--=Ana's Cyber Retreat=-

What a ride! We went to a carnaval and I finally got to try the freak out ride...LOL! That was scary but not scary as to death. Well, I had fun going on it. It scared me when it went up so high (in the sky/air) as I felt like I was being thrown up in the air...LOL. I was definitely thankful that we had steel iron holding us down in our seat. Whoah...what a relief! I screamed in fear...LOL! Yep, a screamer I am. Indeed you can only scream...ahhhh!!! I could not help covering my eyes because of the height; it made me hold my breath. My daughter Tiana and I went on the freak out ride and lucky her she wasn't so freaked out as I was. The spaceship ride spook her so bad though that she came out crying. She also tried the flying kite ride and I could see her face getting red. My! Surely that was also a scary ride for her. Wooh! As for me, after the freak out ride, I thought I would take one ride at a time. I don't think I could handle another ride like the one where we are flipped upside down...LOL! Gut turning rides...LOL! See the video to see how the Freak Out Ride goes.

I went out to make a snowman when it snowed the last time, but unfortunately, the snow wasn't wet enough for me to be able to make a snowman. I formed a small snowball and rolled it over and over but it didn't get any bigger. So, that was disappointing. We got sick during the time when it snowed heavily and couldn't get out of the house to make a snowman. This winter we didn't get to enjoy the snow. Oh, well, we have to see if we can make a snowman next year. For now I'll share a picture of Hannah our little one and me that my husband snapped while we tried to make a snowman. The picture was taken in our backyard. I tried to throw snowballs at Tiana but she didn't like it...LOL. She wasn't in the mood to play I guess. It's too bad my husband is not patient with taking more pictures; I only have one picture to share here.

We were going to send our daughter to school today with presents for her teacher and her teacher's aide but there is a snow storm. The roads are covered with thick snow-at least from where we are residing anyway. I am not even sure if we can go out later today. It's disappointing to have our gift-giving plans disrupted but oh, well, things happen. It's a good thing though that we can return the items we bought-as I think we can still find the receipts-and get our money back...LOL. I can use the money for our children. I am still not finish with buying presents for them. My husband and I have a lot of work to do in the following days in terms of getting our Christmas shopping and gift wrapping done. Our children also want to go see Santa at the nearby mall here. So I'll be busy finding Christmas outfits for them as well. Okay, this is all for now. Have fun with your holiday shopping everyone. Take care!

At last our Christmas tree is up. That is what I have been busy on for the last few days. Holidays sure can make people busy especially broke when they over spend; going beyond their means. As for us, we try to minimize our spending since we want to be prepared for any unexpected expenses. That is especially my husband; he doesn't want to owe anything. While I am a bit of a spender but I work hard. In other words; I work hard and play hard. Mainly just when it comes to shopping though-that is why I have a Shopping Blog...LOL. Anyway, let me share what our Christmas tree look like. It is simple but it is quite pretty and when the night comes, it is spectacular. Indeed the pictures couldn't compare as to how it looks when it is dark and have all its lights on flashing or twinkling. Our children get so excited seeing the tree as they love all the fancy decorations on it. In fact, our little one if not supervised would start harvesting the ornaments and literally re-arrange how it is decorated...LOL. Okay, this is all for now. I have a couple of snap-shots here of the night and day look of our Christmas tree.

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It's time to give thanks once again, peeps! Happy Thanksgiving!!! Well, I must say that this year we have a lot to be thankful for. Unlike the last few years; I've been a little depressed because of what happened to my uncle. I took it the hard way as I am sentimental and quite emotional. It's not easy to lose a loved one especially to a heinous murder-there is no justice either. However, I am only getting stronger and becoming a better person with everything that happens in my life each year. I learn from my own observations. Also having been a victim of cyber bullying, taught me so much about how other people operate and that they are not always what they seem on the surface. What happened to my uncle is a clear example that people can fake you out, because he became a victim. I don't know how people can manage faking themselves like that, literally making someone believe they are something when they are not. Someone who can do that is referred to as "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." Anyway, overall I would say that we are lucky to still be alive and well. There is nothing like having a sound good health because that is our wealth. So being alive is what we can always be thankful for.

