PACC Fun Run

Church by the Highway and other churches in the PACC South District held a FUN RUN in Tagaytay on January 29, 2011 to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of PACC South . The theme was "running" the race of life with Christ - that running the "race" is not all about "winning" but about "finishing".

It was a fun activity. A year ago, my kids and I would have been probably sleeping at 6:00 am with no plans for the day but to work and think of "fun" things to do. The Lord has been truly grateful and faithful. We are not just "running the race" of life with HIM but for HIM.

It was a hard run of 3.2 km of uphill and downhill course.I have not run for sometime and last Saturday was my first run, more like a jog though, after a 5 month hiatus. D3 and my son ran too. D4 and Ethan watched. I won my age bracket for women. I guess I was bound to as most women my age were not jogging but walking! My son won the overall 6K run. D3 did not win in her category but if there was a category for the prettiest runner, that would be her, after me of course!

The T-shirts that were given to us have "FINISHER" and not WINNER printed on them... after all, running the race of life is not about winning (all the time) but rather finishing it.

guys! stop following me

my son... winner!

D3, looking good...

at the steepest hill, i needed to crawl to the top!

Design and Print

I used to have custom address labels made by a legitimate printer for all my five children when they were in elementary and high school. I used these as tags for their school books, notebooks and more. I used to have mine printed too to label my books and for use in slow mail. Thanks to technology, today, I can choose to design and print my own labels, gift tags, stationery, greeting cards and what have you through the use of software and printer. Oh, it's fun to design and print your own business cards too. But at the end of the day, it is sometimes more convenient to have these done by a professional. Designing, printing and cutting my own labels and business cards takes too much time.

Exercise and Diet

My four daughters are "again" intent on losing the extra pounds they gained during the non-stop eating they did during last year's Holiday Season. What is funny though is that they barely made a dent on the weight they gained during 2009 Holiday-eating-binge. They have all pledged to don their rubber shoes and gym outfit and hit the gym (really!) D2 started her workout yesterday. D4 was keen on going to the gym but she has coughs and cold. D3 is busy with her Masteral classes in orthodontia. D1 has just been named chief resident so she's quite busy too.

I have read so much about diet pills that I wonder if they really work. Ever heard of hydroxycut? It used to contain ephedra but since the said "ingredient" is now banned, then it is no longer part of hydroxycut's formula. I wonder what is the substitute ingredient. Caution is part of the deal when taking any diet pills and supplements.

So, I just tell my girls to lessen their food intake and exercise. I guess I better heed my advice too. I'll start... ah... um...oh well, later(?)

Bored...

We were in Cebu last week in time for the yearly Sinulog Festival. We did not go there primarily to participate or watch the festivities rather to "see" and tour Cebu. It was impossible to sightsee as traffic was horrendous. It was like being caught in Makati traffic on a rainy-early-evening Friday. Ethan was so bored as we all we did was eat out, do some walking, went to some famous landmarks and took a lot of pictures which up to now no one has bothered to upload.

Sigh... Ethan was so bored that I even caught him watching an TV show that sells stuff. He was intently listening to one guy talk on how to boost testosterone. Oh my! Hahaha... of course Ethan asked what is a testosterone. I shrugged my shoulders and said it's not yet the time to talk of such things. I suggested we go to a fastfood joint to eat breakfast. He agreed and off we went, testosterone set aside for the meantime.

Mineral Deficiency

There is nothing wrong with opting for all-natural supplements. As a matter of fact, I am now using alkaline water to help lower my body's acidity. I found out that most food that we eat are acidic and sometimes our illnesses are rooted to the body's acidity.

Another important body supplement is chromium. It prevents diabetes and hinders cravings for fatty and sweet food. We get traces of chromium from the food we eat. For example, a half cup of broccoli has 11 mcg of chromium. A cup of grape juice has about 8 mcg of chromium while orange juice has only 2 mcg.

It is hard to really determine the amount of chromium in the food that we eat as its chromium content can be affected by the processes a type of food goes through before we can eat it. If you feel you are not getting the right amount of this mineral in your body, maybe you should consider taking chromium. Source for the best chromium supplements online. However of you are taking other medications, it is best to ask your doctor first.

Teacher's Perks!

D2 definitely needs a pair of really effective compression stockings! The many "perks" of being a teacher is the long hours of standing on daily basis. She was walking in front on me when I noticed the "almost" angry blue-green veins at the back of her left knee. D1 has noticed these too and had recommended that D2 should have an injection of some sort directly on the vein to arrest further varicose vein development. D1 said that enlarged varicose veins could be painful later on. Tomorrow, D2 is set to source for affordable compression stockings!

Cool Days....

Oh my! How time flies! It's already January 12 and before we know it we'd be right smack into Philippine summer! We are presently experiencing a cool January. In Baguio, located in the Northern part of Luzon, the temperature dipped into the low 6 degree Celsius. That is pretty cold for a country that has an average temperature if 28 degree plus! If only Baguio is a few hours drive from my house, I'd be there in a jiffy. However, Baguio is about 6 to 7 hours away, barring traffic.

Maybe we could just go to Tagaytay which is just an hour's drive from my place. The place has a high elevation and temperature is in the 17's. That would do right? Do for what? Well, for me to be able to wear my cardigan or windbreaker!