Maricel Laxa Pangilinan♡

found all lullaby cd’s my kids grew up with..Solana’s definitely gonna enjoy...

Tue, 03 May 2011 22:40:58 -0400

found all lullaby cd’s my kids grew up with..Solana’s definitely gonna enjoy these..wait, am I nesting already? <3

RT @PhilstarNews The truth about consequences http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679445

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:57:06 -0400

RT @PhilstarNews The truth about consequences http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679445

kids witnessed men flogging themselves&carrying crosses-blood splattered on our windows, they...

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:31:00 -0400

kids witnessed men flogging themselves&carrying crosses-blood splattered on our windows, they cried&realized Jesus’ blood did so much more

how time flies naman @@4ever_on_faith & @AngeliPV ! saw this while packing stuff na for the...

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:38:31 -0400

how time flies naman @@4ever_on_faith & @AngeliPV ! saw this while packing stuff na for the south… http://twitpic.com/4nw4ve

SEMANA SANTA 2011

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:33:44 -0400

What does it mean to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? For most of us, we go on vacation mode. For many, it’s a time to renew their vows or ‘panata’ to the Lord to wash their sins. We know though that no matter how much we try to make a peace offering to the Lord to erase our sins, they cannot compare to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross…One sacrifice for all..for now, we live by grace and not by works. When we receive the gift he has given us through his blood, all our sins are washed away…what an awesome God we serve!

While on our way home from Ilocos yesterday, we came across some people carrying crosses and beating themselves up. Blood splattered on our car…the kids screamed in disbelief! They witnessed such a tradition for the first time…we asked why they had cried…Hannah’s reply: ’It reminds me of how much Jesus sacrificed for me’. We reminded her that what she saw was nothing yet compared to what Jesus had to endure…

Jesus was whipped using several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached to the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with fill force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back and legs which cut through the skin only. As the blows continue, they cut deeper causing an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and then eventually the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows.

John 3:16

“¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

We don’t deserve His love, neither does He have any need for us and yet He delights in us and serves us….

As we’ve done in the past, we commemorate Jesus’ love by simple rituals….

Benj & Hannah made a cross:

We read Hebrews 10 together:

¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

¹⁶ “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”^[b]

¹⁷ Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”^[c]

¹⁸ And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Then we asked people in our home to gather

and prepared ourselves for service….

we wrote our sins that Jesus has forgiven and we nailed them on the cross…

then washed each others’ feet just as Jesus did…we declared, “I will serve you just as Jesus did”….

we chose then to gather up all our ‘sins’ and burn them for they were nailed on the cross, forgiven and then forgotten forever: as Isaiah 1:18 says,

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

May we allow Jesus’ sacrifice to change us and mold us so that we could be the person He wants us to be-may we show the same grace to others just as Jesus has shown mercy to us…Happy Holy Week, everyone!

hello po, ask ko lng po kung saang movie nyo cnabi ang lines n to... "broadminded akong tao, mahaba ang pasensya ko alam ko kung ano'ng akin at hinde!" gus2 ko po kc mapanood ulet slamat :)

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 06:58:35 -0400

i think either sa iisa pa lamang or ikaw ang lahat sa akin with richard gomez and janice de belen . both directed by joey reyes :) thanks for dropping by….

Solana in the sunset….. http://twitpic.com/4n59ic

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:52:27 -0400

Solana in the sunset….. http://twitpic.com/4n59ic

Solana in the sunset.....

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:30:14 -0400

Solana in the sunset.....

Taping for TAYUAN MO! AT PANINDIGAN on TV 5 showing on April 19. Parenting ang usapan. Share your...

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:02:26 -0400

Taping for TAYUAN MO! AT PANINDIGAN on TV 5 showing on April 19. Parenting ang usapan. Share your views. To spank or not to spank? 

Feelings are part of data-gathering.They matter&long to be heard-not necessarily agreed with but...

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:49:43 -0400

Feelings are part of data-gathering.They matter&long to be heard-not necessarily agreed with but seen as vital to one who is wise-MLP

Donny's favorite quote-

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 03:18:34 -0400

This was told to me by my father (Anthony Pangilinan). It teaches me to do Teamwork, which is one of the most important rules of life.

