I Love Cyber Monday

I only attempted to do Black Friday shopping after Thanksgiving once and I promised myself it won't happen again. I just wasted my time circling around parking lots with less or almost no chance of getting any spot. And when I finally got a chance to get into the store, it's almost impossible to move. So thank goodness for Cyber Monday, shopping online is the most convenient way anyway for me to shop. I still get the best deals that were offered on Black Friday minus the inconvenience of finding parking space and getting into the store.

Getting Ready for Vacation

I'm busy getting ready for our short trip to NJ and PA. I put all the stuffs we need on the kitchen counter as I remember them. Though of course I always make a list of the things we need to bring, it always helps me to get things before I forget. I can forgetful sometimes. But since we're taking our SUV, it wouldn't hurt to bring extra of some stuffs. I was looking for my son's baby bag but I couldn't find it anywhere, I looked in all the closets even at the door hangers in each rooms but no baby bag. Finally while I was pulling the hamper in the master closet, there it was at the bottom shelf neatly put away. My son has his own small luggage and carry on [the baby bag] for his toiletries and bedtime pull-ups. There are still a lot to do, it's a bummer that this cold is bothering me right now.

Pots and Planters

I love working in the yard and get my hands dirty. I love tending to my beds of flowers and herbs. Spring and summer are two of the seasons that I love most because that is when I can enjoy looking at my fabulous flowers and appreciate the hard work I've done. I normally plant annuals and add more perennials to add vibrant colors to my flower beds.

I've always wanted to plant vegetables like tomatoes but I'm hesitant to do so. Though we have large backyard to accommodate vegetable patches, it is however rocky that it wouldn't be ideal to plant any vegetable. So my best solution to still enjoy fresh vegetables in the summer minus the large vegetable beds is planting them in outdoor planters. I have a large deck where I could put these planters which means I could have a variety of vegetables to plant.

I also have several indoor plants that I enjoy all year round. They need to be transferred to new indoor planters though as some of them are really thriving well. Speaking of indoor planter I found several pots and planters with elegant styles at eplanter.com that can also be used outdoor. I found these planters really good buys.

Food Friday - Crispy Calamari

CRISPY CALAMARI

One of the things that my hb and I enjoy doing together is try different cuisine and try new restaurants in and around our town. Our old time fave appetizer is Crispy Calamari. We've seen calamari prepared in lots of different ways, and this one is from Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse & Bars. It's really yummy.

Facial Care

The summer heat is my skin's greatest nemesis. Summer is the time of the year when I get the most adult acne breakouts. So I normally wash my face as often as I can to take off that 'grime' that stick to it during the day, especially so that I have an oily skin too. If I'm in a place where I can't wash my face, I just use the baby wipes to clean and refresh my face. And I never forget to use daytime moisturizer with sun protection that I apply religiously to protect my skin from the burning heat of the sun.

Lost Momentum

I haven't been in the gym for over two weeks now. When I had food poisoning about two weeks ago, I had that stabbing pain in my tummy for at least two days. I was afraid to take my usual food consumption, it was like I was on diets for quick weight loss for two days, only eating wheat toasts without any spread on, not even butter and hot green tea. When I moved I would feel pain in my tummy, it was like I had muscle spasm. Even when I felt better I opted not to attend the Zumba class in the gym so as not to jiggle my tummy. But it was a bad call because I kind of lost the momentum of going to the gym. I hope to hit the gym again next week while the little guy goes to summer camp. I need to get the lost drive back.

What Pregnant Women Should Know

Every pregnant women should know the importance of taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy not only to keep them healthy but most of all for the benefit of the unborn child in the womb. Prenatal vitamins help in preventing birth defects, abnormal growth, and other problems in unborn babies. So who wouldn't use prenatal vitamins, minerals and other forms of prenatal supplements as part of routine prenatal care?

I read that the eight most important prenatal nutrients are folic acid - reduce the risk of neural tube defects; calcium - decrease the risk of high blood pressure; DHA - suggested to decrease the incidence of post partum depression; Co-Enzyme Q10 - lower the incidence of pre-eclampsia; Probiotics - friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract that help reduce the incidence of gestational diabete; Choline - has the protective effect for preventing spinal cord defects; Ginger Root - effective in treating nausea and vomiting; and Inositol - protects against the development of neural tube defects.

Wordless Wednesday

SUPER DRAGON ROLL

I love Japanese food and I was glad that a resto called Kyoto Japanese Steak House finally opened in our town. This dish is just one of the fabulous dishes I love to order in the menu.