A Christmas Giveaway Contest.

A Christmas Giveaway Contest.

As Christmas is almost around the corner, Utah Mommy is starting the tradition of giving gifts and spreading love through this contest. Are you tired of giving gifts that are quickly abandoned? How about gifts that are handcrafted, personally made, and simbolizes the sincerity of the heart that made them? Wouldn't that be so nice? With her handmade blankets and scarves, it is more like sharing the warmth of Christmas to all of us.

Joining is so easy, just spread the news about this contest through your blog and there you go, easy as 1-2-3. Don't worry if you haven't written anything about it because the contest will end on December 8, 2008. So you still have time to think and write.

Here are the prizes at stake. Thanks to the sponsors that help Utah Mommy in making this contest possible.

FIRST PRIZE
1. Checkered Pink and Blue Blanket size 73 x 73 inches (click HERE for the picture)
2. 3 column blog layout designed by My Web Blog Designs
3. 3000 EC credits courtesy by Twerlermz Blog
4. 2500 EC credits courtesy by Techicardia
5. 2000 EC credits courtesy by Fil-Am Gallery
6. 2000 EC credits courtesy by Wonderful Things In Life
7. 2000 EC credits plus 1 month ad courtesy by Pink Hues
8. 1500 EC credits courtesy by Twinkletoe Writing Space
9. 1500 EC credits courtesy by Fit 4 All

SECOND PRIZE
1. Furry Orange Scarf for winter (click HERE for the picture)
2. 2 column blog layout designed by The Designer's Chic
3. 1000 EC credits plus 1 month ad courtesy by The Positive Side
4. 1000 EC credits plus 1 month ad courtesy by Random Chronicles
5. 1000 EC credits courtesy by The Joy Of Life Forever
6. 1000 EC credits courtesy by Pinay Endeavor
7. 1000 EC credits courtesy by My Life My World
8. 1000 EC credits courtesy by Lourdes Mia
9. 1000 EC credits courtesy by Pinay Mommy Online

THIRD PRIZE
1. Furry Pink Scarf for winter (click HERE for the picture)
2. 1000 EC Credits courtesy by Mommy Earns Money Online
3. 500 EC Credits courtesy by Ask Ms. Recipe
4. 500 EC Credits plus 1 month ad courtesy by Chronic Chick Talk
5. 500 EC Credits courtesy by Embrace Simplicity
6. 500 EC credits courtesy by Wiehanne Contest
7. 500 EC credits courtesy by Sweet Paradise
8. 500 EC credits courtesy by My Life's Adventure
9. Blog header courtesy by My Design Work Bench


I look forward on winning though I'm just a novice blogger ;-)

ADVENT WREATH

Last year, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel inside Punta Fuego Village just borrowed the Advent Wreath it used during the Simbang Gabi. And this year, we decided to have our own..

Let me give you an idea what an Advent Wreath is:

An 'advent wreath' is a ring of evergreen cuttings surrounding or integrating four candles, used for a non-liturgical devotion by some Christians during the season of Advent-the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. During Advent, in preparation for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, nine days of Masses are held to usher in the event of Christ’s birth. These Masses were celebrated in the early morning hours, typically at about 4:00 AM when the roosters crow to announce the coming of a new day.

The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering, pine for immortality, or cedar for strength and healing. Pine is the most commonly used. The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Originally, pine cones, nuts, or seedpods were used to decorate the wreath which symbolizes life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection.

The Advent Wreath contains four candles— three purple and one rose. Starting during the first week of Advent, a candle is lit while prayers are said. An additional candle is lit during each of the following weeks until all four candles are lit during the last week before Christmas. Advent wreaths are used in both private, family services and at church services. Often a fifth candle (white) is added to the center of the wreath for lighting on Christmas Eve, in celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Daily Prayers for Lighting the Advent Wreath

First Week

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,
desire of every nation,
Savior of all peoples,

Second Week

O King of all nations, Jesus Christ,
only joy of every heart,
come and save your people.

Third Week

O Key of David, Jesus Christ,
the gates of heaven open at your command,
come and show us the way to salvation.

Fourth Week

O Wisdom, holy Word of God, Jesus Christ,
all things are in your hands,
come and show us the way to salvation.

Since Advent is a time to stir-up our faith in the Lord, the wreath and its prayers provide us a way to augment this special preparation for Christmas. Moreover, this good tradition helps us to remain vigilant in our homes and not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.

witches and demons unite

An annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat event for children under 12, was held last Friday, October 31st, at Punta Fuego Village Reception area.This ever-popular event was made possible in cooperation with Club Punta Fuego.

As usual, decorated village houses take center stage and there are plenty of hair-raising goblins and grizzly old witches lurking around for games, candies, and fun.

Tala & Mikah had a pretty good time trick-or-treating. They were surprised to receive several full-sized candies (which I promised not to steal). This year Mikah was dressed as a little devil, and Tala as a witch - both incredibly adorable.

trying hard to give the venue a scary look. Lorna blew so many balloons manually, wonder where she got all that air hahaha...

our guests- SPED children

scariest costume contestants (nah, I'm not one of them hehe) you will agree for sure if I say that Liberty won..

waiting for the goodies. Kids, patience is a virtue, afterall this is our first stop.

and the winners are..

a special child gave a beautiful song which left as all teary-eyed.

who's the scariest of them all? ;D

hey you copied my look!!!

presenting the Fuego ghouls ang ghoulies!!!




witchy Tala. Lola Ninang said it should have been snow white. Well, maybe next year..




matching face paint for Ate. Hesitant at first, but little sis was blessed with convincing powers. charisma, I think..




what a haul! Though the girls promised not to eat them, man, I still have a motherly heart! I let them have a few, at least 2 candies a day. I guess it would take them two weeks to empty the pumpkins hehe



