I want to be a millionaire!

  Work is sometimes a drag. You wake up, get ready for work and you see the same stuff every single day. Then you have to deal with people you don't like very much. You wish to get another job where there's not so much drama. Then you dream about winning a lottery and come to work and starts cussing at people you've always wanted to cuss, wishing to get fired, and then announced " I am leaving all of you witches.. I'm a millionaire"! Then you shake your head look at your table- more stuff to do. Reality hurts!  You'll probably retire doing the same work, and will continually pay your bills until your last breath.  What a cruel world. Unless you're way too smart, and start searching for that "get rich formula" good luck- by now just take a ride in the same boat I am in. It is hard to get rich. Reasons 1. You're not super smart. 2. You don't have the resources 3. economy is bad 4.Too many people depend on your meager income. 5. You've got so much bills to pay- just thinking how to pay all your bills, takes everything you have in your brain!
    What's the best solution to all these paranoia~  I will try not to be sarcastic in any way but this is probably  the reason why Religion was invented...No, don't get me wrong.. I am not an atheist.. I truly believe in God, just not devout.
    Well, as we all  have been taught: we should lay our treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt, and thieves do not break through. I believe that this is the best way to keep your sanity in these trying times. If you can't be rich and famous through hard work and lottery.  You have a chance to be truly rich in the eternities.  You don't have to work your way up to become a CEO, to cheat and destroy other people to get to the top! In fact you build a character where you will be admired and emulated.
     Believing that saving up your wealth in heaven, is the best way to keep your sanity-then do it this way. Truly there are couple hurdles, but the key to wealth in heaven is "humility". That's where everything starts with. With that virtue... comes Faith- or believing in things you haven't seen or touch, but knows deep in your heart is true! If you develop that faith in God, then, there's a creepy little thing that will try to get out of your system called "sin". This is where Repentance comes in- a desire to change, to quit those old and ugly habits, to forsake that which is bad and to become a new person. Now, do you need to be a believer or a follower of a religious figure or icon to attain this level of peace? I believe so, but you don't have to, but as a believer myself following Christ is a must. Then  there is a need to be baptized which symbolizes, cleansing, Christians believe that baptism is not just a symbol but a key to enter heaven, then comes the anointing or the receiving of a companion which is the Holy Ghost- one who will guide you in your decisions in life. These are the four portals for each one who wishes to be rich, wealthy and be happy for eternities. The portal of Faith, the repentance portal, the baptism portal and the receiving of the Holy Ghost portal. These are undeniably the only way to attain wealth- that is more powerful than all wealth combined on earth.
    Live a normal life, try to pay your bills, be contented of what you have, don't spend more than what you earn. Get involved in helping others, try to be happy, and seek guidance from the most powerful being we all call "Father" 
    Be happy!!

Child's safety

    I have not been in a very good mood since friday due to a flu.  I tried to be cautious about not to be in direct contact with my kids ,and sprayed Lysol on everything that I touched. Washing hands was more frequent than ever.  I skipped church on Sunday. Then  Monday, I heard my youngest son started coughing, not a good sign, I'm hoping he will get over it soon. Driving my way to work I saw a mother crossing the street with two of her kids lagging behind her, the kid was probably about 5 years old, and he was about eight feet away from his mom. I wanted to yell at the mom and wanted to tell her to watch over her kids especially crossing a busy street. Please don't have anymore kids if you can't even watch one or two, or better yet give it to people who will protect them the way they should be protected.

   Kids who are 6 years old and below, still don't have a good perception on a lot of things. Guidance is at stake. There's a lot of things that red flags are raised.  Leaving them on the playground while you get busy talking on the phone with somebody, or chatting to someone else in the park, isn't a very good idea. Check on your kids every minute of the day. There are so many crazy people out there. Even in your own yard, you have to check them every now and then. a little squeal or a thud you hear from inside your house, go and run, and see what's going on.  There's nothing wrong with being watchful, than not being one at all.

