Christmas is Here!

We haven't had the chance to have a Christmas photo taken yet this year. These were from the Christmases a couple of years ago. Can you spot the difference? I just noticed I'm wearing the same white dress. I wonder how different our Christmas picture would be for this year. I wouldnt be wearing that dress, for sure. Thanks to the pounds I gained this year. Merry Christmas and have a bountiful new year!

2011

2012

Bee Tin Grocery

I usually pay my credit card a day in advance because I can't be bothered going to the main bank and rely on the nearby SM Bayad Center. But due to the holidays last week, I forgot all about my due date and didn't make it in the cutoff time of the payment centers. So last Monday, I had to go to the nearest branch of my bank which is in Binondo. I left a little past ten and was all giddy to be trooping down that part of Manila. I arrived just before 11 and paid my bill in the machine which took about a quarter of my salary. This month wasn't that bad because months ago, I pay my credit card using all of my salary. Poor unfortunate soul me, I know. Anyway, I've been doing great managing my card nowadays and I couldn't be any prouder.

As soon as I have done my bank duties, I walked in the nearby Chinatown but scrapped the idea of going to Divisoria. I didn't want to be out for so long because my husband and son were by themselves at home and it was nearing lunch time. I decided to walk towards where they sell vegetables and fruits. On the way, I chanced upon the Bee Tin Grocery and seconds later found myself inside checking out the variety of Asian goodies inside, Thai, Korean, Chinese, etc. Here were my loots:

From Top L-R: Cinnamon sticks (60 php), Pork floss 100g (700+/per kilo), Sweet and Spicy Tapa (480 per kilo), Cua Pao (9pcs @ 50php)
Bottom L-R: Seaweeds (i ate one pack 3 packs for 80 php), almond gelatin (50 php) and a tray of siomai (70 pesos)

I loved most of my purchases. I also got black grapes, lemons, and mini onions but didn't take a photo anymore. I am hoping to get more of those seaweed snacks since the little one loved it. The tapa and cua pao were a great combination and we had them for lunch when I arrived. I hated the almond gelatin but I'm planning to mix it in fruit salad. I haven't opened the cinnamon sticks but I'm planning to make cinnamon iced tea out of them. This experience left me all smiles because it gave me memories of Thailand, a decade ago and also got me excited for our Hong Kong vacation next year.

Mouth Sores (Singaw)

It may only be the size of a pencil eraser, but a mouth/canker sore, more commonly known as singaw can be hard to ignore, especially on your little ones. Kids with mouth sore tend to be whiny and become very picky with food when they're usually not. For the breastfed, nursing is quite next to impossible. Expect a lot of crying, especially in the midst of sleep but after a good five minutes, it will stop and you can both get back to bed.

"It generally measures three to five millimeters in diameter and is usually located on the inside of the lip or cheek or, less commonly, on the tongue...The most painful phase lasts about three to four days, and the sores go away in about ten days."1

"What causes canker sores? No one knows for sure, though they frequently afflict people who are fatigued or stressed out or who have poor diets... Cankers may also occur as a result of a minor injury in the mouth, such as from a slip of the toothbrush or a jab from a taco shell. Certain foods, such as spicy dishes and citrus fruits, have also taken some of the blame."1

When you get the chance, you can apply solutions like baking soda or hydrogen peroxide mixed with water on the affected areas.2 However, for a fussy kid like mine, water and pain management are the best options. We composed a song that we sing together whenever there's pain. It goes:

"Mouth sores, mouth sores

Go away

Mouth sores, mouth sores,

We don't need you in our lives

Mouth sores, mouth sores

We will fight you til the end"

It seemed to have worked several times. It's a first time for my three-year old to experience mouth sores and I can imagine how dreadful it is for him. I had to explain what's happening and even showed him some pictures of what they look like inside his mouth. He asked me several times to "do a web search" for how to make the mouth sores go away. I make him sip water all the time so the healing process would be faster. We've also avoided some sour food that could aggravate the pain. Drinking yogurt juice and eating soft foods were quite helpful too. It's been two nights since he last nursed and although I have been complaining about this extended breastfeeding, his cries of excruciating pain make me want to just breastfeed him until the pain stops. But he just couldn't take the pain of nursing with his condition and so he refuses to even see my breasts. This morning he wanted to nurse so badly but I told him we could just cuddle. Thankfully, he fell asleep right away.