And that’s our Halloween Wrap. Hope yours was fabulous as well.

safe halloween

From the candy to the costumes, Halloween is a fun-filled time for kids and parents alike. But it's also a holiday that can pose dangers to young revelers. To help make this year's festivity a trick-free treat, follow these simple safety tips:

Adorning Your Little Ghouls

• Choose a light-colored costume or add glow-in-the-dark tape to the front and back of the costume so your kids can be easily seen.
• Don't buy a costume unless it's labeled "flame-retardant." This means the material won't burn.
• Make sure wigs and beards don't cover your kids' eyes, noses, or mouths.
• Don't let your children wear masks — they can make it difficult for kids to see and breathe. Instead, use nontoxic face paint or makeup. Have younger children draw pictures of what they want to look like. Older kids will have fun putting the makeup on themselves.
• Put a name tag — with your phone number — on your children's costumes.
• Avoid oversized and high-heeled shoes that could cause kids to trip.
• Avoid long or baggy skirts, pants, or shirtsleeves that could catch on something and cause falls.
• Make sure that any props your kids carry, such as wands or swords, are flexible.

Trouble-Free Trick-or-Treating

• Accompany young children (under age 10) on their rounds. But make sure they know their home phone number, the cell phone numbers of parents and any other trusted adult who's supervising, and how to call 9-1-1 in case they get lost.
• For older kids who are trick-or-treating on their own, make sure you approve of the route they'll be taking and know when they'll be coming home. Also be sure that they:
  • carry a cell phone, if possible
  • go in a group and stay together
  • only go to houses with porch lights on and walk on sidewalks on lit streets (never walk through alleys or across lawns)
  • know to never go into strangers' homes or cars
  • cross the street at crosswalks and never assume that vehicles will stop
• Give kids flashlights with new batteries.
• Limit trick-or-treating to your neighborhood and the homes of people you and your children know.
• When your kids get home, check all treats to make sure they're safely sealed and there are no signs of tampering, such as small pinholes, loose or torn packages, and packages that appear to have been taped or glued back together. Throw out loose candy, spoiled items, and any homemade treats that haven't been made by someone you know.
• Don't allow young children to have hard candy or gum that could cause choking.
• Make sure trick-or-treaters will be safe when visiting your home, too. Remove lawn decorations, sprinklers, toys, bicycles, wet leaves, or anything that might obstruct your walkway. Provide a well-lit outside entrance to your home. Keep family pets away from trick-or-treaters, even if they seem harmless to you.

Gobbling Down Halloween Goodies

• Offer a filling meal before your kids head out to trick-or-treat so they won't scarf down too much of their haul.
• Consider purchasing Halloween treats other than candy. Stickers, erasers, crayons, pencils, coloring books, and sealed packages of raisins and dried fruits are good choices.
• Know how much candy your kids have collected and store it somewhere other than their bedrooms. Having it so handy can be an irresistible temptation for many kids. Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.
• Once your trick-or-treaters have returned with their Halloween goodies, extend their bounty by letting them have a treat or two a day instead of leaving candy out in big bags or bowls for kids to sample at will.

Take these quick and easy precautions to help your little ghosts and goblins have a hauntingly happy and safe Halloween.

Reviewed by: Mary Gavin, MD

99 days more

"I don't want a lot for Christmas there is just one thing I need.."

As this song of Maria Carey keep on playing over and over again in my ITunes, I can't help but get exited. In barely 99 days, Christmas will be here. And people will again be sending gifts and wishing each other "Merry Christmas". Thinking of what gift to give to people who almost have everything that money can buy is hard and even harded when you don't have enough resources (as in my case). Between high gas prices and consumers’ fears of a financial squeeze, it seems as if a nice Christmas is out of the picture this year. But we can try something different like giving something more personal which the receiver will get to appreciate more than buying expensive and boring gifts from the malls. And the only way to prevent yourself from the "Christmas Burden" is to plan ahead of time. Here are few of the things I wish I could to to save money:

Avoid Buying Gifts, Except For The Kids- hehehe, how about not buying gifts for the folks? Anyway, Christmas is not just buying stuff anyway (hehehe I hope makaya ko ito)

Open a Savings Account - with all the company bonuses, 13th month pays, tax refunds, and money gifts that we can get from generous bosses, we can start saving up by opening an bank account. After the Christmas Rush, all of us will end up broke due to the "walang patumanggang paggastos" and this savings account will back us up on the coming year.

Make a wishlist to avoid unwanted gifts and stick to it. OK, this year, we, adults are not buying gifts for each other. We are only buying gifts for the kids. So, when we did buy gifts we would give a list of ideas of gifts we would want. Therefore, no standing in return lines the day after Christmas, every kid got what they wanted!

Go Potluck! When celebrating Christmas with the whole clan, you buy the spaghetti, have everyone else bring the side dishes and drinks. Anyway, I think other family members will gonna like this idea too.

Break up gift sets. (OK, I can't avoid giving gifts to folks hehehe). If you find an item that comes in a gift set at Christmas, give parts of it to different recipients.This is great for stationery set, mugs, toy sets and towel sets.

Make memories - Keep the gifts small and inexpensive and give to them while singing a Christmas song substituting your gifts for the lyrics. (kahit sintunado pwede na at least you tried). In this case, it really is the thought that counts. Have fun with your ideas. Humor is mandatory. Your loved one will be so impressed with your efforts that the lavishness of the gift will barely matter.

Gift-giving shouldn't be stressful. Christmas isn't about fighting crowds at the mall or lavishing children with toys they'll lose interest in someday. At kahit palasak na at corny pakinggan still, it really is the thought that counts. So, put down your ATM/Credit card and start thinking creatively. Spread the love, not the consumer goods, this holiday season.

Advance Merry Christmas!!!