Happy New Year Everyone!

May We All Enjoy the Year 2009 Instore for Us!

New Domain for this Blog!

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers, I have switched my blogspot url to domain url; If you guys would please change it to www.mylittleone-jacob.com , thank you! I just did it now, so I am excited and hoping to have more friends visit and add this one to their links and in return will do the same, just let me know when you do so :-)!

Benefits of Using Peppermint

Peppermint is widely used as a food, flavoring, and disinfectant. As a medicine, peppermint is most well known for its effects on the stomach and intestines. Perhaps you've tried the various "tummy teas" available for stomach upset. Peppermint is a tasty way to relieve gas, nausea, and stomach pain due to an irritable bowel, intestinal cramps, or indigestion.

Peppermint is a carminative -- an agent that dispels gas and bloating in the digestive system -- and an antispasmodic capable of relieving stomach and intestinal cramps. Peppermint can be used for too much stomach acid (hyperacidity) and gastroenteritis (nausea and stomach upset that we sometimes call stomach flu), and it is safe for infants with colic.

When treating a baby with tummy cramps, you can give a teaspoon of peppermint tea if the baby will take it, or put a cloth soaked in warm peppermint tea on the infant's belly.

Peppermint also is used topically for the cooling and relaxing effect it has on the skin. Various muscle rubs and "ices" contain peppermint oil to reduce pain, burning, and inflammation. Like other volatile oils, peppermint oil is absorbed fairly well and can have a temporary pain-relieving effect on muscles and organs that are cramped and in spasm. As with all essential oils, dilute this oil before putting it directly on your skin.

Peppermint also allays itching temporarily. Rub a drop of diluted peppermint oil onto insect bites, eczema, and other itching lesions, including the rash of poison ivy. Peppermint can help relieve some headaches, and you can rub peppermint oil onto the temples or scalp for a comforting therapy.

Menthol, the essential oil in peppermint, is credited with the herb's analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, decongestant, and cooling effects. Menthol also helps subdue many disease-producing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but because stronger herbal antimicrobials are available, peppermint usually is not the first choice of herbalists to treat serious infections.

Peppermint tea can be used as a mouthwash for babies with thrush (yeast in the mouth) or for pregnant women who wish to avoid stronger herbs and medications.

In the next section, you will learn how to prepare peppermint for herbal remedies and some of the potentially dangerous side effects.

Polvoron

Polvoron is powdered milk candy, made of flour, sugar butter and powdered milk. The flour is toasted, all the ingredients are mixed and shaped into round or oval-shaped molds. It is believe that making polvoron started during the American occupation to use up the huge amount of powdered milk brought in by the Americans. Polvoron over the years has become one of the most loved sweet Filipino delicacy.Today, in the Philippines, there are many home based small business that are making polvorn and selling it in the market, you will even find it in the supermarket shelves. Polvoron is now becoming a favourite "pasalubong" gifts to overseas friends and family. It is easy to make, even the kids could help, my son enjoys moulding the polvoron and then straight to his mouth.

Filipino National Dish, Adobo!

In the Philippines, Adobo is a style of cooking that uses vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Adobo is popularly regarded as the Filipino national dish. It is prepared by marinating pieces of pork or chicken or a mixture of both in vinegar, crushed garlic, black peppercorns and soy sauce. The mixture is simply simmered until meat is tender and pan-fried to get the desirable crisped edges.

I love this dish and I am glad that my son and husband loves it, too!

Christmas Tradition in the Philippines!

Filipinos are very religious and family-oriented by nature. Nothing could ever measure to being with your family and love-ones on special occasions like birthdays, Christening, anniversaries, New Year, and ofcourse Christmas. Filipinos have high regards for Christmas, having known as the ones who celebrates this sacred day the longest and in the moss blissful way.Christmas preparation starts as early as September and the Christmas season does not only focus on just the eve and the Christmas day itself. Filipinos have this "simbang gabi" (Attending mass) that starts on the 16th of December and ends on the 24th, a day before Christmas. Filipinos ritually attends the mass for nine consecutive days. Then have their festive celebration of the tradional "Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve).

For the Noche Buena, you would see variety of mouth-watering dishes, from desserts, to the main course and you'll get full even at the sight of these Filipino Christmas cuisine.

I Love Keeping Traditions

You Are a Traditional Christmas Tree

For a good Christmas, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. You already have traditions, foods, and special things you bring out every year.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Traditional indeed. I don't want to change a thing when it comes to Christmas traditions. I want to spend time with family and loved ones and non else. I give gifts, bake cookies, made nice dinner and have fun doing things we love to do as family. And that makes me happy!