No, this is not how about Mary being a little Imelda with lots of shoes or her love of shoes.
Its about how shoes “accidentally” drop off from her feet when she gets in the car. Every time. As soon as she is strapped in her car seat, whatever shoes (sandals, crocs, tennis shoes…) she’s wearing? They drop to the floor.
Dad insists that Mary takes them off deliberately and should just stop doing it. Mary insists that the shoes just fall off by themselves. Me, I don’t mind as long as Mary puts them back on, with minimum delay, as soon as we get to our destination (which she rarely does and becomes the bone of contention between us.)
Mary explained to me what happens. We all know that she is a toe-walker — she stands, walks, runs on her tippy-toes about 90% of the time. She said that, as soon as she sits on her car seat, her feet points straight downward and the shoes just fall off. Sometimes, even her socks follow. Hmmm…
Like I said and like I have told Mary, unlike her Dad who insists the she keeps her shoes on in the car, I do not mind. As long as she gets them back on right away.
…We’re still working on that.
Just last week I ordered a unit of Swivel Sweeper from an online store as I had seen it being advertised on TV and I knew the product was an unbelievable success. I decided to try this Swivel Sweeper out for myself in my home. I have a few different floor surfaces at my place; wood floors, pergot flooring, carpet upstairs and tiles in the bathrooms. I immediately found out that the Swivel Sweeper works just as brilliantly as advertised on TV. It works extremely well on hard surfaces but like the commercial says it is not designed to be used on uneven surfaces or outdoors. I was amazed at how clean everything at home was!
One tricky subject that you may find about the Swivel Sweeper is its battery life. I was a little worried at first but if you read the battery manual you will always stay one step ahead of a so called battery life problem that people claim to exist with this wondrous contraption. According to the helpful battery manual, the battery charge time is dependent on the amount of power left in reserve after your last usage. I recommend you should always charge the battery on the Swivel Sweeper for six to eight hours after the power is completely empty. I also recommend you not leave the battery on the charger for longer than 24 hours (similar to getting the best amounts of battery life out of your mobile telephone).
Using the Swivel Sweeper is a dream. With the four sides of technologically advanced rotating brushes I really enjoyed using it and it was a breeze for my large house. I do not need to bend down and use extra “elbow grease” as I used to with manual sweepers; this is the key. The Swivel Sweeper does all the hard work for you and it is very light, around 2 pounds. These innate qualities make it a favorite of mine for any cleaning job around my house. Pet hair and other small debris is also no match for the Swivel Sweeper, I would recommend this amazing product to anyone!
As I get ready to chow down on hearty, traditional American thanksgiving fare that Jack and his sister had prepared, I contemplate participating in this “unique meme that challenges and inspires you to set and complete realistic goals in life.”
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
Once you have created your site, you can add it to the master list at Day Zero.
My First Goal?
001. Finish the list and post on its own page by December 1, 2007.
Wish me luck!
Mary is writing about them.
At her very own blogger blog.
Really.
Go check it out.
Fun with the Cat Dudes
I did help with getting her set-up in Blogger and I always have to get her logged in. But, Mary is doing the writing herself. We bounce off ideas with each other and most of the time, she would ignore whatever I said and she would write what she wanted. I encourage her to spell it out herself, just like they do in first grade. As time goes on, I would correct her spelling but for now, I would ONLY spell for her if she asks me directly.
So far, I am very pleased and proud of what she had posted. Not bad for a 6-year-old!
When I was young, I would point to this bread through the glass shelf rather than call it by name when I wanted to buy some. Never knew what it was called. When I would have our house help get them for me, I would say, “… ‘yung may violet sa gitna…” – the bread that has violet-colored filling.
On this visit to the Philippines, I found it hard to find good offerings of this bread. I had been disappointed a few times and had given up recapturing the memory of enjoying this purple baked product. (To this day, I don’t know what is in that filling – anyone out there help me out? Its slightly sweet and creamy.)
Then, I found these at an SM Hypermarket bakery. Not only were they fresh from the oven when I got them and as good as I remembered— I found out its name!
As a tribute to my parents, on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
February 3rd, fifty years ago, a country lass and a city boy stood in front of a Justice of the Peace and said vows to each other that will bind them to a lifetime together. The lass, at 22, was rescued from the throes of spinsterhood. The boy, at 21, was taking over the family business and now ready to take on the responsibility of his own family.
With help from his parents, the city boy and the country lass settled in the growing industrial/commercial section of Caloocan City, a suburb just outside of Manila, Philippines. The city boy started his own business, a repair shop, which later on turned into Simplex Engineering, a thriving machine shop that provided apprenticeships and jobs to 20-30 young men. (To the city boy’s credit, a few of these young men had gone on and opened their own successful machine shop businesses.)
As he was growing his business, the city boy was also growing his family. Nine months after they were married, the country lass gave birth to Virgilio. Less than two years later, Gracia. Almost two years later again, Victor. Then, Vilma, 21 months later after that. And finally, Virginia, another 21 months after. Five kids was what they planned on and five kids was what they had.
For eleven years.
Then came Valerie.
Family was complete.
For this generation. And then…
Virgilio begot Eleanor and Vince. Eleanor begot Ajdin. Vince begot Tyler.
Gracia begot Giuseppe and Anamaria.
Victor begot Judith and Joshua.
Vilma begot Mary.
Virginia begot Richard and Dianne.
50 Years begot Six Children, Nine Grandchildren, Two Great-grandchildren and a lifetime of memories.
And Counting…