Mine Site Tour

Happy Wordless Wednesday my loves…

So I had the privilege to visit one of the largest mine sites in Western Australia. I was in awe of how huge their heavy equipments are. The mining manager, who is also my brother in law, toured us. What an awesome day to see how things work around this mine. We were asked to wear hard hats, vest, and steel toe shoes as part of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirement. We were also given Visitor IDs. I didn’t realize that it was a very cold day. My shirt was not thick enough. Good thing my friend let me borrowed her extra vest so I had two vests over my shirt. Anyway, I’ll keep the words short because it’s wordless Wednesday. But today is different from all my other Wordless Wednesday posts because I’ll be sharing with you more pictures. Hope you enjoy 🙂

I always wanted to work in a mine site so imagine how happy I was to be part of this tour.

Look at how big this tire is?

This is one muddy tire, isn’t it?

Now let me go check what’s inside this equipment.

I had to take my picture taken. I just had to.

Here with my discipleship mentor, Sis. Liway 🙂

A better view of us inside this heavy equipment.

Now, let’s try driving this thing.

View from the front.

A little break is a good excuse for a selfie 🙂

Is it obvious that I am so amazed by the size of this tire?

I can work here and drive this thing.

Desalination plant of the mine site.

Looks like an unfinished pyramind, isn’t it?

More of the desalination plant.

I was in awe of how huge this structure is.

More heavy equipments.

And more pipes.

This mine site is a joint project of these countries 🙂 Can you name the flags?

They’ve got plenty of mine equipments.

Here’s another one.

Let’s take a closer look.

Huge rock, isn’t it?

There you go my loves. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I had a good time in the tour.

John 16:33 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Weight Loss – Juice Or Smoothie?

Happy Tuesday my loves…

(Photo credit – pinkcakeplate.com)

I don’t think motherhood is an excuse to be unhealthy. I am one of those women who are blessed with more body fats than most women I know. Although I am not against curves, I am convinced that women, including mommies, have the right to feel healthy and look better. After all, our kids need us to be alive longer. So weight loss may just be a great parenting technique after all 🙂

My journey to weight loss has been very tough. For years, I have battled and guess I have never won. Everyday is a struggle especially when my mind wants to exercise but my body says it’s better to lie down and play on the iPad or watch a movie. It is a struggle when my mind wants to control what I am putting inside my body but my mouth and my tummy cheer me to continue binging. It’s like I am in a stadium and people are cheering me to go on. One mind against what every part of my body wants. Can you imagine the torment?

Anyway, I am again on the lookout for ways to lose the extra pounds. So I have heard about the latest craze in weight loss which is juicing. You take your healthy fruits and vegetables, throw them in the juicer, and voila, healthy drink for a healthy you! Well, this sounds promising.

There is also the smoothie diet. You throw in your favourite fruits and vegetables on your blender and instant delicious goodness that will help trim down your body.

Both look very effective. But I wonder, which one is actually better? I have read somewhere in the vast cyber space that juicing is really good because your body can absorb the nutrients right away. You will also feel lighter. Your skin will have that special kind of glow. But then I have also read that smoothies are better because aside from the juice, you can also take in the fibres of the fruits and vegetables. This way, you will feel fuller for a longer period of time.

I am trying smoothie now. Although I don’t really call it a smoothie diet because I still eat solid foods. I just include a fruit smoothie every now and then for snacks. Instead of eating white bread or something sweet for snack, I drown myself in smoothie. By the way, I don’t add milk to my smoothie. I just use fresh fruits and a little water to make it easy for my blender to do its job.

I hope this works. I badly wanted to remove my oversized love handles.

I will also be trying the detox juicing diet as my mom, who will be leaving for the US again, has left me her prized juicer. I have already filled my fridge with veggies like cucumber and carrots so I might be trying veggie juice in the next few days.

I’ll share with you my loves if I see any result. Right now, I’m still the same big me.

