Lilly Anne

Remember my post about which baby name to give our second child?

I had a list of girl names, carefully thought of and debated over. And all members of the family, well the three of us, got to vote and choose what would suit our little girl best.

And so it is finally decided! She shall be called "Lilly Anne".

And by the grace of God, may she grow up to be what her name embodies. My fervent prayer: that we as her parents and sibling, may be able to guide, support and nurture her to become the person that our Almighty has planned her to be.

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3 Situations Where a Translator Might Be Helpful

If you’re a business owner and you’ve recently started working with international partners, you may have been thinking about getting a language translator Toronto ON to help you with cross-linguistic communication. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, there are more situations today than ever that rely on translation to help get messages across effectively, especially in business matters. If you’re on the fence about whether your company needs a translator, consider whether you ever find yourself in one of these common situations.

1.Your Software Needs To Be Localized

If you work in the software and technology industry, it’s possible that your software will need to be localized, or adapted to local markets around the world. While translating user interfaces, system messages and more might seem like a simple task, cultural issues could arise from improper computer translations. For quality software localization that communicates your intended experience to an international audience, working with a professional is a good bet.

2. You Regularly Have Business Correspondence With International Partners

If your company frequently produces commercial documents like company reports, memos or other types of business correspondence and relies on these documents for communication with international partners, you may want to consider hiring a translator. One option is to look for a translator with specialized experience in your particular industry, since different sectors often come with their own jargon.

3. You Work in Legal Affairs

If you need legal translations, certified translators may be the best route. These translations can be complicated, ranging from contracts to wills to treaties and more, and sometimes even need to be notarized.

With international collaboration on the rise and the business world growing more interconnected than ever, translation is becoming increasingly important to effective business communications. If your company finds itself in any of these situations on a regular basis, you may want to consider getting a professional translator to ensure top quality.

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Baby Shower for Little Lilly

Last Friday, a good girlfriend of mine celebrated her birthday. I asked her beforehand if she would be our little girl's godmother and she eagerly replied with a "Yes!". And so it happened that she also threw a baby shower for our coming child on the occassion of her birthday. We just felt so happy and loved for it was a very intimate gathering of good friends, celebrating my friend's birthday and celebrating the life of a soon to be member of our community. It felt like heaven was also celebrating with us, because we had a mild weather, it rained in the morning and so the afternoon air was cool and pleasant.

Here are some snippets of the baby shower and the birthday celebration. It was a first for me although this is my second pregnancy because baby showers were not yet a trend some 12 years ago.   

The nicely decorated cake table with some diaper cakes.
Baby socks and baby bodys hanged on the line make for perfect "baderitas"!

The birthday / baby shower cake. It was delicious!
Forgot to ask what it was made of though because of too much excitement.

The diaper cakes lovingly hand crafted by my friends.

Cake pops? No! These are oreo cookies coated in milk and white chocolate and
garnished with sugar sprinkles. Lovingly prepared by my friend's daughter.

My daughter and my friend's son, trying out the oreo pops!

Of course, our sumptuous feast composed of grilled meat,
the ever present pancit, and some fresh salads to balance it out!

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the love, well wishes for a safe delivery and healthy baby, and gifts for our little girl. We received not one, not two, but three diaper cakes among other gifts... This is very useful because the little one will surely be using them, until such time that she is potty trained.

Our little angel is expected to come out into this world in September. It is not easy to be pregnant with the pandemic still going on, but observing proper hygiene protocols, keeping distance at gatherings, and wearing masks when in enclosed public places, one can still enjoy the little things life has to offer. I pray always for a healthy baby. 

And I also pray that things will turn out for the better in the coming days... 

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3 Ways To Treat Addiction

Drug and alcohol addiction affects millions of people’s lives. It can cause their relationships to deteriorate, health problems or legal troubles. There are many reasons that a person can become addicted to substances, so different treatment options exist in an attempt to help people as individuals.

1. Therapy

A combination of individual and group therapy can be very effective in the battle against addiction. These therapy programs can be run through different systems. Rehab facilities, prisons and halfway houses Waldorf MD are among the places that have programs in place that help people overcome addiction and return to a normal life. Group therapy sessions provide a powerful support system that can encourage people to stay on track. Individual and group sessions can help a person work through the reasons they turned to drugs or alcohol and figure out how to cope with daily events without relapsing.

2. Medication

There are a variety of drugs available that can help with withdrawal symptoms from different kinds of drugs and alcohol. In some cases, they can reduce cravings and decrease use and dependency.

3. Alternative

Other methods that can help overcome addiction include meditation and exercise therapies. Meditation can help ease depression and anxiety, as well as promote feelings of calmness and clarity. Exercise has many benefits for everyone and is proven to improve the mood and reduce stress. Animals like horses are also being used to assist in recovery programs.

