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Why It’s Important To Get A Flu Vaccine

April 23, 2021

‘Sponsored by The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’

Personal confession, I used to not get an annual flu shot. The last time before I got my recent flu shot was when I was pregnant with my second child. I hate needles, I really don’t like it. But truthfully, nobody likes it anyway so what’s the exception of making that as a reason not to get a flu shot. With everything that has been going on, it’s a wake-up call for me to get a flu shot. This pandemic can be overwhelming and scary for all of us. Getting ourselves and our children a flu shot is one step we can take now to protect them from a serious disease.

So why is it important to get a flu vaccination? In addition to preventing the flu, here are five benefits to getting a flu shot:

Flu vaccinations help keep you and your loved ones out of the doctor’s office and out of the hospital. The vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor due to the flu by 40 to 60 percent. It also reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74 percent during flu seasons from 2010-2012. In recent years, flu vaccines have reduced the risk of flu hospitalizations among adults by 40 percent. It also reduces the risk of adults getting admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) as well.
If you do get sick with the flu, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce its severity. There are studies that show that among adults hospitalized with flu, vaccinated patients were 59 percent less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit than those who had not been vaccinated. They also stayed lesser days in the hospital as compared to those who were not vaccinated.
Flu vaccination can save children’s lives. It significantly reduces a child’s risk of dying from the flu.
Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. It reduces the risk of flu-associated acute respiratory infection in pregnant women by up to one-half. It also reduces the chance of getting hospitalized due to the flu. Other than that, it also protects the baby from flu infection for several months after birth, when he or she is not old enough to be vaccinated.
Flu vaccination helps prevent the flu in people with chronic health conditions. Vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had a cardiac event in the past year.

Vaccines are safe, effective and help protect everyone. As a parent, it protects our children and teens from 16 up vaccine-preventable diseases-including HPV, which can cause six types of cancer. There has been a lot of debate about it and that may also include misinformation about vaccines. That’s why it’s so important to do our research and also share our personal stories about why we vaccinate. There is so much information on the internet about vaccinations that sometimes can be overwhelming and scary. I think that’s normal, it’s okay to have many questions. But we just have to make sure we are getting answers from credible sources. Before, I was so confused about what to do that we decided to skip the flu shot, but now we decided to go for it. The risk of getting the flu outweighs more than getting a flu shot. Like I said, get some information and clarity from credible resources. As for other types of vaccination, we are all covered. I would also like to point out that a flu shot cannot cause the flu. Most people experience no side effects from the flu shot. I personally don’t, but there are common side effects that other people are experiencing like soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot is given. It is important to get a flu shot as soon as possible because it takes up to two weeks after you get the flu shot for your body to build up enough immunity to prevent the flu, so Michigan residents should get vaccinated now to protect themselves before flu activity increases in Michigan. There are currently ample supply of flu vaccines available at many locations throughout Michigan, including doctor’s offices, pharmacies and local health departments.

For more information about flu vaccination and where to schedule an appointment go to www.michigan.gov/flu .

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you find it helpful for you and your loved ones.

Home and Lifestyle

Maintaining Cleanliness While Staying at Home

February 1, 2021

April Kus

* This post is sponsored by Hoover PowerDash, all words and opinions are mine.

Now that we’ve been staying home a lot, it’s quite a challenge to maintain the house. People are always grabbing something from the pantry, fridge and cabinets. There’s so much traffic on our rugs and carpets since the kids are at homeschool these days. That also means, not much break for me in the “cleaning department”. I know it’s tough, but what can you do, sometimes it is what it is. The best thing we could do is change our mindset on finding a solution on how to upkeep the house without being so stressed out about it. So when I knew about the Hoover PowerDash carpet cleaner, I got really excited. I know it’s going to help me a lot in maintaining a clean rug and carpet. Plus, it’s also lightweight. That works really great on my petite frame, I won’t have a hard time anymore tugging along a bulky and heavy carpet cleaner room to room.