What do you think – which one is better in terms of weight loss – Juice Or Smoothie? Share your thoughts and leave me a comment. Also, if you can send me some love over here Top Mommy Blog, I’ll be so happy 🙂

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Am I Preventing My Child’s Growth?

Happy Monday my loves…

We, parents, can be over concerned about our children sometimes. We want our children to reach their full potential. There are times when we become overprotective because we don’t want our children to get hurt. But do you know that there are some parenting habits that are actually preventing children’s growth? I know it’s surprising and I have to be honest that I am so guilty about these parenting habits.

1. Risk Free Parenting

As much as possible we want our kids to be safe always. We never expose them to risk and we don’t want them to get near anything that we perceive as risky. But do you know that these can result to emotional toil to our kids? According to researches, children who have not been exposed to risk in their childhood are more prone to phobias as an adult. They need to experience some risks and failures for them to grow. Ironically, these experiences will let them value safety even more.

2. On The Rescue Parenting

Are you like me who comes to the rescue right away when my son is in trouble? If you are, we better start lessening this parenting attitude. You know why? It’s because our children needs to learn how to solve their problems and get out of their situations on their own. If we keep on rescuing them, they will end up being too dependent on us. They will think to themselves that it’s okay even if they don’t do things right because their parents will come to their rescue anyway.

3. Over Appreciative Parenting

I am so guilty of this again. I always acknowledge my son’s achievement. Even if he is not a winner, I always make him feel like he is. I bet many of you mommies are like me. Don’t we want our children to develop high self esteem? But according to researches, if we are over appreciative of our children to the point that we somehow lie to them, we are developing low self esteem instead of the high self esteem that we want them to achieve. They will not be able to grow with high view of themselves. Why is this so? Because they will start to think that only their parents appreciate what they are doing and that the whole world doesn’t even notice.

Wow, I did not even realize that parenting is really tough. Parents should be very careful or else we’ll end up with immature children. I don’t want that to happen. I bet you don’t too.

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Disclaimer: Image not my own. Source – tnvoices.org

“If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?”

Happy Friday my loves…

In line with #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 , I would like to share with you that one thing that I am more than willing to give to our beloved country as a gift.

If I had billions, I would have paid off every single debt of our country but I just have enough to suffice the everyday needs of my family. And although my heart breaks to see how our economy struggles because of all our debts, all that I can do is raise a prayer and hope for some divine intervention to lift up our economic situation. So I am afraid, money is not something that I can give to the Philippines as a gift.

If I had the wisdom of Solomon, I would have gladly run for politics and create a change that will uplift the situation of every Filipino. But even if I do so, I may not even get a fraction of the votes that my rival candidates would get. I may be somebody in the eyes of my family and friends, but I am just another “Filipino” in the eyes of my country. So I am afraid, joining politics is not something that I can give to the Philippines as a gift.

If I had the beauty of a celebrity, I would have entertained the country. Then perhaps, even for a while, our people will forget how difficult it is to survive.  Maybe entertainment will somehow keep their eyes from the reality that they don’t have shelters or they don’t have foods on their tables. But I am not an entertainer. I am not a pretty face that will somehow cause people to shift their eyes from fear to joy. So I am afraid, entertainment is not something that I can give to the Philippines as a gift.

If I had the brain of Thomas Edison, I would have invented things that will help our people survive. There would be flying cars everywhere. Floating houses that can turn into submarines when needed will be common to Filipinos. Machines that can turn water into food will be a staple in every house. But I am not an inventor. I am good at inventing food recipes for my family but I have never ever tried turning ordinary water to a cheeseburger. So I am afraid, invention is not something that I can give to the Philippines as a gift.

