A new bedroom. New mattress and sheets. New dressing table. New everything! That’s what she found after three days of being away. She will be graduating top of the class so her parents surprised her with something she’s always wanted to have… a new zen bedroom.

She squealed a little when she saw it. She didn’t realize that the cryptic comments of her parents before she left for an out-of-town trip with her friends had something to do with the renovation they did on her bedroom. She couldn’t ask for more!

And wait. They also bought her a dozen new books!

Weather in Metro Manila for the past couple of days averages around 32-34°C. It’s really HOT! What better time to cool off than this weekend with the family. Hit the beach or go to a pool nearby and chill. Remember to hydrate as well. Drink lots of water. Or better yet, go grab a smoothie or some milk tea along the way.

Have fun under the sun!

Happy weekend everyone!

At one time or another during childhood, you probably have been asked the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Regardless of what your answer was, it can all change once you become a parent.

Even at the point when you first begin maternity leave, you may have hopes to return back to work within three months or so, but for many ladies out there, that decision often changes.

As a mother, you may begin to realize that these early years of life for your child are simply too precious to step away from. You want to be there when your baby first learns to say “Mama.” You want to be there when your baby makes her first giggle. You want to be there when your baby learns to stand on her own and then walk on her own. These are all precious moments for every parent.

Yet, as much as you may want to stay home and be there every moment for your child, it is just not financially possible in many cases. Rather than returning back to a career that simply doesn’t suit the parenting lifestyle, many mothers opt to work part-time or pursue a career that is more accommodating to new families.

Some of the more family-friendly jobs moms may pursue include:

• Day Care Provider – Hey, you’re already caring for your own child, what’s another child or two? Make money while taking care of your own child. It’s particularly ideal as your child becomes older and can play independently and with other children in her same age range.
• Freelance Writer – Freelance writing gives you flexibility to work at your own schedule. Often, this may mean when your child is napping, in school or once she’s put to bed for the night. You also get to control the workload that comes in so that work and time for family is in balance.

• Bank Teller – You won’t have to worry about having to travel or clocking in long hours. Banks typically have a standard and fixed work schedule and there generally won’t be any worries you have to bring home with you after the work day. You may particular benefit in securing such a career with a business degree with some past financial experience.

• Photographer – Similar to the road of a freelance writer, you can set your own work schedule depending on the type of photography you do. If you are looking into photography for special events, try to secure several good gigs in a short time frame, if possible. You may find you’ve met your salary quota early, leaving you with more time to spend with the family.

• Dog Walker – It doesn’t typically pay well as there are plenty of college students who are also willing to take the job, but it works well for a mother’s schedule. While walking the dog, you can swing by the park with your child for some fun play time.
• eBay Seller – Many moms have learned to make profits as eBay sellers. You have the ease of working directly from home on your computer. Find a niche to focus on and run with it.

Being a mother is in many ways already a full-time job. Reentering the workforce may seem challenging and intimidating at times, but there is hope as many other mothers have succeeded in doing so. They have continued caring for their children full time while working. There are numerous Mommy Blogs out there that serve as a resource mothers can benefit from for advice and tips on balancing life and work.

Sources

“Forbes” (2011)

“HuffPost” (2012)

With every other aspect of commerce and business going mobile it stands to reason that stock market investments would too. These days there’s hardly a financial transaction or query you can make that can’t be handled or answered by a mobile application. Anything from acquiring a fixed rate on your home mortgage or credit card to applying for a loan and transferring funds between accounts can now be greatly expedited and streamlined by a wide variety of iPhone and Android apps. With regards to investing, the latest apps offer some amazing abilities that will allow you to enhance your portfolio and make judgements based off the most recent market information. Here are the top reasons you should use mobile apps to invest:

Simulate a stock purchase and see how it plays out. Ever wish you could see how something was going to work before you had to commit to it. Apps like FantasyStock offer this ability, allowing creative investors to simulate a stock purchase with fake money and project its earnings into the future. Good way to save yourself time and money.

Get stock quotes on the run. Before the days of mobile browsing, investors were relegated to set locations in order to check on their investments. They may have checked the morning news from home and then been in the dark until they got to work. Now, with the combination of hands-free devices, personal assistant programs like Siri, and mobile applications, there’s nothing stopping you from being on top of stock quotes every moment of the day. Don’t miss out on a major play simply because you’re in transit. Download apps like Bloomberg, DailyFinance, iSwim, and others.

Keep on top of stock news and manage your watchlist remotely. Board meetings can be a real drag, especially when you know there’s major market news going down and you have no way of accessing it until your boss and supervisor finish bickering about the latest sales numbers. With stock apps, you can easily keep abreast of the latest developments without jeopardizing your work duties.

Simultaneously switch funds between accounts while investing. Worried you don’t have enough funds to cover a purchase that you’re certain will be big money? Apps like Mint.com not only allow you to transfer banking funds, but it also offer stock market functions. So you can get your accounts in order and invest with the same app.

Investing is a tricky business, requiring diligent research, unwavering attention and bold, quick actions which necessitate immediate Internet access. The entrepreneurial stock investor should equip him/herself with a variety of financial apps that will allow seamless market access and control and oversight with regards to watchlists, funds, indicators, and transactions.

