Christmas greetings!

Image courtesy of Viber

Kids, don't forget that, more than the gifts, the food and the festivities, the true essence of Christmas is in the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He has humbled Himself to be with us and save us from our sins.

I pray that every Christmas, you are reminded that "no one is too rich that he cannot receive and no one is too poor that he cannot give". May you be grateful for all the blessings showered upon you, and in turn be a blessing to others. Finally, may this season be always a time to celebrate with family. Do not forget your aged parents who love you and who will always be here to support you.

I love you kids! :)



Read about our Christmases past here.

Our Christmas Break 2014 - Day 2

Thoughts for today.

-oh em gee we slept in late! Woke up at 10am. No time for morning walk now.

- active play within the yard then vitamins time.

- bathe all kids! Mantra is Ligo. Kain. Sleep. I think I did a good, organized job with the kids there.

- everyone is sleeping now. Time to cook spaghetti sauce as promised to Kuya.

- Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2!!

- kids are awake already so I have to stop watching now. Everybody prepare for church!

- dad is a bit grumpy today. Did we do anything to anger him? If he will get mad everytime we go to church, might as well not go anymore. Err.. no, that's a bad idea. All the more that we should go and hear mass.

- maybe one day, I'll keep walking away and won't turn back.

- dinner time! Everybody sleep after this!

- finally some me-time. I think i'll finish my movie now. I have the book beside me so I can reference to while watching the movie version.

My simple joys.

That day just breezed by! We have such a crazy crazy family and I love it just the same :)

A very manly Christmas

A few days ago, I chanced upon DIY gift tags that Jolina Magdangal used for their family's Christmas gifts this year.

Pinterest-worthy :)

I thought it was a really good idea, but didn't actually plan for it this year. One night, when I was wrapping a gift for lola, I decided to just wing it. Unfortunately, I don't have colored stamp pads so black ink will have to do. We put in Kuya's thumbmark at the middle, Iya's on the right and Miko's on the left.

This is how it turned out...

Uhm... they look like little uhmm.. what do you think?

Here's a closer view.

I may just be green-minded but that looks phallic to me

Needless to say, we'll just use these tags within the immediate family okay?

And note to self: buy colored stamp pads. Or think of better designs.

You may also want to read about the 2nd day of our Christmas break

Our Christmas Break 2014 - Day 1

Finally a break from work. Our company supports a long Christmas break so I take the opportunity to rest and be with family during the holidays. Chos.

But seriously, imposed a.k.a. "highly recommended" or not, I have already set aside key dates where my paid leaves are to be used. Those dates include the Christmas season, Holy Week, the week covering your dad's birthday and our anniversary, and birthdays ofcourse. So leaves for attending school events, watching over you when you are sick, or days when there are tons of errands to do -- those are unpaid leaves that get deducted from my pay. I just wanted to be clear on that. So, God forbid, you play hooky in school, I hope you find time to think of all your dad and I have sacrificed to provide for you. (Oh God, I'm sounding like your lola)

So today is the start of our 2-week long vacation. Yey!

Goals for the next 2 weeks:
- eat healthier in prep for my gall bladder removal surgery soon (will talk about this when I find time to do so)
- move around more to try to lose some pounds
- potty train Ate and Kuya. Kuya since he is turning 6 already (Kuya pls pls pls let's make this work) and Ate in preparation for her starting school in June. Yey!

So what exactly did we do in Day 1?
- Ate and Bunso woke up too early. Thank you kids *insert sarcasm here* so we walked a bit on the streets early in the morning.
- Kuya woke up shortly after we got back from our walk. Diapers were removed and IT IS ON!
- I had my nails done. Yey! Dad had his toenails cleaned as well.
- We slept a lot in the morning. I was able to squeeze in a nap too. I wish it was longer tho. Still, sleep is a treasure and I am grateful to dad for letting me rest.
- Every 2 hours or so, we'd ask Ate and Kuya if they need to go. Kuya will always say no, but will still pee when he is brought inside the restroom.
- We had a stroll in the afternoon too. I think that Kuya can see from the corner of his eye. He reacts whenever we come near parked cars. Hmmm... I see God moving in very very mysterious ways here. I am intrigued and thankful. *note to self: visit another optha soon*
- During our stroll, I wanted to jog/run since I read about these visually impaired kids running in marathons. We tried it a bit and kuya scraped his knee so crap. Maybe tomorrow, we can do it better.
- We watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I tried teaching Ate the incantations but I kept laughing at her because she's so bulol.
- We made gift tags with your thumbmarks. I wanted each of your thumbmark to have a different color but I just had a black stamp pad. Your thumbmarks looked like... uhm.. let me post it here and you tell me what you think. <Read about that story here.>

A full day no? Much to be thankful for and many many funny memories were shared. Thank you for never failing to make Mommy smile. I love you chipmunks.