“You can be the best in your team, but your team isn’t the best if you don’t give your 100%”

We will miss The Learning Tree

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:18:32 -0400

My kids are out of school and will be moving on to a new school next year as we make a grand move to the South after living in the North for 17 years!! I can’t imagine what life will be like but I know it will be for the good and our hearts of course remain thankful for all the memories we’ve shared with people here in QC…

Here with Teachers Francie, Roseanne, Anna and Teacher Ryan

Ella with her grade 1 teacher! Teacher Annette- time flies!

Benj with Kuya Rene whom he’ll really miss playing table tennis with…

closing rites made more special with a banquet right after..fondue &sumptuous desserts here with Benj, Ate Shawie and the rest of the family

ahh, heavenly apple strudel dessert from Old Swiss Inn…

closing rites for the small kids in the morning and then candlelight dinner in the evening for the graduates..here with my son Donny who just graduated Grade 6 with many achievements&honors..moving on and moving forward but still kulokoy and always will be our baby….what a great year it has been!

thanks, @apangilinan: this is what I meant-“After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a...

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:18:03 -0400

thanks, @apangilinan: this is what I meant-“After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a certified Belieber!!-MLP”

"After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a certified Belieber!!-MLP"

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:04:45 -0400

““After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a certified Belieber!!-MLP””

"After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a certified Belieber!!-MLP"

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:18:00 -0400

“After being forced to watch “Never say Never” I am now a certified Belieber!!-MLP”

MomWorks Season4!

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:47:00 -0400

We have started taping for MomWorks Season 4 and have so much in store for you. Catch us on the Lifestyle Network (Channel 52) this May!

Just want to share some tidbits from taping of episodes 1&2. Enjoy!

We were so blessed to have been hosted by Edsa Shangri-la Hotel for our first 2 episodes.

This is what welcomed me when I arrived…hot swiss chocolate!! This is a great way to start my day…

This is my view from our room where I often glance at in between my make-up session with Jen Cabriana. Of course, I dream of swimming but not until our shoot is done :)

That’s Sidney Yap-my favorite stylist :) He brought awesome pregnancy clothes from Anya’s Boutique of Greenbelt 5

There’s our EP, Kath and the rest of the crew having a laugh while we make all our initial booboos from having 1st episode jitters having been on a season break for a loooong time :)

My lovely guests: Prof. Yanky Agustin and Mommy Katrina-we talked about the importance of choosing the right kind of activity for summer and how to make sure we don’t over stress our children during their summer break!

A group shot before I let them go. :) Thanks for guesting, gals!

For Episode 2, Sydney got this sexy ensemble from Anya of Gbelt 5! Love showing off my big belly here. Five months only but seems like I’m about to pop anytime. Love getting all dolled up and I’m sure baby is excited as well :)

For our next episode, we discussed about how to hire, train and keep yayas..got great insights from teacher dulce and important questions were raised by our first time mom-Jenny who has a 2 year old baby and has suffered abuse from a temporary hired yaya. Watch out for this very informative episode! MomWorks Season 4 at the Lifestyle Network :)

MommyTalk on Philstar: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=668366&publicationSubCategoryId=80

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:06:00 -0400

HEALTH AND FAMILY

Connecting and disconnecting
MOMMY TALK By Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan

(The Philippine Star) Updated March 22, 2011

Ella, Donny, Hannah, and Benj Pangilinan: Tech-time in the Pangilinan household is limited.

In my previous article, I wrote about having fun even without television. Well, we’ve actually survived pretty well and have not relied so much on television to provide us entertainment and relaxation. Computer gadgets have helped keep us updated on what’s happening in the world and allow us to continue to reach out to our friends from all over. They have also given us easy access to information needed to complete any school requirement.

The use of computer gadgets in our home though has its limitations. For one, we don’t have Wi-Fi available for everyone to log on any time they wish. We have made a stand against this very convenient technological advancement because we do not want to be engrossed in our own worlds in the company of a computer — connecting to the rest of the world while disconnecting from each other at home. We have thrived taking turns using one laptop 45 minutes at a time (that’s the maximum limit on weekdays and one hour on weekends) that is strategically placed at our bedside for easy monitoring.

There are two iPads, which are used interchangeably more for games and music and very much for everyone’s amusement, but we have set aside a tech-time for everyone. I was actually amazed at the iPad’s features when I decided to learn a few games to play with my daughter Hannah. She tutored me in maneuvering through The Amazing Race game and I found myself winning several times to everyone’s surprise. I was just so happy I could bond with Hannah in the way she enjoys her world — the techie way and not the usual kind of bonding only Mommy actually enjoys. Yup, the world has indeed changed.

