I have at least 4 books on things you can do to and with your child to facilitate their different developments that are gathering dust on my shelves. My cousin just poured over one for her caregiving assignment.
Meanwhile, I have while away the afternoon in front of the PC because I didn't want to deal with my firstborn and a particular discipline issue. I know, I am so bad for being an escapist. But there you have it, I am not in a good place and has been failing my sons as a Mom.
Sighers.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
If We Had To Do Our Weddings All Over Again...
My mom friends and I have been chatting on FB about our weddings and what we'd do differently if we could do it again. Mind you, we're all generally happy about how it turned out but still, there are little things in hindsight that we could have improved upon.
Like me, I'd have gotten Cecilio Abad instead and just begged for mercy on the price, rather than travelling to and from to Tet Hagape's :) Then, we'd also have invited less people, and maybe really did that breakfast wedding & reception thing and just throw a party after the honeymoon.
I still would have gotten Unity Coins instead of hunted high and low for Morgan silver dollar because I like that our arrhae had all those marriage tenets stamped on them.
Oh, I also wouldn't have bought so much liquor for the guests, insisted more on RSVP and maybe had our reception at that ballroom because the garden at PICC just proved way too big :)
But i'd definitely have married the same man. I can't imagine anybody else being the father of my kids.
Like me, I'd have gotten Cecilio Abad instead and just begged for mercy on the price, rather than travelling to and from to Tet Hagape's :) Then, we'd also have invited less people, and maybe really did that breakfast wedding & reception thing and just throw a party after the honeymoon.
I still would have gotten Unity Coins instead of hunted high and low for Morgan silver dollar because I like that our arrhae had all those marriage tenets stamped on them.
Oh, I also wouldn't have bought so much liquor for the guests, insisted more on RSVP and maybe had our reception at that ballroom because the garden at PICC just proved way too big :)
But i'd definitely have married the same man. I can't imagine anybody else being the father of my kids.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Advantage that's a Disadvantage of Technology
Do you remember a time when you will meet with friends at a designated place and time and you will do everything in your power to be there at the exact time since there's no way of letting friends know you'd be late, or they might think you're not coming anymore and go on without you?
How about going on a trip on a convoy with your family and just really following the lead car?
Nowadays, people can give warning beforehand that they're already there, will be late, or are stopping. All they have to do is whip out their samsung cell phones and text or call. Good, right? However, it also allows for less diligence to stick to the plan. You're at the meeting place 5 minutes before the agreed time and instead of waiting and staying put, you text all the others to text you if they're there already and you'll just go to this shop or that, or finish errands. On the way, you start suggesting this and that and plans change. The time it takes to assemble lengthens.
So, I really hope I train myself to stick to the plan like I used to, and then train my kiddos the same way. We can change the plan when we're all together already. Time wasted (and all the energy texting and calling and consulting) is time wasted.
How about going on a trip on a convoy with your family and just really following the lead car?
Nowadays, people can give warning beforehand that they're already there, will be late, or are stopping. All they have to do is whip out their samsung cell phones and text or call. Good, right? However, it also allows for less diligence to stick to the plan. You're at the meeting place 5 minutes before the agreed time and instead of waiting and staying put, you text all the others to text you if they're there already and you'll just go to this shop or that, or finish errands. On the way, you start suggesting this and that and plans change. The time it takes to assemble lengthens.
So, I really hope I train myself to stick to the plan like I used to, and then train my kiddos the same way. We can change the plan when we're all together already. Time wasted (and all the energy texting and calling and consulting) is time wasted.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Plight of Moms in Japan
sharing here my friend's FB alert
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No wonder i feel so lethargic during the day..Not even nine in the morning and we already have 3 pretty strong after shocks in my prefecture. Tap water in Tokyo is not safe for infants that they are now distributing bottled water to households with babies.Many kids in the Chernobyl disaster developed cancer months or even years after drinking milk/water spiked with radioactive iodine but thought to be safe level at that time. Imagine the anxiety of mothers now who can't even wash milk bottles with running water thinking it might give their precious children thyroid cancer in the future..?
Tsubasa called me last night saying,mom,send me bottled water,i can't find any in the supermarkets,sold out despite a limit of two, two-litre bottles per customer.
Earthquake is something you can feel,so you know when it's coming and hitting you.Radiation is invicible,making it so scary and hard to fight,making people paranoid. Just yesterday, they announced not to eat cabbage,spinach,cucumbers and a lot of green leafy vegetables grown in Fukushima and my place cos they tested positive and so farmers are suffering a lot too. I had to throw away the cucumber i just bought the day before cos you don't wanna take the risk. Vegetables grown from other areas deemed safe are not selling well too cos people are afraid.
