Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.The best gift I can give myself is to take care of ME. Health is wealth after all. I neglected myself for a long time now and the ravages took a toll on my heart, blood pressure and diabetes. Others would say, forgot about dieting during the holidays. If you are a teen, then that is probably alright. See, the problem is I am over fifty years old. I easily gain weight around the abdomen area due to slow metabolism and probably hormonal effect of near-menopause.

I am getting peeved at my husband for attending Christmas parties every night. How is that possible? He said he has to attend the parties of all his departments . Of course he can turn them down but he doesn’t know how to say “no”. His usual answer is “It is the holiday season”.

Thank goodness Christmas will be spent in Singapore which means his Christmas tradition of having “Lechon Paella” won’t happen . I’ve warned my husband that it’s really unhealthy to have all that greasy food.

I spent a few minutes tonight lecturing Butch about eating healthy which I learned from Armand, my former weight management consultant. He gave me a two page handout on “Holiday Guide to Eating” based on the American Council on Exercise, 2006 a few years back and I’ve kept it since. I thought I’d share it with you . The italics are mine.

Guideline no. 1: Portion control is everything
Many people lose weight and keep it off with the simple strategy of portion control. Eliminating or even limiting certain foods is brutally hard during the holidays. So do the next best thing. Eat reasonably small portions, limit the foods you know you should limit, and don’t stuff yourself.

This really works. In parties, I just take a spoonful of everything. With desserts, I get a taste off from my husband’s plate.

Guideline no. 2: The next best thing to behaving perfectly is behaving well.

Most of us know by now what our “trigger foods are and the effects certain foods have on our mood, appetite and energy. If you can’t abstain from problem foods all of the time during the holidays, abstain from them most of the time. “Most of the time” is a lot better than “none of the time”.

Guideline no. 3: Get off the diet mentality

This is the corollary of Guideline No. 2. If you think of yourself as being “on” or “off” a diet, you’re going to get into trouble. Why? Because as soon as you go off, you go off, as in “deep end”. Don’t set yourself up for this disaster. A taste of cake doesn’t mean you’ve “sinned” and definitely doesn’t mean “what the heck, I might as well eat the whole thing”

Guideline no. 4: Don’t skip meals
A common strategy during the holidays is to skip breakfast- and lunchp because you know a big meal is comig , so you “save up” the calories for the celebration. This strategy backfires, because you come to the meal starving and wind up eating more than ever intended. Which leads to….

Guideline no. 5: Never arrive hungry

You know what foods you need to stay away from. Wll, those foods are a lot harder to resist when you’re starving and your blood sugar is in the pits. An ounce of prevention goes a long way here. A glass of juice, some crackers, a slice or two of cheese or bread with some peanut butter will keep your appetite at bay. Try any of them an hour or so before the big holiday dinner and watch your willpower soar while your waistline stays in place.

Guideline no. 6: Go to the buffet line with a small plate
A full salad plate looks like a lot of food and psychologically “feels” the same way. You can always go back for seconds, or even thirds; but all of this slows down the eating process, giving you more time to feel full. And more often than not, the larger portions of food you have eaten if they had been on your plate will wind up staying on the buffet table.

Guideline No. 7: Bring snacks while shopping
Prowling the mall for hours leaves everyone starving and vulnerable to the usually bad fastfood choices.

Guideline No. 8: Replace sweet with spicy
Craving for sweets sometimes evaporate when you put something pickled or spicy in your mouth. It’s okay to indulge the occasional sweet craving , but eat something spicy or pickled first and you may find you no longer want to.

Guideline No. 9 : Be sure it’s not thirst.
Many times when we crave food, it’s not really hunger that’s driving the urge, it’s mild dehydration. So drink tons of water. A slice of orange, lemon or lime will flavor the water and cut your cravings; flavored non-caloric seltzers accomplish the same thing.

Guideline No. 10: Finish your big holiday meaks within an hour of starting

The body produces a second insulin hit if it senses a lot of food coming in continuously . You can avoid that second hit (and the subsequent fat storage that it triggers) by finishing within an hour of starting. If you see something you like that you forgot to eat within the hour, that’s fine; just save it for tomorrow. It’ll still be there and you won’t be wearing it on your hips.

Guideline No. 11: Begin each meal with a salad
It fills you up, provides fiber and is a wonderful alternative to bread.

