Our Philippine Aerospace Museum Visit

What better way to spend the National Heroes Day weekend and our son's love for airplanes than at the Philippine Aerospace Museum at Villamor Air Base.

But, being a holiday, the museum was closed. We did get to see the planes on display on the grounds.

Here's how we spent our Monday morning.

Small planes for your viewing pleasure. They look nice from afar.

We realized though that he's scared of the planes! He just likes them from afar.He's trying to "escape" from mommy here.

It took a lot of convincing before he even touched a plane's wing.

Stiff and still scared here.

He's scared. Really, look at his face.

So, he's glad to leave the place.


We took the little boy to McDo nearby for breakfast and of course, he ate with gusto.

Then, we're off to visit the nearby church to offer a little prayer.

Face to face with your own mortality

Death scares me--more so now that I have a kid. But recently, my OA (over acting) self was faced with my own mortality when I had to undergo a breast ultrasound, supposedly for a lump felt by the doctor during our annual physical exam.

Now, I was too busy to be in hysteria, but I was scared. And while waiting for my turn at the ultrasound room, I was thinking--life really is short and we should all be prepared for it.

I don't know much about making a will yet and all the legalities that come with it, but here's what I was thinking of as I sat at the clinic:

* I want my son to be in the care of his father, provided his father will bring my son to my mother and sister's place at least once a month. I want my mom and sister to be actively involved in the upbringing of my son.

* To my husband, I will not forbid you to remarry but please not during the one year mourning period. And please, please find a wife who will love my son enough for me not to get up from where I'm buried.

* For my son to be raised in the house I so love and for my husband not to use what is our room as his and his wife's room. You can take the third room and my son can use our room.

* If I get to leave some money, I want it all saved for the use of my son.

* I want my son to remember how much his mom loves him so please show him pictures and videos of me. And make him read this blog, too as soon as he is old enough.

Okay, before people think I'm dying-- let me clarify I am not. Not yet anyway because we're all going to get there on our own time. The ultrasound, though not read by the doctor yet, says normal.

The lump must just be milk.

I am still breastfeeding, by the way.

Project: Dream House

This will be quite a long post as we are passionate about this house-no matter how simple or small it may be. And besides, turning a house into a home is a never ending process. =)

We first set eyes on our home sweet home February of 2007, when I was heavily pregnant with Jared. It wasn't a home, sweet home yet. In fact, it looked like a dumpster! But it was in a good neighborhood and the property was offered to us at a price we could not resist.

Then I gave birth and it was only after (around May) that we started preparing the documents for the loan. That took a good 4 months, details of which I would gladly forget.

Then the renovations started. I have always dreamed of living in a two-storey house, living in a bungalow for most of my life. But sometimes, what we get is dictated by the money we have in our pockets. So for the meantime, bungalow it is. Having acquired this property at the early part of our marriage, we're hopeful we'll get a bigger and better house in the not-so-distant future.

Then, everything came to a halt.No paint yet, no kitchen nor cabinets. It was actually livable already but I could not imagine living in a house with no paint. =)

After more loans from kindred souls (say mama and sistah-pay when able!), we had the flooring installedthe kitchen started
and had the gate changed (the old gate was an eyesore).
Of course, we also had the house painted and what a change it was!

This house accommodated our clan of 72 members last Christmas. Because we had nothing inside yet, that's why.

This year, we concentrated on filling up the house with things that are important to us. We bought the dining table on sale at Home Depot (on hindsight, maybe we can get a better deal at Paco), then the sofa at Abea (love their price and the style--fit for a family just starting out), then the side tables, center table and arm chair with foot stool at Bangkal (yes, yes we scoured the shops).

Then, I bought things which I feel will make our house feel like a home. Non essential items for some, but they are important to me. Curtains at one of SM's sales, throw pillows, table napkins (they have Martha Stewart at SM-- I am one happy mommy).

Off to Dapitan to buy a specific tray I saw online and I found it there for less than half the price at ebay.

Our orange Cleopatra chair was bought literally on the street. We were going to Laguna and this chair caught our fancy with its big for sale sign and loud color. At 3,500 and can sit 4 people, it added a pop of color in our neutral sala without making a big dent on the pocket.

We are bringing in our old TV set and refrigerator. Bought our oven this month and will have the screen installed soon.

Oh, and I don't have photos of it yet but I'm already envisioning how our sunburst mirror will make our living room elegant looking. Here's how it looks like. This one was from Robles Heritage.

We're excited to move in!

Quaint Little Coffee Shop: Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee

I don't frequent coffee shops that much. Aside from the fact that I can't take cold coffee (gives me goosebumps--I order hot cafe latte 95% of the time ), I find it too crowded most of the time.

It was a pleasant surprise to see this quaint coffee shop. It's not too small but not too big, the vibe inside is good, cheerful yet homey, and the price is just right (case in point, a breakfast set of 2 poached eggs, toast and jam is just P65). I love the mango jam that came with my order and I tried to make them sell me a bottle. Alas, it wasn't for sale. I do hope they'll start selling it, though.

It's also way out of the usual areas we visit. The branch I visited is at Tomas Morato. I'd been aching to try their cakes as the display looked totally yummy.

I read they have a branch at the Sky Garden at SM City. Should plan a visit there very, very soon.

Enjoy the photos and happy weekend!

Reminder to Self

This is just to remind me that no matter how tired I get with work, a big reward, literally and figuratively, is waiting for me (us) at home.

He Knows...

...the days of the weeks and that Saturday is a fun day because he gets to ride the car and mommy and daddy is with him the whole day.

...plenty of songs. He learned the national anthem (or parts of it) last summer, rain, rain go away, bahay kubo (the complete albeit bulol version), leron, leron sinta, you are my sun shine, don't cry little one (wait, is that the title?), and almost all of the songs in his CD.

