tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376907543851669802024-02-08T15:40:08.454+08:00this mom's lifethe life of a stay-at-home mom (and everything else in between!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-11679309222568275672014-09-01T17:45:00.000+08:002014-09-02T06:34:29.196+08:00On Parenting and Oversharing<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3617865/?claim=wz6g7s66nj3">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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Today, I read an <a href="http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/parenting/pinoy-parenting/5-things-you-do-online-that-violate-your-child-s-privacy">article</a> published on Smart Parenting's Facebook page, about things that parents do online to violate their child's privacy. I have to say, I'm more than a little bothered by it, and based on the reactions of many parents on the thread, so are others.<br />
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First thing, I'll come right off the bat and say it. I'm one of those annoying parents who loves to post pictures of her kids on her social media pages. I also post little anecdotes about them, the funny things or the sweet things they say, the little accomplishments they have. I do have to say that I am as careful about it as I can possibly be. I avoid posting pictures of them without clothes, or compromising things that I feel would be embarrassing for them later on. I absolutely avoid posting information that could compromise their security. I find the practice of "checking in" especially abhorrent. In addition, my posts can only be viewed by my social media friends, and the friends on my list are people I actually know. It's not 100% secure, but like I said, I'm as careful as I can be. So when I share things about my kids, I don't think I'm violating their privacy. I really AM just sharing, with friends and family, and not with the general public.<br />
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While I agree with some points (like posting nude photos of children and sharing too much information), the article came across as a bit much for me. It calls parents out for posting about their kids' small accomplishments, numerous photos of the little moments that make up a child's life and for talking about their kids. While I felt that the article's intention was coming from the right place, the way it was written came across as very scathing and bitter (to me, at least). It felt very angry to me, and I don't know who the author is or where she's coming from or what she was feeling at the time that she wrote it, but I felt that she turned something innocent into something very negative and dark and unhealthy and wrong. I don't like that.<br />
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Anyway, this isn't the first time that I had to think about my sharing habits online. I read another article before (I can't find it anymore, but if I do, I'll update this post with the link) which says that people curate the stuff they post to present a skewed version of their life. If I remember it correctly, the basic gist of the article was that people tend to feel bad about what they see in other people's social media updates and feeds. They feel jealous, or envious, and wonder why their life possibly can't be that great?<br />
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After I read that article, I had to do some soul-searching, and ask myself. Do I try to present a picture of myself that isn't real? A picture that makes other people feel bad about their lives?<br />
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The answer to the first question is no. Do the posts and the pictures show every detail of my life? No, they don't. I don't post about the bad stuff, because those things, I prefer to reflect about on my own, or discuss with my sisters or a close friend.<br />
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Does that mean bad stuff doesn't happen to me? No. Of course not. Bad stuff happens to everybody. But I don't like focusing on the bad stuff. I like focusing on the good. Does that mean to say I hate on people who post emotional, heartbroken status messages? No. If I feel they're too negative for me, then I simply unfollow them, or remove them from my feed, so I don't have to deal with the negativity anymore. Everyone has that option. You don't like what I post? Remove me from your feed. I don't really care. As Mommy Jo-An said on the thread in reaction to the article, <i>walang basagan ng trip</i>.<br />
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But the great stuff, the good stuff, the stuff that makes me smile? Yeah, I'm a bit trigger happy with that stuff. Because that's the stuff I want to remember. See, to me, my social media page, is more for me than for anybody else. It's really like an online diary, a way for me to keep memories and remember the times when I felt happy or when good things happened to me. I like to think that my social media page as a way to keep track of my life, and when I look back through it, I like that all it will help me remember is the good parts. But you know what, everything on that page is real. It's not posed or contrived. It's things that happened to me. Things that made me smile. Things that made my day brighter. It just so happens that most days, those great things have to do with my two boys.<br />
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When I see other parents posting pictures of their kids or stories about their kids antics, it makes me happy for them. For example, just after I read that article, I saw a post by a fellow mommy who posted her daughter's perfect exam scores. Did I feel bad about it? No. I was happy for her. I was happy for her daughter as well. She did great on that test. And if my sons got perfect scores in all their tests, I'd be damn proud and happy too, and I'd probably post it on my social media page.<br />
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Seeing these posts also makes me feel connected to these other individuals because we are all going through the same experience. And people may say that a connection through a social networking site isn't a real connection, but hey, who are you to judge?<br />
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Parenting is hard enough. If we choose to focus on the crap, then we're screwed. I'd rather look at the parts that make it worth it. The fun memories, the happy smiles, the silly quips, the occasionally funny toddler tantrum, the milestones they reach.<br />
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So do I brag about my kids on my social media pages? Maybe I do. I'm proud of my kids. In my mind, they're the two best kids in the world. Like me, every parent feels that way about their kids, so they also post pictures and anecdotes and accomplishments about their kids. That has to be okay. As Mommy Kizzie posted in the Smart Parenting thread, there's already too much judgement on parents going around. Let's not add to it. Let's not turn parental pride into something wrong or bad.<br />
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So do I feel bad if what I post online makes other people feel bad? Yes. I feel bad that they feel bad. But I will not apologize for choosing to focus on the great things in my life as opposed to the negative or the bad. I choose an attitude of gratitude. I will not highlight these sad parts or the things that don't go my way just so people wouldn't feel bad about their lives. That's on them, not on me.<br />
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I know that not everyone would agree with me, and that's okay. It seems to be a pretty hot button issue for parents, and everyone will have their opinion. We will all just have to agree to disagree. Again, to quote Mommy Jo-An, <i>walang basagan ng trip.</i><br />
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That's all for now!<br />
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* <i>Quotes from the mommies in this article are found in the Smart Parenting FB page, under the link for the article.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-23847438305708239742014-09-01T16:13:00.000+08:002014-09-01T16:13:23.652+08:00School Kiddie Party TipsHappy Monday!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Team Umizoomi Party!</td></tr>
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The "-ber" months are officially here, and with them comes birthday season in our family. September kicks off almost weekly celebrations that stretch until the end of the holiday season. If I'm counting correctly, in our family alone, we have 8 birthday parties coming up before the end of November. We're not even counting the birthday parties that are coming up in school. With all these birthday celebrations, no one is more excited than J, who will be celebrating his 4th birthday in a few weeks. He has already made his requests for his school birthday party. He wants blue balloons, including a blue number "4" balloon, a blue cake, and Team Umizoomi invitations. So far, all I've got are the Team Umizoomi invitations. I'm trying to see what I can do about the rest. I think that so long as I splash a whole lotta blue around, he'll be happy.<br />
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But anyway, if you're thinking of throwing your little one a birthday party at school, here are some basics you'll need to take care of.<br />
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1. Food. This is pretty basic. The most convenient way is to find a nearby McDonald's or Jollibee near your school and have them come deliver food for your kids' classmates and teachers. They're tailor-made for kiddie parties and you can't go wrong with spaghetti and fried chicken. Last year, for J's birthday, I decided to go with Amber's because like I said, there were a lot of birthdays in October, so for a change, I went with something else other than McDonald's. We had the same food though, fried chicken and spaghetti. But Amber's also has a lot of other choices that would be a hit with kids, a variety of noodles and fried finger food.<br />
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This year, I'm trying something new. As early as March, I had already been in touch with Kat, a mommy who makes these adorable bento boxes for kiddie parties. We had originally agreed on a Tomica cars theme, but J is super in love with Team Umizoomi. Thankfully, Kat will be able to work with it. You can check out her FB page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oh.bento.ph">here</a>.<br />
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2. The cake. Aside from J's and KK's first birthdays, we haven't had one of those pretty fondant cakes. Instead, the boys love the oldies-but-goodies Red Ribbon or Goldilocks cakes. They're budget-friendly, nice to look at and pretty yummy too! Candle-blowing is a pretty big part of birthdays for kids, especially those aged 3 to 6, so the cake is a very important thing to have. For the school party, we sliced up the cake we brought and distributed it to the kids, and left the rest for the teachers to snack on.<br />
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3. Giveaways and other stuff, like balloons. While most parents do provide giveaways for the kids, I'm a bit on the fence on that for this year. I think McDonald's and Jollibee have kiddie party packages that include giveaways. Other options are small art kits, or the ever-popular loot bags of candy. Some parents make personalized bags and fill them with treats, and some pick practical items like name stickers or bag tags. I'd like something more unique though, and since Team Umizoomi isn't popular here, I'm still thinking of how I'll be able to integrate it into the giveaways if I do decide to have that.<br />
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4. Invitations. Last year, the parents were pretty consistent about giving out invitations before the party, to give the other mommies time to prepare a little something for the celebrant. This year, parties popped up everywhere with no invitation, so in those cases, what I usually do is send in a birthday gift after the party. I say this as a mom of kids who are not the celebrant, I appreciate the advanced notice, so I can find a gift. If not, I'll have to add "buy gift TODAY for (insert birthday celebrant's name)" to my long list of things to do.<br />
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5. One last tip. It might be prudent to provide a plastic bag or some sort of container that holds everything that the child might bring home from the party. Trust me on this. This is a lesson learned from painful experience. Imagine simultaneously trying to keep a Happy Meal container from falling apart, holding a cup of orange juice, a cupcake topped with a mound of sticky frosting, a giveaway bag and a balloon on a stick. Is that it? Wait, I'm forgetting something. Oh yeah, my kid!<br />
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After several birthday parties a.k.a. juggling acts, I decided to provide covered containers for the cakes and tetrapaks of juice for the drinks. The tetrapaks are easy to stuff into bags, especially if the kids hadn't started drinking from it yet. As for the cake, you don't have to worry about dropping it on the floor, or getting icing on your clothes, your hair and god knows what else. This year, I'm looking into providing huge plastic bags where you can just stuff everything so all the parents or caregivers who will be picking the kids up won't have a hard time carting everything around.<br />
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So there you have it! Happy planning, and I hope your child's school party turns out wonderfully!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-13226778999139794562014-08-30T09:16:00.000+08:002014-08-30T09:16:09.918+08:00Mid-week Bake BreakHello, all!<br />
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Last week, J and KK had a long mid-week break. Thanks to QC Day, Ninoy Aquino Day and the PTC day scheduled in between, my little ones had a nice long hiatus at home.<br />
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As expected, by Day 2, big brother J was bored already and asked me to bake with him. Nothing too complicated, one of our usual baking mix concoctions, but it's always a fun time for J. For KK? Well, the fun is in the finished product.<br />
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We usually make banana bread, but we were all out of bananas. The only box mix left in our pantry was a Maya Kitchen brownie mix, which is a new one for J, so he was really excited to try that out.<br />
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What I love about using a baking mix is that it's pretty simple. Just a few extra ingredients and you're good to go. Plus, there are simple, graphic instructions in the back, which J can decipher for himself, and makes for a great lesson in counting and following procedures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Z_K0Qedltry_vcWJCq83juek0-7TG-4Ywki-dUqvHle05np64ml2_k54wUe15MVqBexPO3zO10dMghNPWaMP4-sdklJ8aQMm63tjY3vd0EnEgvvA33TZ4v93tyEdXqZU1B7FXcv-VUp/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Z_K0Qedltry_vcWJCq83juek0-7TG-4Ywki-dUqvHle05np64ml2_k54wUe15MVqBexPO3zO10dMghNPWaMP4-sdklJ8aQMm63tjY3vd0EnEgvvA33TZ4v93tyEdXqZU1B7FXcv-VUp/s1600/image_1.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handsome assistant, holding the extra ingredients we need.</td></tr>
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The first step in the instructions called for using creamed butter, not melted, so if you're hankering for some brownies, make sure to leave the butter out before you start baking to soften it a bit. In our tropical climate? Ten to fifteen minutes should be enough to get your butter all gooey.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQh6WOY3qiNiPQgwMQdItsQfGTZxwBu7ICnn3RhFlCveL5eNzWh6ocq735wYUZ_14bTLhiMQ0iNGb3v64nedcD3OUWidnOcNVUEap_gGM0oaVW5abA35EuZstzKSDmgx5i7FaeC_mCHIe/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQh6WOY3qiNiPQgwMQdItsQfGTZxwBu7ICnn3RhFlCveL5eNzWh6ocq735wYUZ_14bTLhiMQ0iNGb3v64nedcD3OUWidnOcNVUEap_gGM0oaVW5abA35EuZstzKSDmgx5i7FaeC_mCHIe/s1600/image_3.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy greasing the pan, while Mommy was mixing the batter.</td></tr>
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Greasing the pan is one of J's usual tasks, because he likes to pretend that he's painting. I, on the other hand, was so busy talking to him that I forgot to take a picture of the batter. Anyway, it ends up a lot more viscous than the banana bread mix, so it gets a bit heavy after a while. Here's a picture of the batter all spread out in the pan. The instruction called for a smaller baking dish, but this was all I had, so our brownies turned out a lot thinner than expected.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gCntqP99Pkg/U_ws8HIqhdI/AAAAAAAAIjs/6FRKEyZTw7o/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gCntqP99Pkg/U_ws8HIqhdI/AAAAAAAAIjs/6FRKEyZTw7o/s1600/image_4.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gooey, chocolatey goodness!</td></tr>
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We loosely covered the dish with foil and popped it into the oven, but silly mommy forgot to make sure the dish could fit in the oven before pouring the batter into it. Of course, it was too big for our oven, so we had to bake it for twice as long because the oven door was left open. It still turned out pretty well though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQTHpxpKgrVp7szS5DciylrB1vKTAKE0wBctn7cQZvFKqBtgFnzqa46D84qRQKvtiMOy07fA-76heJtpVtmqz5IiXbx4Ijq5lywTP3kWEDx-D0lXMjJSasHANzynUyhN1pH3COI1G3QNG/s1600/image_6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQTHpxpKgrVp7szS5DciylrB1vKTAKE0wBctn7cQZvFKqBtgFnzqa46D84qRQKvtiMOy07fA-76heJtpVtmqz5IiXbx4Ijq5lywTP3kWEDx-D0lXMjJSasHANzynUyhN1pH3COI1G3QNG/s1600/image_6.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product, as it cooled down on the kitchen table.</td></tr>
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Sadly, I wasn't able to get pictures of it all sliced up, but it was good enough for my picky little eaters, who had it for their snack. Because we used a slightly larger baking dish, our brownies ended up a bit crispy on the outside, but still soft and gooey on the inside, which for me, is the perfect combo.<br />
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Best part is, aside from the baking dish, this is all we had to wash after we were done.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean up was a breeze!</td></tr>
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I have to say, so far, Maya Kitchen mixes have yet to fail me, so they're a staple in our pantry. Pick one up on your next grocery run, so when the sweet tooth craving hits, you'll be ready.<br />
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That's all for now!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-79051566285366022342014-08-26T14:27:00.001+08:002014-08-26T14:27:35.403+08:00Cleaning Out The ClosetHello all!<br />
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Thanks to a sudden lull in the deadlines for work, I found myself with some time on my hands during the long weekend. Of course, I jumped at the chance to check off one of the things on my never-ending to-do list, which is to clean out the closet.<br />
