Tips that can save lives

I got this e-mail from my friend Kristine, and I thought of posting it here for everyone to see.  We are now living in dangerous times and these 9 useful tips may come in handy.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :
The elbow is the strongest point on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans
If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.
Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you,
and he will go for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
 
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,
kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole
and start waving like crazy.
The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.
This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars
after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit
(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.
DON'T DO THIS!)
The predator will be watching you, and this
is the perfect opportunity for him to get in
on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,
and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,
LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

If someone
is in the car
with a gun
to your head
DO NOT DRIVE OFF,
repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF!
Instead gun the engine
and speed into anything, wrecking the car.
Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is in the back seat
they will get the worst of it .
As soon as the car crashes
bail out and run.
It is better than having them find your body
in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car,
at the passenger side floor , and in the back seat
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims
by pulling them into their vans while the women
are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,
and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN!
The predator will only hit you (a running target)
4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic:
STOP
It may get you raped, or killed.
Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,
well educated man, who ALWAYS played
on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.
He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle,
which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard
a crying baby on her porch the night before last,
and she called the police because it was late
and she thought it was weird. The police told her
"Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door."
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby
had crawled near a window, and she was worried
that it would crawl to the street and get run over.
The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."
He told her that they think a serial killer
has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax
women out of their homes thinking that someone
dropped off a baby He said they have not verified it,
but have had several calls by women saying that
they hear baby's cries outside their doors
when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door
for a crying baby ----
This e-mail should be taken seriously because
the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on
America 's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled
the serial killer in Louisiana

Trixie's First Day of School

Yesterday, Trixie came home with such a glow in her eyes.  It was her first day of school and clearly, she loved it.  She proudly showed me the butterfly stamp her teacher put on her right hand (which we accidentally washed away at bathtime that night, to her dismay! She said she won't take a bath next time... oh no!) Brandon and I decided that he should bring Trixie to school instead of me; she is so attached to me that she might not let go of my hand once we're there.  We sure made the right decision.  Of course, I missed seeing everything in action, but Brandon took lots of videos and photos and I was so proud of her.  I saw her doing actions, participating and socializing, and having fun.  There were two boys in her class who cried and Brandon said Trixie kept on telling the boys "Don't cry, don't cry."  That afternoon, we talked about her day and she told me the nice things she did in school (I still can't believe that Trixie and I can have real conversations now... she sure is a talker.)  I can see that she is so ready for school and Brandon and I are so happy for her. :)     

A Good Day for Baked Pasta

Today indeed started good for me.  There's no tinge of morning sickness today (well, none yet!) and to celebrate, I thought of cooking up a wonderful lunch for Brandon and Trixie.  It has been very difficult for me the past weeks because of all-day-sickness (hence, the lack of acitivity in my site...), but I'm hoping for better days ahead.  I decided to make Baked Pasta today, and I'm sharing with you this fabulous cheese topping recipe that I adapted from PinoyCook.  I've done this several times already, making changes every time and finally, this is the tweaked recipe that truly satisfied me.  You can use this cheesy topping for any type of pasta to be baked, i.e. baked macaroni, spaghetti, ziti, lasagna.... This topping truly makes a big difference, kicking the pasta up a notch.  It really makes the pasta more special.  Here's the recipe:



Cheese Topping for Baked Pasta
Yield:  Just enough to top pasta in a big rectangular baking dish

Ingredients:
40g unsalted butter (3/4 of 1/4 cup butter)
1.5 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh milk
1/2 bar Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/3 bar Eden cheese, cut into small cubes
Salt and Pepper
Dried Basil or Fresh Basil

Procedure:
Melt butter in a small saucepan until frothy.
Put in all the flour and cook until light brown and until flour exudes a nice smell (but not burnt).
Add in the water without lowering the heat.  The mixture will suddenly boil up or bubble up but don't worry and keep on stirring.  Add the milk and continue stirring.
Add the two cheese and cook until melted and thick.  I use a silicon spatula for cooking this cheese sauce so I can scrape the pan properly to prevent burning.  As soon as the cheeses melt, turn off heat and season with salt and pepper.  Add lots of dried basil.

Place cooked pasta in a big rectangular baking dish (I usually combine the pasta and the sauce already) and pour this heavenly cheese sauce on top.  Be sure to cover the pasta completely by spreading to the edges.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.  The pasta will become bubbly and wonderful.  The cheese sauce will kinda set and I don't bake my pasta until golden brown, but it's up to you. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Tumbling Fun!

Brandon decided to "sunbathe" our bedroom mattress today and before bringing it back up, they had lots of fun on it first!