But I am a mother and I have a family. Great things come from small beginnings, they say. I believe that one family can help change the world, so what more a nation? By raising a son who will uphold the virtues of a good individual and by raising a family who values positivity, I believe my family can be a great gift to our country. The Philippines need people who love it enough to protect its values and integrity. Imagine if all families will be concerned about the country, then our dear Philippines will be a nation of united families working together for the betterment of not just the nation but of each Filipino.

So if there is one thing that I can give to the Philippines as a gift, it will be my family. And this is the best I can offer. A family who will be lawful and productive citizens of the country. I believe this is what the Philippines need the most.

How about you my loves? If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift? Please leave your response on the comment box and get a chance to win an iPad2. This promo from Globe and Nuffnang will end on January 29, 2014. I would love to hear your responses 🙂

 

Trick Art

Happy Wordless Wednesday my loves…

We visited the “Trick Art” museum and we sure had fun especially the kids. For parents, I highly recommend taking the kids to this kind of museum because it helps them become more imaginative and creative.

Oh, I am struggling with this shark…I can do this 🙂

And here’s the infamous Mona Lisa getting cheeky with me and my niece, Danielle.

How strong is this baby boy? Is he Samson? No, he’s Adam 🙂

And here’s Danielle trying to catch the lady’s sandal.

My sister, Rio, pulling that little boy’s short pants.

We must be very careful. The bridge is too thin and weak for all of us 😛

Enjoy your Wordless Wednesdays.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,

What My Son (And All Your Children) Needs

Happy Tuesday my loves…

With the advent of technology, more and more children are getting hooked to things like iPads, iPhones, tablets, PSP, and more. More and more parents are complaining about their children not having enough sleep any more because kids stay up late at night. My son is not an afternoon napper but I know many kids who were once afternoon nappers but when they got their tablets, they just spend their whole afternoon playing or browsing the internet instead of sleeping.

According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers and children are no longer getting the 8-10 hours sleep they need to keep their young bodies healthy. This is a dilemma that many parents, like me, are facing right now. Young bodies need enough sleep and we all know what happens when we lack sleep – we either feel too sleepy throughout the day or we get sick because our body doesn’t have enough defence against the harmful elements in the environment.

What my son and I bet all our children need is SLEEP. The question now is how do we get these kids to sleep early? Here are some useful parenting tips:

1. During school days or weekdays, don’t allow them to play with their tablets or phones. When you implement this rule, make sure that you stick to it.

2. Turn off or dim the bedroom light. Light can delay sleepiness. Sleeping in a dark room helps the body feel more relaxed.

3. Cut down on caffeine. Caffeine rich foods and drinks make our kids hyper active. Cutting down on caffeine will relax them more.

4. Let your kids do some exercises. Exercising will help you sleep better. Your muscles and brain will be more relaxed.

These are just some of the parenting tips that will help us parents deal with our children in terms of getting them to sleep 8-10 hours a day.

1 Peter 2:2-3

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

image source – cirruscloud

Why Our Kids Lie And What We Can Do About It

Happy Monday my loves…

Isn’t it really frustrating when we ask our kids something and they lie to us? Kids are not good at lying. Parents always know when their kids are lying. It is just so obvious.

When our kids lie, is it a measure of our parenting skills? Does it mean that we have been bad parents? Not necessarily. There are many reasons why kids lie and unless we know these reasons, we may already be provoking our kids to lie and we don’t even know it.

I decided to write this article not because my son lies to me but I want to prevent it from happening. So what are the reasons why our kids sometimes lie to us and what can parents, like us, do about it?

SCARED

Being a disciplinarian is good but overdoing it can harbour fear in our children. Sometimes our children don’t tell the truth to us because they are afraid to do so. They are afraid that they might be punished. This is particularly true if they had done something that they assume we’ll get angry about.

Kids should not be scared of us. Fear will scar them all throughout their lives. They need someone whom they can trust – someone whom they can talk about anything and everything. This someone should be the parents.

To remedy this, parents should always boost their children’s trust in them. Although punishment is vital at times, always make sure that you explain to your kids why you are punishing them. When you want to squeeze the truth out of them, good explanation will always do the trick.

