Notepad Corner

When I’m bored and have a few minutes where I can’t think of anything else to do, I often look for cool new apps for my iPhone on the App Store. Recently, I had a look for some fashion apps for a friend of mine, who was also interested in thinking of baby names, as she’s currently pregnant. After finding a few apps she might like, I searched for ‘baby names’ and found this app from Bounty. Although it was about what to do while pregnant, I downloaded it anyway, and found it was a lot of fun. 

Whirlpool-Maytag Commercial Laundry line products have been formally launched by Excellence Appliance Technologies, Inc. (Exatech), the official distributor of Whirlpool appliances in the Philippines. The products of Whirlpool-Maytag Commercial Laundry Whirlpool Corporation successfully got hold of Maytag Corporation in 2006. Maytag established in 1893 in Newton Iowa is renowned as one of America’s top laundry brands. 

In this modern era in which every house hold has a computer or two, on the internet you can pretty much find a dumbed down version of everything. Recently I have been looking at learning the guitar by using only chords. Basically this is done in rather a crude manner. A guitar fret board is drawn on a web page using hyphens and a letter representing a specific note is drawn on this ‘fret board’ indicating where you must place your finger whilst strumming. After having tuned my new guitar using a simple online tuner (all you need is a computer with a microphone) , I set off and started strumming whilst holding the guitar string in the place indicated and eventually after messing about for 20 minutes I actually recognised the sounds coming out of my guitar as the song I was trying to play. You do have to kind of jiggle about with the speed at which you are doing It as if you do it too slow or too fast it will not sound right.

It’s all go, go, go when you’re a parent.   image from dreamstime.com You spend all day, every day running around after your little ones and never seem to have a moment to yourself, or when you do get some free time you’re not sure what to do with yourself.  This is where sites like Ladbrokes could come in handy. There are loads of different games that are easy to play – and there’s the chance to win money if Lady Luck is smiling on you! Attitudes towards gambling have changed dramatically over the last 10 years and more and more people now enjoy having a little flutter every now and then.

Menopause is a period in a woman’s life that comes with its own set of unwritten rules and in order to best adapt to the changes that our bodies are experiencing, it is good to know how to begin with preemptive measures. While menopause will affect everyone differently, one very common side effect associated with the onset of menopause for most women, is weight gain in all the wrong places. It is estimated that the most profound weight gain women will experience will take place during the years leading up to and during menopause. Because menopause is largely based on our hormone levels, usually a decrease in estrogen and progesterone, the weight gained will be distributed differently during menopause than at any other time in our lives.

Weeks ago, days of non-stop rains in the Philippines brought about by southwest monsoon (Habagat) resulted in floods and left Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna and nearby provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Bataan submerged in flood waters, forcing thousands to be stranded on the roof of their homes as flood waters rose significantly high. It is sad to say that most of those affected still suffer from the devastation to the present time. photos from the web

There are many ways we can keep our homes cool in summer and warm in winter, from simple everyday things to the design and construction of your home. The main focus in eco-friendly heating and cooling is minimising energy consumption and conserving warm and cool air around your home. Ventilation is a critical factor in both heating and cooling. In the warmer months, the hotter air rises into the roof and needs to be released. Opening a few windows is the easiest way to do this, but having some vents in your roof is the most effective way for dissipating warm air in your home.  ducted evaporated cooling, image from coldflow.net.au

The washing machine is one of the important appliances that a home must-have. It is my partner in taking care of the family clothes and linens all year round.   It helps clothes washing easier in less time   saving me time to finish my other daily house chores. It is just right to give the washer a good occasional cleaning to maintain its good running condition.   A clean and well maintained washing machine will churn out clean clothes.   Here’s how to keep a washing machine in top form:

image credit: aucegypt.edu Most students find essay writing frustrating, annoying and an overwhelming task.   Just like writing a letter, an essay also consists of three parts which are: introduction, body and conclusion.   More often these compositions are written from an author’s personal point of view which describes, argue, analyze, explain or clarify a certain subject.   Whatever the purpose it will still have the same basic format. Below are basic steps on how to write essays for school children. First step:   Address the topic. Do some researching using the internet, academic databases or the school library.   Take down notes. Second Step:   Collect your thoughts, analyze, define important words and make an outline by using one- line sentences to describe the body’s paragraphs Third Step:   After making an outline, plan the sequence of thoughts to synchronize the essay’s order. Fourth Step:   Start writing your i...