   Never leave your kids inside your car, even if you think that it's only going to be a few minutes away from your car. The car can be a huge oven especially on summer days. leaving your kids can cause extreme dehydration and even death to your loved ones.
    My house has a basement where I have my gaming station set up, of course my kids would normally spend a lot of time playing xbox games. I don't have time playing games, so I'd go about doing other fun stuff like cleaning the house, laundry, preparing food and other things in the main level of my house. Even though the basement  is safe, I still call their names constantly and asks them how they are, and I'd go and check them out every now and then, while I am doing all the joyful tasks on weekends.
    Never leave them to baby sitters that you don't know very well. If you have to pay baby sitters, check on their backgrounds and ask people who knows them very well. If you have the money to install security camera's, the better. Teach your kids to call 911 or  teach them safety drills , like getting out of a house when there's a fire, how to use the phone, how to defend themselves by screaming out loud, or  when a stranger is trying to hurt them kicking hard, and kicking body parts that will let go of them.
    When it comes to eating food, they'd always want "something tasty" or "something good". You have to teach them what and how to eat right Always check your food's expiration dates, before giving them to your kids. Sometimes we just make pancakes without checking expiration dates, ready mix pancakes are bad when it's expired, bacteria starts growing in those nasty expired pancake mix. So when it's expired, throw it away. Anything that's expired is garbage. Do not attempt to donate it to boy scouts or girl scouts food drive. Be a good neighbor.
   My thoughts are overwhelming and I'll be writing more later or perhaps organize this blog a little bit more.... just not feeling well. Hope to see you soon in my next blog. Don't get sick.

The Great Recession part 2 of 3

   It's summer time and you see your neighbor's beautiful yard. Envy starts to mushroom, and keeping up with Mrs Jones begin!  To Home Depot you go, and start shopping for plants that will be the envy of your neighborhood. Cashier rings up the total:   $ 625.00 for a few plants and a few bushes. You swipe your card and the excitement of a beautiful yard comes into view-in your mind. Then you plant all the things you bought at Home Depot and come to realize that not even a quarter of your yard is landscaped. You look at Mrs Jones and her yard, and you see the grin on her face-then you cuss and check your bank account- all you have now left is $ 245.09, and the yard still look bare!!! What do you do? Use your credit card? OPPPS!!!   I'd say NO! keep your credit card and your hard earned money, spend a little fortune for yard beautification.
   Recession is still here and you've got to spend your money wisely.
   My sister just bought a couple hydrangeas, hanging petunias and have spent quiet a fortune.  I went to home depot, and bought couple plants that were half price because they were almost dying, I got a Japanese maple tree that was damaged from excessive wind for 12.00 bucks, the original price of which was 45.00. I bought some seeds and a couple more plants at discounted prices at walmart, then bought a few hanging baskets and two bags of potting soil. Now I am able to watch my plants grow. With a little money and  TLC, you have a nice garden. Always think of ways to save. Before you buy, think a couple of times if you really need it, and if you did buy it and later on realized that you don't need it-return it. 
    My sons, wants me to buy them things that they really don't need. A lot of times I give in. I remember buying a bunch of gifts for Levi on his birthday, thinking that he won't have enough birthday gifts just like what happened last time. I end up spending close to 600 dollars for his birthday celebration and gifts. I know that I would give everything for my kids. But the best thing is to save the money for their future.
    Never spend more than you earn! If you really want to buy that nice TV, save up that money, don't use your credit card. If it gets to be really itchy, you can probably forgive yourself from using your no interest for twelve months credit cards. Just make sure to pay it before it's due, or the interest will be on after a late payment.
    Life in America is all about credit. You have a house mortgage, a car on credit, appliances on credit. You work to pay interest to companies you owe money with. It's a crazy life, but, there's a way to minimize all these spending.
    Do not buy a new house, if you can't afford the payment. Fixer uppers are the best way to start with. You can always sell it later and you'll be surprised you'll make some profit.  Always offer the bank a little lower than what they're asking for. Buy used cars, but if you do want to buy used cars from a private owner bring a friend with you who knows about cars, and test drive it before you buy it. Make sure that there's no transmission or engine problems.  Buy used appliances as well. These can all be replaced as you get through life with less and less difficulties. You can always buy a new refrigerator later, and replaced your old one.
     Lastly when in conversation with friends, mention you need to buy a few things for your house, some friends have a few things they need to get rid of. Their junk can be your treasure. Post your need on public bulletin boards or on craigslist, you'll be surprised to find out that there are always people who are willing to lend a helping hand. Good luck!

