How To Really Love A Child

Every now and the, my mother-in-law would give me newspaper or magazine clippings about parenting. Sometimes, she also lend me books (which are just piled up together with old magazines and children's books at home) on how to raise kids and be a good parent or spouse. I haven't read any of the books (sorry, mommy) but I always save the clippings for reference.

Today on Valentine's Day, I want to share one of those clippings, my MIL gave me and my husband. It is timing because it's about love - how to really love a child.

picture taken from http://www.spreukenenwijsheden.nl

"Be there. say yes as often as you can.

Let them bang on pots and pans.

If they're crabby put them in water.

Read books out loud with joy.

Go find elephants and kiss them.

Encourage silly. Giggle a lot.

Remember how really small they are.

Search out the positive.

Keep the gleam in your eye. Go see

a movie in your pajamas. Teach feelings.

Realize how important it is to be a child.

Plan to build a rocketship.

Stop yelling. Invent pleasures together.

Surprise the. Express your love. a lot.

Children are miraculous."

- By Sark

I Need To Be Fit!

This will be my battle cry for this month. I know that I'm not physically in shape but I didn't know it was that bad...

this picture isn't mine ;)

I wanted to lessen my son's exposure to TV and gadgets so yesterday, I hid all the tablets at home and told him we'll go outside and play. I was thinking of introducing him to some of my childhood games like tumbang preso, piko, taguan tao. We tried them all and he liked it! We also planted seeds and watered our plants. My boy was so happy that he didn't want to go back inside the house. In a way, I was satisfied because I've achieved my goal -- he totally forgot about using his iPad and watching TV -- and he wants to go out more!

After his nap, he went to school and I was left at home alone. I was researching online about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and thought that I should have him do more physical activities instead of using electronic devices as his "babysitter." As I was planning our activities for tomorrow, I started feeling muscle cramps in my leg. My feet also hurts and have a certain kind of numbness to it. My body aching and was badly craving for a soothing massage.

I then realized how badly out of shape I am. To think all we did were to jump and run for a couple of hours. I cannot even cope up with my 4-year old. So today, bodyache and all, I ask my son to do light exercises with me: jumping jacks, neck rotation, bending, etc. I'm feeling more tired now to be honest. I just want to rest and sleep. 

But I need to change ASAP. So I ate the last bite of graham cake we did last weekend. I'll start eating more healthy from now on and I'm hoping by the end of this week, we'll be able to do brisk walking or jogging in the park near our home (I can't even jog for 10 minutes without resting). I don't necessary want to be as sexy as I was before (because I know it won't happen anymore) but I just want to be fit. I also plan on getting pregnant so this is a good way to start our TTC (Trying To Conceive) journey. If anyone wants to share their fitness regimen (yung simple lang ha?) that a beginner like me can do, please let me know. God knows I badly need one.

Forty Winks and a Good Night's Sleep

As a newly stay-at-home mom, spending your day taking care of your child and managing your household can be a challenge. It seems so easy but I realized that it' not. You cannot reason with a 4-year old boy like you do with a colleague; you will never win. You cannot ignore the toys on the floor like you do with the pieces of office supplies on your office floor; no one will clean it but you. You also cannot count the remainder of your 8-hour work day like you do at work since your work is 24 hours. It's only been more than a week since I've resigned and I'm already missing my routine as a regular employee. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much loving every moment I get to spend with my son (including his tantrums) but my body I still not used to "taking it easy." I've worked for more than 13 consecutive years so forgive me if I still haven't get rid of my work routine yet.

The only positive side to this new career is I get to sleep a lot of hours now. I love sleeping for more than 8 hours a day! When I became a working mom, this is the only thing I was deprived of. On a good day, 5 hours of sleep was already a luxury. Make it 4 interrupted hours on a regular basis and you can just imagine how cranky I could get. I long for the days that I will sleep for more than 8 hours like when I was single and without responsibilities. I'm so happy that I get to do it now! One time, I get to sleep for 9 hours at night with a 3-hour siesta in the afternoon! I was soo happy and recharged the next day! Pure bliss!

