It arrived! The Celestron PowerSeeker telescope that was to be our Christmas gift to our son is finally here!
It took a long time, but my son has been blessed with patience, so no worries there. We’re celebrating Christmas in March.
I bought it from Amazon in September and was shipped to my sister-in-law’s place in New York. It was to be brought home by my mom-in-law last November, but it was a “pain-in-the-neck to pack”, so it was taken out of its Amazon packaging and put in a Balikbayan box and sent via cargo.
The long wait is so worth it. We unboxed it yesterday, and in my excitement shared the first photo on Instagram.
Because I was working, I didn’t get to participate in setting it up. But father and son had an awesome time bonding over it.
The package came with an instruction manual and the Starry Night Basic Edition astronomy software from Simulation Curriculum. According to their website, the Celestron PowerSeeker telescope series is designed to give the first-time telescope user the perfect combination of quality, value, features, and power. Sounds perfect for a 12-year old!
Other downloadables are: Astronomy Basics, Celestial Observing, Telescope Basics and Telescope Maintenance.
The astronomy software is so cool, I think I want to download it to my computer as well. I’m just not sure if the download code can be used on more than one computer. I have not tried it yet but will do soon, when my workload is light.
I took some screenshots of the software from my son’s laptop.
This is the screen that pops when you click on the icon. You’ll see that our location has been set up, along with the date and time. The What’s New dialogue box shows some trivia relative to the present date.
I clicked on one of the icons on the left sidebar and went to find out about the moon. The date changed to the actual date the image being shown was taken.
When you hover your mouse to any of the dots on the screen, it will tell you what that dot really is. Below, you’ll see that my mouse was on Jupiter. The image on the screen is actually moving and it will give you a feeling of being out there.
I wanted to see Venus, and an information popped out, saying that Venus is not visible at that time where I am. So I clicked on the button that tells the best time to see Venus from where I am, and as you can see, I will have to wait until tomorrow to try and find it. 🙂
There’s a lot to discover on that software still. All I know at this time is that it is a great tool to plan and execute observing sessions. It will tell us to which part of the sky we should look when we want to observe a particular heavenly body.
Meanwhile, I just let my son discover what other features the software has, and I’ll just wait for his show-and-tell. I’m thinking that the Starry Night will be a perfect complement to his Kerbal Space Program software. He can build the spacecraft that will take him to all the other planets.
Celestron also has a YouTube Channel, if you want to check first their line of telescopes and get an idea of what will best fit your needs.
And I just found out that there is a local Celestron distributor here in the Philippines! I have to find out how to buy from them as they don’t have a shopping cart. Will update this post once I have the correct link to the distributor.
Do you, have questions, comments or feedback about this post? Please leave a reply below, or post them on my Facebook Page.
If you are a WAHM like me, having a home office is almost as important as having clients.
Maybe I’m exaggerating there, but that’s how I felt when I was starting. Even when I only had a computer table in the first three years, I made sure that “that” table was treated like a real office.
No talking to Mommy when she’s in the office.
Stay really quiet when Mommy has her headphone on.
Yeah, took me three years to save up for a custom-made desk. Remember, we were paying off huge hospital debt when I braved it out to become a WAHM. And the desk doesn’t look much, really. But what makes it special is that I have all the drawers I need for all my office stuff.
This WAHMing thing? It’s a lifestyle. Bed to office in under a minute. No need to spend on wardrobe and your hours are up to you. But a critical part of making it work is discipline. You need to keep a schedule. You can’t afford to feel lazy. And having a well-organized home office will certainly put you in the mood to work. Having that sense of being in a real office space makes work more enjoyable and more efficient.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Organizing Your Desktop or Laptop
Back up all your files frequently and store important items on a cloud-based service. I personally use an external drive which I sync with my desktop computer at least once a month. Saved me a lot of heartache in the past years, most recent was only last December when my 7-year desktop conked out on me. Only had a half day of downtime, which we used to shop for a new desktop and install applications and security.
Create folders and subfolders for your files. I partitioned my PC in a way that all program files are in C, and data files are in D. The data files have three main folders: Home Office, Homeschool, and Personal. Inside each main folder are subfolders, like inside Homeschool, there are two subfolders, Bea and Jude. And more subfolders for subjects, teacher guides, curriculum, projects, etc.
If you are like me, who works on a laptop away from home, you would want to have your oft-accessed files in a cloud. You can use either Google Drive or Dropbox.
