Talking about Christmas trees and lights, we already have ours set-up too. We have two Christmas trees, one inside the house, and the other a real tree in our garden which we decorated, to look really nice. Kids in the neighborhood often stop by to look at it, and some even pose to take a photo by the tree.

We bought the Christmas lights that has this protection from the weather, most especially the rain so it wont cause any short-circuit, or get ruined easily. At least, we can keep it after Christmas, then use it again next year.

]]> http://familyhealthandhome.com/2010/12/christmas-lights-everywhere/feed/ 0 http://familyhealthandhome.com/2010/10/trim-your-christmas-tree-with-unique-ornaments/ http://familyhealthandhome.com/2010/10/trim-your-christmas-tree-with-unique-ornaments/#comments Sun, 24 Oct 2010 05:06:29 +0000 Basti http://familyhealthandhome.com/?p=4148 Christmas is fast approaching, have you already started Christmas shopping, or decorating your Christmas tree? If not yet, this weekend could be the perfect time for you. With the kids at home, you can share a happy bonding moment together and trim your tree with unique ornaments. The kids would surely enjoy making homemade Christmas trimmings, and making your  tree look pretty.

You can try to take out all the personalized trimmings from the previous year, and also create new ones, or you can buy ones that will be personalized especially for your family. You can also let your kids invite their friends over to help, and make their own designs.

You can just cook them something good to eat for a snack as a reward. It’s a great and productive way for them to enjoy their weekend even if they’re just staying at home. Besides, anything that has something to do with Christmas is always a fun thing to do for kids, and even adults.

The weekend is also a perfect time to start wrapping Christmas gifts for your relatives who are living from afar, or even for the ones who you plan to invite this Christmas holidays. It’s better to do it early, most especially if it’s a surprise gift,  so you won’t run out of time. Time flies so fast that you don’t notice it’s already December, and before you know it, it’s Christmas eve.

Build a kid friendly garden at home, where the whole family including the little ones can work on and take care of. Gardening is one bonding activity that is not only productive but also educational. Teach little kids to love nature at a young age. A simple deed as such as teaching them to help cultivating a flower or vegetable garden, will help them learn how to value the environment, how to be gentle, give importance, and respect even the smallest of all living things.

Show them one of God’s wonder on how a vegetable seed will sprout and slowly grow, and someday become a full grown vegetable plant and become a food source. Little chores assigned to them will help them become more responsible and to learn  the importance of hard-work and dedication. At first they may not take the duties such as watering the garden or picking out the weeds, seriously, but as the time goes by, they will understand. And when they finally realize the essence behind what they do, they won’t hesitate to share what they have learned to their friends and other kids within the community.

Thanksgiving Bingo Coloring Pages is a fun game to play during this occasion which both young and old will definitely enjoy. When you mention the game, it usually involves numbers that one either cross out or encircle until you get to form the required pattern. But to make this game more family friendly, instead of using the usual cards, everyone can make use of coloring cards that are kid-friendly. Instead of the usual numbers, cards have figures that kids can color and the one who gets to form a diagonal line first wins the game.It’s not at all that hard to keep kids behaving and staying in one place while adults focus on their serious conversations. Online Bingo game coloring cards are available to be printed out from crayola’s website. Just like the normal cards, each set consist of different card patterns, but is usually played by 5 players, and one caller.  Only the game is more fun and family friendly and the whole family can also take turns to participate in the game.

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Many people do not treasure their favorite bookmarks, but there are some who does and with these bookmarks holds the lifetime memories of the books you’ve read for so many years. Bookmarks are also underrated form of communicating with friends and even for writing or sending love notes.  i have personally experienced the power of bookmarks. My wife is a certified bookworm, and sometimes I just insert bookmarks  with love quotes in the book she’s reading — and she did not really say anything about it ever since I started doing it until recently, when I found a box filled with bookmarks. I was so surprised to find out that she has kept them all these years. Bookmarks are also an underestimated medium for advertising. Attractive bookmarks can actually make avid readers interested in other books or materials featured in the free bookmarks that comes together with every purchase of a book. This is why many publishers often consider bookmark printing together with books.  Avid readers hardly miss the smallest details, that’s why some marketers even write addresses or the web site url at the bottom of the bookmarks.

chocolate pops

Mukha bang masarap? Masarap talaga ang mga yan, they’re not the actual finished product, but the next recipe that I will share is a personal favorite. Isa ito sa mga pinagkakaabalahan naming buong family paminsan-minsan pag bonding time. We make sure that we get to do something na hindi lamang masarap, masaya, kundi creative pa.

This is an easy-to-make this sweet chocolate treat. Kailangan mo lang ng 1 kilo na Belgian chocolate compound, mold of different shapes and sizes, preferably something na appreciate ng kids, just like animal shapes, cartoon characters, pwede rin tulips, fruit-shaped, etc. You also need lollipop sticks.