Aside from the lightweight feature, it works great to a household with pets. That means it is powerful enough to remove pesky dirt caused by pets and kids. Additionally, the handle is removable and it can also easily be stored. It also doesn’t take much storage space either since it’s not bulky at all. It comes really handy whenever you need to clean your rug or carpet. I love our Hoover PowerDAsh carpet cleaner !

So here’s another tip to maintain cleanliness in the house, clean and declutter everyday. I know, it’s very obvious. But really, make time for it even just 30 minutes just to declutter or clean up the mess. I know when life gets really busy, we barely have time to declutter or clean but I encourage you to make time for it, so it won’t pile up. It saves you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Just so you know, my house is not that immaculately clean all the time but I tried my best to upkeep it as possible. So just take it easy folks, let’s take it one day at a time.

Thank you so much for reading!

Rainbow Birthday Party Theme for Girls

January 15, 2021

April Kus

Big birthday parties are still a no-no these days, unfortunately. But that doesn’t stop us from making at least a birthday dessert table for our one and only princess. She picked a Rainbow Birthday Party Theme this time. I think it’s a great choice, it fits the current situation of the world right now. We are holding on to our faith and looking on the bright side of this pandemic. Hopefully, things will be better soon. It has been so long already.

The Planning

My daughter is such a girly girl, she has been dreaming for this day to have a setup like this even though knowing it’s only us in this household. We actually planned and shopped together. Even draw inspirations from Pinterest together. She’s already at the age where she enjoys and appreciates the process on how to put a party together. It was fun. She was still surprised because I set it all up in the morning while she’s in virtual school. But she was involved in baking the cookies, picking out decorations and menu choices.

Reusing items we already have

So pretty much most items in this setup are things we already have and stored for years. So my tip for you, figure out a theme first and then shop around your house before you go out shopping. It saves you a lot of time and money. Also not to mention, it lessens additional clutter. I’m all about purging stuff we don’t need and keep things that are sustainable. Less clutter, less stress.

Create a mood board

When I prepare an event or project, I always create a mood board to give me a guide on my aesthetic vision. Although sometimes it’s not exactly the same, unless if I really have to or the situation calls for it. My point is, it gives me a guide to stay on theme and also gives me an idea of the vibe of the project. A rainbow theme is not that complicated but I just want to show you an example of how to stay organized when organizing a party or event. I always create my moodboards at Canva. Super easy to use!

Always remember…

“How your life feels is just as important as how it looks.”- Anonymous

With the coming age of social media where everyone posts their highlight reels, always remember to step back and reflect on what truly matters to you. A lot of us built a life around what success and happiness should look like. It shouldn’t be that way. It’s not about how life looks, it’s about how it feels. I agree it’s so easy to get carried away living a life according to what looks good, but what use is this unless it also feels good.

Trending 2020-21 : Drive-Thru Birthday Party

Never in my life did I ever thought there’s such a thing as a Drive-Thru birthday party. Yup, like the name itself. It’s fast like a flash. People drive by your house with their banners or whatnot, beeping their car horns, then stop by real quick to greet you a happy birthday, then off they go. It’s quite emotional for me, I don’t know what to say but I’m really grateful. My daughter was so happy that day, she never thought that would happen. I didn’t mention anything to her until I start preparing the pieces of stuff outside. Happiness is an understatement. She was over the moon.

Shop for Rainbow Theme birthday party for girls

Thank you for reading!

Home and Lifestyle

Our Home for Christmas 2020 Part 2

December 29, 2020

April Kus

Christmas Eve Dinner

The excitement is brewing up more on Christmas eve dinner with so much anticipation for Christmas day – that’s when we open all the presents from everyone and Santa’s. For the Christmas eve tablescape, I planned to make it less fancy looking but also not too casual. For me, that means omitting the wine glasses since we don’t really drink wine, ditch the napkin holders and also just use my daily utensils. I also didn’t make an elaborate centerpiece but instead, only used my little tabletop decors and have them scattered on the table. The main idea is to have a Family Style dinner, just like we do on a daily and the way we use to growing up. It feels so comforting that way rather than a buffet or plated style the way we used to do it, years ago. In other words, I just want to be comfortable and don’t want a centerpiece that blocks our view across the table. The conversations and movements just flow with ease for everyone.