Organize Your Desk
Though some folks can organize their desktop according to their own system, others wouldn’t know what to do without their desktop organizer. Some are a simple arrangement of slots made of wire mesh, while others are elaborate. They have room for pens, pencils, staplers, scissors, sticky notes, push pins, stationery, Scotch tape, etc.
Yet, even a desktop organizer needs to be organized. Make sure the papers in the slots are neat, pencils have been sharpened, pens are capped and no stray rubber bands overhang the rubber band container.
For my slightly OC self, I had a desk custom-built back in 2010. I wanted to have drawers that will have all my home office and homeschool supplies in one place. The only organizer on top of my desk now is a tub of pens. All the rest are in my drawers. Although I wish I have one of these desk organizers.
This one, particularly. 🙂
Organizing Drawers
Just because drawers are closed most of the time doesn’t mean they don’t need to be organized. Opening a drawer and seeing a jumble of stuff when you’re looking for something is as dispiriting as a chaotic desktop.
The drawer is where you keep stuff that doesn’t go into the organizer just yet. To avoid a mess, keep everything in its own little box or container. Little metal spice containers are perfect for things like push pins, tacks, erasers, and paper clips because they have glass tops.
My top most drawer holds more pens, craft scissors, craft punches, glue gun, glue sticks, washi tapes, highlighters, staple wires, fasteners, colorful clips and my external drives.
Other drawers hold stationery, notebooks, my official receipts, craft papers, index cards, folders, Manila paper and board papers.
I remember one time when our eldest was in high school and her group met at our house to make their project, one of her classmates commented, “We’re like at National Bookstore!”
Organizing Shelves
Invest in magazine holders for your magazines. Place photos in albums and other important items in boxes. None of these storage items need to be drab. You can now buy them in different colors that match the overall color scheme of your room.
Though boxes can be different colors, it’s best if they’re the same size so they can stack on your shelves. Label containers using a label maker. Or washi tapes. 🙂
Speaking of label makers, they are one of many items that should fit in your office desk drawer. And yes, I do have one. National Bookstore, remember? 🙂
Organizing your home office is not difficult and can be fun. You might even want to get the whole family involved. It will definitely be a pleasure to see a clean and tidy workspace waiting for you at the beginning of your workday.
Disclaimer: My home office, specifically my desk, may not stay as organized as I presented in this post, but I’m still proud to say that there is always one day in a month that IT IS this organized, and then it goes downhill from there until it’s time to clean up, and the cycle continues. One thing is constant though. I LOVE my home office!
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post? Please leave a comment below, or post them on my Facebook Page.
Better late than later! Finally, my much-delayed post about my BMBE certification.
I received my BMBE Certificate of Authority for my two registered small businesses back in October. But due to my full schedule, I didn’t get to have my BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) status updated until December. That, and because I’m really not fond of going to government offices.
So what is BMBE?
It stands for Barangay Micro Business Enterprise. According to Section 3(b) of RA No. 9178, otherwise known as the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise Act of 2002, a BMBE is “Any business entity or enterprise engaged in the production, processing or manufacturing of products or commodities, including agro-processing, trading and services, whose total assets including those arising from loans but exclusive of the land on which the particular business entity’s office, plant and equipment are situated, shall be not more than three million pesos.”
This Act aims to encourage formalization of informal or underground businesses by giving incentives and benefits to certified BMBEs.
Based on a 2014 data from Philippine Statistics Authority, 99.5% of all businesses in the Philippines are MSMEs or Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. And from that 99.5%, 89.4% are Micro.
The same data shows that MSMEs provide employment to 65% of the labor force. They are clearly the primary source of livelihood and jobs in the country. Hence, the government’s drive to encourage micro businesses to register and become legal tax paying entities.
Back when I first heard of BMBE, the registration was under the local government units, and businesses were required to pay registration fee. While the amount was minimal (I believe it was set to not exceed Php 1,000.00), it was enough to make really small businesses less enthusiastic about registering. Including myself.
In recent years, the responsibility to issue Certificate of Authority was transferred from the Municipal Treasurer to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Negosyo Center. They removed the required registration fee, and the process can be completed in three (3) easy steps:
Step 1 : Accomplish BMBE Form and submit to the Negosyo Center / DTI Office where business is located with any of the following:
Certificate of Business Name Registration from the DTI (for sole proprietors)
Certificate of Registration from the SEC (for corporations)
Certificate of Registration from the CDA (for cooperative)
Step 2 : DTI will evaluate the eligibility of the application
Step 3 : If qualified, within 15 working days, DTI issues Certificate of Authority valid for 2 years
I was fortunate enough to be among those invited by our local Negosyo Center to attend a BMBE orientation.
