Scottish Highlands and Harry Potter-inspired trip

This year marks our 25th wedding anniversary.  After going to Alberta, we really saved and planned for this trip to Europe. After all, this is a special celebration and the destination is different from the rockies.

As I was planning, I asked the kids what they would like to see in Europe and they just said - related to Harry Potter. So we ended up with 3 cities as our bases - Edinburgh, London and Paris. The last city was for my youngest kid's request to go to Euro Disneyland and also my top choice. After all, lovers visit the city of love during honeymoon or anniversaries. I will post a separate one for the Parisienne stories. 

Scotland

Highlights were the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the bridge featured in Hogwart's Express. These are the places we visited during the Highlands tour - Loch Lomond and Trossachs, Glen Coe, the Skyfall filming location, Fort William, a glimpse on Ben Nevis, Pitlochry where we tried the whisky Ice cream. Also on other days we tried a DIY tour to Stirling, Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel. I fell in love with the beautiful city of Edinburgh where J. K. Rowling penned the Harry Potter books. We joined a free Harry Potter tour around the city and had fun when the guide told and showed us interesting facts about the HP and the Kirkyard (graveyard) where the HP character's names were taken. 

London and Oxford

The mega city of London got lots of Harry Potter filming locations but our visit to the Warner Bros Studio was a blast. The kids had fantastic time celebrating while browsing through the many artifacts used in the movies. The 9 3/4 platform in King's Cross station caught our attention as soon as we got off the train from Edinburgh. Then there's the Renaissance Hotel where Ron Weasley parked his car before they tried getting on the Hogwart's Express. The Leadenhall, St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennial Bridge had appeared in the HP movies. We chose a Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford tour to explore and recall more Harry Potter scenes from the Oxford University. We love the old buildings and cloisters but those that stood out were the Bodleian Library, Bridge of sighs and Christ Church college.

I only mentioned all relevant sites and scenes from Harry Potter but we had other amazing experiences from this trip - the Stonehenge, the London Eye, walking along Royal Mile, Victoria Street and hiking to Calton Hill, visiting the museums and galleries. I will include those in another blog, maybe. We really had a very hectic schedule. I would say we jam-packed our days with activities, with rests sa parks or just staring at a painting in a gallery. We tried to cover most of the attractions for the 15-day trip. Sinulit talaga namin ang euro spent and the time to be together as a family enjoying the vacation. Hindi ito yung tipo ng trip Na mema lang - Me masabi lang na nagpunta sa Europe. Pinaghandaan at pinag isipan talaga to Get all the money's worth. We worked hard but also deserved a value-for-money enjoyable vacation.

On this note, I am sharing some of the travel tips I followed to save time, money and effort (from reading other travel vlogs and friend's recommendations, shout out to Gwen Carag :) 

1. Buy tickets early - airfare, attractions, train tickets. I booked everything in advance. Very significant ang cost savings sa transport kung bibilhin ng months before. i.e. Yung Eurostar ticket na dodoble ang price kapag on the day binili. 

2. Buy Rail cards - (Family and Friends ung kinuha namin sa Scotrail) 30% discount sa train tickets. Nag apply ito sa lahat ng train tickets sa Scotland (Stirling, Falkirk) at sa London (Watford Junction going to Warner Brother studios), bawi na ang ibinayad sa rail card at ang daming discounts, more on number 3. 

3. Avail the 2-for-1 or days out in Scotland or London. The train ticket that you bought discounted from the rail card also gives you discount to participating attractions, we used this in buying Stirling castle tickets, sa London Eye, we even had a timed entry meaning no need to line up. 50% discount ito, we are 5 in the family so malaking tulong ito to Save. 

4. DIY your tours - research the places you want to go and how to get there, then compare the price and consider the complexity or effort vs. The comfort when joining a bus tour. Kung pwede mag rent a car, you have more flexibility and can explore more, pero dahil right-hand drive sa UK, public transportation na lang kami :). 

We joined tours going to Highlands in Scotland, also the Stonehenge-Windsor Castle-Oxford University as these are longer trips and tour guides gave more information about the attractions. 

But DIY ang trips namin going to Stirling, Kelpies and Falkirk in Scotland using trains and bus. Ganun din ang mga attractions in London-combo ng underground and Double-decker bus. Sa Paris, we did a lot of walking like 20k steps every day and sa Edinburgh din with uphill and downhill pa. 

DIY din ang pagpunta namin sa Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios using overground train to Watford Junction, there's a free shuttle bus na going to the Studios. Just show your etickets To WB HP. Book and buy those tickets early. Spots are filling up fast. 

We rarely used an Uber or never joined a Hop on, Hop off bus because we wanted to be adventurous and to save the fare to something else like souvenirs. Can you guess how much is the fare per person to the Official Shuttle going to Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios from London? I'd rather save that for butter beer and HP merchandise. 

5. Rent Airbnbs - accommodation with kitchen and washer/dryer saves lots of £ and €.  All the Airbnbs and aparthotels we rented had 3 bedrooms each or 2rooms plus sofa beds perfect for our family. We saved on food as we cooked our breakfast and dinner. Had extra € to try the local foods.  We also had access to laundry facilities.  We only brought carry-ons as this saves $, time and effort in lugging those in cobblestone-paved roads (sometimes uphill pa). 

6. Use bank credit card vs oyster to tap on underground stations, do not buy travel cards or day pass if you will not have more than 5 trips per day. Plan the destination per day to reach more with one trip or route. 

7.  Buy Esim with a local provider. We used Orange eSim that covered both UK and Paris. The package includes data, calls and texts worldwide. Kahit nasa gitna kami ng bundok sa Highlands meron signal at sulit sa tawag at text. Gamit na gamit ko siya sa citymapper, transport apps. 

I hope this helps you in planning for your next trip to Harry Potter locations and other Scotland-London attractions. 