It was such a fun night. We watched Home Alone and then we wrapped up the night for the kids with cookies and milk for Santa, then said goodbyes to our Christopher the elf. I can’t believe our youngest will be turning eight soon, we are still holding on to that Christmas magic. These kids grow too fast (sigh). I don’t want to get started but such pure bliss seeing them grow up and have all kinds of memories with them.

Christmas Day

The most wonderful time of the year. Santa finally dropped all the presents under the tree! My daughter, our youngest was the one who woke us up so early with so much anticipation to unwrapped all the presents. Watching them unwrapped their gifts is priceless. Things are about to get real here in this blog post and I want to document it. I rarely document unwrapping presents since I want to be in the moment and not missed anything but since my brother is currently living with us, he took over the photography department lol. A lot are candid ones and I LOVE it.

And just like that Christmas is over. What a year 2020 has been. Lots of ups and downs but at the end of the day, what matters most is the health and welfare of your family working together hand and hand. I will leave this quote here because I’m a sucker for quotes lol and this one resonates with me the most especially around the holidays.

It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.
Caroline Kennedy

Thank you so much for reading and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Home and Lifestyle

Our Home for Christmas 2020

December 27, 2020

April Kus

Step inside in our humble home, come on in. This year’s Christmas decor is nature-inspired with a little mixture of vintage and modern elements. I always love a laid back and lived-in look of a home. Although I appreciate and adore an ultra-glam house, I’m always drawn more to a lived-in cozy type. The ones that are decorated but also functional. The ones that have classic and traditional furnishings peppered with vintage and modern accessories. Our home for Christmas is just about that. I stick with neutral colors this year instead of the traditional Christmas colors. It is more soothing for the eyes and a good contrast to my dark wood furnitures.

These past 10 months of the year 2020 feels like an eternity and I know I’m not the only one feeling like this. I know a lot of people are going through so much more. One of the quotes that stuck on me this year that I would like to impart…

Don’t use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe, create, trust, grow, and heal.
@Officialaudreykitching

Whether we celebrate big or small, what matters is we are with our loved ones and are all healthy. Let’s use our energy in good spirits, whether decking our halls, creating crafts and baking Christmas cookies, or just simply adoring our festive coffee mug. Just doing simple things that spark joy and matter to us the most. Allowing ourselves to learn, grow, and heal.

This year’s holiday look feels more cohesive with my home style. I’m not reinventing anything but more of going with the flow of my current home decors and made use of what I already have. Then I enhanced it with greeneries and a pop of gold, white and silver accents. I love the neutral, woodsy, and vintage vibes. As a matter of fact, it’s not that much different from my 2018 Christmas decors. Our Christmas 2019 by the way, we celebrated in Florida. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make a blog post about it. I will get around to it one day. That trip was soooo much fun though, definitely was the most memorable one. I have so much more to say but I will save it for that particular blog post. Lessons learned don’t procrastinate hehehehe.

I wish I could have taken a good photo of the Christmas tree collar that I bought this year. Obviously, it’s covered with gifts in this photo. I took these pictures on the morning of Christmas eve, which explains the gifts are accumulated already and just waiting for the Santa gifts to come. The Christmas tree collar though is my favorite Christmas decor purchase, it ties up the whole theme.

Shop for Christmas tree collar :

Shop for greeneries and ornaments:

When it comes to a neutral palette, I like to play with textures. The textures of the fabric draw me in, it makes the subtleness of the color combination interesting. Whether your style leans more toward more colors and prints, consider it your personal style and reflect it with your decorating style, and don’t be guided too much with trends.

Design is coming to grips with one’s real lifestyle, one’s real place in the world. Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one’s well being.
Albert Hadley

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Thank you so much for reading. May you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy holidays.

