My Journal

Home Sweet Home

Lately I’ve been going gaga over home shopping. No, not internet shopping. I’m so over that! You don’t even want to know how much ebay points I’ve clocked up!

I’ve been a hostess for 4 consecutive weekly parties (going on 5) for direct selling companies for products such as jewellery, cookware, cosmetics, perfume, lingerie & clothes.  Why? Well here’s why:

-         I got to invite my girlfriends whom I haven’t gotten in touch with in a while and catch up on ‘stuff’ in the comfort of my own home.

-         We eat and drink and put our feet up while we shop and we don’t get tired from it.

-         We get honest opinions from the girls.  You know how women talk?

-         We get personalised and customised service we just don’t get in the shops because there are other customers around fighting for the sales attendant’s time.

-         The service you get is superior as the consultant/distributor/seller is well versed, is passionate and loves her products to bits.

-         The seller who conducts the party is usually a referral by someone else so you know you can trust her.  You know this person is not going to trick you into buying some dodgy product because her integrity is on the line aside from giving respect for the referrer.

-         The products are superior in quality that’s why they just don’t want to display it on the shelves of any shops. Nonetheless, they’re remarkably cheaper in comparison with other retail products because they obviously don’t have to mark up for costs of staff, rent, marketing, amongst many other things.

-         Not many people have these products so you feel a little extra special if you have it.

-         The hostess (ME!) gets a lot of freebies and great discounts (ahhh..once again retail therapy)

-         You get good guarantees and much better refund policies than what retail shops offer. Sometimes guarantees are lifetime!

-         You associate the purchase of the product to good times because when you bought it, you remember the company you are in. In short, you don’t feel bad spending. And you also don’t feel bad about not buying. Your friends understand you have other obligations. But what I say is, your obligation is to yourself first (wink!wink!)

-         You’re helping your local business person and not making the rich already richer.  You’re giving a little more pocket money to a home-based business owner than some multi-zillionaire CEO of some designer label and not to mention the models they are paying to be paper-thin!

If you’re having a party, consider inviting me as long as it’s in your home and you’re up to having some fun!

CCC

I’ve just recently discovered that the mother of a close family friend has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Suddenly, I felt sadness not only for her mother but also for my friend who was obviously stricken with pain.  Then my feelings shifted to worry as I imagined if it was my mother or someone else very close to me that was diagnosed with cancer.  The very thought of it made me sick in the stomach. What if it was me that had it? Odd enough, I felt more concerned if other people had it than if I had it. 

There were coincidences yesterday that reminded me that cancer is prevalent. At work, my workmate forwarded an email about lighting a candle as a tribute to Mrs McGrath who died of cancer and those struck with cancer.

Another incident was another friend happened to email me to ask if I still wanted to do colon detoxification or cleansing with her. Yesterday she thought about me as she was going to order her 2^nd bottle.  It was yesterday she remembered that I expressed my interest a while back about getting me a bottle of that colon detox concoction the next time around.

When I got home, guess what was waiting for me in my bundle of mail? An introductory magazine about foods that can prevent diseases especially cancer! 

Anyone and everyone can have cancer.  There is no one solution for us to prevent the onset of it in our bodies. Genetics, environmental factors and what we eat and do to our bodies are a combination of what can trigger the inherent cancer cells in our bodies to cause damage to our health.  There is also no one solution for the cure of cancer. 

I am, by no means, an expert in this matter as I have never come face to face with it but what I can infer is life is too short.  Our days are numbered and all of us have the same final destination called death.  God loves us so much that He gave us a chance to be conceived and to live.  Be thankful of the life He’s blessed us! Be thankful of the will He has empowered us with to make the decisions for a life well-lived - cancer or no cancer.

Hors d’oeurves

This weekend being a long weekend gave me a taste of many experiences in life that I compare with an appetizer, a delicious beginning of more delicious things to come.