Tapos sa mga gamit naman, maghanda lang ng metal or glass ceramic bowl, metal spoon, microwave oven, pwede ring kahit stove at kaserola ni lola nalang kung wala kayong microwave oven. Mabilis lang to sobra. This is probably one of those easiest to make sweet treats, masarap pa.

First step is to melt the chocolate.

Para madaling mag melt ang chocolate, pwede mo hiwain into small uniform sizes  bago i melt. Make sure to use metal spoon sa panghalo ng chocolate, at ugaliin din na gumamit ng either metallic, glass, or ceramic na bowl sa pagtunaw ng choclate, para di magdidikit-dikit habang ni-mimix. Here are  two ways sa pagtunaw ng chocolate:

• Gamit ang stove at kaserola. Ilagay ang chocolate sa malinis at dry heatproof bowl na may takip sa ibabaw ng kaserola na may pinainit na tubig na. tutunawin ang chocolate sa pamamagitan ng init na galing sa steam, pero siguraduhin na walang steam na makakapasok or tubig na maihahalo sa chocolate. I mix lang ng mabuti hanggang sa matunaw ang chocolate.
• Gamit ang microwave. Ilagay ang chocolate sa malinis at dry microwave-safe na bowl. Lutuin ng around 1 minute sa low setting at i mix-mix. Tapos lutuin ulit ng around 3o seconds  tapos mix ulit. Repeat lang yung process hanggang sa tuluyan ng matunaw ang chocolate.

Step 2, Slowly pour the melted chocolate sa mga mold. Mas maraming variety ng mold mas masaya. Make sure na lahat makakapag participate at may choice kung ano ang gusto nilang sizes at shapes ng chocolates, lalo na yung kids. Just assist them para wag mapaso or maging messy habang naglalagay ng chocolate sa mold.

Step 4, Ilagay ang mga lollipop sticks. Make sure na maayos ang pagkakalagay ng sticks para hindi tabingi at mas presentable, just in case ipapamigay nyo as gifts ang iba sa mga gawa nyo. Your kids can also make choco pops para ibigay as gifts to their friends.

To make sure na walang air bubbles at mga holes yung gagawin na chocolate pops, tapik-tapikin lang ang mold slowly. Careful lang na wag matapon or sumobra sa mold ng chocolate, para di madeform.

Step 5, Place the mold with the chocolates inside the freezer, para tumigas ang melted chocolate. Give it a few minutes or so, an hour, or for as long as you wish your chocolate to stay inside the fridge, para di mag melt.

Step 6, Slowly remove the chocolates from the mold. Actually, eto yung favorite part ko, Kainan na!

Pero if you wish to give the chocolates to friends, and you want to make look presentable, when the chocolates are already in a room temperature, pwede nyo i-wrap in foils with different colors, tapos tie it with a ribbon. Place inside a paper box, add a little note to say your sweet nothings.

Easy lang di ba? Hindi lang moms ang pwede gumawa, dads like me can do it too. Atually, anyone can do it, even kids, but with adult supervision just to avoid accidents. Try this at home! Masaya, masarap, and enjoy ka pa! Bonding pa ang whole family nyo!  If business minded person ka, pwede mo rin pagkakitaan.

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I am a gift giver, although I do not have the luxury to buy expensive gifts, because as you all know, the past few years has been a struggle for me and my family.  Before there was a world financial crisis, we were already going through it. At least now, we are somehow recovering from it.

When I was small, I get overjoyed whenever I receive gifts from people, but when I grew up, even simple greeting cards for whatever occasions, has become meaningful to me. I have realized what they meant when people say, “it’s the thought that counts.” Not that it is the only thing I could afford to give, but I just observed that even gifts comes with little cards where we write our thoughtful words for the one whom we are giving the gift to, and for those who receive the gifts, most especially the less materialistic people, they keep even those tiny cards to remember the giver by.

When you receive a bunch of fruits or flowers when you are sick, you feel happy and thankful, and then you read the card that the gift came with, and it says, “get well soon because we miss you already… we are looking forward to seeing you again. Take care…” you tend to forget the flowers or the fruits when they are gone, but you embrace the thoughtful words forever.

Simple notes and letters that says,  “I love You” or “I care” or simply saying “I’m just right here if you need someone to listen…” mean so much more than expensive gifts that are given for the wrong reasons and agenda. A simple thank you card saying “thanks for inviting us over, we had a wonderful time and dinner was great, we really loved your cooking!” would mean so much for someone who invited you over to their place for dinner the night before. It would make the person feel how much you valued their effort. However, be sure that you are sincere about what you say. Do not say things to people just for flattery’s sake.

What I am trying to say is that, even the simplest and smallest of all things could be the best gift in this world. Sometimes, people tend to forget that because they are expecting so much more…  but it is only when you learn to give value to even the smallest things that you’d really learn to appreciate and value everything that you have, and the most important gift that God have given you — Life.