Merry Monday– “Simple Ways to Make Your Day Better”

Unconsciously, we people hoped for our days to go as good as possible. We often hear the words “ It’s Monday, let us start the week right!”. Is there a procedure to follow in order to achieve a good week? Or even just a day?

Well, maybe this would help.

1. Wake up few minutes earlier than usual  – My alarm this morning never get to make its annoying ringing. This is because I turned it off in a good 30-minutes before the time set.   That is right! I woke up early and surprisingly, I didn’t feel grumpy at all. I went to bed late the night before just like any ordinary night. In short, the usual morning scenario in our house, like rushing kids that were half awake for school and myself getting frustrated over them still wanting to grab few more blinks was replaced with a relaxed morning even if it was the critical prep hour of the day. Since I already have extra time in my hands, it made me start getting thru my routine extra early. It felt good and I realized that it isn’t so hard to have a good start to a full day.

2. HUG someone or spend a little time cuddling –  I turned closer to my daughter who was sleeping beside me. I put my arms around her and automatically she snuggled close. I am slowly waking her up by cuddling her and felt her hugging me back. It would have been nice if Husband dear is around because he always make cuddling a morning habit. As they say, hugging and cuddling gives the person an emotional lift. I spend time slightly tickling their toes or the sides of their neck that I knew would make them giggle. I woke the kids up in a very heart warming way instead of the usual forceful tugging and shaking and making them panic realizing they will be late for school.

3. First Things First – I took a moment to think about what needs to be done. Prioritizing task will help us get through the day and hopefully the whole week avoiding a stressful and unorganized activities. Having a long list of tasks to do can be overwhelming, so tackle any problems head-on at the start of the day to get them out of the way as early as possible. I finished house chores quick and dealt with my weekend laundry. From time to time I checked my emails and did a little Facebook browsing. Once must-dos are done, I can work with almost anything I can lay my hands on. Exhausting, but it seems I did more in a day.  I actually felt a sense of progress each time I finish a simple task. It helps too that I wrote things down. It is a good way to keep myself  from forgetting things and track what is accomplished. Being a stay-at-home mom is the hardest job. I may have all the time but its never enough.

4. Listen to Music – I am a music lover. I just don’t know if music even loved me! It has been awhile since I opened my playlist and get in tunes. I sing my heart out while doing chores and I silently pray that my neighbors will ignore me. They did. Nobody called the police and I had my mini concert. Why does music make us feel good? People love music for much the same reason they’re drawn to sex, drugs, gambling, delicious food or an awesome book. These things make people happy in one way or another. Listening to music can be a form of having a “ ME time”. One can get emotional, and physical because up beat songs are hard to resist to do a little bit of  shakin’ and pumpin’ and moving like Jagger! Its motivational and inspiring. Good or bad, and mostly good, listening to music never fails to make a day worth living.

There may be all sorts of ways to make your day better. A person just needs to figure it out and do it.  For all we know, an unexpected act or a single song can do miracles and take us a long way. Look around and take time to appreciate the colors of the surroundings. Follow a butterfly and you’ll never know how it can surprise you. Say a prayer of thanks each day for a day passed can never repeat its moment. Above all, have fun, smile and never take laughter for granted!

Be happy and have a Merry Monday!

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Mom’s best lessons in life

 

Life’s lessons in general are always taught by our mothers when we were young. Growing up. the lessons I’ve learned were added up with some of those I eventually earned bumping to situations that I myself needs to handle from time to time. When I was barely two years old, my father died and so my mother raised me and my younger sister on her own. Of what I turned out to be, I owe it all to my mother. I will always be grateful for anything and everything she has done for us. For the unconditional love and selfless sacrifices over the years, for believing in our strengths and encouraging our little hopes and dreams, for simply being a mother the best she can be.

Among the thousands of things that I learned, these are the few that would always make me think of her.

 Love for God – She taught me how to pray and showed me that to be faithfully religious is my only source of strength when times get rough. I grew up not having all the convenience and luxury that life can offer but my mother told me that to be caught in the middle of life’s strongest storms is never a reason to be weak.

To appreciate and be thankful for blessings – “Never bite the hand that feeds you” I once heard this line from her though she never elaborate how that is supposed to mean but my young and innocent mind back then interpreted it as to be always grateful for what I have and for what others has done for me.