1. One of the two big things that we can be thankful for this year; is seeing our baby girl walk without any problem. She knows just how to compensate her short leg so she can walk more balanced. Oh, she is so brilliant and she never seizes a moment to amaze us every day. She definitely proved the Doctors that looked at her leg; dead wrong. They went from wanting to amputate her foot to her whole leg (for she would not be able to walk and jump-as far as they are concerned), but we never hesitated to say "NO". Now it paid off and we are absolutely so thankful that we didn't listen to them who supposedly know better. The pros don't always know what they are talking about, that is why we have to hold our ground and stick to what we believe in. Give time a chance, because things can change in ways we least expect. We can never be so sure especially in a case where something can change or that we can make adjustments. So, yes, we are so happy to see our little girl enjoying everything she comes upon to discover. All she needs is to have her leg straighten and lengthen, and hopefully nothing will go wrong to hinder her from ever walking again.

2. Another big thing we can be thankful for is being able to help improve the living situation of my family back home. We bought a nice size house for them. If you would like to see the house, you can visit my Shopping Blog because I posted a few pictures there. Now that is a one big leap we took because we didn't want to see our family go back to our farm or the nearby village. They couldn't keep renting either because it is difficult to keep going from one house to another. It is also because my siblings are going to school in the city. So that is why we decided to finally buy a house. Why throw money in the black hole by renting when we don't have to-like what my family figured...LOL. Nothing beats living in the big city anyway, for that is where the fun is! I know so very well that it is more fun in the city. My family is really thankful and proud to have a house in the big city. They are enjoying what the city life has to offer. They have everything now. We are very much set for now.

Every little tike loves Thomas the tank engine, and ours is one of the many. She adores watching Thomas the tank engine every time she has some time to settle down. She likes to see Thomas on my laptop. She is really demanding and would tell me what she wants to watch. I find it comical for her to be such a character already at her young age-not even 2 years old, LOL. As for our eldest daughter she is a little bit demure, not so demanding anymore. She is doing her own thing. The only thing that gets me is that she hates studying. She would fight her way out of it. She hates school work. She took after her father as he was like that when he was in school. I am just the opposite though there were times that I felt lazy with studying. Anyway, our baby girl is growing fast, only she is quite skinny. She can stay up too-if we let her. In fact, sometimes she can keep us awake.

I am thinking about going to the big lake here, perhaps this weekend. So today we are going to go get a fishing license. It's too bad though that if I get one it will only be good for a year. Now we are buying it a little too late, because it won't be long and the weather will get awfully cold. Well, I just thought of going fishing lately, so I am going anyway. My husband will have to take us to the lake. Goodness, I am bored here at home, so it will be nice to go to a lake and see if we can catch anything. I wish I can catch a salmon...LOL. My husband never take us anywhere except to the store being retired he is always at home, and oh, I find it so boring. So I try to find something to do that I can think of sometimes.

My husband will either buy something out today or we go out for dinner. I used to go halves when I was making a good amount of money online, but now not having a page rank slowed me down and that I am often bored. Also we are buying a house for my parents, so there it goes my money...LOL. Oh, well, that is life of someone who dreamed something big instead of being contented for what she can have at home. That makes me one of the ambitious Pinays...LOL. Anyway, in our situations, there is no way to win, you know. Imagine that you struggle so much living in a poor country and when you leave for another, you still struggle because then you are carrying the burden of your whole family. Where is the life in that? Neither situation will give you a break at all, it is like "a double or nothing deal". Life is definitely difficult when you don't have a lot of money. According to my husband, it's money that keeps people upbeat, meaning happy, though others view it as love conquers all. Well, okay, you have love but can hardly survive, who's happy then? You struggle everyday, you work hard but get very little money out of your hard work, you worry about where your next meal is going to come from, how to feed your children, and how you are going to give them a bright future. The only way it seems, is to be rich! When you have money you only have to fear for your life then...LOL. So yeah, we all want some money but not too much as to the point that we have to have body guards surrounding us everywhere we go, because there is no life there either. How can you be happy if you constantly have to worry about something? I guess it is better if you are only financially able, if you have a lot of money, don't show it, don't look like you have a lot so you have nothing much to worry about. Alright enough of my riddles and redundant ramblings. It's Friday, we are going somewhere.