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A few weeks ago, my loving husband C sent me a gentle reminder of this task when he pushbullet-ted (yes, pushbullet is now a verb for me, just the way google is) me an infographic on how to, pardon the term, unf**k your closet. Now, I just want to clarify, that this is actually the name of the infographic, and not some profane term I made up, although it is very appropriate. Anyway, here's the infographic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1wCvyItlhNI33FQKYt6-qWeYl-XmUoX4wtXMyboxh-jA79SmG2AkFx5vWyn800Scy8FT3rQySpRpQ6KB8PO8Sj5ZQ2cyqsYckuABSIyUT1k4kv2OY5jp3Bmjihf0YMP2R8m-BtAGvOnU/s1600/clean+closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1wCvyItlhNI33FQKYt6-qWeYl-XmUoX4wtXMyboxh-jA79SmG2AkFx5vWyn800Scy8FT3rQySpRpQ6KB8PO8Sj5ZQ2cyqsYckuABSIyUT1k4kv2OY5jp3Bmjihf0YMP2R8m-BtAGvOnU/s1600/clean+closet.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C got this from Life Hacker, but the credits on the photo say bobella.tumblr.com</td></tr>
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And here are the before pictures of my closet and dresser drawer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKMmuROLOFFGjckK0I2FBxdc2RH0nH-LGjoeL3Ib5oRKLMWrl3bFxz2mqKib8Luf_y7vKfYS1kaCAHzHFlVv5uyiTEQ0NigSbkEGYDHUIY86dVY8lVVYGlSN9qnkckSJFNAgN9XLQrBDu/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKMmuROLOFFGjckK0I2FBxdc2RH0nH-LGjoeL3Ib5oRKLMWrl3bFxz2mqKib8Luf_y7vKfYS1kaCAHzHFlVv5uyiTEQ0NigSbkEGYDHUIY86dVY8lVVYGlSN9qnkckSJFNAgN9XLQrBDu/s1600/image_1.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my dresser drawer, which contains mostly shirts and shorts.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGuwZWuybuTiNP0p5Fcyb3SZGyLxAE9FBM3VSZe-N4DyFcOZjZqCxYPN2bmlH05CUVSa5CJMU4ly9MMFtrFVVc3EDOVaWjPN06fXCGoAwpJzkHFMW13v7reNXqv6Xtb2f8EGAPV5Zub_7/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGuwZWuybuTiNP0p5Fcyb3SZGyLxAE9FBM3VSZe-N4DyFcOZjZqCxYPN2bmlH05CUVSa5CJMU4ly9MMFtrFVVc3EDOVaWjPN06fXCGoAwpJzkHFMW13v7reNXqv6Xtb2f8EGAPV5Zub_7/s1600/image.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is my closet, where I keep dresses and all the things that need hanging.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the main reasons why I kept putting off this task was because it seemed like such a gargantuan thing, you know, where I expected that half the day wouldn't even be enough to get things done. But surprisingly, with the help of the infographic, I was done in a little over an hour. Unless your closet is the size of a movie star's, I'm guessing it will take you right about the same time to check this task off your list.<br />
<br />
So here's what I came up with.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiPhl47P8P1iiINR0a0dhyphenhyphenfSxrvin2axVL1y3KcWk8RWeFC-N6bKgWq71EpXQCg9prsYNhH_NF7MyihysrBqulnKbXY5xalcPFigRJrS1PMYjNevNTpyn_j6aHjhLJiJLnxZ7_veU75Ya/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiPhl47P8P1iiINR0a0dhyphenhyphenfSxrvin2axVL1y3KcWk8RWeFC-N6bKgWq71EpXQCg9prsYNhH_NF7MyihysrBqulnKbXY5xalcPFigRJrS1PMYjNevNTpyn_j6aHjhLJiJLnxZ7_veU75Ya/s1600/image_3.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "donate it" pile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S7IRoSqMRlw/U_wiXZPIVxI/AAAAAAAAIik/Mp3SjEi3c7c/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S7IRoSqMRlw/U_wiXZPIVxI/AAAAAAAAIik/Mp3SjEi3c7c/s1600/image_5.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest of the "donate it" pile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDZ8ueprr51Uw2P4AF0aQXWmM_udzK117Ulmv_qhxP292_-TOm1M5_wb2jUsrc5nLsjKLiYbfPw1v5YgDMMC8LuNivt0Iuq1k1W3VXsFAp224vKM_99hfiJYH4dCUkLXg5a3BCUw_zoCG/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDZ8ueprr51Uw2P4AF0aQXWmM_udzK117Ulmv_qhxP292_-TOm1M5_wb2jUsrc5nLsjKLiYbfPw1v5YgDMMC8LuNivt0Iuq1k1W3VXsFAp224vKM_99hfiJYH4dCUkLXg5a3BCUw_zoCG/s1600/image_4.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The maternity pile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first thing I did was to take everything out of the closet. Then, as advised on the infographic, I made piles for each category. The infographic identified three categories: hang it, toss it, and donate it. But in my case, I added one more pile, which is maternity. See, because I was pregnant or nursing for what felt like four straight years, I had accumulated quite a stash of maternity/nursing friendly clothes. I was actually proud of the fact that some of the clothes I had were so basic that I was able to wear it through three pregnancies. I have to admit though, by the time I stopped expressing milk for KK, I was dying to get a whole new wardrobe because I realized that I'd been wearing the same set of clothes for almost four years! But anyway, I digress. Once I finished, I realized most of my stuff was in pretty good condition, so there was nothing in the "toss it" pile. Almost all of the clothes were in the donate it pile.<br />
<br />
Another tip to make the task faster. Don't remove it from the hangers, just in case it goes in the "hang it" pile. I only removed it from the hanger when I decided to toss or donate something.<br />
<br />
The finished product? Voila! I managed to free up around 25% of my closet so, yay for me! As for the dresser drawer, those are the clothes that I wear on a daily basis, when I take the kids to school or run casual errands, so most of those clothes are in the keep pile.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILVJFEXCYiPv9zubKD4uqrpymGWl5rCXJB3roPuUNe6dmmNweVt_87uw4cRPaRPL98SCP5kLEjkw_HaOBo9OcrkTnyZT5XoJKD0-v7lbAdMA9Hu0gUtQPz1DOACY0luoXQvAsJl-cR3LF/s1600/image_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILVJFEXCYiPv9zubKD4uqrpymGWl5rCXJB3roPuUNe6dmmNweVt_87uw4cRPaRPL98SCP5kLEjkw_HaOBo9OcrkTnyZT5XoJKD0-v7lbAdMA9Hu0gUtQPz1DOACY0luoXQvAsJl-cR3LF/s1600/image_2.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My clean closet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Z6F2j0sc4n3IsEOxJG68II9Z93Wjuw55JnYQ_rKFZWQHbBbbFud_mm3UIJV0iv_jGMVcYpf8TMFE8g939QhWR-6_lWD2gs4fglKqrhGfJQ9mkad0O5nYykeAA1xYXnL3YYZCAhVj5KQ/s1600/image_6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Z6F2j0sc4n3IsEOxJG68II9Z93Wjuw55JnYQ_rKFZWQHbBbbFud_mm3UIJV0iv_jGMVcYpf8TMFE8g939QhWR-6_lWD2gs4fglKqrhGfJQ9mkad0O5nYykeAA1xYXnL3YYZCAhVj5KQ/s1600/image_6.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dresser drawer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Side note. I couldn't find the infographic anymore, so I had to google it to give credit where credit is due, and I stumbled across this wonderful tumblr account called <a href="http://unfuckyourhabitat.tumblr.com/">Unf*ck Your Habitat</a>. It's a tumblr account that shows you before and after pictures of people who applied the same method shown in the infographic to declutter their homes, and I have to say, I was inspired. Once I get this post out, I will be working on the black holes that are also known as my desk drawers. I'll take pictures and let you know how that works out.<br />
<br />
Till the next!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-6300101084482090402014-08-01T16:18:00.001+08:002014-08-01T16:18:32.064+08:00Mom-and-Me Activities for Gloomy DaysHello all! The weekend is but a few hours away. With the monsoon rains pouring, it's been a gray and gloomy Friday for us, and I'm hoping the coming weekend has brighter days in store. If you're like me, who turns sluggish with the rainy weather, here are four pick-me-up activities you can do with your kids to inject some sunshine into this otherwise sullen day.<br />
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1. Whip up something sweet in the kitchen. It doesn't have to be complicated. J and I usually make homemade banana bread, which we make with overripe bananas and a box of Maya Kitchen Banana Bread Mix. Just follow the recipe in the back and you're good to go! I would suggest substituting butter for the oil in the recipe though, which makes the flavor richer, and fills the house with that yummy freshly-baked-goods smell. This is great because J loves to help me out in the kitchen, and the tasks for this activity are perfect for a toddler helper. Clean up is quick and easy because you're using very few ingredients and tools. Plus, the results are surprisingly yummy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIzgKbsoZLNJJoSuVQ8_C3LPwKS4WH01f52Y14nMIXqY_fmUfFakjWX9NhyGs5YhvTB5FxWAWahPiRN3tzzyXKAT9MV4_eduaMa033VmsI6mGywWpVkkseLO886enTo0GeAGPnujs3EAN/s1600/banana+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIzgKbsoZLNJJoSuVQ8_C3LPwKS4WH01f52Y14nMIXqY_fmUfFakjWX9NhyGs5YhvTB5FxWAWahPiRN3tzzyXKAT9MV4_eduaMa033VmsI6mGywWpVkkseLO886enTo0GeAGPnujs3EAN/s1600/banana+bread.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I was unable to take pictures of any of our products, I had to grab this photo from www.pehpot.com, who also tried out the Maya Baked Mix and loved it, according to her review.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVFlEgnPhEuaTk20hDKLVGwlc-zfFxQ-2BT9OIN64ZogF4k1RiGrvZ05pRSVhD91snpDalu2m90lw-ILyYTPlAFp4fyjrVYdfDAhqsDnv6TzzSWbfgI-KLsL0S2PoSaEqxyqpVFMrkFWs/s1600/homemade+tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVFlEgnPhEuaTk20hDKLVGwlc-zfFxQ-2BT9OIN64ZogF4k1RiGrvZ05pRSVhD91snpDalu2m90lw-ILyYTPlAFp4fyjrVYdfDAhqsDnv6TzzSWbfgI-KLsL0S2PoSaEqxyqpVFMrkFWs/s1600/homemade+tent.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from thechildrensnest.blogspot.com)</td></tr>
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2. Build a fort. Or at least as it's called in our home, a tent. When the weather is nice and cool, we flip Daddy's TV chair over and drape it with a ton of towels. I give big brother J free reign on how to build the fort, which encourages him to get creative. I love seeing what he comes up with, and KK is always a fan of his brother's structures. The two kids crawl inside and giggle themselves silly, which instantly brightens up my day. They love it when I pretend to knock and ask, "May I come in?" I have the best conversations with my son when we're in his tents. Most of the time he tells me about school and his classmates. At the moment, KK isn't much of a talker, but I'm hoping someday soon, I can have tent conversations with him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr67ARzt__h9QWwDn5hFzUZR6VHHrncXq1B0RdrM5_wz61kJmPS77U-SxGF30ExVS5g239Pfa3aBxhFwNWmU4NDivSeB9r2B80iBQwNXBKrZnKLeYBE5ic7LIL2IexzBPQo_T3kCeJVCN/s1600/art+supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr67ARzt__h9QWwDn5hFzUZR6VHHrncXq1B0RdrM5_wz61kJmPS77U-SxGF30ExVS5g239Pfa3aBxhFwNWmU4NDivSeB9r2B80iBQwNXBKrZnKLeYBE5ic7LIL2IexzBPQo_T3kCeJVCN/s1600/art+supplies.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></div>
3. Get artsy. It doesn't have to be something worthy of Pinterest. All you need are some sheets of scratch paper and various coloring materials. I keep a box of art materials here at home, complete with a ton of coloring books, sketch pads and scratch paper for the boys to scribble on. On lazy days, or when the boys get restless, we just grab a bunch of stuff from the art box and it will occupy them for quite some time. Once they're done, we post their work on our closet doors for Big C to see when he gets home. But I would advise investing in Crayola washable markers, because in my experience, they're the easiest to wash off from furniture, walls, clothes and little boys.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eWDiLHla1Tc/U9tLJQE6NTI/AAAAAAAAIhE/Aa1_M49jb0o/s1600/bubbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eWDiLHla1Tc/U9tLJQE6NTI/AAAAAAAAIhE/Aa1_M49jb0o/s1600/bubbles.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from starzforkids.com)</td></tr>
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4. Blow bubbles. I don't know what is it about kids and bubbles, but after the first stream of bubbles float out from the wand, my boys are already laughing and screaming like crazy. It doesn't matter whether the boys are the one blowing the bubbles, or I blow bubbles for them to pop, they always have a great time. On rainy days like today, we blow bubbles in the garage, where the roof keeps us dry and we can enjoy the breeze that comes with the rain.<br />
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So there you have it! Happy rainy Friday to us all, and here's to a sunnier weekend!<br />
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P.S. This is a non-sponsored post. I actually do love to use Maya baking mixes and Crayola art supplies. :)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-29531431349329783242014-06-18T13:50:00.000+08:002014-06-18T17:56:38.564+08:00Settling into the School GrooveIt's been a busy few months for us, so I've been remiss about posting. Today though, I find myself with some time on my hands and more than a few thoughts in my head.<br />
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The past two days have been a bit overwhelming, mostly because I now have two kids in preschool. J's in Nursery and Little C, who we now fondly call KK, is in the Pre-Nursery level. While that doesn't seem very complicated in itself, I, the queen of crazy, have chosen to do it sans yaya.<br />
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Apparently, that's not the sane choice, at least according to my mommy friends. One of them, upon seeing me on the first day of school trying to pick up KK (who was refusing to be picked up), said in a very concerned voice, "D, <i>magdala ka na kaya ng yaya</i>." ("D, maybe you should bring a yaya.")<br />
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Sometimes I feel like I make things difficult for myself, but the decision to not bring a yaya to school with me was not made lightly. First of all, because we live quite far from the school, I wait for the boys to finish instead of going home. If a yaya came with me, it would mean at least 2 hours everyday where the yaya will sit idly, doing nothing but texting or chitchatting with the other yayas. Since I am not a fan of wasting time, seeing her sitting around doing nothing for most of the day is guaranteed to annoy me. Every day. Leaving the yaya at home would mean 4 hours to finish all the chores that need to be done by the time the boys and I get home, which, for me, is a better way to spend the time.<br />
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But even more than that, my choice to go yaya-less in school also comes from my desire to foster more independence in the boys, and ultimately, our family's independence from household helpers. With J, it has worked wonders. In the past year, he has gotten used to having just me take him to school, and I've noticed that he's a lot more behaved when there are no helpers around. I think it's because he senses that he shouldn't act up because Mommy will have a hard time. In this sense, it's made my son more considerate of me. As for KK, it will require him to step up and learn to behave. At the same time, it forces me to pay attention to my son, to really spend time with him, and to enforce some discipline. <br />
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The past two days have given me even more respect for the moms who do it all for their kids. It's only been two days, and it's been two difficult days. But I know that it's early days yet, and the boys and I need to adjust. We still have to work out all the kinks in our routine, and believe me, there are a lot. But like I said, early days, and we have a lot of time to get it right.<br />
<br />
J has been a tremendous help. Seeing how I have my hands full with our wriggly not-so-little KK, big brother J no longer argues with me about playing in the playground and goes straight to the car after his class ends. He straps himself into his car seat, so that I don't have to do it for him, which allows me to focus on getting KK in the car properly.<br />
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On the other hand, KK sill needs a bit more time. It's his first time in this school, and while summer classes have helped prepare him for the school part of it, he and I need to work on his behavior while waiting for J's class dismissal. Because J gets out a full hour after KK does, I have my hands full keeping KK occupied. Being the naturally curious and active kid that he is, he loves to run around everywhere, which means Mommy has to run after him. The playground in the school helps. The hot, humid weather? Not so much when you have a sticky, wiggly, sweaty, HEAVY little boy in your arms. (KK is a bit of a bruiser, so it takes all my concentration to keep him in line.) I can't even use a sling or a carrier because it's so freaking hot.<br />
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<i>Side note though. Today, I was carrying KK in my arms while waiting for J to be dismissed. He was all sticky and sweaty, and thanks to the horrible Manila heat, so was I. We were literally a mess all around and my sticky, sweaty, heavy, wiggly boy just kept smooshing himself on me and burying his face in my neck. It was both the grossest and the nicest feeling at the same time. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>You see, by 11 am, I feel like the most disgusting person on the planet. My hair's a frizzy mess from the humidity, and I'm so sweaty it doesn't even bear thinking about. Let me tell you, it's not the dewy, glowy kind of sweat. We're taking industrial-strength, I-think-people-can-smell-me-from-a-mile-away grossness. But it was nice, because KK didn't really care and was just happy to snuggle.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWTuKxlRjy4bw0128nQ3QmzgcpfYf2pUMvQHZphojlfRtGiXZVc7-HoCM416gNRNkfvl4K6uhoK1i4k3BX6xo0VcsS9le9RT4g8LVmGqGAoKq8jxIl-FEOJzRm1w5E7cVu_BHynoCYCWS/s1600/frazzled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWTuKxlRjy4bw0128nQ3QmzgcpfYf2pUMvQHZphojlfRtGiXZVc7-HoCM416gNRNkfvl4K6uhoK1i4k3BX6xo0VcsS9le9RT4g8LVmGqGAoKq8jxIl-FEOJzRm1w5E7cVu_BHynoCYCWS/s1600/frazzled.jpg" height="162" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, ganyan na ganyan ang feeling. Hahaha!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So my takeaway from all this?? Hats off to all the moms all over the world who do it by themselves. I don't know how you do it. Many of you have more kids than I do, and when you get home, you still have a ton of stuff to do. I'm lucky because when I get home, I get to hand off my kids to their yayas for their lunch and nap and do the things that I need or want to do (like take a nap). But you inspire me. If you can do it, so can I! </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-73746585600817889682013-10-03T17:27:00.000+08:002013-10-03T17:27:01.915+08:00The One With Happy Frazzled Me and Jolly Cow Fresh MilkKids, especially growing boys like mine, need their calcium and it is my job to make sure that they get enough of it. Both J and Little C have shot up several inches in the last few months and drinking milk is a surefire way to make sure that their active and growing bodies get the calcium they need. Kids who don't meet the dietary requirements for calcium can suffer from calcium deficiency, which makes them more likely to be smaller, thinner and weaker than their peers. Kids who are calcium deficient are also more prone to developing tooth decay and are more likely to get sick.<br />
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Luckily, my kids are both big milk drinkers. But as someone who strongly supports breastfeeding, it's kind of a thorn in my side that both my boys are now on formula. For kids older than one year old, the best alternative to breastmilk is fresh milk. That being said, I've been trying to shift them to fresh milk for quite some time.<br />
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Why fresh milk? Well, for one thing, it's easier to prepare. You just pour it in a glass and there you go! Did you know that the quality of formula milk fluctuates depending on how it's prepared? If you put in too much water, then it's too thin <i>(malabnaw)</i>. If you don't mix enough water, then it's too thick. With fresh milk, the quality is always the same because it's ready to drink.<br />