Sundays are Golden

It's Thursday now and I couldn't be more grateful that the week flew by so quickly. It only means the weekend is fast approaching. Most Sundays leave happy memories in our family's book. I told my husband how fun our last Sunday went. The husband left early to run and we had breakfast as soon as he arrived. I brewed some coffee and made pancakes earlier. Afterwards, I washed the dishes while the husband did a couple of laundry batches. We're always happy to accomplish house chores while the little boy is busy playing in the living room with stuff he gets hold of: train sets, scrabble, bike, etc.

We went out for late lunch and had pizza at Papa John's in Greenbelt. We always pick the less crowded restaurants because from experience, they turn out to have better service. But what I find funny, and my husband also agrees, is that we tend to attract crowd. As soon as we placed an order , about three groups arrived after us and it wasn't even lunch hour anymore. And that was the end of our peaceful lunch. But I'm not complaining. The service at Papa John's was nevertheless good and our tummies were happy. We also had a great view outside and a huge dose of afternoon sunshine and it was apt that we snapped some photos/selfies.

After we took photos, we had crunch flavored gelato at Gelatone, which was located one floor below Papa John's. We picked up our groceries for the week then proceeded home. For dinner, I cooked chicken fried rice and opened a can of... yes, sisig since we were having beer after, which we believe is a perfect way to cap off our golden weekend.

The Highs and Lows of October

Welcome, October. Let your cool breeze fill our lungs and dry those sweat glands away. This is the first phase towards forgetting the calamities in the past months. Save for Santi last night, the days ahead are expected to be more clear and our laundry finally get some sunshine. As for the plants, I may have to water them on days that don't rain but sunlight is great for photosynthesis.

This month also broke the health shield in our household. We've had colds and low-grade fevers but not the kind that stays long, thanks to a balanced eating and this new super supplement we're taking. And maybe a little experience on the fever department. 

After a long hiatus, we've invited a few friends over our home again. Did a little cleaning and organizing for days just because I couldn't take unnecessary comments from the guests. I'm glad the few hours of partying in our living room while the kids jump on our bed whilst watching Hi-5 was quite successful.

Getting the asparagus ready for our asupara bacon

We baked cupcakes mixed with cookie butter, grilled some asupara bacon, and prepared liver pate with black olives. For the carbs, we just ordered the best pancit malabon in our area paired with chicken lollies. We drowned our stories and mini-arguments of a few with wine, beer, and mojitos. Not a very good combination and I'm glad I ate cucumbers and drank water before going to bed. It was supposed to prevent hangovers. At this time and age, HO is what I dread the most. That, and a filthy house mainly because of my tendency to hoard. Which reminds me, I should get back to cleaning this weekend. Glad its Friday and oh, we're not even halfway October yet!

Welcome to our home.

Did I also mention we went to the Trick Museum this month? Super cool!

The Trick Museum

Happy Thoughts from 2.22.2009

It's been almost five years since we got married but everytime I unearth our wedding photo CDs, I'm still wowed by how much happiness looking at these pictures give me. I'm supposed to put together pictures for our wedding album but somehow some photos are giving me a hard time with the layout. Here they are with some captions I could not resist putting.

"We want to be fully conscious that a wedding is not just a day, it is not just an event but a beautifully conceived process that we will do a thousand times over."

"I am marrying the man I love and the man who loves me in return"

Gown by Pepsi Herrera

The Transfiguration Chapel

Just before we went to Sonya's Garden for the wedding reception

On Using the Potty

We are officially diaper-free! At three years and two months. Yes, a bit late but nevertheless, we are not buying any disposable diapers anymore. And I'm now guilt-free of the tons of garbage we produce from these non biodegradable inventions of our generation. Thank goodness! I'm so relieved because I've been trying to potty train him since he was 20 months old but I never succeeded until last week.  I know I should've listened to my instincts sooner. Here are my tips which are purely based from our experience.