My Preschool Search for Trixie- Part 2

The search is over.  After two weeks of checking out the schools and sitting in with Trixie, we finally made our choice--- this morning, we enrolled Trixie at Little Sandbox Daycare and Learning Center.  Come to think of it, Trixie actually made the choice for herself.  I simply asked her and gosh, she does have a mind of her own and she already knows what she wants!  Brandon and I also liked the school so I'm relieved that our minds met regarding this one.  It was a tiring two-week school search, but I guess it was worth it.  Call us "praning parents" but going through this experience taught us that we really can't judge a school by its website, school signage or even phone-in information.  I am glad we took the time to visit the schools--- six schools to be exact.  I learned that you just cannot rely on "sweet talk" from the admin or teachers of the school.  You really must sit-in in a class and see what goes on, how the teacher handles the children, and most importantly, see how your child reacts.  I was almost swayed to enroll Trixie in one particular school because we visited it on a Saturday, so no classes, and I liked the lay-out of the school--- lots of wide, open spaces for children to play in and the teachers had credentials.  Trixie told us herself that the place is nice.  But when we sat in during an actual class, oh my, it was chaotic!  I felt that the teacher had no control over the little rascals anymore and she looked too tired and harassed to care.  I think we came on a bad day because they lacked teachers, but Trixie just stood there and looked at the wild kids hehe.  It was the opposite for the other school.  I was surprised to see kids so behaved and quiet!  But we didn't like the way the teacher handled the class. It was too bland and the English of the teacher was questionable (sorry, but that mattered to me...)  The only thing that Trixie liked about that school was the comfort room with miniature fixtures that she enjoyed using.  Actually, she went to the bathroom twice then said she wanted to go home already, so the toilet was more interesting for her than the class! Haha!  The teacher was surprised that we left so early, so I felt kinda embarrassed but staying there would be a waste of time for Trixie, so to speak.  Well, it's worth mentioning that there's another school that I liked- The Learning Jungle.  The teacher was accommodating and I noticed that the kids looked happy.  There was a boy who liked Trixie (teacher told us he liked small kids in general) that he came right at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek!  I was unsure of how Trixie will react, but she just shrugged it off as if nothing happened haha.  Well, we only stayed a little while because Trixie wanted to go home already; I guess she was already set on going to Little Sandbox.   I remember the day we sat in at Little Sand Box, I immediately felt comfortable because the room was bright and colorful and the teacher was really good.  She gave each student a warm hug and I sensed there was genuine love and concern.  But this was the real clincher that sent a clear message to me that Trixie liked the school.  During the class, a big boy pushed her.  She cried real hard so I had to bring her out of he room to comfort her.  The funny thing about it was that after she cried, she wanted to go back and so we stayed until the class ended!  I guess the teacher had am impact on Trixie too because for the rest of the day (and week, up to now actually...), she kept on telling me she wanted to go to school and even saying the teacher's name!   (See photo on the right to see a glimpse of the class at Little Sandbox.)  So there.  My search ended today.  Trix and I will visit the school for free play this week and next, until her summer class which will start in April.  I am officially a mom of a preschooler. :)

Making Quesadillas at Home

Trixie loves cheese quesadillas but as you can see, she loves making it more than eating it.

Motherhood Nostalgia

I found out over the weekend that I'm pregnant for the second time around.  This time, it didn't come as a surprise anymore--- Brandon and I have talked about Trixie turning three this year, so it was a good idea to have another baby, plus the fact that I'm turning 30 this year, but that's another story...  I've been seeing signs that Trixie might be ready for a sibling.  Early last month, Trixie toilet-trained herself and she now bugs us to bring her to school.  Our old maid also came back and Trixie likes her a lot, so I let them play together when I'm at my wit's end.  I call this God's perfect timing :) But there's something different this time around. I find my belly bulging more and I read that it's quite normal during the second pregnancy because the body kinda remembers how a "watermelon" grew in the tummy and the muscles don't quite resist anymore!  But other than some physical changes, I've been having these emotional outbursts whenever I spend sweet, quiet moments with Trixie (and these might also be the effect of surging hormones).  I find myself crying when I realize that with the growing belly comes diminishing moments with Trixie sitting on my lap.   For now, I won't be able to run with her in our backyard, jump and play silly with her in the mornings, and I won't be able to carry her in my arms for long.  I think she knows it too because she would look at me in the eye and that sweet look brings even more tears.  I find myself kissing and hugging Trixie more these days and assuring her that I love her very much.  Well, soon, there will be two of them and there will be more drama haha!  But I'm really happy that God blessed Brandon and me with another baby.  Trixie will be a big sister soon, and that thought always makes me smile.