IMAGINATIVE

Some kids are imaginative. They make up stories not for the purpose of lying but to express their imagination. I’ve heard of kids saying they’ve seen purple clouds and I know it is not true but I also know that they just said it because they might have really seen it when they put on their imagination hat.

As parents, what we can do is encourage our children to pour out their imagination in something else. For instance, a good parenting technique here is to give your child a paper and let him draw what is in his mind. This way, children are able to express their imagination without the need to lie.

BOASTING

Sometimes kids are prone to boasting. They want to appear like they are already grown up and so they boast. There are kids who will talk about winning a competition even when it is not true and they do this to boast.

As parents, we should always stress the importance of honesty and humility in our children. Always make your children feel important and valued. By doing so, they will not seek attention by boasting. When they feel they are valued, it is enough to make them feel a grown up.

These are the three reasons why our kids sometimes lie to us. And I have also included the corresponding parenting skills required to prevent lying in the first place.

Psalm 8:2

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

What Parents Shouldn’t Say To Their Children

Happy Friday my loves…

When I am not in the mood, I always have the tendency to say something that I regret later on. I think this is something that all parents can relate to especially when dealing with our children. We try our best to be patient but when they go overboard, we snap right away and utter words we shouldn’t say.

So what should parents avoid saying to their children?

1. Leave me alone, will you? 

Most of the time, parents will say this without even explaining to the child why. I am guilty of this as I do this at times especially when I’m busy at work and my son keeps on showing me things or asking me endless questions. With or without the explanation, saying “leave me alone” denotes that you don’t want your child to be with you. This will result to a space between you and your child. If you keep saying these words, the space will soon turn into a wall and before you know it, there is already a wide gap between you and your child. This is the reason why sometimes kids won’t open up their problems to their parents. They don’t want to be just brushed off aside.

So instead of saying “leave me alone”, you should just say something like “will you give me a minute and I’ll just finish what I am doing and I’ll give you my time”. This way, your children will not feel that you abhor their presence.

2. You are so naughty.

Never put labels on your children. Don’t also say words like “you are so silly” or anything that connotes negativity. Our mouth is powerful. It can make or break a person. What parents say can either make or break their children. When you keep on saying that your child is naughty, he will just turn out to be one. He will start thinking to himself that he is really naughty because that is how you perceive him. Remember that children always think that their parents are right. So be very careful in your choice of words. Avoid negative labels.

Instead of saying negative things, encourage your child to be better by using positive words.

3. Don’t cry.

Crying is a good way to express our feelings. If you keep your children from crying, they will end up suppressing their emotions. Crying is natural for children and you should not stop them from doing so. Explain to your children that their situation will soon be better but never tell them not to cry. For instance, if your child trips over, his natural reaction is to cry. Tell him that the pain will soon be over and that you’ll put some medication on it but never suppress his urge to cry.

These are the three common things that we say to our children but we should not. As parents, we should be careful with our words. Words that come out of our mouth must be encouraging for our children.

Well, there you go my loves. I think we all learn something from this. Let me know if you have things you want to add on this list and I’ll gladly add them up 🙂

2 Timothy 3:14-15

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Why Parents Find It Hard To Say Sorry To Their Kids

Happy Thursday my loves…

We always ask our children to say sorry when they have done something that we don’t particularly agree with. But isn’t it ironic to think that when it’s our time to say sorry, we find it so hard to do?

Saying sorry is synonymous to admitting that we have made a poor decision that has resulted to something unfavourable. Parents commit mistake. Let us admit this; otherwise, we are just lying to ourselves. Being a parent does not mean that we are already perfect. There are things that we do and regret later on. In this case, we have to say sorry.