1. Trust your instincts! 

2. Remember that potty training is a combination of instincts and timing. It also helps that you are an expert when it comes to your child's natural schedule and mannerisms. 

3. Common sense is also helpful! When you are with your child 24/7 you tend to sync your schedule with him/her, in my experience, the times when I need to pee myself are also the times that my child needs to go to the potty.

4. Act and lessen the talkies. I noticed that the more times I remind my child to go to the potty, the lesser he is interested to actually go. I have learned that when I feel its time for him to go, I just make him sit and that's when he pees/poops.

5. Accept that there will be accidents and as much as possible, don't reprimand your child when it happens.

6. Always empty your potty as soon as it's full. It's less messy, I tell yeah.

So congratulations to Mommy and Daddy is in order. Cheers!  And of course, this is primarily the little man's accomplishment. Well done. 

Friends on the Island

I can't believe it's the last day of August! This month has been a busy one, even busier than the beginning of the year! Let's see, last Aug. 3-4 we went to a friend's place in Cavinti, Laguna. It was a wonderful getaway experience for the kids and us parents as we spent two days with some of our closest friends. Not to mention, the house was beautiful, but what captured us the most, was the surroundings. It's an island on a lake in the mountain! We want to visit again next year.

Having a picnic with our "conjugal" friends several years ago at the UP Sunken Garden

And 8 or 9 years after, this is us still loving al fresco dining.

More photos:

Pardon my really messy look. We were really having fun in the hammock here.

The island isn't connected to the grid so most of the day, we hangout on the mats laid outdoors and overlooking the lake.

We assigned each couple to prepare at least one meal during our stay. I was mixing the batter here for the fish fillet and calamares we had for dinner on Saturday.

We were so hungry that I didn't get to take a picture of what I prepared that dinner: Beef stew, bean salad, calamares, and fried asuhos in batter. But one of our friends took this photo of our lunch by the lake. Make your own burgers. I'm drooling just thinking of how delicious our meals were on the island.

Choose Your Own Adventure Burger, and Beer.

For more spectacular photos on the place, go to this website: http://sundangisland.com/

iPad Mini: The Pros and Cons

A year ago, I was against the use of any hi-tech handheld devices by my toddler. We bought and were gifted several educational toys from Leap Frog and Vtech that we were quite happy about. That was until I owned an iPhone and started working from home. I remember purchasing an iPhone 4S days after I learned that I would be working from home. I calculated the savings from not having to spend on taxi fares and unplanned lunch-outs. I also thought that working from home will be quite boring (I was so wrong about this) and I needed something to occupy myself with especially while I breastfeed. Well, the iPhone turned out to be very useful and entertaining not just to me but to the whole family as well. My husband and I were so happy with this purchase that after several months of weighing the pros and cons, we got an iPad mini as well (and my husband got an iPhone 5).

The day that changed our lives forever. :)

Why iPad mini? For first time owners of a tablet, the size of the mini was not too overwhelming. We do not have any issues whatsoever of where to keep it as it fits perfectly well in our black leather bag that we bring whenever we go out. The price of the mini was also quite reasonable at Php 15,999. As a matter of fact, with all the awesome apps you can get for free (or purchase as low as .99 $ /less than 50 pesos), I think its a bit underpriced (I hope Apple doesn't raise the price, though). Most of all, it has all the features of the new iPad (as of February 2013). We love the iPad mini and the only cons I could think of would be the same as the disadvantages of owning any tablet device, I guess.

When we only had the back cover and
didn't have a proper case yet,
we used a cloth book cover to wrap
 the iPad inside our bag.

