Home Hacks Design

Home Hacks Design for the bathroom such as Simple Hacks To A Prettier Bathroom. Similarly, this also feature Toilet Shopping Tips.

Another Home Hacks Design are for kitchen like Cleaning Tips For Your Dirty Kitchen and cleaning products that is perfect for cleaning.

Kitchen Hacks You Wish You Should Have Known Before like the other great use of paper towels.

Creating an effective cleaning schedule; divide it into categories; daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.

Cleaning schedule that you also need to consider are those that is done every 4 months such as air conditioner cleaning, pest control, and deep cleaning of windows.

Cleaning of roof and rain gutter are done every year. Cleaning/draining of the septic tank should be done every 3 years or 5 years.

Cost of home make over and DIY for cheaper make over ideas.

Bedroom decorations ideas and where to buy the cheapest bed lines.

Kitchen make over ideas and DIYs for cheaper make over ideas.

Tropical living room themed and where to buy cheap tropical plants.

Home make over ideas in the Philippines. Home interior ideas in the Philippines

Mommy Blog with home hacks topic in the Philippines.

Where to buy cheap wood furniture in the Philippines.

Price of Aluminum Screen Door in the Philippines. Price of the brown aluminum and silver aluminum.

Furniture stores in the Philippines. Abad Santos furniture store address.

Uratex foam custom cut online. Uratex foam price online.

The Dengue Paranoia

oh let me rephrase that, the Dengue Epidemia.

Dengue has been on the news for the past few weeks. August and September are months where Dengue cases rise. As of date (heard from the news), there are already 40,000 cases of dengue for this year, 10,00 of which coming from Metro Manila and the saddest part, almost 300 cases led to death.

Early this year, we lost a love one because of it. My husband’s nephew. Just like any dengue story, the child got fever and on the third day, he was admitted to the hospital. He got a stronger type of dengue and few days the infection got his brain, a few more days and he’s gone. It was one of the most difficult time in the family. It’s the first time that it happened and from a disease that is curable.

I cannot say what happened during those times but I can say that knowledge can be one of the best armor against this disease.

Dengue is a disease that can lead to death BUT it can be cured. It has 4 strains so a person who experienced it, can experience it again.. and can happen 4times. Don’t be afraid though, as mentioned, Dengue can be cured.. but we need to know how and what to do in order to fight Dengue.

This disease, as we all know are transferred through mosquito bites. There is a type of mosquito that carries the dengue virus. And when a dengue carrier mosquito bites a dengue infected person, and sucks a blood from the person, then bites another person, that’s when the virus is carried. I know we have to very vigilant about dengue but to save us from paranoia, keep in mind that, if there is no dengue case in your area, it is very little that a dengue virus is being carried out by mosquitoes on your area.

But if there is a dengue case in your area, you have to be very cautious and of course be very observant with the condition of your kids.

What are the symptoms of Dengue?

consistent fever
vomiting
diarrhea
bleeding of the gums
stomach pain and muscle pain

We don’t have to wait for the symptoms, do we? as far as I know or based on reports, there are cases where in when the virus is detected, it is too late to be cured..and I know all of us do not want to hear the term, too late..

So what must we do?

For one, when your child has a fever, make sure that you will only give them doctor recommend medicine, stick with paracetamol such as Biogesic as this is safe for dengue fever. Some meds for fever can actually worsen the case (like Ibufropen or those that targets inflammation).

Water. Water. Water. This will be your cheapest ally. That is why people use Tawa Tawa to treat dengue.

Dengue NS1 or NS1 antigen test (Platelia Dengue NS1 Ag assay) is a test that can detect dengue virus on the first day of fever until 3-5 days. It’s pricey but, we cannot put a price tag on our kid’s safety right? So when you are suspecting dengue, go to your nearest hospital and asked about NS1.

Always remember that this kind of virus targets our immune system so the best way to fight it is to strengthen our immune system. And during this time where dengue is very rampant, increase your vitamin c intake specially with your kids. Other things that we can do to prevent dengue:

Dark colored clothing attracts mosquitoes while light colored tend to blind them. As much as possible, put your kids on white pjs.
Clean your place, dark and messy corners are mosquitoes favorite hiding place and they breed lay eggs on water.
Use insect repellent, use citronella oils or Mosquito patches.

As a mother, seeing the news with parents losing their child due to dengue breaks my heart. And I want to educate people about dengue, because I know, with proper education, we can battle this disease.

“Wala Ba Kayong TV?”

Year 2004:
“Wala ba kayong TV?”
“meron no, perong walang cable.”

Year 2007:
“wala pa rin kayong TV?”
“meron nga, meron na rin cable, pero.. ”

Year 2009:
“di ba may TV naman kayo?”
“hehehehe LCD pa nga.. ang sarap manood ng..”

And that’s what our family planning is all about. bow.

Would you believe if I tell you that we lived together for 3 years before I got pregnant? And that my pregnancy was a planned one? Of course we were doing it, hey we were doing it even before we had our 2nd monthsary. But we know what we were doing. I never got pregnant during those years. It was only in 2003 that we decided it’s about time. See? we know family planning even before we start a family.. and that’s what we thought.

October 2003 and I was the happiest mommy. I gave birth to my first born child. During my pregnancy, all I can think about is the excitement of being a mother. We never even discussed our child spacing. And when I gave birth, the pain, the trauma and the finances told us not to have another child in the next 3 years. Four years sounds reasonable to me. So it was set, 4 years.. 4 years.. 4 years..

