I haven’t done this for awhile, might as well do one since I am so late on updating everything else that whatever trophies and awards there are about being late, I am for sure the winner already.

Right Now:
I am..up at 4AM taking advantage of our internet. We have had some technical difficulties with its speed for two weeks now and the only time I can get a decent connection where I can work normally is during – surprise – when everyone is asleep and not using the internet. Suffice to say, I am a celebrity, an infamous one, at their customer service department.

I am..hooked on Bookworm, a PopCap game on my iPhone. Nerdox, that’s me. My highest level so far is 35 and I’ve worked two days on that (with breaks of course).

I am..hooked on listening to – DON’T LAUGH – the Glee version of Somebody to Love and TikTok. Wohzah, I am too old for Justin Biebster. Haha.

I am..due for my medical check up this week. And I am ready to get my a** whipped by the doctor.

I am..thinking about things that need not be overthunk, which makes me stressed. Not good.

I am..thinking about giving up something to make my work life easier. I just do not know which one yet. I need balance, and I’ve been telling this to myself since the start of the year – something’s got to give. Am I willing to give it up? (That’s the question)

Share This

My mom is a worry wart. I guess every mom is, because I became a worry wart too when I became a mom (though not as paranoid as my Mom). She constantly worries about my other siblings who live in the city, particularly my two younger sisters who live together by themselves in our ancestral house. They are both independent career women who commute everyday to and from work. This is what my mom worries about, especially when they come home late. Even if they take the bus or hail a cab, our society is no longer safe. There are a lot of bad people out there. To appease our mom, my sister told her that she is carrying mace spray in her bag everywhere she goes. The idea to buy pepper spray came to her mind during her self-defense class in college. OC spray doesn’t kill anyone but stuns the attacker long enough for a potential victim to escape and call for help.

It still isn’t enough – as my mom still checks up on them every night. But as a mom, I realize we never stop worrying about our kids no matter what.

Share This

This month made me realize that we might be better off with personal checks under our name. We have to withdraw big amounts of money this month for Martha’s party and the kids’ enrollment in school and we had to go to the bank personally to withdraw. The amounts were beyond the allotted daily limit you are allowed to withdraw from an ATM that’s why. I find it very inconvenient on our part, especially since I do not know how to drive and have to request Edil to accompany me each time.

Upon talking about it with friends, it might really be better if we have a current account so we can issue personal checks.

1. Personal checks can be used to pay the babysitter, placed in a card as a wedding gift, when writing out an offering at church or donating to your favorite charity.
2. It is easier to overspend when you swipe everything with your credit card. That’s one of the reasons slowing down and writing a personal check is a good idea. It gives the buyer some time to think about the amount of money being spent, and leads to more responsible spending habits.
3. People who use checks are also more likely to keep better track of their personal finances using duplicate checks and a check register to balance their account.

I guess our next step would to be order checks!

Share This

Martha has lovely hair. I keep receiving compliments about it. It is jet black, shiny, super straight and is not fizzy. Ever since she was a toddler, I have kept her hair at chin length with bangs resembling the cartoon character Dora. It is my way of keeping her look like a baby. Last year, we decided to let her bangs grow out. It was getting in her eyes all the time and she refuses to sit still for me to cut it regularly. She doesn’t even like to have her hair clipped.

But ever since she got into the Disney Princesses craze, she has paid more attention to her hair. She loves to wear headbands now and I would often catch her brushing her hair in front of the mirror. When we saw the movie Tangled, she had an idea of growing her hair long, like Rapunzel.

A few days ago I told her we were going to the salon to have her hair cut (She loves going to the “parlor” – her term). She was going to school in a week and I wanted to have the ends of her hair trimmed to a bob (again). To my surprise, she refused! Apparently, my mother (her Lola) told her to grow her hair long so that when she cuts it, she can use her Indian remy hair (virgin hair used for wigs) for her own. My mother is conscious with her thinning hair line and Martha’s beautiful locks deserve to be in a premium wig, like lace front wigs for black women sold in a beauty supply warehouse!

