The wife adjusting

[thekfc]

She is waiting for snow, all she have seen is that mess of frozen stuff all over the place. We were suppose to get snow today but it looks like it will just rain - hopefully it will help melt so of that frozen stuff.

Saturday we stayed home & she started unpacking.

Sunday, we took a walk around the neighborhood. I told her to get dress & she put on a skirt & a sweater  
I told her it is freezing outside and she told me so.  
She then change to jeans & put on a winter jacket. She was walking on the ice/leftover snow like a regular New Yorker.
We went inside a supermarket to shop & then to a 99cents store to buy some cleaning supplies.

We also cooked our first meal together on Sunday. She spent a few hours chatting with family member, was on the computer for a few, listen to music & watch tv.

On Monday I had to rush to work for a few hours, there was a meeting that everyone had to attend (The Board of Directors are in town). My vacation officially starts today.

When I returned  almost didn't recognize the place.She rearrange the furniture & the pics of the wall. The place looks great - it needed a woman's touch  
I still need something to clean the wood floor for later down the road.

She also develop an itch, I think it is because of the winter weather causing her skin to get dry (winter itch?).
I have cream moisturizers & Jojoba Oil at home, I told her to put on some jojoba oil - she took 2 drops and apply it to her skin - just 2 drops  
I told her 2 drops ain't gonna do anything, I basically "bathe" in the stuff. She is also using mild (moisturizing) soap & use warm water

I also bought a Vicks Humidifiers - it should arrive before the end of the week. I also bought some other stuff that she wanted that will also arrive at the end of the week.
The only thing that she really wanted that I didn't get was a Nipa broom - the stores I knew that carry them were sold out. I will do a search and call some other stores today. She do not like the brooms the store here have - she said that they do not pick up dust, in the mean time we will use the swiffer.

We will go out shopping on Friday & Saturday, we will also go visit my oldest brother on Friday. The rest of the week I am letting her "rest & relax" & try to get rid of the jet lag - her sleep pattern is returning.

[indaycare]

I think it is because of the winter weather causing her skin to get dry (winter itch?).

Right, (winter itch) i been through it all that my first trip in Colorado, moisturizer don't work for me i think she need to get used to it.. in a few weeks will go away. tell her to drink a lot of water. good thing she don't experience nose bleed i did back then.

indaycare,

[thekfc]

She have been drinking water - something that she always did. She have been drinking very little juice & the only soda that she have touch so far is Ginger Ale.

I too sometimes gets winter itch & the only thing that works for me is the oils so I want her to use the Jojoba oil more - that is great for moisturizing the skin. She is familiar with Jojoba Oil because on my trips to the PI I carried a bottle with me & left it there, she used it & loved it.  I just found out that the last bottle (8 oz) that I left lasted 5 months 

Also she is getting rest during the night which is good to pass the jet lag.

This morning I was looking in the fridge for the eggs & couldn't find them. She put them in the door of the freezer part - now I have frozen eggs 

[Jedironin]

kfc- Yep, good moisturizers will help with the "winter itch", but the humidifiers will help a lot! Do you have a humidity guage in the house? If not, they're pretty inexpensive and easy to find at hardware stores. I need to get a humidifier added to my HVAC system sometime, it gets VERY low in this bitter cold weather. I've found that boiling a large pot of water on the stove works better than the little humidifier I bought a few years ago. It also helps heat up the kitchen and great room!  

You mentioned the swiffer- my Mom has the "hardwood cleaner" pads for her swiffer that she uses on her hardwood floor, and she says it works VERY well. You might want to try a pack of those.  

Have fun!

[thekfc]

kfc- Yep, good moisturizers will help with the "winter itch", but the humidifiers will help a lot! Do you have a humidity guage in the house? If not, they're pretty inexpensive and easy to find at hardware stores. I need to get a humidifier added to my HVAC system sometime, it gets VERY low in this bitter cold weather. I've found that boiling a large pot of water on the stove works better than the little humidifier I bought a few years ago. It also helps heat up the kitchen and great room!  

