Cafe Maurice

A new month. September. We are actually in the months leading to the holiday season. So my quest to be healthier and lose weight becomes more intense (and admittedly, more desperate). I think I need to do more green shopping and have everything steamed from now. Can I actually do it for at least three months?

Let’s see.

Here is an excerpt from an article I read over at Jillian’s site. So very apt for me.

Old habits die hard, but the good news is that they do die. Don’t lose hope or beat yourself up over it if you’re having trouble breaking bad habits. It’s not that easy to change your ways. Just keep plugging away.

Start by replacing old habits with new ones. The key is to learn how to take care of yourself and pamper yourself in ways that are life affirming rather than self-destructive. Learn how to deal with sabotaging emotions by establishing some healthy patterns of behavior and investing in your physical and emotional well-being.

Ever wanted to own a Ulysse Nardin Macho Palladium watch? The Ulysse-Nardin Macho Palladium 950 watch in palladium features a 43×40.5mm case, blue dial, and a palladium bracelet with deployant buckle. The Ulysse-Nardin Macho Palladium 950 watch also features an automatic movement with date, sub seconds, and power reserve indication at 12pm. This watch is water resistant to 50 meters, has a exhibition case back, and is a certified chronometer.

 
You can buy this beauty at Lussori. Lussori is located on Main Street in downtown Los Altos, CA. Lussori has over 10 years experience of bringing the world’s finest timepieces and jewelry to the most discriminating clients.

Just a few months left in the year and once again I am trying to assess how we have fared financially this year. I think almost any mom puts the budget among her new year’s resolution every year and although it is too early to start writing mine, I figured that I could benefit from budgeting tips any time of the year. Not only would constant reminders help a lot, it would hopefully prevent us from taking any cash advance loan in case of emergencies.

• Review the expenses. It would help a lot to list down all the household expenses and then from time to time, review them. Since almost ¾ of the year is almost over, it is a good time to take stock of the household budget situation. Add up all the expenses and list them down in descending order. This would help a lot in seeing which things are taking up most of the family budget. You could also do this on a month by month basis. This way, you could easily identify the biggest expenditures and you could focus on bringing that down.
• Prepare for emergencies. In our experience emergency expenses could totally wipe out any good efforts for the year if you are not prepared for it in some way. Set aside money every month for future health emergencies, car troubles, or house repairs.
• Want or need? It can be pretty difficult to distinguish between these two especially if there are sales going on everywhere. However, limiting the spending on as little wants as possible and sticking to the needs could greatly improve the family expenses. Admittedly though, this is made even more difficult with how everything is within reach through online shopping.
• Set a goal. Every year, set financial goals for the family. Make sure the goal is bigger and better every year. This way, you do not just focus on limiting something which are expenses but you also work actively towards something.

A good friend Faye just celebrated her birthday last August 8th and now wants to share her happiness by doing a giveaway in her blog – make sure to go here to know more!

Here is what you can win!

1st price – Ladies Chronograph (big face) watch

2nd price – Kate Spade kikay kit (orange)

3rd price – Kate Spade kikay kit (floral)

There’s a bit of military life that many civilians don’t know. As it happens, those serving our country are some of the biggest users of online education in the U.S. They have good reason for it, too. There are several online military degrees to choose from. At MilitaryDegree.com you can learn about on-campus and online college credit and degree programs tailored to U.S. Military personnel and their families. Education benefits earned from being in the military can be used for tuition, and some schools even offer discounts for active duty and veterans.

In fact, there’s an interesting new trend emerging out of all this. Former soldiers who are attending campus-based or online colleges ease their transition by pursuing a degree that the military would find highly desirable. Then they apply to a continued military career as often as not with a better position, rank and pay. For example, individuals who choose to major in management may increase their chances of success if they decide to re-enlist, and may subsequently be able to gain promotions quickly.

Ever since I got myself an iPhone, it became easier for me to track how much I eat and exercise because of many heath and fitness apps available for me to use and download from iTunes. Currently, I have the following health and fitness apps on my phone: Lose It, Daily Plate tracker, Pedometer, 200 Situps and a menu planner. It helps me keep track on how much calories I’ve spent and allows me not to overindulge myself. One rule of thumb for me now is if I don’t know how much calories it has – I don’t eat it. It has proven to be effective already.

iPhone App Development has been the focus of many engineers and web developers. Sourcebits.com provide software design and development services for iPhone, Mobile, Mac and the Web. Android App Development is also included in their portfolio. I know that iPhone Games Development has always been the more popular one as games often are the best sellers in iTunes.

