Establish a Good Relationship with Your Mother-in-Law

Married life is exciting and a new learning experience. The adjustment phase for newly weds vary depending on how deep their relationship was to start with. A piece of advice to those who are planning to join the bandwagon: a marriage is not only a union between man and woman but the start of a relationship among their families as well.

Now there’s that dreaded thought popularized by movies and television shows and that is your in-laws could make your life a living hell. Of course moms could be on the defensive side on welcoming the thought that another woman would be taking care of their precious child. As a wife, you should try and make an effort to reach out to your mother-in law and establish a good relationship with her.

Yes, there are some in-laws who tend to neglect the idea that their child is now starting his own family. It might take some time to adjust on this new setup. Do not let this situation intimidate you. Be as polite and respectful as you can and do not let this issue affect you.

It will be good to invite her for some quality time together. Spend a day shopping or visit a spa in order to have some private moments with your mother-in-law. During this time you can start a conversation and make an effort of getting to know here more. This is also a good time to talk about things and clear the air if there are any unsolved issues between the both of you.

Keep in mind that dealing and establish a healthy relationship with your in-laws is a part of married life.

Joanne currently works as a freelance writer. Among her favorite topics include travel, current events, technology and fashion. She's enjoying her current task writing for slankekur a project that provides diet information.

Bond with Your Child: Help with the SATs

One of the many joyful experiences in life is raising your children. You always look for the best ways to improve your child’s life and his or her happiness. After all, what’s better than being a part of your son or daughter's life and being there to guide them through as many obstacles as possible? One of the many important times in your kid's life is when they are about to complete high school and embark on the next part of their educational life. This starts with the SATs, which determine the college or university they will end up in.

As a parent you are there to support them, and like every parent you try to make life a little more easy and little more fun in this stressful time period. There are many things you can do to help, and research shows that the best teachers are the ones who know the kids the best; that would be you! If you feel that you are not qualified to teach your kids, there are other options available. Find them the best SAT prep school or study guide you can. The score your children achieve in their SATs largely depends on the preparation they have gone through. For some kids this experience is enjoyable, while for others it may just be a breaking point in their lives. Either way, as long as they know that they have your support the SATs can be a lot less stressful.

Finding the best SAT prep program is much easier than you may think. With the help of the internet and helpful individuals at the various school offices, you can easily locate the preparation guide that best meets your child’s learning style. This process can help you and your child find a bonding moment like none other.

Relocation and Your Marriage

It can happen. Your spouse comes home one day to announce that his job is relocating him to another state. You can handle it in a myriad of ways, such as pulling out the phone book to schedule the movers to come in, pack everything up, and deliver it to the new home you will soon be house hunting for. Or, you can freak out.

Of course, you want to handle it in the best way for your marriage. After all, this is but one part of your relationship because wherever you live together is your home. While it sounds good in theory, relocating can be hard on your relationship, your kids and your life. Learning some coping mechanisms to overcome challenges and make the best of it can help you make the transition as smooth as possible.

Have a Discussion

It’s okay to feel the way that you feel about the move—be it sad, mad, disappointed, excited, or ready and willing to hit the road. Sit down, even if it is for only 10 minutes and discuss how you feel with your spouse. Then allow him to share his feelings with you. Getting it all out can help overcome negative feelings, just as it can highlight the good points of the move.

Research the Possibilities

New cities, places and homes can bring a new sense of excitement and new opportunities to your family. Find out what the new city has to offer. Go online as if you are a tourist heading off to a “far off land” and find out what activities there are to do there, what the residents are like, and what you can look forward to doing and sharing when you are living there. A lot of relocation fear is just about change, but once you overcome the fear by gaining knowledge it can be an enjoyable experience.

Is Your Spouse Married to Online Casino Games?

In a perfect world, free from marital distractions, we’d shut off our Blackberrys, I-Phones, laptops and DVR recorders at the end of a long day. We’d want to spend free time with our spouses, children and loved ones, and not with our bosses and supervisors via e-mail, reality stars via television or card players via online casino games. Unfortunately though, that’s exactly where most overstressed, overworked parents and families gravitate at the end of the day. Even though we may not know it, these tiny daily distractions actually chip away at our bonds with out husbands and wives over time.

Carving quality time for your spouse, when both of you have jam-packed schedules day and night can be a challenge, for sure – but if you consciously make the decision to prioritize your time, it becomes effortless. You’ll find yourself looking forward to that time after work with your loved ones, and not with your beloved television remote or computer mouse. To achieve more balance in your relationship and your life, you must first make a few difficult changes.

First, it’s important slowly pry yourself away from the digital distractions after work hours – and include your spouse in your hobbies. Instead of playing online casino games, grab a deck of cards and sit with your family around the table. You’ll eventually find you enjoy yourself even more when you engage in a favorite activity with your loved ones instead of an anonymous opponent online.

