My Miracle Cream!

There's this cream I really want to share to everyone.  It's my miracle cream - really!  The name is MOPIKO.  Mopiko is an anti-itch cream that relieves mosquito bites, bug bites or any itch fast!  But you know why I like it so much?  It's because it can also clear away a PIMPLE very fast!!! 

Mopiko has a mentholated scent but those who don't mind the odor, will thank me for introducing this to them.  Since I've had this cream, I've literally never had a pimple ever!  What I do is that once I see a sign of a pimple about to come out, I put the cream right away, then voila!  The pimple doesn't come out anymore.  The cream dries it right away, so there's no way for it to come out.  A lot of my friends have been convinced with this magical cream already.  It's only bought in Singapore though, so if you know of anyone from there, ask them to buy you one from Watsons or Guardian.  They should also check out the label on the box that one of the indications is for Pimples; as there's another variant that's only for bites.  For my friends who want to sample, I think I still have a few pieces with me...I can give it to the first few to text me =)

Basic Manners for Kids!

Now that I have a kid, I really value the manners and etiquette I teach my child, not only because it reflects on the kind of mother that I am but because I see other kids sometimes who do not have manners at all; and they're so irritating.  Yes, some moms may say - so what? my kid is a boy, he's allowed to be rowdy and it's ok for him to pick his nose in public.  No way!  I'm not going to tolerate that with my kid.  Regardless whether my child is a boy or girl, he/she should know his/her manners.


Here are some basic things that we should teach our kids about:


1. "Wait for your turn to talk."

If adults are talking, say excuse me, and do not just butt in, unless it is an emergency.

 2. "Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing."

You may teach your child to cover his mouth by folding his elbow and cough or sneeze in between the crease. This part of the arm doesn't get touched frequently, therefore, contamination to others could be low.


3. "When in church, act and dress appropriately. Do not run around, and refrain from talking."

Tell your child that the church is a place of worship, and since other people are praying, he or she should be quiet. A total no-no is allowing your child to bring a toy (such a psp) to keep him still! i see some parents do that, and it makes me wonder how they were raised themselves by their parents or at least how they were taught in school.


4. "When meeting with older people, kiss or "mano" to show respect."

Teach your child to kiss or bless people who are older than them such as their titos and titas, lolos and lolas. Regardless of what others say that at this day and age, it isn't necessary anymore, I still am for the old tradition of showing respect to the elders when greeting them or upon saying goodbye.  If you're not comfortable with kissing, a "mano" or a simple good morning or good afternoon will also do, as long as they show respect.


5. "Always say thank you for whatever is given to you."

Every child should be able to express gratitude by a simple thank you.  Even if they don't like the gift, train kids to be appreciative of the things they receive. Teach your child to appreciate the thought, time and effort that that person took only to give them their gift and not only the material thing.


6. "Watch what you say, as words can hurt."

If your child is already at the age of reasoning, you can already make him understand that words can hurt.  Give him examples of words that can hurt other people (ugly, fat, old, stupid, etc...). 

7.  "Be nice to others, you cannot please everybody all the time, but what's important is - you don't pick fights and you're still nice even to those who don't like you."

Tonight, my son told me that he's sad that some of his bus mates don't like him.  I talked to him like a big kid telling him that in life, you will not get to be liked all the time.  You cannot really please everyone, but what's important is that your family likes you always and that you're still nice to those who don't like you.  It made him feel good afterwards.  We cannot shield our child from the harsh realities so it's better for him to know that early on.

8.  "Share!"

I always tell my son that if we go somewhere and he brings one of his toys, he should share it if there's a kid who would want to play with it.  He knows that's the rule, so if he doesn't want to lend his psp, he leaves it in the house or in the car; but if he brings it, he should lend it to the kids we're with. 

9.  "Get your own water."

This is simple.  Teach your child to be independent especially with the little stuff such as getting water for himself.  We live in an atmosphere where we have househelps, but I do want him to do things by himself and not rely on the helps. 

10.  "Say Please and Thank you"

It's the cardinal rule.  No need to explain further.

I'm not really an expert but I just think that each and every parent should be responsible enough to live with a set of rules for their kids or family to follow; so that the world would become a better place for our future kids and grandchildren.

Mommy Time: Difference between Static Electricity and Current Electricity

Tonight, my son got electrocuted!  He put a small wire on the socket, to test what will happen to him if he got electrocuted!!! Imagine that?!?  His dad got so mad at him, he was punished right away and asked to stand in the corner. 

When I finally got to talk to him, and asked him why he did that, he said, it was because one time he experienced static electricity, and his dad told him that it was just static electricity and it was nothing.  So...a child with an ever curious mind, would of course try what Enzo just did.

So parents, be careful with what you tell your kids.  Of course, there was no way for me and my husband to know that he would compare static electricty and the real electricity, but maybe we could have explained it further or could have anticipated something like this, especially if your kid is as curious as mine.

According to Google, static electricity, is electricity at rest.  It is generated by friction or sudden contact - for instance rubbing 2 materials together.  Cuurent electricity on the otherhand, is a phenomenon of moving electrons in a particular path, or direction, such as a stream of them flowing through conducting materials.

Current electricity, in huge amounts, is typically brought about by generators. Power plants have many of these to produce enormous quantities of current electricity. The phenomenon is usually controlled, and requires a flow of electrons along a path, which is fittingly called the ‘electric current’.