What is Father's day - yul saba

    It is simply a day where we can give tribute to Father's individually and collectively.
According to Wikipedia: Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in many countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honoring mothers.
   How do we celebrate father's day? Most children surprise their fathers with lavish gifts, others with whatever they can afford. It's always the thought that counts.
   As for fathers who are older and mature the gift doesn't really mean much but more so on the giver who has exerted effort in showing their love by gift giving. As a father myself, I'd rather spend money for my kids to a nice dinner in a nice restaurant or maybe at home, watch a good movie, or maybe camping and fishing. If we don't have the luxury of doing anything expensive, we can gather as a family and have dad tell you stories down memory lane with some home made cookies or snacks. It can sometimes be emotional, but this will free him of the burden thinking he might have not shown his love for his kids. Take some old pictures of your family as visuals Let him talk and let him tell you of the joys and pain your family went through. Let him tell you  that he is the man who will lay down his life for your sake. He is the leader of the pack, who will protect, sustain and nourish hand in hand with your mother. Love for daddy can flourish even more. Men can be very emotional, though this is not normally shown so as not to be branded as weak individuals, they also want to reach out. They can be cry babies too.  When a man cries-that's his strength.
    When you loose a father, it feels like you have lost a foundation in the home. It is a burden that mother's take upon their shoulders, that is why both parents are equally yoked in rearing up their kids. Neither one of them can take credit all by themselves, both have unique characteristics that molds up individuals especially in character building. Thanking both parents and celebrating life with them is totally priceless.
     When my father died, I was about 19 years old. My mother was left with 10 children, although there were only 4 left in the home to take care of, she was in no way could take care of the family due to financial restraints. She has always been a house mom. She tried to sell food or whatever she can do to alleviate our poor condition. Luckily we have siblings who were older, who helped us goes through life with less difficulties. I remember we were in debt, but not much. The LDS church helped us in those difficult times. I still recall my mother would sob and call my father as if summoning for help.
      I didn't understand back then, neither of my younger siblings about my father's medical condition. He had a weak heart condition ever since he was a kid. But he always have something planned for us. The park, the beach a hike to the farm and many others. We all didn't know that this was all crucial to his health but he did it anyway.  He had a by pass surgery at the Philippine Heart Center, and was told that he'd be lucky to live for another year. He lived for another 10 years and continued supporting us, until his paralysis, and succumbed.
      We will eventually loose our parents, and If we don't believe in the life hereafter, everything that we have enjoyed, the memories, the love we have been showered with will all be void and nonsense. Wouldn't it be exciting to know that we can be with our love ones once again someday somewhere? It depends on your faith and your belief. I know and I believe that God certainly has a plan. He didn't create families and destroy them. He wants us to share the same love once again and to continue in the eternities. There is joy... an eternal happiness that we all can look forward to.
       Happy Father's day my friends..

The Great Recession part 1 of 3

The recession in the United States has probably quadrupled in the last few years to the present time. These are trying times. Business owners suffer because people stopped buying new things, and we resorted to used stuff from yard sales and craigslist. In return business's  goes bankrupt without sales. It is normal for people to save their money. In times of uncertainty, people embark on the frugal life which can sometimes be daunting.

But what is frugality?