I went to the office the other day to have my exit interview and do my clearance. As I was preparing myself, I noticed that I don't need a concealer anymore to hide my dark under eyes. It's not that noticeable anymore. Yes! One beauty problem solved! Just search online the different benefits of sleeping and you'll now what I mean. I'm so happy that I get to catch up on my z's after 4 years of being a mom, if you know what I mean.

I'm also taking advantage of this opportunity because I know that when we finally have the business we're planning as well as possible online jobs I'm eyeing, I may not be able to enjoy this again for a long time. So for now, I try to find ways to rest and sleep. I also checked online and found this article a nice read for sleep deprived mom that used to be me. It's not about the physical benefit, a lot have to do about the mental health and general well-being of us moms who are working for more than 16 hours a day.

2015 Year-End Review

2015 had been a great year for me and family. For starters, we became debt-free and got a life insurance/investment. But then again, we got a new car that we're paying monthly for it, so there goes being debt-free. Nevertheless, I'm proud to say that we became wiser (read: thriftier) with our finances. The main reason is we want to send our son to a better school. As we know, better school may SOMETIMES mean more expensive. We had to give up some of our simple luho like out of town trips and weekly spending at the malls. I guess it helps that my husband and I now have different schedules and restdays. A simple out of town trip would take months of planning and adjusting. Frankly, the stress just wont justify the 3 or 4 days of relaxation, so scratch that. We had just one out of town trip this year and that was to Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan with my parents. That was good enough for me.

This year, my husband resigned from his job due to various reasons. I was glad because I know the stress was killing him. He wasn't happy like he was before. Good thing he found another job that is much closer from home. The work is still stressful but atleast it doesn't take a 2-hour travel time from our house to the office.

The little boy super loves his new school. He gets upset every time classes are suspended or during vacations. He enjoys school and is excited everytime I wake him up to change to his uniform. Too much excitement that his teachers recommend that we have him assessed for Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). They said Quino couldn't finish his activities, always full of energy to the point of being rough and hurting his classmates/teachers a long the way. As I mentioned in my previous post, part of my reason for resigning from work, is to spend time for my little boy.

We also celebrated our son's 4th birthday party at Don Henrico's Pizza with our family and close friends. It was a dinosaur themed party and I loved it so much because I know my son was so happy. I specially loved the part when he was opening his presents at home - that boy was so excited and overwhelmed, he didn't know which toy to pick and play with first!

As for me, I got myself my first designer bag! It may sound as shallow for some but I've been fantasizing about it for a long time now so getting one is like a dream come true for a regular mom who has modest earnings. Not to sound repetitive, I decided to resign from my 11-year work in a call center industry. I'm still technically employed but rendering my terminal leave now. I love the simple things of waking up and sleeping with my son by my side.

This new year, I hope I'll have a rewarding career as a work-at-home mom. I wish my husband finds a better fulfilling job and for my son to outgrow ADHD and have a better social skills. I also hope we'll be able to set up a small franchise business this year. Oh and it would also be much better if we'll have an addition to our family too.

A New Beginning

I'm To be honest, I've been absent from this blog for several months that I almost gave up on blogging. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to share my boring life but because I just can't find time for it anymore. I thought I could handle my job, motherhood, and blogging at the same time, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. When everyone was taking pictures so they can post on Instagram or Facebook, I think of posting on my blog and sharing  the story behind that picture. I ALWAYS think of blogging because it has been my outlet over the years - my not-so-private diary if I may say. But things had to change. The hour or two I spend in blogging was a LOT of time for a working mom of a pre-schooler. Blogging just had to take a backseat.

I may not often like Change but it happens and one must simply adapt to it. Recent changes in my line of work required me to think about my plans. Add to it the challenges my son is going through at school, I felt it was a sign for me to prioritize my family and pursue a different career. I guess this was a perfect time for me to end my BPO career and start focusing as a mother.

I was excited as I was handling my resignation letter to my boss. I'll get to spend a lot of time with my family soon! And I'll be able to blog more often! Reality began to sink in after a day. I am now terrified and anxious. Financially, it will be a challenge for my family until I find a part time work at home job. I also think about my son's behavior. Of course my husband was involved with this decision. It has been a constant talk between us and weighing in the pros and the cons. At the end of the day, our son's welfare is still the most important factor. Like any uncharted territory, it could be scary but it could also be rewarding. I just have to stay positive and believe that we can get through this as a family.