You mentioned the swiffer- my Mom has the "hardwood cleaner" pads for her swiffer that she uses on her hardwood floor, and she says it works VERY well. You might want to try a pack of those.  

Have fun!

No I do not have a humidifier gauge, I will look for one later in the week at either  Home Depot, Ace Hardware or True Value.

I didn't get any shipping info but I log into my account and the tracking # was there - the Swiffer, Clorox ToiletWand and other stuff will be delivered today but the humidifier is still slated for end of week delivery. I will also look into the hardwood cleaner for the Swiffer.

[indaycare]

This morning I was looking in the fridge for the eggs & couldn't find them. She put them in the door of the freezer part - now I have frozen eggs 

Lol.. frozen eggs, she might forgot that was freezer... 

[Ray]

kfc,

Sounds like you’re having fun.

Nipa broom (walis) was on the list, right? After 10 years here, the wife uses her walis less and loves the Swiffer.

Yes, the dry air inside during the winter months will wreak havoc on most Filipinas’ skin. The forced-air heaters will really dry out the air. The best solution, along with skin moisturizing lotion, is probably a humidifier, or even a pot of water on the stove helps, when it gets too dry like Jed mentioned.

For skin lotion, how well it works is not the important thing for the typical Filipina, but the scent. If it smells good to her, then it’s a winner.   

Keep the reports coming…

Ray

[thekfc]

Yep the  Nipa broom was on the list, it & the tabo are the only things that I couldn't get. The swiffer will be delivered today - I  will see how she likes it.

We also found Ariel detergent in a store around the corner from us - she like it a bit better than Tide. She also got some of the Tide bar soap.

I will put a pot of water on the stove daily until the humidifier arrives.

As for lotion, she have plenty. All the stuff that I didn't send & was holding onto, she have - VS, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Aveda, Aveeno, Vaseline, John & Johnson, Dove, Olay. Personally I prefer the Oils & ointments but she do not like the ointments because of the smell.

She wanted to stay in today (we were expecting  a wintry mix) but the sun is shinning now so she want to go to the fish market to buy some fish.

She also brought some smoke fish from the PI in her luggage - it was perfectly wrapped without a smell sipping out.

[Jedironin]

She brought fish through in her luggage?    I didn't think she'd be allowed to bring that through customs?   

Didn't it have to be frozen or something? I'm guessing since you said "wrapped", that it wasn't a canned item. 

[indaycare]

She also brought some smoke fish from the PI in her luggage - it was perfectly wrapped without a smell sipping out.

   daing or bulad? my aunt used to bring that every time we fly together cause her friend from florida ask her to bring some, we had vacuum for that 

[thekfc]

  daing or bulad? my aunt used to bring that every time we fly together cause her friend from florida ask her to bring some, we had vacuum for that 

daing.

[thekfc]

She brought fish through in her luggage?    I didn't think she'd be allowed to bring that through customs?   

Didn't it have to be frozen or something? I'm guessing since you said "wrapped", that it wasn't a canned item. 

It was your regular smoke fish, it wasn't frozen, it was wrapped in plastic &  then in paper. There were 3 packages & they were in her checked luggage.

[Bob_S]

No I do not have a humidifier gauge, I will look for one later in the week at either  Home Depot, Ace Hardware or True Value.

Until you get your humidifier, you can try filling the bath tub with hot water and leave it overnight with the door open.  When we travel, we do that at the hotel when the heater dries out the room air.

[Bill_McC]

Be careful boiling water on the stove. You don't want to boil it dry and burn up a pan. If you aren't going to be there she needs to check it occasionally and will need to keep water in it.

Bill

[Ray]

She brought fish through in her luggage?    I didn't think she'd be allowed to bring that through customs?   

Didn't it have to be frozen or something? I'm guessing since you said "wrapped", that it wasn't a canned item. 