...that when he's naughty, he needs to say sorry.

...to say excuse me and bless you (when somebody sneezes)

...how to drink his vitamins.

...how to share. He shares his food with Thomas and Teddy (his toys) and he even shares mommy's milk with them.

...daddy and mommy need to go to the office Mondays to Fridays. He bids us farewell in a most adorable and yet nakakaawa way.

I have tons of photos to post but no decent camera. Hay, wish the new digicam will get here soon enough.

Have a Happy Tuesday!

*all photos taken at Mcdo last Saturday, his favorite day of the week

Mommy Moments: I Love Books

As individuals, we've probably read thousands of titles each before getting married. Once married, I got to read most of his books, and he got to read mine.

It is one of our hopes that we'll get to raise a reader. I hope our son will also love scouring the shelves of bookstores, will get excited at book sales, will try to finish a good read standing in a book store, will exchange books with his classmates, and will bask in the scent of a new and prized book.

We hope we'll always have the means to support his love of reading. And we hope reading will teach him to imagine and explore and learn things not usually taught in the classroom.

At the photo is my son at 9 months.

Get to know more about Mommy Moments here. It's a lot of fun!

How to Survive without a Yaya

mommy, no yaya?

We’ve been officially yaya-less for close to 2 months now. It has not been a walk in the park, mind you, but it can be done.

Here are my realizations. We've been so tired that I'm surprised I have time to "realize" some things. =)

Okay, the minor setbacks first.
can you do it mommy?

Prepare to give up some snooze time. With a yaya: we’re mostly asleep by 9.30 pm. Now, the scenario is we get home around 8 pm. Eat dinner, then play with our son. We wait for him to sleep and now that his sleeping pattern has changed (why now????), he only gets to sleep at 10.30-11.30 pm. So, I can only wash his bottles, and do some minor cleaning when he’s asleep. His dad washes the dishes and hand washes his clothes while I wash his bottles. We sometimes get to sleep only for 5 hours.

House work is no easy task. This I know way before but things I’ve taken for granted, mahirap pala. I like to cook, but cleaning up afterwards is so tiring and it takes the fun out of cooking.

sorry mommy, i've been a naughty boy

Be ready to take the tot everywhere. With a yaya, we can eat while the yaya plays with him or holds him. We can sneak out a couple of times, too. We bring him along everywhere now. To errands, of course to the mall, and to the other house to clean. Come to think of it, this one isn't so bad.


The blessings in disguise.
As a parents, our time management skills are honed to the max. More so without a yaya. For minute things like getting a haircut or doing the grocery, we have to zip in and out of the aisles as fast as we can and for visits to the salon, which is close to nil, I sometimes have to ask the hairdresser for just the basic blow dry because it takes too long.

This is an opportunity to get to know my son better. At 2, he’s still not so terrible but he’s becoming a bit more difficult. Strong headed, and very, very playful. Before, I can hand over my son to his yaya when I can’t seem to take his antics anymore.

Energies renewed. No matter how tired we were at work, our energies have to be renewed/restored once we open the gate to the house because a little boy has been patiently waiting for our return home the whole day.

Respect for SAHMs. Ideally, I want to be a stay at home mom. Without a yaya now, I’ve gained a lot more respect for WAHMs and SAHMs. Sometimes, it’s easier and less tiring to be at the office than to stay at home.

We’ve learned to let go of the small things. Like we just need a clean house not a spotless one. And we’ve accepted toys will be around the house, on where we’ll sit, or even lie down, all-the-time.

i'll behave,mommy

In closing, I realized, after all the previous realizations above (hahaha), that we need an all round helper to keep us all sane, and to unload the housework from our shoulders. This way, we can focus our energy on watching, playing, running and talking with the toddler.

p.s.
Our prayers have just been answered. Our new helper will start on Friday.

Teaching Kids Compassion

I think the best way is still to lead by example.

We joined a friend in celebrating her birthday at Caritas Manila. It's not all for selfless reasons. I also want to spend time with friends. And at the same time, I figured it's a perfect opportunity to teach our son something.

Now, though at 2 years and 3 months old, might not be the best time yet, as Jared was mostly concerned with just eating the McDo fried chicken meal served for the kids instead of going around and playing with them. He also munched happily on the chocolate supposedly for the kids at the home.

He provided comic relief though by picking on the food while the prayer before meals is being said and keeps on saying “sayap”, yummy out loudly.

That time, he thinks the Caritas grounds is one big play area.

We might try again after a few years. I don't consider this a failure at teaching him compassion, at least, it was an introduction for him. The main feature would just have to wait.

For those who’d like to help, or for those who’d want to celebrate their birthday differently but meaningfully, please contact Ate Veron, the angel who looks after the kids.

They need medicines, diapers, clothes and food and a host of other supplies.

In Celebration of Breastfeeding Month

It's been 2 years and 3 months since I first nourished my son at my breast. He was given time to acquaint with mommy before being whisked away to be cleaned by the hospital staff.

It's been a personal choice. Even before I gave birth, I swore to myself I will try my darnest to give my milk to my son. Even if they said it will not be easy, especially in the first few days.

Well, easy it wasn't! I cried out of pain at first, then out of frustration at how little I can pump, then out of sheer pressure to myself that I want to purely breastfeed him.

Looking back, I know I couldn't have survived the early days without the support of family. I mean, I just have to feed my son,nothing else.

This year, it seems my son is not about to give up feeding from me totally. But it's alright. We will wean when he's ready.

Here, I just want to share a picture of my son thoroughly enjoying his meal. It helps to see how far we've gone in this wonderful, healthy journey.

*August is Breastfeeding Month*