Lazy Sunday Mornings

On the rare Sundays that we eat at home, I try to whip up something.

Pancakes and bacon...


or yogurt parfait


I just love lazy Sundays when we're not rushing out of the house. When we can just take our time eating our breakfast and enjoying a cup or two of coffee.

Random Thoughts

I have an interview today after work. But I need to leave an hour early from the office because the interview is all the way in Makati. I'm happy because they were the ones who called me. I didn't apply. I'll just go see, anyway, I won't lose anything.

But I feel so blah today. I have colds and cough so my head feels heavy. I'm sleepy too and yet, I haven't taken medicines. That's because I woke up in the middle of the night with a sneezing fit.

Last night, the hubby handed to me my new pair of jeans which I had sewn. I was impressed! The jeans were a perfect fit, I like the cut and the best part is that it only cost P600, including the material. I just wore my favorite jeans and the tailor just measured it.

A Productive Lunch Break

During my lunchbreak today, I dropped by Trinoma to buy tickets to Indiana Jones for tonight. Me and the hubby are going on a date. *smile* Then I dropped by Landmark to get some kitchen things that I realized I still needed like a flour sifter. I had to use a tiny strainer when I baked cookies last weekend. I picked up other things as well because I'm in an organizing mood this week. I am hell bent on uncluttering my tiny kitchen.

I got a two layered tray for the dirty kitchen so that precious counter top space can be maximized. I got a small basket to stash all those chips and cookies that can't fit into my bin on top of the freezer. I also bought those quilted covers for the blender, microwave and oven toaster. Too bad because I couldn't get matching covers even if I harassed the saleslady to find me a matching set in a pattern that has some yellow to match my kitchen.

In one hour I was able to buy tickets, go around the department store and eat my lunch. Happy, happy!

5 years with Toni

A couple of years back, I happend to stumble upon Toni's blog, Wifely Steps, and I've been reading it since then. I like Toni's casual and friendly style of writing plus her topics cover so much of my own interests as well, except for Twilight. For the life of me, I don't know what that is. Just goes to show I'm so out of the loop.

Anyway, my favorite would be her "spic and span" topics. But I was searching for this category and couldn't find it anymore. Was I just hallucinating? The entries are clear in my mind, though. That's because I read them over and over, like a good book. hee hee... I particularly liked this entry on timing or allotting xx minutes when you do chores or just simply organize your stuff. I've been doing this eversince and like Toni, I get competitive with myself too. But it's such a great trick! Small tasks done in short periods gets a lot of ground covered too.

Then there was that post sometime last year on organizing supplies in baskets. I've been doing this already long before I read the post but I checked my own plastic basket to see if I had any missing items. You never know when you're going to need a green highlighter aside from the orange one I already have!

Then there are her recipes. I've copied some of them, but I seem to have only done one. It's the eggplant dipped in soy sauce and fried. Very simple to do, not heavy on the pocket and the best part is that it was yummy! To think that I'm not too fond of eggplants. : )

PPBC#2 Thinking Ahead

Note: I use the word education loosely here, even classifying Kindermusik as education.

I’ve always valued the importance of education, so much so, that I even took up some MA units of Education after I got my MBA. I seriously considered teaching part-time since I feel that the quality of education has declined. Teaching is a noble profession and I wanted to give back to society. But then I got engaged, got married, got pregnant and became a Mom. My noble plans have been shelved indefinitely and so I focus my attention now to my little girl.

So anyway, the hubby and I have pretty much decided on which way to go. Of course, we have had numerous discussions and debates on this already. To think that our daughter is only 15 months old. It’s never too early to start thinking of our kids’ schooling and preparing ourselves for it. Our daughter’s education is the best investment we can make given what resources we have.

This early, we’ve planned out our daughter’s education already. Although much of this has been my own doing. Right now, she’s enrolled in Kindermusik. Although I realize that the activities in Kindermusik are what I do with Tina in the comfort of our bed at home, Kindermusik is good for us because it gives us bonding moments (without interruptions), reinforces how I play with her and gives me ideas on how to stimulate her. While it is still too early to know (we’ve only had 1 class so far), I am hoping that by being exposed to other kids her age, Tina’s social skills will somewhat expand. The class allows me to interact with fellow mommies as well, which is always a good thing.

