an addition to the family

Joaqui will soon have a cousin! My sister-in-law is currently pregnant and everyone in hubby's family is really happy. We don't know yet if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl, but my sister-in-law and I are already excited to buy baby stuff. She asked me for advice on the essential baby gear that she needs to purchase and I told her that she will have to buy onesies, tops and socks because the baby will need them right away. I also adivsed her to look for a good crib, preferably with a changing table to put in the nursery. And since I am really excited for the new baby, I have been searching online for body suits and bibs to give to her. While browsing online, I also saw some really cute stuff for Joaqui like Sponge Bob underwear and a pink robe for one of my god children. It will be perfect as a Chistmas gift!

I also told my sister-in-law that as early as now, she can already shop for activity sets like a walker and a playpen. Joaqui used to have a playpen and he used that a lot. My hubby plans to give the future baby children's books like Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown because we both believe that you can instill a love of reading to children as early as they are born. A lot of people usually give educational toys as gifts to babies or children and those are great presents, but I also prefer creative toys to encourage the artistic mind.

Right now, I just told her to take care of her health because the baby will depend on her for nutrition. Fortunately she has not had a difficult first trimester and her pregnancy is progressing wonderfully. We are just happy for them and we are praying and hoping for a bouncing healthy baby in a few months' time.

blow the candles!

In a few more hours, I will be celebrating my 33rd birthday and I really have no plans of a big celebration, maybe just dinner with my family. I am still worried about Joaqui's tonsillitis as he has not been eating or drinking well at all, but I am hopeful that he will get better really soon. Hubby was asking me what would I want for my birthday and I said it's up to him. I would appreciate any gift he would give me.

Every year, I also give myself a gift - a reward for myself and I was thinking about Indian jewelry, but I want something that is authentic. I got interested in ethnic items after I made an online salwar suits shopping from www.utsavsarees.com where they really emphasize on quality and latest fashion. They also have jewelry and accessories which are beautifully crafted and made to last.

So with gifts or without gifts, I am thankful for another year and another candle to blow on my birthday cake.

surprise!

Hubby and I were out earlier this morning and met with my bestfriend Claire who will be going back to Canada. While waiting for her to arrive, we looked around at the department store because he wanted to buy a pair of new rubber shoes. I pretended that I have nothing particular that I like, but what he doesn't know was that I have already bought him a new pair of Merrell Mens Barcelona Shoes which I got at such an affordable price from a store in ShopWiki.

I like doing online shopping at ShopWiki because they have over 30,000 stores to choose from, which means finding the products you want at the best prices. Also you can learn about a product by simply watching video reviews that were created to detail the bad and good features of a product, which is essential in your selection. Another feature I like about is the many options for shopping search, like price, brand and retailer. For hubby's shoes, I knew he was particularly looking for the brand Merrell and so searching for the type of shoes I wanted to buy was a breeze.

While browsing through the site, I also found some really good boys dress shoes for Joaqui. I think he would really look cute on these. Meanwhile I am excited to give hubby my surprise gift for him. I think he will be elated to find out that I bought him the perfect rubber shoes he was looking for. ; )

getting ready for Christmas

I was browsing my cookbooks today because I was looking for recipes to use for our Christmas Eve Dinner. For many years now, I am in charge of Christmas-related stuff in our house - decorations, gifts, gift wrapping and cooking and preparing the menu for Noche Buena. I would really spend a day in the kitchen preparing everything from starters to dessert. Since our oven broke two weeks ago, I cannot choose recipes that would need baking, so I asked my hubby to buy me a new one.

I first browse through the internet for the oven that I could buy and came across a shopping search engine where I could find the specific products I am looking for. Now hubby has a specified budget for the type of oven I need and with this shopping search engine, I can narrow down my search results using the prices, brand and retailer, and even the color. The products are arranged by category and I found my way through the kitchen and dining products, and if you're a kitchen-ista like me, it's heaven on the Internet! Since I am doing my online window shopping, I also browsed for kitchen gadgets, pasta makers and pantry cabinet. I so much enjoyed browsing that I almost forgot that I was just looking for an oven. : )

online Christmas shopping

Usually I am done Christmas shopping by November because I know how it can be overcrowded in malls as Christmas time nears, but now I have not done any shopping yet - at least in malls and department stores. I figured since I am doing most of my shopping online now, why not save myself from the inconvenience by doing online Christmas shopping at shop.com where I can shop to my heart's content without hurting my feet. It's like shopping across hundreds of stores at one convenient place from clothing, shoes, appliances and even electronics.

The fun of shopping includes looking through stores and brands, and finding the best deals, but it is more fun if aside from finding the perfect gift, I also get to save with coupons. Shop.com has a coupons page for awesome promotions and incredible savings from some of my favorite stores like Skechers, JCPenny and Baby Center Store. In regular department stores, they do not give as much discounts because they are taking advantage of the peak season for shopping, but now I can take advantage of these coupons and rebates. Thinking about shipping fee? It's the least of my worries because I can get free shipping deals from participating stores such as Nordstrom, Royal Pottery and Crayola, making my online shopping experience as rewarding as ever.

And because not all good things last forever, I gotta hurry to get a chance to win an iPod Touch or a flat screen TV from contests and sweepstakes. Imagine winning a different prize every week from now until December 14 or even a cruise for two at the Cart Me Away shopping game! If only I could spend lots and lots of money on shopping and gifts galore. Anyway, I still can do online window shopping, but right now I can feast my eyes on the things I would love to have and gifts that I could give my Godchildren, relatives and friends for Christmas.