Guideline No. 12: Divide your plate into thirds
Think protein, vegetables and the carbohydrates you probably crave. Imagine that your plate is divided into thirds, one section for each food group. The carb section has to include not only the starchy carbs that are staples of holiday dinners but the desserts too. So if you’re going to eat dessert, adjust your portion of the other carbs accordingly. Together the “meal” carbs and dessert carbs should make up about one-third of the holiday meal.

Guideline No. 13: Fiber is your secret weapon
Not only is finer supremely healthy and directly related to the reduction of risks for a whole host of diseases, it is a huge player in the weight-loss field. It also contributes to a feeling of fullness.

Guideline No. 14: Plan ahead
During the holidays, try to plan around where you’re going, what temptations are likely to arise and how you’re going to deal with them. Decide in advance what you’re going to allow yourself, but prepare for it so you don’t go overboard. Don’t be afraid to taste things without finishing them.

Guideline No. 15 : Eat Slowly
Hormones signal the brain when you’re full but it takes about 20 minutes from start time before you feel it. Slow eating not only aids digestion but also gives your brain a chance to know what the stomach is doing. If you make the meal last, by talking, putting down your fork between bites or just plain waiting, you’re less likely to eat on “automatic pilot” and more likely to realize you’re full.

Hope all of you enjoy your food during the holidays without adding much weight.

Source- “Holiday Guide to Eating” based on the American Council on Exercise, 2006——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

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Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.A simple enough pleasure, surely, to have breakfast alone with one’s husband, but how seldom married people in the midst of life achieve it. – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It is a blessed Sunday morning as I take breakfast with my husband. These days, I don’t read newspapers unless I want to collect that issue, Our netbooks are with us as we sip our coffee. This time around, I am taking warm calamansi-lemon drink to soothe my sore throat. It is an old folks home remedy that always works.

The house seems quieter without my other daughter’s booming voice at home. (I will write about this more). Lauren is fast asleep so it is just Butch and me. I am just grateful about today. The quiet moments with my husband at breakfast. Gazing at the two Siamese kitties lounging nearby makes me smile. I think I will be bonding more with my pet cat Missy.

I believe that happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast even if it is just once a week on a Sunday.

Andy Rooney best explains this bit of happiness.

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

Today is something special too. It is 10-10-10 and this entry will be published at 10:10 in the morning. “The row of ‘perfect tens’ symbolises not just a once in a 100 years quirk of the calendar, but a ‘powerful moment of rebirth’” according to a Delhi-based numbers expert. The number 10 contains powerful properties – made all the more potent by repetition. Sonia Dulce, a numerologist says that “Ten is the number for wisdom, because it contains the essence of all the numbers of one to nine within it”. She added “And the number one, which features three times in [the] date, is all about focus, new direction, raw energy and rebirth.”

The number ten gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling because I have 10 reasons to be thankful for:

1. I am thankful for second chances and a new normal.

2. I am thankful for the laughter that rings true in my home. There’s nothing like a family who laughs together.

3. I am thankful for financial challenges because it taught us discipline that money can be budgeted wisely for basic necessities.

4. I am thankful for a loving husband that never gave up on me.

5. I am thankful for the pain brought about by my son’s death because it transformed me into a more compassionate person.

6. I am thankful for my two girls, that despite the turbulent teen years due to their sibling’s death, they never resorted to drugs or alcohol. They are smart and down-to-earth girls.

7. I am thankful of new and old friendships ,a comfortable place to be myself.

8. I am thankful for negative feedback as I can make an honest assessment of myself without jeopardizing my identity.

9. I am thankful for the internet, blogging and all of YOU, the lurkers and readers of my blog as you help me fulfill my mission in life.

10. I am thankful to God who I thought abandoned me but never really left me after all.

I have a lot to be thankful for today and everyday of my life.

What does 10/10/10 mean for you?

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

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Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

Don’t we just love family meals together? It’s the perfect time and place to reconnect and to show my girls that they are our priority. Sitting across the table is where and when I find out more about my children’s likes, dislikes, and daily life. Now that they are adults, it is the place where I discover their career plans or frustrations at work. It is actually the family conversations that are important — they are one of the few times parents can find out what their children are up to (and vice versa). As my daughters’ social lives get even busier, it becomes a challenge to get the family to sit down. During these special meals, I make it a point that I dish up something new on the dinner table.