I personally love the more useful apps though especially those which make my life easier, like the health and fitness apps, the Daily Tip app which calculates the amount of tip you should give out and even the weather-related and financial apps!

It’s flu season once again and almost every kid I know has been sick, or worse, hospitalized with a deadly flu virus. It really cannot be helped because the weather has been extreme lately and with school starting, children are more exposed to all kinds of virus and bacteria. The key here is to strengthen their immune system so they can avoid getting sick. There are so many natural supplements at SuperVits.com. From BioAstin that promoted healthy joints to enzymedica that helps with the digestive system, you are guaranteed to find the vitamin you need at SuperVits.com. It is often considered a vitamin superstore. Whether it is the flu, a cold or simply allergies that bring you down, the end result is that the body hasn’t properly fought off the offending attacks. To help strengthen your body’s resistance to allergens or germs, start by addressing your immune system. You can strengthen it by cutting back on processed sugar, take supplements like Vitamins A, C, E and B complex. Finding a company that offers such vitamins in addition to supplements aimed specifically for immune support, like jarrow formulas, help zero in on what you are trying to accomplish. Vitamins A, C, E and B are certainly necessary for immune support but so are antioxidants, and IP6, which enhances the body’s natural killer cells.

One of the hardest things as a parent is coming up with meals on a daily basis. It seems like you always eat the same thing and your kids are always asking, “What’s for dinner?” If this sounds like you and your family, then you should take some time to put together a calendar menu and get your family involved in the decision making. This will help you be less stressed and make meal time more enjoyable.

If you are worried about money and are considering a mortgage refinance Virginia residents can get, then you are probably looking for other ways to save money too. Your groceries are a great place to save money. The best strategy to save money at the grocery store is to sit down with the Sunday newspaper ads and clip coupons for the things you are going to buy. You should also plan your meals around what items are on sale that week. Then write out a list and don’t buy anything that isn’t on the list. This takes a little time, patience, and planning, but it is a great way to save money on food.

Your family really should be giving input on what meals they want to eat during the week. Sure, not all requests can be satisfied, but any idea is better than no idea. Have each of your kids suggest at least one meal idea each week. This will help ensure that you do not get in a rut and eat the same things week after week and your family will be happy about what they eat too. You could take the idea further and have each member of your family be in charge of one meal per week and they have to help cook it too. Your kids will learn cooking skills and you will be less stressed about meals.

Some financial advisers and analysts recommend that one start investing in gold coins if they would want to start investing in gold.  If you are just starting out with gold investments, it is recommend investing in gold bullion first. It has the least premium over the spot price (or melt value) of gold at the time of your purchase. So it is the least expensive way to start acquiring gold. Gold bullion comes in coin or bar form with coins being more popular with U.S. investors.

Get them at the US Gold Bureau.

And just wait until your investment earn by itself!

I have been looking at the right shade of color for the roller shade I am going to install in our bay windows at the kitchen when my husband comes in to tell me that we need to have lechon when we celebrate my father’s birthday next month.

Clearly, lechon has always been a party favorite especially amongst Filipinos!

According to Wikipedia:

Lechón is a pork dish in several regions of the world, most specifically Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. The word lechón originated from the Spanish term leche (milk); thus lechón refers to a suckling pig that is roasted. Lechón is a popular cuisine in Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, other Spanish-speaking nations in Latin America, as well as the Philippines in Asia. The dish features a whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal.

In the Philippines, lechón is often served with vinegar, lechon sauce (made out of chicken livers or liver pate combined with vinegar, garlic, and pepper),[5] plum sauce, or other sauces, or with other seasonings or accompaniments. When serving lechon, it is usually well decorated with vegetables in a big plate and an apple is placed on the pig’s mouth. Another variation, known as Pritchon, consists of a deep-fried piglet chopped into small pieces and wrapped in pita wedges (à la Peking Duck), and served with an array of special sauces.