I’m breastfeeding.. so it’s safe. Oh wait! who told us that? OK we assumed that since I am breastfeeding, I will not get pregnant. But hey, remember our TV has no cable? By the time that my first born is celebrating his first birthday, I was already 4 months pregnant with our second child.

Giving birth was not easy. It was the most traumatic and painful thing that ever happened to me and here I am again, like time bomb waiting to explode. I can’t remember how I was able to battle the 9 months wait without feeling nauseated with the thought of having to go through labor again.. having to go through post partum again.. and having to go through the finances again. I was always nauseated that time but that’s because of morning sickness not the thought of the above mentioned.

But I did! I waited for 9 months and gave birth to another baby boy. And that’s the end of it. I said no more babies (for now). I do not know what birth control method to use, I am clueless and afraid to try anything. When we brought our second child for his BCG at the Branggay Health Center, they told me to use Injectibles (in a not so nice way I tell you), so I did. It was very cheap, only 100 Pesos and it will last for 3 months, then I have to be back again for another shot. It was very convenient but it massacred our sex life, and it introduced me to high blood. After 18 months of using it, I stopped.

My OB Gyne suggested IUD but I was afraid, so I end up with pills. That’s in 2007. Two months and more than 4 missed pills, I stopped and we relied on ryhtm method. By September of 2007, I was pregnant again. And as if history is repeating itself, by the time that our third son is celebrating his first birthday, I was already pregnant with our 4th baby, only I was on my 3rd month then, not 4th.

It’s very amusing how we end up with four kids. We both know when it is safe to do it and not. I know my cycle, I have a regular cycle. Funny that even though we were armed with that knowledge, 3 out 4 of my pregnancies were unplanned. And it is as if we never learned from each of it.. oh well except for the last one. I am not saying I regret having 4 kids, I actually feel I am the luckiest mom in the whole world for having these adorable babies, but It just made me realize that if unplanned pregnancy can happen to people who knows something about reproduction, cycle and birth control, what more to the people who don’t know a thing about it?

What more to those people na wala talagang TV?

UNICEF celebrates Global Breastfeeding

PRESS RELEASE FROM UNICEF:

UNICEF celebrates Global Breastfeeding Week by taking the message beyond health clinics

Manila, 4th August, 2011 – During World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF joins global partners in calling for the benefits of breastfeeding to be broadcast beyond clinics and delivery rooms to the public at large, ensuring that young people both in the developing world and in wealthier countries understand the importance of breastfeeding long before they become parents.

Breastfeeding is directly linked to reducing the death toll of children under five, yet only 36 per cent of infants under six months old in developing countries are exclusively breastfed. In the Philippines, only 34% of mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for 6 months, and the number drops to 2% at one year. One of the factors is the lack of a strong enabling environment that supports breastfeeding mothers.

“With so much at stake, we need to do more to reach women with a simple, powerful message: Breastfeeding can save your baby’s life,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “No other preventive intervention is more cost effective in reducing the number of children who die before reaching their fifth birthdays.”

The powerful benefits of breastfeeding for child survival, growth and development are well known. Scientific evidence has shown that breastfeeding could lead to a 13 per cent reduction in deaths of children under five if infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and continued to be breastfed up to two years.

Breastfeeding also plays an important role in preventing stunting (low height for age), a condition that can cause irreversible physical and cognitive damage, and which is viewed as a key indicator reflecting inequities in society. Given its critical importance, UNICEF firmly supports all efforts to accelerate comprehensive action to improve breastfeeding rates globally, in every country and with a particular focus on reaching the most disadvantaged and hard to reach populations.

“Breastfed is best fed, whether the baby is born in Uganda or England, the Philippines or Canada,” said Lake.

Women generally have received information about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding when they go for antenatal care visits, or after they deliver their babies. That is why community health networks should have staff that not only possess updated knowledge and skills to support mothers to start breastfeeding, but also offer guidance and clarification on how to sustain exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and to continue to breastfeed until two years and beyond.

Yet, while breastfeeding rates in the developing world are on the rise in two-thirds of countries with data, millions of infants are not benefiting from this life-saving practice.

In the Philippines, UNICEF is working with the government, the private sector, NGOs, breastfeeding advocates and mothers to create an enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed. Through continuous advocacy, helping peer support networks, reaching out to mothers in communities and workplaces, supporting human milk banks and enforcement of the Milk Code, UNICEF helps promote a breastfeeding culture in the country.

‘It’s clear we need to take breastfeeding awareness to every corner of the country, from cities to rural communities. Not just mothers, but fathers, in-laws, teachers and business leaders all have a role to play in supporting a breastfeeding culture in the Philippines. In doing so, they are giving infants and young children the best possible chances of a healthy, secure start in life’, said Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF Philippines country representative.

UNICEF embraces the idea of using all possible means of communication and encourages others to do the same, using the opportunity of World Breastfeeding Week to trigger action the whole year round. UNICEF Philippines will have a month-long celebration with the Department of Health, the World Health Organization, other government agencies, corporate partners, NGOs and mothers to spread the word about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond.

This year’s celebration emphasizes the role that every member of society, especially fathers, can play to raise awareness about breastfeeding – a natural and nurturing start to life for infants and mothers. It also emphasizes that communication on breastfeeding should take advantage of non-traditional and newer communication tools such as social networking, blogs, mobile phone technology, the arts and flash mobs.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
In the Philippines for over sixty years, UNICEF works through partners to reach disadvantaged children and communities to ensure children are healthy, educated and protected from harm. UNICEF is quick to respond in emergencies to ensure affected communities are reached and provided with services from local governments and other service providers.
Visit. www.unicef.ph
http://facebook.com/unicefphilippines
http://twitter.com/unicefphils