Random thoughts during the first monthly period after giving birth and exclusively breastfeeding

1. Wait, what? Oh drats.
2. I can get pregnant again! Oh no!
3. I can get pregnant again! Probably twins? Yey!
4. How long did I skip this? 19 months? Not bad.
5. Ugh. I forgot how messy this could be.
6. Did a hundred elephants die in there?
7. Need to change again? Eew.
8. I'm not really angry - these are just my hormones wanting to wring this person's neck.
9. Maybe it won't be this bad next month.
10. Oh I miss pregnancy.

A day of errors - Nov 2, 2014

Have you ever had those days when you are excited to try something but it doesn't work out the way you envisioned it?

Today was one of those. After such a fun-filled and prayer-answered day yesterday (will tell you about it soon), I was looking forward to make puto for snacks before we went to church. I had googled the recipe a few days back and was so excited especially since dad brought back Lola Dely's steamer from Antipolo.

Dad and I talked the recipe over and he was commenting that instead of buying the dry rice flour, we should buy the ready-to-use galapong instead.

To make the long story short -- the lesson learned here is rice flour is different from glutinous rice flour. Duh. Sayang, it was cheesy pa man din.

It was a good batch of kutsinta/tikoy/maja blanca though.

Later that night, I planned to cook food for Miko to eat throughout the next few days. I steamed squash and brocolli and proceeded to make him a vegetable patty. I just mashed the squash and brocolli, then added cheese and a scrambled egg yolk (since most allergens are found on the egg white). Then deep fried dollops of the mixture.

Lesson learned: stop cooking this for Miko. He doesn't like it. Ate and Kuya ate one patty each and refused more.

What are your misadventures in the kitchen? Let me know and let's laugh talk about it okay?




You can read about other kitchen adventures here.

Siopao Sauce recipe (naks!)

We bought a pack of cheap siopao at the supermarket last week. By cheap, I meant that the siopao was more like a mantao - puro tinapay. It's like the bola-bola filling was just 1/8 of the whole thing. Parang binobola ka lang na bola-bola siya. (Achiche! Corny!)

Tha pack of 10 also comes with 2 sachets of siopao sauce. Now for somethng that is more bread than meat, ofcourse you need a lot of sauce diba? So I did a quick google and found a recipe for siopao sauce. The recipe called for onions and garlic and star anise. Being the tamad that I am, I decided to skip those and made my own.

Today's blog is about how it was made. Naks!

What you need:
- pork cubes
- water
- sugar
- soy sauce
- worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- sugar
- cornstarch
- Tito Franco as the taster - o diba, we love him that much! :)

How we did it:
1. Dissolved 1 pork cube in 1 cup water.
2. Added 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce.
3. Added salt and pepper to taste.
4. Tito Franco tasted it and complained that it was too salty.
5. Added 1 tbsp sugar. Still salty? Added 1 more tbsp. Salty pa rin? We added 1 cup water and 1 tbsp sugar. At this point, I dunno how much sugar was added. We just keep adding until I felt it was no longer too salty.
6. Once an agreement was made on the taste, we dissolved 1 tsp cornstarch in water. Add to the mixture and stir until thick.
7. Oops! Didn't thicken enough. Dissolved one more tsp cornstarch in some water.

Taste taste taste! Eventually, you'll get the right mix of salty and sweet, as well as the thickness that you're aiming for.

Dad loved it! Ginawang dip instead of sauce! Hahaha.

Not a very helpful recipe no? Treat me to siopao and I'll show you how to do it. Love you 'nak! :)

The *star* is the siopao, ofcourse, and not my sauce. :)

Praying for you

I heard somewhere that as a mother, you find that there are a LOT of things that are beyond your control. This is why you turn to the power of prayer.

I definitely agree to this one. In fact, I think I become more prayerful the more kids I have. Without wanting so sound self-righteous ha, I find myself muttering quick prayers for you guys and daddy, as well as lolo and lola ofcourse. I pray for your safety, well-being, happiness and health.

Do you do that? I hope you make it a habit to throw prayers all the time. Mommy may not be perfect, especially during ny younger years. But you can be sure that even when I get old, I will still pray for you kids.

Love you!

Have I told you about Baby-led weaning?

Definition from wikipedia

Kuya and Ate were both traditionally weaned, meaning their food was mashed, and they were spoonfed to. 

We tried BLW on Miko and I was a bit hesitant at first because we leave you guys with lolo and lola while we are away at work. I worry about the choking risk and how lolo and lola will react in case of an emergency. 

