Any marriage going on the rocks is really far difficult to handle. I can only sympathize with what is going on with Kris Aquino right now. I am sure this did not just happen at the spur of the moment, she must have tried all means to save what is there to save, for the sake of the family most especially for her kids.

Whatever her reasons, or her decision to part with James Yap, it will surely look negative from all aspects now, but certainly as times goes on, there will always be reasons why things do happen.

I can relate with what is happening to her, it will be very difficult, but you have your own family, much more you have your friends to be there for you, your children to light up your gloomy days.

Kris has had so many frustrations in her love life, but come to think of it, she was able to bounce back. Kris Aquino deserves to be happy and be stress-free.

You have a new role now that of being The First Sister Kris, please take care of our president Kris, take care of P. Noy!

AXE Twist is the most recent fragrance innovation for men. AXE Twist is a body spray. It has a scent of fresh citrus and gradually changes to the smell of sandalwood.

Acting as a double-action scent, it’s both a fragrance and an anti-odor agent. Axe Twist Body Sprays contain two (2) ingredients that kill odor-causing bacteria, ethanol and Cosmocil Stearate that punctures the bacteria cell wall, resulting in the complete destruction of odor-causing bacteria.

The fragrances of Axe Twist body sprays are designed and tested to last a minimum of 6 hours. In comparison, regular colognes wear off after as short as 1 to 2 hours.

It’s not only for teenagers but for men of all ages. Try giving your Dad AXE Twist Body Spray, he needs to boast his confidence, that he can still feel young.

No matter the age, a clean good smelling man is attractive!

First day of classes and I feel I am a graduate! Graduate of panic buying of school supplies at National bookstore, graduate of mommy “harassed state” on the first day of classes. Woohoo! I love the feeling that I am feeling relax at the start of the school year!

Somehow, I miss those days, but today also means my kids are grown-ups and won’t need much of mommy’s help. Families go through different developmental stages based on age of the oldest child. We are on Stage 5, the family with adolescent children. Next will be Stage 6, which is the Launching Center family.

I am somehow concerned, this stage is the time that children leave to establish their own households. It is also the period that we parents feel that other people in our children’s life are replacing us.

Finally the last two stages, Stage 7, the Family of middle years and Stage 8, the family in Retirement or older age. It might be a little scary, but the best way to overcome these fears is to prepare for it.  I am just beginning another journey, on to the next cycle!

All my children are grown-ups; I need not be an over eager mother anymore when classes resume this week. No more lots of school supply to provide, doing away with so many National bookstore trips to buy several types of pen, notebooks and papers.

Time flies so much, as I look back, I feel relaxed this school opening. The kids are independent in their school works. All I do is provide the resources needed to be an independent learner. They have their everyday routine and  all must practice autonomy as a student.That is a house rule.

This is the time of my life that I have to cherish; little by little my responsibilities are diminishing day by day. The secret lies in doing things that I like, neglect unfavorable situation for a while; anyway time will find its own solution.

My kids and I are all in school. We never stopped being students. As my Dad would always say, being a student is the most memorable times of your life! For the last 5 years I have been a teacher but I never stopped being a being student!

P.S

Care to read my new blog? www.alagangnars.com ( its about the student nurses’ concern about the BSN Policies and Standard under the new BSN curriculum CMO # 14 s. 2009)

I will also be a guest writer  at http://www.distanceeducationblog.com/

We joined the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club, Postal Heritage Walking Tour organized by Mr. Lawrence Chan, held every third Sunday of the month. The free walking tour made me appreciate, the glorious history of Manila as depicted in stamps.

One of the focus areas visited were the Metropolitan Museum, now undergoing repairs through the efforts of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission chaired by Mayor Alfredo Lim.

The Postal Museum and Library, located within the Manila Central Post Office compound. It showcases the country’s rich collection of stamps, postal relics, stamp magazines and Philatelic Bulletin.It is opened Monday to Friday  (8am- 5pm). Contact person is Ms Nena De Guzman Tel # 527-00-96.

Another tour area is Aduana, popularly known as the Customs House in early years.

I also appreciated the presence of many statues in the Manila area, namely Andres Bonicacio at Liwasang Bonifacio, the Queen Isabel II Monument near the NPC building, statue of King Philip II in Plaza Espana infront of the Aduana buiding, Plaza Mexico with the life sized statue of President Adolfo Mateo of Mexico

Our last stop was Manila Cathedral, we as a family attended the Sunday mass.

It was memorable because, we had a complete family day in the sense we had a common time for each other, walking tour, Sunday mass and finally had dinner in one of our favorite restaurants.

Thank you to the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club, most specially to Mr. Lawrence Chan, for making our family day meaningful, rich in heritage and family bonding.

The Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club, Postal Heritage Walking Tour is held every third Sunday of the month. You can contact Mr Lawrence Chan through his email at  l_rence_2006@yahoo.com.

If you are a stamp enthusiast or  fond of collecting anything from old records to old documents, you might also want to join their auction held at the Postal Museum and Library coinciding with the walking tour. No fees are collected.

Let them Shine! Empowering Your Children to Discover Their Full Potential, is this year’s theme of Kumon Philippines newest project, Education & Parenting Seminar Series 2010, this aims to educate and enlighten parents on the concept of self-learning skills that will aid in raising a responsible child.