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Plus, compared to formula milk, fresh milk is as natural as milk can get. While it does undergo processes to lengthen its shelf life, it generally does not have any chemicals or added fortifications. In fresh milk, we have a natural source of nutrients like calcium, protein and carbohydrates that our kids' growing bodies need. Calcium helps in the development of strong bones and teeth, and the protein in milk helps in building muscles.<br />
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I love fresh milk. When I was younger, we were made to drink milk daily, but I hated the lumps in powdered milk, which made me hate milk. When I tried fresh milk for the first time, I fell in love with the taste and became a fresh milk drinker for life. Plus, the absence of lumps was a great bonus!<br />
<br />
Last Saturday, some mom bloggers and I were invited to attend the launch of Jolly Cow Fresh Milk in Angelicum College. A series of activities were prepared to educate the students about the importance of drinking fresh milk every day. During the launch, the kids also talked about their dreams and what they needed to do to achieve those dreams. They learned about how having a strong and healthy body was a key factor in achieving their ambitions, and of course, drinking fresh milk can help with that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The students try the milk samples</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jolly Cow Fresh Milk Event Launch (L-R): Dream Wall, Goodie Bags, Wanlu Puppet Show and fresh milk samples</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids enjoyed the show from Wanlu and his puppets, even as they learned about calcium deficiency and the importance of drinking milk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning from the master: Wanlu teaches the kids how to make sock puppets and some basic tricks in making them talk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids were happy to show off their "hand"iwork! (Pardon the pun)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the teachers were included in the activities, helping Wanlu by being human puppets!</td></tr>
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Fresh milk isn't just for little kids, mommies. Teenagers also reap the benefits of drinking fresh milk, by providing added nutrition which helps them cope with the growth spurts that come with puberty.<span id="goog_971081410"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angelicum's teens trying out Jolly Cow Fresh Milk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And of course, in the age of selfies, the teens also take advantage of the photobooth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the kids received personalized tumblers with a serving of Jolly Cow milk for them to try. The front of the tumbler has a picture of the child dressed as their "future self".</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess all the festivities made the kids a bit thirsty!</td></tr>
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The Jolly Cow team kindly sent the mommies home with goodie bags filled with samples for our little ones to try. I was glad to see that the included the non-fat variant of the fresh milk, which is for me. While moms still need their calcium, they can do without the added fat. :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hXYEU2uwok/Uk00pTJiUxI/AAAAAAAAITE/xWGrKR-3ieA/s1600/20130927_133521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hXYEU2uwok/Uk00pTJiUxI/AAAAAAAAITE/xWGrKR-3ieA/s320/20130927_133521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's full cream milk for my little ones and non-fat milk for happy frazzled me! There's also a condensada variant, which I'll use in making sweet treats for my boys. :-)</td></tr>
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The folks behind Jolly Cow pride themselves on providing good quality, yet affordable milk for their consumers. Jolly Cow Fresh Milk is sourced from Germany and New Zealand, which means that the milk passes rigorous quality standrads. It also contains 3.5% butterfat, which is a higher fat content compared to other brands and this extra butterfat is what gives Jolly Cow fresh milk the creamy taste that I love in milk.<br />
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Thanks to the Jolly Cow team for inviting me to the launch!<br />
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<i>*Jolly Cow is exclusively produced for Fly Ace Corporation and is available in all leading supermarkets nationwide.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-17319758888650126872013-09-16T11:47:00.002+08:002013-09-16T11:47:55.315+08:00Seven Easy-Peasy Toddler Snacks for SchoolWhen J started going to toddler school, one of my challenges was learning to pack healthy, but yummy and toddler-friendly snacks. Big C and I don't like the idea of feeding him those prepackaged biscuits that are so popular with kids, and fortunately, J isn't a fan either.<br />
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For me and my preschooler, snacks have to fulfill four basic characteristics. First, they have to be nutritious. Second, they have to be yummy, so J would eat them. Third, they have to be easy to prepare, and fourth, they have to be things that J can eat on his own in school.<br />
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I tried Googling for some ideas on healthy <i>baon</i> ideas, but most of what I got were lunch-type meals (especially in the Filipino context), so they weren't appropriate for preschool. Eventually though, I found some basic items that we rotate on a daily basis so J's <i>baon</i> doesn't get too boring. For mommies like me, who have to add "prepare healthy <i>baon</i>" to our never-ending list of things to do, here are some of my <i>baon </i>staples for J which are tasty, but also easy-to-eat and largely healthy toddler snacks for preschool.<br />
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<li>Fruits - My favorites to pack for J are grapes or bananas. These are a quick-fix since I just pack the bananas whole, and he can eat them by himself with no trouble. For the grapes, I pluck off about 15 pieces and wash them, so it's also one way for me to keep track of how much he eats in school. Apples are also a good snack, although I prefer to serve these at home because J doesn't like them when they're brown. I have heard of the lemon juice trick, but as with most kids, J's not a fan of the tart taste.</li>
<li>Egg - The hard-boiled egg is one of my bestsellers. All you have to do is boil the egg, peel it, and slice into bite-sized cubes and you're good to go. This is a snack J can eat by himself, and he can finish one egg in the short snack time they have in school. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Bread - Sandwiches are always a quick and easy option. You can jazz this up by making homemade spreads when you have some free time, and stash in the fridge for a quick option on busy mornings. I don't really recommend buying the You can make chicken or tuna salad in big batches when you have some free time, and you'll have a back-up in the fridge for those busy mornings. J actually makes life easier for me, because he likes his bread plain, and all I have to do in the morning is to cut his bread in interesting shapes. I suggest investing in cute cookie cutters shaped like letters and numbers, so snack time can also be learning time.</li>
<li>Cheese - The individually packed cheese slices are make great snacks. Once someone helps him open the packaging, he can eat on this snack on his own.</li>
<li>Granola - I used to pack Cheerios for J's snacks, but lately, I discovered that my son was willing to eat granola. Go figure right? I chanced upon a bag of Mornflake oat granola with dried fruits in the grocery and bought it for big C. Well, Big C didn't like it, but it was a big hit with the kids! Both J and Little C like it, and I bring it in small containers as a quick snack when we go out, and of course, for J's school snacks.</li>
<li>Yogurt drinks - J likes juice, but Big C and I don't like how most of the tetra-packed juices available have so much sugar in it, so as a compromise, I pack yogurt drinks for J. Somehow I feel that the yogurt factor makes it marginally healthier than just juice. Haha! Sometimes, it's good, old-fashioned Yakult (which I also loved as a child -- and still love as an adult) and sometimes, it's flavored yogurt drinks. My favorite brand is Dutch Mill, because it comes in a smaller serving than the normal tetra-packed drinks, and it's the right size for J to finish in one sitting. </li>
<li>Juice - Sometimes, I do give in and pack juice in J's snack bag. When I do give him juice though, Tipco and Apple & Eve are our brands of choice. Tipco has flavors like beetroot, carrot and broccoli, which DO NOT TASTE LIKE VEGGIES AT ALL! Like Tipco, Apple & Eve Fruitables juice boxes are a combination of fruit and vegetable juices, such as apple, orange, carrot, tomato, beetroot, sweet potato, strawberry and others. Plus, for some reason, whenever I pack these juice boxes in J's bag and it comes back empty, I feel like I've won some sort of battle, because I was able to sneak veggies into his body without him noticing. Haha! </li>
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From this list of basic items, J's daily snack bag pretty much looks like this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3UFoaBloRLk/UjZ8yiIH-PI/AAAAAAAAIRQ/gZ0EJ8MjIHk/s1600/baon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3UFoaBloRLk/UjZ8yiIH-PI/AAAAAAAAIRQ/gZ0EJ8MjIHk/s400/baon1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one hard-boiled native egg, one small container of granola, one Yakult and a tumbler of water</td></tr>
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I hope this post has given you some ideas on what to pack for your preschooler tomorrow. :) Happy Monday, mommies!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-35205689291432081642013-09-07T07:25:00.002+08:002013-09-07T07:25:29.228+08:00My Unexplained HiatusChecking the stats of this blog, I've discovered that it's been close to three months since my last post. A lot has happened in those three months, which robbed me of the time to write, but now, I've resolved to get back in the swing of things.<br />
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So what have I and my boys (both big and little) been up to?<br />
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Our J is now officially a preschooler. He started at a toddler level this June. Unfortunately, the first school I enrolled him in didn't seem to be a good fit. While he and I were both happy with the school, for some strange reason he kept getting sick there. He was also enrolled in that school last year, but he also kept getting sick, so we pulled him out, thinking maybe he was still too young. This year though, after just 5 sessions, my son contracted hand, foot and mouth disease. Mind you though, I am clarifying that I do not hold the school accountable for my son's illness. It just made me think that like pediatricians and yayas, maybe there's also a <i>hiyang</i> factor when it comes to schools.<br />
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So in the end, Big C and I decided to transfer J to another school, where his cousins went. Thankfully, as of this post, J is happy and thriving, and we're praying that he continues to do so. He's made some new friends, and has shed his shyness. He's very talkative and we have the most interesting conversations on the car rides to and from school. (Now, I'll shift into bragging-mommy mode. Heehee!) His teachers say that he's a quick learner, and that he aced his first quarter assessments even though he missed the first month of classes in his school. Now, we're looking forward to his next two years in the school, and I'm especially looking forward to enrolling Little C there as well in a year.<br />
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Speaking of Little C, what has my munchkin been up to in the months since he turned 1? Well, he's walking now! To our surprise, Little C taught himself how to walk. J took a while before he started walking, as did all his cousins, so I was expecting at least a month or two more before Little C would take his first steps. Plus, given the fact that we weren't as enthusiastic about him learning how to walk (parents of more than one child should understand this), we were taking our sweet time and savoring the days that we chased after one squirmy little boy instead of two. We didn't really encourage him the way we did J, with walking exercises and thingamabobs to help him walk. No, I'm proud to say, my Little C taught himself how to walk.<br />
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On a more serious note though. We've started cutting back TV time for Little C. At night, when all four of us hang out, we used to let him and J watch cartoons, but now, I've imposed a moratorium. No more TV after dinner. Since we started doing that, which is about two weeks, I've noticed that Little C has been a bit more attentive to his surroundings and responds more to people. I feel really guilty for letting him watch so much TV, especially since we've successfully kept J from the TV until he was about 1.8 years old. I honestly believe that J learned so much quicker because he wasn't glued to the TV set for long periods of time.<br />
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My Little C is still a happy and loving baby, although we've started seeing flashes of the temper that our little dragon has kept well-hidden from us. Big C and I have to work on teaching him to not cry to get his way, and to learn to use his words when he wants something. Hence, we've been teaching him how to sign. At the moment, all he can sign independently is "eat" or "food". Haha! Sometimes, he also says "chia!" which is the Chinese word for well, "eat". What can I say. My son has a healthy appetite. He loves to eat, and we have no problems getting him to eat. Like all toddlers (sniff, sniff! I can't believe my <i>bunso </i>is now a toddler!), he's a very messy eater though. He can also sign "thank you" and "sorry", although he mostly imitates the actions at this point.<br />
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As for Big C and I? Well, today, we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. This song has always reminded me of the two of us (although in the song, the guy is singing to the girl). Big C and I met when we were both 16, and we've been together since we were 17 years old. That makes 13 years, and I know that doesn't compare to other couples who have been together for 20, 30 or even 50 years, but at the moment, that's practically half our life. I love this song because of how it makes me feel. It brings up memories of a young couple who grew up together and are still growing up and going through good times and bad. At the end of the day, while we are now married and parents to two wonderful boys, most days I still don't feel any older than fast cars and freedom. With Big C, I will always be a happy, light-hearted 17-year-old girl, and to me, he will forever be that 17-year-old boy I fell in love with all those years ago, even as the years pass.<br />
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A happy weekend to you all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-45223142931329434562013-06-05T08:39:00.001+08:002013-06-20T15:40:02.868+08:00My Little Miracles<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x9Jyov2NdkmN6rcwebIMz-8sAbJ8uar2tI5N-4mXjaDI0LTjJHpfswtg_-GVB5mUVC3Uki3kB6bN8jM__31tvKUJBtBFh_1svY497Ljxk3IU_I1tRUDmq4NYYLAn851zbugDoP-uyCkB/s320/lovever01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x9Jyov2NdkmN6rcwebIMz-8sAbJ8uar2tI5N-4mXjaDI0LTjJHpfswtg_-GVB5mUVC3Uki3kB6bN8jM__31tvKUJBtBFh_1svY497Ljxk3IU_I1tRUDmq4NYYLAn851zbugDoP-uyCkB/s320/lovever01.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From "Love You Forever", by Robert Munsch</td></tr>
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Little C was around 6 months old when we discovered that after we give him his last feeding for the night, we can leave him in his crib and he'll fall asleep by himself. Because of this, I don't get many chances to have him fall asleep in my arms, as I did with J. But there are some nights, when he would enjoy being lulled to sleep cuddled in the rocking chair and last night was one of those special nights.<br />
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Last night, I gave Little C his bottle and sat with him in the rocking chair. I sang him the same discordant lullabies that used to lull J to sleep, a mixture of well-known songs, and some gibberish I make up for my boys. I always loved putting my children to sleep. It was the best time of the day for me, a quiet, peaceful time, just me and my babies.<br />
<br />
When Little C fell asleep, I stayed there for a while, just relishing the feel of his growing body cuddled against me, his warm little foot cradled in my hand. I rested my cheek against his head and breathed in that special little boy smell that was so unique to my sons, and I did something that I haven't done in a while. I prayed.<br />
<br />
I expressed my thanks for this baby, this human being, that I have in my arms, for the privilege and honor of being his mother. I said my thanks for every day that he wakes up healthy and free from illness, for every smile and laugh, for all his milestones and for all that he is. I asked for guidance and patience, because I am not perfect, and my son deserves the best. I shared my fears of failing him, and asked for help to be the best person I can be, so that I can be the mother he deserves. But what I did not ask for was more love to give, because I already had that in abundance.<br />
<br />
When I look at my sons, I see little miracles. I see little people, who were formed from specks of nothing and groups of cells, who grew gradually inside my womb, to become functional human beings who walk and talk and think and feel and love. Every new skill they learn is amazing for me, even when it's the second time around with Little C. The way my sons have learned to roll over, crawl, sound out words, or do things for themselves, is nothing short of magical for me.<br />
<br />
When I look at them, I think, these boys could not have appeared out of nowhere. They could not have been created by random chance. And oh, how beautifully they were created! Their little arms and legs are mini replicas of mine and their father's. When they were tiny babies, I looked at their fingers and toes and I was fascinated by how wonderfully they were formed, tiny little versions of the same things I had on my own hands and feet.<br />
<br />
How can I look at them and not see them as blessings, given to me despite my unworthiness and my imperfections? How can I look at them and not see them as reinforcement of my faith in something or someone greater than myself, who has the power to create something as beautiful as a human being?<br />
<br />
When I look at my children, I am humbled. I know that they are gifts, given to me for an indefinite period of time, but mine to care for, to love and to guide in the ways of the world. I don't know what I've done to deserve them, because I am not a perfect person, and I'm most certainly not a perfect mother. But I am the only mother they will have, and for them, I am perfect. They say that only a parent can feel unconditional love, but now, I know that's not true, because I know my children love me unconditionally. They look at me and they do not see my imperfections and my failings. To them, I am just Mommy. I am not too thin or too fat or too light or too dark or too much of anything or too little. I am just what I should be, because I am just what they need.<br />
<br />