In our own words, explain to kids current electricity is live electricity, and that a simple touch can already be fatal, that electrocution can result to severe burn or worst - death.  They should never experiment with electricty, never poke anything on sockets or even touch sockets.  Best of all, is to put covers on your sockets. 

Losing Your Crowning Glory

Growing up, I never paid so much attention to my hair.  I remember my grandmother would always tell me to comb my hair, because it was never a habit for me to comb constantly.  The only time i would comb my hair was after taking a bath, as i would just tie it, once i feel that it's all messed up...then the next time i'd get to touch a hairbrush or a comb is the next bath time.  

Don't get me wrong though, i love my hair!  I'm just not the type who would go gaga when someone touches the "do".  I'm not the type too, who would be at a salon at least once a week, and would try all hair products, I just didn't put so much attention to it. 

It's a different case though, when you start losing hair, not just the normal 100 (ave.) strands a day but more than 500 strands a day!  That's what happened to me in the beginning of 2010, when i started noticing so much hair fall every time I took a bath.  Then, even if my hair wasn't wet, strands fell one by one with just a simple blow of a wind.  When I woke up every morning, i'd pick up more than a bunch of hair on my pillow, on the bed, or on my night shirt.  Then the baby hairs on my forehead were gone, and my hairline has receded.  I also noticed that the skin within my hairline has smoothened, just like that of a baby without hair or that of a bald person.

I started to get depressed and was stressing over my hair, which I was literally losing by the second.  When I was in Bacolod, my bestfriend, took me to a quack doctor, who told me that someone did that to me and he/she will never stop until i lost all my hair!  Creepy!  Imagine what i went through with that quack doctor, she crushed a lot of ginger and rubbed them all over my head, then magically small rocks / pebbles fell from my head, that my friend and I literally looked up the ceiling, wondering if they came from there.  I know now, that it was a bad idea to go to that lady, but at that time, especially when you are feeling desperate and hopeless, you would believe anything or anybody who can give you at least a tinge of hope - that things will get better.  I couldn't forget the smell of ginger all over my hair and scalp.  The old lady told me not to take a shower for 24 hours after my session with her...so, i'm sure you can just imagine the stench that I was stuck with.  But, as I said -- I was desperate and was willing to go through anything just to put a stop to the rapid hair fall.

When I got back home to Manila, I went to a dermatologist at Skin Health in Greenbelt as recommended by a good friend of mine (Jav Villarruel).  The doctor - Dra. Lorenzo, discovered I had more than 20 Alopecia Areata, a condition that caused round patches of hair loss or bald spots.  My bald spots were about 25 centavos in diameter each!  The doctor had to inject me with steroids on my scalp with at least 3-4 shots per bald spot, so that was a total of about 60 shots per session!  I can still remember the painful pokes of the needle until now.  I had to go back every 3 weeks since March till May.  Aside from the steroid shots, i had to take steroids orally, and vitamins for the hair.  I also had to apply steroid cream and minoxidil on the bald spots religiously with the help of our househelps, every morning and night.  

A sample of the hair fall i experienced every time i took a bath

While undergoing treatment, I also had thorough medical tests, to check what was causing my balding, however, everything came out normal.  According to the doctors who checked me (aside from the dermatologist, I also went to an internist),  my bald spots were caused by stress.  I didn't know what caused the stress at that time, but according to them, i may have experienced the stressor at least 2 months prior to the manifestation of the hair fall.  Their advice, was not to think too much of whatever it was that stressed me, and do a lot of relaxation techniques.  It was impossible for me not to stress out at that time, as it was an agony for me everyday to fix my hair to make sure that the bald spots didn't show.  Aside from that I was gaining weight rapidly due to the steroids I was taking.  So there - I was balding and getting bigger, and the hardest part is I didn't know what caused my stress.  Even though I am a strong person, I got depressed for awhile.  I knew I had to allow myself to feel it, or go through the emotion, so I don't keep going back to it.  Once I was done with that stage, it was time to let go and get well.   

After taking about 60 shots from my derma, i had to treat my son and myself at Mr. Jones

So, with a lot patience, a lot of massages, a lot of leaves from work, a family vacation, a lot of prayers, a lot of support from family, colleagues and friends, my hair started growing!  From June till October, i have grown more than 4 inches of hair already!   

Look at my baby hair, it's all curly and wavy!  A nice birthday gift from the God Almighty.

The moral of the story is, whatever it is that stresses us, it is not worth it!  When working hard, it is necessary to take a break, relax, call a friend, go for a walk, go to a spa, visit the prayer room, or if it's hard to do all these, just turn your back from your desk and close your eyes even just for 2 minutes.  Stress does not only cause bald spots, but it can also cause recurring headaches, weight gain/loss, lower immunity, and the most fatal - a heart attack. 
 

The Art Of Blogging

I've always wanted to try this thing they call blogging, but everytime i was about to start doing it, i would get turned off as I never had a gmail account.  Well, finally a few days ago, i was able to sign in with Gmail, and voila, i find myself writing this now.  Thanks to Nikky and Jav who suggested I try doing it, so I said to myself -- why not?  I love writing, and this is where I can practice my talent. 

So, what is "blogging"?  According to Google, a blog is a website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal while readers may comment on posts....

So to my friends, loved ones and to whomever who gets to read my blogs...enjoy and feel free to comment!