I wanna be a SUPERMOM

I have a household issue that has been bugging me for several months now.

You see, our four househelps are going on a vacation, all at the same time, come December 17.  Why are they leaving all at the same time, you may ask.  Well, because they're all related to each other.  A big no-no, I know. But that time I hired them, I was heavily pregnant with my third, and that was my only option. I assumed that they would all have to leave for vacations at the same time (I was right), but that they would have a bit of malasakit to leave kahit two lang behind to help me out (wrong, wrong, wrong).  They did it last summer, and they'll do it again this Christmas.  They go on vacay, while I go insane.

BUT, I have a back up plan.  Plan B is to ask my mom to send over someone from her household to, you know, save her daughter from insanity. Like how we did it last summer, when she sent two.  But one had to go home immediately because, uh.. she needed to make sure my mom's dogs are doing well.  So she upped and left, and left me with a newbie. Let's save that story for a different post.

What is plan A?

Plan A is for me to savor this (house)helpless time with the kids - to enjoy every second of the chaos and the mess, to bond with them over nonstop Sofia the First marathons or Full House episodes, and to answer their never ending questions about life and religion and who is the more loveable child. And I plan to do this - alone.

Look at her.  Doesn't she look dazed and confused? Probably how I will look like in about three weeks. Yes, I will be cleaning our house in a Sofia the First costume.  

Can you see it happening? I can!

And I'm terrified.

And I don't know what is going on and why my logical reasoning isn't working.  But this is the plan I'm leaning towards.  A big part of me wants to maybe prove to myself that I can do this - I'm a SUPERMOM.  The other part is in denial.  When I try to bring it down to reality, it feeds me with visions of myself cooking dinner while my eldest plays with the baby,and the middle one quietly engrossed with some artwork or book. With a catchy Christmas song going on at the background. For two weeks. This is the same part that thought the ates will have malasakit for me and leave two behind.  Medyo slow ang learning curve ko eh. 

So, wish me luck! And keep me sane by sharing your horror stories of your househelp issues. Just so I'd feel better that I went with plan A instead of the convenient plan B.

Tokyo - Day 1 part 1

Every year, M and I go on a trip with just the two of us.  2012 - Taipei for L's wedding, 2013 - Bangkok for work.  This year - Tokyo - for no reason at all.  :)

C begged for us to bring her, and although I wanted to cave in, M and I were firm in our resolve to have some quality time together, alone.  So bye bye C and M.

PAL was delayed for a few minutes.

Our plane (thankfully) had the individual video screen where you get to watch movies and play games.  After four hours, we finally saw this.

Quickly studied the dizzying Tokyo Metro (Meturo) Map:

Finally got to our hotel after 1.5 hours!  Hurray!  Not bad for two Japan first timers!

After freshening up, met up with my college BFF Val! She's babywearing sleeping baby Averie :)

Saw some cosplayers in Harajuku.

And some 'revels' - which is how they call themselves. The temperature must have been around 6C at this time.  Look at how they're dressed!  One is just wearing a thin sleeveless shirt!  The 'revels' gather at the entrance of Yoyogi Park on Sundays only.

Visited the Meiji shrine and saw this amazing torii - which are traditional Japanese gates found at the entrance of shrines.

Despite the near freezing temperatures, I just had to wash my hands here in the shrine.  They said doing so will erase all bad vibes and give me good blessings:

Saw these columns of lanterns made of beautiful Japanese paper, all lined up to be lit for the night.

Finally reached the place where people wrote down their prayers and wishes:

There must be thousands of tablets left here by people:

Left my own prayer here too:

To be continued...

The Two Week Wait...

Is over. :(

My body did a good job of tricking me into believing I was pregnant.  Sharp pains in the pelvic area? Check. Back pain? Check.  Hungry all the time?  Every minute!  Weird cravings?  Well, I had coco jam and cheese for breakfast.. how's that?

Then AF came.  End of story.

