This was from the N@W thread as well. But Kathy made it into a tag so here Please leave your posts so I can see, I want to know more tips

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?
Im not really sure. But this place is big. Bungalow with three rooms, garage, front and backyard. Four adults, two kids (one of which is a toddler) - We can even really invest on a business - selling food, used Harleys or an internet shop!

How much is your electricity bill monthly? Water?
Electricity - 1600
Water - 50 (yes fifty bucks.LOL). We dont have a direct line of water here so supply is every other day (yes, dont get shocked!!!!) - people here have invested in water tanks and pumps. We will be getting a water tank. But Im not really sold pa on this place kasi - I want to move closer to the Shrine, where my parents stay. Let us see until December. (We get by na, thank God for maids. We dont notice na di-igib ang tubig namin hehehe)
Drinking water is around 700-800.

Other utilities?
House Rent - 5000
Internet - 1000 (SMART Wi-fi)
Mobile Phone Plans - 899
Fuel/Gas - Included in hubby’s transpo allowance (but we still need around 2k to go around here)
LPG - 635
Matthew’s School Service - 1200
Matthew’s School Tuition (*semestral*)
Maids (Two) - 3000 (lucky no? They dont take care of the kids lang dahil ayaw ng mga bata sa kanila. One is a cook the other one is a labandera, all around maid. Mag-ina kasi (The mother is old, blind on eye, the daughter is no read-no write) - pagtyagaan na. Im having problems setting up a schedule for my studying though.

Groceries? Market?
Groceries - 6000 (1,500 per week) - includes toiletries and breakfast items, laundry detergents
Market (Menu) - 4800 (1,200 per week)
Milk - 4000 (GainPlus Advance 3 - she can consume the biggest can in around 8-9 days)
Pampers - 720 (I get pampers for her at the Silang Market (like the ones you get Peachy) for 180p/pack. A pack has 30pcs. This lasts a week)
Bread - 500 (We are big bread eaters here in fact I prefer LemonSquare over Gardenia these days. There’s also a bakery in Tags I get rolls from every Sunday).

We have lot of credit card bills to pay for though That takes a huge chunk of pay each month - we bought some appliances ksi. Once it’s paid for, we *might* have an easier load.

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I do not know what day of the week it is.
Im not even sure of the date.
I still need to check for time.

All I know is that the sun rises at 5AM like it’s 7AM.
And by 8PM the road is eerily quiet.
And by 9PM I miss Edil so badly :(.

I also get overwhelmed by sheer number of things I need to do, which compete with the a couple of things I WANT to do.

I have a lot of projects I want to do with the kids but lack of resources prevent me from doing it.

And I realize Im not really Superwoman.
And that I need to get satisfied with “This will do for now.”

The little big things the Man Up There teaches me.

And no, Im not really into drugs nor alchol LOL Im just having withdrawals with Edil not being here. (I dont need to be in a drug treatment center, thank you very much!)

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Being in a province somehow made me miss Becerra with Dangwa and instant access to flowers, stores and almost everything else (including the malls). Here, everything needs to planned and you need to organized. It is hard if you dont own any mode of transportation, and harder if you dont know how to drive even if you have a mode of transportation (ehem ehem). Anyhow, with Martha’s birthday and Mother’s Day coming up, we need to plan the weekend carefully. We are expecting guests, so I will be busy. I can get flowers from Silang, but I still dont know how to get there using public transportation, if there is anything available. If only I can order online. Beyond Blossoms offer quality but very affordable flowers.

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First things first, you can get updates (real, believe me, 98% true, LOL, like what Kelly said) here at my Winding Circle blog. I wish I was more organized in detailing the move but I dont even have pictures to post. That’s how strapped for time and everything else I am.

So, I have been working another job since May 1. It entails 24 hours, erratic lunch breaks and very very little personal time. But I have been loving it, and I have already seen the effect of having me around has been with the kids - they eat more and are more behaved. (Sa wakas, di na sila KSP). They still fight like cats and dogs, but at least we are slowly reducing it to meowing and barking - no biting and scratching na. Hehehe. Im actually putting aside any sharp objects and replacing them with safety cutters.

So, about the move. It went as smooth as we had hoped it to be, and much harder because it was just really me, Edil and the kids. My parents helped as much as they could but our move coincided with a big event with our organization so they were pretty much tied up. I think I can describe it as taking a glimpse into an American Life where it is no one but me, myself and I. Can you imagine us moving using varied types of transport (Owner, RevO, IPV), during early evenings to early mornings, with Edil doing the driving and hard work with me and the kids in tow. Yes, the kids. (We really didnt get a good yaya eh, Im resigned na that it will be Yaya Mommy for the next year). So we go to Manila, pack, drive to Cavite, stopping at BlueWave to get Jollibee drive-thru, and then the kids take catnaps at the car, wrecking their sleeping time. So by the time we get to Amadeo, Edil and I are deadbeat but the kids are refreshed so we stay up until 3AM to 4AM. (Edil has lost a lot of weight, kawawa nga eh). (Nevermind me, I have a lot of spare to lose, hahaha).

We just settled in 80% last week, enough to get a working kitchen, and a decent house to have guests over. We thought we had a lot of stuff, but we were wrong. We had a lot of JUNK - the kids’ toys can make up a whole room. My office stuff can occupy one cabinet and we have a LOT of clothes still, even with 3 boxes sold at ukay-ukay.

Things are very different now, but at least I have the normalcy of internet to keep my sanity. But even the world wide web fails to give what I have been looking for these days.

Let’s write posts in different categories.

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I think I have mentioned time and again how we need our own car these days. Ever since we moved, the dream/goal/mission of getting one has cropped up with my many talks with Edil. We discuss what car we will get, if it’s brand new or used, where would we get the money, down to the color. I want to say we are just wishfully thinking but Edil has been serious about it lately. We have the owner jeep that will do for now - the air here is fresh and cool so we really do not aircon in the vehicle. However, when the need arises that we go to Manila, he needs to borrow his dad’s Isuzu REVO so we can make sure the kids dont get asthma attacks. If only things were that easy as when you are in the US. With midwest auto recycling, you can have a guarantee for all the vehicles you check in with them and even get from them! All miles are CARFAX verified. All ENGINES come as a complete assembly. They are started ,inspected for compression, cylinder leak down tested, checked for oil pressure and cleaned. ALL TRANSMISSIONS are test driven, visually inspected and cleaned.

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