Is Homeschooling for You? And if It Is, How Can You Do It? [FREEBIES AND GIVEAWAYS]

CONTEST RESULTS  After ensuring the validity of entries, The Nanay Notebook is happy to announce that the winner of the raffle is NADIA DE LEON.  Congratulations! See you at the Homeschool Conference 2014!  Please email me your full name and mobile number so I can submit them to the contest organizer, Manila Workshops. Warm regards, Blessie Adlaon

On a signal-number-2 day in August, my kids are all in "school."

• My 9-year-old is learning Java Script. 
• My 7-year-old is doing typing lessons (currently at 15 wpm), and later she will make loom band bracelets, which she will sell to our neighbors at P50 each. 
• My 5-year-old, who has never been inside a formal classroom, is reading aloud the Act of Contrition.

Welcome to our world. This is what homeschooling in the Adlaon residence looks like.

Why Homeschool?

Every homeschooling family has its own reason. In our case, our three main reasons are

1. protection and preservation of the children's innocence;
2. the freedom to teach our kids what we believe is truly important, in the way we believe children should learn; and
3. financial flexibility.

I will discuss each of these very briefly:

Preservation of Innocence. In school, away from teacher supervision, I saw and heard a lot of things that I now know children should not see and hear. In other words, garbage freely entered my mind – and once garbage enters, it's very hard to take it out. 

Now is not the time to discuss what happens when one's mind is sullied. But I know it is something I do not want for my kids. Homeschooling is one way I am able to protect them until they are discerning and spiritually strong enough to protect themselves.

Freedom to Teach. Do you ever feel that your child's school is teaching too much too soon? Does your child wake up extremely early, sleep very late, and have little to no time for play, because there is schoolwork to do? Do you feel helpless in the midst of it all?

My husband and I refuse to feel helpless in the way our kids are educated. That's why we chose to take full charge by homeschooling.

Financial Flexibility. My husband and I are both freelancers right now. Income is unpredictable. We don't always have money in June. 

By homeschooling, we can enroll in September or December or whenever the money comes. We decide what books to buy, what field trips to take, and we never have to spend on PTA fund raisers. 

Want to Learn More?

Click image to enlarge

Manila Workshops, The Learning Basket, and Unilab, supported by the Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI), are proud to present the Homeschooling Conference of 2014, entitled Educating for Life: Homeschooling with Passion, Purpose and Confidence. It will be held on September 6, 2014 at the Bayanihan Arts and Events Center (8008 Pioneer St., Kapitolyo, Pasig) from 8 a.m. (registration) to 5:30 p.m.

The speakers and topics are

• Irma Chua (Educating for Life). Irma is a mom of six and has been homeschooling for 20 years.
      
• Dennis Poliquit (The Hands-On Homeschool Dad). Known as “Big Daddy Jake” over the radio airwaves, Dennis is a hands-on homeschooling dad of two sets of twins and one singleton.
      
• Moira Bunyi (The Confident Homeschool Mom). Moira has a postgraduate degree in Family Life and Child Development and has been homeschooling for five years now.
     
• Yen Galagnara (Learning in the Digital World). Yen was a “housemate” at Pinoy Big Brother Season 2. She homeschools her three children while she runs a Korean language school.
     
• Jen Bellosillo (Introducing Filipino Arts, Culture, and Heritage). Jen has been homeschooling for six years now. She mentors other homeschooling parents as a CFA (Catholic Filipino Academy) parent coach.
     
• Tina Rodriguez (Homeschool 101: Getting Started). Tina, mom of three, is a work-at-home and homeschooling mom who advocates her faith through her blog, Truly Rich Mom.
     
• Donna Pangilinan-Simpao (Conquering Homeschool Fatigue). Donna is a medical doctor. She homeschools her three children. She is also the founder of the Facebook group "Homeschoolers in the Philippines."
     
• Ivy Marquez (Nurturing the Love of Learning). Ivy homeschooled her three children up to high school.

Learning Fee (and How You Can Get a Seat for FREE!)

The cost of attending the conference is as follows:

• Php 1000 per participant
• Php 1500 per couple (We encourage both parents to attend!)
• Php 500 per child (7 to 18 years old)
• Php 500 for PWD
• Php 500 for groups of homeschoolers; with a minimum of 5 persons per group

However, you have a chance to attend the conference for free! (Yes, FREE!)

Simply join our contest via Rafflecopter below and win TWO FREE SEATS to the conference! (Yes, TWO!)

But wait. There's more. You'll also get a heaping bag of craft goodies, sponsored by Bee Happy Crafts.