The thing is, the two week wait caused my hubby and I to panic (unnecessarily).  Refer to my post here.  Where will we get the money for another kid?  Will we have to start following a strict budget if a third one is along the way?  What about schooling?  Who among them will have to forego schooling?  Draw lots na lang?  :D Oh and the never ending yaya issues.  I am just beginning to envision a life with no househelp.  A third baby will bring us back to square one.

But deep down, I was a bit excited.  And a bit happy.  Okay, more than a bit happy.  Fine, I was giddy.  But worried.  But giddily happy!  The thought of another addition to our family was indeed very exciting!  A new baby to love, a new baby to fawn over... :(

Okay.. now back to regular programming.

My Songwriter

She sat down and happily hummed these lyrics, sung to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus"

"The mama on the bathtub goes poop, poop, poop
Poop, poop, poop.  Poop, poop, poop.
The mama on the bathtub goes poop, poop, poop
All through the town."

Awww. She loves me.

M

M, 2 years old, Shangri La Boracay

Says: ayadjuuu (I love you), ends most of her sentences with 'ha?' Like, "Wait for me, ha?"  "I wiwi first, ha?"  She sounds so cute when she says it.

Eats: anything, then tires of it quickly.  But her current favorites are noodles, pork chop and chicken. And styobeyis (strawberries).

Sings: The Glow (from the movie Tangled), Call Me Maybe

Loves:  copying faces she sees on her books, being tickled, giving kisses, saying HI to everybody in the house

Plays: with her achi's doll house when achi is not looking.

Why I did not vote today

Because I am not on the registered voter's list anymore. :(

I know I voted back in 2004, and I only missed the 2007 elections due to morning sickness.  So, I don't know why the government decided to remove me from the official voter's list.

Of course I only found out about this automatic-removal-of-name-from-list policy last 2010.  Out of the blue, I checked my name to see which precinct I was registered to, and was surprised and disappointed to see that I cannot vote anymore because I failed to vote (daw) for the last two elections.  Which irked me because I know for a fact that people who have been dead for decades still have their names on the list.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I should have registered a long time ago.  BUT,

1.  I'm tamad to do so.

2.  I don't like any of the candidates running.  Except for Bam.  And that's  only 1 out of 13 (or 12 ba) reasons for me to go out and vote. So no.  Not enough motivation.

3.  Reading stories like this.

I probably will not register again for the 2016 elections because hey, I heard Kris Aquino is running.  The elections are becoming a joke.

MOMO Cafe

We accidentally ended up in MOMO Cafe in Eastwood Mall two Wednesday nights ago.  We originally planned to watch Skyfall, but I had loads of work to do in the office, left the office late, got stuck in traffic... Bottomline, I got home with only a few minutes to go before Skyfall started playing at the nearest theater.  So movie plans became dinner plans, and we ended up in Eastwood Mall.

We ordered the Creamy Crabby Seafood Casserole. We were told by our friendly waitress that it was a dish good for two.  As always, when I'm ravenous, I refuse to listen to logic and choose to listen to my rumbling tummy instead.  I wanted something meaty, something unhealthy for a change.  I saw Boneless Cornflakes Crusted 'Country Fried Chicken' on the menu.  That sounded greasy enough.  We got that one too.

First came the complimentary bread with the usual spread.  Bread was okay. Spread was okay.  I cannot, for the life of me, remember what the spread was.  It tasted cheesy and pimento-y at the same time.

Next out was the Creamy Crabby Seafood Casserole.  I pooh-poohed it upon seeing it.  How can something this small be good for two people?  The waitress must be underestimating my appetite.  The casserole is actually a creamy risotto with generous servings of seafood mixed in it.  One bite, and both my hubby and I were in risotto heaven.  Very yummy, I tell you.

