Saludos desde España (Worlwide Culture Swap Group 62)

Saludos desde España! Greetings from Spain! 

It was a wonderful surprise for Bea when she arrived from school last week...

The package from the Boned family of Spain has arrived!

Let's Cook: Thai Stir-Fry Chicken with Cashew Nuts

While hubby and I were in Thailand, this Thai Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts was one of our favorite dish. There was even a group of European tourists who order this same dish almost everyday! :)

Worldwide Culture Swap Group 62 - FROM KENTUCKY, USA

This was waiting for us at home today...

It was a package from Lexington, Kentucky, USA! 

The McConell's package has arrived! 

Bea was so excited seeing the items

Worldwide Culture Swap

The Worldwide Culture Swap is a project initiated by three French expat moms aimed at promoting different cultures around the world to children - starting with their own - to partner families/ children all around the world. Their tagline being "Bringing you the world, one package at a time" is a simple endeavor which centers on bringing families from different parts of the world closer to each other by introducing their own cultures to partner families  within a WCS group. 

For starters, and to those of you who are utterly curious ( I know I did :) so here are a few information from their website about this culture swap program:

Ballet Fever and its benefits for kids

For so long, I have been longing for the day I would have a little girl to enroll in ballet class. :) Call it my childhood frustration or what ( i have two left feet!), but it was a plus for me knowing that my beaboo also happens to love dancing especially ballet! She would dance and do pirouettes and tiptoe across the room at times when she feels like dancing (well more of pretending to be a ballerina) -- even at the mall at times. :)

So a few days ago, we trooped over to a dance studio in Gensan for her first ballet class. It was nice to see all the pictures of little ballerinas in their recital dance wearing their tutus and ballet slippers. The minute we walked into the office, beaboo's eyes (along with her dad) was all alight with excitement.

Anghel dela Guardia

For  many nights, my beaboo has been having nightmares. She usually wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and kicking. There was even a time I got really scared of her since she woke up really really angry. Her eyes were scary and she started screaming "I hate you mommy". I was even contemplating whether I should call a doctor friend or a priest friend to do exorcism. hehe. I was at loss, I couldn't understand what my little girl was going through. Then I learned she was not just having nightmares, she was having "night terrors". See previous blog about night terror here.

And then I started a devotion to my Guardian Angel. I've learned that these celestial beings are not figments of our imaginations, but truly do exist. God in His goodness has given each of us a personal angel, not only to protect us in

Nightmares vs Night Terrors...

For almost a week now, my little girl has been waking up middle of the night screaming at the top of her lungs angrily with bouts of kicking and punching her pillows. I thought she was having a nightmare so I always go to her bed during fits like these and try to comfort her. But oftentimes, the more I give her attention, the more she resorts to screaming and kicking. 

I had no idea what my little girl was going through. I am not only losing sleep but getting worried whenever she has nightmares. Then, just last night, she was having another episode.

The Big Shift - Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom

Just recently, I was visited by one of my BFFs who is a busy career woman and mom who works for the Australian embassy. She informed me that she was granted a one year indefinite leave. Whew! Talk about being one of the fortunate ones in the corporate world. She was about to resign but her boss decided to grant her a one year leave instead! :) And so I started reminiscing about my days working as a corporate slave before

Is Life fair?

Whoever told you that life was fair? The fact that we were born was proof enough that life isn’t fair and that our existence has nothing to do with our choice. I have yet to meet someone who can tell me that being born was his own choice.  And so, given this dilemma, life in itself is not a choice given to us but a gift given to us by our Creator. I say gift since we may do with it as we please.

The case of the snuffles...

Come hell or high waters, when the time comes for the flu season...we mommies are really praying hard that our little ones will be spared. Even a simple case of the snuffles sometimes causes us extreme worry especially at night when our wee ones are having a hard time sleeping. I've compiled a few of my personal tried and tested list of things to do in case your child has the cough and the snuffles...