To value Education – my mother is a teacher and so it is not a bewilderment to get lectures about doing good in school and studying well. Apart from that, my mother never fails to remind us that education is the only wealth that no one can stole from us and the only wealth a person can take to his grave. I took this advice seriously and constantly remind myself of this thought when I was schooling, however I find it very hard to make my children understand how important education is. I wail and whine to my mother and denounce that my children seems to be taking education for granted.

Respect – She led by example and I learned with her actions that respect is earned only when one knows how to value it. In order to be accepted by others, it is important  to respect one’s self and the people around.

The list is endless when we will talk about our mothers and their greatest lessons in life. As they said, to become a mother is the hardest job on Earth. May it be good or bad, behind every living individual, there’s always a mother’s lesson treasured for life.

S–is for SICK SATURDAY

All through out the week, our town is under an unimaginable weather conditions. If there is a thing called “mixed feelings” on people’s emotions, the climate has it’s own version of the thing. A super hot and sunny morning will suddenly have a heavy downpour of rain the very minute you blink your eye and would turn back to bright and sunny skies as you shake your head with disbelief as you stare out at the vagaries of the weather.

Yesterday my mother came home from school -she is a teacher by the way- and went straight to bed complaining of head aches. Sure thing this morning, she was sneezing and stayed in bed instead of being up and about the way she is used to on a non-school day.

My daughter started barking coughs earlier yesterday though she was still in her usually hyper-active self when she went to school. Fever came in and made friends with her last night causing her to miss  Saturday swimming lessons this morning.

My son on the other hand appears to do okay and was able to attend swimming lessons even without her sister. He loves it as much as she does and enjoyed the session as always. On our way home, I notice he’s blushing red and thought it was just due to the sun and the pool but he is starting to get the fever as well and gave way for the first sneeze the second we were home.

It’s been awhile since the last time kids got sick which I am very thankful of. There’s nothing more stressful than having sick children. In times like this, I made sure that the situation’s bestfriend is always present and handy – the ever dependable OTC medicines that works.

Paracetamol and Nasal Decongestant with Anti-histamine in tandem are my reliable remedy on flu situations. The chewable fruit flavored colorful Kiddilets works better when kids are nauseated. It is easy for them to take and it taste like candies hence, the vomiting due to bad-tasting medicines are avoided.

I send them all to bed for a good rest. From time to time, I gave them more fluids – water and fresh fruit juices- and constantly monitoring temperatures and other vital signs. Experiences taught me not to push too hard on having them take solid food because it always triggers vomiting specially on unstable tummies and fever-caused poor appetite. Both are still excited for Sunday swimming lessons tomorrow. I honestly doubted that idea but it gave them the motivation to lighten up and not being difficult with taking the medicines as both wanted to get well as fast as possible.

Like all the mommies around the globe, sick kids made stressful moms. A mother’s TLC everyday is immeasurable and becomes a lot limitless when kids are not feeling well. The past year has been so good that we barely had a trip to the doctor’s clinic or the hospital ER. This is our first sick-days for year 2012 and hopefully the only one.

Dream House’s Kitchen

Clicking from one web page to the other, I come across Interior Home Decorating. I recall when husband dear and I are talking about dream house ideas. I told him, I would love a big kitchen. I cook a lot because I have to. Cooking that comes with being a stay-at-home mom and wife and has a family that looks up to me every meal time . I am not a cooking genius that’s why I never posted food recipes. My cooking is dependable enough to go by. I learned most of my cooking talent when I was working overseas and became super BFF with Jen whose cooking expertise comes natural. Learning my way around kitchen stoves and sink, counter tops and table tops made me start to picture out the kind of cooking shack that I want. Something like this….

(photo courtesy of http://www.interiorhousedesign.net)

What I love with this design is the lighting arrangement. I want a well-lit, super bright kitchen. It makes the area looking more spacious. I had few cooking dilemmas in the past which I blame on poor lighting instead of my poor eyesight. I just feel that with a very well-lit kitchen, I won’t have the mistake of twisting the salt shaker lid to the tiny holes instead of the big one while dispensing salt on some dish. Just imagine how my cooking turned out with that wrong move…. Yes. It did felt like having salt water from the beach as your soup! Forever supportive as he is, Husband dear ate it anyway. He even bought a cookbook for me to learn more.