Happy family meals together are long-time tradition that is timeless.

A psychologist reported that “eating together as a family is an important psychological ritual that echoes the hunt/kill/eat rituals of our ancestors. Although food is now in constant supply, it’s useful to maintain a ritual that was created when it was rare, as the feeling of celebration and team-work can have a therapeutic and bonding effect on the family unit.”

For meals to be a fun celebration of family togetherness, I believe in balance. Indulging treats and setting limits is creating balance. When the kids were much younger, junk food was limited to Friday nights when school was over. It was also the time to watch TV. Junk food night as I called it.

These days, they don’t watch TV so the junk food habit died. One other treat is our favorite Coke that we often pair with pasta or pizza. Happy moments are when I work at the kitchen, cooking their favorite dishes and getting rave reviews. Sometimes it could be their dad cooking. There are occasions that my daughters experiment on a new pasta recipe. Their favorite pasta dishes are Carbonara, Putanesca, or Tuna spaghetti. We add green salads as our side dish to complement the meals. Balance is all we need in our family meals so I dub these pasta days as Happy Kainan Monday. Seeing my family smile after a hearty meal is worth all the tender loving care placed on the food preparation. There is nothing like happiness in family meals.

In honor of family bonding moments through everyday kainan happiness, I want one of my readers to enjoy a family dinner at Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino worth 10,000 pesos!

I am holding a blog contest today, September 13, up to September 27, in cooperation with Coca-Cola. Joining is simple! All you need to do is write in the comments section and answer this question, “What kind of food or favorite meal do your family enjoy drinking with a bottle of Coke?” The lucky winner will be determined by Coca-Cola.

You might also want to submit your photos through the creative banner at:
http://www.pep.ph/index.html
http://www.pep.ph/cokehappiness/index.php

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.I feel guilty whenever I am away from home. Even if the girls are all grown up, I am just so used to being a stay-at-home mom working at the comfort of my bedroom. As election day nears, I find myself out of the house more often than I ever had in my married life.

Food never fails to bring us together. Last friday, I brought in extra food from a Yehey interview with Erwin Genuino, a Makati mayoral candidate. I sent an SMS to everyone “I am on my way home. Bringing food from Sentro.” It was 9:00 PM and to my surprise, everyone was home on a friday night. Getting the family together for dinner can be difficult especially with adult kids with an active social life.

Lauren brought out a pretty box of handmade swiss chocolates after we devoured all the food. The sight of such lovely chocolates extended normal eating time as we marveled at each concoction. Each chocolate tasted differently from the others.

Even with my erratic schedule, the late snack or dinner is the perfect time and place to reconnect and to show my kids that they are my priority.

Sitting across the table and hearing them banter about their work and life just made my day. Just being together like this lifted my spirits.

My guilty feelings now all washed away.

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.If you’re a blogger, you probably have your own typical blogger Conversation within your family.

What if you have a food blogger in the family?

You know how it is. I post food photos in my Pinoy Food Photo Blog to complement my entry. Naturally, when my family eats out, I snap away at the food we order. So here was a typical scene when I first started my food blog in July 2006.

Husband: Don’t eat that yet. Your Mom hasn’t taken shots of that dish.

Marielle: (irritated) Have you taken a shot of this? Can I eat now?

Lauren: (pouting) Hurry. I’m hungry. I wish cameras are banned in restaurants.

I bet they got tired of waiting so…

This is my family two years after.

Lauren learned to take shots of her food (at Pepper Lunch) so she can eat it as soon as the dish arrives.

And Marielle too!

If you can’t beat your mom the food blogger, join her. or else, starve.

What is a typical scene with your family or friends? especially non-blogging friends and family?

In other New Media Events

1. I love Ethan Allen furniture designs that a few of my furniture was heavily inspired by it.

Here is a video I took of the showroom,

2. HTC Touch Diamond in the Philippines Mid-July

Imagine having broadband-like Internet with HSDPA 7.2 mbps wireless connectivity right in the palm of your hands?

3. Join the Buhay Coke Contest and get a chance to win a Phillips LCD TV, an Apple iPhone, a Sony Cybershot 7.2 MP Digital Camera, and an iPod Nano .