So of course you want to join the contest. Now here are the mechanics. To join:

1. Like Bee Happy Crafts on Facebook.
2. Like Manila Workshop on Facebook.
3. Like the Learning Basket on Facebook.
4. In the comment box below, leave a comment using an email address we can use to get in touch with you in case you win.

Each of the above equals one entry, for a total of four. (The more entries you make, the bigger chances of winning!)

Now if you want to further increase your chances of winning, please also like my Facebook business page, Facebook.com/WishPhilippines, the first local online wishlist publisher in the country, and follow me on Twitter, @WishPH.

This contest runs from August 13 to 22, 2014, Philippine time. Winners will be chosen through Rafflecopter and announced on August 23. Prizes (free seats and craft materials) will be given at the conference site on conference day.

Now if you can't wait for the contest results and want to register right now, please visit homeschoolingconference.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a work-at-home and homeschooling mom of four. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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Calling All Moms and Expectant Moms: The Belly Blessed Fest 2013 Is Here!

July 5, 2013 – Celebrate the many joys of pregnancy with the Belly Blessed Fest 2013! This three-day event dedicated to expectant moms will be held from July 12 to 14, 2013 at the 2nd and 3rd Level Atrium of The Podium Mall in Pasig City.

There’ll be exciting interactive stations to delight expectant moms and dads-to-be, like

• the Pregnancy Portrait Booth, sponsored by Little One’s Portraits, 
• Clay Medallion Making Station, and
• a wishing wall where moms can write special messages to the miracle growing inside their wombs. 

Alongside the activity stations will be booths showcasing the latest mom and baby products and services in the market today at the 3^rd level. Moms-to-be can also browse and shop for essentials at the mompreneur booths.

There will also be products for toddlers and children, Crumbs and Grubs Lactation goodies, and snacks for expectant and nursing moms. As part of the Mommy Mundo events' tradition, there will be raffle draws throughout the day.

On July 13, Saturday, there will be an all-day program of informative talks and refreshing entertainment:

• a belly dancing session with the Goddesses of Belly Dance, by Jill Ngo; 
• a talk on labor and relaxation techniques, from Childbirth Education teacher Rome Kanapi;
• the importance of safe sleep, to be discussed by Halo Philippines;
• Protect your baby for life! Listen to Dra. Aurora Tajan of CordLife Philippines; 
• Teacher Jeannie Castillo of Kindermusik Mama will help you get more ready for the big delivery day;
• keepsake-journal-making by Namaste and Craft MNL;
• and more! 

The event is open to everybody, but expectant moms are encouraged to pre-register to get Belly Blessed Fest goodies. Interested attendees may simply text their name and the number of weeks that they are pregnant to 0917-8162524. Limited slots available! 

For more information, like Belly Blessed on Facebook or visit www.bellyblessed.com or www.mommymundo.com.

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a work-at-home and homeschooling mom of four. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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FREE DOWNLOAD: The Philippine K-12 Curriculum

This year, the Philippines finally took the big step and implemented the K-12 curriculum. It's true, we are ill-prepared for it, but in my humble opinion, this step is something like childbirth: No matter how much you prepare for it, you are often still caught flat-footed when the time comes -- but it's an inevitable step you need to take before you can get on with the extremely rewarding business of raising a child.

In any case, I know you're here not to hear about how much I love the K-12 curriculum and why. You want the curriculum download. So here it is. Please right-click on the links below and click "Save link as" to save the files on your computer:

Full K-12 curriculum (21.2 MB)
English and Mother Tongue (2.5 MB)
Filipino, Health, ESP (2.2 MB)
Filipino, Grades 1-10 (2.84 MB)
Araling Panlipunan (576 KB)
Mathematics (1.3 MB)
Science (10.6 MB)
Kindergarten (1.2 MB)

(Files uploaded June 18, 2012)

UPDATE: NEW English K-12 curriculum (uploaded April 17, 2013)

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My ZALORA Wishlist!

It's no secret that I'm addicted to online shopping. When I need something, the first thing I do is search for it online (and cross my fingers that the online store accepts Paypal payments)!

Well, lo and behold, I've found another excellent online store that -- yes! -- accepts not just Paypal but also Visa, Mastercard, BDO and Chinabank deposits, and (attention eBayers) Gcash! What's more, they offer free shipping.

Of course, if you paid attention to the title of this post, you'd know by now that I'm talking about Zalora, the newest online store in town. This store is comparable to two entire floors at the SM department store: They've got clothes (blouses, dresses, pants, shorts, leggings, swimwear, etc.), shoes, and accessories (wallets, bags, toys, etc.) for ladies, men, and kids. Soon, they'll be selling Home & Living stuff, and even gift cards. Man, I could do my entire Christmas shopping here!

