What Happened to Facebook?

I don't know what's up with Facebook these days. I'm really bothered by the alarming number of porn and graphic photos pasted on walls even on our very own profile pages appearing as tagged photos. This is annoying  for moms like me because in the past, each time I check my mail, open my Facebook account and do my online chores, my kids are always around, in the same room with me, within arms reach. Sometimes they sit on my lap and point at the photos they see. But now, I have to look behind my shoulders, super guarded and jumpy when I log in my Facebook. And just to be safe, I preferred doing my online jobs in the other room, away from my children's curious eyes. It pisses me off when each time I logged in, instead of seeing all my friends' updates, these disturbing photos eat up all the space and I have to scroll waaaay down just so I could get to my main purpose.Grr..

It made me think, a lot of kids have Facebook accounts already. Young kids with fake ages have Facebook accounts because their moms or other close family members prodded them to do so thinking that Facebook is safe as safe could be. Imagine the horror of our young kids if ever they see those photos. It's totally unacceptable. I wonder what Facebook is doing about it. According to one site, all that porn explosion was activated by a self-inflicted JavaScript injection. I don't want to go through all that nitty-gritty technology details but I sure hope someone's going to clean the mess. The idea of Facebook becoming a porn site is just terrible. I always thought that Facebook isn't that secure and almost entertained the fact of moving out. But heck, where will I go? I need to keep up with my social circles, you know. For now, Facebook's like the norm, it's IN and everyone's in it. Even my trusty bottled catsup is on Facebook. (*sigh!) I guess I'll be staying.

The Shrinking Chicken Joy

We had Jollibee take-outs for lunch. Hubby had his usual Jollibee Chicken Joy with Palabok while mine was Chicken Joy and Spaghetti. But as I opened my styro box, I gave out a gasp! Well, kind of exaggerated but more or less closer to that. So what caused my obvious surprise? It was the chicken! The ever hefty drowned in too much batter Jollibee Chicken Joy shrunk! 

It wasn't the first time I felt like I've been tricked with their fried chicken. I was bitching about the whole thing today because I was so hungry and expecting the usual huge serving and got a wrinkly undersized chicken instead. Whoever did those chickens forgot to load on the batter. That seemed like a general rule for the Chicken Joy, right? Making it look like it's twice its size. Like the ones below.

Hubby who opened his meal after me had a delayed reaction. He was giving me a funny look. He must have thought I ate a huge chunk off his chicken. Haha. But I still love Jollibee Chicken Joy despite of the varying sizes. A few months back, I got obsessed with the recipe and googled it. And never get to experiment on it because the ingredients were a bit unfamiliar. Here's the "secret" recipe. I hope it tastes just as good.

The chicken has to be marinated first prior to cooking. The marinade below is good for approx.15 lbs of chicken.

The ChickenJoy Marinade:

1 tablespoons Kosher Salt

1 tablespoons MSG

1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/3 cup Bottled Chicken Concentrate

5 cups water

Mix all of the above and soak the chicken in the above marinate for 24 hours under refrigeration. The Original Recipe is not packaged in three different places. The way it is cooked and the process make it taste like it has eleven herbs and spices when in reality there is not. The way it is done in the restaurant is using dried eggs and milk in the flour along with a box of breading salt and the seasoning bag and a bag of breading flour.

Jollibee ORIGINAL RECIPE:

2 fryer chickens cut up into 8 pieces and marinated

6 cups Crisco Shortening

1 eggs well beaten

2 cups Milk

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons ground pepper

1 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon MSG

1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 dash paprika

Place shortening into the pressure cooker and heat over medium heat to the shortening reaches 400°F. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining six dry ingredients. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk until fully moistened. Roll the moistened chicken in the flour mixture until well coated. In groups of four or five, drop the covered chicken pieces into the shortening and lock the lid. When pressure start to builds up, cook for 10 minutes. Happy Cooking!

Kitten and Nana

Kitten was my first bloggie friend and my very first commenter when I started blogging a year ago. That's why I really felt sad when she stopped blogging after she accomplished a full year of documenting her daughter's little journeys to todder-hood through her blog posts. And then later on, I discovered that she started her very own online business with her sister Nana and is now officially a WAHM. I'm just so happy for her. If you have time, please do check out her online store Kitten and Nana {HERE}. Here are some of the cute things they sell:

My Lil Toes Qt Pi Onesie or Tee

Hair Elastics

Leg Warmers

Crocheted Owl Hat

Vintage Modern Beatrice Headband


They also sell lovely handmade jewelry for the Grown Ups.

*Photos courtesy of kittenandnana.com

Top 4 Germ Scenarios

I'm an OC mom. A lot of times, people think I'm crazy when I scrub and disinfect things and pack on a lot of disinfectant wipes, alcohol and hand sanitizer. When it comes to my kids, I cannot just relax and let bacteria take over. No way! Here are some situations that pose health risks to your child and how to avoid them.