 Wikipedia defines it :
Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance.^[1][2][3][4] In some contexts it may also be the practice of acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal
Can I be frugal without being branded as Poor, Hobo and  Red neck?
Who cares about names in these trying times. Us human beings resort to calling names to demean just  to feel superior than the rest of humankind. If somebody call you names, check his/her status, and you'll find out that their indebtedness has soared high more than yours. For as long as you don't smell bad from not taking a shower you're just fine.
How can we go about with life in spite of these challenges?
You are in control of your life. Life's outcome is what you make out of it.
Here are some ideas on the road to frugality to make you stop worrying and start living.
Food:  Buying fresh food in season, and canning them for storage is a great idea. You can also plant seeds and harvest them in due time. Just make sure that you label and date your products. Here is a link to canning: 
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htmClothing:   Why buy new ones when you can still use your old ones? Some TV shows gives you idea to be fashionable by redesigning clothes, thus adding or diminishing styles, giving it a new look. You may need some magazines to redesign clothes. Holes? Some nice stitching works. Here's a link to designing clothes:
http://www.wikihow.com/Design-Clothes   
 link to designing babies clothes http://www.make-your-own-baby-stuff.com/baby-clothes.html. You can always use the google search engine to find things on the internet.
Yard sales is a good source of used clothing. Most of these clothes are fairly new, especially children's clothes, since kids grow up really fast and the  price from yard sales : you cannot beat it: One, two or three clothes for 50 cents to a dollar.

Furniture:  If you just moved to new home, and the house is empty, you can purchase furniture's from a estate sale or  perhaps the rental store where they sell used furniture's. I would advice that you not to buy old mattresses though, unless a relative or a friend you know is giving it away.  I bought my furnitures new at stores that have big store sale. My couch cost me half of the normal price. There's a store that we use to have in the Tri-cities called liquidation store. They sell new appliances and furnitures at half the price and even lower.  Maybe you can find one in your area.
Look for big anniversary sale, or closing out sales, if you don't like used furnitures. Also there's a section in the furniture shop, where they sell refurbished furnitures for half the price and even lower. These are returned items that they cannot sell at a regular price.
Second hand household stuff that you need to avoid buying : Rugs, Carpets, mattresses, socks, under wears (haha)

   Coming up:    Avoiding more big expenses!

The Mormons are here, so get over it !

      The Mormons are here to guide, lead and follow and I don't understand why people seem to be scared of them? Maybe intimidated? Why are there so many negative comments about these people. Have they done people any harm? Have you ever seen Mormon missionaries strapped themselves with bombs and kill hundreds for their faith? Have they ever declared a religious war against non-believers? The answer is NO!   
In fact Mormons are the number one respondents to victims of  natural calamities, whether you are a Mormon victim or NOT!  They teach their members to be self-reliant. They don't ask help very often from the government, thereby saving you of your hard earned dollars. They are a self sufficient organization, that even other religious faiths have seek Mormons help.... so what is the deal?   Are you jealous because you can't wear "magic underwears"? Are you jealous because the Mormons  are directed by a latter day prophet and latter day apostles, and claim to be inspired by God and they are of sound mind and heart, thereby able to guide millions of  followers. Are you jealous because Mormons can have fun without drinking and getting drunk or resorting to illegal drugs? Are you jealous because you're not part of these chosen people who do not cuss and use "F" bomb in every conversation? Are you jealous because these people have built an empire on a desert? Maybe you're jealous because young men and women are able to afford a two or 18 months mission, and almost 100 percent of them can testify that it was the best two years of their lives? Or maybe you're just jealous because Mormons according to South park creators are the only ones who will be in heaven.. So if you can't get over hating Mormons, go live in island where Mormons are not because no matter what you say Mormons are here to stay and yes "LEAD" And there is nothing wrong about being a Mormon, in fact everything is right about being one.
    Here's a link to some famous Mormons,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latter_Day_Saints Oh Happy day!

The Book of Mormon Musical- a religious satire musical

Here are a few comments from You tube about the "Book of Mormon musical"  It's a free country and freedom of speech is encouraged, what can I say.