Sometime this year, we plan to enroll her in playschool. This will be strictly play and nothing like a traditional school and not on a regular basis. I don’t want Tina to get burned out even before she sets foot in a real school. Why am I going to do this? The whole day, Tina is at home with helpers, although she gets to play with my mom too, but not as often as I would want. I want Tina to be around kids her age and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around her. Naturally, since she’s the only “baby’ at home (including my parents’ home) everyone dotes on her. I just want her to play with kids her age, socialize and interact with them. Probably next year, we’ll enroll her in Toddler school, still the focus will be on play. Our aim is still for socialization. The development of new skills is just secondary. By enrolling Tina in schools within our community, she will make friends with kids who live near us. This early, I’ve scouted for play/toddler schools in our area. I’ve narrowed down my search and decided on schools already. It’s all a matter of timing now. Of course, teaching her how to speak, manners and some simple counting can all be done by the hubby and me. It’s what we’ve been doing at home, anyway.
As for ‘big’ schools, while each type of school (coed, traditiona/progressive, public/private) has its own pros and cons, we’ve decided on the safer and tried and tested route. If Tina can pass, we would like for her to go to an exclusive (doesn't necessarily translate to expensive) and traditional school. I’m not too sold yet on progressive methods. Call me old fashioned or I just adhere to the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Anyhow, many teaching methods have been updated already even for traditional schools. They provide a holistic and balanced education and that’s what’s important to me and the hubby. School should not just be about the reading, writing and arithmetic. And education is not all about grades.

And if we could have our way, we would like Tina to go to one of the more well- known girl schools. Sad to say, in this society of ours, colleges would prefer the known secondary schools. More so big companies, they specify what colleges or universities they want when they hire new grads, which is unfair, but it is the society we live in. If I just had the resources, I would willingly teach Tina myself. But I might shortchange her if I myself am not fully equipped. I can only guide her but I may not be able to handle all her questions.

When all has been said and done, I still see it as my duty as a parent to teach Tina manners, proper values and the right study habits. No matter how busy and tired I am, the little girl will always come first. It is not the school’s sole responsibility to equip our kids with all the right knowledge and skills, I firmly believe that it lies with the parents.

One Sunday Afternoon

What happens when Mommy has her camera -


Oh,no! Here we go again...


Let's indulge Mommy a bit... One small smile...


Enough!


Kung fu kick!


I'm ignoring you...

Daily Pleasures

Some of the little things that lift my spirits -

Waking up to a smiling Tina
Rolling around in bed with Tina, sharing hugs and kisses
Reading the newspaper while having breakfast
A good cup of strong coffee…preferably brewed at home
Tina clinging to me right before I leave for work
A nice upbeat CD to listen to while at work (volume loud enough for me to hear alone. I don’t want to disturb other people.)
The hubby coming home in time for a family dinner
Reading books to Tina before she goes to sleep at night
Kidding around with the hubby and sharing a good laugh
Getting to bed early enough to be able to read at least a chapter of a good book

Spring is in the air

Sharing some photos I took which show the first signs of spring. Don't you just love flowers?

'Tis The Time to be Prudent

Times are hard. Rice and gasoline prices are skyrocketing. Most grocery items have increased in prices as well.

I have to remind myself to be prudent and frugal. Admittedly, I like to shop. But since I gave birth, my shopping priorities have changed. Only now, it's more for the little girl. Still, the fact remains that I like to shop.

It's the masses who are greatly affected by the economic crunch. They are the ones who feel it first. I live with helpers and drivers. One of my parents' drivers has to look for a new place to live in because his current home will be demolished soon. I feel bad about that, after all, he is such a good guy.

I feel guilty when I'm at the grocery and the driver waits for my bags. He can see how much I spend for groceries. I feel guilty that when I'm driven to the mall, I come out laden with bags. What I spend at the mall can pay for his kids' education. I don't like shopping with the yaya in tow (that is, when Tina is with us at the mall). Even if I don't buy anything, she can see how much I pay for a top just by looking at the tags of clothes from the stores we go into.

I'm not saying I'm going to deprive myself, but it is wise to curb my spending habits now and save for a rainy day. Neither am I saying that I spend an arm and a leg for a top, shoes or a bag. It's just not morally prudent to spend right and left when many people are worried where they will get money for their next meal. I can't save the world, but I can be sensitive to peoples' needs.

Not getting that hot new top is not gonna kill me. No one will judge me if I haven't got that new designer bag on my arm.

Ring-a-ding-ding

More bells again. I bought this too while on vacation.