My Disney World Trip VOP Project - FASTPASS (Part 2 of 4)

Before I continue the part 2 of my Disney World Travel Story,  I will share some of the Lean terminologies and how I was able to apply these to the project. The word "value" is familiar to you, you want to get the most value for the money you spend, the time and effort you exerted. We live by these principles and my kids know that whatever we do, we get something of "value" out of it. VOP or Value Optimization Project is a term we use in the workplace for all the Lean Six Sigma projects we are doing. Going to Disney is a VOP that is why in my first blog post, the title included Project.  I don't think this will end up completing the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control ) cycle but you will get the picture when in one way or another you will see the phases in each scenario.  The intent is for you to understand that not only in this trip but in any situation, you can do process analysis, continuously improve and achieve results.  

2. TIME CONSTRAINT

Today, I'm going to talk about FASTPASS, some ride description and what to do (and not to do) at the parks to save time.

Wastes and how to prevent them

I hope you are already familiar with the 7 types of wastes .  The types of wastes we encountered the most in our trip were: Inventory, Motion and Waiting.  

Inventory (COST) - the food servings are huge. On our first night,  our dinner orders came with fries and for the leftovers from all the 3 children combined, I think there was a big platter of fries. To think, they were fries eaters. We couldn't finish them because Lito and I ordered adult entrees which we couldn't finish either.  Maybe we are really small eaters but I think the food leftovers are a huge waste.  It could have fed more children with those fries. Sayang talaga.  So in the following days, either I ordered a kids meal for myself or Lito and I shared an adult entree.  

Motion (TIME, ENERGY) - before we go to each park, I make it a point to study the map and review the plan for the rides or attractions we are going to do. We don't want to end up doing a Spaghetti Diagram (right picture) as there will be lots of Motion waste. 

One of the perks of staying inside the Disney World hotel is the FASTPASS reservation for popular rides 60 days before the trip.  If you are staying outside WDW, you are also given a fastpass opportunity but only 30 days before.  Imagine I already have made plans for the parks and the rides we are going to 60 days before.  The timing, duration and wait times on the Fastpass ride and the next rides need to be considered.  

Fastpass Tip #1 - Make your last day the Animal Kingdom Park day, and Second to last day is Hollywood Studios Park day.  Why?  Because the most popular and difficult to reserve (if you are on wrong timing) rides are from these parks.  Avatar's Flight of Passage (FOP) in Animal Kingdom and Toy Story Slinky Dog in Hollywood Studios are too popular (and probably still new) that even if they don't have a Fastpass reservation, people will still line up for it (yes, we saw people on stand by lines with wait times of 160 minutes)  I will discuss other rides worth your Fastpasses in another paragraph but for now I will focus on these 2.

When your Fastpass Day arrives, you should have a list of the rides in each park and the timing (AM or PM) handy.  There will be more chances of you getting the Fastpass if you start on your last day then backwards because not all reserving for Fastpasses will even have that park in that day in their list.  Example:  We went to 5 parks during our trip (November 12-16).  My Fastpass day was September 13. On that day, I was to reserve for all the days during my trip. People usually think that they need to start Fastpass reservation on their first park day when in reality they can start with any day. I am saying to focus on the last day because not all have that day in their plan. Some people will only have 3 park days, some 2 and so on and so forth.  So start with your last day and choose Avatar's Flight of Passage right away.  If you have small children, you need to consider height restrictions (should be 44 inches tall) because this is a single ride or choose among you who will watch over the kids while you are taking this ride which is a must by the way :) This is highly recommended and our family's favourite, one of my kids even said, "This ride beats them all". I hope you take my word for it.  Do the same with Toy Story Slinky Dog.  We didn't get a FP for this ride because there was nothing available on our Fastpass day and we can only choose 1 FP from Toy Story land.  We waited in Stand By line but the wait time was 90 minutes but eventually we did not get the chance because the ride broke down. Have a back up plan when ride breakdowns happen.

Fastpass Tip #2 - Choose between Rides, Shows or Character Meet and Greets.  Because our family already agreed that we will all do roller coaster rides, my Fastpass list consisted all the Mountain Rides at Magic Kingdom, and all other roller coaster rides from other parks.  Character Meet and Greets also take up most of your time and getting good seats in shows like Fantasmic merit a FastPass for those who are not into thrill rides.     

Fastpass Tip #3 - Choose all the morning fastpass schedule, if you can, select the rides that are close to each other so you can prevent spaghetti diagram, finish right away and you can add more Fastpass after you finish all 3.  You are only given 3 FP in a day but if you finish them all, you can get another one after you entered in the last one, then you can get another one again and so on.  Example: Magic Kingdom - We had our Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster Fast Pass ride after Splash Mountain which are both located in the same area - Frontierland and were able to finish right away, had more time to find a good spot in watching the parade between Frontierland and Adventureland. At Epcot - Fastpass at Mission Space and Test Track, Magic Kingdom Day 2 - choose Space Mountain and Tomorrowland Speedway.  These are only examples, you can choose based on what your family prefers.

After you completed all your Fastpass reservations, the next thing you should plan is where are you going next after each Fastpass ride.  Look at the Magic Kingdom map below:

Depending on where your Fastpass ride is, you should focus on that area. Example; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is at Fantasyland where you want to go next is probably the next attraction with the least wait time in that area (use the My Disney Experience app for this). To prevent Spaghetti diagram, just go One Direction - remember the boy band? LOL.  Our last stop at Fantasyland was the Barnstormer roller coaster ride which was near the Train Station (see arrow). We took the train going to Frontierland which was on the other side. This saved us time and restored our energy while resting our feet from walking.