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.It’s a glorious sunday morning. The empty nest will be back to a full house. Marielle will soon fly in from a vacation in Singapore. Lauren is expected to be back from an overnight beach trip from Zambales. So it’s just me and my hubby. Butch and I enjoyed our quiet morning with a hearty breakfast just a few hours ago. For the first time, I ditched my usual caffeine fix from brewed coffee. I wanted something different.

My pantry contains tea bags, three boxes of instant Lipton Milk Tea (Gold, Vanilla and Original), Tropicana Orange and coffee beans. I picked the Lipton Milk Tea Original Flavor.

It was Marielle who first introduced me to milk tea when she dragged me over to her favorite beauty salon. “They serve milk tea there”. The combination seemed a bit off. I’ve always associated tea with bitter aftertaste. I never knew one could mix milk with tea. Ever since I drank Milk Tea, I associate it with relaxation and childhood memories of mom handing me over a cup of hot tea to calm my upset tummy.

Come to think of it, no wonder I associate tea with relaxation. A tea drink calms my nerves.

According to the UK Tea Council, 72% of women tested admitted to feeling more refreshed after drinking a cup of tea.

Tea’s secret weapon is the naturally-occurring amino acid, Theanine. Theanine naturally stimulates activity in the brain called alpha waves, which are associated with a relaxed but alert mental state. Isaac Newton for starters, discovered the universal law of gravity while having a cup of tea.

Theanine is also a known mood booster, which is why it’s the beverage of choice of those who want to reflect and relax. No wonder.

But milk tea? The warm Lipton milk tea tasted really good. I thought it would taste milky and overpowering the tea flavor. The milk and tea taste were both distinguishable unlike the milk tea I drank at the beauty salon. What a better substitute to coffee! The sweetness and smoothness of milk balanced the bitter taste of the strong black tea I associate as a child. The delicate balance of milk and tea, gave such a rich, smooth, and subtly sweet taste.

It’s delightfully delicious and soothing setting me into an alpha state that I completed my scheduled tasks quite early enough.

The girls will be home soon and I am ready to listen to their banter.

What type of drinks gives you a relaxing feeling (aside from alcohol)?

Upcoming Bloggers’ Events

1. Food Tour at Trinoma Malls, Serendra and Bonifacio High Street

When: April 25 at TriNoma Mall and and April 28 at Serendra and Bonifacio High Street

Time: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Read more details at Spot Pass Bloggers’ Food Tour

2. Let’s Party- 88DB.com Bloggers’ Night

Confirm Attendance before April 26.

3. What’s Your Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Story Contest

Win a trip to Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA for 4 days and 3 nights, with accommodations and pocket money. How? Join the What’s your Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Story? Contest. Submission of entries will be from April 18 to May 18, 2008.

4. Havaianas Flipping for the Beach Contest

The contest, which will run nationwide from April 1, 2008 to May 1, 2008, is open to all Filipino citizens of legal age and challenges you to write (maximum of 500 words, with at least 3 photos- taken at the destination) or document via video (60 to 90 seconds running time in VCD or DVD format) about a unique beach getaway in the Philippines, focusing on the distinctive experiences that you can expect from your chosen destination.

Read more details at the Havaianas Flipping for the Beach Contest
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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

”Hmmm, so this is what sensual means…”. I could hear his voice .

okay fine …I didn’t torture my husband by blindfolding him as he ate his lunch. You see, we both underwent a sensual experience with eight utlimate mouth-watering dishes from Serye Restaurant.

I was blindfolded myself when I took a photo of my husband as he participated in the first ever Food Writing Class at Serye Restaurant.

Poor Sexy Mom is in a dilemma as she contemplates on the food she just tasted.

and so with the other foodie bloggers.

So why did I subject myself to such torture?

The truth is my Food Photo Blog lacks creativity and excitement. I started this food blog a year ago because my photo gallery receives so much hits and well, Google adsense income. Thanks to organic search hits from Filipino-Americans , my food blog ranks well in most keywords. It embarasses me that I don’t come up with quality writing. I just place photos and short captions. To make matters worse, I get invited to food events. I don’t need to write about these events but I want to because it means more quality content for my food blog. The problem is I don’t know how to do a food review.

Thanks to Jayvee’s intiative, the first blogger food writing and photography class was launched yesterday.

I dragged my husband to the workshop so he could co-write in my Food Blog. Was it torture for him?