My sense of religion, not faith, is fluid at best. I believe that there is something greater than me, that has control over my life, but not my choices. This something, or someone, has a greater understanding of why things happen the way they do, the good, the bad and all that happens in between. I know that I am not smart enough to understand, so I will not even bother to try. All I know is that there is something out there. It's not something I like to give a name to, or define, because on most days, I can't. I simply prefer to say that while I am not religious, I am spiritual and I am faithful. My faith is simple, but it is strong, and when I look at my sons, all that I believe in is living and breathing, right in front of me, and I feel blessed.<br />
<br />
With sons such as mine, how can I not be?<br />
<br />
A happy day to you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-75303393043262516282013-05-31T16:03:00.002+08:002013-06-01T07:37:23.124+08:00Goodbye, May!Today is the last day of May 2013, and I'm happily bidding the month goodbye!<br />
<br />
It's been a really busy month for our family. For one thing, we had a lot of big family events, such as my sister's wedding, my mom's birthday, and of course, my Little C's birthday. There's a lot going on in terms of work too. It's the peak season for the statistical consultancy service that I work for, which means twice as much work as usual, and I also started another editing sideline. Plus, the boys have been caught in the cough-and-cold season we're having right now, thanks to our crazy tropical climate as we move from summer to the rainy season. In addition to being under the weather, Little C is sprouting a whole bunch of new teeth, which has turned him into an irritable little dude for the past few days as well. Add to that the never-ending yaya and maid problems I had to deal with at home and you've got one crazy month right there.<br />
<br />
Working has been a bit challenging lately, what with twice as many projects to finish and not enough time to work on them. J has also been very <i>malambing</i> lately, and he's taken to hanging out in our room in the afternoons to play. That's not the problem, since J's pretty good at keeping himself occupied. He plays with his iPad or watches Mickey on the TV. The thing is that he's recently discovered the joys of building blocks and would always ask me to play with him. He'd call me, "Mommy, Mommy, play please?" and tug on my hand until I joined him on the floor to work on our latest creation. I try to join him as much as I can, because as Big C says, the day will come when he won't want to spend time playing with Mommy, so I should enjoy it while it lasts.<br />
<br />
I guess that's one of my biggest conflicts as a WAHM. People sometimes think it's so easy for us since we stay at home to work, but finding enough time to finish all that we need to do is always a problem, especially when you've got adorable little kids who plead with you ever so nicely to stop working and play with them. J actually said to me one day, "Mommy, no type!" which means that I should stop typing on the computer. Oh, the guilt!<br />
<br />
Because J has been spending so much time with me, I feel very guilty because Little C is always left to fend for himself. I try to squeeze in as much Mommy and Little C time as I can. I make sure that I'm the one who picks him up first thing in the morning so we can spend some quiet play time. He loves it when I take off his socks and smell his feet and wrinkle my nose. When he wakes up from his afternoon nap before his brother does, I drop everything and I try to spend some time playing with him, just the two of us, so I can give him some undivided attention. Some afternoons, I put him in my sling and take him on a walk so we can babble on about nonsensical things, just like I used to do with J when he was a baby.<br />
<br />
He's growing into such a wonderful toddler, easy with his smiles and laughter and bravely testing the limits of his small body. He's just perfected standing up, and I couldn't be prouder of him. He hasn't started walking yet, although he did take his first hesitant, but unsupported steps a few days ago. We're in no rush though. J took a while before walking and I suspect Little C is the same way.<br />
<br />
Well, I'm hoping that June will be a lot more mellow for us. Thankfully, the boys have been feeling a bit better since yesterday, and I've just sent off my last project for this month. I'm looking forward to a bit of rest this weekend. Before I end this post, I'd like to share some pictures of the month that passed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCUIEZMj68gjoZ7s2K48ia5OBXs_16RMtIxgXAde7sKPcQSUBeS6gvLt4loB9B_wO1J97ILqQv7a45bukdgKJOLsE4jYZoIWjApgxSHjP4k0ywjuA8K54OHidG25gDvjdHJ4mKZEZBS-1/s1600/DSC04809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCUIEZMj68gjoZ7s2K48ia5OBXs_16RMtIxgXAde7sKPcQSUBeS6gvLt4loB9B_wO1J97ILqQv7a45bukdgKJOLsE4jYZoIWjApgxSHjP4k0ywjuA8K54OHidG25gDvjdHJ4mKZEZBS-1/s320/DSC04809.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little dragon C, rolling on his Di-i's new bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48DHiwUEuh-aigEVMI6otDYAc3hZVstSedZ1F4RtF9y_0q_pyrisSp0igjTQ6fMDPyNo9cgW39F_jmHtySFh3rOhCRQS8QUU9aeYR-aL6svK0bvDCEzFT5KZy6SCEISAPmoKDL4PV_bit/s1600/DSC04820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48DHiwUEuh-aigEVMI6otDYAc3hZVstSedZ1F4RtF9y_0q_pyrisSp0igjTQ6fMDPyNo9cgW39F_jmHtySFh3rOhCRQS8QUU9aeYR-aL6svK0bvDCEzFT5KZy6SCEISAPmoKDL4PV_bit/s320/DSC04820.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want the remote!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dkHCl48Nqi8/UahX4YTQ84I/AAAAAAAAFoA/DQvl3s18YD0/s1600/DSC04825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dkHCl48Nqi8/UahX4YTQ84I/AAAAAAAAFoA/DQvl3s18YD0/s320/DSC04825.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His angpao for sharing his dragon luck</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTpDwuRPEftw5q16HmhKy-9f3s4xDkyXxlWUNYMDGppqB0quiujVeul7B3aByRtyNMdm1PDJUyzSLjPYokmMmtiaSxapNJa7zNh1rBTygRX4n6ShABt3BLF-4foq2zat0rZmPpzJPTKNC/s1600/DSC04827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTpDwuRPEftw5q16HmhKy-9f3s4xDkyXxlWUNYMDGppqB0quiujVeul7B3aByRtyNMdm1PDJUyzSLjPYokmMmtiaSxapNJa7zNh1rBTygRX4n6ShABt3BLF-4foq2zat0rZmPpzJPTKNC/s320/DSC04827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture with Uncle Marvin from SG (Thanks for coming home for Little C's day!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCKfgHO1em6TfNAvgaleB-Y_ZanPqK_j5OQznDLK7gja_o8rA2Cnryuc5LxvTP4r6ai_2idorCl5OU6dOO7k9XgGAvU0-zSTXlUZeOZRiMc0YC-t0rbJwdbqgvGvKHfjuDT73C02F4uvk/s1600/DSC04833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCKfgHO1em6TfNAvgaleB-Y_ZanPqK_j5OQznDLK7gja_o8rA2Cnryuc5LxvTP4r6ai_2idorCl5OU6dOO7k9XgGAvU0-zSTXlUZeOZRiMc0YC-t0rbJwdbqgvGvKHfjuDT73C02F4uvk/s320/DSC04833.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proud grandfather</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TVzaKPKelsU/UahYDNHdA2I/AAAAAAAAFoM/y6K6e8ih5YI/s1600/DSC04840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TVzaKPKelsU/UahYDNHdA2I/AAAAAAAAFoM/y6K6e8ih5YI/s320/DSC04840.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handsome little dude</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zP55IyqSKxQ/UahYDeq2X0I/AAAAAAAAFoQ/D5ZtWuhpzk0/s1600/DSC04844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zP55IyqSKxQ/UahYDeq2X0I/AAAAAAAAFoQ/D5ZtWuhpzk0/s320/DSC04844.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet boy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTlFBaTqt0Oy_L8w13xQPwIFGKeVTAdpIOdJoiTY-pt8Gcz8nAqoSiP3SCgHtvLMDVMNEfS69AlLnpFMbZfILf7-LzF6cPk3UAMzA8BJvOFZf2K1PRV-ohiyKCIwYr5XZ3zkhNjTgnamn/s1600/DSC04880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTlFBaTqt0Oy_L8w13xQPwIFGKeVTAdpIOdJoiTY-pt8Gcz8nAqoSiP3SCgHtvLMDVMNEfS69AlLnpFMbZfILf7-LzF6cPk3UAMzA8BJvOFZf2K1PRV-ohiyKCIwYr5XZ3zkhNjTgnamn/s320/DSC04880.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goofing around with Kong-kong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6qrK2LxS-WALgIf3LcockHdBpxgWG_7-nS5GuMmIP3wwv_qRY49-o9klekftOiluU9iYID2yvVKA486zSNpHMrGt4zPY8YXRERLi33Dje8h5GOUyO-MF9fybIIHBPp6FPxkVT6eVvbqm/s1600/DSC04905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6qrK2LxS-WALgIf3LcockHdBpxgWG_7-nS5GuMmIP3wwv_qRY49-o9klekftOiluU9iYID2yvVKA486zSNpHMrGt4zPY8YXRERLi33Dje8h5GOUyO-MF9fybIIHBPp6FPxkVT6eVvbqm/s320/DSC04905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blessed be, these sisters three</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMo7hNnbfbHVYJ6513hia0jqYjAnmkrKlc-xGn26QB6ORBwD-LsxlwnmKNl1-zlv3te4Lat_nlTS37WwADfwoGYEvJIlx409XzAhc_S7r2Y_DlcvieGTFDDVXRqjl1zDH6z0QXa5-QFnE/s1600/DSC04924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMo7hNnbfbHVYJ6513hia0jqYjAnmkrKlc-xGn26QB6ORBwD-LsxlwnmKNl1-zlv3te4Lat_nlTS37WwADfwoGYEvJIlx409XzAhc_S7r2Y_DlcvieGTFDDVXRqjl1zDH6z0QXa5-QFnE/s320/DSC04924.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister walks down the aisle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeNEB51-FCo/UahZJ2_zCBI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/c1e1fBxYJAg/s1600/DSC05164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeNEB51-FCo/UahZJ2_zCBI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/c1e1fBxYJAg/s320/DSC05164.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family picture time before Little C's baptism</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fSpJ9S5PSlthzovNlpwseUEfFOkcB1WLgPakgXotE_o2TWzv2R2-WFpVeV3P6GRGXfTjyjKP8NWM-eMYpF75oNbUfsRhd98zS0mEaYghJZ18s1-N9by-6zSEbMTqXvDbPa4Amfno2Ek3/s1600/DSC05158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fSpJ9S5PSlthzovNlpwseUEfFOkcB1WLgPakgXotE_o2TWzv2R2-WFpVeV3P6GRGXfTjyjKP8NWM-eMYpF75oNbUfsRhd98zS0mEaYghJZ18s1-N9by-6zSEbMTqXvDbPa4Amfno2Ek3/s320/DSC05158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Little C's godparents</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6vzdByO38jIvHejqbAeQ1B3FoXTThqvkauyvZwRXnq98rHFGZ_4g7V0TqT6Pmot1I5TR2pUR0J9K-3xP9rGI5Yh2afdXVkiYfF8-xKpZLOmBFDlSEZ1-I1DUHtvhgjtEBu78097MxOCk/s1600/DSC05703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6vzdByO38jIvHejqbAeQ1B3FoXTThqvkauyvZwRXnq98rHFGZ_4g7V0TqT6Pmot1I5TR2pUR0J9K-3xP9rGI5Yh2afdXVkiYfF8-xKpZLOmBFDlSEZ1-I1DUHtvhgjtEBu78097MxOCk/s320/DSC05703.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my siblings-of-the-heart</td></tr>
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Happy Friday to all, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-15190950633954647682013-05-15T15:05:00.001+08:002013-05-15T15:05:33.465+08:00My Little C is 1!This Mothers' Day was triple-special for me. First, of course, because it's Mothers' Day, and I remember that I get to celebrate this day, not just because I was raised by a wonderful mother, but also because I now have the honor of being the mommy of two of the bestest boys in the world, my J and my Little C.<br />
<br />
Second, this Mothers' Day marks my anniversary as a breastfeeding mommy. Yes, I managed to make it to a year. Yay me! There have been more than a few rough spots, and we are still mixed feeding, but formula only enters the picture for one or two feedings a day. Despite the fact that Little C is not exclusively breastfed, the larger part of his diet is composed of mommy's milk. I am also proud to say that my son will only take formula late at night, when he's asleep and can't tell the difference. During the daytime, it's only mommy's milk for him. If we try to give him formula because I missed a pump, he'd rather just take water. Also, this breastfeeding journey is much more successful than the last one, and I'm super thankful for that.<br />
<br />
Third, because I have now been breastfeeding for a year, that means one other thing: my little munchkin is now one year old!<br />
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In honor of his first birthday, I'd like to take a little trip down the memory lane of his first year of life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-xHRxYIpxJI8RcJvSMpDawKq0V6hsq_tr7tFnc8geW5FtpSWHU8r8qoe9lhkzyMaydalxL2OEpHeR8MCJ9ITL-JTWn6J3z46ee_fHCf-sYhzcd9kod8DIz_NPf5JAyFTdGxmhW3b_-Y7/s1600/P1040153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-xHRxYIpxJI8RcJvSMpDawKq0V6hsq_tr7tFnc8geW5FtpSWHU8r8qoe9lhkzyMaydalxL2OEpHeR8MCJ9ITL-JTWn6J3z46ee_fHCf-sYhzcd9kod8DIz_NPf5JAyFTdGxmhW3b_-Y7/s320/P1040153.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, world! He's out!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZUN4nNegI3yg99YNOaPs4xiGAGxptlv_507O-QQCUoCa6s2h3Pflhfy01j5EafVYYv_D380uq_vJOt0cKdBK5F7YnTCP7kelfh7u4s3_g5W5LJyyLl838yVLKLsxSsocnVhzzd_SJ3B4/s1600/P1040165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZUN4nNegI3yg99YNOaPs4xiGAGxptlv_507O-QQCUoCa6s2h3Pflhfy01j5EafVYYv_D380uq_vJOt0cKdBK5F7YnTCP7kelfh7u4s3_g5W5LJyyLl838yVLKLsxSsocnVhzzd_SJ3B4/s320/P1040165.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First picture with Mommy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYfPOETTJ047xLJy8N4LlqyP1SborelBlleuFjkezpnn0PkoyGwk-Nr6X9ObksG53kcf6gNQREWFcXgrF2kmQzIFwOsM5v_hF5qspge8KdeD3AloWsmwP18qzlFIVeRTwg9DPuS3tMm_H/s1600/P1040180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYfPOETTJ047xLJy8N4LlqyP1SborelBlleuFjkezpnn0PkoyGwk-Nr6X9ObksG53kcf6gNQREWFcXgrF2kmQzIFwOsM5v_hF5qspge8KdeD3AloWsmwP18qzlFIVeRTwg9DPuS3tMm_H/s320/P1040180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the nursery<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awEBGlGG0H4/UZLf8WjNpYI/AAAAAAAAFUM/r-xgZBsnql8/s1600/P1040204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awEBGlGG0H4/UZLf8WjNpYI/AAAAAAAAFUM/r-xgZBsnql8/s320/P1040204.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">His first picture with his Ahya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LwlGpDX1zzc/UZLf9uZVYVI/AAAAAAAAFUU/gWxGYfRV03I/s1600/P1040207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LwlGpDX1zzc/UZLf9uZVYVI/AAAAAAAAFUU/gWxGYfRV03I/s320/P1040207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The day we brought him home from the hospital. Look, he and Elmo are the same size!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HmlN0ImmVag/UZLfzlhoaNI/AAAAAAAAFTs/M8FodL01qT4/s1600/DSC04187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HmlN0ImmVag/UZLfzlhoaNI/AAAAAAAAFTs/M8FodL01qT4/s320/DSC04187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tummy time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxsDEVCbXMtTy8Rxi2nEFvgnUiFqm-P-PX07lVrC2fljDKl2yQvBWvHEkCLXWV36hkvE8OzpQIeutyFPYv5BKDVJ5D1pu_IJUTXJkS-eq9sGx4AKerEIsD2q10GwnY3V_VM983dauX_Bz/s1600/DSC04205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxsDEVCbXMtTy8Rxi2nEFvgnUiFqm-P-PX07lVrC2fljDKl2yQvBWvHEkCLXWV36hkvE8OzpQIeutyFPYv5BKDVJ5D1pu_IJUTXJkS-eq9sGx4AKerEIsD2q10GwnY3V_VM983dauX_Bz/s320/DSC04205.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time in the sling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzCh1IejY-CIklCtXyrr4wKLpM6hyDKi71ziS_VYHtWK6wdY70yezsmMwiMnVfGFk4Xy18VwOZ5qHAfOIS1sSWXbV0cbxPPTpYmzwlLrOTsJUevRr-MxNKNpMj88zLh2WQR1jlWjivXYM/s1600/P1040231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzCh1IejY-CIklCtXyrr4wKLpM6hyDKi71ziS_VYHtWK6wdY70yezsmMwiMnVfGFk4Xy18VwOZ5qHAfOIS1sSWXbV0cbxPPTpYmzwlLrOTsJUevRr-MxNKNpMj88zLh2WQR1jlWjivXYM/s320/P1040231.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day he got his coral bracelets, marking his first month</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHU0H_RwucAqeH1BtH9ST0OzXQ3BBIBdVn81rm5buaub4odr72d7yU8_3XndYfOoSOGpQ5pCjvPNJzrXn8vP8mny6nTO2A9b9lCFcnFEvdQls_M88Cc-5O5cg7wOjxKEAnLmgMuQre2Hz/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHU0H_RwucAqeH1BtH9ST0OzXQ3BBIBdVn81rm5buaub4odr72d7yU8_3XndYfOoSOGpQ5pCjvPNJzrXn8vP8mny6nTO2A9b9lCFcnFEvdQls_M88Cc-5O5cg7wOjxKEAnLmgMuQre2Hz/s320/IMG_1405.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Morning playtime with Daddy<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF8djBPheE_7U-APvtjgjC5IxV1hw7tW3io-xGldx_6SGruROqjogekBBt5_Q57lZTUz4CfeTHM9hPlwciS_fT5OMgJeDLonKUhtYxbVL1d1nhRt3TTh6qzF3o4lJdnP1aSmffaNqJPWv/s1600/P1040285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF8djBPheE_7U-APvtjgjC5IxV1hw7tW3io-xGldx_6SGruROqjogekBBt5_Q57lZTUz4CfeTHM9hPlwciS_fT5OMgJeDLonKUhtYxbVL1d1nhRt3TTh6qzF3o4lJdnP1aSmffaNqJPWv/s320/P1040285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The first time we captured his smile on camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QNgitPFtftk/UZLgaKyb49I/AAAAAAAAFVE/eBL2fAfFNHU/s1600/IMG_1676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QNgitPFtftk/UZLgaKyb49I/AAAAAAAAFVE/eBL2fAfFNHU/s320/IMG_1676.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caleb, being Caleb!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6-eTBwvz7KCWIf2iXZxaf8cSFIwrrUtNNcXO4gjCn-h5UJgA15SfDNCYeVpYBlArpNYy8Gad7u5kbtHcuMgfBe0xhp_zgSJfwRqvV2hSQx8-Rk4vU2LJN8-NvVTUzosnW0sU8Fn4qoqK/s1600/IMG_1428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6-eTBwvz7KCWIf2iXZxaf8cSFIwrrUtNNcXO4gjCn-h5UJgA15SfDNCYeVpYBlArpNYy8Gad7u5kbtHcuMgfBe0xhp_zgSJfwRqvV2hSQx8-Rk4vU2LJN8-NvVTUzosnW0sU8Fn4qoqK/s320/IMG_1428.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Picture time with Mommy<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oL_aKatw5DM/UZLhra_9o9I/AAAAAAAAFVc/k9oi5Dbaxfc/s1600/IMG_20121001_065450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oL_aKatw5DM/UZLhra_9o9I/AAAAAAAAFVc/k9oi5Dbaxfc/s320/IMG_20121001_065450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">We were saving these red pajamas for him, but by the time we let him try it, he was too big for it, so he only got to wear it once. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirg9I57dCb80mb2BK4wMI85KRA0oQ-66vntQpiudsYX28x9M7f3WneK951aVmu_Ids7qYq3FlDpLgTphXwRzdR10YbJdTp1HlYQfRIFIHF894kV8g3Gtw2TLn9VNQ2iN3wNtnZEgdJVLUt/s1600/IMG_20120929_160227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirg9I57dCb80mb2BK4wMI85KRA0oQ-66vntQpiudsYX28x9M7f3WneK951aVmu_Ids7qYq3FlDpLgTphXwRzdR10YbJdTp1HlYQfRIFIHF894kV8g3Gtw2TLn9VNQ2iN3wNtnZEgdJVLUt/s320/IMG_20120929_160227.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Enjoying the bouncer he inherited from his Ahya J<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEg77BgQ9PVJURSkbTol1HCKGuzbNvaZEqSyndFloudDZsHpxKdzysr5yr1KFe_UuFPfK4Ku3UVq2U7Yx_Uaql_nDryqekyLx4cceLSY1ikWwDmJdlSZCuMzt-_ClAK8aX-WTuFf44EG/s1600/IMG_20121016_182009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEg77BgQ9PVJURSkbTol1HCKGuzbNvaZEqSyndFloudDZsHpxKdzysr5yr1KFe_UuFPfK4Ku3UVq2U7Yx_Uaql_nDryqekyLx4cceLSY1ikWwDmJdlSZCuMzt-_ClAK8aX-WTuFf44EG/s320/IMG_20121016_182009.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Fresh from a bath<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoS-zoHRg1oKPdGIbF3pZM2Vx6NXmuqIWy9giJaKnGNeXdkMVcTNQOB9XyNs51pAsmSnRCyUVtmXtNJGp2aDVt-2tI7L_ct7qsC3CLMdN0WjxsOszu6bYP34987UUmA1tW82Ro4THP1S2/s1600/IMG_20121020_105544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoS-zoHRg1oKPdGIbF3pZM2Vx6NXmuqIWy9giJaKnGNeXdkMVcTNQOB9XyNs51pAsmSnRCyUVtmXtNJGp2aDVt-2tI7L_ct7qsC3CLMdN0WjxsOszu6bYP34987UUmA1tW82Ro4THP1S2/s320/IMG_20121020_105544.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time we put him in his booster seat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56dmFWk2NCyUJnkFHw3WY8C1hVnXpbQmFfjZGz26AFBaTYLIPqW-gdblZQIn6N3LzsfgB0zFHZvBMljJlB6U7IXa6swCwQWux1t7_6XUpJvq3BFO5VQf46R4pOLTx1YiIM-YPBPe4jTJX/s1600/IMG_20121018_192725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56dmFWk2NCyUJnkFHw3WY8C1hVnXpbQmFfjZGz26AFBaTYLIPqW-gdblZQIn6N3LzsfgB0zFHZvBMljJlB6U7IXa6swCwQWux1t7_6XUpJvq3BFO5VQf46R4pOLTx1YiIM-YPBPe4jTJX/s320/IMG_20121018_192725.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because Mommy should also be in the picture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTlOpXGpesA/UZLgARqIGDI/AAAAAAAAFUg/-weKar-NpeY/s1600/H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTlOpXGpesA/UZLgARqIGDI/AAAAAAAAFUg/-weKar-NpeY/s320/H.