So we tried just doing BLW during the weekends. A facebook support group on BLW that I joined has 2 schools of thought on this. One was that this causes more confusion daw kasi the kid, i.e. Miko, wouldn't know if he is to swallow first (as done in mashed food) or chew first (BLW). One the other hand, some would say better do it during the weekends alone than not do it at all. 

I must say it was so rewarding watching Miko eat! Now we have breakfast together everyday. I eat while he chomps on a piece of bread, or a small tomato, really just anything that you give him. 

I just wanted to share some pictures of Miko eating. Probably because he mostly eats while seated on my lap, he like is more than being on his chair. (We'll get there, Bunso, don't worry.)

Oreos. Okay, not healthy.

Pan de sal. Usually shared with Mama over breakfast.

Tomato tongue. No seeds.

Eggplant from sinigang. Asim!

What are your thought on baby-led weaning? If you let me take care of your kids, will you let me do this approach?

Mommy's Fears

This morning, Lolo was telling a story of how one of their church friends live near the Barangay Hall and yet they got robbed. He said SEVEN men were part of the modus, with 4 acting as lookouts and 3 who did the actual job of forcibly entering the house IN BROAD DAYLIGHT and getting whatever they could, scaring the shit out of the homeowners in the process. Another house was robbed within the same week, but it was said that the homeowner didn't want to open the gate for the robbers. And you know what? He was shot! This, too, happened midday.

Scary! Keep the gate locked okay?

I pray for your protection. That God envelopes all of you in his arms so that no evil can harm you. May God send his angels to always watch over you and protect you.

I love you!

Times when I would rather formula-feed Miko...

**This is a post in progress; meaning, I will update whenever I remember something to add.**

1. When the office AC is busted and it's freezing and I'm not wearing a nursing top so I need to pull up my blouse to expose my chest and express milk. Bonus feature: I need to get my breastmilk pump accessories from the fridge and put the cold flanges on my breasts. Brrrrr....

2. When lola forgot the instructions to feed Miko the milk thawed from the freezer first. It got spoilt tuloy. That was just sad and frustrating.

3. When nature calls but I cannot run to the bathroom because Miko is still feeding. Imagine what I have to go through if I need to #2!!


Times when I love breastfeeding:
1. When I see the cost of formula milk. So shallow! Eh pero totoo eh! I can no longer imagine spending more than Php1000 a week for infant formula. I'll just save that amount for Miko's first birthday no?

2. When I want short sanity breaks from work. The breastfeeding room in our office has become a quick escape from all the stress. (But then again, I sometimes bring my work to the Diana Room. There was one time I had to eat lunch and catch up on email - all while expressing milk!)

3. Whenever I wake up and realize that Miko is already awake and trying to stand by holding the window sill. I expose my breast and call out a short "psst". Miko turns and, upon seeing my boob, will flash this super cute smile and start running crawling towards me to feed. Ah the joys of motherhood. :)

My realizations and affirmations this week

1. My heart can exist outside of my body in the persona of my kids, and I worry a LOT for their safety. [Update: Read about my fears]

2. Tito Franco is already a teenager and I pray he grows up honest and emotionally secure.

3. Love is a verb. To feel love, I must act it first.


Let me tell you about these in detail when I have the time, okay? Love you kids.

If I was still single...

A few days back, we went out and had lunch with mama's college friends - we being dad, mom, Aki, Iya and Miko -- the whole clan.

Tita Sheila brought along her husband and her son, and she's also 7 months pregnant with their 2nd baby. Tita Jolen and Tita Cindy, who are both still single, were commenting on how they cannot imagine going the family way. That is especially since they were watching me and Tita Sheila hover over the kids and try to make conversation over the din of voices. I was eating standing up so I can rock Miko. Kuya suddenly didn't feel well and he was very adamant that he wanted halohalo in a pizza place (wait, what?). Iya was eating on her own, sometimes using her hands to pick up spaghetti. So you see it wasn't really an encouraging scene.

I, wanting to be polite, said "Enjoy nyo lang yung pagiging single. Ang sarap kaya maging single no."

I said that in front of your dad. I also said this a few weeks' back when I met with another friend from college. I told dad about that meetup and conversation as well. He didn't seem to mind, or maybe he wasn't paying attention to my story. Either way, the story was just brushed off and there was no reaction to that statement. But now that days have passed, I'm thinking, was what I said offensive to your dad?

Miko's Breastfeeding Positions

1. Missionary

2. 69

3. The shut-up-and-feed-me

Hay Miko! I hope your future wife sees these. I love you Bunso!

