PUPPY LULLABY

What a cute video this one is! Wish it was as easy to put my son to sleep hahaha.

Puppy Lullaby @ Yahoo! Video

Paint Drop Cloths

Do you have old flanel-backed vinyl tablecloths that have seen better days? Do not throw them away! You can use them as paint drop cloths when you do any painting. Just place the vinyl side on the floor and that acts as a barrier with the flannel acting as an absorbent material for the paint that might spill from the brush or the can.

When you are done painting, just hang the tablecloths to dry and re-use for next time. :)

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Are Our Plastic Containers Safe?

Are you someone who keeps take-out food containers and re-use (and re-use) them till they crack? Do you have lots of nest-in-each-other storage containers of all shapes and sizes which swear will make your refrigerator, pantry and kitchen life organized? Are you like me? Then this article is for us.

Environmental Journalist Lori Bongiorno talks about the Safest Plastics For Food and Beverage. A must-read for us moms who want our lives as toxin-free as possible.

Some plastics are safer to eat and drink from than others. Here's a quick guide to help you make informed choices. If you want to dig deeper, take a look at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Smart Plastics Guide (PDF).

It's worth avoiding the following plastics when you can. You can identify a plastic by looking at the recycling code number that appears inside a triangle at the bottom of many containers.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can leach phthalates, known male reproductive toxicants. It can be identified by code 3. One way to avoid it in the kitchen is by choosing plastic wrap made from polyethylene rather than PVC. If a box is not labeled, find a brand that is or call the manufacturer.

Polystyrene is used in Styrofoam products. It may leach styrene (a neurotoxin) when it comes into contact with hot, acidic, or fatty foods. It's marked with recycling code 6.

Polycarbonate can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor associated with a long list of health concerns. Baby bottles, "sippy" cups, 5-gallon water jugs, and reusable beverage bottles are typically made out of this plastic. Products may be marked with recycling code 7 (also includes any plastic that doesn't fit into the 1 to 6 recycling code categories) and/or the letters "PC."

In response to the widespread concerns about BPA, baby bottles and other items made from alternative materials are springing up. Experts say stainless steel is your best bet for reusable water bottles right now. ThinkSport and Klean Kanteen are two widely available brands.

The following plastics are considered safest for food storage. Glass and stainless steel are also good options.

Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PETE), code 1.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE), code 2.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), code 4.

Polypropylene (PP), code 5.

Here are some tips for using all plastics safely:

• Don't microwave food plastic containers. Chemicals are more likely to leach out when plastic is heated. "Microwaveable plastic" doesn't guarantee that chemicals won't leach. Cover foods in the microwave with wax paper or a plate. If you do use plastic wrap, then make sure it doesn't touch the food.

• Avoid putting hot foods in plastic containers. Let leftovers cool off before storing them in plastic.

• Take good care of plastics by not washing them with harsh chemicals, and dispose of scratched and worn containers. Research has shown that older, scratched items will leach more, says Kathleen Schuler at the Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy. (Don't put them in the dishwasher if you want to be completely risk-averse, she suggests.)

Create Your Personal Recipe Book

Have you ever bought a recipe book wherein you loved all 100 or so recipes? Chances are---NOT!

So here is something that I have discovered that will surely tickle your culinary fancies. Introducing the TASTEBOOK!

Each TasteBook that you order is tailor-fit to include only those recipes you want....from the thousands of recipes on the website and can even include your very own family recipe! How cool is that?

TasteBooks start at only $19.95 ---- now that is a small price to pay for a chance to have your family treats finally come to print. So dear friends...give yourself a treat... go get your TasteBook now!

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VOTE and get FREE coffee!

Yes it is true! Starbucks is encouraging all voters to go out and cast your vote.

After doing so...go to any branch and tell them that you voted and claim your tall cup of brewed coffee ON THE HOUSE!



Woohooo! Definitely a big treat!!!


------------ oops...only for Americans lol

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David Cook's Nov 18 Release!

Cougars rejoice! David Cook is FINALLY releasing his self-titled first album. I will certainly buy one for myself. wooohooo!