As parents, we are worried that prolonged usage of the device (iPad mini or not) is very bad for his eyesight. We adjust the settings to the dimmest lighting as we have noticed that the brightest setting hurt even our own eyes. I also read somewhere that usage of electronic devices before bedtime results to disrupted sleeping so we make sure that Inigo is not on the iPad two hours before bedtime. They also say its bad for the kids' imagination. I feel really guilty about this bit that's why I make sure we have art activities, outdoor time, and do some cooking and baking from time to time.

The immersion of the iPad mini with his playthings.

It also turns out that having an iPad is beneficial to us since we don't have househelp and yaya. I am grateful actually that we are able to afford an iPad and purchase some educational apps that keep him busy for half an hour or so and that I can prepare breakfast and cook lunch without having to rely on my husband to look after our son while I'm in the kitchen. On occasions that the little one gets really drawn on new apps, I am able to finish my work and even have some time to blog (like right now). Maybe next time, I'll wite about some really cool apps that even my husband and I enjoy!

Iñigo's 3rd Birthday Part 2

The next day we woke up early. We lit up a candle and sang him a birthday song. Yes, the three of us were happy to welcome his birthday! As mentioned before, we chose not to have a party this year and opted to have this staycation instead. I think we enjoyed this quiet time away from the busy Malate.

From L-R - 1,2,3 The three of us enjoying the room and taking turns on the phone camera. 4. After the early morning swim, he got hungry and shouted, "Fruit cup!!!" because that's what he normally eats first for breakfast and because he's the son of his dad (mainit ulo pag gutom, haha!)

As soon as John Paul got back from his run, we headed to the breakfast buffet. I loved the various options, pastries, congee, rice, pancakes, etc. I think I tried them all! The two boys enjoyed their breakfasts too.

See the smile on our faces? We were super satisfied with our brunch.

We were to meet my HS friends (Iñigo's ninangs, too) for a late lunch in Tagaytay. Another present to the little one on his birthday was to see the "volcano" and his godsiblings? He was excited. We arrived at cliffhouse a little before 2pm. We went to our favorite viewing deck there: The Cliffhouse and dined at Buon Giorno. Good thing we arrived after lunch when most of the dining guests have finished eating. We got the best seats in the house. We ordered the usual pasta & pizzas for everyone to enjoy. We had fun, I guess, and even stayed for coffee and more chikas. The little one got to blow another cake, this time panna cota. Thanks to Buon Giorno for this gesture. 

Happy Birthday, little one! I hope you enjoyed your staycation and volcano surprises! :)

We had one more celebration with his cousins the following weekend. But i'll blog about that next time. 

Iñigo's 3rd Birthday

The day started early as I had to hand-mix the cupcake batter and this:

Hand-mixed cream cheese frosting

We had the usual chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for the birthday boy's cupcake tower. It turns out that after more than a year of baking at home, I still have a lot of baking skills to improve on. Some noteworthy points for myself 1) The cupcakes were too big for my box because i used the foil baking cups instead of the paper ones 2) some had "fallen" centers probably because i did not set the temperature right 3) i did not use a tip to frost the cupcakes,hence, the lousy outcome. I was not satisfied with my cupcakes and was a tad disappointed that these mistakes had to happen on little one's birthday. I was already thinking of buying a cake but by noon time, I was more relaxed and decided on bringing them. After all, they were baked with love. :)

We dropped by the mall first to have lunch at Italianni's. We had the farmer's bunch and we didn't expect it to be such a feast! There were chicken, ribs, and pasta. And bread! Don't you just love the complimentary bread dipped in vinaigrette in Italianni's? After lunch and a few errands, we head off to Bellevue Hotel in Alabang. We chose this hotel because 1) we rarely visit the south area; and 2) at less than 4k per night (promo on dealgrocer.com) who wouldn't be tempted to spend a staycation there? The hotel has the complete amenities we were looking for: 1) a king sized bed, 2) a tub in the room, 3) a kiddie pool, and 4) gym. A playground would have been nice but our room served this purpose anyway. A big plus for me were the toiletries though. They were imported from Australia and smelled divine.