Home and Lifestyle

Christmas Card 2020 with Shutterfly

December 21, 2020

April Kus

Wow, 2020 is about to come to an end and we have a few days until Christmas day! If you are asking me if I’m ready for Christmas. Totally not. I feel like I’m doing so much on a daily, but I still have more to do! There is always something. After over a decade of being a mom and a wife, I’ve already accepted the fact that there are times things don’t go as planned. So I just have to learn how to adapt and swing with the current happenings. So pretty much that’s what 2020 is about right? Who would have thought after over a hundred years and with advanced medical technology, we will experience this global pandemic. Even the most positive person has been tested in this big phenomenon. Overall, it’s not a great year for at least most of us. But we humans are survivors, we try our best to rise above whatever we are going through. It’s tough, but we did it and we do it again and again and again. We are fighters.

In this post, I would like to feature our Christmas card from Shutterfly. We’ve been doing Shutterfly for three years now, they always have great designs, and it comes out amazing every time. For the concept idea of our Christmas card photo shoot, I chose a dressed-up look. I was actually thinking of a laid-back theme of us wearing loungewear but I figured, we are stuck at home pretty much the whole year. I thought we need to step up a little bit in the outfit department even if we have nowhere to go. So I requested everyone to dress up for a change of vibes. So here’s our Christmas card 2020!

Thank you Shutterfly for this post.

Home and Lifestyle, Style

Things I learned About Life Over The Past Decade ( 2010 – 2019 )

January 14, 2020

April Kus

2019 What a year that was ! So much had happened and full of surprises both good and bad. But a start of a whole new decade makes me think back of the whole 10 years and what I’ve been through during that period. It was also the time that I was new to motherhood and trying to figure out on how to balance marriage, parenthood and your own well being. That decade was the start of full blown adulting. Every decision I make or we make as a couple ties in to our marriage, our lifestyle and of course, our kids. It wasn’t easy. And by saying that, I have a lump in my throat. It’s not easy girl, it’s not easy. I’m sure it’s not just me who went through the hard times, we all are. It could be more or less that I’ve been through. But the endurance of pain and hardship is subjective.What matter is, we survived each passing day and we’ve come far all along.

Here are a few things that the 2010s taught me about life……..

Self – Care

Identifying what self-care really is. Purely subjective, because what self-care for one, is not for the other . Also we changed. Confession here, I used to shop a lot. When the kids were little, going to the mall was an escape for me and come home with a bunch of stuffs that I don’t really need. I justified myself by saying ” I’m so tired, i deserve it. ” At that period, it gives me joy. No regrets at all. I was happy ! But, it came to a point where it doesn’t serve me anymore. Don’t get it twisted, I still shop. There is nothing really wrong with that . But I wanted something else and what was the idea of “self-care” to me, it’s not anymore. Nowadays, that my kids have grown (but still little). I want something else and yes, I’m on a mission. I’m doing a lot of soul searching and trying new things. It’s going to be a lot of trial and error but I’m hoping for the best. At this point, what does self care really means to you ?

Establishing a habit

This was crucial to me especially in the beginning of motherhood. It was just me and my husband. We have no outside help. When my husband goes to work even if he works at home, I’m on my my own. I feel lonely. It also comes with the territory of motherhood, we all feel lonely and isolated at some point or the other regardless if you have a husband, family or friend who helps you. It’s because you are a mom and you know you have a big responsibility to your child. It’s not just about you anymore. A lot of things to consider and a lot of sacrifices.

So establishing a habit was hard, but i started it little by little. Little goals. I remembered when I first had a newborn, my goal was to take a shower everyday. I don’t care what time it is. My point is sticking to that habit and be committed even if the act is so little.

Then years go by my habits changed and little goals became big goals. 2010s was a period of health and wellness became a priority and slowly adapting my diet and workout as part of my lifestyle without being so obsessed with ones appearance but with how you feel with your body. I eat and work out to make me feel good and not to gain six pack abs. What a goal right ? I don’t care what you say. Because for me if my goal is to have a six pack, it stresses me out. Even bodybuilders couldn’t maintain a six pack, some do but it’s not healthy. That’s why there is an off season and on season for a reason.