This Week in Photos

1. Went with Kuya to school before taking Miko to the ENT

 2. Date with your dad

3. Miko eating Oreo on his own. Sarap!

4. Getting my first pair of prescription glasses! Suddenly the world seems to much brighter, colors became sharper too! Ate got a small toy for coming with mama. :)

5. Playing in the rain! :D

6. Selfie time with Bunso.

7. And Daniel Padilla visited our house! Hahaha

I love spending time with all of you! Mommy loves you soooo much! :)

Life verses

Since the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, everyone was coming up with different challenges over at Facebook -- Top 10 Books challenge, Top 10 Movies challenge etc. The premise is you provide your list and then challenge other people to share theirs.

My favorite so far is the Life Verse Challenge where you share your favorite Bible passage or your life verse. I'm sharing with you my list of favorite verses. The first one is on top of my list; those succeeding iy are in no particular order.

Isaiah 42:16 NASB -- for Kuya, ofcourse
"I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone."

Luke 1:31 KJV -- for Kuya again; we called him JESHUA
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Job 42:2 NASB -- on trusting God
"I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

Job 2:10 NASB -- when your dad had GBS
"Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?"

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV -- on having faith when having financial struggles
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalms 73:25-26 NASB -- praising God
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Galatians 6:9 NIV -- on doing good to others and sharing your blessings
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Psalms 139:14 NASB -- when you feel insecure
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Isaiah 49:15 NIV -- just imagine God's love for us!
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

1 Mga Taga-Corinto 2:9 RTPV05 -- what a beautiful promise!
“Hindi pa nakikita ng mata, o naririnig ng tainga, ni hindi pa sumasagi sa isip ng tao ang mga inihanda ng Diyos para sa mga umiibig sa kanya.”

John 11:4 NASB -- again, I encountered this when your dad had GBS
"This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

Matthew 5:46-47 NASB -- on loving your enemies
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have... If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?

I have a lot of favorites pala! What are your favorite verses? Share them with me. :)

A typical night in Mommy's life

Kuya - 5y/o
Ate - 2yrs, 5mos
Miko - 8mos

1 a.m. Finally! Everyone's sleeping. Maybe I can have some me-time, kahit 30 minutes lang. Maybe I can watch TV, or read a book. Wait let me check my Facebook first... (scroll, scroll)... Zzzzz...

3 a.m. You're crying? Okay, here's my boob.

4 a.m. Crying again? Let's switch sides so you can take the other boob. Zzzzz... Ate? Why are you crying? Bad dream? Don't be scared, Mommy's here... You want to lie on Mommy's chest? But I'm feeding Miko! Lie on Mommy's side na lang. Okay okay, stop crying. Shush shush... Mama loves you.

4:30 a.m. Kuya? You want to sleep beside Mommy? Okay, let's move Ate since she's already sleeping. No, don't move to that side, you might ipit Miko! Lie behind Mama. You love Mama? I love you too, Kuya. Embrace Mama na, I'll face the other way so Miko can continue to latch.

5 a.m. You can't be hungry again! Switch sides. Switch boobs. Don't play with it. Please. Just. Latch!

6 a.m. Stop kicking me! Why is our bed wet? Your diaper leaked! Was it leaking when you woke me up earlier? But that was an hour ago! Ugh. I should've checked it when you were crying. I'm a bad mom. Let's change your diaper. Stop crying, I'm changing it now. Are you hungry? But I need to change this first before I feed you. Please stop crying, Daddy might wake up. Okay, done. Stop crying. Here's my boob na o.

6:30 a.m. What? What? Oh It's just Daddy's alarm. Is he awake? No, just snoozed the alarm. Alarm woke you up? Ugh. Shush shush.. Don't be scared. Here's my boob.

7:00 a.m. Time to wake up! Do I have a meeting today? Ugh. I want to sleep some more!!!! Must. Move. By. Inch. And. Not. Wake. You. Up. You're awake already??! Unbelievable! Well, good morning, Miko! Awww such a handsome smile. Love you Bunso. I love this morning. :)

My daily bread - September 7

Thankful for:

1. Finishing this presentation deck for work yesterday.

2. Reconnecting with old friends last week.

3. Halohalo and a bit of shopping last night at the mall for teamdeves.

4. Getting good sleep last night, relatively sleeping.

5. Lazy Sunday morning because I get to just stay in our bed and watch you all sleeping.

Love you chipmunks! :)

in 2034

Let's recreate these pictures 20 years from now, okay?

You are all just so adoooorable!!

Love you heaps! :)

My daily bread - Aug 21, 2014

These are a daily dose of blessings and smiles that God has strewn along my way. �😊

1. Fast drive to the office. Holiday kasi.

2. Lunch with Tita Anna and Tita Rachel

We even had free tumblers and a mocha slice!

3. Completed "big rocks" at work - the CODP timeline for the next fiscal year, complete with Gantt charts pa ha! :)

4. Shopping with your dad. Thanks to Tito Arnel, who is getting married on Saturday, which is the reason for this shopping spree.