Now, as a veteran online shopper, there are a few things in my checklist that I like to see in an online store:

• Do they have a sizing guide? (It can be hard to buy clothes and shoes without those.) In this case, yes!
• Do they accept returns (you know, in case I flub up the sizing anyway despite the guide)? Zalora does!
• Do they have a local landline I can call for customer service? (02) 513 0373.
• Are the items described in detail? Yes. The prices, available sizes, measurements, and other details are right there for you to easily see. No guesswork involved.
• Can I sort according to price? (Yes, I still tend to shop that way.) I can at Zalora.

Of course, a review is not a review if you only talk about the good stuff. I must admit, though, that I found Zalora hard to criticize. If there is one negative thing I can say about it, it's that it's more expensive than eBay. 

One must remember, though, that unlike at eBay, all the items here are brand new, and we have assurance that they are genuine and of good quality. (Sadly, some of the eBay stuff I'd bought, I hated the moment I opened the packaging.)

And to be fair to Zalora, their store does have a lot of things that my stingy wallet can happily shell out for as well!

Having said that, let me get to the fun part: my Zalora wishlist! If I had a my day of free shopping at Zalora, here are the things I would get:

1. Riva 10 Party Dress from Periwinkle. The thing I love about Periwinkle dresses is they make little girls look like little girls, which is exactly how little girls should look! This dress, especially, has "English royalty" written all over it. With white stockings and white shoes, she'll look absolutely elegant, and yet, perfectly innocent -- exactly the way all little girls should look.

2. Reversible Wrap Dress by Spinkie. This one's for my soon-to-arrive little girl (that will make two girls and two boys in our family, wheee!). This dress has side ties, which I rather prefer over buttons, because baby clothes have such small button holes. The best thing about this dress, though, is that it's reversible: one side has fun balloon designs while the other side has beautiful, mandarin-themed flowers. It's like getting two dresses for the price of one. (And, if baby accidentally stains one side, as babies tend to do, you can simply mop up the mess, dab with alcohol, dry with talcum powder, then turn the dress over to make baby look perfectly neat again!)

Side A

Side B

3. Kendra SS Top by Space. How can anybody not love this blouse? You can wear it as is during the day, accessorize it with shiny chain belts or necklaces at night, and best of all, you can use it even when you're pregnant -- heck, it would even be perfect for discreet breastfeeding! Best of all -- look at that material -- it needs absolutely no ironing. This blouse is definitely heaven's gift for busy moms (and as you can see in the image below, it looks pretty good on young ladies as well)!

4. Sleeveless shift dress with chiffon center panel by Missy. Now here's a dress you can't use when you're six months pregnant -- but well, very few of us are pregnant forever. This gorgeous shift dress can be used at the office, or for meeting clients, for formal daytime affairs, or for semi-formal evening affairs. It's loose enough to hide figure flaws, but it's sculpted to make you look shapely nonetheless. It's too bad that, as of my writing this piece, they've run out of stocks in my size, but for a dress like this (and at its price of just P1,000), I'm willing to wait!

5. Scott Canvass Bag w/ Purse by Bags in the City. It's roomy, it's washable, it's sturdy, and it's beautiful. How could I not love this bag? It has enough space for all the diapers, spare clothes, wipes, and other stuff I normally carry in my diaper bag -- and yet, the bag looks dignified enough for me to carry around even on child-free excursions. When I'm out working, it can hold my notebooks and pens and tape recorder and even my little laptop -- and it won't be screaming to robbers, "Hey, steal me, I've got a laptop inside!" Oh, and have I mentioned it only costs around P800, with free shipping? Even the eBay crowd would surely fall head over heels for this one.

So that's my Zalora wishlist. What's yours? Make your own wishlist at Zalora.com -- then send it to your husband for reference (ha ha)! Happy shopping!

http://www.ZALORA.com.ph/

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Win a P1,000 Gift Certificate from Numa.ph!

Thanks to Numa's kind sponsorship, the Nanay Notebook is holding a no-occasion giveaway for all our loyal readers. The prize is a P1,000 gift certificate that the winner can use to buy top-quality organic and eco-friendly baby stuff at Numa's brick-and-mortar store in Quezon City.

Numa's brick-and-mortar store

What you can get

Numa has baby clothes, shoes, bags, toys, slings, carriers, strollers, diaper covers, educational books, parenting books, DVDs, salves, creams, and beddings, to mention just some.

They also have top brands known for their high-quality, fair trade, child-safe, eco-friendly products: Boon, Green Toys, Medela, Ecobaby (Natursutten), Fuzzibunz, Charlie Banana, Tummy Tub, Seventh Generation, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Isabooties, Laessig, Miyim, Tiny Buds, Kee-ka, Greenbaby, Radius, MaliMariHome, Boba, Sleepywrap, Baby Boomba, NursingMom, Little Innoscents, Dentiste, and Babyjo.

