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Happy lunching at Nomnomnom Happy Food

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A friend, Ria, and I met up a few days ago for lunch at Nomnomnom Happy Food. (Her treat, yay!)

I’ve probably passed by Nomnomnom a thousand times because it’s in my route going to the kids’ school. The first time I saw the signage, I remember thinking “what kind of a name is that?” At the same time, it stirred curiosity to find out what it was all about.

Anyhoo, it turns out I wasn’t curious enough because it took over a year (and great feedback from several people) to step inside and find out what Nomnomnom is all about.

Nomnomnom has an unassuming appearance from the outside. The ambiance inside, however, is cozy and quaint, with a lot of quirky points of interest.

 I love the walls of frames, bird houses, the “something good” mural. My favorite and the happiest detail to me is the wall with wooden-clipped photos. Read the rest of this entry…

Happiness, Life 101, Thinking Aloud

Only the good: Positive blogging

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(Image from Pinterest)

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions so I rarely make any.

This year, though, I resolve to do this: I will post only about positive things and thoughts in my blog and social networks. I’ve had my share of rant posts in the past (it could be the age, y’know) and, looking back, they aren’t very pleasant to read. Reading about rants and complaints drags people down.

I need to remind myself more often that negativity is a very strong force – stronger than positivity. And the more I talk, think, post negatively, the more negative forces I attract to myself. I want a good year for my family and loved ones, so I will talk, think, post only about positive things –  the law of attraction!

Not all are innately optimistic, and the attitude takes a lot of cultivating. So share with me – what’s your strategy in keeping your mind positive?

Blogging, Happiness, Life 101

Paper cranes for 2013

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Vera’s paper cranes – she recently discovered the joy of origami.

Hi there, everyone! Happy New Year!

The holiday rush, as usual, got the best of me so Christmas came and went without any updates on the blog. The Christmas holidays have been a time of catching up with family and old friends. As usual, the family spent Christmas in Baguio. It’s that time of the year that my kids (sige na nga, ako rin) eagerly look forward to. This year, I especially looked forward to going home to Baguio because of scheduled reunions with dear old friends from high school.

I continued going to the gym. I lost six pounds, and gained back one during the Christmas break, but that’s okay. I’m not bopping myself on the head for that. I’m back at the gym, and ran my first 5k for the year on the treadmill today. I’m pretty sure I will lose that one pound soon, along with the excess 20+.

And oh, yeah. Remember my Christmas wishlist? Hub and the kids granted my wish for new running shoes and a gym bag! Their gift means so much to me, not only because I really wanted the stuff, but because the kids actually shelled out money from their savings. I love my thoughtful kids.

The year is off to a good start. And I am sharing with you V’s paper cranes, along with wishes for my family, friends and all of you who read this blog -

Good health, abundance, happiness, peace, and everything that is good in 2013!

 

Chinese Culture, Family Health, Manila Life

Chinese medicine for growth: does it work?

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My eldest daughter, Patch, 15, seems to have stopped growing when she hit age 12. She was 5 feet then; she still is now.

She loves to play volleyball, and would want to become really good at it. That’s one of the main reasons why she wants to be taller.

I am not sure if Chinoy parents still commonly practice giving tien chit to their kids at puberty. Tien chit is an herbal medicine that is supposed to help kids attain their optimal height. Well, Hub and I have been letting Patch take tien chit for 2 years now. Unfortunately, we did not see any improvement in her height. As it turns out, we may have been buying a sub-standard ready-made version of the herbal medicine. Worst-case scenario: tien chit doesn’t work.

But we’re not about to give up just yet. Besides, tien chit worked for several of our friends’ kids, and hub’s friends themselves when they were younger. One of Patch’s classmates is taking tien chit, along with acupuncture therapy, and this boy who used to be little is not so little anymore. He grew at least 5 inches taller in a span of just over a year!

Growth factors

I’m aware that there are a lot of other factors that contribute to growth, genetics being the major player. On this account, we may have a good case since Hub and I are of average height.

Nutrition and sleep are also major contributors to growth. I’m pretty sure Patch doesn’t lack good nutrition. But sleep – oh yes she lacks. Scientific studies have proven that growth occurs during deep sleep. So I have a lot of convincing to do for her to get more sleep -about 8.75 hours for her age.

Sleep requirements for children (slide for Johnson’s Baby)

Exhausting all means

The short of the story is that I brought Patch to Tong Ren Tang where the classmate who grew by at least 5 inches goes for treatment. Yep, we’re exhausting all means. Read the rest of this entry…

Fashion and Beauty, Fitness and Weight Loss, Shopping Finds

A Fit Grown-up Mom’s Christmas List

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After almost 2 years of sloth-like hibernation, I’m finally working out again! Yes, I signed up for a Gold’s Gym membership. Hooray!

A few months ago, however, I purged the closet and gave away most of my workout clothes. (They didn’t fit anymore, and going back to the gym was a remote possibility.) So now I have very few outfits. Plus Patch has taken possession of my gym bag and shoe bag.

Hence this list. :D I really don’t want a lot of other stuff, just gym and fitness stuff. If there’s anyone out there who’s interested in knowing what I’d want for Christmas, here are some ideas! Besides, I’ve never written a blog post about it ever. So please indulge me?

First, the essentials -

Gym clothes – shirts, pants, capris. Oh yeah, a sports bra too. Anything comfortable, as long as it’s my size. (Please send me  a private message to know my size, ssshhhhh!)

Gym bag – I badly need one. Not necessarily like this Nike bag, but something like it. Not too utilitarian, but not too girly. Not too big, just big enough to hold a change of clothes, a towel, toiletries, a water bottle, maybe a pair of trainers. But I prefer not to mix my shoes with clothes so…

Read the rest of this entry…