No restrictions on fish that I know of. My wife always brings back tuyong pusit (dried squid) or dried fish. Daing is salted & dried fish, and tinapa is smoked fish. I believe that tuyo in Bisayan is bulad. Did I get that right Inday?

Now there are restrictions on fresh fruits and vegetables but you can bring back dried fruits. Dried mangos from Cebu are a popular pasalubong that most Americans will enjoy.

If the weather isn't too bad, I strongly recommend cooking the dried fish outside. An electric skillet on the patio worrks grest. In the PI they cook outdoors in the "dirty kitchen".

Ray

[thekfc]

My wife brought with here  the following: dried Pusit, Hasa Hasa, Dilis & Tocino.

She also brought dried Mangoes & Papaya, sweet Yema, Pili, Buko Tarts, Ube, Macapuno Butter and a few other stuff.

She just fell asleep, so I will ask her tomorrow what the other stuff are.

[Jedironin]

Okaaayyy, I got it. I was imagining a fresh slab of fish straight from the market!   

 

[thekfc]

Okaaayyy, I got it. I was imagining a fresh slab of fish straight from the market!   

 

[Bob_S]

Dried mangos from Cebu are a popular pasalubong that most Americans will enjoy.

I get that at Costco.

Okaaayyy, I got it. I was imagining a fresh slab of fish straight from the market!   

I was wondering that too till Ray said "dried fish".  Fresh anything is verboten at Customs, but dried or smoked is generally allowed.

[robert angel]

It's out season now, but thank goodness you can't bring fresh, ripe durian on the plane!!!

Some Filipinas don't know a lot about modern washers and dryers or certain other appliances, so be sweet about finding out--don't assume too much. I still have to ask my wife not to wash my sweaters everytime I've worn them. if I didn't say something, they'd be a perfect fit for a G.I. Joe doll by now.

We refrigerate and freeze a lot of things that they don't back home.

Be sure to explain about no foil or other metal in the microwave and how there are often two sets of oven instructions on most products/recipes--one for the microwave and one for the conventional oven.

I remember coming home one day the first week my wife was here, to find out she followed the directions to bake the chocolate chip cookies in the oven for twenty minutes, but didn't note that  the instructions were for the MICROWAVE oven. the house sort of smelled like very thoroughly roasted coffee--it wasn't too bad.

My wife's a pretty good cook now on a number of different types of food, but we almost never use the cookbooks we have. I wasted a fair amount of money on cookbooks that started along the lines of: "Three Brand Name Product Easy Recipes" --like Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, Mueller's Egg noodles and Pre packaged chicken chunks, then I got 4 and 5 ingredient recipe books. What a waste for us, along with 'Joy of Cooking' & Julia Child's books--all wasting space. We have a lot of spices, but so many recipes have unusual spices indicated and we just don't bother...

Most stuff she comes up with that's new to her in terms of cooking, we got from trying it at friends, relatives homes or clipped from the newpapers.

Tonight she wanted to 'invent' something new. She had a hankering for pepper steak and picked some up and made it with some red and yellow peppers and onions in a cast iron pan. We rarely use the expensive anodized aluminum anymore. I realized it needed some more 'zip' or 'pizazz' and added some good ginger and garlic sauce and we had a winner. Oyster sauce probably would've worked great too. It was good on rice.

Yea--Ray's right--get an electric skillet or small propane set up for outside, for the more 'aromatic' delicacies the Missus may occasionally crave and want to cook, unless you want your furniture, rugs and curtains to smell like dried fish and squid forever...

I eat pretty much anything Filipino and enjoy and respect her culture and foods, but just like the liver or split pea soup my Mom makes, there are a very few things I don't eat.

When my wife needs to get away from me and her two best friends feel the same way about their almost as wonderful as me (ha!) husbands, they get together at a home where the hubbies aren't around, cook and eat foods of which the smell alone, would knock a buzzard off of a garbage truck!

