Sunshine and Merriment by Xee Momma

I had to redo my nails yesterday because the polish was starting to chip. I did broadcast the girly moment at Yahoo! Live, but I forgot to turn the chat on… or NOT! :p

Oh hey, I did my toenails, too!

Huggies brings us another event to encourage mom and child bonding moments. On August 30 and 31, from 10am to 9pm at SM Megamall, Huggies is hosting Exploring Together, where we could take our kids to a day of fun and learning by exploring.

This event features play areas designed for every stage of your baby’s development, complete with activities that nourish and enhance certain abilities. With stations like Audio Visual Fantasy and Crawling Explorations, there’s no telling what new discoveries your child will make.

To join, all you have to do is show up with your baby clad in Huggies, or you can buy Huggies products at the entrance. See you all there!

I have Google Alerts setup so I can receive the latest news, videos and blog posts about children’s shows.

This video came up from my Alerts. Very disturbing, really. I don’t know the exact TV show from which this clip came, but I doubt if this really is for children. Unless someone steps up to let me know what show this is and if children what it at all, of course.

Early yesterday evening, Marlene (our nanny) told me that someone from the Home Owner’s Association informed her that there would be a blackout from 11pm to 7am. She wasn’t told why, but at least we know what was coming and we could be prepared.

So we charged all the emergency lamps (we have 4 of them) and all the cellphones (we have 5, between myself and the helpers). I made sure the helpers have enough cellphone credits, too, just in case. We got extra batteries for flashlights in case the emergency lamps would decide to be a bitch.

I charged my old beat-up HP Jornada and loaded it with reading materials. I got my good old iPod ready and took out the portable speakers out of the cabinet as well. I loaded the iPod with lullabies, because I was so sure Alex would wake up in the middle of the night because of the merciless heat and humidity.

It’s too bad that we do not have battery-operated fans, but at least we do have fans. I just had to exercise my hand and arms for a bit last night. Sobrang good luck na lang sa pagpapaypay!

So the blackout did come at 11pm. As usual, I got depressed with the gloomy state the house was in. I read a bit but I just couldn’t focus because of the darned heat. And, true to my prediction, Alex did wake up a little past midnight and started crying. Super kapagod magpaypay noh. But I’d rather get tired fanning him than see him have a hard time sleeping and crying and disturbing everyone else’s peace.

It’s a good thing he decided to be up all night (didn’t sleep until morning light kicked in, around 6am), so I had someone to pester when I feel like being the annoying person that I am.

So with tired arms and despite the gloom, we all made it through the 8-hour blackout. I was actually able to sleep for a total of 2 hours. I’m tired, but I have things to do today so… I’ll catch up with sleep later. Maybe take a nap in the afternoon with Alex. Or sleep earlier tonight.

When I was younger, my parents introduced me to the Reader’s Digest. They used have a subscription, so we get a new edition every month. I loved their regular feature called “Laughter is the Best Medicine”.

I was browsing Reader’s Digest earlier this morning and focused on the article Are You Normal or Nuts?. I took my sweet time reading about other people’s quirks. One of them was…

Sometimes I try to avoid stepping on cracks or spaces between tiles. It’s as if I can feel the cracks through my shoes. Seriously, am I nuts?

I actually know someone who has this quirk. One of my cousins, in her own odd way, likes to step right in the center of tiles and avoid the spaces between them. I thought then she was just playing some form of hopscotch but it turns out it was a quirk of hers. I found it rather funny. And my cousin, good-natured person that she is, just laughs about her own nuttiness.

Some of the quirks mentioned in the article were weird, some were funny, some were quite annoying and a few I didn’t think were quirks at all. But then I realized I do have quirks of my own. In fact, I think everyone has their own quirks, hidden on not.

Wanna know one of mine?

Toilet Paper Goes Over the Roll

I hate seeing toilet paper that goes under the roll. In fact, when I am at someone else’s home, I always go to the bathroom and see how they set their toilet paper. If it is under the roll, I get so uncomfortable that I just have to change the setup from this:

To this:

That’s how I like my toilet paper. Over the roll.

My friends who know about this quirk just laugh at me. Bah. They have their own odd ways. I’m sure you do, too! These little things actually make us special, don’t you think? You can read more quirks in the article Are You Normal or Nuts? and share your own opinions on it.

Or maybe you’re brave enough to share a quirk of your own?

If you want more anecdotes that will surely lighten you up, head on to Reader’s Digest Laughs.