Then came the Country Fried Chicken, a really forgettable blah chicken dish.  We were eating it just so it won't get wasted.  :(  

After an hour or so of good conversation and good risotto, we were both full.  Too full for dessert.  And to my surprise, we had only gone through half of the seafood casserole dish!  The waitress was right.  The seafood casserole alone was filling enough for two people.  I didn't mind bringing home the casserole leftover for dinner again the next night.  It was still yummy when we reheated it.

The total bill came to about Php400 per person.  Would we come back?  Hmm... on those nights when I'm craving for really good risotto, then probably yes.  

Ready for number three?

A few years ago, while pregnant with M, I told my BFF L to slap me sensible if the day comes that I announce I want baby no. 3.

Well, she's not here now, so I can entertain these thoughts.

I want baby no. 3.

There I said it.

Mike doesn't.  He suggested I pray for an immaculate conception. (?)

Why do I want number 3?
1.  What if C and M do not get along?  At least, they have a back up sibling.
2.  What if C or M decide to work out of the country?  That leaves us with one kid only.  She has to take care of us and she'll be tired.  She needs a sub.  Enter baby no. 3.
3.  Somehow, 5 of us in the family sounds more balanced than 4.
4.  M's growing up so fast.  I will miss the sound of her little feet on the floor.  I will miss her babbling.  So my solution is to make a new one.

On the other hand, why am I having second thoughts about baby no. 3?
1.  Money.  'Nuff said.
2.  Time.  It is hard enough dividing my time and attention between two kids.  I cannot imagine how to do it with three.
3.  Yaya issues.
4.  Losing my sanity.
Last but not the least, the most important reason why I do not want to have baby no. 3?  The pregnancy.  I cannot imagine another nine months spent with a metallic taste in the mouth, aching back, aching ribs, and complete and strict bedrest.  The 24/7 urge to throw up.  The irritation I have with EVERYBODY.  I simply cannot.  The pregnancy scares me more than the birthing pain.

Oh wow.  I think I just ended my dreams of having baby no. 3 right there!  Look at my reasons for wanting versus my reasons for not wanting.  The latter sounds more grounded and realistic.

Bye baby no. 3.  It was a good 24 hours dreaming of you while it lasted.

Chef's Galley

We are on a roll!  Two date nights for October, woohoo! :)

M suggested we try Chef's Galley along C. Benitez St., Quezon City.  

 The interior of the restaurant is designed to look like the interior of a ship.  Hence the name.

 We ordered the Rainbow Salad.  Saw good reviews for this online.  Had high expectations that were, unfortunately, not met. :(   The dressing was good, yes.  The salad greens, however, were not as fresh.  We felt cheated, what with the few crumbles of blue cheese in the salad.

Baked Creamy New Zealand Mussels.  Loved the creamy cheesy topping.  Mussel was tough though. Had to wrestle with it just to get it off its shell.

Aaaah... the saving grace for the night.  Bibo's Lamb Stew.  Melt in your mouth meat with a really rich and yummy sauce.  Perfect with the steaming plain rice it came with.

We spent roughly P1200 for everything.  Pricey, considering the food we ordered was good for just one very hungry person only.

Her prayer

"Dear God,  Thank you for my mama and papa and shobe.  Hihihihih....... Amen."

Amazed

Whew... where did the time go? April breezed by so fast. And May is almost coming to an end. I am amazed at how fast time seems to go by when you're having the time of your life. I just couldn't let the months pass by without writing about them. So many things have happened in the past two months. I'm actually sad that I haven't had a chance to sit down and write about them. Something seems to come up each month, with or without any help from me. February was Valentine's day. March was Chloe's moving up day and Margaux's first birthday and baptism. April was Liza's wedding in Taiwan. May was really hectic: Liza's wedding reception here in Manila, Expo Mom bazaar, our 6th anniversary, Mike's birthday, and Chloe's enrollment. Oh, and we're renovating our house... AGAIN (rolls eyes). Hopefully, in the next few days, I can post more pictures of all those priceless moments. I have a lot of time in my hands now because I sprained my ankle and I have no choice but to stay home.

