I’ve been reading books all my life. When I was younger, I went through the book collection available to me at home rapidly (Ludlum, Sidney Sheldon etc)and moved on to several volumes of Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, Sweet Dreams, Harlequin Romances and Mills and Boon.

My childhood memories comprise lying on the couch all day just digesting one story after another. Some call it escapism, some call it being a bookworm, some call it GEEKY… but it all amounts to the same thing.

It’s not surprising that I became a compulsive reader. I would read the labels of spices and virtually anything and everything I can get my hands on. I learned French so I can read the French version of the writings on the label of foodstuffs.

But now that I’m a mom, I realize that I only turned to books because there weren’t any video games during that time. If there were (I think Atari counts as a video game, but it was so blah that I didn’t even like it), I wouldn’t have been addicted to books.

My son is into books, but only those he has to read like school assignments. This is because there’s the OPTION to play a video game or watch a video. I thought about doing away with these digital things in the past, but considering my hubby’s a tech freak, we can’t.

But we’re still trying to get him into more books. Little by little, we’re teaching him how.

Right now, the whole world is abuzz with the love bug, so you’re probably not the only one looking for gifts for her, or more romantic ways to tell your spouse you love her.

Here are some suggestions…

1. Lotions, Oils and Moisturizers

Your spouse takes care of her skin, and your job is to make her feel that you appreciate all her effort. Want to do more? Offer a hand or foot massage while she’s relaxing and before you go to bed.

2. Lip Gloss

I’m not just talking about chap stick, or the lip balm you buy in groceries. Get a branded lip gloss that goes well with her usual lipstick shade and she will love you forever. Of course, you have to know the exact shade of her lipstick so do your research (simply noticing her stuff before she arranges her purse will tell you which brands she uses). Choose a lip gloss that preserves their natural lip color more.

3. Skin Lightening Cream

No matter what we do, the skin on our knees and elbows seem to be darker than the skin all over our body. Give her something that can help her, but choose a hypoallergenic one just in case.

You remember how when you were pregnant, the OB prescribed a lot of prenatal vitamins because chances are, your diet was screwed and you had the tendency to do a bit of “mood eating” (basically, eating anything you want because you feel like it)? The vitamins are there for a reason, and that’s because we don’t get the exact amount of nutrients from the food we eat. Add in the fact that most of the fruits and grains nowadays are GMO, you’re not even sure whether the nutrients you need have been modified in the course of the transformation process.

That said, it’s still the best practice to feed our kids vitamins.

Usually, we do a DIY, but the thing is that a dietitian or a pedia can tell you the usual things that kids lack at a certain age. Come to think of it, I don’t really know when I started liking junk food. I am guessing it’s about the same age as AJ. Luckily, my son likes vegetables a lot, although he still has to develop a strong liking for beans.

I think part of the reason why kids dislike vegetables is their first impression of the greens. The first time they eat it, they might have tasted the weird aftertaste or the bitterness and decided to hate it. At least, that’s how my son was before I started the whole “veggies are better than meat” brainwashing process. I think it’s working, although now I can hardly make him chew on meat no matter how soft the morsel is. But the thing is, even if a child eats vegetables day in and day out, he still might be lacking something.

Right now, there aren’t many places in the world where one can still drink really pure water. This means there may come a time when we won’t even dare bathe with the water from our faucets. This has become one of the topics in a recent chat I had with a bunch of moms who are more than a bit concerned about tap water contamination.

I managed to shock a few moms by saying I use bottled water for drinking and tap water for bathing. Maybe it’s because I live in the suburbs and the water here has none of the chlorinated smell that’s apparent in more urban areas. I know about a Refrigerator water filter already, but should I have installed a filter for my shower too? I think so.

Maybe bottled water is no different to the tap water you purified yourself, but I think it still has a lot to do with the quality of the equipment. Talking to other moms is certainly an eye-opening experience for me, particularly now that I’m more than a bit aware of how the world is changing.

Natural health as well as “think green” forums are always full of motivated moms. Sometimes, I feel small and inconsequential compared to those who can fit the green lobbying in their busy schedules. They know all about the organic food products and wouldn’t think twice about buying a more expensive, organically grown tomato rather than one that’s so obviously GMO.

Being a mom means being alert to all things that could supplement the family income, and I’m one of those who got hooked on doing this online. But is it really that easy to earn via the internet? It’s not. In fact, I will even say that passive income still takes work, no matter which angle you look at it.

The reason for this is clear. Sometimes the internet becomes white noise to someone who simply wants to read something or conduct research. The plethora of marketing offers on Twitter and Facebook might have numbed you by now.

Online, people sell anything and everything from a simple ebook, to credit help advice, to a life insurance online quote deal. And, the people online right now come from all walks of life. It might have taken a long time before people got used to shopping online, but now that ecommerce is booming, people have become jaded to offers and merchandise deals.

But still, the fact that a global marketplace is on hand should spell out something for you… you can take a piece of the big pie for yourself and your family. But you gotta do it being mindful of the basics…

First, you don’t want to sell to your friends who might buy only because they want to help out. That’s one of the reasons why people don’t succeed in MLM.

Next, don’t get tempted by ‘get rich quick’. It’s still hard work, no matter what model you use, and the “quicker” the promise, the harder the work involved. Believe it.

And finally, you represent YOU online, regardless of who you’re selling to. You may be selling to strangers who don’t know who you are, or from where you’re logging in, but you will have to face yourself in front of the mirror daily.