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">His first TPC pictorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHtHxijEu4RnHkvzZbdR0CM2j6CzSBrSrpIVgLnUgi9lwicTLQXy8y0l_1qIADeGNhxEtZYTtuOMWfc_7fpR0HqdaabZC6jGO91cXBV2ht8KEyvfZhNdwCZt5kdbjvgfmvloXf64oNTB1/s1600/IMG_20121120_081744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHtHxijEu4RnHkvzZbdR0CM2j6CzSBrSrpIVgLnUgi9lwicTLQXy8y0l_1qIADeGNhxEtZYTtuOMWfc_7fpR0HqdaabZC6jGO91cXBV2ht8KEyvfZhNdwCZt5kdbjvgfmvloXf64oNTB1/s320/IMG_20121120_081744.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His first haircut by Angkong, according to family tradition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssYl44XanvtZxIL8dPIYI4H8rHABEK43zEZm3hS6H3L7VP_eEvQDodM1brYGbo2ttO6j3vwSrmHQITIhLh8YZ0xraWYhQmDjbAHnlvO3_u_yFj5_00I1XkB4pwoQiTAGMKXFh-PGwmNdG/s1600/IMG_20121121_154844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssYl44XanvtZxIL8dPIYI4H8rHABEK43zEZm3hS6H3L7VP_eEvQDodM1brYGbo2ttO6j3vwSrmHQITIhLh8YZ0xraWYhQmDjbAHnlvO3_u_yFj5_00I1XkB4pwoQiTAGMKXFh-PGwmNdG/s320/IMG_20121121_154844.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">After Mommy cut off the rest of his hair!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4mA_0_gHAE/UZLf6Jh3wOI/AAAAAAAAFUE/7mqJGzuzTCQ/s1600/DSC04401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4mA_0_gHAE/UZLf6Jh3wOI/AAAAAAAAFUE/7mqJGzuzTCQ/s320/DSC04401.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before his morning bath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypL4xvvHoasPd9kM8hqcV-sn-Ws2E45pdCdCgRB14YZYMKSaAbswQ38Q-eI7ysd3gVZ_Od3EdglBHfLRmStyU2ttF0KhvxuU277dPuZDweBKgAltjqjeUhrg8HKIEInh4EFe-W0kB6YyQ/s1600/IMG_20121130_192646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypL4xvvHoasPd9kM8hqcV-sn-Ws2E45pdCdCgRB14YZYMKSaAbswQ38Q-eI7ysd3gVZ_Od3EdglBHfLRmStyU2ttF0KhvxuU277dPuZDweBKgAltjqjeUhrg8HKIEInh4EFe-W0kB6YyQ/s320/IMG_20121130_192646.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Being carried around in a pouch sling<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EG-aVTenAqE/UZLiAHPvXlI/AAAAAAAAFWc/EaUmVQ5kS0s/s1600/IMG_20121201_110638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EG-aVTenAqE/UZLiAHPvXlI/AAAAAAAAFWc/EaUmVQ5kS0s/s320/IMG_20121201_110638.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">His first carousel ride<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3a28uszQUCL2-cHqlxJyuu0OaOdJjeqyCqyyTlLanV7LgQxo3Bc18cu2qqjn_mmxc1gCyDqcERA_ydST4SF2pdEeX3-uydQxFgSZq3b5zYKTCCRfZS9oKak38HftTvi_C6A21j9FVMA8/s1600/IMG_20130107_171959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3a28uszQUCL2-cHqlxJyuu0OaOdJjeqyCqyyTlLanV7LgQxo3Bc18cu2qqjn_mmxc1gCyDqcERA_ydST4SF2pdEeX3-uydQxFgSZq3b5zYKTCCRfZS9oKak38HftTvi_C6A21j9FVMA8/s320/IMG_20130107_171959.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Milestone: crawling on hands and knees<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJhdyn8_qM538qm6enTtAUNbR_aUPXJ7wFn6g_DxycTMvgVlLSDa2szeLMXzS5R3E9A3egPaweSB6jy2Dcu3yaP05slP2eVD6KnI7yg13pOjwx6RNZVUTrYrjodUSOWPHeMqHp6Z749hY/s1600/IMG_20130131_095634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJhdyn8_qM538qm6enTtAUNbR_aUPXJ7wFn6g_DxycTMvgVlLSDa2szeLMXzS5R3E9A3egPaweSB6jy2Dcu3yaP05slP2eVD6KnI7yg13pOjwx6RNZVUTrYrjodUSOWPHeMqHp6Z749hY/s320/IMG_20130131_095634.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time to hold his own bottle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzGA1EY38dBxwu_S5NS20nIEguMSa5FEhIDJVAhl6pqSJY4NMHAyNWG1KYDRuu_HCpai9iCypzo6zLMgu-8smTsjPp18L8Ic_Lce1BKVS0CQH7K7l8k2hnePWOnv4kJKQbbN8uPjOzL__/s1600/IMG_20130218_121005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzGA1EY38dBxwu_S5NS20nIEguMSa5FEhIDJVAhl6pqSJY4NMHAyNWG1KYDRuu_HCpai9iCypzo6zLMgu-8smTsjPp18L8Ic_Lce1BKVS0CQH7K7l8k2hnePWOnv4kJKQbbN8uPjOzL__/s320/IMG_20130218_121005.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loves to watch TV!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKL_L10IakHWiLdBl1OhAGtdUFBDKvvhuBAZUhTmSnL-xcQIAmnLxmISISVAiLDra3UZdHG4t6RQfgOuwZakbQAPTv68BNcKcWy6qbA_EtTFsZTi_u-vDGHg89CnD4l-sSUsmxcEg5bQYa/s1600/IMG_20121225_094900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKL_L10IakHWiLdBl1OhAGtdUFBDKvvhuBAZUhTmSnL-xcQIAmnLxmISISVAiLDra3UZdHG4t6RQfgOuwZakbQAPTv68BNcKcWy6qbA_EtTFsZTi_u-vDGHg89CnD4l-sSUsmxcEg5bQYa/s320/IMG_20121225_094900.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His first Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1RQ85ObqqAs/UZLiMKRRF-I/AAAAAAAAFW0/ecIZnAnkQoA/s1600/IMG_20130330_115556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1RQ85ObqqAs/UZLiMKRRF-I/AAAAAAAAFW0/ecIZnAnkQoA/s320/IMG_20130330_115556.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with his "batchmate", Sophea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZUhh32fr-qVFku169o8olugxsG58IDvDGS97MQbU0QH1dX9skJMMUVQK-60p94Le6Axf2ivOVeVrgMhbPQ-qkSCb_LG3za9QkyCpyGrbLcBUnmfnuk8ihooEn7wIXGDWy2cr9s4GPqVl/s1600/IMG_20130330_143056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZUhh32fr-qVFku169o8olugxsG58IDvDGS97MQbU0QH1dX9skJMMUVQK-60p94Le6Axf2ivOVeVrgMhbPQ-qkSCb_LG3za9QkyCpyGrbLcBUnmfnuk8ihooEn7wIXGDWy2cr9s4GPqVl/s320/IMG_20130330_143056.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family day with Daddy & Mommy's friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQ9d6-HPze_6LpcqJRVigspVEa8HI290ifAY1D1neSJ2rCwznJsbNOcKrfEiGWxPYLXpH7LSd_snly_hlq6cVQOzhNlQ1gUKzcaHP7JqTJ5eDm_e24CoskJnmjM4zFZsxd34RSkxcVPeO/s1600/DSC05219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQ9d6-HPze_6LpcqJRVigspVEa8HI290ifAY1D1neSJ2rCwznJsbNOcKrfEiGWxPYLXpH7LSd_snly_hlq6cVQOzhNlQ1gUKzcaHP7JqTJ5eDm_e24CoskJnmjM4zFZsxd34RSkxcVPeO/s320/DSC05219.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the Christian world!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJna_2GbqpnO5HF1QdkAUhBCrzFxjFZ1qI2I4GSBXlU5GSKk2EO_5HSRBUzkemzclqkVXYFwWRsHhKPofluJ0sqBruRk6gezdgp_Xd8X5byDOIdz5tuTude3CGmFnMe_t1e6lCDeDWh9aQ/s1600/DSC05753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJna_2GbqpnO5HF1QdkAUhBCrzFxjFZ1qI2I4GSBXlU5GSKk2EO_5HSRBUzkemzclqkVXYFwWRsHhKPofluJ0sqBruRk6gezdgp_Xd8X5byDOIdz5tuTude3CGmFnMe_t1e6lCDeDWh9aQ/s320/DSC05753.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture with his cousins at his 1st birthday party</td></tr>
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Happy birthday to my Little C! I can't believe it's been a year already. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in the delivery room, and now, Little C is well on his way to toddlerhood. He's standing by himself now, and although he has yet to take his first steps, he gets around well enough because he crawls crazy fast. He's a curious little boy, and he loves to eat! He'll try any kind of food, and he gets mad when we take too long to give him his next bite. He's a loving little boy, who loves to be tickled and tumble with us. He adores his big brother and would follow him anywhere. He loves Mickey Mouse, and would smile and laugh when he watches his favorite show.<br />
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<i>To my Little C, thank you for coming into our lives. Daddy and I used to think that we were just fine with one child, but when you came, you completed our little family in a way that we never imagined. You brighten my days with your smiles, and I am so proud of you. Your hugs and slobbery little kisses are the best things in my world. To hear you laugh makes me happy like nothing else does. You are a happy, wonderful little boy, and I have nothing but the best intentions and brightest dreams for you. I hope that you grow up to find your passion in life, and whatever it is, you can be sure that your Mama will be there to support you, to cheer you on and to believe in you even if you don't believe in yourself. Most of all, I hope you live a long and happy life, that you always stay healthy, and that one day you find someone to share your life with, the same way that Daddy and I have each other.</i><br />
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<i>Sometimes I wish you would stay my baby forever. When I look at you, usually when you're sleeping, I marvel at the changes that time has wrought on you. So much has changed in a year, and I'm sure so much more will change as you grow older. I hope though, that some things will stay the same: that you will stay the same loving boy you are now, that you stay happy and healthy, and that you will always let me call you my sweet baby boy, even when you grow big enough to be the one to carry your Mama. </i><br />
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<i>I love you so much, my sweet boy. Whatever happens, that much will always be true.</i><br />
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<i>Forever and always,</i><br />
<i>Mama</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-63972163653983923022013-05-14T17:22:00.002+08:002013-05-15T12:08:48.079+08:00Supplier Ratings: My Little C's 1st Birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello all! We've just come back from a tiring, but super fun weekend. It was a memorable weekend, because last Sunday, my Little C turned 1! Big C and I hosted a small lunch get-together for close family and friends, instead of hosting a grand children's party. Here's a list of the suppliers who were part of Little C's special day and my ratings for their services, for the information of other mommies who want to know more about these suppliers. For the most part, I'm really satisfied with the suppliers that we got, because most of my suppliers are tried and tested.</div>
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1. Baptism ceremony - We held the baptism ceremony at <b>St. Stephen's Parish</b>, where the family attends mass. J was also baptized here, as well as the other kids in the family, so this was a no brainer. It's an added bonus that the church itself is beautiful, air-conditioned, and has a large parking area for the ninongs and ninangs. I also loved that the pastor personalizes the baptism ceremony. It wasn't just a generic by-the-book thing. He talked a bit about the name we chose for our son and the legacy that is set for Little C to follow. He also explained in detail the important role of the godparents in helping the parents raise the child, and I thought that was wonderful. (Supplier rating: 5/5)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86yr_DrUGKyJwAiBPXpR8gW1Z1_QOdzwR66c9-YYajHIM5ESs6xG5_v0-Wb9BAmb6F9bRffv7Wy2lzZ-KNAf4KpVXAeEQvPd4Nr8pKrXazp2ibkInNG9DPipnQy2q3gh5SrO25kT95y1-/s1600/DSC05157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86yr_DrUGKyJwAiBPXpR8gW1Z1_QOdzwR66c9-YYajHIM5ESs6xG5_v0-Wb9BAmb6F9bRffv7Wy2lzZ-KNAf4KpVXAeEQvPd4Nr8pKrXazp2ibkInNG9DPipnQy2q3gh5SrO25kT95y1-/s400/DSC05157.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Little C's NInongs & Ninangs before the baptism ceremony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr3lJrxSiRMhZioKSfrG8VIU1rO7GrttGabgBNGIUAYxIa9QxULz_pGqNkihxVrdMDdVjk7YWq9PP8WI5pKxX3EQxRqzC4fY6RviCJHv7ITBHG1ySxGdvTNelN03RBFPq-Q_9B9NJrHu7/s1600/DSC05218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr3lJrxSiRMhZioKSfrG8VIU1rO7GrttGabgBNGIUAYxIa9QxULz_pGqNkihxVrdMDdVjk7YWq9PP8WI5pKxX3EQxRqzC4fY6RviCJHv7ITBHG1ySxGdvTNelN03RBFPq-Q_9B9NJrHu7/s400/DSC05218.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor baptizes Little C</td></tr>
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2. Lunch reception - We are loyal customers of <b>Gloria Maris Greenhills</b>, and this is where we held the lunch reception. The staff of GM is always really accommodating and easy to talk to, and we were allowed to choose the dishes we liked instead of just being limited to their set menus. We were able to reserve the small hall at the top floor, where they usually put big events. The food was good and the guests went home satisfied, which is really important in Chinese celebrations. (Supplier rating: 5/5)<br />
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3. Cake - I have to declare that I am a <b>Sugarbox</b> loyalist. They made our wedding cake, J's 1st birthday cake and my sister's wedding cake, so when it came to Little C's birthday cake, I didn't even bother to look elsewhere. J and Little C's Auntie Emily did a marvelous job with the cake, and the cupcakes that we gave out to the guests. Emily is really easy to deal with, most of the arrangements were made through email. All I did was to send her the peg of the cake that I wanted and just let her work her magic. With Emily, I never need to stress about anything. She is reliable and her cakes are always gorgeous. (Supplier rating: 5/5)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWcvAwH_B3s/UZH9AucHnNI/AAAAAAAAFRo/I7SeGqNLukk/s1600/DSC05550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWcvAwH_B3s/UZH9AucHnNI/AAAAAAAAFRo/I7SeGqNLukk/s400/DSC05550.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little C and one of his uncles checking out his MMC cake by Auntie Emily of Sugarbox Cakes!</td></tr>
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4. Souvenirs and prizes - Even though we didn't have any games, I still wanted the kids who attended the party to have something special to bring home. This year, we had a modified version of the good old-fashioned pabitin, in the form of a balloon burst. The kids had fun collecting the balloons, and each balloon had a number rolled inside, corresponding to a prize. This is one aspect of the party I didn't delegate, because I enjoy working on stuff like that. My always-helpful mom and my sisters went with me to the land of party supplies, a.k.a. Divisoria, and we shopped for goodies for the kids.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yWv9XiCAmdk/UZH84-lUgVI/AAAAAAAAFRY/j0ceSIsLR5I/s1600/DSC05333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yWv9XiCAmdk/UZH84-lUgVI/AAAAAAAAFRY/j0ceSIsLR5I/s400/DSC05333.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souvenirs and prizes care of Mommy</td></tr>
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5. Inflatables and play area - Instead of a generic children's party with a program, I opted to rent a set of toys to set up a small play area for the kids. While searching on sulit.com.ph, I chanced upon <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rent-a-Toyph/109329922497890?fref=ts">Rent-a-toy.ph</a>, which is run by a fellow mom. Caryll rents Little Tikes toys and other play items for kiddie parties. I got the Simple Joys package, which has a ball-pit, a small slide and a seesaw, and added one of their inflatables. I think this is one of the best ideas I've had in a while. The kids had a blast! Once J saw the inflatable slide, he was happy for the rest of the afternoon and we had to drag him away to get him to eat. As another plus, the adults were appreciative of the fact that didn't have to deal with an overly loud kiddie party. The staff members who stayed for the party were courteous and unobtrusive, and I appreciated that they were there on time. By 10:30, they texted me that they were already done setting up for an 11:30 event. (Supplier rating: 5/5)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQpULsngKHMfDLpjMJ2M6NUQCd2Ofv2fMvFbt3kRMFUSJP49Xc4omvtkO-konzvvogzIjUL2f-1yFKBMvAk_iOcQNVzZbntk7S5W7HHaze2riVE6v135AqzT19LsC9Cc_b3CFXEQHoU8A/s1600/DSC05321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQpULsngKHMfDLpjMJ2M6NUQCd2Ofv2fMvFbt3kRMFUSJP49Xc4omvtkO-konzvvogzIjUL2f-1yFKBMvAk_iOcQNVzZbntk7S5W7HHaze2riVE6v135AqzT19LsC9Cc_b3CFXEQHoU8A/s400/DSC05321.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birthday boy in the ball pit</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUMeXDZfHAeC5neR0ajAKuLiiGQzeyHtJhcD9eLZD7c6LvsLN2a4FpK2Ew3_zCMzNrcSrC8lzt-bbrUYxbXvKx03wPiQ0_VqgDFnxXC2YyTyU2P63BOe523sxGPtpPO9DeTgazMMliLNd/s1600/DSC05326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUMeXDZfHAeC5neR0ajAKuLiiGQzeyHtJhcD9eLZD7c6LvsLN2a4FpK2Ew3_zCMzNrcSrC8lzt-bbrUYxbXvKx03wPiQ0_VqgDFnxXC2YyTyU2P63BOe523sxGPtpPO9DeTgazMMliLNd/s400/DSC05326.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The birthday celebrant inside the inflatable slide</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNd0sMpB3oU/UZH_W0jhicI/AAAAAAAAFSo/6mTIRR7Rvyc/s1600/DSC05339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNd0sMpB3oU/UZH_W0jhicI/AAAAAAAAFSo/6mTIRR7Rvyc/s400/DSC05339.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Kids on the inflatable slide, which was a big hit!</td></tr>
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6. Kiddie Party.com - (Just to let you know, I saved the worst for last.) I booked KP as a supplier because they were already an established name in the business, and their prices were competitive. But I have to say that I am very disappointed and unhappy with their services. Talking to their account executives (AE) was easy enough. They were accommodating, and they did simplify the process. From KP, I ordered the balloon centerpieces, the stage set-up (which I sprung for even though we didn't have a program because my son loves Mickey Mouse) and the balloon burst. However, on the day itself, I was very stressed out to see that when I got there at 11:30, there were no balloons and no stage!<br />
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I called the AE who I dealt with and I demanded to know where they were. I was panicked because guests were arriving already. She told me that she'll look for them and call me back. (It's only now that I realized that she never did call me back.) Thankfully, my brother-in-law spotted them downstairs, so I went downstairs to check on them. When they finally arrived, I asked the person in charge why they were late, and she said, they'd been there since 10am but the guards at GM sent them around and around they were unable to make their way upstairs to the venue. I was skeptical, so I talked to the GM personnel and they told me that the KP people had just arrived. If they had been there early, they would have been immediately sent up to the venue to set-up. I'm inclined to believe them because my cake supplier and Rent-a-toy had been able to set up early. Also, according to my BIL, when he and his family arrived at about 11:15, he saw that they were still downstairs.<br />
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Anyway, I left them to set up and the end result itself wasn't bad. The balloon burst was nicely done and the centerpieces were cute. However, I can't stress how disappointed I am by how they dealt with the situation.<br />
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Today, one of their other AEs called me to ask how the party was, so I asked her to call me so that I could let her know what happened. I told her that I don't know what I find more unacceptable: the fact that they were late, or the fact that their staff lied to me. After I finished speaking, I waited for the AE to respond. She just said, "Okay, ma'am." So I was already PO'd by this point, and I asked her if she had anything to say to me. I was waiting for an apology, so she did apologize, but it sounded like an afterthought, only given because I was obviously fishing for one. I asked her if the feedback gets relayed to their boss and she said yes. I don't know if that's true, but I do want to let the other mommies know about my experience just in case they considering hiring KP for their kid's party.<br />
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(Supplier rating: 0/5)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJgtxKSVAns/UZH82wy6t5I/AAAAAAAAFRQ/iGkMdqH2J68/s1600/DSC05331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJgtxKSVAns/UZH82wy6t5I/AAAAAAAAFRQ/iGkMdqH2J68/s400/DSC05331.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage set-up, which turned out alright in the end.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkyR1FccOKW2hkKI8kzDiyvUBZvYJkbhRowhNLS2BjcxDJV3qYl6UXwsSVCiAkAzOw8TW-DrH4KBFI2JmJqEL-hkwtXnKO2HvnK-KRYY_fNEC1bry3FXsYwnKhUc0q27xGluR1LyWaFgx/s1600/DSC05558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkyR1FccOKW2hkKI8kzDiyvUBZvYJkbhRowhNLS2BjcxDJV3qYl6UXwsSVCiAkAzOw8TW-DrH4KBFI2JmJqEL-hkwtXnKO2HvnK-KRYY_fNEC1bry3FXsYwnKhUc0q27xGluR1LyWaFgx/s400/DSC05558.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday boy Little C examines the balloon burst with his uncle. :)</td></tr>
