Rashes, Pregnancy and Immunization

Marguerite has a rash and it was my fault. Mark applied sunblock on her last Saturday since he was taking her to the playground, but when they got home, Marguerite fell asleep before I could properly wash off the sunblock. I didn't want to leave the thing on her skin though, so I used wipes. Somehow, the ingredients in the wipes didn't mesh well with those in the sunblock and my poor daughter ended up with a rash. I was pretty sure it was just an allergic reaction, but since I'm pregnant, I wanted to be sure. I took her to the pedi for the reassurance and got that and more. As you know, I very selectively vaccinate, so Marguerite didn't get shots for the usual childhood diseases. However, her new pedi strongly recommends getting the measles vaccine and since I'm pregnant  and can't remember having had German measles as a child, she suggests getting the MMR vaccine. I've discussed this with Mark and he's agreed to go for it. Sigh. But didn't we say we wouldn't get the combos anymore (we got the 5-in-1), and wasn't the MMR vaccine the one associated with cases of autism? Hoo boy. Here we go again with the immunization debate. I'm frankly sick of it, but it's an important issue. Nothing else to do but pray for wisdom.

Time to Give PPC Another Shot?

I suppose many bloggers out there also do the pay per click gigs. I tried it before when Marguerite was just a baby and several moms in my birth club (mainly those who were also stay-at-home) recommended some programs. Note: Birth clubs can be really helpful, but beware of what putting together a bunch of postpartum women can also elicit, lol… Anyway, to go back to PPC, I tried out a few sites, but at that time, I was writing content management system manuals (as well as contributing articles for a national daily) and was getting okay money from that, so I ditched the attempt, thinking there was a better way for me to spend my time online. I had also come across cautionary tales about requests for cashout being ignored and programs suddenly closing… Anyway, I have yet to try it again. The good, legit programs have established their names by now and I know many find these sites to be providers of a few welcome dollars for very little effort. I guess it also helps those who avail of this marketing technique. If you’re looking for clicks, then it’s prudent to go with a trusted ppc agency. It’s a nice concept behind these programs anyway. They help both the clicker and clickee.

What Fruit Company Was It?

When I was really young and the TV we watched over at my cousins’ house was one that came with its own cabinet - meaning that it was the kind that required us to get up and manually switch channels (and this was way before cable - Marcos was the president and there were just five TV stations), we suffered through the commercials. Now, of course with remote control and the hundred or so other channels to choose from, we hardly ever get to watch the ads. But back then, during summers of the early ‘80s, we just sat there and watched. To make the time waiting for the real program to come back more fun (or just less boring), we tried to beat each other in guessing which product was being promoted in the ad. It also reminds me of this other game we used to play wherein we guessed which product a logo represented. I think I guessed one time that the Chanel logo was that of a car marque (still not familiar with designer logos). I suppose if you’re starting a company, you have to be smart about the business logo design. If the image totally has nothing to do with the industry you’re in, it has to at least be memorable. This brings to mind Forrest Gump remarking that Lieutenant Dan had invested their money in some fruit company.

The Profundity...

I follow Hillsong worship pastor Reuben Morgan on Twitter (the only reason why I bother logging in these days, since I haven't gotten around to posting stuff again -- and, of course, there's the other fact that I'm still figuring out how the site actually works and how it should work for me, sigh) and he recently tweeted this: "Your GIFT will make room for you >> your CHARACTER will ultimately sustain you or sabotage you." I'm not sure I fully grasp what he means by that, but I get the sabotage part.

Zenni Benefits

I’ve written about Zenni Optical here several times. I wouldn’t think before that it would be wise to get prescription glasses online, but Zenni has put together a system that efficiently caters to its customers. Its huge draw, of course, is the amazingly lower prices of their glasses. Not having to pay for the usual shop overhead expenses and advertizing, Zenni can afford to have its rates greatly reduced.