You can find other touring plans on the internet, on Pinterest, and from other Disney frequent visitors.  I actually checked them out but I created my own because I really want to save on energy and time (remember our Time and Energy constraint?). Below was our touring plan for the Magic Kingdom park Days.  The arrows indicate which way we are supposed to go to reach our destination. The check and cross marks are based on priority or if it was a Must-do or can-be-skipped activity:

 

In the next blog post, I will discuss some waiting game strategies and how we tried our best to avoid waiting (there is always waiting in line at Walt Disney World).  More on the ENERGY / EFFORT Constraint. Stay Tuned. Meanwhile, @ Animal Kingdom

My Disney World Trip VOP Project - Cost (Part 1 of 4)

WHAT: Our Walt Disney World Trip in Orlando, Florida
WHEN: November 11-17, 2018
WHERE we stayed: POP Century Resort
WHO: Castillo and Ordaz Families

WHY: It's Mickey's 90th birthday, my 50th birthday and Alexus' 10th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary celebration all in one and we all deserve an amazing vacation.

I will share our Disney experience in the context of Project Management and Lean Six Sigma concepts. Based on my notes from University of Toronto, a project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a product or service. For this blog post, the product will be the outcome of the trip. Now in order for a project to be successful, it has to be within the three constraints; COST, TIME and SCOPE but I will replace the last constraint with energy or effort as it is more applicable to this project.


1. COST CONSTRAINT
When you hear Disney, you know it is expensive. The biggest constraint for us is cost and I guess to most of you. This is my way to help those who are hesitant to go because of the cost. The Walt Disney World experience is expensive but still possible for those with less budget if you plan and organize well.


Rooms

Timing is important. Plan ahead, use the crowd calendar to see when is the least crowded and book those dates because that is when the value resorts are least expensive. There are lots of infographic images on Disney calendar at Pinterest. I used one and the room rates are cheaper but the crowd volume is still the same. I think there are no less crowded dates at the parks. Disney Value resorts are Art of Animation, Pop Century, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music and The Campsites at Fort a Wilderness Resort. Last week of August, January, February and hurricane season are less crowded. Get the Magic Your Way Package (Park Tickets, Room and Dining plan). There are offers for free dining and room discounts on certain dates. After you decide on a date and booked the MYWP and an offer like free dining or room discounts becomes available, Disney will apply that to your package. You can call Disney and ask an authorized Disney Travel Agent to assist you on these. One of the perks of getting the MYWP is the bounce back offer where a unique discounted rate for booking a resort room is available to resort guests currently staying for future dates.

Offsite hotels - I only mentioned about staying onsite because of the many benefits in staying with Disney hotels. Free airport transfers, airline checkin at the hotel for some US airlines, faster access to the parks - this is a perk for time constraint which I will discuss later but most especially the Disney theming in the rooms and the total Disney experience. There is a certain vibe when you are onsite, the smell, the theming, the personalized approach and ultimate service from Disney staff.  The hotels near WDW are okay, some of them have Disney themed rooms and free shuttles to Disney Springs, this is where the terminal of  buses going to the parks are located. The prices are cheaper all right but you have to check the fees.  When I was looking for hotels offsite, I discovered that most of them charge resort fees per day. This adds up to your hotel cost, the total would be more than the price of a value resort room per night. Cost and time going to the parks are cons of staying offsite. These made me choose to stay onsite. At the end of the day, we are only going to sleep there anyway.

By the way, we opted to remove housekeeping for the duration of our stay. That meant $10 per day per room. The replenishment of supplies will still be done, just call and request for towels, soaps or coffee. Because we had 2 connecting rooms for a family of 5, we received $100 worth of gift cards that we can use to buy souvenirs or even pay for food. All we did was took out trash and let the kids continue doing their chores of tidying up and making up their beds.

If you still choose to stay offsite, the hotels near Disney Springs are my best bet and also those near the entrances. For the villas or houses for rent with pools by VRBO, those from Windsor Hills are highly recommended by those who stayed from my Canadian Disney Addicts group.


Park tickets
The more park tickets per day you buy, the cheaper the cost. There are four parks and 2 water parks at Walt Disney World. You can also buy a park hopper where you can do 2 parks per day.  Depending on your family's preferences, you can choose to do whatever suit your needs. We are first timers in WDW that's why we chose to do 1 park per day and a 2nd day at Magic Kingdom.  We also availed the Canadian Residents Ticket offer, so watch out for that kind of deals. But you cannot convert it to Magic your way package, you can only choose one offer. You can also buy cheaper tickets at mousesavers.com or AAA/CAA.

Dining
Food is important because you need energy to do all those walking, standing in line, and waiting. But everything in Disney is expensive including food.  Because my kids are picky eaters and we didn't have MYWP, we decided not to include the dining plan and just pay as we go. We only had 2 Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR) Hoop De Doo Revue (Dinner Show) and Minnie's Holiday Dine at Hollywood and Vine (Buffet with character experience and reserve seating at Fantasmic Show). ADRs are one of the perks of staying onsite. You and your family are given priority to reserve for Table Service Restaurants 180 days before your trip.  I would say the first ADR was amazing and we got the value for money. I felt like our date was perfect except for very late showing and arriving late to our hotel.  The other ADR was just okay because of the character experience and Fantasmic show reserve seating. But when we think of what we paid for and compared it to the food that our kids ate at the buffet, the cost was too much for only chicken nuggets and fried chicken and ice cream that the kids consumed. Halos mahulog lang naman sa silya si Lito nung nakita niya ang bill, ano daw yun? yung tipong me usok sa tenga after the 2nd and 3rd look hahaha, even I myself couldn't believe that the cost per person was $60, the old rate was only 48 for adult price and 36 per kid. After the price increase this October, the total cost change   We are just thinking the cost is in exchange for the long queues at meet and greet for Mickey and friends and also for the Fantasmic show. If I were you, I would just use a fast pass to do these. It was not worth it. Other than these two which took most of the pie share of our food budget,  all our other dining were from Quick service restaurants and I found them to be more sulit (value for money). I chose those that serve more filling food like rice and pasta. I also chose kids meals or Lito and I would share an adult entree because the servings are big enough for 2.  If you plan to include a dining plan either Quick Service only, or Table Service and Quick Service, the following are recommended based on our experience and my friends from the Canadian Disney Addicts group.