The first leg of seminar happened at SM MOA, Cinema 1 last March 21, 2010. Guest speakers were Dr Melissa Lopez-Reyes, an Applied Cognitive and Education Psychologist and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, a young Global Leader Awardee. They were also joined by Ms. Olivia Angeles, Mr. Harlan Busto, both parent advocates of self-learning who shared their experiences with their children.

To all mom and dad with children in their toddler and preschool years, join Kumon Philippines Education & Parenting Seminar Series, next stop which will be held at SM City Pampanga on June 14, followed by followed by SM Cebu on August 28.

Interested attendees may register by visiting http://ph.kumonglobal.com.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact 885-0226.

For our families and friends who are far away and cannot join us in the observance of “Semana Santa”, visit this site and join us in our Visita Iglesia.

E-Visita Iglesia – The Online Visita Iglesia and Via Crucis

” Jesus invites us today to be with Him in His journey to the cross.

The Cross which is the symbol of God’s total self giving love for us.

The cross that manifests how tremendous God’s unconditional love for us

The cross that expresses God;s power of salvation.

For Jesus saves us through His perfect self giving love to the Father and for us”.

One of the traditions during Holy Week among Filipino Catholics is  “Visita Iglesia”. It is the Filipino way of visiting 7 churches on Holy Thursday as a sign of respect to the savior of mankind. In each church, we kneel down and pray at least 2  of the 14 Stations of the Cross.

An alternative way for those people who really cannot visit churches for some valid reason is Visita Iglesia at www.cbcponline.net. However the site seems to be having problems as I browse it.

Seven famous churches in the country are included in the site: the San Lorenzo Ruiz Church and Santo Nino de Tondo Parish in Tondo, Manila; Manila Cathedral Basilica and San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila; Nuestra Senora de Remedios in Malate, Manila;Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila;  and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine in Paranaque

As you visit these churches online, the 14 Stations of the Cross with the corresponding prayer are included. I was browsing the net for the 14 stations and prayers, but it seems all the available copies on the net are the old ones.

We have visited the Laguna Churches in 2008 , it is still the best Visita Iglesia we had as a family. By Thursday off we go again for our yearly Visita Iglesia.

For our families and friends who are far away , join us in our yearly Visita Iglesia via the net;

Visit : http://visitaiglesia.brinknotes.org/E-Visita_Iglesia/E-Visita_Iglesia.html

St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)

Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)

Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)

Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)

St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)

Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

The Department of Health embarked on Essential Newborn Care , a new program to addressed neonatal deaths in the country. Under the umbrella of the Unang Yakap Campaign, Essential Newborn Care is an evidenced based strategic intervention aimed at improving newborn care and helping cub neonatal mortality.

The Essential Newborn Care package is a four-step newborn care intervention undertaken to lessen newborn death.

1. Immediate and thorough drying to stimulate breathing after delivery of the baby
2. Provision of appropriate thermal care through mother and newborn skin-to skin contact maintaining a delivery room temperature of 25-28 degrees centigrade and wrapping the newborn with clean, dry cloth.
3. Properly timed clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord, (1-3 minutes or until cord pulsation stops)
4. Immediate latching on and initiation of breastfeeding within first hour after birth.

Post-natal care required within 24 hours after birth also includes

• Cord care
• Breastfeeding
• Vitamin K injection
• Eye prophylaxis
• Delayed bathing until 6 hours of life
• BCG and first dose of Hepatitis B Immunization
• Newborn screening

The Essential Newborn Care Package aims to reduce newborn mortality rate from 13 deaths (2006 FPS, NSO) to 10 per 1000 live births by 2015.

Is your baby (infants, 0-1 years old) sleeping late or having a hard time falling asleep? Are you becoming an anxious mum because your little boy or girl’s sleep is affecting your quality time with your husband or rules your mood for the next day?

Relax mom, Johnson’s Baby Bedtime is here to be your savior. With their new Johnson’s Baby Bedtime advocacy of a bedtime routine to improve baby’s sleep at night, it’s sure will reduce mom’s anxiety. Johnson’s Baby Bedtime is basically a three-step procedure, done to babies as a routine every night.

Step 1 : a warm bath or “punas”

Step 2: soothing massage

Step 3: some quiet activities

Dr Luis Rivera, MD , a pediatrician and member of the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine emphasized the importance of sleep for infants growth and development. A sound and longer sleep for babies’ means more growth hormones will be released thus influencing bones and muscles to develop.

My three kids, Dianne (20),Jeric (18) and Roxanne (15), were Johnson’s babies. Since I was a working mum, I used to give them a bath at 6 or 7 pm when they were infants.  All along I was practicing the three- step Johnson’s Baby bedtime routine. Massage was applying either Johnson’s baby oil or lotion. At night I breastfeed, so I didn’t have to stand up and mix their milk formula. I swear, I have never experienced sleepless nights taking care of them maybe my body’s warmth and mummy’s Johnson’s baby powder smell was an added help. I can attest that the three- step Johnson’s Baby bedtime routine proved effective for my kid’s health.

For more details about this Johnson’s help to mothers who have growing kids, visit their very informative website.

http://www.babycenter.com.ph/bedtime