5. Quiet time. As in right now, while I'm drafting this.

Thank You, Lord, for simple pleasures. :)

that moment when....

You started drafting a new blog post on your phone's notepad feature. You created the back story and a disclaimer. You opened an internet browser and ****! You forgot to save your work.

#facepalm

Note: I know there are autosave functions. Apparently I did sonething stupid and it didn't autosave. Next time, I should write directly at the blogger site, or use my phone's split screen functionality. Hay.

On art and karma

Dear Iya,

Here is what you have been doing in the past 4-6 months.

Thank God these are just crayon marks!

Tito Pangke's/Titoy's room

And most recently....

Our boudoir drawer

I love your interest in the art, and how your lines are growing finer now. From large, shoulder-and-elbow-led movements, you seem to have progressed to hand and finger movements. Congratulations on improving your fine motor skills!

Seriously, did your lola give you the crayons to get back at me for writing on her walls?

#highblood #loveyoustill

Kulitan time with mom and dad

This is how I bug him at work. ☺

To read other stories about dad, click here.

“Is how you’re living today on track with how you want to see your life end?”

I want you to remember me as a loving mom. And I want to be able to provide for our family's needs.

I hope I make the right choices to arrive at the end that I envision for us. Remember it is not in the big decisions that you can alter your life, but in the everyday, small stuff.

Love you chipmunks.

Quick and Sweet Bread Toast

Here's a quick snack that we love having for merienda --

What you need:

Bread, pan de sal is best

Butter or margarine

Sugar

What to do:

Spread  butter or margarine generously over one side of the bread. Sprinkle sugar on top. Microwave. I like this on low heat to ensure that the sugar is completely melted. If you only have hard, day-old bread, do not worry! Just put in a small container of water inside the microwave with the bread and, when you take it out, the bread will be soft again. 

Hope you like it!

 

 

VER results anniversary 2014

"Dedicate to Me all your oldest children." Exodus 13:2 CEB

It was really fitting that we named you after Jesus, son. You have taught us humility and gratitude, and have been the cause of our joy even at our darkest hour. Happy VER results anniversary, my first love, and blessed be the name of the Lord! :)

I love the way you look at me 😄

No Cancer!

I got the news last Wednesday and in my excitement, I forgot to share this with you. Mama's cancer-free!

Thank God! Now, I realize I really must look after my health. Let's start by making healthier food choices, yes?

Love you chipmunks :)

Waiting Day 1

I get my CA blood test results after 3 days.

On the first day of waiting (yesterday), I feel so blessed for having your dad. It's nice to feel needed and loved. I know that deep down, he's scared as much as I am, maybe even more, but he's been very supportive and has been my rock these past few days.

We are such big dorks, don't you agree?

I sent him a note, a line from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (a book turned movie about cancer patients falling in love):

"I'll fight it. I'll fight it for you. Don't you worry about me... I'm okay. I'll find a way to hang around and annoy you for a long time."

And I mean every word.

I love you, chipmunks. Kiss dad for me, okay?

Spare a moment and pray for me

Weeks ago, my latest OB who helped me give birth to Miko, Dra. Olivarez, had me undergo transvaginal and breast ultrasound procedures. No indications, she just mentioned that cervical and breast cancers are two of the most common kinds that we need to watch out for, hence the request.

So I went and a small node was found on my right breast. It was rated "probably benign". Probably. One word that started my paranoia. If it was probably benign, was it probably malignant too?

My next visit to my OB, I was with Miko, and I wanted to have cervical cancer vaccine, and ofcourse to ask her opinion on the result of my breast ultrasound. The whole checkup seems like a blur, but I remember her saying that I'm too young to get a mammogram. She ordered a CA153 blood test instead. I think this is a marker for cancer. Normally, I would go all out and read all I can google on this, but to be honest, I'm scared.

All I keep thinking is how young you all are. Who will take care of you, how will you grow up?

I ask you now to spare a moment and pray for me, that the test will come out negative. I'm really really scared and I'm trying not to be, holding on to this verse for now --

Philippians 4:6 NASB
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I love you chipmunks. I hope God gives me the grace to stay with you until you go old.

The First Phone Call from Heaven

Hi chipmunks!

So I'm reading this book of the same title from Mitch Albom. It tells a story of a small town receiving phone calls from dead people from heaven.

It got me thinking -- if we are able to talk to Lolo Romy, or your great-Lolo Mac and great-Lola Eñang, what would they say? Are they happy with how our family has turned out? Are they proud of us?

Well I know that whatever it is you're doing, as long as you're happy and it is within God's commandments, I know I will be proud of you. I would definitely tell you that I miss you. And that I love you.