Kudos Spa toiletries

One of the first things we did upon checking-in was, of course, get in the tub. I let the little one enjoy it until his hands got wrinkly and his lips turn purplish. After the bath, I proceeded with decorating our room. With the little time in my hands, this is what my husband and I came up with:

Birthday decorations  and cupcake tower in the room

For dinner, we ordered fast food. We slept beside the decorations and cupcakes as his actual birthday was the next morning. TBC...

A Challenge to Breastfeeding Moms

Breastfeeding a toddler comes with several challenges. I thought I've overcome them all, including the physically excruciating ones and the subtle reminders of my own mother that will make you think twice if you're still doing the right thing. But there will always be people who will let you down once in a while and make you feel so insecure. And no matter how much you explain to them, they will never get your point. These are the same people that make you want to just lie and keep things secret from them.

My decision to breastfeed up to toddler hood is a product of informed parenting. It was also a choice that my husband and I both agreed on. So I think I have a valid reason to get pissed when someone criticizes how I raise and feed my child.  To all the mothers out there who breastfeed their toddlers, please be strong and be warned that we will be put down a lot of times because our kids may be skinnier and shorter than other kids. Deep in your hearts please be assured that they are ok. And as long as they don't get sick, there's no need to be alarmed. They are growing, and as parents, we should be fine with that.

Left: 3 years old, Right: 2 years old. He GREW!

Counting to Three

How time flies. Our little boy will be turning three this weekend. We're keeping it simple. No parties, no big and noisy gatherings. It's going to be pure loving with lots of fun (and cuddling).

Pain Pain Go Away

We have been through some physical pains today. I have impacted molars and one of them had inflamed gums around it. Eating is quite a challenge and yawning is excruciating. Meanwhile, my little boy has just recovered from a two-day fever. We had a busy weekend and I suppose the fever was his body's way of telling us he's tired. This morning was different though, he was overflowing with energy and had few minor injuries: 1) He asked for cold water and when I tried to convince him to drink warm water instead, he started wailing and running around the room and didn't stop until he crashed his forehead on the wall. I just had to give him cold water after that. 2) While watching TV he got so excited that he fell off the bed, with his face hitting the floor first. 3) I had to take him downstairs to have some snacks because he was already getting cranky. He stood up on the chair and after a few minutes, he lost his balance and fell, with his chin hitting the table. He cried a lot and wont let me put ice on his lip. He got a small scratch on his chin. 

Perhaps we all have to experience pain once in a while to make us appreciate the normality of things. I hope all will be better tomorrow. G'night!

Getting There

Last month, my son and I enrolled in St. Michael's Parent-Child program. He's a bit old for it, i realize, since the ad on Facebook said up to 2.5 yrs old. I called the school to ask if they would accept my son who turns three in two months. They said yes, much to my relief, and sent me the registration forms.

It's I.'s first-ever school experience and I was excited for him. I was also glad to have some time outside the house and enjoy summer --- which meant less traffic in the city. The classes were from 9-11am on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Here were my expectations before the classes started:
1. I wanted to experience Waldorf first-hand and not just from materials on the internet.
2. I wanted to learn Waldorf ways and apply in in our home.
3. We've resorted to TV and iPad  a lot of times and I feel bad that he's exposed to these media however good the contents are and that longer exposure would be bad for his eyes
4. I wanted him to experience free play more
5. I wanted him to get used to other children and other adults too.

On our first and second days, he was clinging to me like a velcro and wouldn't let me out of his sight even if I was just on the other side of the room.  He softened when he saw the wooden horse and toys. He particularly liked the crocheted finger puppets and fruits and vegetables. We played with the bowls and spoons and pretended to have a tea party. They let the parents do some crafty projects too for the duration of the program. I sew a stuffed ball and a small placemat. He cried when we had to cover the toys with cloth as they were supposed to "rest" while we ate snacks. We had pineapples and watermelon. By the second day, he was already drinking and eating on his own, from real glass and china plates and non-plastic utensils.

