between two thieves: Regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow.
Friend, protect yourself from these two thieves.
How?
Surrender your regrets and fears to God.
Live in your “Now”.
There are three kinds of people.
First are people who focus on tomorrow—waiting and waiting and waiting. (More on this later.)
Second are people who focus on yesterday—on how bad or how good it was. Some people are fixated to the past, they pine for the “good ol’ days.” They don’t see the blessings of today.
Be the third kind of person who lives in their “Now”.
Enjoy God’s Blessings Now
Right this moment, you’re swimming in an ocean of blessings!
Miracles surround you.
Supernatural provision.
Divine appointments.
God-coincidences.
God’s presence.
God’s peace.
God’s joy.
God’s love!
They’re everywhere.
But here’s the problem: Sometimes, you can’t even see the blessings. So we end missing them. (What a waste.) And we even end up complaining, “God doesn’t love me.”
Why are we blind to our blessings?
Because we’re not awake.
We’re not mindful.
We’re not aware.
We’re not grateful.
Because we don’t live in the “Now”.
My big message for you: If you want to be happy, you must live in your “Now”.
Live in the present moment.
Be awake.
Be aware.
Be mindful.
Be conscious.
Embrace what’s happening now.
Enjoy your blessings now.
Embrace God’s love today!
...to be continued tomorrow...
SOURCE.
1. Fun weekend with family and friends
2. Me time last Thursday
3. Bubble Tea Milk Tea. My fave!
4. Movie
5. Fun VDay with family and friends
6. Starbucks mug and coffee. Thanks Sweetie! ♥
7. Chocolates
8. Steak and Prawns from our VDay Dinner with friends
9. Planning for summer! Woot woot!
10. Breakfast @ Cafe Juanita
To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.
A couple of months ago, we were finally able to try Gyu-kaku in East Wing, Shangrila Mall.
The food was a bit expensive though. But we had fun and the kids had fun cooking their food.
Would love to try it again some time.
Here's something to think about today from www.BeMoreWithLess.com...
Beautiful song for a beautiful day like today.
"Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. Have a blessed Sunday, everyone!
Flowers for me...
Yup, this was the flowers I got from the Hubby last year. How sweet, isn't he?
What are your plans for today? Don't forget to spread the loooooove today. (*wink*)
A couple of months ago, I partied all night (well not all night but a couple of hours that night) and had the time of my life!
It was to celebrate my friend Jacqui's 40th!
Hubby and I had a blast with this guy!
Yes it was Juan Miguel Salvador. How cool is that?
Oh we love, love him!
Best night eveeeeer!
Happy Birthday Jacqui! (*wink*)
1. Busy but fun weekend with family
2. Kid #1 is better now. Thank you Lord!
3. Abbi Glines Rosemary Beach series ♥♥♥
4. CFC Friends
5. Hugging the kids
6. Kungfu Panda Part 2
7. Popcorn!
8. God is good
9. Freshly brewed coffee. YUM!
10. Chocolates
To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.
Yup that's Hubby and I celebrating our 10th!
I just couldn't believe it either. How time flies! It has been 10 great years with this guy and I'm so, so looking forward to forever. We may had challenges that we had to face for the past 10 years but I can say that we were truly blessed by God. He has been so good and faithful to us. Having two kids within 10 years is more than enough to say that we are truly blessed.
Happy. Blessed. Content. Grateful.
Truly how I feel right now and will be feeling for the rest of our lives. ♥♥♥
To all parents, here's another nice article from MumCentre.com by Mariel.
Kids need to learn about the importance of saving money early in life in order to establish understanding of and acquisition of good financial habits. The key to this is modeling good spending and saving habits and reinforcing it through day-to-day conversation.
Parents have to be intentional about teaching their children about money, lest they grow up thinking that these grow on trees. Here are some ideas on how you can start your kids early on to the path of good financial stewardship.
1. Bring attention to prices
Bring your child to the grocery with you and talk about the prices of the items in your cart. Talk about deciding how to choose between two similar products using quality and price as criteria.
Talking about prices and comparing products will help your child become mindful of what he wants to buy. As the child becomes older, give him a budget whenever you go to the grocery and assign him to buy his snacks. This gradually introduces them to being responsible with what they buy.
2. Keep cash gifts
During Christmas and birthdays, kids receive cash from loved ones. Instead of allowing them to spend it all, encourage them to save the money gifts to either buy something they really like or to save for the future.
Cash gifts can grow in time, if saved and invested properly. Use this gift to start your child’s financial awareness. Bring your child to the bank when he has enough to open his own bank account.
3. Work for cash
Give kids opportunities to work for cash. Though chores should be done as part of being a household member, setting up a reward system for some time may also work.
If you have a business and you can assign some tasks to your child, let him earn from it too. Once your children are a little older you can introduce them to entrepreurship and let them sell baked goods or other items. With these methods, children will learn the value of work and money if they get experience of it hand-in-hand.
4. Save, give, and spend
Money is not just for saving and spending, teach your child to save for giving too. For little kids, this can be introduced in a visual way with jars for saving, giving, and spending.
Let your child then choose where he wants to donate the money after a certain period. After all, the goal is to produce financially literate children who also have the capacity to empathize with others who are less fortunate.
5. Invest
For bigger kids, introduce the idea of investing. Although this is a topic that still escapes most adults, there are now many resources that address this topic for kids. The premise is that the child puts in money on stocks then follows the value while it grows. This can also be a way for parents to bond with their older children as they discuss the companies that they want to invest in.
Money matters should be a normal part of growing up. Children will not learn about the value of work and money on their own. They need guidance from an early age.
SOURCE.
Having a lazy morning? This song is perfect for you, today!
Morning by Beck.
Good Mooooorning, Manila! Have a great Sunday! (*wink*)
I know, I'm a year late of posting this exciting trip to Nuvali and Tagaytay. But hey, this is my blog and I want to record all the memories as much as I can. So better late than never! (*wink*)
This one is our last hurrah for our 2014 summer. We went to Nuvali and Tagaytay for the weekend with our friends from CFC.
Just look at the pool. Any kid would love to swim in there...
So that's why the kids did for the whole day! But we had to take a break and went to eat lunch at the restaurant. Then the kids went to see the fishes and even went boating.
Yes, we all had a blast!
Especially the kids!
So after lunch, we went back to the pool area and went swimming again!
Happy weekend with friends, indeed!
Well, I was pertaining to this uber cute toy from BIL...
Cute right?
These are now the kids' favorite toy plus the little FROZEN toys I got for them from Belgium. ♥♥♥
1. Cinnabites from Bag O' Beans
2. Freshly brewed coffee
3. Online Work
4. Blessings
5. Quick Trip to Tagaytay
6. Anniversary!
7. Good health for the whole family
8. Food trip
9. Sonya's Garden
10. Cool weather
To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.