These are the songs included in the album

1. Declaration
2. Heroes
3. Light On
4. Come Back to Me
5. Life on the Moon
6. Bar-ba-sol
7. Mr. Sensitive
8. Lie
9. I Did It for You
10. Avalanche
11. Permanent
12. A Daily AntheM
13. The Time Of My Life (Bonus Track)

Order yours now for almost half the price at Amazon.com.

This is definitely a TREAT! weeee!

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Happy (?) Halloween?

How can this occasion be a happy one? How oxymoronic! hahaha.

First, you have a recurring theme of death and dying.... the gorrier the better. So no walking gently into the light here...more like let me die a gruesome death.

Secondly, and in relation to the first, ghosts and ghouls are a welcome sight.... uhhh I am sorry...I guess I am just too much of a concerned mother who does not want her son to get any nightmares because of all the subconscious messages we are sending.

Thirdly, who the h*ll thinks that beings from h*ll are fun and enjoyable...demons, witches and warlocks...? Oh lawdy!

So what to do when everyone seems to be into halloween? Give your kids a realistic view of everything:

One --- tell him/her that dying is not gory all the time. If your child has not yet experienced death in the family... then explain that sometimes people just die in their sleep...and that if you lived your life right in the sight of God... and gave your heart to Him..then there is no need to fear death at all.

Two --- tell your kid that there are NO SUCH THINGS as ghosts. These are just demons...evil spirits that prey on someone's fears or another's loneliness....or just go tripping on someone's strength.

Have I seen "weird" things? Ooohhh yeah.... to others I have what they call the undeveloped "3rd eye" (like I wanna be 3-eyed? lol). There were times that I actually got physically bumped in my office as I was signing some documents, causing my signature to go crooked in one page. I have heard stuff... I was inside the room when someone knocked loudly and I knew there was no one on the other side. I have seen silhouettes from near and far...some sitting just meters away from me...others walking.

Does my son see stuff? I guess so...there were many instances that he would just literally stop in mid-stride and freeze...then look back at me with a slightly scared look. I took that opportunity to just tell him that IN CASE he again sees someone/something else that is not normal ... to just tell that being to GO AWAY IN JESUS' NAME! For greater is He who is in us than that one who wants to scare us! (Btw...we practiced saying that over and over again lol)

Three --- evil spirits are just that....EVIL. There is no point in glamorizing evil. That is exactly what Satan wants.

So...even if we do not "celebrate" this holiday... in case your child has a school activity that requires him/her to be in "costume"....go for the superheroes...or one of the better cartoon characters instead of witches and ghouls and zombies.

Why blog about this occasion then? Because... the name of this blog after all is tricks-and-treats! hahahaha

And to end my rant... lemme leave you with funny halloween jokes that will surely rattle your bones. Hehehe.


What do skeletons say before they begin dining? ----Bone appetit !

What kind of mistakes do spooks make? ---Boo boos

What does Tweety Bird say on Halloween? ---Twick or Tweet

What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter? ---Pumpkin Pi

What does a skeleton order at a restaurant? ---Spare ribs



Hahahahaha. Twick or Tweet!


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For-real Fries

Ever tasted french fries made from honest-to-goodness REAL potatoes? Ya know...take a potato, slice it up into chubby fingers (wedges --fingers just sounded cuter) and then fry it? If you have not and just gotten your french-fry experience from consuming all those potato-flour ones...you are missing out on a lot!

Lemme share with you the secret to having crispy for-real-fries with you.... you bake them! Whaaaattt? Y'all heard me...BAKE THEM!

Here is the tried-and-tested recipe for crispy baked french fries:

1kg potatoes washed and scrubbed clean of grime and dirt
3-4T of extra virgin olive oil (if you are low on the budget...canola will do)
1tsp each of salt and pepper.

Cut potatoes to wedges, coat well with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil (for easy cleaning) and bake in a pre-heated oven for around 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the wedges. Turn over once after the first 25 minutes.