I am keeping the faith!

  We all have different sets of beliefs, unless your parents were pretty strict in your upbringing, and were excellent on keeping everyone in the same faith and to the same morals they have adhered to. These morals will be unshaken if the foundations set are deeply rooted on a belief in a more powerful being.  In these times of shifting values and ideas, we are sometimes caught off guard and "goes with the flow". If we truly value our beliefs, and the way our parents have nurtured us, then we will need to defend our territories.
   My faith, has been always bombarded with ridicule by so-called friends and acquaintances and most of these comes from ignorance. The knowledge they've gained about what I believe is normally taken from the wrong sources. Never in my life have I not heard a negative comment about Mormonism.
In spite of so many good Mormon examples, majority still think that Mormonism is a cult. Many writers have written negative things about this religion. Where Bigotry is discouraged, Mormonism is simply not included.
People laugh about Mormons values, they think that it is way too taboo, and weird. It's more acceptable for people to drink and get drunk, more acceptable to smoke weeds, have sex whenever the need arise, and other "acceptable culture" in the modern world.
    I remember one of the talks given at a sacrament meeting and I quote " We live in a modern Sodom and Gomorrah, the only difference from our time to the ancient, is that there are more righteous people on earth than back then. close quote " I am not in anyway, religious, nor am I in anyway close to being righteous, but I will defend my belief. In fact I am probably the worst LDS ( latter-day Saint ) on the planet, but tell you, don't mess up with my religion, nor of Joseph Smith nor of the book of Mormon. They're sacred to me as your beer is important and sacred to you! Let's make this world a better place by respecting each others belief! But I am not stopping you  to come and study LDS doctrines seriously.   In spite of me being an imperfect being- I am keeping the faith!

Summer Time and Money is drifting away.

It's summer time and,and the central air is on, more money for the electric company. I am trying to save energy by setting my thermostat to 75 degrees. we will see if my electric bill  will no go  up.There's 6 computers in the house, two HD TV's a 40"  and 46" LED. I have couple more electronic gadgets, such as Home theater system and many others that are on most of the time. I have a freezer and a huge side by side refrigerator. My washer and dryer are constantly used. I have never seen my electric bill goes down to 100 dollars or less. As far as water bill is concerned, it's definitely going up, since we have regular water for watering the sod and plants. I don't know how can I save energy.

What would Mitt Romney do?

    I am a Mitt Romney fan, and would very much like him to win the next presidential election. While watching a TV talk last night, a few things were discussed, and it made me really think hard. Bain was discussed and I googled it, and a few things came up here's one of the links :   http://www.massresistance.org/romney/ampad_062607/index.html    
    I would like Mitt Romney to answer my question, Will he, if elected as president create jobs for the sake of many millions americans, or create wealth for a few people. I like Mitt Romney, but I want to make sure that priorities are set, and one of the many priorities are JOBS for Americans.

