Cars are not just modes of transportation but symbolic representations of power, authority, status symbol and wealth.

I don’t think a CEO of a big company or a famous sports jock (or maybe even a congressman, ahem…) would want get caught driving a car that doesn’t match what he/she is “worth”. Sure, they’d probably use wheels for less for their cars’ accessories but… you know what I mean.

Here are a few SYMBOLIC emblems of cars that make heads turn when they are seen when they zip by

Which ride would you like to have?

I’ve recently re-read a bookmark entitled 25 Manners Every Child Kid should Know By Age 9. These seems easy to do, the ones in the list, because children are more likely to do what is asked of them, especially when they know their parents will be pleased.

I’ve made some mental observations about how some of these relate to us, adults.

Among these are the top three consisting of the “magic” words: Please, Thank you, Excuse Me.

As adults, we beam when we hear our children say these words. Ironically though, as adults, we seldom use these words unless we feel we have been unjustly and unfairly treated, when we want to stress a point or simply we use these words when we want to drive a point home.

“Please naman…” we plead when all else fails and we don’t get what we want from others or what we want others to do for us.

“Thank you ha!” we tell those we did favors to but has forgotten to acknowledge what we did. There’s no cherry on top of that thank you but it is doubled with sarcasm and there’s much stress at the word “you”.

“Excuse me?!” is said with conviction when others interrupt us as we explain our side or clear the air up. This is also what we say when people contradict our ideas or even say that we did and said something that we know we didn’t do or said so.

Anyway, teaching manners is more effective when adults/parents “walk the talk”. You know, when answering that phone call from the title loans Massachusetts person rather than asking your child to tell him you’re not home can be equated to teaching honesty.

With so many things children need to learn, we have to be the ones to show them how to do these things and eventually, we get to send the message across without giving them reason to not like us because we nag them to say “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me”.

“I’m JUST a stay-at-home mom”.

“What? You are JUST a stay-at-home mom?”

We often hear other people say this to moms who decided to leave the corporate world and be a stay-at-home mom. In fact, to the stay-at-home moms I know, they often had to defend the main reason why they have decided to be stay-at-home moms: be able to personally take care of their children.

How noble. I mean it. They are noble enough to be with their children 24/7, well not really 24/7 especially if the children go to school the whole day, but almost practically “a mom on call”.

I don’t see anything wrong with putting the children first, above all corporate financial rewards, against leaving the children under the care of the nannies. Not that I see anything wrong with leaving the children under the care of nannies, especially if these nannies are (almost) heaven sent. What if she is a nanny from “hell”? *shudders at the thought*

Not all stay-at-home moms become couch potatoes and watch tv series all day long.

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I thought of a phrase while I was brushing my teeth: philandering fool.

Curious, I Googled it and came across a song, a blog URL and someone asking for advice regarding a marital issue. Not that I have someone in mind who best personifies this phrase. I don’t have one. Yet.

I admit, we all attach “labels” on people at one point in our lives. You know that blabbering idiot, the perpetual whiner, the spoiled brat and the boxing fanatic.  And the village fool as well as the good-for-nothing class clown.

Have we not read “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will  never hurt me”? True or false?

False. For me at least.  Words, hurtful words, hurtful labels, bring us tears of sadness,  a feeling of ineptitude and that nagging gut feel that we can never do anything right and acceptable in the eyes of the ones who see no good in us. Hurtful words that pierce the heart and break the spirit heal longer.

Have you been labeled unfairly?

Have you yourself labeled someone else without thinking if what you are doing is fair?

This was a word I just learned a few weeks back: SUN SHOWER. My youngest child told me that: when the sun is shining and the rains are pouring, it’s called that, sun shower.

And I thought there is a wedding happening between Philippine mythical creatures, LOL.

The things we learn from our children. I guess I have to take more notice of the things they say and write these down in my little notebook. But sometimes I forget to do so especially when I have so much going on at the same time.

Speaking about sun shower, the weather has been weird lately. Yesterday was a great day until the rains poured like there’s no tomorrow. The staff at the cafe where my friend and I were at that time rushed to secure the Adirondack chairs in the al fresco setting. Good thing we didn’t sit there.

Lots of people getting sick. And now our city has been declared as a dengue hotspot

And now I will Google what pearlescent is because I’ve heard the children say the word.

I can’t believe it’s been 16 years since we held you in our arms.

Time sure has ways in making itself not felt through the seconds, minutes, hours and days that pass by.

We may not always see each other eye to eye but I want you to know that you hold a special place in my heart and no one is ever going to replace that.

We love you and we want the best for you.

We cheer your every success and help you go back in track when there are little hurdles to tackle.

We love you so much.

Happy birthday Ate!