1. Your child licks and eats directly from the restaurant table or the restaurant high chair.

Research shows that resto tables and high chairs breed a lot of bacteria specifically E.coli bacteria because they're not disinfected often and used multiple times a day. So what's a parent to do? Whenever you eat out, bring with you some disinfecting wipes like Clorox wipes and wipe away.

2. Your child loves playing in the sandbox.

According to experts, when kids play on sandboxes, it is potentially unsafe as building sand castles out of kitty litter. When sandboxes are left uncovered, animals love to poop on them harboring bacteria and parasites in the long run. Think pinworms. Always cover sandboxes when not in use. And because sometimes we can't keep the kids from playing with sand, it's always best to wash their hands and give them a warm soapy bath post-dig.

3. When kids don't handwash before meals. 

We all know that's not a good idea. I freak out when a kid of mine, having played outdoors the whole day props himself in the table with filthy hands. Experts say, when kids play outdoors there's a high occurrence of fecal bacteria on their little hands and then some stuck between their nails. We moms should strictly impose the hand washing rule before meals and sing ourselves silly with the Happy Birthday song twice while hand washing with warm water and soap. According to research, singing the Happy Birthday song twice while handwashing is the recommended duration in washing hands to kick the gems a way.

4. Changing baby's diaper on changing tables in public restrooms.

Really gross. It has been known and said by experts that there's a huge possibility of intestinal illnesses when changing tables are not cleaned often with disinfecting solutions. This usually happens in public restrooms. I don't really change my baby's diaper in those public changing tables, the whole idea of it all makes me cringe. In fact, I haven't really tried it. On times, I just change my baby's diaper in a standing position with hubby's help. But if you can't help it, it's advisable to wipe the changing table with disinfecting wipes and bring your own fold-up changing pad for baby to lie on. Just clean the changing pad at home though.

At the end of the day, full awareness is important coupled with good hygiene and the best germ-busting products to keep our kids safe.

10 Breastfeeding Products Moms May Need

As much as we love breastfeeding our little ones, oftentimes we are caught up with minor breastfeeding issues and other glitches. But never fret, these useful products are truly heaven-sent for all the breastfeeding mommas out there.

1. Silicon nipple shield- Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt mommies and make her nipples sore. But while a lot of breastfeeding advocates and experts swear that breastfeeding is painless, there are still moms out there, especially the new ones that feel the “ouch” every once in a while. Silicone nipple shields provide barrier between your baby’s mouth and your boobies, offering relief. Babies can also latch on properly without getting frustrated.

Medela Silicon Nipple Shield, $9.95-Amazon

2. Breast shells- Mommy boobs are different and come pretty much in different sizes and shapes. While others are okay with theirs, some have flat or inverted nipples which make breastfeeding upsetting to moms and doubly annoying for babies. With this type of issue, the silicon nipple shield mentioned above works great too. You can wear them even when baby is not sucking, that way your nipples can be pulled out. This is like a major solution for flat nipples. I remembered doing mine manually years back. Pulling nipples manually is weird.

Avent Breast Shells,$12.59-Amazon

3. Lansinoh- Cracked nipples are a hassle and they sting too. I’ve had problems with cracked nipples with my first baby and it burns. The silicon nipple shield works well with this issue too but so is this one. Just put a slab on the nipples to reduce the soreness. This one’s free from additives and other artificial preservatives so there’s no need to wash before putting baby back on your breasts.

$23.58 for 2 ounce (pack of 2)-Amazon

4. Breastpumps- When you feel like a machine feeding your baby 24 hours a day, a good night’s sleep may be a far-fetched dream. Pumps are an advantage for new moms especially to let them rest from all the feeding. Pump away and leave feeding to Dad using a bottle while you happily snooze to dreamland.

Avent Electric Pump,$159.80-Amazon

5. Boppy Pillows- All moms can relate, breastfeeding while sitting down is tough on the back. Hunching and bending for hours straight calls for a major backache. The Boppy is good because it props your child to your level while you breastfeed without leaning forward.

Boppy 2 Sided Cotton Blend Slipcover, $13.50-Amazon

6. Nursing covers- Because some women may be shy breastfeeding in public, the nursing cover is a good option.  It wraps around baby while he feeds but giving you enough view to get a good peek from above.

The Love Wraps Green Floral Nursing Cover, $29.99-Uber Chic Baby

7. Nursing Blend Breastfeeding Supplement- When you don’t have enough milk or milk supply is running low, you may consider talking to your doctor or a lactation expert about what to do to increase milk supply. But you could also try on asking for breastfeeding supplements which are proven to increase the production of milk.

$19.95-Amazon

Breastfeeding is love. So, don’t let minor issues get in the way. Happy Breastfeeding!!