(photo courtesy of http://www.interiorhousedesign.net)

This second design is just lovely! The window by the sink reminds me of Husband dear’s kitchen in villa 341 where we stayed for awhile in Saudi Arabia. There is no mistaking of the wide space to move around with this set-up and the hanging pots and pans is just cute. I honestly can’t rule out it’s effect on the design aside from it looking cute being there.

I also love the table/sink and chair set on the center on both pictures. The little kitchen/dinning of my little house at present is our favorite hang-out at the house aside from our bedrooms. It would be nice to sit around and talk to your beloved family or rather they can sit around and watch me do my chores. Ha! ha!

Set Goals and Dream Big. If there’s a way to put this two designs together then that is what my kitchen would be like someday. SOMEDAY!

************

I will forever be grateful to you BFF Jen my Ahmegah ko for igniting a spark of my so-called cooking interests and talent. I miss our times and I miss you so much. If not for our boring days back at Zed4, I wouldn’t have learn all those techniques. I will never forget my addiction to brownies from the very day I learned how to bake it. Thanks to You!

  Looking forward for more cooking sessions with you Ahmegah!

Chicken Soup for the Soul – POWER Moms

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms: 101 Stories Celebrating the Power of Choice for Stay at Home and Work from Home Moms by Jack Canfield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I left Saudi Arabia eighteen months ago and ended my contract as a Medical Laboratory Science Officer in a Blood Bank Department in one of the largest military hospital in the country, I took with me a hard to refuse job on process opportunity in UAE. I had in mind that a pause on my career is temporary and I will be back on track in no time. When the confirmation of the job offer came, I was so excited and confused. I delayed my replies to the HR department of that particular hospital of my UAE job opportunity. I had second thoughts to leave my children for the second time. In addition to that decision factor, I have personal priorities to settle. To make the long story short, I declined and retract my application. The HR department wants to know why I was willing to quit after I have gone as far as I had with the application process. I told them I have personal matters to attend to which need my presence. They offered a time frame for they are willing to wait up to the given point so I can settle my personal matters and for them to prepare my working visa. Against my will but in favor of my family’s priorities, I humbly said, THANKS, but NO Thanks.

I admit that I was in a state of depression having to turn my back on a job that I so love and I know I am good at. I often wake up in the middle of the night having bad dreams about my job calling for me. It was a hard decision to make and a sad one at my end but it was the right choice and something I will never regret. Having mixed feelings about the situation, I purchased this book Chicken Soup for the Soul- Power Moms. Like I have said on a blog I wrote months ago, it is very inspirational and helpful. It talks about women, mothers and wives like me who in one way or another have made a hard decision in favor of their beloved family and putting aside their own feelings. Slowly, I began to get-over the idea of my situation as a stay-at-home mother and manage to find ways of enjoying and loving to become one. The book gave me motivation and made me see my worth aside from being a woman of a highly demanding medical profession. It inspires me to be at my best just like the women who shared their stories on this book. A self-help tool that is very effective and deserves a five-star rating.

Happy Reading!

View all my reviews

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Moist Choco Slice

My Guilty Pleasure of the  week – Moist Choco Slice by Red Ribbon.

Moist Choco Slice by Red Ribbon

Servings: Pasalubong Pack of 12s @ Php 237.00

Servings: Pasalubong Pack of 6’s @ Php 138.00

I did my weekly  grocery today, on my way out of the mall, I dropped by Red Ribbon Bakeshoppe . I picked up their white colored shopping basket and without hesitation grabbed two Pasalubong Pack of 6’s  of Moist Choco Slice. I saw too that the Ensaimada Pasalubong Pack of 6’s is on sale and decided to add to my basket a pack to try. Waiting for my turn at the counter, I realized that today is my third visit to this particular bakeshoppe only for this week and today also is my third time to buy Moist Choco Slice Pasalubong Pack of 6’s. Where did all those slices go??

My son, who is now a second-grader refuses to take money for a baon. For my non-Filipino readers, BAON means prepared food to take – could be a snack pack or a lunch pack. At first, I thought the idea of him not preferring money for baon is good. I carefully prepare my kids’ food to take every morning. Lately, I started to give my son five or ten peso coin in addition to his baon after he failed the exam on monetary unit and currency. Regardless of the provided play money for educational purposes as their guide in learning, he failed the test simply because he can’t relate how to manage monetary transactions. I am trying to make him develop spending responsibility but I would always find ten-peso coins in his school uniform’s pockets at the laundry basket. How I wish he would keep up this attitude about asking money when he gets older!