Getting prescription glasses from Zenni Optical means being provided a super wide variety of frames to choose from. You can input all of your prescription details and “try on” frame after frame using your picture to see which one suits you best. From having to spend hundreds of dollars on glasses, you can switch to something that costs less than $20 and yet offers the same, if not better, quality as the ones you can get from stores. Zenni has a flat shipping rate, so you can order as many pairs as you want without additional shipping charges. Orders come with extra hardware and screws in case you have to make some repairs eventually. In fact, an article published on the WZZM13 website about buying glasses online discusses further why Zenni Optical is your smart choice.

Some Glad Morning

I was talking about this song the other day and while I was researching old songs, I came across this (not a video):

Lead Me to the Chaise Longue

Summer is upon us once again. Had I still been teaching, I would probably welcome the season with more excitement (although, technically, where I used to teach, we followed the western schedule and we’d just be getting ready for spring break around this time), but since I’m a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, the season means nothing more to me that the change in temperature. It’s funny how when I was younger, I used to be really into summer and the beach, but as I got older, I came to prefer the colder seasons (in the tropics, I mean the slightly cooler season) and mountain vacations. Since I’m pregnant, I’m even more irritated by the heat.

Having gotten my gripe out of the way, I can now talk about travel plans. Going abroad is out of the question at this time. I don’t really want to go too far away by car, and frankly, I don’t really like traveling in the summer where the mob seems to hound you wherever you go. I prefer the shoulder seasons - the perks are still there, but with cheaper rates and less people. Anyway, Mark was talking about some rough road trip he wants to take with his bachelor friends. It involves bus rides, trekking, cheap hovels, and generally just really roughing it… That’s his idea of fun. A vacation for me would mean me dozing off on a poolside lounge chair with Mark minding Marguerite. Sorry to sound like the ultimate sloth, maybe it’s more the pregnancy talking (right!), but R&R for me means a lot of lounging, so I welcome the sight of indoor lounge chairs, outdoor lounge chairs, divans, etc. I guess I want a more civilized setup although I don’t really care for those trendy resorts frequented by party people.

Having read this post, I want to say that I do hope Marguerite turns out to be more like her dad when it comes to her attitude towards travel.

Expecting to Hear the Trumpet

I have to ask. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? If you have, then whatever is happening in the world right now (Matthew 24) makes a lot of sense to you, and it fills you with anticipation. But not dread - never that. Perhaps you feel extra zeal and pressure to share the Gospel, especially to loved ones who are not yet Christians, but you're looking forward to the event we call the Rapture. It brings to mind that hymn we used to sing in camp: "When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that would be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory (shout the victory - echoes that group trusted to provide the harmony, hee)." In the face of all these horrible things going on - all those scary uncertainties - Christians can remain calm and hold on to God's promises. It's like that phrase "the peace that passes understanding" (which, incidentally, reminds me that I used to sing "I've got the pizza pasta understanding down in my heart..." -- Sorry, nothing but a useless aside. I'm full of them *squirm*) and it's a great comfort. There's always the bigger picture, and that bigger picture consists of eternity, as opposed to the very temporary world we live in.

All I'm saying is that I'm excited to get to heaven, see my wonderful Lord face to face, and I hope that we would all be ready and be caught up in the Rapture together. In the meantime, you can join me in singing "I'll Fly Away" (my dad changed a line from the song - instead of singing "When I die, Hallelujah, by and by", we sing "Rapture's nigh, Hallelujah...") and watching out for the sounding of THAT trumpet. And if you're like me, I also amuse myself by trying to figure out who the antichrist is, hee. (Note: we go on with our daily lives while we do this.)