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

TALK TO YOUR KIDS

I have always been asked why Anton is the way he is...pretty advanced for his age. I keep on saying...it is because we never baby-talked around him. The only baby words we had were "pupups," "wawi," and one or two more that I do not remember anymore since they are not being used any longer.

I saw this today as I opened my yahoo page and I went wow! We were on the right track! 17,000 words a day... no wonder my son has such a good grasp on the English language.

I did not do it alone... from the age zero til now, I definitely give credit to my family --- my parents, my sis Mondz, my cousins Marian and Mai --- who spend even just a few minutes of their day talking to my son and reading to him. That is how we got to 17,000 words or even more A DAY!

And that has helped mold my son who is 4 going on 40. ha ha ha.

Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work at home. I know now just how much just being here to hang out with my son has helped.

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How to have perfect hard-boiled eggs IMHO

I have discovered the best way to cook hard-boiled eggs and it works for me! Perfectly yellow yolks with NO yucky green ring and weeeee easy-to-peel eggshells!

This is how I do it..... for a 3-quart STAINLESS STEEL (preferably surgical steel) saucepan, I take up to a max of 10 eggs, wash them very well under running water (just take away the evidence of where they exited from the hens hehehehehe). I place them in the saucepan and then I put in approximately 2-3 TBSP of water.

Whaaatttt? Yessssssss! Just that much water.

Put the lid on, place it over low heat then DO NOT OPEN for like 10 minutes. As a friend of mine put it, it is like steaming the eggs instead of boiling them.

Reason why I like this is because the eggs do not taste like they drowned in the cooking water. The natural saltiness of the eggs remains.

I am not saying this is the most perfect way for all....but it does work for me and it worked for friends who have followed my advice. So why don't you give it a try? :-)

Ewwww smell still there?

Hi all! Have you ever had a problem with removing underarm smells from clothes? I know there are days when family members forget to put on anti-perspirant and sometimes, even after washing said clothes they still smell funky. So what to do? I have personally tried the following and some work on some smells and some work on others. They are ranked according to how effective it has been for me.

1. Rubbing Alcohol. The higher the concentration, the better so 70% is minimum. Put it in a spritzer and spray away at the unseen smell-makers. Bad odor is usually caused by bacteria... so if you kill the bacteria, you generally eradicate the problem. Just make sure that the alcohol that you pick out does not have a strong scent to it.

2. White Vinegar. Dilute it with water 1:1 and placed in a spritzer.

3. Shampoo. Use the ones for oily hair. For this one... you can definitely go with whatever scent you wanna use.

4. Baking soda paste. Messy. Just the same, it does its job...sometimes. Slather it on where odor is strongest and rub it in and let it sit for a few minutes. Problem with this one is it is kinda hard to wash off.

There you go... hope that helps you mothers out there with kids with hyperactive sweat glands.

Ring-a-ring-a-Roses

Last night I had dinner with some friends. Had lots of fun... laughed so hard... as Amie put it... it felt like she was getting washboard abs already haha.

Memorable lines:

Yagit --- So, does Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes have promos such as.... special price for early reservation?

Inting --- Buy casket, get make-over for free!

Dined on chopseuy, adobong kangkong, fried fish, pancit canton and fried crabs. After finishing dinner and while we were just catching up on what has been happening with each other, I tried on Janice's lapiz lazuli ring. When I tried to take it off my middle finger, it got stuck for a second.

So I thought I might as well start with tips on removing a ring that is stuck.

1. Dishwashing liquid --- just rub all over your finger and twist the ring around to get the liquid in the inner part of the ring.
2. Cooking oil --- same principle as the dishwashing liquid.
3. Have a handsome friend place the finger in his mouth and slowly remove it ala Michael removing the stuck ring on Julianne's finger in My Bestfriend's Wedding.

hehehe.

I can write? --- I CAN WRITE!

So... finally a blog account eh, folks? hehehehe

So many of you, my friends have kept on telling me I should blog since I am soooo opinionated and I so many suggestions on solving problems hahaha. So guys...here is my long-overdue blog hahahaha.

So.... Tee's Tricks and Treats will aim to do just that.