Which is better, soap or sanitizer?

During the AH1N1 outbreak, we would always see on TV ads health professionals advising people to frequently wash our hands at the same time doing a demo the right way of hand washing to prevent the spread of germs.

Which works better, is it soap or sanitizer? While alcohol based gels removes more germs, plain soap and water are fine for everyday washing according to our health experts. But neither works unless we do it right. With soap it takes 15 seconds of lathering to reduce bacterial count by 90%, 30 seconds to get 99.9%. Also health experts advised to dry our hands for at least 20 seconds with a towel. With our wet hands germs are more likely to spread compared to dry ones. With sanitizers, studies shown that most people don't use enough. We need to cover all surfaces of our hands - the tops, between fingers and the palms.

Gel sanitizers will evaporate into the skin and kill bacteria, but soap and water washes away more germs according to one of our health experts.

Family Day!

Since last week the kids we're asking to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but I was sick so they don't have a choice but to just stay at home last weekends. Until last night after my work, we (hubby, me, and the kids) went out to have dinner then watched Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen at SM San Lazaro. The kids enjoyed the movie, that's how simple we celebrate Family Day. What's important is the kids had fun.

Are there right ways to multitask?

They say women are better multi-tasker than men. Women can put make-up, talk on the phone and watch TV all at the same time. Especially Moms, they work full time in the office when going home a lot household chores to finish and still have to take care of the family. I guess it is women's nature to do many things at the same time, some said multitasking gives them a sense of challenge.

But multitasking can also become bad. It can affect our health, at times we forget to take care of ourselves. We sacrifice quality time for our family. Here are simple tips to be a better multitasker.

1. Pray - everything is under control with God

2. Focus and relax - never panic it will get you to nowhere

3. Be organized - create a to-do list starting with the most important going down to the least priority

4. Maximize your gadget - cell phone, computer, internet can help to finish the task quickly

5. Keep it simple - focus on what you need to do, how you need to do in the simple way you can think of

6. Allow yourself for a little indulgence - for some they always have a bar of chocolate at hand for a little breaks

For Moms, make sure to do a little check and balance whenever you find yourself working too hard.

My Child, My Self

As parents we always have set of rules inside the house for our children. We want them to follow it accordingly. Now that I am a parent I somehow follow the style where I grew up. My Mom and Dad separated when I was 6. My Mom left me and my brother to my Aunt because she went abroad. My Aunt was really conservative when it comes to parenting style. Like when wearing skirt the length should be below the knee, we are not allowed to be friends with a group of guys, whenever we commit mistake we cannot answer back to defend ourselves etc. During my younger years I may have been rebellious but as I mature I was able to understand why, and maybe because they were brought up the same way.

During my quiet time I try to ask myself, am I on the right track. I do self-assessment, I try to identify what parenting style that's still applicable in today's generation and what's not. I want my children to grow up with love, discipline and right values.

There are times that we get disappointed with our child because we want them to be like this..but they want the other way. My eldest daughter is already a pre-teener and when it comes to little things I let her decide on her own. Sometimes we expect our kids to be an extension of ourselves but we never realize that at some point he becomes a unique person with a separate view of the world.

I always wish that my children will grow up smarter than me. At times I try to evaluate them and identify their strength and weaknesses. We sat down and talk how they can improve themselves. I know not all of what I taught to them will retain in their minds but at least half. I shared to them my failures so they can use it as a guide.

Being a parent is really a challenging job. The foundation of a person's character starts with their upbringing at home. That is why some say "children are the reflection of their parents".

Happy Father's Day!!

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We all celebrate Father's Day every third Sunday of June. This year it will be this coming Sunday June 21st. We all used to Daddy's role inside the house like changing our flourescent light, take out the trash, wash the car etc. This Father's Day let's all take the opportunity to make this day extra special and unforgettable.

Me and my kids plan to treat my husband out for lunch to his favorite restaurant. Each one of us has a card for him and a gift. My husband is not into material things, just a kiss and hug from the children would be enough. It makes him emotional, lol.

To all Dads out there, Hapy Father's Day!!

credits:123Greetings

Online Community

While bloghopping I found the site Little Four Eyes, it's a community of parents and friends of young children who wear glasses. The site is very informative so I joined. Each parent shared their experiences with their children who wear glasses. I learned that there so many children all over the world that has vision problem. You can also find tips and tricks how to deal with children if they don't want to wear their eyeglasses.

They have a Facebook account. It's nice to know that there are communities like them online. The site inspired me to continue to hope that we can find ways to improve my daughter's vision.

Congenital Cataract (part 5)

Last June 2nd we went back to Asian Eye Institute for the removal of suture of my daughter's eye surgery last April 21st. Our ophthalmologist explained that there are two types of thread absorbable and nonabsorbable. For the eyes she had to use a very tiny thread and it's nonabsorbable so she had to manually remove it. Our ophthalmologist let me go inside the operating room during sedation then ask me to wait outside when my daughter fall asleep. The procedure was fast, it took less than 5 minutes.

There's an improvement on my daughter's vision before her eye grade was 1800 now it's down to 1600. Her pupil is now bigger. Whenever I look on her eyes I can see myself as a reflection unlike before we only saw a dot at the center of her eyes. This showed us hope that there's more we can do to improve her vision.

We still have regular checkup with our ophthalmologist and it's great to hear that the wound has healed completely. There was no infection or inflammation. My daughter now goes to school and she said that she can see better now. But she's light sensitive, she would wear shaded eyeglasses everytime we go out. Our ophthalmologist said since she lived with her miotic pupil for 5 years her eyes are still adjusting. There more light entering into her eyes since her pupil is now bigger. Also I wondered because before the surgery she can watch TV without her eyeglasess but now she can't, it's blurry. The ophthalmologist said it's called pinhole effect. In my own words, it means when we look at the pinhole it gives a nice focus image.