Paypal Limitations

I got pissed off yesterday because apparently, Paypal sent me an email telling me that someone attempted to open my account so they're limiting my Paypal activities. I was like who had the balls to do so? I don't even have that much funds in my account to begin with. I've had too many shopping purchases lately using my Paypal so I only have a little below $20 dollars left while waiting for my salary from my Freelancing jobs. Paypal asked me to change my passwords and security questions/answers to bring things back to normal. I did so and I even got more pissed. This message says:

I can't send money. The thing is, I purchased baby products on Ebay and is planning to use my remaining Paypal funds. But I can't send money using my account so I might as well refer to other payment methods. According to Paypal, in order to get a limitation review, I must complete the steps listed  and that includes:

1. Confirm your credit card

2. Change password

3. Update security questions

Nos 2 and 3 are done but the credit card thing is another issue. I don't have a credit card (I know it's weird) and my Paypal account is unverified. I really don't have plans to withdraw my money. I just want to shop online because you can do so even with an unverified account. But with this whole limitation thing, I don't have a choice but to verify my account with a credit card to resolve the issue. Grr..bummer.

Grow Powdered Milk Drink

While browsing through the milk aisles at the grocery with Khym, he immediately snatched the Grow milk carton. And I thought to myself, was this the same milk brand that Khym used to drink as a toddler? It kind of looked different. Khym has very distinct memory and he was right. It was his ex-milk. I remembered years ago, I think it was only available in 1 kg. cans and expensive. Then it was wiped out from the market for unknown reasons. It made its comeback with a new look and a new price. It's more affordable now. Yay!!! So I just decided to try Grow again for my kids. Some info about Grow. Grow Powdered Milk Drink from Abbott  does not have Palm Oil. Palm oil when mixed with infant formula hinders the absorption of calcium in the body. It also has a unique blend of Prebiotics (FOS and Inulin) to support a healthy digestive system. GROW also has 24 vitamins and nutrients, DHA and Taurine to support healthy growth and development. That's healthy milk. It's also available in 2 flavors; the other one's choco for 1+ toddlers and 3+ kids.

My kids love the taste of Grow. Khym kept smacking and licking his lips saying that it's really yummy. My 2 year old loved it too and was always asking for 2nd servings. On the other hand, my 1 year old being a breast milk fan, took a sip from his brother's cup, shoved it right back and went back to my boobs. I think I'm going to breast feed him until he's two. To close, I'm happy that Grow decided to change its price range to make it more affordable for the family on a budget. Being nutritious and affordable, it really is a must buy!

Flowers For Mommy

My eldest son Khym is the sweetest. He loves picking flowers for the women in his life. That includes me, my mom, sister and yes, some crushes too. And then it made me think, not so long ago, I was the only receiver of his flowers and then now, may crushes na? Grr.. I don't know if I'll be amused or just jealous. My goodness! At 7, I cannot count the times when he blabs about the prettiest girls in his class, about crushes, girlfriends and even marriage! Kids do grow up fast don't you think? The selfish mom in me wants him for myself but no, kids will eventually spread their wings. For now, I'm basking in the glow of his love. And loving it!:)))

Caught in the Act

Korby made a mess. He was busy unearthing the contents of my sister's box which is filled to the brim with all her pupils' love letters to her. (*rolls eyes) Korby loved shuffling things and his favorite place to do his tinkering is my sister's room. Much to her dismay of course. This time, he was unaware that I took photos of his favorite "hobby" until the last photo when finally, he caught me. 

That all too familiar "you-caught-me" look. Better pick up the papers baby before Tita finds out. :)

Now writing for The Untrained Housewife

I recently joined The Untrained Housewife. 

I figured out, I need to write more to hone my writing skills. So I applied and after a long wait, got accepted. Now here's my problem, I ran out of topics to write about. That's what I get for writing on various sites, I get writer's block sometimes. There are really times when I'm not in the mood to write about happy thoughts and other blahs. But I have to keep this blog and other sites that I maintain going for traffic and income purposes. While the mind debates continued on what to write, I found this book A CHILD CALLED "IT" 

on Fully Booked while desperately searching for books to read. I'm always a sucker for biographies being a "chismosa" at heart. I don't think I liked this one. Some scenes were too graphic and dampened my day. When I finished the book, I decided to just post a review about it on The Untrained Housewife while I'm picking out a topic for the next post. You can read my review HERE.

It's fun writing for The Untrained Housewife and meeting moms from all over the world. It's also great knowing that we moms, or shall I say housewives can share our thoughts on various topics. The good thing is, we can also earn 100% revenue through Google Adsense by posting our ads on the website. If you wish to write for The Untrained Housewife, just go HERE .

Loving the camera for 15 minutes

My youngest son Korby is such a grouch that come picture time, he's either too busy to care or is having tantrums because he hates the camera. Mom's complete opposite. ;) Today was a different day. While the two kuyas were having their naps, hubby and I took him outside for fresh air. He was all smiles and all of a sudden game for picture-taking. I hurriedly took out the camera and snapped away. 

Of course, as expected after 15 minutes, he was back to his usual "I-hate-the-camera" look and wanted to go home already. Killjoy! :p