Many of these brands, you can't easily find locally -- but you can find them at Numa.

How to join

To join this contest, just answer this question in the comments box below: What Numa product would you like to have, and why? You can go to Numa's website or Numa's Facebook page to see what products they offer. Or you can view my wishlist of my favorite Numa products in my Numa Store Review and Wishlist article.

IMPORTANT: Please use the same name in your comment as the name you used to log in to Rafflecopter. If we can't find your comment, we will be compelled to delete your entry.

You can also earn extra entries by liking this post, the Nanay Notebook, and Numa on Facebook, and by tweeting about this contest on your Twitter account.

Contest duration

This contest is open until 12 noon of April 21, 2012, Saturday. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 23.

How to claim your prize

Numa's storefront

If you're the lucky winner, you can claim your prize at Numa's beautiful brick-and-mortar store located at E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City. If you're coming from Manila, it's a short way after Welcome Rotonda, on the right side, before you reach St. Luke's Medical Center, which is on the left. Click here to see the map.

We'll be sending Numa your name, so they will know for sure that you're the winner. Please bring one valid ID with you when you go to Numa to claim your prize.

So what are you waiting for? Join now!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Educational and Child-Safe Computer Sites

Source: Ian Britton FreeFoto.com

If you're reading this post, you must have a computer at home. And if you're like me, your kids probably know how to use it. And you probably worry sometimes too (in my case, I worried often) that your kids may be getting into sites that are not exactly safe for kids.

So when I got this list of child-friendly, educational Web sites from my friend Abby Sasscer, who runs the Sacred Heart Home School, I immediately put the links in the kids' browser white list and blocked everything else! Now I know that even when my kids go online, they're not viewing anything violent, pornographic, obscene, materialistic, hate-filled, etc., etc.

What's more, the sites are educational! Just this afternoon, my son Josh learned all about compound words, contractions, living and non-living things, thunderstorms, ants, and armadillos in his two-hour session at Time4Learning.com.

If you want the same peace of mind that I've recently gained, you might want to check these links out too:

Starfall.com: I use this site for my five-year-old. It contains free activities beginning reading and early literacy.

EWTNKids: Since my family is Catholic, I especially liked this educational Web site by the EWTN Global Catholic Network. It contains all sorts of free activities teaching Catholic kids about their Church and their faith. There are also dot-to-dot puzzles, dress up games, music activities, etc.

Sheppard Software: Has free fun games for all sorts of subjects and grade levels. There was a game where an equation was displayed and you had to shoot the fruit that displayed the correct answer. (The kids were supposed to play it but I couldn't resist and had to "borrow" the mouse just this one time!)

Fact Monster: This site, I found myself when I was looking for arithmetic flash cards for Josh. The flash cards are great for motivating my son to practice math. The rest of the site is filled with activities and materials on other subjects such as sports, science, vocabulary, etc.

Time4Learning: We use this for our homeschooling because it provides U.S. state-standard curriculum (i.e. K-12) and activities for our kids. It's our first day to use it and, as mentioned above, Josh learned a whole bunch of stuff in a two-hour session. There is a free demo, but you have to pay to access the rest of the materials. Cost is $20 per month for the first kid and $15 for all other kids that follow. If you're not homeschooling, you might still consider the program as it is cheaper than getting a tutor -- and more fun.

SpellingCity: This is a sister company of Time4Learning. This site focuses on teaching your kids spelling, parts of speech, and vocabulary. A lot of materials are free. Paid membership, which allows you to register up to five kids in one payment, is just $25 per year.

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Surprising Facts About Hepatitis that Every Mother Should Know

If you're like me, you could probably think of a dozen things more interesting than hepatitis, in two seconds flat.

But when my very-old-time friend invited me to cover this event she called "The Yellow Manifesto," I couldn't say no (she wouldn't let me).

Well thank goodness for that, because last night, on the eve of the first-ever World Hepatitis Day, I met a group of people fighting to eradicate hepatitis and the discrimination against its victims, and I learned a few surprising facts about this sorely underestimated and widely misunderstood disease.

From the speech and PowerPoint slides of Dr. Madalinee Eternity Labio of the Hepatology Society of the Philippines, here are some very interesting things every Filipino should know about hepatitis:

1. There are not two but six types of hepatitis: A, B, C, D, E, and G.
    
2. Only hepatitis B and C cause liver cancer and cirrhosis. Hepatitis A does not.
    
   
3. In fact, if you have a strong immune system, hepatitis A can resolve itself without vigorous medical treatment.
    
   
4. You do not get hepatitis B by having your food prepared by somebody who has it. It is hepatitis A which is transmitted via contaminated food and water; hepatitis B is only transmitted if virus-laden body fluids enter another's blood stream through transfusion or an open wound/mucus membrane or sex. Don't mix the two up.
    