Secondly, make a point to sit and have meals together, engaging in conversations about your day. It’s too easy to grab dinner and plop in front of the television or computer – but you’re missing out on crucial quality time in your marriage. These small changes are easy to work into your daily life, and can greatly improve your marriage. Learn to enjoy your favorite activities together instead of zoning out separately in front of your respective screens.

Caught By Surprised

We received news this morning from hubby's agency. They told him that he's tentative flight for Riyadh is on June 5. Yes, he's leaving soon...huhuhu! We are surprised but still thankful that still we are informed a few days ahead. Hubby's been waiting for this call for months already so he's happy. Although on the side he's sad. Sad, that he's leaving us again. If he won't be allowed to go on vacation after a year, it would be another two straight years..*sigh* Another two years of sacrifice....

But looking on the bright side. It's just right since the kids are going. This sacrifice is for their future. This is the thought that motivates us.

Sigh....

My sister in law left yesterday...nakakalungkot.

She went to help us when I was about to give birth. She stayed here for two months and she's been a big to help to us. BUt she also have her own family. Her two sons need her. And now that school year is near, she has to be there for them. I will surely miss her. Now we're back to "helper-hunting"...again.

Answered Prayer...AGAIN!

My husband has been reviewing for his HAAD (Head Authority Abu Dhabi) exam since November last year. He’s been reviewing until two in the morning almost every day. And he seems to develop dark circles under eye already because of his intensive review. Today was his exam. And I received an SMS from him at 4:30pm today to tell me that he passed! He was soooo happy. The Lord is really good! This is the 2nd prayer that He answered. We’ll continue praying and we are hoping that this will be the start of his new career.

We're Moving.

We’ve finally decided to let go of the house we planned to buy from HDMF and decided to just rent for a while until we’re able to save enough to buy a property not under HDMF. So last week, we’ve decided to scout a house somewhere in Marikina that was not affected by the flood. Luckily we found one in Marikina Heights. We’ve already visited the place and talked to the owner and finally closed the deal. We’ll be moving next month. Hubby also decided not to sell the car anymore since the house that we got has a garage where it can be parked. I’m thankful for that. That car has a sentimental value to us so I am really having second thought when he told me he wants to sell it. Now, we’ll just improve that car with necessary car accessories. This will be one of the things on our list to start our 2010 plan.

I'm excited for the new house. This week, we'll be starting to buy boxes to pack our things. It will be a new start that I hope, a really good start for us...

Father-daughter Moment

Just want to share some pics of the husband and the little girl while doing her school assignment. I took this while they were busy sticking the pictures of orange things. The little girls was as usual curious and wants to do it by herself but daddy said no. He was the one who put glue on it and help the little girl arrange it on her notebook. One father-daughter moment to cherished...Cute!

Saving loose coins.

We’re teaching the little girl how to save money in her own little way. We bought a big piggy bank where we can drop our loose coins. So whenever the little girl sees some coins lying around the house, she will always ask mommy or daddy’s help so she can drop it inside the pink piggy. One day, she saw a rare coin on my wallet. It’s not a gold coin like what Monaco Rare Coin offers but it’s different among others that’s why it caught her attention. She asked me if that’s also a peso (she thought all coins are peso coins). When I told her that it’s money from a different country, she also dropped it in the piggy bank. . I think it’s good that we’re able to teach her the value of saving even loose coins.

It's Final

Hubby will be renewing his contract for another two years. After several long discussions, weighing the issues, comparing options, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages and looking into the future, I concede with hubby and agreed that he’ll renew his contract. It’s a very hard decision to make. Really.

He knows my stand regarding working overseas, far from one’s family. But I felt that he’s really determined to renew. He laid down his thoughts on this and I laid mine but I admit that on some points, he’s right. We still need his earnings abroad.

So, on April he’ll be coming home and will stay maybe until the end of May. Hopefully, we’ll be able to celebrate Jaden’s birthday with him this time.

Sigh….it’s really hard. This means another two years of sacrifice. But I hope that we’ll be able to achieve the goals we set so that after this, he doesn’t need to renew again for another two years. I don’t want him to compromises the time that he should be with us.

Urrgggh!...Ang hirap talaga ng OFW ang asawa…



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If we own one of Wilmington NC real estate can we be happier?

Hello!

I'm here at work right now and I know my day is going to be busy. I will not be able to write a lengthy post so I'll just write my updates in bullet points.

• The eye glasses was fixed. I'm thankful that I only paid for the lens that was replaced.
• We had a great mall time yesterday. My sister took us to lunch at The Old Spaghetti House.
• The little lady is nursing a fever and cough due to colds. I'm having a hard time giving her meds. She don't like medicines :(. I might take her back to the doctor tomorrow if she'll not get better today.
• The husband will undergo minor nose surgery. He said it's because he suffers nosebleeds frequently. I don't know the exact diagnosis, but he said it's nothing to worry about. I hope he'll get better after the surgery.