 Anyway, I have always regretted not documenting how Chloe was when she was growing up. For example, I cannot remember what words she made up to express her thoughts. And I swore to myself that I will try to jot down everything this year. Chloe is now 4 years and 6 months old. She has always LOVED reading. Thanks to my sis in law, we have TONS of books here in our house. So wherever we go, basta she has a few books with her, she would be okay. One day, we went for a check up at her pedia, where she borrowed a few books to read while waiting. A dad approached me and asked how old Chloe was. She was just turning 4 that time. They were amazed at how well she could read. I was amazed that they were amazed. I never really compared her with other kids. And then it happened again a few weeks after - a parent approached me to ask where she was studying, and if all the kids in her school were reading so well at that age. I couldn't answer, because I really didn't know. Her teacher later said that Chloe was one of the two students in her class who reads well. I was proud. Who wouldn't be? Not that I did anything to hone her reading skills, which makes me even more prouder (of her, not of me).

 Then the other day, she tried to spell "education" on my iTouch, which left me flabbergasted. E-D-U-C-A-T-O-N. Yes, it was missing a letter, but still! At 4 years old, she's spelling these words?! Where is she learning all of these? I have asked her pedia to refer a developmental pediatrician for Chloe, just to see what level she is at mentally. If she is advanced, I would at least like to think that I did something to foster her love for reading and spelling.

 Margaux is just as amazing. She started walking at 10 months, has started saying the usual "papa" and "mama." She is a very happy (albeit undpredictable) baby who loves to kiss us at night. She loves pretending to mix things so she can subo us her concoction. Hahahah. The cutest thing she does now is pretend to read, with fluctuating inflections, which sometimes sounds like she's yodeling. Hahahahahah! She is VERY attached to me. There are times when she'd cry uncontrollably and the only way she will quiet down is when I pick her up. "Dedong".... that's her word for EVERYTHING.

Many times at night, I have found myself awake and staring in awe at our little girls while they're asleep. Amazing... there is no other word to describe them.

the little one turned ONE

so many pending blogposts but this one is the most important! our littlest one turned one last week, march 23, 2012.

sniff... i can't believe she's now a year old. i can still remember each detail of my pregnancy, where the little one wanted things her way and wanted to come out earlier than the scheduled nine months. which resulted in mommy having to be on bedrest for the most part of the pregnancy.

but then she seems to be doing so many things earlier than most of her peers. cruising at 7 months, walking at 9.5 months... can you believe it?


so on the day of her birthday, i spent the day getting things ready for her party, which were mostly DIY labors of love. like these centerpieces. thank you auntie beeet! :)



and these lovely, lovely, poms!


plus the paper flowers on these lootbags:


and this entrance photo. thank you stan ong photography for the great photo shoot!


after everything was done, off to the kitchen to bake her first ever birthday cake. it was chocolate banana, achi begged me to make it for her shobe's birthday.


then the little one was happily cheering us on as we lit the candle on her first ever birthday cake...


my little one is all grown up! (sniff sniff)


happy birthday margaux francine! try not to grow up so fast, okay? :)

the month that was february

where did february go? it flew by so fast.

it started with a staycation



followed by a birthday lunch for my brother at xin tian di's dimsum buffet... YUM! look at all that food!



check out xin tian di's steamed michael radish roll. a hot and steamy michael... what's not to like?



the loves of my life, after a very hearty lunch:


then the next day was an early vday dinner at Florabel, Podium. more about this in a future post.


to celebrate valentie's, we bought a rose for Chloe:


who prepared some vday treats for her classmates:




margaux did a lot of sleeping:


and growing...


somewhere between our busy schedules, we were able to schedule a photo shoot for our other baby, bebe chic. this is my FAVE photo:

photo credits by stan ong photography

all in all, february was an exciting month! march promises to be an even better one!

The shy green eyed monster

Jealousy between siblings.. it's inevitable really. The only question was when it would show up and how it would manifest. Almost a year since Margaux was born, we finally got the answer.