Quick Service Restaurants we tried and must try food list:
1. Landscape of Flavours - Art of Animation (Grilled Fish, Chicken Bowl,  Tandoori Chicken thighs)
2. Everything Pop - Pop Century (Chicken Parmagiana, Pot Roast)
3. Captain Cooks -Polynesian Resort (Thai Coconut Meat balls, Asian noodles)
4. Aloha Isle - Magic Kingdom (Dole whip soft ice cream)
5. Pecos Bill - Magic Kingdom (3way tacos, fajitas, smoothie)
6. Columbia Harbour - Magic Kingdom (Lobster Roll, Seafood Platter)
7. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - Magic Kingdom
8. Gaston's Tavern - Magic Kingdom (Cinnamon Rolls)
9. ABC Commissary - Disney Hollywood Studios
10. Backlot Express - Disney Hollywood Studios
11. Satuli Canteen - Animal Kingdom (Beef Bowl with Rice, burger bun pao)
12. Eight Spoon Cafe - Animal Kingdom (Mac n Cheese with pulled pork)
13. Flame Tree Barbeque - Animal Kingdom (pulled pork burger, turkey leg)
14. Be our guest - Magic kingdom
15. Katsura Grill - Japan Epcot (teriyaki, maki rolls, green tea colada)
16. Sunshine Seasons - EPCOT (rotisserie chicken, pork loin, Mongolian beef, pasta)

Below is the summary of our food expenses, I ordered grocery (milk, eggs, ham, cheese, bread, jimmy dean frozen breakfast and snacks) online and have it delivered to the hotel lobby. There are microwave ovens at the food court for these. This saves time and money for our breakfast. Do not forget to order water bottles as each bottle at the parks cost USD3.99. You can also bring water container, fill it up with water and ice from the food court of your hotel and get a refill at quick service restaurants. Another must do to save on snacks is to buy a refillable popcorn bucket and get a refill of only $2 each time during your entire stay.

Other Essentials

Buy your Mickey Ears, Rain Ponchos, Autograph books, Souvenirs and other accessories like glow lights from a dollar store before the trip or at Walmart near WDW.  Wendy got our Mickey ears from Claire's. They cost Double or Triple at Disney, they are all made in China anyway. There are lots of matching shirts at Walmart with generic print shirts (Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister) in different colors) or you can order online too.

The weather in Florida is unpredictable and rain might appear anytime so bring the poncho, you could use that at wet rides like Kali Rapids or Splash Mountain. The cost of Poncho at Disney is $10 for a kid size.

Getting there (air or land)
I waited for Boxing Day to get a good deal. Choose the non-popular airlines, we chose Air Transat because of the price, it's nonstop and they have a good kids club where my birthday celebrator received perks. He is the reason why we doing this trip because he is celebrating 10 years. I'm happy because Alexus is happy.

Other airlines that are worth checking out are Southwest, Frontier, Spirit in US (BUF for those from ON). Airlines flying out YYZ with good deals are Air Transat, West Jet, sometimes Air Canada offers good deals, Sunwing (they have good Disney packages that are worth checking out).

More savings are in store for those who will drive down South.  You just need to plan on your vacation days, consider hours of driving, driver reliever, hotel to stay in the middle of the trip.

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading. I will discuss the next constraints "TIME" and "ENERGY /EFFORT" in my next post.

Confidence is a choice

Many people think that the only way to be confident is to be successful.  While it is easier to believe in your abilities when you have proven success, it is not the only way to feel a sense of confidence. Confidence is a choice. It comes from choosing to focus on your strengths and knowing that you are good.  It comes from choosing to be positive with yourself.  It comes from focusing on what you need to do rather than uncontrollable, situational factors. My friend Christeen Lewis always tells me, "Focus on what you can control."   Confidence comes when you're not worrying about being the best, but focusing on being your best.  But how can I start, how will I do my best?

True source of Confidence

Most importantly, confidence comes from the Lord your God who created you, gave you the skills, knowledge and strengths.  As a consumer, are you not choosing the product based on the brand or who the maker is?  When you buy from a tested brand, you are confident that it's good quality.  What more about our Creator, we are wonderfully made. If you believe that the same God who gave you the confidence before, will do the same today, what else could go wrong?  I remember my old motto,  "I will do my best and God will do the rest".  We hold on to His promise in Proverbs 3:6 - In everything you do, put God first and He will crown your efforts with success. 

How can I create confidence?

 

The first step in creating confidence is Preparation.  In sports, champions are not created overnight. If you fully engage physically and mentally in practice, you will feel more prepared in competing.  Focused practices allow you to trust that you did everything you could to enable yourself to perform your best.  Even if in my mind, I know what I'm going to say for a meeting I'm facilitating or a training to deliver, I still prepare a cheat sheet, and practice many times  -in front of a mirror, in front of my kids, or record myself in a video or audio recorder to see how I can build more confidence and improve on the delivery. Do you think that the Hollywood actors or even your favorite stars can execute perfectly what the scripts say in one reading or sitting? Practice makes perfect and build confidence.


Second, it is important to Act Confidently.  Our mind reacts to what our body does.  If your head is down, your muscles are tense or your shoulders are hunched, your mind will sense your self-doubt.  So always make sure that your body language and your communication with yourself and others portrays confidence. Even when you don't feel confident, act confidently.

Finally, realize you don't need other people to tell you that you are good. Back to the athletes example, many of them wait for their coaches to tell them that they are good in order to believe in themselves.  You may want others to tell you that you are good, but it's not something you need.  Believe in yourself and believe in the One who created you and destined you to be great.  Set your mind that you have that confidence within.  Whatever your mind conceives, the body achieves.