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In the end, despite the hiccup caused by the KP debacle, the party itself was a success. We were a bit disappointed that there were a lot of people who were unable to make it because it was Mothers' Day, but we understood the situation, and it doubled our appreciation for the people who were there that day. I would especially like to thank my two cousins from Singapore, who shuffled flights around, just so they could stay for their little nephew's party.<br />
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That's it for now, mommies!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-37208580183139357922013-04-30T18:18:00.000+08:002013-06-20T15:49:37.024+08:00The Most Important CEO of All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px; text-align: center;">“I’m participating in the WAHMEO Revolution Blog Carnival 2013, hosted by <a href="http://wahmderfullife.com/" style="color: #76ccc3; text-decoration: none;">WAHMderfullife.com</a> and <a href="http://mommyginger.com/" style="color: #76ccc3; text-decoration: none;">MommyGinger.com</a>. We’ll be sharing our thoughts and experiences on being a WAHMEO. We will also be sharing our reasons why we want to be WAHMEOs. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of link-up entries.”</em><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">I often hear a lot of comments about my decision to work from home instead of seeking employment opportunities outside the home. While most come from a place of concern and are well-meant, they carry with them a hidden subtext: <i>It's such a waste for you to stay at home when you could do something more productive. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">You see, when people hear me say that I'm a work-at-home mom, I think that they choose not to hear the word "work" and instead zero in on the word "home". My response to the questions of "Where do you work?" or "What do you do now?" probably conjures images of me in my pajamas, lounging around and watching TV while my kids play in the other room; in essence, doing nothing all day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">Well, I'd like to clarify matters. In some ways, I don't differ much from the other individuals who get up every day and go to the office. I have tasks, too. I also have deadlines and bosses and annoying clients (and I am not referring to my two kids) to deal with. The only difference is, I deal with them from home. Other WAHMs are entrepreneurs. They run a business and make decent profits, but again, the only difference is that they work from their homes instead of a brick-and-mortar store.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">I try not to, but sometimes I get offended when people think that being a work-at-home mom is a piece of cake. It's actually more work than you think, because in addition to our work responsibilities, we also have responsibilities as wives and mothers. That means we are also cooks, entertainers, boo-boo soothers, milk machines (in the case of breastfeeding moms like me), accountants, HR managers, and personal shoppers, among other things. Up until I became a work-at-home mom, I never realized how many things need to be done at home. You see, when you're in the office, you don't notice things like disorganized cabinets, or the helpers' sometimes halfhearted efforts at cleaning, or that your kids' toys are all over the place. But when you're based at home and these tasks are right in front of you, you have no other choice but to deal with it. In addition to that, we have to do all of those things while looking fabulously slim, stylish and beautiful. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">In the past few years, the number of moms who choose to stay at home and/or work from home has increased. More and more moms are running small, but successful home-based businesses, whilst running a household, breastfeeding and practicing attachment parenting. There are more and more women who are successfully managing to juggle the work and home life balance, and I really feel that this is worth celebrating. The sad thing is, only other moms are aware of, and recognize these achievements and there are still a lot of people who think or feel that being a WAHM is a waste of potential. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">The truth is, to be a successful WAHM requires tricks and skills that are no different from being a successful and effective CEO. </span></span><span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">According to an </span><a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/05/three_traits_every_ceo_needs.html" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">article</a><span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"> published on the Harvard Business Review website, there are three traits every CEO needs to have in order to be effective and successful: realistic optimism, subservience to purpose, and the ability to find order in chaos. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">Let's take the first one, realistic optimism. According to the article, "leaders with this trait pursue audacious goals, while at the same time, remaining aware of the magnitude of the challenges confronting them and the difficulties that lie ahead." The question of being able to balance work and family is a problem that has plagued all working women, an audacious goal to say the least. But the WAHM has successfully managed to achieve this balance. With careful discipline and management, we have the best of both worlds. We learned to use our strengths to be productive members of society, yet we are always present for our husbands and our children. But we know how difficult this undertaking is, which is why we have learned to form communities with other moms like us, to seek encouragement and advice when we most need it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">The second trait is subservience to purpose. While others live to work, WAHMs have learned to work to live. For WAHMs, work can be a means to support our family, but it will never be the center of our lives. Our true purpose is clear, and that is to be wives and mothers. No executive in the world is more driven to succeed than a mother who is determined to give her children the best of everything, because our purpose comes from something deeper than the need for money, fame or success. Our purpose springs from the love we bear for our husbands and most especially for our children. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">And lastly, finding order in chaos. The schedules we keep may seem crazy for some people, what with work responsibilities, household chores and errands and of course, our responsibilities to our families. But a WAHM is able to establish order amidst all this chaos. Diplomatic arguments have nothing on two toddlers wrestling over a toy, and no sales executive is more convincing than a mom trying to coax her son to eat his vegetables, or brush his teeth or go to bed. </span><span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">Put a WAHM in a disorganized, chaotic corporate world and she'll have it running like a tight, efficient machine in just a few weeks. But if you put a CEO in a fancy suit in the middle of a suburban home with two squabbling kids and he'll be needing therapy in a day. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">I'd like to end this post by saying that all moms should be celebrated. Whether we work in an office, work at home, or don't work at all and just focus on caring for our families and raising our children, at the end of the day, we are all just loving mothers who want to give our children the best of everything we can. But for all the WAHMs like me, a special hug and pat on the back goes out to you, because while you may not be the CEO of a Fortune 500 multinational, for your kids, you are the CEO of the most important organization in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;">An advanced happy mothers' day to all of us moms! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"><i>Here's a link to the other entries in the WAHMEO Blog Carnival 2013:</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"><i><a href="http://wp.me/p23PI9-9g">SHED: Thoughts of An Aspiring WAHMEO</a></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"><i><a href="http://www.workingmama.info/2013/04/on-wanting-to-be-wahmeo.html">Working MAMA: On Wanting to be a WAHMEO</a></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"><i><a href="http://www.davaomommy.com/2013/05/the-wahm-lifestyle-realities-duties-and.html">Davao Mommy: The WAHM Lifestyle: Realities, Duties and Fulfillment</a></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #636363; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px;"><i><a href="http://citygirlcountryhome.com/?p=220">City Girl, Country Home: Precious Gems for You Work-At-Home Mommas</a></i></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-20524052249547805052013-03-15T08:51:00.001+08:002013-03-23T07:57:10.026+08:00The End of Another Chapter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday, I was sorting through a box of my sons' old baby clothes to pick out some pre-loved clothes to give away. Some of the old clothes, I set aside for when my sisters have babies of their own, while the others were earmarked for donation.</div>
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I was a bit surprised by how sentimental I felt about packing away the clothes my babies had outgrown and I realized that there were some pieces of clothing that I just couldn't bear to part with, despite how faded and worn-out they were. As I folded the clothes for what may be the last time, I was awash with nostalgia, and I remembered the days we brought them home from the hospital, how <strike>scared</strike> terrified I was that I wouldn't know how to take care of them, how I hoped and prayed that I wouldn't fail them and that I'd be the mother they deserve. I remember watching them sleep, and thinking how every single part of their little bodies was so perfectly made and I could hardly believe that these wonderful human beings came from my body. I remembered their firsts and milestones: the first time they smiled at me, the first time they laughed, the first time I heard them call me Mama. I remembered the many times I rocked them to sleep and how their small bodies fit so snugly in my arms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnKKHehvKSw8cNtStPh0OLMfHJ3_eFMx8tmHeUjksnG10pVIXOd8Sw4PmYrzIwd22pd_NHawzG5SMC7njJtJQixvRKCQ2_8wnY8uYllNzbdE7y9FMRkprrKbMlXKYhVRyCsv5FDmmgyR6/s1600/baby+clothes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnKKHehvKSw8cNtStPh0OLMfHJ3_eFMx8tmHeUjksnG10pVIXOd8Sw4PmYrzIwd22pd_NHawzG5SMC7njJtJQixvRKCQ2_8wnY8uYllNzbdE7y9FMRkprrKbMlXKYhVRyCsv5FDmmgyR6/s320/baby+clothes1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Threadbare pants that morphed from jammies to cut-offs. They're faded from all the washings it took to keep them clean and the holes are byproducts of my sons' crawling adventures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsqXJtc9Shu5M4QOnmFEtLFB4p2_OoX4wd1pcTaDnEx69fRr4ngSS5rtZUDByBZuQTOTu1RcgezPSTucGBBwX9-PP8yNXobiV5BTPNLNUHvyGFD0ILvsrX7e3g0RL44-kzfpaRwgRiw2k/s1600/baby+clothes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsqXJtc9Shu5M4QOnmFEtLFB4p2_OoX4wd1pcTaDnEx69fRr4ngSS5rtZUDByBZuQTOTu1RcgezPSTucGBBwX9-PP8yNXobiV5BTPNLNUHvyGFD0ILvsrX7e3g0RL44-kzfpaRwgRiw2k/s320/baby+clothes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A set of jammies that were passed down from J to Little C. When I first bought these, Big C and I couldn't believe that a human being could actually fit into these small clothes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA72EJym8CR181YW-zwkq61tYfF2ItETHfrHLBcXlOVVR8RNdnBrEfTF1uCoAYHDPlqyBaKnsE2uit6-Rh9CIgZL5vSv7DgK0tPjnowMK1-caT9UreBIju-qKRqbFrDSkeOTJFbDYJuoQ/s1600/P1010552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA72EJym8CR181YW-zwkq61tYfF2ItETHfrHLBcXlOVVR8RNdnBrEfTF1uCoAYHDPlqyBaKnsE2uit6-Rh9CIgZL5vSv7DgK0tPjnowMK1-caT9UreBIju-qKRqbFrDSkeOTJFbDYJuoQ/s320/P1010552.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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Here's baby J, less than a month old.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuKeHnJ42iXOA2eUEsIE1gkQkFcrv45Rqo5mRPZM2CD4J-wMRPg8UPsMUHKZBGEHwf9YEFKhA7rGQk09ooRFAUEebgjAD-nAr7KzzBiCXpknjGt6n2ymOrBGS2wazADHJg0r_u3bIRu6X/s1600/P1040256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuKeHnJ42iXOA2eUEsIE1gkQkFcrv45Rqo5mRPZM2CD4J-wMRPg8UPsMUHKZBGEHwf9YEFKhA7rGQk09ooRFAUEebgjAD-nAr7KzzBiCXpknjGt6n2ymOrBGS2wazADHJg0r_u3bIRu6X/s320/P1040256.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Little C, wearing the same jammies a year and a half later.</td></tr>
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I always talk about how fast time flies when you watch kids grow up, but yesterday's task was one of the most concrete reminders that my babies were never going to be that small anymore. Little C's almost done being an infant, and will graduate to toddler status in a few months, while J will soon be a preschooler.</div>
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And now look at them. Look at how they've grown.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQ-Qq9H9yJx1F8QvMgLCe-mExwySobVvxabXJQzGmW3dFEZmc5IunjC7GhqzWExP7gMP8q8ykuNBs6ua3JU_WLAK9w6XHeQc6EOe7zHKehiRX0ua_OipBznqMbJzPaCZwWjRLHjtYXKX0/s1600/IMG-20130305-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQ-Qq9H9yJx1F8QvMgLCe-mExwySobVvxabXJQzGmW3dFEZmc5IunjC7GhqzWExP7gMP8q8ykuNBs6ua3JU_WLAK9w6XHeQc6EOe7zHKehiRX0ua_OipBznqMbJzPaCZwWjRLHjtYXKX0/s320/IMG-20130305-WA0000.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my big boy J...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and my not-so-Little C.</td></tr>
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It's true what they say. The days are long, but oh my, how short the years really are.</div>
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Happy Friday, mommies!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-17509018783862391292013-02-25T08:14:00.000+08:002013-03-09T16:19:19.802+08:00Super Why! - J's New FavoriteJ has a new favorite and his name is Super Why!<br />
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I found Super Why when I was looking for new reading apps for J to play with. It's really important to me that my boys grow up to be avid readers, and J's at the phase where he's too excited to sit down and read a book, so I have to find other ways to build his reading and language skills. Browsing through top rated software led me to Super Why: ABC Adventures. I wanted to download the iPad app for J, but my resourceful husband was able to find a complete set of episodes of <i>The Reading Adventures of Super Why! </i>which J and Little C now love to watch in the mornings.<br />
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Super Why is a series produced by PBS, designed to help preschool-aged kids build the skills they need to learn to read. Basically the series' hero is Whyatt, who turns into the superhero Super Why. Along with his friends Red (from Little Red Riding Hood), Princess Pea (from The Princess and the Pea) and Pig (from the Three Little Pigs), Super Why helps solve a problem that preschoolers can relate to, by finding the answers in stories.<br />
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Each episode is around 20 minutes long and starts with a simple problem that Super Why and the Super Readers have to solve. Super Why and his friends, the Super Readers, enter a book. As they go through the book, they play fun word games that helps J with letter identification and basic spelling. I also like that as they go through the episode, they actually read through the book using simple sentences, with the words highlighted as they read so it's easy for J to follow. The activities also build vocabulary because they take new words and define these words in language easy enough for preschoolers to understand. At the end of the book, they solve the problem that came up at the beginning. Often, these problems are integrated with simple lessons about manners and values.<br />
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J doesn't generally like new stuff, and when we introduce new shows to him, he asks us to switch it back to Mickey Mouse, Elmo or Ducktales, which are his favorites. But as soon as I played Super Why on the TV, he was engaged and watched an entire episode. Now, when he watches TV, he'll ask us for "Why!" :-)<br />
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For those of you who would like to check out Super Why, here's a link to the show's <a href="http://pbskids.org/superwhy/">site</a>. There's also a link for parents, where it gives lesson plans and additional activities to build on the lessons that for each episode. Here is a sample of a lesson plan based on the <a href="http://pbskids.org/superwhy/parentsteachers/resources/lessonplans/Lesson1_TheThreeLittlePigs.pdf">Three Little Pigs</a> episode, and home activities based on the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/parents/superwhy/activities/205.html">King Eddie Who Loved Spaghetti</a> episode.<br />
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I hope your kids like it as much my little Super Reader does! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-31531561713223855222013-02-23T11:54:00.000+08:002013-02-23T11:54:23.578+08:00Learning His ABCs -- The High Tech WayWhen J was a baby, Big C and I decided that we wouldn't let him watch TV until he's two years old. We were vigilant about upholding this rule, but we did relent when he was about 20 months old and finally introduced him to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Elmo. Since then, we've allowed him to watch TV in the mornings, but we still keep a close eye on what he watches. Letting him watch TV at this particular point in time, where he's learning quite a lot and absorbing information really quickly, has allowed me to gauge his ability to understand what he's seeing on the screen. So far, I've seen that he grasps the concepts of whatever show or movie he's watching: he shows proper reactions and emotions (i.e. being scared, being happy) and he identifies things that he sees (cars, balls, etc.)<br />
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J's also learned how to use the iPad. Our battered, but still working first generation iPad, which I bought as a birthday present for Big C before J was born, has now found a new owner. While we were initially hesitant to let J spend so much time playing with it, he's at that age where he's benefiting greatly from playing educational games. So we just make sure that we carefully screen the programs he plays with. I have personally selected the games that he plays. To make sure that the games are educational and age-appropriate (not just in terms of content but also in terms of skill), I go through several rounds of the game myself to see what it's like and I teach J how to play the game.<br />
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Since we let him play with the iPad, J has learned his ABCs (upper and lower case), colors, shapes and the numbers 1-10. So for us, we've already recouped our initial investment on the iPad, not even counting the time that Big C and I used it. Disclaimer though, this is not to say that technological learning devices are totally good, there are still some dangers to avoid and it's our responsibility as parents to be vigilant and instill discipline when it comes to using electronic devices. The decision of how much time your little one spends with his iPad, iPod, or computer is still entirely up to you. But to help you make the decision on what apps you can let your kids play with, here are some of apps that J plays on his iPad:<br />