Divorce : The biggest hurdle

    " Why get married just to get divorced? " That's what I always have in mind in my younger years when it comes to marriage and divorce but then it hit me personally after 6 years of marriage. The process was very painful for me and more so to my 2 year old son Levi. When my ex wife filed for divorce and a restraining order against me, there was nothing much I can do. Life was shattered, there was no place to go, and pain was inevitable. It felt like a living hell, and the fact that I couldn't even see my baby was even more heartbreaking. There was rage between me and my ex wife. In spite of my desire to stop the confrontations and continued bickering it elevated even more. The last person I wanted to see was my ex wife, but the first person I wanted to see was my baby, it was like passing through the gates of hell. The divorce was made final in October of 2008, she was given custody to the kids. The rage slowed down and the opportunity to be with my kids a few times a month was then made possible. This was not my desire, and I talked to her, If I can visit and see my kids as often as I want to, and she consented.  I visited them almost every other day, from that time forward. I am able to connect with Elijah and Levi once again.
      The question is Why do we need to continually  hate the woman we use to love and have kids with. As all divorcees end up with their ex's - hate is an ongoing process  that will not probably be resolved nor buried.  Who do we hurt the most? OUR KIDS. My ex-wife and I hated each other but our kids love both of us unconditionally, and their loyalty was challenged. They probably thought that they can only be loyal to the parent they are with, thus discussion about dad is forbidden in mom's household and vice-versa. Humility was such a virtue that was impossible to embrace. I felt like my ex wife was the real devil in my life, and there was no question as to how she felt about me.
      Then I started to reinvent my thoughts and decided to fake things up be tamed like a wolf in sheep's clothing. I tried to inculcate friendship with my ex once again. It didn't work. I know that I needed to be genuine, and I did. I saw the change in my kids behavior. They like to see their parents talking like normal people. I began helping my ex wife  with her household chores and a few things, that made my kids even more happier. They thought that I was going back to live with them, but a heart to heart talk with them that mom and dad are going to be just friends made them more comfortable and opened up about their feelings towards dad and mom. Whenever I asks Levi if he's a daddy's boy, he'd respond : I love both Mommy and Daddy.
Life has changed a lot. I continually help my ex with whatever she need fixing and even to the point of cleaning up her house. I buy things that they need, if I can afford it. It's all for my kids benefits, besides we are all human beings, and aren't we all taught to love one another?
    Life can be better for your kids and humanity, if even after painful divorce we can still go back and say        " Hey I once loved that person before, why should I hate her now." We can act as civilized human beings or wild animals, it is our choice. But to be a happy individual choose to be civilized.
   My only hope for humanity is to understand that "Marriage is just not just having partners and multiplying. It is an institution  where you shape up individuals, including you, your wife/husband and your kids." Think of a world with people who are raised in beautiful homes where love is abundantly showered." My advice is "DO NOT GET MARRIED JUST TO GET DIVORCED"  Take time in knowing the person you are dating, or date the ones you want to get married to. Happy days!!!!

Sports- Tee Ball

     Levi, has been in this entry sport to baseball which is called Tee ball. Members from two teams take turns hitting a ball off a batting tee set on a plate. The batters try to get on base and advance to home, while fielders try to prevent that from happening. Tee ball is a way to develop primary baseball skills such as hitting, running, fielding and throwing. They learn the basic fundamental rules of baseball.
     It is fun watching kids at this level. The hitting of the ball, to running. They all start like big question marks, running to places where they're not supposed to run, and stopping at places where they're not supposed to stop.
     It is a great learning opportunity for kids and parents who are not into this kind of sport.

Working divorced dad and a challenge to be a full participant in rearing my kids

   Computer browsing has become a boredom to me lately. I normally check my emails and facebook account.  Updates  that families are friends are doing alright, makes my life a lot better.
 
    I am a father of  two, divorced and taking care of my two wonderful boys ages 5 and 9. Although I get to see them as often as I want to, my work prevents me from doing so.  In my mind, how lucky I would be if I get to work around  with my kids, so I can spend most of my time with them and not so with those I don't have any family relations with.

   Taking care of my own kids, is the best job I have ever handled. It does pose a lot of challenges, but as soon as obstacles and hurdles are overcome, the rewards are great, and priceless.

   Hygiene, food, sleeping habits, games, education, spirituality  are a few things that are listed in the job description of fatherhood. This is not a shared task for me since I am divorced, and therefore it is my sole responsibility, when they are with me. It is their mother's responsibility if they're with their mom.

    Relationship with ex-wife, can be very tough, it is a very challenging situation especially if the wounds are still fresh, from divorce battles to custodianship, but there are areas that can be simply enhanced or modified, and some that can be totally eradicated.
   
     It can be very tough, but this a vast world full of ideas and solutions. A problem is never created, with no solution in sight.   So, in my everyday life, I am in quest of a better life and a quest for solutions to everyday problems. We can all work it out.