We are planning about going fishing before the summer is over. Right now we are buying fishing equipments. I bought a lady's complete fishing kit for me as I will be going with the gangs to fish soon. Tiana is especially very excited. So we might enjoy our time...LOL. Anyway, at this time we are staying in the house very much of the time. We also plan to check out the swimming pool nearby us to see how long it will stay open. Anyway, gotta go for now.

We went to get something to eat the other day; fast food, and we planned to only order a take-out, but we ended up eating out. My husband didn't want to really stick around because he didn't like the way the restaurant look on the inside. He also had inkling that the food would not be as good as what he read based on a customer's review online. However, I always try to convince him to stay and try the food before drawing any conclusion. So we did and, well, he didn't like the food indeed. The waitress made a mistake with not asking where we would like to be seated; smoking or no-smoking, and she seated us in a smoking area. We didn't know that at the time, and we only realized it when we were about to eat and when someone mentioned about wanting to be seat at the no-smoking area. So we would have loved to move but it was too late, and my husband bothered with asking if smoking inside a restaurant will soon be banned in Michigan. The answer is a big "NO" which really made my husband disappointed and couldn't finish eating what he had on his plate. We had to leave then because people behind us were starting to light their cigarettes. We had children with us, so we didn't want to take the chance of having them breathe second-hand smoke. I also developed allergic reactions to the food I ate, and when I finished off the leftover I brought home it made my rashes spread. I didn't know that I was allergic right away as I thought I just had a bunch of bed bugs bit me but then it could have been the food. The cans of tea I drunk might have been the culprit to consider, if not then it was the food I ate. I still have my rashes, they look like heat-rash but they are big-they look like warts as they thickened. Oh, it really itch me just like when I had those rashes during my second pregnancy.

It's been almost a week since I have not jot down anything on any of my blogs. Oh, we have been sick for weeks with stomach flu especially Tiana and Hannah. They both had it bad, so they lost quite a lot of weight. Thank goodness though that now they are feeling better. They are not vomiting anymore. They are eating well again, and hopefully no more getting sick. Perhaps it was from the fresh fruits and vegetables we ate some time ago like the tomatoes and mangoes. I got sick after consuming some atulfo mangoes, so I want to lay off eating them at this time. I also heard that tomatoes have been found to be the culprit because it has salmonella. It made a lot of people sick; causing diarrhea and vomiting. Anyway, I am glad we are over it now. We can enjoy the summer and go to the park. We go to the mall often to check out some on sale items and, of course, I always find something to bring home. We like eating ice cream and cotton candy each time we go to the mall. Our baby girl Hannah likes cotton candy. Okay, this is all. I am getting a little tired blogging since I don't have a lot to share and blog about. No pr no dough!