So to continue….. When I’m stressed out, it translates to everyone in the household. It’s not pretty guys, it’s not pretty. I need to know where I’m comfortable at and my balance.

Be optimistic and have a fighting spirit

Sometimes you’re the one standing in your way. There are things that we’ve been meaning to do but we don’t do it because we don’t have time or whatever. Step back and figure out some changes to attain those goals.

2010s was a decade full of self-discovery and yes, the time my blog was born. I enjoyed journaling even when i was as a child and having a blog is just natural for me. But making a blog into a business is a different story and put me into the highs and lows mentally and physically. There is a lot involved to keep it running. I wish it’s just all about taking pretty pictures and writing but it’s not. There are lot of things to figure out especially how fast digital and social media evolves. Most big blogs/vlogs are run by a team and when you have a little blog and do things like how these big blogs work. It takes a toll on you. There were times that I’m about to give up but a lot of times it makes me feel grateful and blessed.

Through my blog I’ve been judge. I don’t really talk about these things a lot because I want to keep it positive but yes, I feel it. I don’t hear it , I don’t make noises about it . But I felt it, i feel it. That’s how being optimistic and fighting spirit comes into play. Also, you have to accept that you can’t serve everyone.

Speak Up

We all know that to get your point across and to get what you want, you got to speak up. As a filipino immigrant being married to an American, at some point and time getting your point across is a challenge. You have different cultures and upbringing, of course there will be clash.

Since 2010’s was the infant stage of our marriage, it taught me to speak up at a right place and a right time on getting my point across without getting on each other’s nerves. I’m not saying I’m already an expert on this. It’s a work on progress but practicing good communication is really essential. I have no marriage tips guys. All I can say marriage is work and it’s not all fairy tales. When someone tells me their marriage is flawless and perfect, it’s a lie.

In regards to personal . As an immigrant, communicating with Americans other than my husband and our inner circle is important to me. My blog and social media taught me a lot. Good and bad. One of the reasons why I went back to work dental assisting last 2019, was because I want to hone my communication skills, be a part of a group and learn from it. One on one interaction is obviously different from social media and the community of it.

If you are an immigrant in the States fresh from your homeland. Venture out, engaged and learn from it. You’ll be amazed of how these people’s lives and actions speaks to you, taught you, amazes you and inspires you.

Don’t Take Things Personally

Well, it’s case to cases basis but most of the time they are not worth your time. So don’t take it personally and most of the time it’s not about you. It’s them, it speaks on their personality and who they truly are. And if you’ve been rejected , ignored etc. It’s not an expression of your self worth. Maybe it’s a sign that it’s not meant to be or not a match of who you are and what truly aligns with your values. It’s not a reflection of who you are.

Definition Of Your Success

We all have stages in life. Don’t let anyone define success for you. Define it yourself.

Whatever stage in your life right now, keep going, keep hustling, keep fighting and if you are stay at home with little kids, embrace those moments and hug them tighter because they grow so fast like a blink of an eye. It’s okay if you read that same book 100 times. It’s okay if they still want to be tuck in bed. It’s their safe place to make one on one conversation with you.

If you are a working mom, it’s okay if you can’t pick them up from school and sometimes they have to make their own afternoon snacks or dinner perhaps. They need to learn to be independent and to thrive on their own. Keep going and take them along with your success.

I could have made this blog post even longer, since I have so many insights throughout the past decade. This post is even longer than I expected.

To sum it up, it was a the most challenging, memorable and eventful decade of my life. It was a chapter of my mom’s loss, the blur life and triumphant life of marriage and motherhood, helped my family in the Philippines by giving them opportunities, an aha moment when i started my blog and monetizing from it and serving humanity as my part time job. I think i did pretty good. Hopefully by the time when I say ” I arrive” on my version of success, it is what I want to be.

Thank you for reading and have great day….

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