My firstborn is Future Aces student of the month

I was surprised to hear the good news yesterday and when Lito and I went to their school this morning, I still couldn't believe that finally my child is getting his rewards. I was relieved to hear that here in Canada, there is no ranking. The school system is only after meeting or exceeding the standards set by the Province. My Aloysius never got the chance to be number 1 in the Philippines. I was glad to find out that even though the school is following the District Boards standards, it still gives recognition like this and it really motivated my son. Who wouldn't? Aloysius is so happy to receive the Future Ace Student of the month in their class.

The Future Aces philosophy is based on the belief that positive attention contributes to and reinforces a person's self-esteem. Future Aces focuses on the positive rather than the negative, by recognizing and encouraging attitudes and actions that are desirable and constructive. Founder Herb Carnegie says that "being a Future Ace means being a good person with feeling in your heart."

Reading to kids

I'm so excited. My almost 2-year old Lex is starting to read on his own, browsing the pages and pointing to pictures. I love reading to my kids especially now that Kyle and Miggy are going to school. My 3rd child doesn't want to be left behind. Our reading time is right before going to sleep. Our new king-size bed is enough for the 2 younger kids to squeeze in between us. I guess we need nightstands to put our nightlamps for our reading sessions. With 2 nightstands at the sides of our bed, we have the option to keep one light turned off if the other kid is already sleeping. I wonder which one to choose to match our bedroom theme because there are a lot of styles to choose from.

50 Most Engaged Workplaces in Canada

I’m so proud and happy. My employer belongs to the I Love Rewards 50 Most Engaged Workplaces for 2010. The awards criteria include the most desirable traits an employee might look for in a company. Here are the 8 elements:
1. LEADERSHIP
2. COMMUNICATION
3. CULTURE
4. REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
5. PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GROWTH
6. ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
7. VISION AND VALUES
8. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Although I haven’t seen and felt all of these personally, the communication part is true. I’m doing the company newsletter in the interim now and it’s a challenging work. Having to meet with the management team and get to know all the relevant information and presenting them in a way that will be easy to comprehend by the plant employees. I just realized how I really wanted to become a writer. I hope we can finally release them today so I can move on and start the next issue. Anyway, I just want to share how fulfilling my career has turned out so far. Thank God!

Kyle's first day of school as JK

Thinking it was going to be a hard time for him (separation anxiety), I took the day off from work on Kyle's first day as Junior Kindergarten at Eatonville School. But it didn't turn out as I expected. Gone are the first day blues for my second born. I thought it's like our first time in the Spring Program - Jump and Play where he wanted me to stay near because he cries when I'm out of his sight. I thought I would be staying in the school during his class and he would always look for me. On our way there, I saw a worried face in him then we passed by an area where there are little children lining up. We passed by them because I wanted to take a picture of him in front of the school. When we returned and asked where Achilles class is, his name cannot be found. Not as Achilles though but he was listed as Kyle. After finding out who the teacher is (they talked for a while) - she was a pretty lady, I think Kyle already felt comfortable with her. While waiting for the bell or signal for them to go inside, I stood beside him in the line. I was surprised because he said, "Mommy, you're the only mom here" "You can leave me now" I was dumbfounded! My little boy is no longer that clingy baby. hahaha. I'm glad he'll be independent as his elder brother is now. My other student who is in Grade 4 now and enjoying his French class in another school at Briarcrest. The fun part is, I get to learn his French too.

Aloysius with Lex

Mattresses 101

We had a hand-me-down bed and since Lex peed there a lot of times, we decided to let go of it and left it in the old apartment. Now I'm on the search for a perfect bed for Lito and I. While browsing for brands, I realized that the mattress alone is very expensive so I had to make a good research before shelling out that cash.

First, it helps to know the different types of mattresses that are available. There are three main types of mattresses; innerspring, air and memory foam types.

Inner spring mattresses are a common choice. The inner spring mattress uses coils inside the mattress to support the body while sleeping. The thickness of the coil determines the firmness and support of the mattress; the thicker the coil the firmer the mattress.

The basic construction of air mattresses consists of chambers within the mattress that hold air. The chambers are made out of latex with cotton exteriors.

Then there are also memory foam mattresses. I remember we used to have this kind of mattress in the Phils, URATEX brand lived up to our expectation. They conform to your body and are touted to be hypoallergenic. They come in a wide variety of types and prices.

I prefer Inner Spring mattresses so I will dwell on the different types of Coils used in this kind of bed. Amazing, there are different kinds of them and each type is what makes a good mattress.

Bonnell coil, and is found in lesser-quality mattresses. Its hourglass shape was directly adapted from buggy seat springs in the 1800's.

Marshall coils are of a much higher caliber. Each individual coil has its own fabric covering and is commonly made of tempered steel; in some cases the coils are pre-compressed. This pre-compression technology is what allows for tension adjustment on opposite sides of the bed; couples typically enjoy this feature.

The Simmons mattress company uses Marshall coils to achieve their goal of long-term customer service; they've been known for quality and caring, but consumers report that their mattresses are often a little on the firm side.

The Simmons Beautyrest series famously offers Marshall coils in their Baran models, which is one of the best mattresses based on consumer reviews; their California king-sized mattresses go as low as $659 on Amazon. Consumers note its firmness, which can be a pro or con depending on your individual needs.

Offset coils are also a higher-quality design, built on a series of hinges that move and shift to conform to your body's shape. This gives you perfect support for every curve and joint. Another benefit of the offset coil is its strength and durability, which mean that a mattress with this coil technology will last a long time without slacking up on the incredible body support.

Sealy is one of the most successful brands when it comes to offset coils. The Sealy Posturepedic is the best mattress series of this type and even elite models seldom cost more than $1500 for a queen or king size. Every Posturepedic mattress scores high in mattress reviews for its incredible comfort, with minor drawbacks such as difficulty finding sheets to fit the mattress's large size.

The last common coil is known as the continuous coil or the Mira-coil. As the name "continuous coil" might suggest, each individual coil is one long piece that runs from the head to foot of the mattress in a series of rows. Serta mattresses are famous worldwide for using this type of coil. While this does make it somewhat noisier than the typical innerspring mattress, it also gives unparalleled firmness to the bed and provides great support for back and neck pain sufferers.

I just hope we also find good price for any of these type of mattress. This is for mattress alone, no box and headboard yet. I can already see Lito's eyebrows meeting again LOL!