Choose to be confident.  You have a reason to be.

Skin Care is important (Tips for physical and inner beauty)

I wanted to look glamorous for the Molson party so even if I know how to apply make up on my own,  I had it professionally done by the experts - MAC.  My makeup artist noticed my clear skin and she also asked my age range in order to put the appropriate colors.  She was surprised (and another make up artist passing by) when they heard me say early 50's.  I am happy to hear that my daily skin care ritual pays off.


So for those who wanted to have clear skin and maintain it, here are my tips:
1. You have to be Asian (hahaha sorry, this is genetics we are talking about)
2.  Seriously, these steps are the only thing you need to remember - do the following - Clean - Moisturize - Block - Drink.


Clean
3. Always wash your hands before touching your face.  Do not touch your face if you can avoid it.
4. Wash your face before going to bed. Remove make up thoroughly, use eye cream in removing eye make up.  Use a gentle soap and massage your face upwards using the palmar surface (thenar and hypothenar parts near the wrist). Also, clean and sanitize your make up brushes regularly.
Moisturize
5. Use a moisturizer before going to bed and after washing your face in the morning.  There are different kinds, there is a specific one suited for your skin type. 
Block
6. Use a sunblock even if there is no sun.  The UV rays are baking our face so we need to protect it.
Drink and eat healthy
7. Drink lots of water.  If the requirement is 8 glasses a day, drink more than that especially when you are working out.  I usually don't count coffee and colored drinks in the 8 glasses requirement, it needs to be at least 8 glasses of WATER.  Lots of veggies and fruits on your diet too.


Here are my other tips:
8. Use only one brand of skin care or make up.  I use MAC, Yonka and Arbonne based on experience, they are gentle and effective on my skin.
9. Get a Facial regularly.  When someone massages and treats your face, it's a relaxing experience.  Not only do you get refreshing skin, you also get skin renewal if you get those microdermabrasion treatment.  Sometimes, I try and use the products that they put on my face in between facials like masks and serums.
10.  Put on a positive attitude.  Stress, worry and negative emotions don't contribute to a healthy skin.  Smile and let go of these bad energies.  Trust God and rely on His promises.



If all else fails, don't worry.  Outer Beauty is just a front, what's on the inside is more important.


Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.


1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Training the kids to be responsible (plus Change Management Tips)

 

This summer was challenging for us because I was not able to register the kids to their swimming lessons, so their day to day activities were not that full.  Sharyn went home to get married and since I was their adult supervisor during this time,  I used that opportunity to apply what I think is best to prepare them for the future - learn the household chores early and be responsible.




Because I worked in an environment where people needs to be trained right in order for them to successfully accomplish the tasks,  I have lived and breathed the principles of learning and what a waste if I will not apply them in my own household.


This summer we implemented a schedule for washing the dishes distributing the tasks and letting the kids take turns.  This was also a team building activity as each one need to look after what the other person is doing. So far, summer ended and there are zero broken glasses or plates from these activities.


The only permanent thing is CHANGE.




If there is one thing that I need to learn by heart that will always be required by everyone regardless of age, location, situation or stage in our life, that is CHANGE.  Since I am privileged to learn some principles in school and experienced hands-on implementation of change for continuous improvement (ISO and computer systems),  I want to share some tips to help with managing or even adapting to change.  Below is the change curve and it is interesting to find out the different phases (colored) we go through until we accept it.  The stages are what the change implementors provide in each phase. 

1. Stage 1 - Open your mind and your heart and close your mouth. When we are faced with a sudden different situation, we need to stop complaining or being angry or blame others and try to understand what's coming.  This is the time to contemplate and reflect on why this might be happening.  But do not analyze too much.  It's not only about you. We need to avoid questions like "what have I done wrong?" or "Is it me?"  There is a reason apart from you why there is change.  Maybe it's time to ask God for wisdom and let Him guide you through the process. Begin with the end in mind. Envision the future by thinking about you in the new set up. 


2. Stage 1 and 2 - Learn about the change and its benefits.  One thing we Change Implementors do is to provide information about the change. "What is the change? Why and What's In It for me?" are the questions you need to ask yourself or whoever is proposing the change before you start complaining or being negative about it.  A good change implementor has to provide the explanation on the benefits of the change in order for it to be successfully implemented. 


3. Stage 3 and 4 - Just Do it.  Training and hands-on experience is the best way to learn and to discover the benefits. You actually doing it is better than someone telling you that you will experience this and that. It's easier to adapt to change once you get your hands on the new gadget, or new app, or perform a new task.


Do you remember the time when computers first came or the ATM or mobile phones?  I am from the Gen X crowd and I knew a lot of Baby Boomers didn't want to even try these new electronic discoveries. Lots of new models, technologies were invented decades after they were first discovered and I am still amazed about the rapid change that came with it.  Those who adapted to it not only became the first persons to experience it but they also participated in improving the technologies.  Who would have imagined that a phone will have a camera and a music player at the time the first mobile phone was created? The changes you saw in the gadgets were from the clamour and "what if" questions of those who actually used the phone.  Now those who said they were better off with a wired, landline phone  because of radiation waited for it to fail but later watched at how the technologies evolved.  I see these grandmas and granddads now asking the younger generations to show them how to install an app in their new phone.


The thing is, whether you like it or not, whether you will adapt to it or not, Change is here and you cannot prevent it.  An inspirational frame hanging on my office wall when I was still in the Philippines says "CHANGE - if you cannot ride the wave of change you will find yourself beneath it. "


Now going back to my children and their doing the household chores - they are going to be in that stage anyway when they go to university, or get married or be on their own.  I believe that the parent's greatest gift they can give to their children is to teach them how to live by not only showing them but also letting them experience the true essence of life.  Life is not always easy and they are not entitled.  Even the bible said, you will work in order for you to eat.  As early as now I want to show them that it will not be easy, the change will come and go but we need to prepare them, to be tough, to be adaptable and learn from it all. 