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1. Bugsy Pre-K: This is the very first learning app that we taught J how to play with. This is basically the app that started it all for us. From this, J learned the letters of the alphabet, numbers up to 10, colors (primary, secondary, brown, white and gray), and shapes. The nice thing about this app is that it starts at a very basic level then progresses in terms of difficulty. For instance, for shapes, it will start with the basic shapes, then include hexagons and pentagons to increase the level of difficulty. For letters, it will start with identifying and recognizing letters, then move on to identifying beginning letters and phonetics. This app is still my favorite in terms of learning content. Plus, at the end of each round, J gets to pick a toy for Bugsy to play with, which he likes, so it motivates him to keep playing more rounds. He's been playing with this for about three months already and he still loves it.<br />
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2. Pororo Tick Talk English - Colors: This is also one of J's favorites that he keeps coming back to. It just teaches colors, but he likes Pororo so he likes this app. Basically, it will ask you to pick a can of paint to color an object with. For instance, there's an outline of a blue plane, so Pororo will ask you to choose the color blue and you can paint the plane. It also tests the child by giving him an array of objects and asking him to click the ones that are blue or red or yellow and so on. It can also help your little one learn the colors as sight words, because the word "red" will flash and the font is red. There's also a reading portion about colors that your child can listen to, which helps with reading skills.<br />
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3. Little Writer - The Tracing App for Kids: I downloaded this for J because I wanted him to start learning how to write. This is pretty nice because it teaches J how to write letters in upper and lower case, numbers, draw basic shapes and write words. It's kid-friendly because instead of ordinary tracing lines, your child will be asked to trace by pulling an animal or a truck to "eat" or get the objects. For instance, J has to pull the giraffe to collect all the apples, and the strokes follow how to write the letter. I've noticed that since playing with the app, J has started using his fingers to trace the letters he sees, like on my shirts or his books. For writing words, it will ask the child to write the letters one by one and at the end, it will show a picture of the object, say the word and show the word in your child's handwriting. My favorite feature of this app is that it allows you to add words of your own. I've added Daddy and Mommy and J and Little C's names and at the end our pictures flash, which can eventually help J recognize the words and spell it.<br />
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4. Jellytoons Toddler Skills - Bobo's Birthday Challenge: This is one of the newer apps on J's iPad. This app lets J work on shape and color matching and counting. There's also a part where J has to guide a ball around a track to reach the end, where it makes a funny bouncing sound that always makes J laugh. This game works on his motor skills. There's also a cup game, where a toy is hidden under a cup and he has to watch and guess which of the three cups the toy is hidden under. For each round he finishes, he gets to pick a gift for Bobo. There are also counting games to teach your toddler the numbers 1-10, using a fun ice cream game.<br />
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5. Jumpstart Preschool: I remember playing the Jumpstart 3rd Grade game on the PC when I was a kid, so I downloaded the Preschool version for J. Like Bugsy, this app teaches letters, numbers, shapes and colors. There's also a puzzle portion, where they have to put together a puzzle that forms a flashcard about a letter. There also memory matching games and stories for them to listen to/read along and connect the dots to form a picture. What I don't like about it is that the only reward the child gets at the end of each game is a star, which doesn't really do much. You don't get any prizes if you collect a certain number of stars, you just collect stars, so I'm afraid after a while, J will lose interest because there's no motivation.<br />
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So there you have it, mommies. Some kid-friendly and teacher-mommy-approved apps for your little one to enjoy. I leave you with a picture of my J, in DND ("do not disturb" in ICQ-speak -- again, a dated reference that betrays my age) mode with his iPad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J in do-not-disturb mode</td></tr>
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Happy weekend, mommies!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-71805742837510397572013-02-22T17:42:00.002+08:002013-02-22T17:42:16.529+08:00On Hanging Up the HornsWhen Little C was born, my only breastfeeding goal was to keep providing breastmilk for as long as I possibly could. But now, at a little over 9 months, I'm afraid it's time for me to, as they say in breastfeeding circles, "hang up the horns".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I wish I still had this with Little C</td></tr>
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The notion of weaning first came to me last December, when a tearing wound forced me to stop using the pump and just hand express one breast, while using the pump on the other. Because I pump 10 times a day, the tear simply didn't have enough time to heal. I couldn't stop pumping because that would kill my already barely-enough supply, but I couldn't keep using the pump because the tear just kept getting worse and worse. Big C asked me, very gently, that maybe, <i>just maybe</i>, it's time to wean already. The thought brought me near tears and I couldn't explain why I couldn't stop yet, just that I couldn't.<br />
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A conversation with Maricel of Medela Moms shed some light on the subject. She said that my inexplicable reluctance to stop pumping milk for my son was completely normal and that most breastfeeding and pumping moms have gone through it at one time or another. She also told me that in most cases, there will come a day when you will finally feel okay with weaning, but before that day comes, you shouldn't force it. If there is still something in you that feels like you need to keep going, then do so by all means.<br />
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So I kept on.<br />
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Since December, I have persisted with hand expressing, but lately, I've noticed that my supply has been dipping. Alarmingly low, to the point that my supply was just half of what it used to be. Plus, despite my diligence with pumping and hand expressing, I suffered from clogged ducts which gave me a fever and kept me out of commission for two days. And so, I finally accepted that maybe it's time for me to wean. The thought of finally, completely weaning my son from my milk makes me feel a little weepy and sad, and regretful of how I didn't persist with direct feeding. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't have to wean Little C just yet.<br />
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At the time, I made the decision to exclusively pump based on what my entire family needed and while I am satisfied with what I have been able to do for Little C, some little part of me wishes that I could keep feeding my son with my own milk. Especially now that he's gotten so big and growing up so quickly, I yearn for the time when he was just a tiny baby and he would fall asleep in my arms because he was full from drinking my milk. In my mind's eye, I can still see the way he looked then as he unlatched from my breast, eyes closed, face still and peaceful, milk dribbling out from the corner of his mouth.<br />
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But, it is what it is, and now, 9 months later, my breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. With my milk supply dwindling by the day, I cut back my pumping sessions from 10 a day to just 6 a day. While a small part of me is relieved that I'm almost done, there's an even larger part of me that feels sad, because as Big C said, this marks the end of a very special phase in my son's young life. But as Big C also pointed out, our Little C is very lucky that he was able to go through that phase, when so many other kids don't.<br />
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So now, it's almost time for me to pack up my trusty PISA, which has served me well. I bought it when I was still pumping for J, but it really got a workout with Little C. This Medela pump was a sturdy and reliable friend and I've gotten so used to having it around. For moms who are seriously planning to breastfeed their babies, a double pump is an investment that is worth it. I highly recommend the Medela pumps, and Medela Moms offers great after-sales service. In addition to taking good care of your pump for you, they'll also provide you with much needed support and advice throughout your breastfeeding journey. For this, I thank Medela Moms, especially Mommy Maricel. To be fair, I should mention that I never had a chance to deal with Beng, the other Medela Mom, which is why I never mention her. :-)<br />
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As of this post, I am still unable to let go of providing milk for my son. While I look forward to the day when I finally hang up the horns, I'm grateful that I'm still able to get through one more day.<br />
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Have a happy, albeit rainy, weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-33857567293171965992013-02-09T13:24:00.000+08:002013-02-09T13:24:59.479+08:00A Blogful of MemoriesWhen I first started writing this blog, I wanted it to be a way by which I could write about special moments with my boys, record memories of what they were like as kids, so that we could have something to look back at when they're all grown up.<br />
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I realize that it's been quite some time since I've written an entry and I blame it on the hectic schedule that comes with being a work-at-home mom. Now that we're down one helper, the routine at home is a bit crazier than usual, but lately, I've been looking at my two babies. Whenever I look at them, it always hits me how quickly they grow up. J is now 27 months old and my Little C is turning 9 months old in a few days, so today, I decided to scrap my work schedule and just use the time to write about some of the things I'd like to remember about my boys a few years from now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Chinese New Year from J & Little C!</td></tr>
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<li>The other day, Little C woke up from his nap and he was alone in the playpen so he started crying. When I came into his room to get him, he was already sitting and thrashing his chubby legs. He looked so adorably petulant that I couldn't help but laugh when I went to pick him up.</li>
<li>The brotherly squabbles are starting, now that Little C has started showing interest in Ahya J's toys. Of course, the big boy doesn't want to share and would push his little brother away while saying, "No, baby!"</li>
<li>In the space of the past two weeks, Little C has hit a lot of milestones. He's learned to hold his own bottle, sit on his own and crawl really, really quickly. He's also learned to pull up on pretty much anything and stand with support. He's also got his two little bottom teeth and the top ones are due to make their appearance any day now. (I can't say this enough. The teething phase really bites, pardon the pun. We just finished with J and now we're starting with Little C. This is one phase of childhood that I wish I could fast-forward.)</li>
<li>When J wants to do something that we don't allow, he'll look at us with his big eyes and say, "Try! Try!" while nodding his head repeatedly to try and convince us. Translation: "Come on, Mommy/Daddy/Yaya, let me just try!"</li>
<li>J likes picking out his own clothes already, and he has several specific items of clothing that he wears again and again.</li>
<li>The other day, J spotted the Elmo band-aids I got and insisted that I put one on him. He told me to put it on one of his old ouchies, a tiny little scrape on his foot that dried out a week ago. I could hardly hold back my laughter when he started limping while walking as though the ouchie was brand new. He was really walking slowly and wouldn't put his full weight down on the foot with the band-aid.</li>
<li>A continuation to the band-aid story. The next morning, I was carrying him out of the room so he wouldn't wake Little C up. As I gently dropped him feet-first onto the floor, Yaya pulled off his socks so he spotted his Elmo band-aid again. Just before he dropped to the ground, he said, "No, Mommy! Ouchie!" and started crying, with real big tears. We have a real character on our hands! But sensing that my big little boy just needed a little Mommy-love, I picked him up like a baby, set him down on his Daddy's chair, and gave his "ouchie" a kiss. He even put his feet up on Daddy's ottoman so his foot wouldn't hurt anymore!</li>
<li>Lately, J has this new thing, where he suddenly runs into my room, shouting, "Mommy! Mommy!" and he just barrels towards me and gives me a hug and giggles and runs off somewhere else.</li>
<li>The other day, the two boys were watching cartoons in the living room and I sat down with them a few moments during a quick work break. When I stood up, both boys started wailing for me to stay and sit with them some more. </li>
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The upcoming Chinese New Year reminds me that just one short year ago, I was still heavily pregnant with Little C, while J was just learning to take his first steps. I can only imagine what my boys will be like in a few more months, let alone a year! </div>
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Enjoy the Chinese New Year weekend, mommies! Here's to a wonderful blessing-filled year of the water snake!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-15810793837951138702013-01-07T16:32:00.001+08:002013-01-07T16:32:18.020+08:00Thank you, Eliza of "The Painter's Wife"If any of you have read my previous entry, you'll know that I'm struggling right now with breastfeeding Little C (as I've said before, I use the term breastfeeding very loosely. In my case, breastfeeding means exclusively pumping breastmilk for my baby). I am at a very challenging point in my breastfeeding journey and just today, I found a new tear in my nipple, right beside the last one that just healed. Sigh.<br />
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Because of the difficulty that I'm having right now, in addition to all the hurdles that I've had to overcome in the seven months or so that I have been religiously pumping breastmilk for Little C, the past few days have found me seriously considering transitioning him to formula. I'm also struggling with the question of weaning. The how isn't a problem. I know I just have to gradually cut back on my pumping sessions and my body will stop producing milk. The question is when. I don't know when I'll be able to feel okay about not expressing milk for my son's consumption. Most of the exclusively pumping moms I know stop after their baby's first birthday, and right now, I'm making that my soft deadline. Emphasis on the word "soft". Right now, I'm imagining it to be Little C's first birthday, and I'm transitioning him to formula and I just feel sad.<br />
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This quote, shared by Eliza of <a href="http://painterswife.com/">The Painter's Wife</a> on Facebook, came at just the right time.<br />
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To Mommy Eliza, thank you. This post, which may or may not be a casual "share" on your part, has inadvertently given much needed encouragement to a fellow mom to keep up in the quest to give my son the best there is. I hope one day, in my own way, I'll be able to unknowingly help another struggling mom the same way you helped me today. :-)<br />
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Happy day mommies!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-47026970443110397122013-01-05T16:29:00.001+08:002013-01-05T16:29:09.062+08:00The Question of Weaning When You're Not Direct FeedingAs of today, my breastfeeding career (including both direct feeding and exclusively pumping) has lasted seven months and twenty-three days. A little over two months after I gave birth to Little C, we had our first official day without formula. Approximately three months after giving birth, I reached my peak production level of 36 ounces of breastmilk a day.<br />
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Shortly after that though, I had a serious case of clogged ducts, which left me weak and feverish for about two days. Since then, my breastmilk has decreased considerably, which meant that formula-free days were again far and few in between. I was hoping that eventually, with a little bit of persistence, my supply would go back to the way it was before I got sick, but I've had no luck. I remember feeling very despondent, and I wondered why it was so easy for others to produce milk. I felt really bad because I haven't been negligent. I've kept to a strict pumping schedule, taken all the supplements I could and just plain refused to give up. Eventually, I consoled myself with the thought that as long as I had enough to give my son, then I was producing just the right amount.<br />
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When Little C started eating solids, I had a two-week streak of no formula days, and I was even feeling a bit proud, because there would always be a stockpile in the ref of several small bottles of expressed breastmilk, enough to tide Little C over even if I spent most of the day out of the house.<br />
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Then, for some reason, just a few days ago, Little C's appetite kicked up a notch. Or several notches. Suddenly, my small, precious stock of milk was gone. I could barely keep up with him, and our level of formula supplementation was as bad as it was when he was first born and I was still trying to establish my milk supply. Added to that, I suffered from a tear in my nipple, which grew larger and larger by the day, making it pure hell for me to express milk. I figured it would heal itself, so I kept pumping to produce milk, but it just kept getting worse. When I finally saw blood come out from the wound, I had to consider whether I should stop pumping to let it heal.<br />
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I was in a quandary. If I stop pumping to let it heal, my already meager milk supply would decrease even further, but if I don't stop pumping, I would make the tear worse and run the risk of it getting infected. Eventually, I decided to pump on one side, and just hand express the milk from the breast with the tear. So far I've been doing that for the past three days, even in the middle of the night.<br />
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But for the first time, I had to give serious though to whether it was time for me to stop giving milk to my son. I wondered if this was my body's way of telling me to let it rest and that what I've given was enough.<br />