Who are qualified to register?
Single Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, Cooperative or Association
Total assets not more than P 3,000,000.00
Enterprise engaged in:
Production / Processing / Manufacturing
Trading
Services – except government licensed services
Who are not qualified?
Medical/Dental/Veterinary Clinic
Notary Public/Law Firm
Real Estate
Construction Firm
Accounting Firm
In short, if you are small business practicing a profession, then you cannot register as BMBE.
Accredited businesses are exempted from paying income taxes arising from their operating expenses. This, however, does not include the exemption in transaction taxes such as value-added tax (VAT) and other percentage taxes, among others. Furthermore, BMBE-accredited enterprises are still required to regularly file their regular income tax returns.
Minimum Wage Exemption
BMBE-registered enterprises are also allowed to pay below the statutory minimum wage which is otherwise not permitted by law. However, they are still required to pay for their employees’ benefits such as PhilHeath, SSS, and HMDF.
Credit Priority
Financial institutions are given incentives in providing loans to BMBE-registered business enterprises. They are also required to provide a special credit window for BMBEs.
Growth assistance
To provide technical support, the government has allotted funds to agencies supporting BMBEs such as DTI Negosyo Centers, UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP-ISSI), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
So for the next two years, I will be exempted from paying the quarterly and annual tax. I will only have to pay the monthly percentage tax, which is 3% of gross income. After two years, I will need to renew my certification, and if I’m still qualified, like if I don’t build a warehouse and acquire equipment worth 3.5 million pesos in the next two years, I will have to get my COR with BIR updated again.
For WAHMs, freelancers, independent contractors, or crafters who are on a fence whether to register their small businesses or not, please read my post on Paying Taxes. Once you are registered, go ahead and visit your local Negosyo Center. It’s so easy to get certified now.
Here’s what a Certificate of Authority looks like.
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave a comment below, or post them at my Facebook Page.
This planner will help Moms like me who are barely surviving in the kitchen. It has always been a struggle for me to come up with a decision on what meal to prepare, every single day. I thought that if there is already a list of meals that I can just refer to, it would be easier to make a decision on what to prepare for the day.
Add to that the fact that I’m not a cook.
Oh, I can cook adobo, sinigang, tinola, spaghetti, and other similar stuff, but I’m not really that great. And I don’t have that many recipes in my arsenal, so I rely on just the usual stuff. And the occasional pa-chambs. 🙂
Here’s a clue… I don’t eat, much less cook, food I can’t pronounce.
And can I just mention that my kids LOVE my spaghetti?
But having so short a list of recipes makes it really hard to plan for a week. And that affects the grocery shopping, which we do once a week, sometimes even every other week.
For moms/homemakers like me, coming up with a decision on what’s for lunch or what’s for dinner sucks up a lot of time already. And add to that, the heartache when you finally decide on a meal and find out that you don’t have the necessary ingredients in your pantry.
This meal planner will save me the time and the heartache.
The first thing I did was make a list of all the meals I know how to prepare. Then I asked members of my WAHM community to contribute their own. I created four worksheets to represent breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks, and desserts. And once I had a decent number of meals to cover a week without a repeat, I went ahead and used the wonderful functions of Excel to create my printable meal plan.
So here’s how to use this…
Those highlighted cells are clickable. When you click on the cell, a dropdown arrow will appear. When you click on the dropdown arrow, a list of meals will appear, and you just need to click on what suits your fancy for the time of day.
Look…
And I’m all for keeping it real. Please take note that there’s a No Cooking option. So there will days that we’ll just call for home delivery, or feast on leftovers, or eat out.
Once I have completed our meals for the week, I can print the file, and create the grocery list.
Once Week 1 has been printed, I can simply clear the cells and start all over for the next week.
I’m actually just channeling Mark Zuckerberg here. I’m thinking about how much time he saves just by NOT having to decide what to wear every single day. This printable meal planner? I betcha it will save me at the very least an hour per week. An hour that I can utilize to do something else. Like crochet.
So yeah, I was truly inspired.
But if you’re a busy VA like me, and say your rate is $25 per hour, this planner has a $100 value to you, per month.
Me, I’m just happy to have that one hour of crochet time. Or paper quilling time.
Hardly a clothing line, but baby steps, okay? She’s wearing a crocheted poncho in the photo, and the yarn is her own mix. Yeah, our girls help me come up with color combinations for our yarn shop. 🙂
So now you know why we have pretty, creative daughters.
Like mother, like daughters.
Do you, have questions, comments or feedback about this post? Please leave a reply below, or post them on my Facebook Page.