What else should I tell you when I'm gone? What would you want to hear?

My Monday madness

Just wanted to share this --

Every Monday, I facilitate a meeting with our managers, senior managers and managing directors. I get so nervous that I sacrifice my lunch juat to prep for this meeting.

So, just like today, I pumped milk and ate my lunch using one hand just so I can maximize my time away from my desk. Pathetic, I know, but I kinda like the pressure. It's like an instant adrenaline surge. Downside? I usually feel too tired when all tasks have died down and I'm going home.

They say buko juice increases milk supply. And it's a natural energy booster -- a natural Gatorade, if you must. My baon cooked by your dad last night. Sarap! I love him for this :)

Give mama a kiss okay? Pang-tanggal pagod.

I love you, chipmunks!

of love and bavarian

I am not a fan of bavarian-filled donuts. Not that I hate them, but they wouldn't make it to my first 3 choices in a donut shop.

Your dad loves bavarian, though. I remember once we bought a box of assorted donuts and he told me he'd eat his bavarian later. I, unfortunately, forgot to set it aside so someone ate it up. He got mad at me, ofcourse, and I never forgot his bavarian since.

Fast forward to last week. I had been reporting to the same office as dad for a days last week. Afternoon came and I wanted a bit of a snack so I sent him a note.

"Pamerienda ka naman. Chocobutternut lang."

Now, I have been with your dad for 6 years. I have learned his ways, and I'd like to believe I have learned a lot about relationships at my age. I now know that (read this Iya)women should not think that men read minds. If we want something done, we must say so, even say how we want it done. It is up to the man to decide, ofcourse, how we actually wants to do it.

So, if you'll notice, I specified the donut flavor that I wanted him to buy because that was the flavor that I wanted.

Your dad bought bavarian.

I wanted to be disappointed. I wanted to smirk at his stubbornness. But then... God enlightened my mind and quieted my matabil na dila. :)

He bought bavarian because for him, that is the best flavor in the shop. Because he wanted me to have the best. Because he loves me.

And that, right there, made my day. :)

Disclaimer: Okay, I ate the donut. But I would still want for him to know that choco butternut is my favorite, not bavarian. But maybe I'll tell him another time. :)

Quick question

When was the last time you learned a new skill? Something you were not forced to learn, not a company or school requirement, but something you just learned to improve yourself. It could be a new language, baking, playing a new instrument, even juggling. Please always strive to improve yourself. I love you my chipmunks.

Dear 60-year-old me

Dear Kaye,

First off, this year, our birthday falls on an Easter Day. Isn't it fitting that the Catholic day for rebirth and new beginnings coincide with the year that we turn 30?

How are the kids? I'm sure they are all grownups now, with lives of their own. I sure hope they still call and visit you. How is Darwin? Have you fulfilled your visions of sitting at the front porch together and just watch/make fun of people as they walk by?

Right now, the kids are 5, 2 and 3 months. Do you remember them at this age? God, they are a handful! You can never work from home properly, the house is topsy turvy and someone is almost always shouting. But you know what? We got ourselves the most adorable and lovable right here. More on that later. Let me first tell you about our day in 2014.

As far back as I can remember, I had always been excited for our birthday. I look forward to greeting ourself at exactly 5:05pm, the time specified on our birth certificate. But two years ago, a little baby girl changed all that when she decided to grace the world with her presence one day before our birthday. Just like that, April 20 ceased to be our birthday. It turned into an I'm-so-tired-from-all-the-birthday-preps-the-day-before-I-just-want-to-sleep-the-whole-day kind of day. Because April 19, 2012, Dahlia Felize was born and she was amazing!

This year, April 19, we planned a small celebration for the princess. Family and few of Iya's friends shared the spaghetti, chicken lollipops and hotdogs that Darwin all cooked (love you pre!). Black Saturday pa yan ha. So come Sunday, Easter, and our birthday, we basically ate leftovers and went to Mass in the afternoon.

I had all but forgotten our day, save for the 60+ people who greeted us on Facebook (remember that?). And it made me think of what do I really wish for on this day. I have 3 beautiful and loving children. I have a family who keeps me grounded. I have a career that I love and hate at the same time. No one is really THAT sick. And although we have some financial hiccups along the way, we manage. I realize God has blessed me with more than I can truly deserve. I find it embarassing to God if I can not even share the blessings he has showered upon us.

So, going back to you, old lady. I hope you enjoyed life. You should have tried to be more friendly. You should have been brave and taken risks. You should have loved more, given more, sacrificed more. Remember that love is a verb, not a feeling. Be thankful for all the blessings and learn to forgive the hurts you might encounter. I hope our life has been full and you had been grateful.