It all started on Friday afternoon with my long overdue haircut, followed by a long overdue pedicure and a not-so long overdue massage (I have massages quite regularly, you see). I love having these treats for myself. Mothers often forget to have their ‘me’ time and I now diarise in advance my regular pampering sessions. It is unregrettable!

Saturday was business as usual. I had to 2 make up parties and got to meet with the loveliest ladies. I also got to practise the strategic process of goal setting I learned 2 weekends ago from the life-changing seminar I attended which is called Time Line Therapy. I was quite surprised how well it worked upon application for this particular exercise. True enough the results the strategy said it would deliver, delivered its promise as I made double the amount I would normally make. I bested my expectations. As I was driving home, I remember shaking my head due to the amazement of how well it all worked.   If I continue exercising this process to my business, and it does work, I can see not having to work for anyone sooner than later.  How awesome would that be?!

Sunday was a fun day full of games and food, and more games for Missy’s baby shower. Missy (sis-in-law) is due to give birth to baby Zac in about a month’s time and I’m very excited to have a nephew for the first time. I remember when I had my baby shower. The opening of the baby gifts was more exciting than the gift-opening during all of my birthdays combined!

Labour Day (Monday) was quite relaxing. I slept in until

9.30 am

and ambled my way through the day with the chores. The best part of it was spending QT with XED. It’s amazing how quickly he’s grown up. He’s going to be 2 yrs old at the end of the month -a baby no more! Today we did our drawings, reading and learning the alphabets. To date, he can recognise 16 letters. Hopefully by the time he’s 2, he can recognize the complete set of alphabets.

The experiences this weekend, I hope, will be a start of many more wonderful fruitful weekends to come.  :)

 

Holy Egg!

Today being Sunday (

16 Mar 2008

), I attended Mass as usual.  I didn’t realize how that it’s only less than a week before Easter holiday or as I fondly know it back home in

Philippines

, Holy Week. 

The Filipino priest mentioned how the Australian environment is not conducive to really make this Christian event the meaning that it is due. He mentioned how all hotels seem to be booked around this time yet the churches hardly get filled with people during the service.  The people would rather spend time relaxing at the beach than praying reverently to remember why we have this ‘Holyday” anyway.   This has struck a cord in me in that I felt some guilt about not preparing as I should as a dutiful and thankful Christian.  The first thought that came into my mind as I approached Easter was where we would hold our Easter egg hunting for the kids.

I remember in the

Philippines

, usually we would have already planned which church we would go to for confession and reflection on the Stations of the Cross.  I really miss the times when we used to visit 14 different churches to represent each Station of the Cross.  It was indeed a sacrifice and penance in itself to do this since in

Manila

where we used to reside, traffic was (and still is) congested not to mention the humid and heat and squeezing in the packed churches all day and all night long.  It was an arduous task indeed to fulfill this. However, as we finished the 14 stations we would suddenly feel a certain relief that we’e done something to honour and remember Christ’s death and resurrection. 

As I recall the angst of guilt longer, the more urgency I feel in wanting to do something to really make this a reconciliatory and cleansing ‘holyday’ period for me.  My prayer apart from being ‘resurrected in Christ’ is that more and more people will know the true essence of why we have this holiday.  Let the Easter egg chocolates we consume during this Holy season remind us of the beautiful and delicious new life Jesus had given us by His sacrifices and His rising in heaven. And it’s ours for the taking! 

Back 2 buck

After almost 2 years of being on maternity leave, I've returned to the workforce.  Just a week old, I wanted to see how my separation anxiety would be with my son being taken care of by someone else than me for longer than 8 hrs .  True enough, I was affected by the 'separation' issue more than my son.  He seems to have not missed me at all..huhuhu! 