I used to be everyone’s source of wisdom when it comes to anything hi-tech, but now, my husband and I have been finding ourselves more and more at the mercy of our children to help us figure things out much faster on the Internet, the social networking sites, etc. For example, it is through my elder daughter’s prodding that we were able to be “connected” via Twitter to thousands of people so that we may get our message across in a jiffy. She also made us aware that we could actually link it to our FB and blog account so there would be no need to be switching from one page to another, making sure everybody’s updated. My son Donny allowed us to discover how to shorten URL addresses by logging on to a certain site TinyUrl to shorten the addresses while my youngest son Benjamin introduced us to a variety of sites that have become a great source of self-help for training materials on how to construct different objects from scraps and other natural materials.

Such discoveries and wealth of innovative ideas gathered from the web have led us to try our best to be up-to-date on how to best guide our children through a myriad of information they are able to absorb as fast as a speeding bullet via the Internet so that we do not allow them to be set free in a complex world we ourselves are not completely familiar with. Not arming them with enough armor to protect them from the harms that lurk on the Internet is a very dangerous thing.

One basic premise we have, for example, in social networking is to make sure they are of age when putting up their own Facebook, Twitter or blog sites. Do you know that the age limit for a Facebook user is 13 years old and above? Yet, I find so many under-aged kids wanting to be my friends. When I talked to their parents about this, I found out that the parents themselves put up the sites for their children by lying about their kids’ ages. I rest my case. Well, it’s like putting our children in the lion’s den when we actually allow them to experience certain “perks” reserved only for a limited few because it is a way to safeguard their innocence, privacy, and security.

As parents, we understand that we have to keep up with the changing world. Change is good, but sometimes a source of discomfort especially for us who have managed to survive with very little and yet have thrived anyway. We realize that there is always a need to have a good balance of embracing the dynamic changes and making sure the children are grounded with the good stuff that points them to what matters most in life. We always point out to them that more than ever in the history of the world, people are connected to what’s happening in different parts of the world, but it can easily allow one to get disconnected from those he is closest to if he is not careful. The various methods available for connectivity are the very tools that allow one to escape from the realities of life which ushers one to a world of virtual reality and then finding one’s way back home can become a problem.

My eldest daughter shared that after her encounters with different recovered addicts (who visited their school for their Life Skills program), she learned that all addictions are rooted in a need that is not found in the confines of a healthy family and home life. It is a reminder to us parents to make sure our connection in the home is deep enough to provide a solid ground for our children’s foundations so that they will not want to discover quick fixes for their pains but learn to face life’s realities with the help and support of the people they’re so sure they’re connected with. Hopefully, our children find all that in us, dear parents!

So go ahead and improve your connectivity with the rest of the world, but don’t leave your family behind!

Soul Food

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:56:00 -0400

” The only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run ints course in our lives is to examine what the FINAL OUTCOME of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion and if the outcome in something that God would condemn, put a STOP TO IT IMMEDIATELY. But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spririt of God and you don’t allow it to HAVE ITS WAY IN YOUR LIFE, it will cause a reaction on a lower level that God intended”

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

http://yfrog.com/hseevryj?sms_ss=tumblr&at_xt=4d86bf2f6df91a1a,0

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:01:13 -0400

http://yfrog.com/hseevryj?sms_ss=tumblr&at_xt=4d86bf2f6df91a1a,0:

ang mga hari ng kakulitan!! happy birthday, daddy dony!!

THANK YOU FOR HELPING MY SON DONNY WIN 2ND PLACE IN HIS SCHOOL BLOG CONTEST!!

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:54:08 -0400

We only had a couple of days to go and Donny’s group needed around 300 likes to beat the 1st placer who started way ahead of time in garnering LIKES. Thanks to techie and highly followed friends and family members, his group gathered more than 150 LIKES in just a few clicks!

We went to the one who had one of the most followers on Twitter…the grand dame, @karen_davila to teach my kids how to communicate via Twitter and then many followed…

We returned another day to celebrate and just hang out…but still the high tech and high touch way..kainan, swimming and yes….tvvvvvvvvv!!