   
5. As many as 1 in every 10 Filipinos have hepatitis B, but they don't know it because the disease is often asymptomatic -- it shows no symptoms until the liver is affected.
    
   
6. In other words, most people with hepatitis B do not turn yellowish, as a lot of us believe. The absence of jaundice (yellow skin) does not ensure the absence of hepatitis.
    
   
7. An amazing 90-95% of hepatitis B patients contracted their disease not from sexual contact but from their mothers, during their infancy, as the virus is transmitted in childbirth.
    
   
8. If a pregnant mother is infected with the virus, very early vaccination will prevent the disease from developing in her newborn child.
       
   
9. The Mandatory Infants and Children Immunization Act of 2011 (RA 10152) by Senator Pia Cayetano mandates that all newborn babies be given the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth.
    
10. Most people live out their childhood unaware that they have hepatitis B. They only find out when they get their first medical exam, as a pre-employment requirement. Then the company often refuses to hire them -- which is illegal, as hepatitis is not transmissible through casual contact and generally poses no threat, not even in food industries, if the business has proper hygienic policies in place.
       
    
11. Of every 4 people with hepatitis B, only 1 dies of cancer or cirrhosis. Some live out the rest of their lives without any symptoms. (Of course, it helps too if the disease is diagnosed early, monitored carefully, and managed well.)
     
12. Nonetheless, the biggest cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the Philippines is not alcoholism, as many of us believe, but hepatitis B. (In addition, liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the country, and it is the second most fatal.)
     
13. In fact, the HPV vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer, is not the first anti-cancer vaccine in the world; the Hepa-B vaccine, which prevents liver cancer, is.
     
    
14. To treat hepatitis C or delay the progression of hepatitis B, you would normally need to shell out a whopping Php700,000.
     
    
15. As an advocate in the fight against hepatitis, Merck Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) offers a 50% discount on the treatment cost of hepatitis B and C. They also offer free testing to regularly check if the medication is creating its desired effect in the patient.

What is the message we want to send with this list? First, hepatitis victims are stigmatized because we often think they got it from inappropriate social activities. We're wrong; they probably got it from childbirth.

Second, we are often afraid to interact with hepatitis victims because we are afraid of infection. Well, unless you "sleep" with them, they can't infect you with hepatitis B. Blood donations have been screened against hepatitis contamination since the 1990s.

You can only get hepatitis A if you let your colleague prepare your food for you right after he/she went to the bathroom (now why would you do that?), and if you do contract hepatitis A, remember that it's uncomfortable but, if you take care not to get dehydrated from the vomiting and diarrhea, hepatitis A is not deadly.

Hepatitis B infection is not the end of the world. Three out of four victims live out normal lives, medically speaking. It is the social stigma that makes life difficult for them.

It is easy to prevent hepatitis A and B. All you need is timely hepatitis vaccination, which, by the way, is much cheaper than hepatitis treatment.

Have your children had their hepatitis B vaccination? It's free at your nearest health center! (That's where all my kids got theirs.)

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FREE Downloadable Printable Award-Winning (and Perfectly Legal) Children's Books!

I'm supposed to be working to make up for yesterday's lost work day, as I had to play nurse to hubby who had an attack of supraventricular tachycardia (in layman's terms: super-fast heartbeat, super-low blood pressure, very dangerous. It sent him to the ICU in 2009.)

But just as I was about to start working, my friend Rich (pilya, maganda, at may magic powers) sent me this excellent link: http://canvas.ph/downloads.htm.

Mommies (and daddies), if you haven't clicked on the link yet, do so now. It will lead you to this excellent site where you can download wonderful, downloadable, printable, and absolutely free children's books written by Filipino writers. (Tarie, are you reading this?)

What's more, the downloading and printing out are perfectly legal, authorized by the publishers themselves, God bless them!

Of course, once you've read these wonderful, award-winning stories to your kids, you might want to buy the hardback versions. They are available in Fully Booked, the Ayala Museum and at 1/of Gallery in Serendra.

Let's support Philippine literature and early literacy! And cheers to free books!

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FREE Internet Protection for Our Kids

I have another confession to make: I let my kids go online.

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. Yes, sometimes when I'm busy doing stuff away from the computer (ie, getting some food into my body or getting some food out of), the kids beg to be allowed to use the computer to watch movies or go to Google Earth.