The past few weeks, Chloe has been kicking and screaming on her way to school. No amount of begging, cajoling, bribing and threatening seemed to work. At first, we thought it was just a phase that she'll get over in a few days. But it's been a week and she's still at it. Every morning, a drama scene unfolds in front of our house, as Chloe cries for the whole neighborhood to hear. She doesn't want to go to school, she said. Why? Here are her answers:

1. School is boring.
2. She's having a hard time.
3. One classmate accidentally hit her while the classmate was dancing.
4. A group of girls refuse to play with her. (not true, said teacher)
5. She wants to stay home with shobe.
6. A classroom yaya is mad at her. (again, no truth behind this, accdg. to teacher)

Then teacher told us that Chloe has been going to the bathroom six times in THIRTY MINUTES. To pee. With her UTI history, we brought her in for a long overdue ultrasound of the pelvic area to see if her UTI is back. Nope, everything normal down there, said the pediatric sonologist.

We've sat down with her, spent time with just her, talked with her -- all to no avail. She kept giving us different reasons on why she refuses to go to school.

Until one day, her teacher texted that Chloe finally revealed the real reason why she doesn't want to go to school. She said, it's because I go to work so often. And when I'm at home, I STILL work AND stay with shobe. So she wants to stay at home so that she can be with me AND shobe.

(Insert sound of heart breaking here...)

:(

Reminded me of an article I recently came across in PDI. Something about teaching our children not to be sad over the fact that their parents have to work. I am working for our family business and working for the business that my husband and I started at the same time. I'm still breastfeeding Margaux (and I guess Chloe sees that as time that could've been better spent with her instead). I'm in the middle of preparing a birthday party for Margaux. Yes, I have to admit, in terms of priority, time with Chloe has taken a backseat. Most nights, when she asks me to read her a bedtime story, I have to break up the story in three parts, because my eyes are half closed by the time we get to the happily ever after part. Other nights, I am so delighted with Margaux's new milestones (siting up, standing up, cruising, walking) that I forget about Chloe's own milestones. And when we do notice the new words she knows, it's almost always met with a negative reaction. Because the new words she learns are either from the older kids in our neighborhood or from the yaya (who shares her rich vocabulary of salitang kanto with our daughter).

For now, Mike and I have been extra careful with how we divide our time with our daughters. We've been paying more attention to Chloe, and have been giving her things to look forward to for finishing school. Like, since she loves being 'the best achi' to Margaux, we told her that when she comes home from school, her task is to tell her shobe EVERYTHING she learned for the day. Or, she can open one surprise AFTER she comes home from school. Subtle, right? Not a direct go-to-school-or-else order.

Here's hoping that the shy green eyed monster will soon go away.

H20 Hotel and Manila Ocean Park staycation

One of my resolutions for this year is to travel more. Last weekend, we went for a staycation in H20 Hotel, much to the delight of the little ones.

Excited to check in.


Can you see the excitement in her eyes? She LOVES to be in charge of our luggage, good for us!


Finally! Our room! This was the first room assigned to us. There were complimentary potato chips and soda. Mike ate the chips in this room.


My brother's room. He got upgraded because their original room smelled like cigarette smoke. Do you see my hubby? He's wearing white, and munching on the complimentary chips. He got the chips in this room too.


Look at the size of their bathtub! The little one wanted to sleep there!


My dad gave us his room instead. Cool way to wake up in the morning! Do you see the complimentary chips? Do I really have to say who took it? Hahahahha.


Gwa-kong with the kids. I love this photo.


By the bay

And my favorite part of the staycation was:
I think I went back a total of three times for their breakfast buffet. No, it wasn't that good. Just that I'm a sucker for unlimited garlic rice, corned beef, sausages and eggs. Plus, their laksa was good too!

It was a very welcome breather for me, what with all the maid dramas happening in our house. Now, on to planning our summer vacation!