Our children look up to us. But will their respect towards us diminish if we admit our mistake and say sorry? A big NO. According to a research study, children actually respect their parents even more if they realize that their parents know how to accept mistake and take responsibility. After all, our children live by example right? How can we tell them to say sorry when we find it hard to do so ourselves?

So what makes it too hard for parents to say sorry to their kids? There are a number of reasons:

1. We want to maintain the image that we have set on the eyes of our children. We want our children to perceive us as perfect – that we are the perfect examples.

2. Saying sorry lowers down our pride. We always assume that we are above our children and it should never be the other way around. It hurts our pride to admit our mistake.

3. It humiliates us, at times, to accept that we are mistaken. This is particularly true if we have engaged in an argument with our children and in the end, our children prove to be right.

4.We fear that our children will respect and trust us less if they know that we are not as perfect as they think. We always want to maintain our children’s respect towards us.

Personally, I am not afraid to admit my mistakes in front of my son. I say sorry quite often too. I don’t think that it diminishes my son’s respect towards me in any way. Honestly, it has even helped my son to accept his own mistakes too.

Parenting is a tough job but it doesn’t mean that parents should be as tough. We commit mistakes and we should learn to admit them and be humble enough to say sorry.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Which Type of Parent Are You?

Happy Wednesday my loves…

Did you know that there many types of parents? And I believe that all parents will fall into at least one of these types. Parenting involves many different styles depending on the different parenting situations that we face. So what are these types of parents and which type are you?

SCREAMER

This is the type of parent that uses the power of scream to get the reactions that they want. Whether they want their children to stop doing something or they simply want to get the attention of their children, these parents scream. I am a screamer but not at all times. I only scream if my son seems to hear everything except my voice.

At times, screaming helps us parents get the attention that we want. But if we constantly scream, our children will just get immune to our loud voice and soon enough, it will lose its effectiveness. Then maybe we can try the small voice after?

NEGOTIATOR

This is the type of parent that negotiates everything with their children. So your kid wants to watch television? You negotiate with your kid that he can only watch television after he has finished his homework. You teenager wants to go out with his friends? You negotiate with him that he will only be allowed on the weekend and only for just 3 hours.

Negotiating is a good way to let the children know that you trust them but you expect trust and respect in return. They should also know the pros and cons of the requests that they are asking from you.

MARTYR

This is the type of parent that is over protective of their children’s emotions. They don’t want their children to feel that they have failed on something so the parents are always on the rescue. It doesn’t matter if they have to stay awake for days just to help their kids with homework as long as their kids get to succeed and be happy.

This is the type of parent that ends up saying yes to everything that their children say. In the house, the kids rule.

PERFECTIONIST

This is the type of parent that expects their children to excel always. They are the ones who have the tendency to over push their children to their limits. With parents like this, the children feel pressured.

This type of parent is the exact opposite of the Martyr type. With the martyr type, the parents consider everything that their children do as good; while for the perfectionist type, the parents consider everything that their children do as not good enough.

OVERCOOL

This is the type of parent that goes overboard on trying to be cool in the eyes of their children. They do what their kids do. There are even some parents who start getting into the fashion taste of their children’s generation. They treat their kids as friends. While this is a good way to connect with your children, sometimes, it paves the way for your children to lose respect towards you.

Everything should be done in moderation. It is perfectly okay to be friends with your children but don’t stop being a parent to them.

So there you go my loves…which type of parent are you?

I am all of them. I am a screamer when I particularly need attention. I am a negotiator because I make sure that my son ends up being responsible for what he is doing. I am a martyr. It breaks my heart to see my son sad so sometimes I meddle just so he gets his way. I am a perfectionist because I always push my son to explore and do more. I am sometimes overcool that my son thinks I’m going overboard especially when I talk about teen shows.

Any question or if you just want to connect, email me at kikssimplelife@gmail.com

Psalm 127:3-5

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Disclaimer:

Photo sources – (sodahead, huffingtonpost, ppmint, uniqsource, teens-teenagers)