I am on Twitter and I found this quote…

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.
– Mark Twain

And another one…

You have to get your mind going in a new direction because dwelling on negative thoughts will keep you from becoming all God has for you.

I just have to remind myself that I won’t gain anything on being irritated about a lot of things and by dwelling on regrets and negative thoughts.

Just wanted to share

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Peanut butter is a nutritious treat that most of us enjoy. Just the smell of it can bring us back to a simpler time in life and make us feel like children again. Because of its salty sweet flavor, there are so many ways to incorporate it into a recipe.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- 2 ¼ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
2) Add brown sugar and whole milk and stir.
3) Mix in peanut butter.
4) Add vanilla and stir.
5) In a large bowl, combine sugar and peanut butter mixture.
6) Beat until it is smooth.
7) Pour mixture into a square pan and refrigerate until it is firm.
8 ) Cut into squares before serving.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup confection sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping
- 9 inch graham cracker crust
- 2 tablespoons hot fudge

Directions:
1) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Spoon mixture into the pie crust.
3) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

PEANUT BUTTER TREATS

Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 (10 oz) package regular marshmallows
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 6 cups rice krispies

Directions:
1) Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan.
2) Slowly stir in marshmallows and heat until they are completely melted.
3) Remove the pan from the heat and mix in peanut butter.
4) Combine the peanut butter mixture with the rice krispies.
5) Press mixture into a greased pan and allow to cool.
6) Cut into squares before serving.

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES

Ingredients:
- 1 package of brownie mix
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 stick butter (melted)
- 2 large eggs
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1) In a large bowl combine the first 4 ingredients and mix for 1 minute on low speed.
2) Save 1 ½ cups of mixture for the topping.
3) Spoon remaining mixture into a pan.
4) Combine milk and chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
5) Stir in vanilla and pour mixture into pan.
6) Crumble and scatter reserved mixture over top and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Allow to completely cool before cutting and serving.

PEANUT BUTTER BITES

Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 cup margarine
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 (8 oz) packages chocolate candy coating

Directions:
1) Combine first 4 ingredients.
2) Roll into balls and set on wax paper.
3) Melt candy coating and dip balls.
4) Allow to dry on wax paper.

Greece is an incredibly relaxed place with a motto of, ‘do tomorrow what you can do today.’ Unlike our homeland, England, it has a very different culture and easygoing way of life making it one of the most popular holiday destinations. Full of street celebrations, food, hospitality and taking a great pride in generosity to strangers, this is the perfect place to go on a budget using Tours4Fun coupon codes.

If you’re looking to hop to a more popular Greek Island, I would advise either, Corfu, (Ionian Islands) Mykonos (Cyclades Islands) or Rhodes (Dodecanese Islands.) As popular tourist destination there are often affordable flight deals with either Olympic or Aegean Airlines. The closer that you stay to an airport the less traditional your Greek experience will be. If you choose to stay further away from an airport, it’s likely that your holiday will be cheaper due to the lack of tourist made shops and restaurants. If you’re wanting a more peaceful or ‘sleepy’ holiday then Samos (Aegean Islands) or Leros (Dodecanese Islands) are the places to go.

Here are four reasonably affordable and decent hotels around Greece that will allow you to have a fantastic time and stick to your budget (and don’t forget to use coupon codes as usual)!

As the capital of Greece holding the 2004 Olympics, Athens understandably is full of historical tourist sights: National Archaeological Museum and Greece’s National Art Gallery. Whether you want to go to varied nightclubs or some of the finest restaurants, this is the place to be! The 3* Marina Hotel is a family run business charging reasonable prices of just $30 including all taxes and fees, helping you to stick to budget. The friendliness and warmth that you’re greeted with helps complete your Greek experience.

Rhodes is another popular tourist spot, offering visitors exactly what they wish for. Whether it’s history, beaches or clubbing, it’s all there creating the islands charm through the combination of modern and historical Greece. There are many attractions and all at low cost or free, one of the best being the isolated golden sand beaches. From just $18 per studio room per night, you can visit all the attractions through staying at ‘Panorama Studios’ located in the Faliraki area close to Ladiko. Offering 51 suites alongside a swimming pool and laundry facilities, this hotel is perfect in helping you through the scorching sun!

As the largest of the Greek Islands Crete allows you to explore the prominent history with the historical and cultural sites, Venetian fortress and museums. Hiking (a free activity) and water-sports are popular activities for Tourists suiting all kinds of tastes. In the heart of Crete, Mikro Village Hotel is one of the best budget decent hotels to stay in. This is one of the better hotels for children as there is a kid’s pool, created and playground along with extra activities organised by locals. There really is something for all tastes whether you want to chill by the pool or explore the traditional villages and scenic roads.

It’s not everyday I get a request from a friend to help him out. So whenever I get a request from someone to whom I am truly close to, I try my best to accommodate it. When I am working on a request, you can trust me to give my best in what I do. And no, I am not waiting for anything in return.

I got a request from a friend two weeks ago to search for Phonic PA Speakers for a project he is working on. Since I don’t normally get any requests of help from him, I immediately said yes. I am now helping him find the most affordable one and I think I already found it an hour ago.

I will have to alert him to the fact as I know he is in a hurry to complete the music studio he is working on.