Now how could a mom refuse a kid who asks, "Mom, may I please go to Google Earth and learn more about the Earth, the moon and Mars?"

(No, he doesn't really say that. The mother's brain fills it in.)

But recently, the boy has learned to go to YouTube to look for cartoons, or to PlayHub, which he discovered when one of my jobs entailed me to write descriptions of online games. (Yes, once upon a time, I played Flash games for a living. It could have been nice, but there was a constant crowd of people at my back disturbing me while I was trying to Learn to Fly -- I mean, write.)

So for a few days, I kept worrying that he might one day chance upon those nasty things we sometimes see in video, image, or game portals -- you moms and dads know what I'm talking about.

I wanted to install one of those Internet filtering systems we've all heard so much about -- NetNanny, CyberNanny, etc. -- but they were expensive! (Okay, they were $39 dollars. That's 20 orders from Dairy Queen, you know.)

Fortunately, I found a free one, and I've been using it for three days now. It's so strict, it won't even let me search Google images if I don't type in my password.

The first time I checked, though, it let me open the dreaded games portal. But a quick adjustment to the setting and it was all set to block anything with games.

Now I can have more peace of mind when I leave the kids with the computer (for just a very short time, really!).

Anyway, you waited long for this so here it is: K9 Web Protection. Go get it installed in your computer now.

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Free Download: The Conscious Partnering Conference 2011

On May 23 to 27, there will be a FREE Conscious Partnering Conference, which will teach us all how we can create amazing relationships in all areas of our lives.

Whether you are managing your own employees in your own business, managing your boss and colleagues at your place of employment, trying to maintain an intimate relationship, or raising kids and a husband (or wife), these talks can help you.

For me, the best part about it is that registration is free! What's more, if we can't make time to join the live call, we can download the recordings afterward.

I've registered five minutes ago. If you wish to register too, you can go to http://consciouspartnering.net/.

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Free Download: The Philippine DepEd Curriculum for Second Year High School

Here's the next installment of the Department of Education's high school curriculum:  second year (sophomore) subjects:

English II
Mathematics II
Science II
Filipino II
Araling Panlipunan II
Music and Arts II
Physical Education II
Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga II

I don't have the curricula for the third year and fourth year subjects yet. Will post when I find them.

DOWNLOAD TROUBLE? We've been receiving reports that Docstoc has been requiring payments. If this happens to you, you can also download the zipped files for free HERE.

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Free Download: The Philippine DepEd Curriculum for First Year High School

Here's the new high school curriculum that the Department of Education will be using in 2011. If I am not mistaken, it is based on the Understanding by Design (UbD) curriculum framework -- a rather difficult framework, resulting in a rather complex curriculum design.

So far, I have the curricula for year 1 and year 2 subjects.

Click here to download the Philippine freshman curriculum for the following subjects:

English I
Mathematics I
Science I
Filipino I
Araling Panlipunan I
Music and Arts I
Physical Education I
Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga I

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Discount Coupon from Zebebe Baby Products Online Store

Here's another online store I'm sure you mommies would like to know about as well.  

Zebebe.com sells baby products and ships them to Philippine addresses for a mere Php100 for Metro Manila buyers and Php200 for provincial buyers.

Now we can buy top-brand toys, clothes, books, and other baby stuff right from the comfort of our own homes!

What do I like about Zebebe.com?

Why, they accept PayPal payments! You can also pay through BDO and Gcash.

What can you find at Zebebe.com? They have

• toys, 
• children's books, 
• clothing and shoes,
• breast- and bottle-feeding gear, 
• health care gadgets, 
• head and body supports, 
• stroller accessories, 
• blankets, and 
• diaper bags.

And they hold an assortment of brands, including Baby Einstein, Crocs, Fisher-Price, Lamaze, Lansinoh, LeapFrog, Medela, Philips Avent, Playtex, and Manhattan Toy.

My favorite feature is the price filter, which lets you browse products by price.

And if your purchase exceeds Php2,000, shipping is free!

What don't I like about Zebebe.com?

The number of product options are still somewhat limited. For instance, they only have three items for Dr. Seuss books:

1. a 5-book beginner collection (The Cat in the Hat, Fox in Socks, Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and my all-time favorite, Green Eggs and Ham.)
2. Dr. Seuss's ABC (which is a fun book, by the way. I got ours three years ago, and my kids love it), and
3. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you? 

(I must add, though, that these eight books are great, and every child's library should have them!)

For breast pumps, they only have the Medela Harmony manual pump, which has received great reviews online -- but it is not a double-breast pump, which I think every working mom should have.