I have seen, experience and can honestly testify that those who adapt to change easily have more potential to become successful than those who resist to change.


P.S.  I was a proud mom when I showed Kyle how to order on his own and he came back with the right change and with the right product from Wendy's.  I asked how was the experience and he said it was easy.  Well, other helicopter moms will not dare let their kids do that.

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5S - a lean management tool

Now that you know the different types of wastes, one of the ways to eliminate waste is by doing 5S. The first place to start streamlining the value stream is in the work area. 5S is a powerful approach to improve the work area through organization, arrangement and cleanliness. I introduced this to my kids a long time ago and it is timely to do it again now that they will have to do most of the tasks and not only being shown how it is being done.


This weekend was a perfect opportunity to apply this concept to my kid's clothes to eliminate motion and time wastes. When I asked my kids if they still remember the different "s", I only heard them say 2 (Sort and Shine).  Today, I asked them to sort their clothes so we can get rid of the small and unwanted and give to someone else. One of them found this life hacks video and applied the new way of storing the clothes in their drawers - by rolling and showing it like this:

Aloysius being an OCD like me, even arranged his shirts with a pattern - plain to stripes, light colored to dark (see above).  I told them that these steps of arranging is the SET IN ORDER phase of 5S.  Alexus followed suit and arranged his clothes too. He has a different pattern too - drawer for school, for home and for sports.




The following are the 5S:


1. SORT - removing the irrelevant or unwanted things in the area
2. SET IN ORDER - a place for everything and everything in its place
3. SHINE - Sanitize or clean
4. STANDARIZE - Is everything doing things the same way?
5. SUSTAIN - is it only for a time being? or continuous?


As always, it was exciting to teach my kids these concepts because I know they will benefit from it.  But I don't want to give too much information so I stopped at 2 S at this point.  We will have more opportunities in the future.


For now, Mommy is happy with the spring cleaning and our version of 5S.

Strategies to teach your child to read - Part 2

My previous post was for parents with children who know how to read.  The following will benefit those moms with younger children.  I remember Aloysius became interested in books even if he didn't know how to read yet as early as 4 months old. That's when we started the mommy and child-reading-routine.


With younger children, you need to give them hard board books so that even if they chew on them, or they throw them or spill milk on them, they will still be readable.  These books have great pictures and colors in them that children get glued at looking at them.  This is the perfect opportunity to introduce reading to them.


Here are the tips:
1.  Look and point at the picture.
2.  Get your mouth ready to read.  The child will be looking at the picture and at your mouth while you are reading.
3.  Tell your child how does the word begin. Emphasize on the sound i.e. O - the mouth should form the O too.
4. Read the word all the way through.
5. Start again.  Skip the word you want the child to learn.
6. Ask the child, does it make sense? He would now recognize the word you missed.
7. Be consistent on the pronunciation of the word. if you say it differently, the child will notice it, if not, ask him "Does the word sound right?"
8. Go back and re-read the whole sentence.  You can ask him to point the picture and the word.
9. Give your child lots of chances to read the story again and again.  This is the key to successful reading.  It is called fluency.


The more your child reads, the more confident and successful he or she will become.

Strategies to teach your child to read - Part 1

I met my youngest son's teacher today at the Parent-Teacher meeting.  It was a fruitful conversation learning how my son is doing in school.  Alexus is turning 7 this month and I am so proud to receive the teacher's report that Lex' reading is excellent, Level S or DRA 34 Lexile 750.  I don't know what all these meant but I was so happy to hear that his reading is advanced, even more advanced for ages 8-9. I am so thankful that my kids love reading and I hope they will continue to read real books even with ebooks and electronic information are available online.


I want to share the tips I used to encourage my children to read.  Children are never too early to read and we as parents can help them become proficient in reading as soon as they recognize our voice and read our lips.



1. Read to your child everyday.
Reading aloud builds positive attitudes toward reading, stimulates interest in books and exposes your child to a variety of reading materials. This should be a fun, relaxing time for you and your child. This is our family bonding time before we read God's word and do our family prayer and devotion.  Kids look forward to each night's reading time.



2. Visit the library weekly.
We do it at least every three weeks because that is the maximum number of weeks we can get hold of the books we borrowed.  On the way to the library, I am asking them what they plan to borrow.  Are they going to get the same author (our favorite is Robert Munsch)?  or get the next the series (Geronimo Stilton, Captain Underpants, Wimpy Kid etc.)?  Get many different varieties of topics: mysteries, nonfiction, science fiction, animals, poems, rhymes, etc.  You and your child may go to the library with no plan in mind and pick out whatever interests you as you browse.



3. Look for accessible materials.
Help your child see that reading is found in every aspect of our lives,  help them read to you the recipe as you cook or bake together.  Read all the boxes and labels as you shop together. Have you child find signs as you travel somewhere, or when you are in a mall or a restaurant.



4. Have your child read to you everyday.
Children need positive feedback and genuine interest from their parents about their reading abilities. Be excited to hear your child read to you everyday.  Sometimes you child may choose a book that is much too difficult but has beautiful pictures.  Instead of reading, have him or her tell you about the pictures using as many details as they can.



5. Share book talks.
After you have read a story aloud or your child has completed an independent reading assignment, have him do a retelling of the read aloud or reading assignment. Retelling helps children review and organize the book. Listen for the following: Does the retelling makes sense? Have your child used the same story language and pattern from the book? Do you have questions?  you can use the following:
-What was your favourite part? why?
-What didn't you like? Why?
-What would you have done? Why?



I hope you can benefit from these because I did. My 3 children are worthy of these and the time spent on reading has paid off.  The return on this investment is long term.  Happy reading.