Not all techniques work for everyone. It is important to work with trusted, experienced professionals during the recovery process in order to find a customized treatment plan that will work well. Using a combination of methods can be very effective for many people. The fight against addiction is not won in a day, but through constant effort and with a good support system, it can be overcome.

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Mocktail: Alcohol-Free Cocktails

The summer heat is killing me... well, if you are in your last month of pregnancy like me, it would feel like it! It would be very nice if you could spruce yourself a nice "mojito" with lots of ice and mint leaves in it. That would really be refreshing! And of course, you can always whip up a nice "mocktail", a cocktail minus the alcohol of course, and it will be just as refreshing and very safe both for you and your baby. There are lots of interesting recipes on the internet about this. You can always use a fruit tea infusion or fruit juice as the base and just syrups and refreshing fruit slices (citrus!) and ice cubes, and voila: a mocktail! 

Photo grabbed from the drugstore promotional broshure. 

I found this recipe on one of the promotional ads of a drugstore here and thought that it looks easy to prepare and should give it a try.

It is called Lemon-Lime Shot. You will need to cook / boil 240 mL of water with 4 branches of rosemary, 1 tbsp. of peppercorns, 120 g honey and a pinch of coarse salt in a pan, until the mixture becomes thick in consistency. Allow the mixture to cool and strain. Place the rosemary syrup, juice from 1 lime and 1 lemon and 720 mL water in a pitcher and mix well. To serve, place ice cubes in glasses, pour in the drink and garnish with blackberries.

Enjoy your drink!

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Help! You’ve Got a Pest Infestation!

Ugh. Ants crawling through your outdoor picnic and mosquitoes dive-bombing your head while you work outside are one thing, but what do you do when those pests move inside your home? Or what about when those outside pests go from being a general nuisance to being a hazard to you, your family and your pets?

Commercial Products

You can always grab a can of bug spray at the store. However, read the label first! Some of these products should not be sprayed indoors, some not near pets and some actually cause health problems for people. Others only kill certain types of insects. Some kill everything including beneficial insects like ladybugs, praying mantises, bees and lacewing flies.

Glue traps can be helpful for crawling pests, if you can pinpoint where those pests will be crawling and set your trap accordingly. Keep in mind that for mammalian or reptile pests, glue traps need to be emptied frequently or the smell will overwhelm you.

Natural Solutions

Home remedies are a way to go. Check out a variety of blogs with ideas for pest control services Cape Coral FL that have natural remedies. Several of these are white vinegar based. Some blogs list signs and conditions to look for to help you identify which pest is invading your home.

One plus for home remedies is they usually don’t adversely affect the health of any person or pet living in the home. A downside is that they’re frequently specific to the type of insect pestering you, which means you’ll need to know what type of infestation you have.

Professional Control

An alternative is to seek the help of a professional. Pest service companies provide a variety of ways to combat infestations in your home and yard. They can help you with everything from bats in your attic to snakes in your basement, termites in your foundation or ants on your counters. Most pest companies have ideas on pest prevention they’re willing to share, too. Reputable ones will have recommendations from previous clients available.

With a little digging and perhaps some ingenuity, you can find a pest solution that both works for you and gets rid of your problem.

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Protect Yourself and Your Skin from the Sun

Summer is officially here! And to protect our skin from damage, we should use sun protection products that are dermatologically tested to be safe for use even on children's sensitive skin. Depending on your activity and how long you will be exposed to the sun, it might also be necessary to apply sun protection more than once.

When buying sun protection products, you will always see on the packaging the label "SPF 15" for example. What does this mean? SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and indicates how much protection a product offers against the sun's ultraviolet (UV) B rays. The UVB rays is what causes your skin to redden, darken or get a sunburn. The SPF ratings are determined in a laboratory. The higher the number of the SPF, the better protection you have. For example, SPF 50 products are estimated to allow 1/50 of the sun’s burning rays to get through to the skin (protects against approximately 98% of the sun’s burning rays). SPF-100 products are estimated to allow 1/100 of the sun’s burning rays to get through to the skin (protects against approximately 99% of the sun’s burning rays). Actual protection may vary and will depend on the user applying adequate amounts.

Depending on your skin tone and how long you will have sun exposure, this chart will help guide you on your choice of SPF number. 

Source: bananaboat.com/sun-safety/spf-chart

Although I have a light to medium skin tone, I always use SPF 30 - 50 in the summer where the sun shines longer here in Europe. Whenever we go out to take hikes or go swimming in the lake in open pools, I make sure that we reapply after a few hours so we prevent the risk of getting a sunburn. But it is not only in summer where you should use sun protection products because at any given season and any given time, your skin will always be exposed to the sun's harmful rays. So if you know that you will be exposed to the sun for an outdoor activity, be sure to apply your favorite sunscreen product before you hit the road. 

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