Anyways, going back to the mouth-watering deliciously rich, moist chocolate pound cake that if full of chocolate goodness (of course that’s why its called moist chocolate) which has earned the most number of votes to become my kids’ favorite baon these days. There are only five schooldays in a week and I bought Pasalubong Pack of 6s thrice already! Not to mention that there’s always two Pasalubong Pack of 6s in every purchase (making it 12 slices). Well, the loving mother left at home deserves her treat right? Yes, she does. Ugghh! No wonder my diet is not working. I can’t help it. I am a chocolate lover and a cake person as well. A slice of cake , specially if it has chocolate on it will always make my day!

when a kid starts to grow up

 

Happy Thursday. If someone will ask me how my day was, I will answer with, Today is Happy Thursday. My son woke up this morning in good mood. He turn the alarm off before I even realize it was buzzing. He gave me a gentle nudge wondering if I was awake. I made him have breakfast  by himself which was already prepared by my mom who got up ahead of me as always. Daughter is now on afternoon session so she can have her beauty sleep more. Without complains, my son got ready for school without fuss. Amazing! It has been days that he behaved as such. Truly Amazing!

When he got home from school, he announced he has assignments and I was surprised because he usually never care for homework. He even set the table and tidied after dinner. He did homework and ask assistance politely when he needed help while we were watching our favorite after dinner show 100 Days to Heaven. I helped him arrange his school bag and check his pencils. He kissed me goodnight and went straight to bed without any trouble at all. I realized, my son is becoming responsible. Yeheeay!

I assessed how I feel and I like how he is acting. It is a satisfaction for a mother to see her children  becoming  responsible in their own little way. It makes me think that I am doing a good job or maybe my wishes and prayers were granted. The little things that makes motherhood a huge enjoyment.

Hoping this would be a good start for always. I am hoping for tomorrow to be the same or better. Today is a Happy Thursday and I am ready for Fantastic Friday to come!

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The Best Mommy is DADDY

 

I was reading a post from a fellow blogger and a friend Andy about how his daughter gave this special card during one of his regular visit to her school. I was smiling the whole time I was reading the post. It reminded me of the Philippines’ TV Commercial from Magnolia Chicken showing the dilemma of fathers dealing with daughters in the absence of the little girl’s mother. I realized that single parenting is not only a struggle and at the same time a fulfillment for mothers alone but for fathers as well. They say, it takes anyone to become pregnant but only a few can actually become MOTHERS and like women, it also take any male person to get a woman pregnant but only a few can actually become FATHERS. After reading Andy’s post, I am seeing faces of the men I knew who plays both roles of being a father and a mother at the same time. Acknowledgement to my dear cousins Binx Ceñal and Butchie Alegado who for years has been both mother and father at the same time to my lovely nieces Taj and Cake and nephew Choki. Today might not be father’s day but I salute you for continuing to do a very good job. I know what it feels like acting two parts and I want to let you know I am always here supporting you all the way.

To show you what I am talking about, here’s the commercial video clip:

Surrogate-Magnolia TV Ada(video from YouTube)

kid: di naman to sa akin pinapasuot ni mommy eh. (mommy didn’t dress me up with this, eh)

di ganyan ayusin ni mommy ang buhok ko. (mommy didn’t do my hair this way)

 

Dad: anak, miss ko rin naman si mommy eh. pero alam mo naman, kelangan niya magwork (baby, i also miss mommy. but you already know that she needs to work, right)

so tayong dalawa munang magkasama (so now, it’s just the two of us)

kid: di naman ito yung.. (this isn’t…)

and then she smiled, because she liked how her food was prepared, which i think is similar to her mom’s

kid: basta ikaw dad, di ka aalis ha? (dad, you’ll never leave me, ok?)

minsan ang the best na mommy, ay si daddy.

(sometimes, the best moms are our daddies)

 

dialogue and translation courtesy of ms.rea_abuan. check her blog too at http://www.yousaytoo.com/magnolia-chicken-commercial-surrogate/1217371

 

To my cousins Bing and Butchie : You will always be the best Mommy for your children and I am so proud of you.

To Andy, thank you for sharing and giving me such a wonderful idea to honor the father-mommies! I wish you can understand the dialogue of the video but I did include a translation. I am happy for you Andy and you are such a good writer and father. Keep writing!

