Saturday, October 23, 2021

Love the Hare House! Look look!

Meet The Hare House. This is a super popular tiny house that I discovered last year through Levi Kelly's YouTube channel that features beautifully shot tours of tiny houses and Airbnb destinations. So matagal na siyang draft sa blog ko kasi literal na one year ago ko napanood this tour. I just fell in love with it because it's perfect. And also because I love rabbits!


It's literally just a rectangular box. It has a living room, a dining area, a serviceable kitchen, a surprisingly spacious (for its tiny house size) bathroom, a storage room, a bedroom, a pocket walk-in closet (!), and a balcony. All that on such a minuscule area of just 91 sqm! 

Check out the pics:






Ganda, diba? Small but mighty. You can see the rest of this super cute house in Levi's tour below. Love it super! Easy to maintain. Maybe one day magpagawa ako ng ganyan when the kids have left. 


Do you have a tiny home you like? I have lots! Share ko rin dito sa house tours ko. I know I've been featuring local houses for sale and the huge Mid-Century Homes I dream of, but I spend more time watching tiny homes actually. Share ko mga favorites ko. Share niyo rin sa comments below if you have fave tiny houses, too!

Happy weekend!!!

Monday, October 18, 2021

My hobby: Solitaire card games! (plus a confession)

Let's get the confession out of the way: I play online games while I'm working! Yes, and it's okay. Much of my work as operations manager of a communications agency based abroad is waiting for submissions to come in from our writers and artists. So when I approve copy and wait for the artist to lay it out, I switch to the tab where Solitaire is on and I play a few card games. 

It's better than toxic Facebook, believe me! Social media reels you in and you go up the heaven of cute corgis and kittens or down the hell hole of news and negative comments, and then you're too distracted to go back to work. So I've gone back to my childhood hobby of playing cards, but this time online.

I actually still have a deck of cards on my bedside table and I play solitaire sometimes on the bed as I chat with my husband. If he's reading or working and can't talk, I sing the Carpenters' song, "Solitaire" while I play. It's one of my favorite sad songs. 

Solitaire is a game my grandparents taught me to pass away afternoons, listening to radio dramas. My Lola said you can ask the cards a yes-no question and if you win the game, then it's a yes. So that's another confession. I ask the cards stuff!

So anyway, let me tell you about my new find, Solitaire.org. It has dozens of free solitaire games like Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, gin rummy, crazy eights, hearts, and more. Like a LOT more. But I usually just play solitaire because it's my favorite. It calms my mind and helps me focus. Makes me better at remembering deadlines and editing work. So it really is a good way to while away the time when I'm waiting for work to come in.  


What doesn't calm my mind is another game on the site called Zuma Ball Shooters and oh my goodness it drives me crazy! It's only 10 levels and I'm on Level 8 and I just can't get past that level! The goal of the game is to line up 3 balls of the same kind which will make all those balls disappear. I'm supposed to shoot out all the balls before they get to the end. It's so maddening!!! 

I don't dislike it. In fact, I play it every day because I just really want to get to Level 10! But I definitely don't play this game when I'm working. It doesn't relax me. It brings out all my killer instincts and I just want to blast those balls to kingdom come!!!

So let me reiterate that I don't play Zuma Ball while I work. Instead, when I'm not playing solitaire, I play this: Candy House. It's like Candy Crush but slower and more mellow. So again, makes me feel calm. which is great when I'm working.

There are dozens more games at Solitaire.org. Sometimes I let my kids play the games, too. For school! Patterns are part of math, you know! I highly recommend these games for your kids as a fun way to recognize patterns. 

And that's my little secret! And my new online find. Try Solitaire.org, too! Happy Monday and I hope you have a great week, everyone!

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Allergic to citrus fruits? Here's where to get your Vitamin C

If you're allergic to oranges, pineapples, and other citrus fruits, you may think, "That's it, we'll have to take supplements now and forever," take heart. You can still get your daily dose of Vitamin C from a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables. It's not a vitamin exclusive to citrus fruits at all.

Two of my kids are allergic to oranges. Their lips get red and puffy. I'm allergic, too. My tongue gets itchy and sometimes I want to scratch out my throat. Most of the time, the allergy manifests as an upset stomach. So oranges and orange juice aren't always on my grocery list (but it finds its way there when my husband and middle boy remind me that they're not allergic haha).

So for us citrus-allergic folk, is it Vitamin C supplements from now on? I know this is a concern of yours because ever since the pandemic started, my blog post on Vitamin C has consistently ranked on my Top 5 posts and I regularly get questions about Vitamin C supplements for kids. Mommies, you don't have to resort to that. First, any supplement for children should be prescribed by your child's pediatrician. 

Second, you'll be happy to know that vitamins and minerals are best absorbed and used by our bodies when they come from food.

Third, you can get good sources of Vitamin C from your local supermarket! Add these to your grocery list (I included citrus fruits anyway!):


Fruits
  • banana
  • cantaloupe or melon
  • grape
  • grapefruit
  • guava
  • kiwi
  • lemon
  • lychee
  • mango
  • orange
  • papaya
  • pomelo
  • pineapple
  • strawberry


Vegetables
  • bell pepper
  • broccoli
  • brussels sprouts
  • cabbage
  • cauliflower
  • chili pepper
  • kale
  • parsley
  • potato
  • spinach
  • sweet potato (camote)
  • thyme
  • tomato
As you can see, lots of local Pinoy fruits and vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C. I'm grateful that our supermarkets also stock up on many other fruits and veggies grown abroad. It's really easy to get your daily dose of Vitamin C!

Yes, it has to be a daily dose because our bodies don't store the vitamin. And we need it to protect our cells from damage, help heal wounds and infections faster, and keep our skin and bones strong and healthy. 


When I'm cooking meat dishes and don't have fruits and veggies at the table (it happens!), I just make sure I drink Welch's 100% Grape Juice. Because it's not citrus, no allergic reactions from me. Happy mouth and tummy, happy and healthy body! 


That's another thing I'm GRAPE-ful for: One bottle of Welch's 100% Grape Juice can meet my Vitamin C needs for the day. Plus it's full of antioxidants and with no added sugar, no preservatives, and no artificial color and flavors. Just Real Grape Goodness!

A year and a half into the pandemic, I'm so grateful my family has been spared so far from COVID-19. To be honest, last summer, I got a bit sad about being stuck indoors for who-knows-'til-when and kinda ate and ate my way through my depression. So I gained weight! Yikes! But last week, I realized it's exactly one month before my 45th birthday and I want to get healthy for that big day. So I started exercising, I'm still trying to eat less hehe, and I've replaced my soda with just water and Welch's 100% Grape Juice.


Being alive is a great thing and being healthy is a blessing we can't take for granted anymore, especially in these times. So wish me luck as I get on track again to good health with a proper diet and fitness regimen and Welch's 100% Grape Juice!


*This post is brought to you by Welch's. Welch's 100% Grape Juice, Juice Cocktails, Sparkling Juices, and Fruit Snacks are available in all leading supermarkets, drugstores, and convenience stores. You can have your favorite health drink delivered right to your doorstep! Visit the Ace Food Service website, or place your order in the following online groceries: Metro Mart, Lazmart, and Waltermart.

*Reference: NHS

*images by @allecgomes (grapes, papaya, strawberry), @mockupgraphics (broccoli, cabbage, chili pepper, parsley, tomato), @dainisgraveris (melon), @deonblack (banana), @ikredenets (bell peppers), @alexgruber (kiwi)