And there was this lovely tier dress that I so wanted for my 4-year-old, but it only came in one size: 6-9 months. Awwwwwww :-(

Finally, their customer service is rather slow at replying to e-mails, and they haven't published a landline number, which is weird, considering that their store seems to be based locally.

Recommendation

Overall, it's a nice online store. I can guarantee you this: you can't visit it without finding something you would want to buy.

And by the way, if you do decide to purchase something, here's a coupon code that you can input to get a Php50 discount on your purchase: nanaynotebook. (Use the Php50 to buy your kid ice cream or a cheeseburger.)

Happy shopping!

Disclosure: The Nanay Notebook and its author did not receive any compensation for this review. We are not affiliated with Zebebe.com. But yes, we may use the coupon code too, to get our own Php50 discount!

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FREE E-book Download: How to Make Money from Your Blog

For all my readers who've been asking me how one can make money from one's blog, here's an e-book that will answer your questions much better than I can: Six Figure Affiliate Blogging by Zac Johnson.

To download it, just go to www.BloggingTips.com. A pop-up will show that will offer you a free download of the e-book. You just need to leave your name and e-mail and subscribe to the blog.

I've read it and it's chockful of useful information. I must tell you, though, that if you follow it, you'll need to do a LOT of work on your blog. If you don't have a lot of free time, you'll have to do it little by little, as I intend to do. The important thing is to start.

So what are you still here for? Go download, and happy reading.

Disclosure: This site and author are receiving no compensation or rewards for promoting this e-book. We are not affiliated with BloggingTips.com.

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A Freebie Blog You Must Bookmark

Just a quick post to share a new find:

If you like freebies as much as I do, bookmark this URL (just as I did): Mukhangpera.com.

Don't let yourself get turned off by the mercenary-sounding domain name. We smart 'uns never judge books by their covers, right?

In fact, Mukhangpera.com was christened with tongue in cheek. Its real aim, in addition to updating us on sales and freebies, is to "teach you how to make money online and offline."

The MP blog is written by Karen Ang.

And have I found anything worthwhile in the site? Well, so far, I've signed up for a free Ingat kit from IngatPilipinas.com. I don't know what's in there, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out!

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Free Snapit Screen Capture Software Registration Key

Don't you just hate the fact that screenshot images get degraded when you paste them on MS Paint to be able to save them as image files?

Try SnapIt, a screen capture software which allows you to capture anything on the screen, including

• windows, 
• menus, 
• full screen, 
• rectangular regions,
• web pages, and 
• shots of moving images.

The company is conducting a promotion that allows you to get a free registration key simply by writing a review in any blog/forum/Twitter/Facebook, etc.

Just contact julia.taylor@digeus.com with a link to the review, and she'll issue you a registration name and code.

Promo lasts until October 15, 2010.

To know more about Snapit, you may visit its website: www.Digeus.com/Snapit.

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Huge Sale in Paranaque! Furniture, Etc.

There's a huge sale going on in Paranaque, and if you're looking for sofas, shelves, dishes, even original Japanese stuffed toys for resale or personal use, this is a sale you can't afford to miss.

It's held by Asian Dream Trading, "a supplier of slightly used quality items direct from Japan." Well, that's what their Web site says, but we've been able to buy from them stuff that are so new, they still have their tags on.

It's located at Warehouse #2, Oyster Plaza Complex, Bldg.III, Ninoy Aquino Ave., Brgy. San Dionisio, Paranaque, Metro Manila. Their phone numbers are 468-3462, 468-3435, and 826-2706.


So what can you find there?

Well, so far, we have been able to get a leather sofa set, a stair climber exercise machine, a set of black porcelain ramen bowls, and a two-foot-tall Asimo stuffed toy -- all as good as new, and for a fraction of their original price! (I searched online to find out how much these things cost in regular stores, that's how I know.)

Items are sold in auction format, so get your cards ready, you're in for an exciting time!

The auction

To get in, you need to pay a fully consumable entrance fee of five hundred.

That entrance fee is only for the person who intends to buy. If you come as a group of five, you can actually let just one of your group pay the entrance fee and do the bidding for you. Just make sure you choose one who knows how to bid fast and knows exactly which items you yourself want to bid on and up to how much.

In the end, it would actually be more convenient to pay the entrance fee if you intend to buy anything. After all, it IS consumable, and there are already a lot of things you can buy from your five hundred pesos.

Before the auction starts, you are given an hour to go around the displays and choose which items you want to bid on. That's from 1 to 2 p.m. They are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only.

After 2 p.m., the auction starts. It ends at 7:30. That will give you plenty of time to win something. Cheap and good-quality sofa set, anyone?

After you win an item, remember that its price has additional 12% VAT. For a three-hundred-peso car seat, it's still not a bad price to pay.