When you’ve got great pressures on your time, as all moms do, it’s important to be able to escape for a few moments whenever you can get them, and since you have to keep an eye on things at home, you probably won’t be able to leave the house. There are plenty of fun things to do which can give you a much needed break from daily life; I like to read a book, watch a movie (although I rarely make it through a whole one in a single sitting these days), watch some TV or go on the internet. 

There are plenty of fun things you can do with your family, but some things are just for adults. That’s the way they’re meant to be, and that’s the way they should stay. Every now and then (as often as possible in fact) it’s great to get away from the rest of your loved ones and spend some quality time with your partner, or even on your own. photo credits: istockphoto.com 

Plastic money in the form of a prepaid card is the modern way of giving pocket money to teenagers now that digital payments are most widely used.   Most reputable online financial service companies like TotallyMoney offers prepaid cards and information on other financial products to help you find the right one suitable for your need.   The prepaid card is a type of a debit card where you can allocate monetary allowance through uploading funds onto it and is especially designed for children with ages under 18.  

Being a mom is a 24/7 job. A mother referred to as the light of the house has a lot of duties and responsibilities to deal with and attend to. To keep a spic and span home while taking care of the children is not an easy task, not to mention that we are also the family accountant as we keep the family budget under control by making a monthly financial plan. I do make a list of allthe expected expenses such as utility bills, weekly groceries, gas expenses and more. I need to bring the family spending under control in order to make both ends meet and to save something for the rainy days.

Summer is coming to an end and autumn will be upon us soon enough – and this is a time of the year when some people will be looking to squeeze in another holiday before the year finishes.  Traditional beach breaks, though, may not appeal, so here www.cumbrian-cottages.co.uk has compiled a list of three autumn getaways with a difference.  The Lake District (England) image from cumbrian-cottages.co.uk Fans of outdoor pursuits will be spoilt for choice if they decamp in the Lake District for a few days or longer. Here you can walk, hike, climb, swim, abseil, row, bike and pretty much do anything else you can imagine in the great outdoors. And all against the backdrop of some the most breath-taking scenery in the whole of Europe. When it comes to finding accommodation Windermere and the surrounding towns and villages have plenty to offer. 

Rainy season brings cool weather giving us a comfortable sleep yet poses serious health threats for us especially among our children if we will not take the necessary precautions. We must be aware that the most common illnesses during this period are mostly related to respiratory system, so water and food borne diseases should not be overlooked. image credit: mysweetdreamsbaby.com

My husband is a horse riding enthusiast.   His love for animals is the main reason why he chose to be a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He rides a horse gracefully and his interest persuaded our two sons to be more fascinated learning the skills of horse riding. They never miss watching the London 2012 Olympics on TV especially the Olympic Equestrian segment. image source:  london2012.com

It has been raining for two weeks now, and washing clothes during this wet season is one of my dilemmas as clothes laundered take longer time to dry up. I do the laundry only twice a week.  Setting up a laundry day during the week will help us save on water and energy.  I find it very important to have not only one but three hampers, one for the whites and underwears, another for the colored ones and the third one for wet clothes that need immediate washing.

African Vet Safaris offer people the chance to get involved in conservation efforts and go on a life altering experience that wouldn’t usually be available on the commercial market. With elements engaging to both the general public and to those already involved in the veterinary practice your safari can be tailor-made to suit your needs. These safaris come in several different types and provide the irresistible opportunity to gain hands on experience and up close and personal encounters with some of the planet’s most famous and ferocious wildlife.  

Acquiring a driver’s license, renewal, replacement for a lost license ID and registration of car plates are officially issued and regulated in a Land Transportation Office. However, I wonder why there are still reports and news on fake distribution of driver’s license and car plates. I accompanied my husband for his driver’s license renewal last year in a nearby LTO satellite branch and I observed upon entering the bureau, not one but two people immediately approached us asking if we would like to avail their service to speed up the release of my husband’s ID. My husband did not give way to the fixers as we are accustomed in transacting only from accredited personnel in any government agency. 

A Toddler between two and three years old is the stage where he is beginning to talk in sentences and start on to ask a lot of questions. It is the period where his cognitive skills such as memory, language, perception, concepts, thinking, problem solving, awareness and knowledge begins to build up. In my parenting experience, both of my sons at age two love picture books with familiar things and simple stories. I bought pop-up books, read them aloud to them and talk about the pictures. They really want to look at the books over and over.  pop up book, photo from the web