Parenting Archive

My thoughts on parenthood, and what it's like to be a mom in the Philippines.

Pancake House’s House Specials Set Is A Certified Mom’s Meal

A friend asked me, “How are you?” and I said, “eto, surviving through Pancake House’s House Specials Set.”

Pancake House’s House Special Set is a delicious mix of specialties of Pancake House: Best Taco in Town, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and garlic bread, 1 pc Pan Chicken and Iced Tea.

Pancake House’s House Specials Set

And you couldn’t go wrong with this set. This is the perfect “pick me up” meal for lalo na for mommies na walang katapusan ang pagod. It has everything you need to make you feel better. There’s the pan chicken and its crispy skin, sobrang tasty ng chicken tapos with gravy pa! The best taco in town is not called as such for nothing. It really is the best Taco in town. The veggies are refreshing, every bite is rejuvenating. Tapos yung spaghetti na meaty, hindi matamis at hindi rin naman maasim. Finish it with Iced Tea, ay nako parang pinalis lahat ng pagod mo. The best part about it, hindi sya masyadong mahal. It’s less than 300 Pesos only at hindi naman masyadong nakaka guilty kainin kase walang rice (wooohooo haha)

This is how I usually eat Pancake House’s House Specials Set: put gravy on garlic bread and set aside. Finish spaghetti and sip iced tea. Finish Taco and drink iced tea. Eat the chicken with bread and gravy and drink all iced tea. Bread+ chicken + gravy is a very good combo for me. Yung roast chicken set ng Pancake House ang favorite ko noon eh, kaso tinanggal nila. OK na rin kase I discovered Pancake House’s House Specials Set. Mas solve!

And you might be wondering why a food related post is filed under parenting…

Eh kase nga, this meal is my “I’m soooo tired I need a fuck!ng break!” meal. Sabi ko nga di ba, it’s the best “pick me up” meal. Sa totoo lang, nakaka dalawa na ako this week. That’s how bad I am at parenting right now. OK, I take that back… I’m just having a rough time handling some mommy woes. I just can’t talk about it right now but in due time I will. I have learned a lot and still learning from my current ordeal and soon I will be able to share my learnings to you. For the mean time, kain na lang muna tayo 🙂

By the way, Pancake House has online delivery!

The Ins And Outs Of Snapchat For Parents

It really is quite challenging to be up to date with my kids’ online activities. Our only requirement for allowing them to use a device is they share their passwords with us. Now that I have a son who’ll be a teen ager in just a few months, I know the password requirement will soon be questioned. So I guess the only way to be up to date with his technology and online activities is to know what’s in and out with teen’s technology. And Snapchat is one of those!

Here’s a guest post from Hilary Smith* about the Ins and Outs of Snapchat and 5 Ways To Encourage Teen Safety On Snapchat

The Ins And Outs Of Snapchat

Snapchat is a popular disappearing messaging app that was developed in 2011. It allows users to send short messages or images to others, but after the receiver views the message after a certain amount of time has elapsed Snapchat automatically deletes the message. The fleeting qualities of this app have made Snapchat one of the fastest growing social media platforms.

Teens and adults embrace the freedom and authentic communication Snapchat offers users. The ephemeral messages trim the amount of data left in a person’s digital footprint making it a great alternative to traditional social media that relies on walls, profiles, and messaging. As an added bonus, it allows users a broad range of self expression without fear that everyone will be able to see every post a person makes.

Recently, Snapchat has created “stories” which are basically homepages for users to post Snapchats with other users. According to the site, “stories are compilations of Snaps that create a narrative … Snaps appear in chronological order with a beginning, middle, and end.” While this makes it easier to share posts, after twenty-four hours the Snaps still disappear from a “story”.

Disappearing Messages And Teens

Typically, children using Snapchat are only sending funny pictures or silly selfies that are entertaining to a certain friend or group of peers. Unfortunately, this popular app is quickly becoming notorious for sexting and cyberbullying among our kids. The promise of fleeting messages can encourage teens to behave in cruel or risky ways that they normally wouldn’t even consider in a face-to-face situation.

It’s easy to put our blinders on and say this won’t happen to our children, but current statistics are stark reminders of how prevalent negative behaviors online really are. Here is a quick rundown of some shocking statistics:

Sexting is now seen as a normal part of teen development. Experts liken this behavior to “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours” for the digital age.
Cyberbullying rates have tripled and now it is widely believed that 87 percent of our children will come across bullying on social media or text messaging.
25 percent of Snapchat users regularly send “sensitive content” that includes sexting or bullying.

Children often fail to recognize that there is no guarantee of secrecy. Even though Snapchat boasts about disappearing messages, other users can secretly screenshot or take a picture of the message before it disappears. This copy can then be shared with others or kept as blackmail for later use. So what started out as a fun way to communicate with peers, can backfire and open a child up to lifelong consequences for a hastily made poor decision.

5 Ways To Encourage Teen Safety On Snapchat

Unfortunately, there is no promise or guarantee that our children will never encounter a dangerous situation on social media sites like Snapchat. We need to challenge ourselves to help our kids learn the necessary life skills needed to avoid common potholes lurking on Snapchat.

Listed below are five tips to encourage our sons and daughters to use Snapchat safely:

Teach children about social media etiquette and frequently discuss this topic as a family.
Make sure a child knows it is alright to deny a request for sexting or to ignore hurtful comments.
Stress the importance of seeking help from an adult if they witness cyberbullying.
Keep digital devices in public living areas to reduce the temptation to take part in questionable activities.
Encourage kids to only friend people they actually know online and be leary of friend requests from strangers.

What other ways do you use to keep your teens safe on Snapchat and other social media sites? I want to hear your suggestions and tips.

*Born and raised in Austin, TX, Hilary Smith is a free-lance journalist whose love of gadgets, technology and business has no bounds. After becoming a parent she now enjoys writing about family and parenting related topics.

5 Tips to Revitalize Your Super Parent Energy

Being a parent is truly one of the greatest joys in life. As soon as you feel your child’s touch on your hand, see it smile, or hear the first “I love you”, everything in life seems to fall into place. Still, the most important role is a 24/7 job, and most parents put in a hard day’s night of work each and every day. Albeit it is worth every drop of energy, sometimes you just feel like your life force has been drawn from your body.

But when the going gets tough, you need to rely on you, to organize your day, leave room for some “me” time, and give yourself a jolt of energy.

…and Friends

Family life is spectacular, but it does take a big chunk of your time. Sometimes, you just need to go back and relive those carefree days of youth. And who better to walk down memory lane with, than the people who were there! Not only does spending time with friends give to spend time with adults for a change (other than your spouse), it also provides you with a chance to have some fun.

Remember fun? Enjoy brunch, pay a visit to your favorite bar, go shopping, spend a night on the town – enjoy yourself. There is no need to feel guilty about it. Trust me, you have earned it!

Me, Myself and I

Free time drifts by without you even realizing it, so use the time you do have at home by dedicating it to yourself. Find a nook or cranny within your family home, cozy up, and enjoy something you like to do.

Dive into your latest favorite book, and let you imagination relieve you of tension. Let loose, draw a bath, light up some scented candles, and play some easy music. Put the kettle on, and drink a natural stress-relief tea, and allow your mind to wonder for at least that one cup. Once you dedicate at least that bit of the day to yourself, you can achieve that better version of yourself.

The Sneaky Approach

Yes, kids need your constant care and supervision, but sometimes you can trick them into giving you some time for yourself. The best way to do this is to keep them occupied. Inspire them to take up an arts and crafts project they will adore, interest them in a interactive free kids game, such as Poptropica, take them to the park, or arrange a play date. They will be so absorbed by the fun activity that they won’t mind you sneaking a couple of moments all to yourself.

A Relaxing Retreat

Sometimes you are so drained, that a couple of moments just won’t do. In those hard instances, you need to do something truly special. Take the day off, put your feet up, and treat yourself to a spa or mani/pedis. Go for a relaxing massage, a dip in the pool, sauna… the entire package!

Not only is it good for your soul, but a day spa treatment can detox your body, and improve your health. Little by little you feel the energy flowing back, and you might even experience a true moment of Zen.

A Delightful Treat

With all the slaving away in the kitchen during the week, leave at least one meal during the week to satisfy your indulgence. Your favorite treat might be the greatest superfood and energizer – chocolate. Dark chocolate has been proven to reduce stress, re-energize and even make you happy. Also, you might take it slow, and make a healthy and delicious snack that will fuel your energy. It will be a savory meal that you have been waiting for.

It might not seem like much, but giving yourself a boost every now and then will make you a super parent yet again. You will feel re-energized, and able to be the best to the most valuable person in your world.

This post is a guest from Sophia Smith.

Sophia Smith is Australian based health, beauty and lifestyle blogger. She is very passionate about organic beauty products, yoga and healthy lifestyle. Sophia writes mostly in beauty related topics, mainly through blogs and articles. She is regular contributor at High Style Life and Ripped.

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