Book Review: The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey

I'm sure this 7 habits phrase is familiar to you. The other bestselling book entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was written by Stephen Covey.  The 7 Habits are based on powerful Principles that have been enriching lives for generations - principles such as responsibility, vision, respect, teamwork and balance. It is a proven philosophy for adults and teenagers that can now be applied to kids. I am just one of the parents who are interested in bringing the 7 Habits into our home and into our kids schools, that why we are reading this book for the nth time. I am thankful that Sean, the son of Stephen Covey took the next steps in creating a version for teens and kids.

This book teaches kids timeless values and principles contained in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - from figuring out how to take charge of their own lives to discovering why balance is best. The characters depicted in the stories might be the same as our children and their different moods, situations and personalities. They can relate to each story as it might have happened to them or they have encountered them in their friends or classmates lives. Each story illustrates one habit or principles that will help our children apply the 7 habits in their activities. After each story, there's a section called Parent's Corner which has some suggestions on how to bring out the habit in that story.t also include list of questions to ask kids and small steps/ tips that kids may start practicing.

Here are the 7 Habits of Happy Kids:
1. You are in Charge - Be Proactive
2. Have a Plan - Begin with the end in Mind
3. Work First then Play - Put first things first
4. Everyone can win - Think win-win
5. Listen before you talk - Seek first to understand than to be understood.
6. Together is better - Synergize "together everyone achieves more"
7. Balance feels best - Sharpen the saw.

Of all the seven Habits, my favourite is the 7th as it talks about balance and it is also aligned to our family's three goals - Feed your Mind, Feed your Body, Cleanse your body.  We feel better when we are balanced, when we take time to renew the four parts of who we are: body, heart, mind and soul. I like the part when Covey explained in the parent's corner that as the car has four tires, we as people, also have four parts. And to be healthy and happy, all parts need time and attention.

The explanation in the story is simple but adults can relate very well.
"You use your heart when you play with your friends." Build and Nurture good relationships.
"You use your soul when you find something quiet to do that makes you fresh inside." Reflection and time to spend with God through prayer.
"You Use your body when you exercise." Physical activities make you well.
"Use you mind when you read." Knowledge is power.

My children remembered  the illustration we saw on a Christian TV show about the soul man and spirit man fighting or getting weak when the body is weak or in sin and how the relationship with Jesus Christ can lighten and bring the joy, peace and love to the soul man, spirit man and physical man. We need Christ as He is the only one who will make us live a balanced and complete life that he desired for us to have. How blessed, how marvellous this life is and we thank God that even in storybooks or inspirational books like these, it is still going back to Him. Read this book and God will reveal himself to you and your children too. God bless.

Green Apron Behaviour - something to learn from Starbucks

I was listening to my favorite AM Christian radio station from the Phillippines when I heard this. The sharing was timely as I am contemplating on what's important in building relationships.  Everything was falling into place -I've learned about different personalities and how to deal with each, the different parts of the PIE of life and their portion, how to apply Planning, Leading, Organizing and Control management principles and how to balance knowledge, faith, love to live a God-fearing, purpose-driven life and become the outcome of all these inputs.  Yesterday, in church we learned about our inner calling, our gifts, our influence and how to respond to the "calling" and apply it to our daily fishing for God. Yes, it is too big to handle but with the right formula and willingness to obey, one cannot miss this opportunity.

The Green Apron Behaviour that the Starbucks employees were trained to deliver shows why the coffee store stands out.  It's not only the coffee but the "People" factor that contributes to the increasing and retaining customer base that Starbucks is known for.  The Christians who are also called Fishers of men can learn from the Green Apron Behaviour to fulfill the task. Here is list of the attitude that those who work with green apron are expected to show / deliver:

1. Welcoming - you know when you are truly welcome - you are greeted, there is a genuine smile or the talk is more personal.  Remember, they ask your name to put in the cup, that's you, it's personal. When we want to bring someone close to God, we welcome the person regardless of race, color, size and age into our homes, into our circles, into our lives. Hindi porke ibang religion or beliefs, ayaw na natin makipagusap sa Kanila.  Hindi porke inis ang pamilya mo dun na wala ka naman kinalaman dahil away ng pamilya yun, Iiwas ka na rin sa tao na yun. Paano na ang channel of blessings through you? Alam mo yun feeling na welcome ka di ba? no walls, no pretentions, warm and open. Someone  who is willing to accept anyone including the person you just met and who will connect with you right away. Break that wall, welcome one another.

2. Knowledgeable of product - how can we say or promote something if we ourselves don't know anything about it.  Build our relationship with God first. Learn about God, read the bible, pray, have an intimate relationship with our Saviour,  know about Jesus and the gift of salvation, memorize those verses, learn them and store them in your heart so that when the time comes that you need to "share" or answer questions, the Holy Spirit will retrieve the knowledge and reveal it. Like the Barista, he will give you the right coffee flavour suited to you.

3.  Genuine - you build relationships with others, not just your family or close friends. There is true friendship in every fellowship. Did you know that each time you interact or react to someone, you are making an effort to connect to that person? The outcome of the conversation makes or breaks the interaction. Most of the time you will receive kind words, good comments from a barista because they want to connect more with you. Sales strategy? Maybe, but at the end of a stressful day, having someone to vent out our frustrations to makes up a barista-customer relationship. Naalala ko dati sa ATC, ask ni barista, how's your day mam? I will say, bad trip, init ulo, alam na niya ang oorderin ko - ahh Mocha Frapp ma'am? So how are you with a friend who is in need, do you reach out or just even listen to them? Or do we stay away from him because we don't want to get involved. Where is the relationship-building there?