Please give my kisses to the kids and to the grandkids, if we have them by now. Give my kisses to Darwin; he has his faults but I know he loves us and we love him dearly.

May God continue to smile upon our family. I love you, future me. :)

Breastfeeding Diaries: Blessed Be

Hello from the Eastwood Diana (i.e. Lactating) Room!

Look how much milk we got this morning! I can almost feel God smiling down on me because He knows how giddy He made me feel with this blessing.

5.25 oz of liquid gold, beybeh! :)

What did we do differently this morning? Hmmm.. I was so tired and sleepy last night that I didn't get to switch sides in the middle of the night. Thus, Miko only latched on my left boob throughout the night. This morning, my right boob was so engorged so I decided to latch Miko, still on the left, while I pumped the right. I got 3 oz! Apart from that, I didn't do anything out of the ordinary so hey it is a great surprise and a good way to start our day.

And then... surprise surprise! Another 5.5 oz this afternoon!

It's official. God is making me lambing with all of these blessings. :)

One more thing I did differently -- I prayed for my supply. Told God I wanted to be able to produce enough for Miko, as well as for Kuya, who is having lung health problems recently. I pray my milk strengthen you both and give you the nutrients that you need to grow and get healed.

And I wanted to experience donating milk too. But we're still saving enough frozen milk stash for that, so let's talk more about that on another post, m'kay?

So Iya, I hope you breastfeed your child, when you have one. I will support you all the way should you decide to go on that journey. Tell me all about it okay?

And you two boys, let's drink to more milk!

I love you, my musketeers! :)

Breastfeeding Diaries: Busy bee

Hello from the Eastwood 1880 Diana room! :)

I was running late for a meeting this morning that I had to boot my machine and go through last week's minutes while expressing milk.

Oh the things I have to do for the little archangel! Do you know that I drink more water now, eat less junk food and fast food, and consciously try not to get stressed at work. This is to ensure that you get a looot of milk from me. It also helps that you direct feed at night, no nipple confusion at all, thank God. You will surely hear more about this when you get older! :)

I love you, son, and I'll see you at home! :)

Oops! My most revealing shot 

Dear reader-who-is-not-my-child, this one's for you

Just last night, I chanced upon the Statistics section of Blogger and found out that we have readers from different parts of the world!

Our demographics. How cool is that?

Numbers might seem small for other bloggers, but then again, I never really intended to write to an audience apart from my kids. It was such a nice surprise seeing this numbers.

So thank you, спасибо, danke, terima kasih, merci, dank u, спасибі, and 남쪽에 감사합니다 to everyone who serendipitiously chanced upon this blog. I pray blessings to be showered upon you and your family. Please send a kiss to your mother for me, whether she may be your biological mom or your personal maternal figure because all mothers deserve and affection for all the sacrifices and love they shower their family.

Happy reading! :)

Breastfeeding diaries: Bountiful providence

Thank You, Lord for blessing us with abundance this morning! :) I pray that I may be able to share this blessing to other kids soon.

Breastfeeding Diaries: SM Megamall Breastfeeding area

Hello from the SM Megamall breastfeeding area! Dad and I went on a date last night. After dinner, I was already feeling engorged and had to express milk before taking the 2-hour ride home. The nurse was accomodating, even if it was close to mall closing time. The room was clean and there was a lavatory for hand washing. Very nice set-up, the seats were comfortable and there is enough space to move around, it can house 3 nursing mothers at a time. So there you go, Mikhael, my first time at a mall lactation station. Looking forward to more adventures on this journey with you. Love you, my angel! :)

Tea wisdom

The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment. Live well and remember that family always comes first. Be curious. Explore. Learn. Delight the world with kindness, compassion and grace. Always give the benefit of the doubt, and think of the good in other people.

My sanity break

Dear Miko, Today marks the first day that I pump milk for you from our office nursing area. It feels weird how I always wanted to experience staying in this room and pumping milk, yet I never had the chance until you came. Thank you, sweetheart, for giving me the honor of feeding you. Thank you for these short periods of sanity, when I can just detach myself from all the work and just concentrate on God's providence through the bountiness of my breasts. Our breastfeeding journey is not easy, but very fulfilling to me. I love you so much! :)

Homily Jan 19, 2014

Many people believe that children should not be allowed in churches because they keep on playing, they are noisy, etc. In doing naughty things, we think of them as evil because they disrupt the solemnity of mass. But, bear in mind that children are teachers: God also became a little child and Jesus always used children in His teachings about God's Kingdom. Things to remember: 1. Children are gifts. - what is the meaning of life in one word? GIFT. - life is not junk, not garbage, but a gift that we need to take care of and value - just as you remember the giver everytime you enjoy a gift, everytime you enjoy life, it makes you smile and think of God who gave that life to you 2. Children are faith-full - "unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" - children have the fullness of faith We must always demonstrate LIVED FAITH. Faith is never something just to be talked about; it must be demonstrated in the way we live everyday.