From the moment I became a mother, it was really fun being at home and seeing my baby grow up.  I enjoy every second of being a mother. If I could stay with him for as long as I can, I would. Yet the need for 2 things arose and these are the reasons why I'm back in employment: 

1) Supplement my hubby's income which I, so far, managed to squeeze for our daily needs .  Actually, I got better at budgeting and paid all bills on time (unlike before where we knew the money would just roll in and didn't worry about due dates)

2) Update my technical skills in the field that I've been trained in for almost a decade. It would be a waste to just let it go.

When you're a stay at home mum, you worry! Worry especially about finances because you just make do with the one income that you're not used to. Once, I was independent and could pay for everything for myself: car, holidays, shoes, clothes, jewellery, etc.  When you become a mother, suddenly life becomes simpler.  You make do with just the essentials. The priority is your offspring and providing for them the best way you know how.  Yours take a backseat. And inevitably, you are torn by 2 things: time & money.  Do you sacrifice your time from home by bringing the buck home or do you sacrifice your finances and cutting out your wants by staying with your child? I'm sure there are many mothers out there who've tirelessly thought of this predicament.  I salute any mother who has stayed at home totally, and also one who has juggled motherhood & career simultaneously.  I also cannot fathom how being a single mother would be like.  As it is, my situation is already a big issue for me with a husband, let alone if you do not have a partner to help you out with everything. 

As a stay at home mum, you consider things like working from home or starting a business that works around your family's life. I've been blessed to come across a wonderful business that helped my family out and provided for extra things.  Being self-employed has its own stories and issues as well.  But I recommend it to all who are strong, highly motivated and sociable.

Anyway, my first 3 days was ok. It's all coming back to me now.  And I can say I'm on a roll again. I'm happy to be a part time employed, part time self-employed and part time stay at home mum.  I still consider myself a full time mum, nonetheless.  The only thing that will deter me from being the former is if we have a sibling for Xed. Now, that will force me to revert to being a stay at home full time mum which I will embrace openly.  But then again, that will require more $$$ and thus will probably make me go back to earning the bucks later.

My boy, XED

Early this week, XED had his 18 month check up with the child health nurse. 

Kevin & I are very happy with his progress. On his red book, the nurse signed off XED to be “an extremely bright boy”.  Ehem! When someone outside of our little family makes such a comment and with a proof to boot, it really makes us proud of ourselves.

I must say when people have asked us lately how old XED is, they are amazed that he is only 18 months old.

I need to transcribe this so I can relay this to him as I might not be able to remember when he asks me.  So here goes:

XED knows parts of his face when you point at them

-          hair

-          ears

-          eyes

-          nose

-          teeth

-          tongue

-          lips (or crocodile lips when he cries out loud and he closes it coz he gets conscious

-          chin

-          cheeks

-          mole

XED knows parts of his body

-          kili-kili

-          elbow

-          hands

-          bellybutton

-          knees

-          bumbum

-          toes

-          feet

XED can make animal sounds of

-          dog

-          birds

-          monkey (with matching action)

-          cow

-          sheep

XED can say words such as

-          ears

-          eyes

-          apple

-          ball

-          ball for balloon

-          ba for banana when he sees and eats one

-          ba for bellybutton when pointing at it

-          ba for bed when we fix the bed in the morning

-          bol for mole

-          boon for moon

-          cow for clouds

-          cook

-          chees for trees

-          birds

-          duck

-          dug for dog (because of his bisayan persuasion hehe!)

-          peg for pig

-          baby

-          cwoc for crocodile

-          eya for elephant

-          ta for tiger

-          to for thomas engine

-          oooooh for anything remotely scary looking figures such as dinosaurs, etc

-          airpun for airplane (would you believe he learned this after being in the plane 4 times)

-          Ahbee for Jollibee

-          Jink for drink

-          Foo for food

-          Baah for butterfly (matching action)

-          Eeesh for fish

-          Cooo for when he sees play school starting

-          Topus for octopus

-          Tika for chicken

-          Batyuta for computer

-          Wowow for flower

-          Kuta for kuya

-          Tiko for Tito

-          Tatos for potatoes

-          Ca for carrots

-          Ice for Rice

-          Hat

-          Take a bath

-          Door

-          Bell

And he can recognise the letter “A”

XED can do the following things when asked:

-          throw his nappy in the rubbish bin

-          pack up his toys with mummy’s help

-          read a book in the right direction (he usually changes it when he knows it’s upside down)

-          when he sees a crucifix or pictures of Jesus and Mary he does the sign of the cross and clasps his hands in amen.