Share This

We seem to have had an extension of cooler weather this year. The month of April, which should have been the start of summer, was cold and gloomy. It was but natural to get used to the weather that when summer finally came, we were in agony on how hot days seem to be.

We have no aircon at home by choice. We can afford to buy one but I am afraid if we can keep up with the electricity bill afterwards. I would rather buy led lighting fixtures for our porch and replace our kitchen and bathroom’s yellow bulbs with fluorescent lighting fixtures instead.

We were even contemplating of getting discount ceiling fans when a friend told us that the power consumption of a running aircon unit is equivalent to four electric fans running at the same time. These are the same number of fans we have on at home everyday. We realized that getting an aircon and paying off our electricity bill aren’t as scary as we thought it would be.

We decided to buy one but what do you know? This week it has been raining everyday, and the weather forecast has officially declared the start of rainy season!

I guess we don’t really need an aircon this year! (Until next summer maybe)

Share This

1. Edil not smoking a stick of cig since yesterday
2. New gas range
3. Glee Season finale
4. Eager writers who meet my standards
5. Advertisers paying up. Just waiting for the big one!
6. Finally enrolling our HMO’s. Thanks to Citibank.
7. Kids are ready for school – complete supplies & all. We were also practical this year. CHECK for me!
8. Most awaited visitor coming early, for a change.
9. Tiramisu cheesecake
10. Star Movies.

Now I need to check some reviews on www.besthghreleasers.com. I hope you had a great Wednesday!!

Share This

Our househelp is on vacation for almost a week now. This explains my lack of updates since the month of May started. After Martha’s birthday, it was one busy week after the next and when we finally had the chance to stay at home, our househelp is off for her vacation. So I try my best to fill in her shoes and still do what I do everyday – work for a living, be a Mom to my kids and wife to my husband.

We are on day four and we are surviving. I am surviving. I have even cooked 3 days out of the 4! Imagine that! As most of you know, cooking is on top of the chores-I-dread-the-most. But I was able to do it, and even my family liked my cooking (that is saying a lot, mostly they just eat because they do not have any choice).

I am trying to control what I eat though, and I have been practicing portion control on what I eat and absolutely no snacking between meals. I am due for my check-up again in two weeks and I am dreading what my doctor will say, to tell you honestly. Maybe she would tell me to get those Detox Diets For Weight Loss already to help me get moving. All my Natural Health And Beauty is getting zapped out, that’s for sure.

While I being the resident Chef in our household, I realized that I need to incorporate more varieties in what we eat. For example, Healthy Snacks For Kids in our household usually mean fruit which is limited to apples, grapes, oranges and the occasional mangoes and bread is limited to bread + jam. There is the occasional French toast and pancakes but other than that, I am not really experimental with what I give them.

Any suggestions?

Share This

One of our goals last year was to get the kids’ room in order. We were hoping to have them sleep in their room by the time school started since they need to wake up early everyday. So we looked at different Bunk beds for sale and were able to find one that fits within our budget, the features we wanted and one that fits in their room nicely. It has a single mattress on top with a full mattress on the bottom so we thought it would be a good incentive for the kids.

We were wrong, partially. Our eldest liked the idea of having his own bed, but it took some time for him to be comfortable enough to sleep on his own. Up until now, he sleeps with at least six pillows to help him fall asleep. Our youngest would not warm up to the idea at all. She slept for a week on it and afterwards we gave in and had her co-sleep with us again. We are giving it a try again this school year, as she would be going to school at the same time as her older brother now.

Personally, I would have preferred to buy a Wood bunk bed for the kids. The wooden Bunk beds for sale I saw were made of mahogany wood so it was heavier but is guaranteed to last longer. It also featured storage solutions beside and under its frame. You can opt to have a trundle or pull-out bed even. I would have ordered the matching night drawers and vanity dresser if their room and our budget were bigger.

I will keep that in mind when we have a house of our own and we can have a say on the interiors of the kids’ rooms.

Share This