A real 'stinkathon'...

By some small miracle, after brushing her teeth once, my wife is again as kissable as ever afterwards!!

[thekfc]

It's out season now, but thank goodness you can't bring fresh, ripe durian on the plane!!!

There are a lot of places that it is banned. I had a woof of it in a supermarket in Cebu and this stuff stink.

Some Filipinas don't know a lot about modern washers and dryers or certain other appliances, so be sweet about finding out--don't assume too much. I still have to ask my wife not to wash my sweaters everytime I've worn them. if I didn't say something, they'd be a perfect fit for a G.I. Joe doll by now.

I wore a shirt for less than 5 minutes, I just put it on but then decided that I will wear something else, she took it and put it in the basket to be washed.

Be sure to explain about no foil or other metal in the microwave and how there are often two sets of oven instructions on most products/recipes--one for the microwave and one for the conventional oven.

Thanks for reminding me about the foil.
I already showed her how to operate both the microwave & the oven/stove.

Yea--Ray's right--get an electric skillet or small propane set up for outside, for the more 'aromatic' delicacies the Missus may occasionally crave and want to cook, unless you want your furniture, rugs and curtains to smell like dried fish and squid forever...

I do have both an indoor electrical skillet & indoor electrical grill - she was "eying" the grill & wanted to use it - I told her only if she is going to grill veggies & chicken & to wait until it gets warmer.   

By some small miracle, after brushing her teeth once, my wife is again as kissable as ever afterwards!!

Earlier today we were watching cooking shows on Create. She was really into them. We also watched Anthony Bourdain & Andrew Zimmern. She really liked the Andrew Zimmern show plus there was the added bonus of him eating mangrove worm -which she say is good to eat with vinegar, she even talking about eating duong dua.

[robert angel]

Kfc,

Re:

>>Earlier today we were watching cooking shows on Create. She was really into them. We also watched Anthony Bourdain & Andrew Zimmern. She really liked the Andrew Zimmern show plus there was the added bonus of him eating mangrove worm -which she say is good to eat with vinegar, she even talking about eating duong dua<<

Yea-we really enjoy most of the cooking-travel-adventure shows, the Iron Chef ( I think that's it--or "Iron Wok") the competitions, etc--but I don't think we've ever tried to cook anything we've seen on them. Kind of hard to keep up with them if you're trying to in real life--it's amazing how they can, with the miracle of video editing most of the time, whip something up in 10 or 15 minutes. Fun to watch and root for your favorite anyway.

A lot of Filipinas take a lot of pride in the fact that the President's top White House chef for the last 3 or 4 consecutive US Presidents, has been the same Filipino lady. Amazing when you consider that's both Democrat and Republican Presidents! It's not just Manny and Charice!

[indaycare]

My wife always brings back tuyong pusit (dried squid) or dried fish. Daing is salted & dried fish, and tinapa is smoked fish. I believe that tuyo in Bisayan is bulad. Did I get that right Inday?

Yes, correct Kuya Ray!
Dried fish
Daing -Tagalog
Bulad - Bisayan

[Jedironin]

I remember coming home one day the first week my wife was here, to find out she followed the directions to bake the chocolate chip cookies in the oven for twenty minutes, but didn't note that  the instructions were for the MICROWAVE oven. the house sort of smelled like very thoroughly roasted coffee--it wasn't too bad.

Funny story - when my Mom and Dad were newlyweds, Mom was cooking "something" in the oven. She accidentally burned it. Badly!  So, she opened some windows, grabbed the air freshener out of the closet and started spraying it around... only to suddenly realize she had grabbed the BUG SPRAY!    So she put that back, grabbed the air freshener (made sure this time), and started spraying that around!   

Dad came home from work, stepped into the house and stopped for a second. He then calmly stated, "I'm not sure what it is, but I hope I don't have to eat it."     He then took her out for a nice dinner.