4. Considerate - when I was pregnant or I brought my kids to Starbucks when they were little, the barista asked me if I will have coffee? He would offer non-caffeine smoothies to my children and less caffeine or fat to a preggy like me.   Are you the same with whatever situation your friend is in? Can you easily adapt to a situation?   Would you consider someone else's feelings or agenda, or only your own? What about God's plan? Sometimes and I admit I am guilty of this too, we tend to focus only of ourselves that we miss out on  the opportunity. selfie ika nga.  Let us be considerate of others even if we are annoyed at that person, there is still something good in that person that we are expected to bring up if we show the love, kindness and consideration that we as Christians are supposed to be full of. Kahit nakakainis na siya, or di niya deserved yun, let us give him the benefit of the doubt and bring out the goodness in another. Anak din siya ng Diyos.

5. Involved - this is related to item number 2, how can we be genuine if we are not involved? How can we lend a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear if we are not available? Tucked away in our"comfort zone" with an alibi," problema niya yun, I don't want to get involved." How can that person know that there is hope in God if we are shutting our doors and windows to that person? God will use us if only we allow him to. We need to admit that we are not created to live in isolation and be willing to be used for another person's encouragement or building up.  "It is not good for a man to live alone, I will create a companion for him." "Walang sinoman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang. Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isat isa."

What makes you go or come back to Starbucks? It's not only the coffee, but it's the total "experience" that makes it more attractive. The traits mentioned are not only for Starbucks barista but for all the people, for Christians who are called to bring others to Christ and make him enjoy the experience. Like the barista who stands behind those counter, we can do the same, share the total experience so that others will know and come or return to Christ. We can be Welcoming, Knowledgeable, Genuine, Considerate and Involved and we can show it in so many ways. Not only lip service, I have to do the same and I ask God for guidance, more love, forgiveness, kindness and willingness in my heart to live the kind of life He wants us to live. May God guide us, in Jesus name.

Getting married again...planning a mob-wedding

I will kept this a secret but will publish in my blog about the wedding preparations I will do for our 15th wedding anniversary and renewal of vows.  This blog entry and all wedding related posts will only be published after the event or when he finds out. I spoiled my own surprise when I told him about the event on Canada Day, he was not too excited. :(

I already booked the venue, arranged the decors and reserved for the rooms.  I also asked a friend of ours to be the photographer.  The venue will be in a garden with a gazebo and the reception will be in a buffet restaurant in a mall just across the ceremony area - how convenient and cheap :)

I have decided to use a beige, white, ivory theme because Lito's original Barong Tagalog still fits him after fifteen years. Here is what I am going to wear:

And here are what I am going to ask the guests to wear (strictly white, beige and or cream) it's a beach-themed wedding but not in a beach venue.

And here is our wedding venue - the Peninsula Inn and Resort Niagara Falls

Better be safe than sorry

Today, we added to our weekly learning activities a new topic -safety.  Because I work in a continuous improvement department, I wanted to share with my family the valuable information I'm exposed to which is also applicable to our daily lives.  Just like in our workplace, we are also doing "talks" at home.  For each month, there will be 4 talks every week - safety, health, continuous improvement and about being a Christian. We will have information sessions on the stuff that my kids need to know and I wanted them to develop that habit about embracing these four important lessons in their lives.

Our company recently launched a safety initiative which was also launched globally. Our guest speaker was Spencer Beach, a fire survivor and a motivational speaker for safety.  The message moved me and I thought that it would also impact my children if I bring his story home.

I showed them the video of Spencer's interview and we discussed his tips on how to be safety conscious.  I hope that this will be the start of something worthwhile.

Based on Spencer's talk, here are the top 6 reasons and attitudes why accidents happen:

1. Not aware of safety hazards
2. Not taking time
3. Not wearing Proper Protective Equipment (PPE)
4. Love to gamble (taking risks)
5. "It will not happen to me"
6. Failure to demonstrate safety to others

Lito and I took this opportunity to ask the kids the activities where they can be at risk.  After they were identified, we discussed with the kids the ways on how to prevent the accidents or being hurt.  One perfect example mentioned was riding a bike, so now they know why there's the need to wear helmets before going, why they should not be speeding and should look left and right before crossing.  Other activities like climbing a tree, playing a sport, running in the stairs and handling a sharp object were brought up and also what to do or not do in order to be safe.

The talk was a success. Before we ended the session, we left them with 4 things to remember to be SAFE:

1. Be aware. Learn and ask questions.
2. Take your time. DO NOT RUSH.
3. Wear the Proper Gear.
4. Be mindful of others. Take care of ourselves.

I also reminded them that we should take care of ourselves for the sake of our loved ones who are waiting and depending on us.

That's it for now, we'll have more in the coming weeks.

Be Safe.

What is real happiness?

For some, it is easy, they are happy when they have food on the table, when they are able to pay the bills and the mortgage. For those in business, they are happy when they close the deal or meeting the targets or exceeding them. It varies, sometimes it depends on how the children are, one new mom said I'm fulfilled and happy when I see my child happy. Some will be happy if they get the latest phone, new purse or new designer clothes. I admit I am happy when I know I will be going somewhere because I love to travel.

Sadly, many people get their happiness only from outward circumstances. As long as their lives are untroubled and they are comfortable, they feel happy.  But when illness strikes, or a relationship breaks down, or any of a thousand other unexpected troubles engulf them, then happiness flees.

Billy Graham said, there is a spring that never varies it's flow. Floods may rage, but it's output doesn't increase. A long summer drought may come, but it won't decrease. It's flow is steady, reliable and unending.

Such is the peace and joy that we all yearn for - and such is the peace Jesus promises to all who trust Him: "The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up in everlasting life....My peace I give you" John 4:14 and 14:27.

What about you? Are you ready when the unexpected or a big storm comes? Will you still be happy? Are you at peace with God? Have you come to His spring? I hope you know where to find the water that will not make you thirsty again. Jesus is waiting.  Happiness is all about Him.

January 2015 has passed and the next month is approaching. What have we done to be near Or bring others to Him? Is it part of our goals this year? Or do we even have a goal in the first place or are we just waiting and being complacent? Are we deep inside truly happy that it shows and radiates to another?