On the following week, I noticed he became less clingy and didn't call out for me that much. He was more playful with his classmates, Koa and Sarah. Ashley was barely one year old and she just smiled a lot.  He looked forward to playing in the sandbox, watering the plants, and swimming in the inflatable pool.

Over the weekend, I got myself thinking about weaning, something that the nurturer discussed with me about. My husband and I connived in telling I. that he is about to be a Kuya and as such, he shouldn't ask to be nursed at day time. He looked convinced and kept saying "I'm not a baby, I'm a Kuya". Before I knew it we were down to night feedings only. We also started using a small glass, ceramic bowl, and real spoon and fork for him at home. He's finished a bowl of oatmeal on his own and drank water on his own as well. I get teary-eyed seeing him so independent.

On the fifth and sixth day (our last week), he's already memorized the sequence of the class and hardly stayed beside me. I looked at him hold hands with the mom of another boy as he walked down the stairs and even played bubbles with the other parents. I couldn't be happier to see him at ease with these nice people. Later, I learned that the other parents also practice Waldorf in their homes and one couple (both Germans) even went to Waldorf schools. I was inspired to be more creative and less dependent on TV and other media devices. I will certainly enroll I. in St. Michael's arts, baking, and woodwork classes in the future, maybe even try their daycare when we're ready and have more time in our hands.

At home, you'd hear us singing Waldorf songs which we all love. We have not been so successful in weaning though reminding him that he's  now a "Kuya" sometimes works. And the TV & iPad? We haven't been that successful yet but we have lessened the exposure remarkably.

Wool, felt, wood --- we are in love with all things Waldorf

In My Kitchen (Feat. Four Home Recipes)

I'm just blessed that both my husband and kid appreciate and actually eat the food I prepare on the table. Of course there were some misses in the past, especially at the beginning of our married life, but nowadays have been all hits at the dinner table. 

This is my version of a Roast Beef wrap. When I was still working in Ortigas, I was a regular customer at Earl's. Now I make sure I bring home a few hundred grams of sausages and hams whenever I attend monthly meetings in that area.  We are also digging the mango, cucumber, parsley combination the past weeks so alongside this wrap we also had this wonderful green salad. 

For the Roast Beef wrap I used: Whole wheat tortilla, roast beef, and a portion of the green salad. My husband liked spreading some light mayo on his wrap but I was fine with the vinaigrette alone.

For the salad I mixed: Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, flat parsley, mangoes, and feta cheese for that distinct kick. I also mixed together cider vinegar, olive oil, and chia seeds to make the dressing.  

One morning, my son exclaimed, "I want to eat meatballs". We were watching "Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs" then.  I had nothing in refrigerator but tofu. I was so worried that he won't eat my fried tofu in soy sauce if that's what I serve him for lunch because he asked to have meatballs. So I searched the net for a recipe on Tofu Meatballs! I was so proud to have thought of it and was even more proud when after fifteen minutes I came up with this:

The little boy was so pleased he ate three pieces and all the tomatoes and cucumbers in the photo above.

For this recipe I used four slices of old bread, firm tofu, minced garlic, egg, parmesan cheese. I kinda followed this recipe but skipped the ricotta cheese (as I didnt have this and just put more parmesan) and instead of baking, I fried the meatballs in canola oil. I made tomato-basil pasta topped with the tofu meatballs for dinner which the husband adored. 

I never list down menus, nor make grocery lists. I think it takes so much of my time. However for our weekly dinners, I make it a point to cook at least one pasta or noodle dish, one seafood dish, one fish dish, and one filipino dish. This qualifies as either pasta or seafood: 

I used shrimps (deshelled and deveined and cut in bite sizes), mushrooms, olives, basil, and tomato sauce. Of course, the usual garlic, onion, and tomatoes combo for sauteeing. Season with salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese. Squeeze some lemon to taste.  Yummers!