I think I am feeling better now though, but my husband and children are still very sick with stomach flu. Tiana keeps vomiting and she has been sick for weeks-off and on. The Doctor prescribed something to prevent heartburn, because the Doctor thinks she has acid reflux. I got sick just when Tiana was feeling better last week, and now Tiana has it again. She is followed by Hannah and then their father. My husband is not quickly recovering and our baby is also slow with recovering from being sick. They are all sick right now. I think they have the stomach flu. The symptoms involve vomiting, diarrhea, and bloated feeling in the stomach. It feels like your stomach is full of air and your stomach aches at the same time. So that is what the three of them are having at this time. As for myself, I am all well since I don't feel like vomiting anymore and making frequent trips to the bathroom. Our baby is worse because she doesn't want to eat, she only drinks water. She hardly wants to eat anything, just a little bit of rice and very small piece of dry fish. She likes mommy's native food. Yes, my children eat whatever I eat, they like fish and all that I eat at home. How nice that is because I have company when I eat. See, my children would eat the dry fish on their own if I am not watching them. But so far they have only gone as far as picking up the fish, because I always catch them taking the fish each time I turn my back. I am afraid that they will choke on the bones so I get frantic when I have to leave the table sometimes. I don't trust Tiana even as old as she is now to de-bone the fish. I don't want to take the chance of her getting a bone stuck in her throat. I especially panic when the little one sneaks in to grab a dry fish and run with it. It scares me to death. So I always try to de-bone the fish for all of us.

Our latest activities involved taking a stroll at the Macomb mall a several times last month. I wanted to see if I can find some on sale beddings. I didn’t find what I was hoping to find, but I spotted a few items that were so cheap like bath towels, and bedroom curtains, so I bought some. I couldn't resist them; they were 75% off, so wow, what a deal!
This month we went to the mall again to check out the bedding sale on a magazine ad but then I didn't find the bedding worth it as the material is cheap, so I didn't buy it. However, on our way out, we spotted a clearance sale on other beddings, which my husband thought that particular bedding looked great and unusual, so I bought it for our bedroom. We have it now and it is neat. It has a safari touch look to it, but at the same time kind of exotic and oriental. I think so anyway. I will take a picture and share a snapshot next time.

Tiana had to absent for the 3rd time this week. We couldn't send her to school being sick like she is. She has been vomiting off and on, and couldn't eat much because she will only throw up again. We don't know what is wrong with her, because she just went to bed one night and vomited early the next morning. She vomited the food she ate, and now still couldn't eat a lot. I think she caught stomach flu, and now I am worried that we would catch her stomach flu again. The 3 of us just had stomach flu the other month. It's awful that it came back. It makes me wonder if Tiana is catching such sickness in school. That is the problem with children, when one gets sick everybody else will get sick, too. I am glad that the school year will end soon. No more school and no more getting sick like what Tiana is going through. Stomach virus or flu is terrible, I had that, and I would not want it again.

Lately, I have only been able to blog during the evening because we are out most of the day. Yesterday, we took Hannah to the Pediatrician for her well visit. We were going to have the Doctor look at Tiana, too, because she is vomiting. Tiana was absent from school yesterday, and we thought she could go back to school the next day, but she wasn't able to sleep until 12:30 AM last night, and vomited again this morning, so my husband called her Doctor to see her early today. She went to the Doctor but the Doctor didn't give her any medicine, she just needs plenty of rest. She had to absent again today. This vomiting problem is a headache, Tiana just had it some time ago, and we; our baby and I also caught it, and oh, that was awful. I hope we won't catch it again. Tiana must be catching such stomach virus or flue from her classmates because she came home some days ago saying one of her classmates was absent due to being sick. Anyway, I am feeling a little groggy, I feel like falling asleep. So I need to get going with my online activities and get some rest myself.

We are going to go out later and find a carseat for our baby girl, and some summer clothes. I shopped before but I only was able to buy some clothes for our eldest daughter and me. Now, I am hoping I can get some reasonable summer clothes for our little one, even if I have to shop at the second hand stores or flea market just so I can save money. I like to go shopping all the time, so I try to spend little by little only to save money so I can shop more often, to get out of the house, and be outside for a while since the weather is quite nice and warm now. Anyway, I will be getting ready soon. I am getting tired typing away here as my fingers are getting sore especially when I type using only a few fingers and not all. I haven't learned how to type fast yet. I wish I can so it won't be so time consuming for me to spend my time online.