Gift Ideas for Christmas

 

We are already halfway on the first “BER” month of the year. Malls, supermarkets and department stores are starting to put out displays for Christmas. I went  to  Mercury Drug this afternoon with my daughter to get cold medicine and I can hear the Christmas Carols in the background. Waiting for my turn at the Cashier’s line, I can’t help smiling and thinking that my favorite time of the year is fast approaching.

I love Christmas and like every little child the word Christmas rhymes with the word GIFT. !

The other day, I listened to my kids talking. Telling each other why they  like Christmas and young as their minds are the true meaning of Christmas which is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ comes in secondary as the reason for celebration. Guess what comes in first? …. You got it! GIFTS! Ha!Ha!

Here’s some gift ideas according to my taste:

For our young ones:

 

 

Educational and Learning Aid toys. The colors will never fail to brighten up the little ones and makes them learn stuff at the same time. We can find them in any toy store. We just have to make sure it is made from a safe material.

  Five-Toe Socks- every kids would love them . This will may help to all those dress-up-tantrum kids.

Animal Back Packs with built-in hoods by Little Life. It comes with different colorful , cute animal designs. Kids will love having them on their backs. These will be very useful to carry our young one’s basic essential when going out of the house.

  Comforters for young boys

  Comforters for young girls

Gifts of this kind may vary from comforter set to per piece purchase like flat sheets, pillow case pair or the comforters alone if the comforter set could be a bit too much for a gift. These are the kind of bedding that young ones will enjoy and would still love to sleep on with even when they get older.

 

Well…. I still got lots of time before the gift giving day. I will be posting more of the gift ideas I will find. I am sure all you creative mommies out there have their own gift ideas in mind too. I want to hear them, mind sharing those thoughts?

Till next time…. happy reading!

 

***(pictures from the web)

BISAYA- national language

 

I was looking intently at Wine’s test papers for the First Periodical Exams. Boy! he did bad on Filipino subject. How could he? . He didn’t study. That’s why. But Me and my Mama had made sure he answered the questionnaire I prepared for him. We made sure he answered it right and understood every bit of it more importantly. So…. How come??? Anyway, this really made me feeling bad and feeling incapable of making this job at least a bearable one on the good side.

Getting online on Skype with Woody last night felt good. I haven’t heard from him for the last 24 hours. He was flying back to KSA from our Eid break holiday. We talked about how both our flights went and He asked me how the kids were. I started telling him how the exams went good for Water and how it also went good for Wine on some subjects. As I started telling him how I feel , I just can’t stop and eventually was able to let myself  show that I am worried, disappointed and somehow questioning my abilities of being a stay-home mom. I ended up telling him about the Filipino subject result. He ask me if I had talk to Wine about it and I said No ,not yet because I actually don’t know what to say. As I have written on my previous blog, Would I be mad? I don’t have the answers too.

Have you ever feel so committed to somebody in a relationship that made every single bit of it exceptionally great?Well that’s how I was feeling chatting on Skype with him. All these years I still can’t figure out how he easily can read my mind even if I just started to think  of a thought.

Right there and then he was laughing just as hard as I was feeling worried. He told me, “ don’t ever make this get you down. It is just a test result. I know it is serious but it’s funny. Come to think of it!”…. Uhmm yeah!  I can see myself rolling my eyeballs and raising an eyebrow! In my mind , I am screaming that I am thinking about it so much , but I can never find a tiny bit about it to consider funny ! The expression on my face must have started to show that I am getting pissed at him for real that he stop laughing. Well , he didn’t completely stop laughing but is smiling and told me “Don’t stress yourself about it, If Bisaya is your National Language, Wine wouldn’t find it so hard I guess. Too bad It’s not!” At first, I was speechless. It took some seconds more to think and digest what he just said. then I laugh. For somebody who doesn’t even speak both Filipino, much more Bisaya  , how could he think of such things? I can’t think of any reason other than…. He just love somebody who happens to be Bisaya with Bisaya speaking kids. Anyone just can get so lucky , Right? I guess in this lifetime I happen to be the one at some point!

So , maybe later I will find time to talk to Wine. This time my dialogue is ready. “Bisaya – as the national language according to Daddy, but too bad it’s not! so I guess we just have to study about it more. We will, right Wine?” . I just hope this would work.