And yeah, i just saw that they are distributing free bottled water in some parts of my prefecture too that tested with high levels.They distribute them to every household tho,not just those with infants.
After shocks,radiation and food/water shortage..Life goes on...
** oh mec i thought of you when i saw those moms worried faces wondering if the water they drink will also affect their breastfeeding babies and asking if they can bathe them too. tsubasa is an adult and im worried for him but just thinking of those young mothers with small children breaks my heart.thanks again everyone..:-)
Japan is one of the countries with a high breastfeeding rate. My friend there says that you really do not get to leave the hospital without knowing how to breastfeed. If you want to formula feed there, you will have an option of two brands at most, usually just really used for babies with special cases.
But indeed, what of breastfeeding moms drinking contaminated water? How will this affect their babies?
And what of young children already eating solids... what water will they use? How long will this go on? How far will it spread?
Sigh.
Please join me in praying for the people of and in Japan. Radiation is a monster that they could do without.
============
No wonder i feel so lethargic during the day..Not even nine in the morning and we already have 3 pretty strong after shocks in my prefecture. Tap water in Tokyo is not safe for infants that they are now distributing bottled water to households with babies.Many kids in the Chernobyl disaster developed cancer months or even years after drinking milk/water spiked with radioactive iodine but thought to be safe level at that time. Imagine the anxiety of mothers now who can't even wash milk bottles with running water thinking it might give their precious children thyroid cancer in the future..?
Tsubasa called me last night saying,mom,send me bottled water,i can't find any in the supermarkets,sold out despite a limit of two, two-litre bottles per customer.
Earthquake is something you can feel,so you know when it's coming and hitting you.Radiation is invicible,making it so scary and hard to fight,making people paranoid. Just yesterday, they announced not to eat cabbage,spinach,cucumbers and a lot of green leafy vegetables grown in Fukushima and my place cos they tested positive and so farmers are suffering a lot too. I had to throw away the cucumber i just bought the day before cos you don't wanna take the risk. Vegetables grown from other areas deemed safe are not selling well too cos people are afraid.
And yeah, i just saw that they are distributing free bottled water in some parts of my prefecture too that tested with high levels.They distribute them to every household tho,not just those with infants.
After shocks,radiation and food/water shortage..Life goes on...
** oh mec i thought of you when i saw those moms worried faces wondering if the water they drink will also affect their breastfeeding babies and asking if they can bathe them too. tsubasa is an adult and im worried for him but just thinking of those young mothers with small children breaks my heart.thanks again everyone..:-)
Japan is one of the countries with a high breastfeeding rate. My friend there says that you really do not get to leave the hospital without knowing how to breastfeed. If you want to formula feed there, you will have an option of two brands at most, usually just really used for babies with special cases.
But indeed, what of breastfeeding moms drinking contaminated water? How will this affect their babies?
And what of young children already eating solids... what water will they use? How long will this go on? How far will it spread?
Sigh.
Please join me in praying for the people of and in Japan. Radiation is a monster that they could do without.
The Academic Run-Around
Friends and I have been discussing where we studied and how we ended up there and if we'd send our kids there.
I took up Psych in PNU because I ran out of options. I wanted to study in UP but was naive and weak-willed enough to listen to our HS guidance counselor who said that we're just wasting our application fees since UP doesn't accept students from private schools. So, I just never tried.
And then came college application time and I realized my Mom never intended for me to attend a private university! Gasp. Shock. Ouch. I still tried with CEU and Adamson but also never felt the fit. I gave in and also took entrance tests in PUP and PNU. Well, I got scared of the people I took exams with at PUP... and while I thought all the vandalism at their covered walk and walls were cool, I just knew my sheltered existence cannot tolerate that for four years.
Plus, I always intended to take up Psychology... so PNU was the wisest choice among my limited options since it at least had a good reputation. I graduated with Bachelor of Arts, major in Psychology, minor in Education... fourth among the graduating Psych batch and 22nd out of the entire graduating class (over 600 at least).
My mother, on the other hand, sent my brother to a private school. her rationale was, since I was already smart, I can go anywhere and still be smart. My brother needed the edge of private school education. Ouch again, but I got the point more and more as I grew up.
Fast forward to now. I have absolutely forgotten all the things I took up in college. Plus, the cum laude accolade is pretty useless since I am a stay-at-home Mom. :) Me reading to my child is more because I love to read than due to the expert recommendations of teachers and psychologists. Me signing to my child is more because I have always wanted to learn sign language. Me prioritizing family time is because I felt I didn't enjoy much of it growing up.
So, the great undergraduate degree became just that, a degree. A certificate. A piece of memory attached to a piece of paper.