We just came home from attending a birthday party. It was a simple celebration but we all had a great time. We went to Jeepers and enjoyed our time, since there are so many things to play and ride at such place. We were able to ride the rotating barrel, small roller coaster, banana plane, and played so much with rolling a small ball to shoot in the hoops that it made our arms ache. I played it so much that I was no longer able to throw the ball as far and as well as I used to, it was like lost my grip. I also liked playing the game where if I put in a token just in time a can would catch it and eventually pour the can full of token and the ticket would come out for the amount of penny that was dumped. That was rewarding, because I lost some token which I thought I will never get anything in return...LOL. Some people didn't understand how to play it-a Filipino guy tried it and gave up after putting in 1 token because he thought it didn't work and he even shook the panel where he inserted the token for the token to come out...LOL-that was funny, but he just didn't see his token go down the hole because it missed the can. I tried to tell him but he didn't want to bother. Anyway, I snapped a few pictures, but I forgot to empty our camera as I had taken pictures and also the battery went dead, so I was actually lucky enough that I got to take some pictures. By the way, on the pictures here, the girl in a white blouse is the celebrant, and the one in a dark flowered printed top is Tiana-our daughter. They had a ball today, riding and playing, eating, etc. Tiana rode the roller coaster many ties, though that was her first time to ride it...LOL. I never thought she could ride it without freaking out first. She amazed us, and it was nice to see her get used to it, so we can go ride again next time. Okay, that is all.

We were out today, getting some sun, shopping and running around. We went to the mall looking around. We also had ice cream on our way home; I always like a pineapple sundae when it is hot. My husband does, too, while Tiana loves chocolate ice cream. So anyway, the weather is exceptionally warm, in fact, my husband was just telling me to step outside and enjoy it because it is really nice out there; nice and warm. So I might after dinner, and get some fresh air, then head to bed. We are all tired from running around. I will have to call it a night soon. My face is really deteriorating because I have been staying up too late. I am getting old fast, and when I can't sleep, it is because I drink cappuccino. I over do it, and I just realized it, because I forgot to read the direction...LOL. Silly me, really, I didn't bother reading the direction. I will have to be more careful with what I do, so I can keep going with all that I do being an able-bodied individual, I don't want to be sick. I hate being sick. So, in order to live longer and happier I need to get my act straight, eat right and exercise regularly. Okay, nighty, night!

I told my husband to ask Tiana's teacher's aide if Tiana and hers peers will be performing this afternoon, but my husband didn't bother because the aid is new, etc. Well, that turned out to be his downfall because he drove us to Tiana's school for nothing. When we came in we saw Tiana's teacher, and she told us that her class is not performing. That really disappointed us driving all the way there, only to find out that our daughter is not included. We called before coming over there, but it didn't help because the lady said yes the kids will be performing but that is except Tiana's class. So that is where we went today rushing for nothing, but a good thing we were able to sign Tiana out of school and came home with us without having to drive back there to pick her up. That is the positive thing. Now, hopefully my husband learned his lesson. He will for sure take time to ask someone, especially the teacher. Anyway, I am in hurry now because I have a lot to do in the house; clean and cook dinner, we are expecting a family member to join us for dinner.

We took our baby Hannah to her Pediatrician today for her well visit and a few shots that she is due for. A good thing she took it just fine though she had to cry at first. My! She has grown so much already. She is 25 and a half inches long, and the doctor said, she is "tall". So, she will probably be tall-she might take after the tall relatives. She is 15 lbs. and some ounces now-it is the middle of the road weight, which is healthy enough. She is doing fine for sure. Anyway, the poor little one had to go all over the place with mom. We also had to stop somewhere else looking for a particular part for our damaged sliding glass door, but ugh! We still didn't find the part we are looking for. We had to go back over there twice-such a long way from home. That made my husband irritated going back and forth for nothing; especially when the sales rep-wasn't very helpful to him carrying on with a nonchalant attitude. And with the high rocketing gas prices, it adds up to the equation. It also kills my husband to see the high sky gas prices. It makes him wonder how the gas companies can just get away with setting the high prices like they do, making the not so fortunate people go broke in the process just spending money on gasoline.