Go read my husband’s review on his sensual experience , at the Food Writing Class at Serye Restaurant——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.
A few days ago, Lauren asked me “mom, were you invited to the Bloggers Breakfast at Portico 1771?” I checked my email and found the invite at my abandoned Yahoo email address. I thought it must have been Jayvee‘s idea. But no, he had no idea who invited us.

New media as a path to expand their online presence , perhaps? For many months now, PR agencies have been inviting bloggers to press events, parties, treating them to lunches, and sending them gifts and tokens.

My PR policy is a combination of Anton’s school of thought “for the awesome experiences which would include eating at a restaurant I can rave about or meeting awesome people. ” and Yuga’s third option of “full disclosure to your blog readers ”

A disclosure will at least serve as a warning to your readers if later on you make a positive review of their products/services, it was influenced in some manner.

I don’t go to all the events but a food trip is an adventure I don’t want to miss out.

Besides, how could I resist an opportunity to have breakfast with my husband and friends?

At the last minute, Lauren backed out because she couldn’t afford to miss work and scheduled it for Sunday. I was told to bring my other family members and a few blogger friends. Fortunately, my husband had a hearing in nearby Pasig City so a breakfast at Portico 1771 looked pretty inviting to him.

Dine’s hubby was also on his way to Bicutan so he came along with us.

Dine and husband.

Chats with the SexyMom

Jayvee and his family were there.

And a future mom blogger and future member of Pinoy Moms Network . Guess who?

Read Review of Portico 1771 that Butch and I wrote at my Pinoy Food Photo Blog and lots of photos.——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

From Media? , the staff of Amor Maclang asked.

No, I’m a blogger as I wrote down my name on the registration sheet of the Wagyu Beef Fest at the Diamond Hotel during lunch today.

Handing me my name tag with the media label underneath my name seemed strange. Shouldn’t it be “new media”? Then I began to question my arrival at the hotel. What am I doing here in an media event where I will be amongst traditional media people?

Apparently, Jayvee gave a list of lifestyle or food bloggers to Amor who in turn invited us to this a Wagyu Beef Fest (Thanks Jayvee). I am not a food writer. I’m not even a food critic. I’m not exactly a food blogger either though I take photos of the food we eat at restaurants or at home and post them at my Pinoy Food Photo Blog. I am just an ordinary blogger. So how come I am in this PR event? Anton says there are three schools of thought on how to handle PR events as a blogger.

The first one is to adhere to the principle of you always pay for your own meal if you were to blog about it and NO to PR events. I know for a fact that Sassy Lawyer, Wysgal, and Marketman follow this principle. The second one is that PR events are a good way to get more information about the place by letting them showcase their best dishes, a chance to interview the owner, and get lots of pictures without being questioned. The third school of thought is the one that I invented and follow. I usually go for awesome experiences which would include eating at a restaurant I can rave about or meeting awesome people.

Guess what? I am like Anton. I take PR events as one big adventure where I can meet interesting people. Follow me in my adventure of my first PR event, the Wagyu Beef Fest at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.I think I have mentioned before that my husband is my co-homemaker . For the past two years, he took over my role in grocery shopping. It’s really sweet of him to shop for me. I don’t mind it one bit because I don’t enjoy grocery shopping. Prices of the goods are quite depressing. I just buy whatever is on the list then leave the supermaket in 45 minutes. One thing has been bugging me the past months. I’ve never understood why it takes my husband more than two hours to shop.

Last sunday, I tagged along with him just to observe his system of shopping. Ah now I understand. If I had studied Butch under my time and motion study, he’d definitely fail .

See this is his style.

He leaves his cart in a location where there is not much traffic. He gets the goodies from the shelf then…

he walks down two aisles towards the cart and unloads his shopping goods.

No wonder it takes him a lot of time to shop if he has to walk back and forth.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed our sunday morning together just strolling the aisles together. Sometimes we sample the food, sip coffee or impulse-buy some things. We must have enjoyed ourselves too much because our bill reached 6,931.00 pesos ($145.00) . Too much! Our usual weekly budget for groceries is 5,000 pesos or $100.00. Like he always says, “let’s not scrimp on food”. Still, I can’t help but wonder if we can do with a lot of the grocery items.

Anyway, Butch wrote a review of SM Hypermart at our Food blog. It’s his favorite supermarket for the month. Let’s see what happens next month.

Speaking of grocery shopping, who does the grocery for your family? and do you stick to your budget?——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado