Category Archives: Great Ideas

Super Creative Mom!!

By | For kids, Great Ideas, Mother's Day, Summer | 3 Comments

I received an email from my friend, Janet.  She never fails to amaze me with her creativity!   I had passed on to her a Little Tykes basketball ring which my sons outgrew and so she sent me this update on what she did with it.    Janet is one SUPER creative mom!  Heart2Heart pays tribute to Janet for always turning something simple into something spectacular through her creativity!  You can give her anything and anything that probably you think will be like junk already… and she can still make use of it and make it into something and you will be amazed!  

She organizes all the birthday parties of her kids, comes up with party games, makes all the props, creates one of a kind costumes for halloween, thinks up of unique activities to entertain her kids and comes up with beautiful works of art from scratch…. and now turning an empty/vacant lot into a beautiful park and play area for the children!

She is also a SUPER mom – very hands on and very dedicated to her 4 children! And as my good friend Ned, her proud  husband, once told me…”She is the glue that sticks/keeps us all together!”

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Previous Entry: Educare Celebrates Easter April 11, 2009

A Wacky Sports Double Birthday Bash  March 2008  

Best in Costume Back to Back October 28, 2008 

 Educare Celebrates Halloween October 20, 2008

Christiana is 1 and Joshua’s 4!  March 17, 2008 

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Matching Outfits

By | Fashion, Great Ideas | 10 Comments

Was it the fashion during the 80’s to have matching outfits for the whole family? We definitely had a lot of them 🙂

I actually like the idea, If I had a daughter, I would not mind wearing matching outfits with her….. though nowadays we would probably get a lot of stares from people wondering what we are doing.  And no, boots were not the “in” thing, those were correction shoes we had to wear since we were all bow legged 🙂

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Nowadays, it is only the kids who we coerce to dress alike 

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And only once during the year do I let my sons dress alike and it is during Christmas – mostly for the family photo that we do traditionally..and so far they have been very cooperative scan0018.jpgdsc00046.JPGimg_2600.jpgdsc03955.JPGdsc_0025.JPGdsc_6989.JPG 

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A Unique Valentine’s Offering

By | Great Ideas, Valentine's Day | 2 Comments

I heard about this Valentine offering from my friend, Miguel.  Wow!! First time for me to hear about a Valentine offer like this.  I think it is very unique and very personalized and more intimate!  For those that do not want to crowd in a restaurant…I think this Valentine experience is a GREAT IDEA! They set up the dinner table in your room – 5 course! LOVE THE IDEA!

I have not been to the hotel yet nor tried the food but I would like to one of these days. Miguel told me that the Chef is the former Chef of Prince Albert which is one of our favoriteshotelcelestepromo4.jpg

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Pedala

By | Great Ideas, Green | No Comments

From the sister of Krie, Candy.  Candy is just as environmentally conscious as her Messy Bessy Sister.  I like the fact that they use bikes for their messengerial service and RESPECT THE PLANET! 

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We cover metro manila, without crossing the tollways (so no service in Alabang areas except for bulk/corporate clients).  All our deliveries are done on the same day.  Best to book a day before but we accept same day booking til about 11am pedalaflyer2.jpg

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For the grandkids

By | For kids, Great Ideas | 2 Comments

In Tita Nena’s Subic garden she built two bahay kubos and a sand box for her grand kids… No wonder they don’t mind coming over…Lola Nena makes sure that her kids and grandkids all have their rooms and prepares everything for them when they come over.  Suddenly Javier wants to be invited when he is in Subic 🙂 

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Care Packages for the Anonymous

By | Giving Back, Great Ideas | 5 Comments

Here is an idea that adds a new dimension to giving. This is likely not a novel approach, but, Heart-2-Heart would like to share it.  Thank you to my cousin, Ana, ( who would like to always be anonymous ) for always sharing her ideas and great acts of love. 

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    Thoughtfully chosen and assembled care packages for our loved ones, especially those separated from us in distance, is always a fun endeavour made more heart-warming when well and happily received.

    Right after this year’s devastating monsoon in Myanmar and the tragic earthquake in Sichuan, a friend, who lives in a country which has one of the most developed economies in Asia, shared that she already had donor fatigue. Thus, when the typhoon Frank hit the Philippines badly, she said that she really had little else to give. 

    When asked for my thoughts, I shared that if one were to count one’s blessings often, there should be little room for such weariness. When one lives fairly comfortably in a third-world country such as this, and, sees the disadvantaged everywhere, how can one not develop a grateful heart? How can one not be thankful for the blessings of all the basics and then some? 

    More than just giving, I believe that we should not only share actual goods, but, pass on intangible dignity as well.  More often the latter task is more difficult and more personal than the former. 

    Too often, I have seen hastily assembled packages for charity which contain very decent items, but, are also mixed with stained, soiled and very old items which would be of little use to others. When one has lost much, receiving a tattered or dirty item does not do much to lift one’s spirits.

    Rather, when one has little or has been able to recover few possessions, receiving carefully chosen items in good condition does wonders for the soul of the person who has survived adversity. Having heard from those who are part of organizations which distribute goods, I have been told that the joy that decent, especially packaged items elicit is immeasurable. 

    Sadly, calamities usually translate into numerous beneficiaries, and, the situation entails them having to weed through piles of heaped, donated goods to find something appropriate for them and their families. Thus, if we can do our part to carefully choose, package and label the items, a little extra effort helps take the edge off an already stressful situation. When one is down and out, the last thing that one needs to feel is that he or she has to be reduced to scavenging.

    Taking into consideration the fact that the goods have to travel and all the manhandling before it gets to the beneficiaries, and, although the extra packaging is not great for the environment, packaging does help preserve the cleanliness of items, and, the presentation makes the gift all the more special. In essence, instead of just throwing items into a box for giving, taking the extra steps is like gift-wrapping each every one with one’s good intentions.

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    Whenever I am given cause to share, I not only physically spring clean, but, I also go through a mental exercise for each item. (That is why this is an activity that takes me months to complete!) I take each item out of its storage space, and, I think as to whether it will make someone happier than it makes me.  What might be of some value to me might be of infinitely more value to someone else.

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    As a concrete example, I have given several bags of clothing anonymously to a community of  teenaged orphaned girls. From a distance, I am regularly able to observe that pieces that I might have used only once or twice before are now being worn over and over by different girls. What were just extra pieces of clothing to me are so well used and happily worn by far more than just one person.

    It is a privilege to me that in this particular case, I am allowed to see the donations at work. However, one hand should not really know what the other one is doing, and, this kind of care should be taken whether one ever gets to see the beneficiary or not.

    If we can give dignity more than just giving goods and extras, the process of sharing becomes more rewarding for the receiver and the giver. 

    As Longfellow wrote, “Into each life some rain must fall.” Who ever knows when the once giver is forced to become a receiver by circumstance?

Previous Entry:  Passion for Garbage March 22, 2007 

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“Pagpag” for Sale

By | Giving Back, Great Ideas | 3 Comments

Thanks to my cousin, Ana, for sharing this video with me.  I literally lost my apetite watching the video.  But it is reality.

One of the things I am very particular about with my kids in the dinner table – it is making sure that they finish everything on their plate.  They should only order or get what they can finish.  They have to finish every grain of rice on their plate.   So I was very happy when my eldest son told me that they showed this video to the students in his school, Beacon.  It reinforces what I am trying to teach them, though I know I still have to repeat myself every time, I will do it and do it until they understand what i am trying to tell them and the importance of not wasting food as there are many other people and children in the world that are starving. For those who have not seen this yet, take time out to watch it…  

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 My cousin, Ana, makes sure that her garbage is clean.  She takes time out to wash it and put them in proper bags.  Visit my previous entry last March 22.  This was a very popular entry in my website.  Thank you Ana for always sharing with us your kind deeds and making us open our eyes and taking the small deeds seriously…small deeds that actually make a difference in other people’s lives. 

Previous Entry:  Passion for Garbage March 22, 2007 

Dining in the bedroom

By | Celebrations, Great Ideas | One Comment

My friend has been bed ridden the past few months due to a delicate pregnancy.  Her husband who is so sweet and so caring had a great idea! He set up a dining table in their bedroom so she could still see and eat with her family and friends.    

So one evening, we actually had dinner in their bedroom!  We organized a potluck and everyone brought a dish for dinner so we could cheer up our friend and keep her company………and it was so much fun!

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