At my grandparents' dining room in Cebu, they had this and the helper would ring it every meal time. My mom got one years ago for her dining room too. And so I continue with the tradition.

PPBC #1 The Day I Became A Parent

When I was younger, I used to say that I didn’t want to get pregnant, only because I was frightened of the birthing process. I’m sure glad God didn’t listen to me.

I gave birth to Tina on January 8, 2007, a week shy of my due date. If I hadn't given birth then,

I would have been induced on Jan. 15 or 16. The funny part was that several weeks before that, the hubby would talk to the baby to please come out on January 8. So they’d both be born on the 8th. She sure listened to her daddy.

We were so surprised when she weighed 7 lbs and 7 oz at birth because on my last ultrasound on Dec. 23, her weight was only a little over 5 lbs. Well, when I learned that, I figured that I could binge. But I didn't count on her gaining 2 lbs in 2 weeks! Not only that, given her weight and my skinny frame, it was a surprise that I gave birth normally. I was preparing myself to give birth via CS because of my pelvic bone. But I had a good OB (my cousin) who kept on urging me to push and push. But my golly! When you’re on Epidural you think (because you can’t feel) you’re pushing (to the point that you feel you’re gonna poop) and still it’s not enough. The resident doctor saw it as her duty to push my tummy to the point that I wanted to push her off the table. Now I know how a tube of toothpaste feels like!

When I was admitted to the hospital at 4:30 am on Jan. 8, I was only 2cm dilated. But my OB gave me medicines to hasten the delivery. Yeah, right! I still gave birth at 4:56 am. True to my kikay self, I still showered before leaving the house, powedered my face a bit and I found the time to trim my fingernails. And a couple of days before that, I had a foot spa. No way was I going to put my feet up in the delivery room with my toes unkempt. lol. ; ) In the labor room, I still maintained my poise because I wasn't screaming (unlike the other lady next to me) everytime I'd feel the contractions. I would just twist my pillow or hold on to the mattress and say a lot of Hail Marys. But thank God for epidural!

I'm a bleeder so I lost a lot of blood and I had to increase my intake of iron supplements. I was nearly given blood transfusion. And since Tina was so big, they really opened me up. Because of that, I was in maternity pads for over a month! What a hassle. When we brought Tina home, we didn’t have a yaya yet so it was just the hubby and I with help from my parents. Since I did a lot of moving around and bending over the crib, my wounds re-opened. I was scared that I had to be sutured up. Lucky for me, that it healed through medication. But I had a relatively easy pregnancy. I had morning sickness till my 4th or 5th month and it was pretty hard to sleep the minute my tummy got bigger and heavier. But aside from that, it was easy.

Oh well, despite the pain of the labor and delivery, not to mention 9 months of carrying her, anxiety and paranoia, I am extremely happy to be blessed with Tina.

Then

Now

Jingle Bells

On our recent trip to Austria, I made sure I got one of these bells, partly as a souvenir but mostly as an alarm system. Say what?! Wahahaha!

Seriously, I hung these bells in our front door and kitchen door and it rings when the doors are opened. Yun lang, if there really was a burglar (knock, knock on wood) it’d be a leeetle too late for me to react. So I gotta put a bat near my bedside. Hee hee

Seriously again, I like how it hangs on my doors. And I let out a smile everytime I hear it ring.

Gone Swimming

Here are some photos of the little girl's first "swimming" experience in our backyard.

Getting ready. Gotta keep the sun off my eyes!


With a sarong to boot!


I'm getting closer


Let's test the water first, shall we?


Ahhhhh!

Bad Mommy!

I could be arrested for these pics but Tina looked so funny trying to drink her daddy's beer.

she was all set to sip when she saw the cam... she had to smile, of course

glug glug glug

Every so often, my dad and A drink beer before dinner. When Tina sees the bottles of beer, she points excitedly and wants to drink too. So to indulge her, my dad or A lets her hold the bottle or can and tips it a bit. She doesn't get to drink but she gets a hint of the taste from the rim. I'm such a bad mom. I've scolded A so many times but he's just as amused as my dad. Right after she "drinks" her beer, she makes this incredibly naughty smile. You'll just end up laughing at her instead of scolding her.

I'm Happy Because...

This morning, while searching through my clothes for jeans to wear (we can wear jeans to work on fridays), I found an old pair of jeans which I can't remember buying. I tried it on and it fit perfectly! Oh wow!

Aside from being a perfect fit, that's like scoring a new pair of jeans!