Full-time Mom, Back-up Breadwinner

That's me right now. It's been almost a year since I decided to be at home 100% of the time and be with my son and husband. I've been really excited, after all, this was a dream come true. I've worked in an office almost as soon as I graduated from college, maybe traveled a little, did part-time work sometimes, studied MA, but I still basically had to work. For years I longed to climb up the career ladder, have a hefty salary, and become the boss.  When I became a mom though, all these changed and I realized I no longer want to be in the rat-race of working for corporations anymore. The first time I saw my son, I thought, I love you that I just want to see your face every minute of everyday. So when I learned that I will be allowed to work from home, I was ecstatic. Little did I expect that I would be really exhausted. I am exhausted yet very satisfied. I don't think of promotions or salary raises anymore. After all, the greatest promotion I have ever gotten so far is becoming the parent of this wonderful boy.

Meanwhile, my husband works like a horse and gets very little sleep in the day. I still dream of that day when neither of us have to work like 25 year-olds. But there's so much beauty in the world that we want to see, houses we want to live in, food we want to taste, and places we want to experience. In short, we still dream of things we believe that are nice, like a house with big windows and a garden, 5-day vacations worth at least 40 thousand pesos, and slow-paced education for our children that will enhance their creativity and imagination more than we ever had a chance to. We are humans and we have to earn.

Being a woman at this time is fairly challenging. There are so many things to take responsibility of like careers, health, the environment, and most of all, the home and kids. And because I love my husband so much, I don't want him to feel all the burden of earning for the family. Right now, I'm just glad that I am able to share with the bills and sometimes pay for dates and vacations. It's exhausting, yet highly satisfying to realize that I am somehow able to juggle these things together and make things as beautiful as I can for myself and my family. 

Giving and Receiving

I. may be crying in this photo but he sure had fun at Taal Vista Hotel where we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary last February 22.

I have a theory why he cried in this photo: he thought the hotel attendant was taking our camera. Before this was shot, a bunch of foreigners parked on our background (see the bus leaving from not so far away?) so we had to wait for them to get out while the hotel attendant was still holding our camera. I. is very possessive  at this stage of his life. He only shares with me and his daddy. I know this will pass but it makes me sad sometimes. I want him to be generous and learn the true value of sharing. Some kids his age don't mind sharing, do they?

He's not been very independent lately either. He asks for me or his daddy to play with him all the time. He wouldn't even pull down his underpants earlier this evening when he accidentally peed on the floor. Oh, and we haven't been successful potty training him just yet. Wonderful.

It's been 9 months or so since I started working from home and about 8 months since we let our helper go and manage the house our way.  Thankfully, not one of us have ever been sick so far, we manage to eat delicious meals, our clothes are laundered and ironed properly, dishes are washed, and floors swept and mopped clean.  And since I am no super woman, I ask help from our former laundry lady to help me with general cleanings every three months.

So despite the frustrations with teaching our child how to share and making him use the potty when he need to pee so we could finally bid diapering goodbye, I still think we're on the right track.  Sometimes, you have to be nice on yourself and not give in to too much pressure as this will just stress you out.  I know inside that we're doing it right because we give it our all. That's what life taught me so far, to give the things that matter your all. I may not see the results now but I pray hard that all the attention we give our child now will prepare him to be the person he is meant to be. I speak so vaguely now but this is just what my intuition (and some amount of researching and reading) tells me.

Sunday Under the Sea

How was your weekend? Mine was exceptional. On Saturday, I had another afternoon off, the first one being last week for my monthly waxing of unwanted hairs and mani-foot spa-pedi after a loong time. Since these beautifying activities already took 2.5 hours, I just promised to return the next weekend for my haircut. My last haircut was in November last year. Anyway, instead of just a haircut, I managed to have a hair and scalp treatment that comes with a back massage. I loved every minute of the massage! I wish they massaged my arms and legs as well. Thanks to my husband for looking after the little one while I got myself pampered and prettified. I should do it more often.