Furniture "Thingies"

I remember the time when my sister held her birthday party in a hotel suite. There was some hullaballoo over the word “couch”. We said we wanted a couch and they assured us that there would be a couch. Alas, when we got there, there were a few armchairs and no couch. We immediately phoned down to the front desk to point this out. They sent somebody up and this somebody pointed to an armchair and said, “There’s a couch.” Sigh. What could we do? Then there was a time when somebody told me not to call the table at the wall a console, helpfully adding that a console was like an entertainment center. May I say argh? Thankfully, I've since been spared from people who've never heard of console tables. Then again, it’s not quite like the dumb argument I had with a friend on whether to call what I know to be a coffee table that or a cocktail table. I was so convinced that I was right that I cringed when I saw a display of coffee tables labeled contemporary cocktail tables. No wonder I tend to call everything “thingy”. I never really knew much about furniture before except some general classifications. That was before I landed a gig writing articles and product descriptions for several interior design businesses, and then my knowledge grew by a smidge. At least, I can visit a home and correctly remark on the modern accent table or the unusual area rug, but maybe you’ll still have to tell me not to eat the potpourri, lol.

Marguerite Called Somebody a Tool

Yesterday Marguerite told me, "I have the hiccups," adding, "just like Felipe." Not knowing this Felipe, I inquired, "Who's Felipe?" whereupon my daughter replied, "He's a tool." I was taken aback. I know she's at the age when kids like experimenting with swear words, but since she has yet to encounter those 4-letter bombs, that's not really something I worry about. Our version of this stage is pretty limited to "Shut up" and "Oh my God", which admittedly do slip out from my tongue from time to time.  "Tool" may not be a cuss word, but it's still rude. I was confused, I don't think I've ever called anybody a tool in front of Marguerite and it's one of the words I've consciously been avoiding since I confess I could be quite loose about name-calling famous people. Anyway, thinking I must have misheard, I verified, "Did you say Felipe's a tool?" Marguerite replied in the affirmative. I mulled this over before it finally dawned on me that Felipe was one of Handy Manny's tools. He's a real tool - a screwdriver, I believe. Now what is wrong with me that when I hear "tool", I immediately think of its pejorative definition?

Strike a Pose

I just wanted to share this. Mark's side of the family  recently had a graveyard picnic once again. I wasn't able to join them, but he and Marguerite were there. As you can see in the pics, Marguerite (the girl in pink and black) instinctively knows how to mug for the camera. This is something that she didn't get from me. Almost all of my kiddie pictures had me scowling at the camera. I was an odd kid - all vinegar and grouse, lol.

Pregnancy Paranoia

I remember posting about the old gym wall (I think it has since been renovated) of the school where I used to work. I thought it was actually harmless since nobody ever issued complaints about their health but a friend of mine said that it wasn’t altogether harmless. I forget what she said it was, but I think it wasn’t asbestos. Then again, asbestos is not the only unwholesome thing one can have in one’s walls. I guess it was just fortunate that nobody ever got sick. I think I was actually pregnant around that time when the kids had their plaster powder smearing fun. Now that I’m pregnant once again, I have this tendency to be ridiculously paranoid about the stuff that I’m exposed to. I hope it’s actually a natural impulse and not just me being a diva. I’m wary of crowds and the possible diseases they carry. I’m suspicious of old structures (and they interest me so too!) and quickly look up stuff on asbestos, lung disease symptoms, mesothelioma life expectancy, etc. upon exposure. It’s not just the normal noxious stuff we worry about too, like exhaust fumes and artificial additives in food. I’m talking about really mundane things like daily personal hygiene products. And then, I remember the people in Japan and the threat of radiation. Maybe it’s good to be extra careful and all, but it’s possible I just might be divaing it up a bit. So, I quickly get over myself.

Inching My Way Back

I'll do it gradually, but I believe I'm ready to return to active blogging. I still can't sit in front of a computer for long periods of time (which might actually be a good thing), but I'm feeling much better and my nose has begun to lose its superhuman powers (I can no longer smell what they're cooking two streets over). I think I better start with a review for Booksneeze, since I'm way overdue (got the book in January, I think). Of course, first I have to read the thing.

That's it for now. I leave you with some of Marguerite's recent vocab misses:

"It's cold! I'm chivering!" (shivering)

"This is gusting!" (disgusting)

"I speak Portu-peas and Pagalog." (Portuguese/Tagalog)