Delivery

If you end up buying something too big to bring home in a car, like a china cabinet, you can have it delivered to your home for a fee: (information taken from their Web site)

LOCATION	RATES
1.)  ALONG SUCAT AREA	450
2.)  ALONG WEST SERVICE ROAD AREA	450
3.)  ALONG EAST SERVICE ROAD	450
4.)  ALABANG AREA	900
5.)  MUNTINLUPA AREA	1,170
6.)  LAS PINAS AREA	1350
7.)  BICUTAN/BETTERLIVING/FTI	675
8.)  MULTI-NATIONAL / MERVILLE / MOONWALK	900
9.)  MIA / BACLARAN /PASAY	1350
10.) TAGUIG / PATEROS AREA	1350
11.) MAKATI AREA	1350
12.) PASIG / MANDALUYONG / SAN JUAN	1620
13.) MARIKINA / MANILA / QUEZON CITY	1800
14.) CALOOCAN / MALABON / NAVOTAS	2,250
15.) FAIRVIEW / NOVALICHES	2,250
16.) ANTIPOLO / VALENZUELA	2,700
17.) BULACAN AREA INTERIOR	4,050
18.) PAMPANGA AREA	4,500
19.) CAVITE AREA, ALONG AGUINALDO HIGHWAY	2,250
20.) CAVITE AREA ALONG PEZA	3,150
21.) LAGUNA AREA	2,700
22.) BATANGAS	4,500
23.) SAN PABLO	4,050
24.) CABANATUAN	5,400

For more information, you can view their website: Asian Dream Trading.

Happy bidding!

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Get Rich Slowly

This weekend, I have come across an amazing freebie, which -- because it's free -- I would like to share with you, my readers.

What is it? My dear friends, it's a freebie that could change your life.

It's a free seminar workshop on financial planning.

It's free because it is the public education effort of IMG, a brokerage company. Despite the sponsorship, it has no strings attached. You will learn a lot, and you won't need to shell out a cent to use what you learned.

Now let me tell you more about what this Filipino mom learned for free in this workshop:

• I learned how to make sure that if I, the breadwinner, should die tomorrow, my kids would not starve.
• I learned how to make sure that if I live until 110, my kids will not go broke paying my medical bills.
• We have all heard that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Well, this time, this Filipino mom learned exactly HOW that happens, and how I can make that rule work for myself and my family.
• Have you heard about compounding interest, how your money goes up so fast at 12% interest, then have you wondered which bank on earth gives 12% interest? Now I know where.
• Other stuff. What can I say? It was an information-filled seminar, and this is a blog, not an e-book.

Now let me digress a little. I have a confession to make.

When it comes to planning financially -- saving money, most specifically -- I have never been an authority. Oh, we try to save all right, but in all truth, the money that my husband and I make is barely enough to cover our basic needs. How on earth could we think about saving when what we make isn't even enough for our expenses?

But it has been said that insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting the result to be different.

I don't want to be working for sixteen hours a day until the day I retire -- heaven forbid, until the day I die -- and still be unable to afford a trip to Las Pinas!

This seminar has forced me to rethink my life. More importantly, it has helped me map out a way to do things differently so that, inevitably, the results will change as well.

Then maybe I won't have to work for sixteen hours a day for the rest of my life. And, God willing, my kids won't have to either.

I would like to thank our long-time family friend Ate Joy for letting me know about this seminar. From the bottom of my heart, you have truly been an answer to prayers I didn't even know I prayed.

And now I would like to pass the kindness forward. My dear friends and readers, I would like to invite you to the same seminar.

If you wish to attend it, you can go directly to this address: 3/F King's Court I, Chino Roces (formerly Pasong Tamo), Makati City, on Saturdays, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Schedules may change without advance notice.)

If you wish to confirm the schedule first, or if you prefer a different schedule or venue, or if you only have four hours to spare, you may contact 0906-2147059 for assistance.

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Free Download: The Philippine Basic Education Curriculum for Elementary School Students

School has started for the rest of the Philippines, and while my kids and I had begun informally homeschooling last April, we weren't following a specific curriculum yet.

Well, Teacher Mommy has finally realized that while teaching spontaneously is fun, a lesson plan and a curriculum are invaluable when it comes to pacing and directing your lessons.

So I downloaded the Philippine Basic Education curriculum today for all elementary subjects. This is the curriculum used by the Department of Education. We'll be following it in our household, and I'll be supplementing it as necessary.

If any of you homeschooling moms are interested in using these curricula as well, you can download the zipped files for free HERE.
 

Looking for the NEW K-12 curriculum? Click on the link to go to our K-12 curriculum download page.

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