Tea Wisdom

"An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities." Tapos yung mug ko, "Choose your Journey" naman. They complement each other ano? Hehehe May you be the best that you can be. I claim that God has destined you for greatness, a mirror of Jesus and an excellent channel of His love. I love you! :)

Differences: Milk

They say parents grow with their children. I agree, but apart from this, the parenting style also grows/changes/improves as the family grows bigger. Let me explain -- On Milk: • Aki - no direct breasfeeding. I expressed my milk while you were in the hospital, but stopped when the milk flow stopped. (Ofcourse, this was because you were not feeding directly from me, hence, no stimulation to produce more milk. Now I know that relactation is possible had I chose to make you latch when you were finally brought home) Consumed high-cost formula until about 3 years old, when we found out we're having another child. • Iya - breastfed for a few weeks. I had to get a tooth extracted and was advised to take strong dosages of painkillers. I worried it might affect my milk so I stopped. Also because it hurts when you latch, but that's another story. (Now, I know that there are really strong painkillers that still do not affect breastmilk. Tsk tsk) High-cost formula until 1 year old, again because we found out we're having another baby. • Miko - ah, currently exclusively breastfed. Okay, you were given formula at the hospital, and lola gave you a few oz when mom was out. Now, I'm expressing milk so she'll give you breastmilk still. I've also started storing expressed breastmilk that you can consume when I go back to work. For now, I'm targetting to breastfeed you exclusively for no less than 1 year, with a milestone period at 6 months. Should you still want to breastfeed beyond that, it will be my honor. Just no biting okay? No matter what your differences are, I will always love you all equally. May God bless you and keep you, my loves! :)

Word for the day: Savor

Savor your food. Savor each kiss (and always close your eyes!) Savor sleep (oh I miss this) Savor conversations. Savor time spent with your loved ones. ...because the purpose of life is to enjoy every moment.

Last meal

Hey kids! I saw an ad asking this, so if given a choice, what would you choose for your last meal? I think I'm gonna have: ~ baked salmon from Conti's, or dad's inihaw na bangus stuffed with tomatoes and onions ~ an all-cheese pizza ~ dad's chopsuey ~ sago't gulaman for drinks I asked Lola Fely and she wants chopsuey and fried chicken. :) Mmmm... mouth-watering! What about you? Let me know your favorite dishes and I'll try to cook them okay? Love you all!

Thought for the day 01/24

You headed to the park this afternoon. I felt a tinge of sadness since I cannot go with you because Miko might wake up soon and need to feed. :( Sorry ate and kuya. It breaks me heart everytime you wave goodbye to me. I just say a quick prayer for God to keep you safe from harm everytime we are not together. I would love to spend afternoons with you and play with you. Perhaps, in a year or two, when Miko is old enough to come along? Let's spend more time together as you grow up okay? Time with all of the family and individual mommy time for each of you. I would like that :) I love you and I pray I get to BE WITH you as you grow up.

Thought for the day - 01/21

"Live to Share" Share your time. Share your resources. Share your blessings. Share your love. I pray that all of you have a generous heart. Love you, my three angels. :)

Random thoughts on Appreciation

Lately, I appreciate -- - your dad for his unbelievable patience when I was in labor with Miko. From when my labor started in the emergency room until after I gave birth and couldn't move much, he was there and assisting me. Of all three times that I gave birth, this was the most patient I have seen him. - your lolo and lola. Since I gave birth to Miko, they were very supportive especially in my decision to breastfeed. Lolo hasn't been cooking much before I gave birth, but now he makes sure that I always have soup, with malunggay if possible, to increase my milk supply. - Kuya Aki and Ate Iya for welcoming Miko and loving him right from the start. Ate wants to kiss Miko all the time, and Kuya has never been pasaway so Mommy can tend to Miko. Give everyone a kiss after you read this okay? Let them know that mommy loves them. :)

Diffused water ideas

Hi Kids! If you want a twist to your ordinary water, you can try diffusing these combinations in it. Not only will it add flavor to your water, enticing you to complete your mandatory 8 glasses a day, but it also has additional health benefits! Diffused water ideas: - cucumber + lemon - pineapple + apple - mint/basil + strawberries - apple + cinnamon - melon + grape - lemon + orange - mint + cucumber + lime - pineapple + mango - grape + orange + apple I personally like cucumber + lemon. I want to live healthy so I can live longer and, God willing, watch you succeed in life and be able to take care of your kids. Let me know which combination is your favorite. :) love you all!