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I couldn't sleep that night, and the one question that was bouncing through my mind was, "Should I stop already?" I had to admit I was tantalized by the thought. I imagined all the ways my life would be easier. No more lugging around my heavy breastpump bag. No more tightly scheduled outings. More time to work. No more sore boobs and nipples. Getting to wear a normal bra for a change. Getting to buy clothes just because I like them and not because they would let me express my milk more easily. MORE SLEEP. Wow.<br />
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Then I look at Little C and I can't bring myself to do it. Because he's a younger child, I didn't have the one-on-one time to spend with him the way that I did with J. Because he's my second baby, I didn't feel the necessity of asserting my maternal territory by insisting on doing everything for him, from burping to bathing to changing diapers to putting him to sleep. I let the yaya do all that, because I knew that not doing all these things doesn't mean I love him less. But giving him my breastmilk? That was my gift. The one thing I do for him that no one else ever could, and in addition to giving him unlimited hugs, kisses, cuddles, this was my love language for my little boy.<br />
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My son adores me. I am his favorite person in the world. He looks at me and I see in his eyes that he loves me. He's always so happy to see me, and no matter who's carrying him at the moment, he will hold out his arms to me the minute he sees me. If a new person suddenly carries him and he gets scared, he searches me out and begs me with his eyes to come get him. When we are in a room together and I suddenly disappear (to go to the bathroom or to chase after J or to get something from the other room), he always looks for me.<br />
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I am overwhelmed by how much he loves me, and I am overwhelmed by how much I love him. And so now, even with my tired body and battered breasts begging me to stop, there's that little voice in my heart that tells me to keep going, just one more day. For him.<br />
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Now, with the amount of breastmilk that I produce decreasing with each pump, I am confronted with the thought of how to stop. It's not a question of when. I think deciding to stop giving him breastmilk will be difficult for me no matter when I do it. Despite the fact that it will make my life easier, it is an agonizing decision. And unlike moms who direct feed, weaning will be more difficult for me, because my son is never going to say no to breastmilk.<br />
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It's a difficult decision because I know that so long as I keep at it, milk (meager as it is) will come out. But at what point do I say that it's the end of the road for us, and it's time to stop? And how do I do it without feeling like I am taking something away from my son?<br />
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I don't have any answers to these questions at the moment. It is something that I am struggling with, but for now, I'm glad to have gone through one more day where I have given my son the gift of mother's milk.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-30778529466866193342012-11-20T09:54:00.001+08:002012-11-20T17:11:00.917+08:00Our Disappointing Picture Company Session<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a mom, I love taking pictures of my sons. In J's first year alone, I amassed more than 2000 photos of him. These photos help preserve memories of special days and the everyday moments that make up a childhood. Same story with Little C, although most of the photos are now taken with my phone camera instead of our trusty digital camera.<br />
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Despite having a ton of photos, I still wanted to get professional family and child portraits taken. So when I found vouchers for discounted membership for The Picture Company (TPC), I jumped at the chance. My nephews and nieces had portraits taken at their studios and I always liked those pictures.<br />
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Our first photo shoot as members of TPC was scheduled at their Rockwell branch. Since they were a studio that catered to taking kids' portraits, I was expecting a very professionally conducted photo shoot, despite the fact that I was with a rambunctious 2-year-old and a 6-month-old. I was highly disappointed because of our photographer.<br />
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First, I felt that our photographer was very exasperated and irritated by the fact that J was running all over the place. Of course, it's a new place, with tons of toys and new things to see, he won't sit in one spot and smile for you. I thought it was just me, but apparently every one who was with us that day got the same vibe: my husband, my two yayas, even my parents and sister who came to see my sons in their first pictorial together. I acknowledge that taking photos of my son that day was a challenge, but these photographers are supposed to be used to taking pictures of kids. I doubt that my son was the only kid who couldn't stay still during a pictorial. <br />
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Second, sensing the photographer's mounting irritation, I was asking her to suggest different poses or set-ups that my son would be more likely to cooperate with. At that time, the two boys were just sitting down or lying on the rug. I asked her, several times, "Do you have any other ideas of poses or set-ups we can try?" She didn't respond, and I don't know if it's because she didn't hear me, or she just really didn't want to answer. In the end, I suggested some possible poses based on previous photos I saw. I guess I expected more input from her because she's supposed to be the professional, not me.<br />
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Third, the photographer seemed unwilling to go with the flow. Little C wouldn't look at the camera, so the yayas were trying to coax him into looking forward so we could get good shots of his face. One of my yayas happened to notice the sintras boards for other clients lying on the shelf and picked one up to get my son's attention. It worked, Little C looked up and at the camera and smiled at the picture of the other baby. Instead of taking the opportunity to snap photos, the photographer said, "Ate, wag po yan. May nag-order po niyan." (Don't use that, that's someone else's order.) I understand that the photo board belonged to other people, but it's not like the yaya gave it to the baby to play with. She was just waving it around so that Little C would look at the camera. Also, there was one point that the boys wanted to play with the balls. The photographer took several pieces from the crate and gave it to them, but of course, that's not enough for kids, they want all the balls. When we took some more from the crate and gave it to them, she said, "Tama na, makalat na e." I'm hoping she was referring to the pictures, and not to the mess. The thing is, if it keeps the kids happy and willing to take pictures, I don't see what the problem is. If it looks too cluttered in the photo, she could always edit some out right?<br />
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Lastly, she seemed to be conserving her shots. By this, I mean she wasn't taking as many photos as she could. See, in my amateur experience taking photos of my boys, I learned that the general rule is to take as many as possible, to keep shooting, in the hopes that there are one or two good photos that we can use. But during the shoot, it felt like the photographer was waiting for both the kids to be in a good pose before she'd snap a shot. There were several points where I would tell her, "There, he's smiling na!" She wasn't even looking at the boys, just fiddling with her camera. As my husband said, "Parang film camera gamit niya a. Kelangan tipirin yung shot." (It's like she's using a film camera where you have to conserve your shots.) It ended up that every time I would ask her if she got any good shots, she'd say, "These are all I have."<br />
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When the session was finished, I didn't have so many nice photos to choose from. We've tried having a TPC pictorial before with just J (at the Podium branch), when they also issued vouchers for single photo sessions, and that time, I had the problem of too many photos to choose from. There were so many nice photos, I couldn't narrow down the choices. This time, the choice was easy. There were only four family photos to choose from, and two were not good. In one picture, the two kids and I looked nice, but Big C's eyes were half closed. In the other, the four of us were looking in separate directions. Thankfully, the other two were passable. I was also really disappointed that in the series of pictures where the two boys were together, Little C wasn't smiling in any of the photos. In Little C's solo shots though, there were several nice ones and that mollified me a little.<br />
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In their website, TPC says that they "take great care to make sure that every portrait session is an enjoyable experience for you and your family". It certainly didn't feel that way last Sunday and I can't express how disappointed I was by what happened. I know it wasn't easy to take pictures of my sons, but I would have appreciated a little more patience, effort and enthusiasm from the photographer.<br />
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I want to maximize the membership with lots of shoots, but based on our Rockwell experience, it's safe to say that I'll be trying out the other branches next time. I'm just hoping that our next photo shoot will be a vast improvement over this one. Any recommendations for which branches and photographers to try will be much appreciated.<br />
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Till the next post!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-90004619643640426662012-11-07T16:43:00.000+08:002012-11-08T08:32:33.346+08:00Help, Mommies! I have a toddler school dilemma!When J's second semester started last Monday, he had a new classmate, a little boy six months older than him. Ordinarily, before the class starts, the kids are allowed to play with the toys in the classroom, and J, New Classmate (NC) and some of the other early birds were playing. While they were playing, NC threw a toy at another classmate, a little girl who had just stepped in the door. She didn't cry but was sufficiently surprised to stick close to her mother, who stays with her during class. Like most people, I shrugged it off as an isolated incident and left J on his own to start class. Anyway, NC's mom, who was with him at that time, scolded her son right away and made him say sorry.<br />
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Fast forward to the end of the class and I was about to step inside the classroom to pick J up. NC's dad was also waiting to pick his son up and we stepped inside the classroom at the same time. I spotted J among the kids, who were all standing in the front of the room dancing to the Barney song after having their snacks. J, NC and one of the other little boys were standing together. J spotted me and I waved hi as I stepped towards him.<br />
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Then out of nowhere, THWACK!<br />
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NC slapped my son.<br />
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Of course, I rushed to my son's side to give him a hug. He was so surprised that he didn't even cry, not until I had hugged him and kissed his ouchie. He buried his face in my neck and started crying, not the loud wails that I expected, but a scared and surprised kind of crying. NC's mom and dad apologized profusely to me and scolded their son and made him say sorry, so I told them that it was no problem. It happens with kids. They looked really contrite and embarrassed so I assured them that it was alright. Then I found out that NC had also hit one of their other classmates. The boy's yaya, who came to pick him up, was indignant on behalf of her charge.<br />
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Today, J and NC were once again the early birds in the class and they were playing together. They were seated close to each other and I was keeping an eye on them both because of what happened in the previous session. (This time, NC was unaccompanied. His mom had dropped him off and would not be joining them in class.) Again, out of the blue, NC reached over to hit my son, but luckily, the class yaya was there to pull back his arm so J wasn't really hit that hard.<br />
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To make a long story short, before the class had even started, NC had hit two other classmates and kicked another in the shins. All these incidents were unprovoked. The children weren't fighting over anything. I was already concerned, but relieved that the incidents were witnessed by the teacher, who firmly reprimanded NC for his behavior and made him apologize to his classmates.<br />
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I got to thinking though. What should I do if the incidents were to continue? Big C and I tell J that hitting is not okay and that he should never hit others. Yet, as I comforted him after another child hit him, he heard me tell the other mom that it's okay. That's confusing for J. I understand that NC is just a little kid and he's still learning how to behave, but I have a responsibility to my son, to teach him what's right and to protect him from harm.<br />
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Still, I also think, what if I were in the other mom's shoes? She was obviously not happy with what her son is doing, and she does reprimand him and tell him that what he is doing is not acceptable and that he should apologize to the other kids he hurts. But I don't like that every time my son is in school, he runs the risk of getting hit. Today, after NC hit him again and when he noticed that I had left the room already, he started crying in class and called out for me for the first time. Thankfully, he stopped after a while, but still, it disturbed me enough to write about it and seek advice from other moms.<br />
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So, there's my dilemma, mommies. Any input? It would be much appreciated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-23050746801764176952012-10-20T18:26:00.001+08:002012-10-22T13:07:43.049+08:00Bedtime MOM-entJust a few days ago, I read an article about kids' last times. The author was talking about how we always remember the first time our babies turned over, their first steps, first words. But we focus so much on the first times, that we don't notice the last times that mark our children's passage from one stage of their life to the other. And the thing is, you never know when it might be the last time. Thinking of it now, I can't remember the last time J needed to be swayed to sleep. For months now, he's been sleeping like a big boy, tossing and turning on his bed until he drifts off.<br />
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Last night, after we brushed J's teeth, I carried him to his bed to sleep. I gave him his bottle, and just before he stuck it in his mouth, he said, "Mama, ga!" He was telling me to lie down beside him. My son does this fairly regularly. He likes it when we cuddle in his bed. Sometimes I sing him silly little songs and nursery rhymes. Sometimes I admonish him for some misbehavior during the day. And sometimes, I just babble and say sweet nothings to my little boy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama cuddling a 6-month old J</td></tr>
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I always love these moments. Even though I still had to go downstairs and check on the maid, pick up the trail of debris J left in our room, and prepare our things for the next morning, I was always reluctant to say good night. Last night, as he was cuddled close to me, sipping his milk contentedly, I breathed in that special little boy smell and rubbed his tummy. I rested my head against his shoulder and out of nowhere, I said softly to him, "You know something, you won't be a baby forever, but you will always be Mama's little baby boy." To my surprise, J nodded his head, as though saying, "I know, Mama."<br />
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It always amazes me to find out how much he understands now. Last night, as I was preparing to say one final good night, I told him that I had to go in a bit because I still had to go check on things downstairs. J pulled the bottle from his mouth and said, "Daddy, baba." He meant that I should stay there and tell his dad to go down instead of me. Haha!<br />
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It amazes me even more to realize that one day, Little C will grow up and be as big as J is now, and one day, both my boys will grow up and they won't ask me to kiss their ouchies, to spend a few moments with them before they drift off to sleep, or to hold my hand when we take a walk.<br />
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I won't know when that last time will come, that last time when J will plead with me to stay a bit longer with him, or ask me to sit down and play with him. I don't know until when Little C will be able to fall asleep cradled in my arms like the baby he is, or until when he'll gurgle happily at the sight of me and raise his chubby little arms to be picked up. I don't know until when I'll stop being the most beautiful woman in the world for these two boys and I don't know when Big C and I will stop being the most important people in the world to them. All I know is that the days are long but the years are short, and in the blink of an eye, my boys will have grown up.<br />
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So I stayed just a few minutes longer. And as I reluctantly crept my way out of their room last night, J's plaintive little whimper, "Mama, de!", telling me not to leave, tugged at my heart and I tucked the memory away. After all, as I told J, my babies won't be babies forever.<br />
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Happy weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437690754385166980.post-19248184830632678392012-09-28T15:01:00.001+08:002012-09-28T15:42:07.460+08:00McGyver MOM-ent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just had to share my frazzled moment for the day.<br />
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Mornings are usually hectic at our house, especially on the days when J has school. This morning, I was pretty on time, ahead even. I was able to prepare the meat for tonight's dinner, have breakfast, make J's baon and take a shower, all before my 7:20 morning pump to leave milk for Little C.</div>
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While J sang and danced in class, I was in the car finishing my 9:00 pump when I realized what I missed this morning.</div>
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I'd forgotten to bring covers for the breastmilk bottles. </div>
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Oh no.</div>
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So, borne out of desperation, here's my mommy fix to the problem. Not the most sanitary solution, but at least I didn't have to throw out the milk. Don't worry, I made sure the plastic's clean and the scrunchie never touched the rim of the bottle. :-)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">breastmilk bottle covered with a sheet of plastic and sealed with a scrunchie</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1