Meanwhile, education has changed. Who knows by which standards I will measure it with years from now, when my sons go to college... if ever they do go :)
I took up Psych in PNU because I ran out of options. I wanted to study in UP but was naive and weak-willed enough to listen to our HS guidance counselor who said that we're just wasting our application fees since UP doesn't accept students from private schools. So, I just never tried.
And then came college application time and I realized my Mom never intended for me to attend a private university! Gasp. Shock. Ouch. I still tried with CEU and Adamson but also never felt the fit. I gave in and also took entrance tests in PUP and PNU. Well, I got scared of the people I took exams with at PUP... and while I thought all the vandalism at their covered walk and walls were cool, I just knew my sheltered existence cannot tolerate that for four years.
Plus, I always intended to take up Psychology... so PNU was the wisest choice among my limited options since it at least had a good reputation. I graduated with Bachelor of Arts, major in Psychology, minor in Education... fourth among the graduating Psych batch and 22nd out of the entire graduating class (over 600 at least).
My mother, on the other hand, sent my brother to a private school. her rationale was, since I was already smart, I can go anywhere and still be smart. My brother needed the edge of private school education. Ouch again, but I got the point more and more as I grew up.
Fast forward to now. I have absolutely forgotten all the things I took up in college. Plus, the cum laude accolade is pretty useless since I am a stay-at-home Mom. :) Me reading to my child is more because I love to read than due to the expert recommendations of teachers and psychologists. Me signing to my child is more because I have always wanted to learn sign language. Me prioritizing family time is because I felt I didn't enjoy much of it growing up.
So, the great undergraduate degree became just that, a degree. A certificate. A piece of memory attached to a piece of paper.
Meanwhile, education has changed. Who knows by which standards I will measure it with years from now, when my sons go to college... if ever they do go :)
No Distances Please
About three weeks ago, hubby was in Singapore and we had to resort to video chats every night to stay connected. I told hubby then that I really can't make it if ever he'd have to work far away from us because I was already super sad then, and he was only gone for five days.
Some families thrive despite the distance. I'm not sure ours will. But I should really be more open to it since, when the boys leave the nest, we'd really have to rely on web conferencing to keep in touch. Good thing that's around two decades away yet.
Some families thrive despite the distance. I'm not sure ours will. But I should really be more open to it since, when the boys leave the nest, we'd really have to rely on web conferencing to keep in touch. Good thing that's around two decades away yet.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Boys Are Okay
Yamee had vaccine shots last Thursday. I decided to have the doctor check on Yakee's eye too, even though it looked like it was resolving itself already, and had Dr. Mantaring listen in on his lungs too. I am still a little concerned about the primary complex thing even though Yakee's eating and thriving overall. I trust or doctor's judgment but just because Yakee didn't have it in December doesn't mean he won't get it somehow ever. Our air is dirty that way, hehe.
Yakee's only 13.5 kgs. while Yamee is now 7 kilos. (The scales at the clinic tell me I am 63 kilos which is about 139 pounds. The scales here at home tell me I am between 140-144 pounds.) At that age, Yakee was only 6.4 kilos so just maybe, Yamee will be a little bigger than his Kuya was. Let's see how he fares with solid food.
Yamee didn't cry over the shot :) And when I told the doctor that we suspect Yamee to be teething, he told us he (normally) cannot possibly be at 4 months old. Then, I told him that Yakee had teeth at 4 months (and Kuya also didn't cry over the rest of his vaccines). So, the doctor told me my sons are weird, hehe. Nice weird :)
That well-baby visit cost us almost P4k but it's really one of those times that I think money is well-spent because I know I need not worry and that I am validated for my efforts.
Sometimes, it's so easy to say, "The boys are fine." but you only realize how wonderful that is when you have had a sick child. And I thank God my boys are okay. They're okay!! :)
Yakee's only 13.5 kgs. while Yamee is now 7 kilos. (The scales at the clinic tell me I am 63 kilos which is about 139 pounds. The scales here at home tell me I am between 140-144 pounds.) At that age, Yakee was only 6.4 kilos so just maybe, Yamee will be a little bigger than his Kuya was. Let's see how he fares with solid food.
Yamee didn't cry over the shot :) And when I told the doctor that we suspect Yamee to be teething, he told us he (normally) cannot possibly be at 4 months old. Then, I told him that Yakee had teeth at 4 months (and Kuya also didn't cry over the rest of his vaccines). So, the doctor told me my sons are weird, hehe. Nice weird :)
That well-baby visit cost us almost P4k but it's really one of those times that I think money is well-spent because I know I need not worry and that I am validated for my efforts.
Sometimes, it's so easy to say, "The boys are fine." but you only realize how wonderful that is when you have had a sick child. And I thank God my boys are okay. They're okay!! :)
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