-          Combs his hair

-          Cleans his ears

-          Takes his shirt, short, socks and shoes off

-          Washes his hands

-          Brushes his teeth

-          Higa for lie down

-          Hi 5, align

-          Shake hands

-          Dance when he hears any kind of music especially to Hi 5, Kapamilya Deal or No Deal, Happy Birthday,

-          Raises his arms for Praise the Lord and then Amen

-          He can put shapes in his Tupperware ball

-          He can hold a crayon and write on a paper

-          He knows how to count with his fingers

-          Dribbles the ball when you say dribble and shoot the ball through his mini basketball

-          He does a flying action with his hand with matching noise if you say airplane

-          He makes a bubble with his mouth when you say car.

-          Stamps his feet when we say left, left left right left march.

-          Knocks on the door

-          Rings the bell

-          Kisses and embraces when asked

-          Can do the ‘bless’ to adults

-          Shakes someone’s hand

Nursery rhymes he does actions to:

-          The 3 little kittens

-          Row row row your boat

-          Fly fly fly the butterfly

-          Humpty Dumpty

-          Eency Weency spider

-          Hush a bye baby

-          Where is thumb man

-          Twinkle Twinkle little star

He loves:

Hi 5

Happy Feet

The Wiggles

Bananas n Pyjamas

Thomas the Tank

Kapamilya Deal or no Deal

Going Bulilit

Playing basketball

He loves to eat newly cooked rice, banana, apple, pasta, minced meat, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, ube, noodles, grapes, fish. Anything, really.

That’s all I can remember so far.  I’m sure I’ve missed out on a couple.

His other milestones when younger:

At 1 month he could lift his head when on tummy

At 3 ½ months he could roll over and eat semi solid foods

At 5 ½ months he could sit up on his own and crawl everywhere

At 6 months he could stand up

At 9 months he started walking

At 1 year he was running

At 18 months he is still breastfed.  According to the child health nurse, it is still good to breastfeed at this time. God knows how much money we’ve saved from buying formula.

He sings with a loud high-pitched voice when he hears someone sing a high note especially Jed Madela.

He calls both mum and dad, da and dida respectively.

I think the Babyplus prenatal system really worked and reading and talking to my child since he was born facilitated in his progress. I also believe that when a child is surrounded by a lot of people and given lots of love and affection, you won’t go wrong with raising a bright one. The communication skills are honed earlier and their vocabulary is wider as they are exposed to more people and more words.  Also, never limit the child’s capability to understand what you’re saying or what you’re teaching.  A child’s brain is like a sponge and is thirsty to learn and explore new things all the time.

All in all, we are very proud of how XED has turned out to be so far.

I only pray that he will continue on progressing well.  Trying to be the best parents is a definitely challenging task but I would not swap it with any other job in the world.

time flies

It's been a while since my last blog but rest assured how much I do wish to put my thoughts here. There have been many things I wanted to share with you all (for those who read this)but I just couldn't find the time to be inspired to get it all together. Many events. Many precepts. Many actions. Many lessons. More journeys to come. When life is good, time flies.

How sweet it is to be loved by you…..

I thought I’d write something about this special day that is being celebrated by lovers who are conscious of this event.  Apart from the profits made by the commercial world, I believe this day signifies romance.  Many people after being in a long term relationship can become complacent and take those spicy moments for granted. If one is in a committed relationship, there should also be a commitment to revive the romance because this will ensure that there is always that sparkle in the eye, and you will always remind yourself that these are the things that made you fall for each other anyway. 