The following day, we had an impromptu trip to Manila Ocean Park with my sister. It was our first time. I have always wanted to go but found the prices too high. When we got there we spent a good few minutes asking ourselves if its really worth it to spend 550/head including the kids. We decided to do it and splurge a little on family activities such as these. When I was already in line, I saw that they had an even better deal: the 5+1 deal for the Oceanarium tickets. That's a mere 2,000 pesos for the 6 of us which is like Php 334/head. Yay! We couldn't care less about the shows because we figured the kids are too small to enjoy the fountain or penguin shows and won't be sitting still for five minutes to watch. Anyway, the Oceanarium was fantastic and even us parents had so much fun. Our photos weren't that spectacular but I know we have achieved some special memories there for the kids. Here are my favorite takes:

After the tour, we watched the sunset at Whitemoon Bar whilst drinking beer and chasing the kids.

My son wouldn't stop doing this:

I don't think we're ready yet.

Band-aid

"Experience is the best teacher", they say. Last weekend, when we were just getting out of the house, Inigo scraped his knee on the pavement just outside our house. As it was just a scrape, it was not anything deep so we felt no need to be alarmed. In the car, I just cleansed it with a moist towel and applied some medicine. When we got back in the house, I took him to bath and washed the wound altogether. I've asked him several times if it was painful and he said it wasn't. Brave boy, I thought.

I remember that I too had scraped my knees several times in my childhood. The cleansing part was always a torture but as days passed, I kinda get excited watching it heal and finally picking on the dried skin. Eww. It's so funny and gross now that I think about it.

My son was exactly the opposite though. He went nuts over his wound on the second day and resisted when  I washed it or applied medicine on it. At bath time, he screamed for me to blow his wound the whole time I washed him. So I had to keep blowing until he gets out of the bathroom, dried and dressed up. Oh, and he'd always ask to wear pants, the long kind, to cover his wound. He wouldn't let me put a band-aid on it neither. LAst night, I put on a slightly short pajamas on him and his wound kept on peeking. He'd pull his pants down again and again just to hide the wound. I had to hide my giggle. I guess he was just not used to having a dark spot on his knee and finds it ugly to look at. Whenever I ask him if he has a booboo under his pants, he'd just say "No!" and pretend to laugh. He's still in denial. And I thought it wasn't until three years old that toddlers get weird.  

A Weekend in Naujan

In some summers during my childhood, we would tag along with our Mom to the province where she grew up and where my grandmother lives until now. I realize just how lucky I was to have even those short vacations and experience provincial life, not to mention sniff the country air. Don't you just love the smell and feel of the cool air of the province? I think we're addicted to it.



Anyway, since February is also my birthday month, one of the "gifts' I asked from my hubby is to agree with me to go to Mindoro on one weekend to visit my Lola and my balikbayan Titas staying there. It was a bit sad that my Mom should be in the states at this time but we pushed thru with the plan anyway. And so off we went last weekend. The total travel time was around 4 to 5 hours like Baguio but was different because we had to transfer from one mode of transportation to another. It was great that my brother became our instant travel companion. I tried to pack lightly but I just can't fit all our stuff in one suitcase. We brought three bags and one medium-sized suitcase, by the way.

My least favorite part of the trip was the afternoon boat ride to Calapan, specifically, the last 15 minutes of the ride. It was my first time to get seriously seasick. Even the little one got sick. I cursed so much in my head and promised that there's no way I'm going to take a late ferry ride ever, again. I was so relieved that as soon as we docked, everything was ok again and the little one was back to his normal self again.

All that sea-sickness was forgotten when we arrived at my Lola's house. My son loved every bit of the place. He loved the food there as we all did. He ate everything I gave him, fish, vegetables, crab, suman, fruits. etc. My Titas who babysit their apos in the states were amazed at how well he eats. Well they were also surprised and asked loads of questions when they found out I'm still nursing I. The next morning, we went to hear mass, and mostly just relaxed in the house. We hit the beach in the afternoon to watch the sunset. There was a nearby resort so we got us some cold beer.















We head home at dawn the next day. Before noon, we were back in the city.