My husband has never been a showy person and I don’t blame him due to his upbringing.  But there are things he does that makes me all gooey and doughie eyed. Like this morning, he woke up before me (usually I get up before him because I have to make breakfast and lunch for our homestay students), ran outside the bedroom and excitingly returned to bed with a gigantic poster size Valentine’s day card that had these tiny, minimal words about love. We couldn’t stop laughing together.  Then he made sure I didn’t have to make breakfast this morning.  Instead, he cooked my favourite longganisa and rice.  Those little gestures really made me smile.  Being romantic doesn't equate to candle lit dinners, a dozen red roses,  or expensive jewellery.  As the saying goes: The simple things in life are often the best.

Every morning on the way to work, as we listen to the radio (B105), there’s a contest, which culminated today being Valentine’s Day, on “Who is the most unromantic guy in Brisbane”. Ladies get to nominate their blokes and the winning couple gets to be whisked away on a paid for romantic getaway in NZ.  Every morning that this comes up, I tell my hubby that I should nominate him.  I wonder if he gets offended by this.  All this was erased in my mind when he did what he did this morning.  It’s those simple gestures that makes me feel elated about him.  However, to top it all off, he said that he doesn’t have to give me a card in the next 12 years because I can just cut up the gigantic card he gave me this morning.  That made me crack up even more and thus, now I know for me, he is not only the most romantic man but the most adorable funny man in the world.

To all the lovers who’s hearts are throbbing hard..HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Oh What A Feeling?!

I had quite an educational experience last Friday being my first visit to a chiropractor. I must admit I have been feeling some pain in my right hip for the last couple of months. There are times that I scream in pain at a turn in a position in bed or when lunging to a standing position from my seat in the office or in the lounge. I always thought it was just my hip expanding and adjusting, giving way to the baby’s growth and eventually childbirth. Boy, was I wrong?!

On Friday, after feeling a lot of swelling and pain for half the day, I decided to ring around for an appointment with a chiropractor around my area.  After the 5^th phone number – bingo – I was given an appointment within one hour at First Choice Chiropractor.  Dr Kent, the chiropractor who saw me was very friendly, talkative and interactive. Normally, they would have their patients undergo the Xray to check the condition of the spine but because I’m pregnant this was not advisable.  I was instead put through some nerve impulse scan which determines the nervous stress surrounding my spine. I thought I wouldn’t have much problem except for the hip area where I’ve been feeling a lot of pain because I always thought I’ve always been conscious of my posture whether I’m standing, sitting or lying. My scan read that I had 4 severe stresses along my spine - just above my neck, shoulder blade, mid-back and hips/pelvic area. What this means as explained by Dr K is that each spinal disc has a nerve. When the disc misaligns from the spine, called subluxation, the nerve affiliated with that disc gets stressed which gives off very high nervous impulses. The stress gets delivered to the organ or part of the body which that particular nerve connects to, thus, causing some discomfort and/or pain in that area. Now I don’t wonder why sometimes I have migraines, shoulder stiffness, diarrhoea, gastro, heartburn and period pains (back during my non-pregnant days) – it was because these are the body parts affected by my stressed nerve due to the misalignment of the spine. Another big thing was that when I bent forward, Dr K noticed that my left hip joint moved correctly where as my right hip joint was locked in movement with my spine which causes the sometimes excruciating pain because it was pinching the nerve. After this diagnosis, Dr K gave my first spinal adjustment. I heard 5 wonderful loud, cracks which gave immediate relief from my head to my feet. Oh what a feeling?! After that he advised me to go for a 6 week chiropractic care, 2x a week to ensure that my adjustments will work and my spine will go into its proper place to express the natural healing power of my spine and the body itself.  He warned me that my first adjustment is not the permanent cure to my woes. Because my brain and body has been accustomed to the ‘subluxed’ spine, my brain will want to go back to it from the proper position that the adjustment has caused. That’s why constant chiropractic care of adjustments will be necessary for my body and brain to accept what’s correct. After a few days of having had the adjustments, I can sleep better, I don’t have anymore headaches, and I have no more heartburns or gastro problems. More work has to be done on my hips though. I guess I just have to be a good girl and follow through my adjustments so I can enjoy the full benefits of having a perfect spine – if there’s such a thing. I strongly recommend to others to have their spine checked with a chiropractor. It’s educational, drug-free and releases the innate healing power of your body through understanding and correcting your spine (which is one of the first crucial body parts that develops as a human being). You never know what you will discover and what relief you may experience. After all, your health is your wealth.

Highlights of 2005

2005 has been a blast for me!  These are my life’s major events and reflections on the year that was:

Relationships galore!

After a long distance preparation of our Catholic wedding/renewal of vows, we finally made it down the very long aisle of Basilica Immaculada Concepcion (Manila Cathedral) on a sunny Tuesday, 25 January 2005, followed by a joyous banquet at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club.  That day marked another beginning in our relationship as I treasure the blessings we received from the Holy Church.  I felt that in 2005 our marriage was truly strengthened, deepened and enriched.  Four couples who are all my friends have also tied the knot this year.  I wish them all the best!

Career

After some discernment on where I wanted to take my career, I finally decided to take the plunge and go for my 2^nd attack of job application and interviews after 7 years. In no time at all, I was successful in gaining a position which is where I really wanted to be career-wise.  I now work with great and fun colleagues who are professional and fun at the same time. 

Baby boom!

Alas! God gave us a miracle.  This year my husband and I fell pregnant and currently expecting the birth of our first-born on May 2006.  Nothing compares to the feeling of carrying another life in your body.  What’s more is that our marriage as husband and wife and future parents have given us a bond so strong, so fortified and so loving.  It’s in this I can conclude that a truly loving relationship is elevated when it bears fruit.  We are so looking forward to parenthood – the joys and pains it will bring.  Many of my friends fell pregnant this year as well.

Friendships

As they say friends come and go. It was in this year that I realised who my true friends are.  Friendships are also like loving relationships in which you want what’s best for the one you love.  From turns of events in my life throughout 2005, I have been able to pick who are those people whom I truly love and without a requited demeanour, those who love me and my family as well.   

Faith

It is in this year that I have gained deeper understanding of my faith. It sounds ironic doesn’t it because faith is a belief of what’s unknown yet I was able to understand it?  It was in this year that I was able to do a lot of self-study and research about my faith as a Catholic Christian.  I was able to learn about other faiths as well especially other Christian denominations.  This I believe, has strengthened my faith in the Church, especially that of the Catholic church.

I believe that all things happen for a reason and we also have the gift of free will.  Whatever happens in our life, whether good or bad, it is because God wants for us to learn and to reflect on these based on the results of our actions.  I believe that God is good and all He wants for us is to experience this goodness.  Yet we ourselves sometimes turn away from this goodness because of our own human weakness.  This is a whole new topic which I will discuss in my other blogs.  Ever since I found out I was becoming a mother, my devotion to our Holy Mother Mary has also been more profound.  My grandmother once told me that I have to believe as if the baby inside me is the same Jesus that Mary carried in her womb.  Thus, she said to reflect on the mysteries of the rosary.  If there’s any correlation, she ended up having 8 obedient children (including my father) who are all doing very well for themselves, have great careers, close-knit families and well-ingrained values.  Now that I’m spending more time on His word and on the words of the rosary, I believe that there is so much more to be done in order to truly fathom the wonders of the mystery of our Christian faith – again another topic of discussion. 

Overall, 2005 has been a truly blessed year with heaps of eye-opening experiences which has made me a better person. I thank our Lord for allowing me to lead a borrowed life and that I am able to share His blessings with others.  I’m already thankful for the blessings that He has prepared for me in 2006.  May God be praised always!