Of Stars and Flowers

When I got home last night, napansin ko na may star ang aking little boy. Siyempre, excited akong marinig ang kuwento niya kung bakit siya binigyan ng star ni teacher today.

Me: Wow, anak, may star ka!
Mako: Opo. Kasi kapag nagsabi ng 3 flowers o kaya madami, may star. Kapag 2 lang po or 1 or 0, wala pong star.
Me: Ano ba ang sinabi mong flowers kay teacher?
Mako: Madami po. Rose, yellow bell, sunflower, sampaguita, ilang-ilang, and gumamela. Kaya may star po ako.

>> Siyempre, tumatumbling sa tuwa ang Nanay. Ang sarap-sarap naman turuan ng batang 'to! Parang sponge! :)

Oo nga pala, my little darling boy also happily announced last night na "line leader" daw siya sa school kahapon. This is big news for us because our little darling boy is also our Mr. Shy Guy. Pati si Daddy na busy sa pagbabasa ay biglang tumigil dahil sa narinig niya.

Daddy: (excited) Wow, line leader ka kanina sa school? Wow! Ano ba ang ginagawa ng line leader?
Me: (excited din) Sige nga, show Mommy and Daddy kung ano ang ginagawa ng line leader.
Mako: (smiling shyly) Basta... basta line leader ako.

>> Hahaha! Owkei fine. Let's celebrate pa din, anak! Woohoo! Line leader kami! Haha. :)

Ligo

While taking a bath...

Mako: Mommy, paano po naliligo ang baby sa loob ng tummy ng Mommy?

>> Ummm... nasaan na ba ang tatay ng batang 'to? Saklolo! :P

Parts of a Plant

Every weekend, I usually allot time to help my little boy with his assignments. We also do a review of the lessons they had during the week. Last Sunday, ganito ang eksena.

Me: Mako, magreview na tayo. Parts of a plant muna.
Mako: Mommy, 'yung fruits, flowers, leaves, stem and roots? Sige.

>> Hala! Inenumerate?! May rereviewhin pa ba kami?!

Nerbyosa

Bukas ang interview ng anak ko sa science high school na gusto niyang pasukan. As usual, ako na naman ang mas nate-tense. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying really hard na makapasa siya sa interview at makapasok sa school na 'yun.

Please, Lord!

Clean As You Go

Kids say the cutest things...

Mako: Mommy, dati si Kuya Miko muna sa tummy mo? Tapos si Kuya Maki naman? Tapos ako naman?
Me: Yes, anak.

Mako paused for a moment then asked...

Mako: Pero lilinis muna?

>> Hahaha! Maselan? Di bale, maglalagay ako ng "clean as you go" sign sa matres ko. Hahaha! I love our darling, little boy. :)

Birthday Greetings

Let me tell you a secret. I am very easy to please. I am a very appreciative person that’s why I can be happy and thankful at even the littlest of things other people do for me. Yesterday, I was very happy to see that a lot of my friends took the time to post birthday greetings on my Facebook wall.

Simpleng birthday greetings pa lang ‘yun ha. Imagine how I felt when I saw hubby’s birthday message for me:

I was teary-eyed because I was so touched. I felt very loved and appreciated. Thank you, hubby. Sabi ko nga sa reply ko, “I was born for you. I love you, baby. I always will. I look forward to many more birthdays to spend with you and our kids.”

34 on 23

Yes, I turned 34 last Sunday. There are times when I still can’t believe I am on my 30s already. Parang kelan lang, college student lang ako. Parang kelan lang, kapag may mga gatherings, ako lagi ang youngest or isa sa mga bata sa batch. Ngayon, isa na ako sa mga ina-ate. Kaloka!

Anyway, my birthday celebration was very simple but because I spent it with my boys, I was very happy and felt loved. We heard mass at Sto. Domingo Church (11am). I thanked the Lord for all the blessings He has given me, especially for the gift of a happy marriage. I prayed for good health so I can continue to take care of my hubby and our kids. After the mass, we had lunch at Gerry’s Grill. We had sisig, grilled tuna belly, chicken skin, and pork bbq (as requested by the little guy). The kuyas had mais con yielo while I ordered leche flan for dessert. We enjoyed our lunch so much we forgot to take pictures. Simot na simot din ang mga plates. Haha! J

We then went to SM Centris because I wanted to check out the tiangge. As you know by now, hindi ako mahilig bumili ng mamahaling bagay.  Low-maintenance, ‘ika nga.  Masaya na ako sa mga bagay-bagay na nabibili sa tiangge. J  Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything I liked so we transferred to SM North EDSA because the kuyas wanted to buy shirts. Hubby let me buy perfumes because (1) paubos na ang pabango ko, (2) ‘ yun na ang kanyang birthday gift, and (3) sayang ang 35% discount!  I was very happy.  We bought a mango roll from Red Ribbon before going home. We also bought lechon manok from Baliwag. Simpleng buhay pero masaya.

When we got home, it was plantsa time for me. Hubby naman had our car washed. The Kuyas studied and prepared their things for school. Si bunso, happy nang makipaglaro with his cousins.

My birthday dinner at home was spaghetti, the chicken that we bought from Baliwag and the mango roll from Red Ribbon. We gave half of it to my in-laws (katabi lang namin ang bahay).  After dinner, I had some time to check my Facebook account and thank my family and friends who posted birthday greetings on my wall.

I know it was nothing grand. No big party. No expensive gift. But I feel loved and blessed. I am happy and thankful. I have gifts that money can’t buy. I have a wonderful husband. I have beautiful and intelligent kids. I have supportive friend and relatives.

The only thing I pray for every night is to always be blessed with good health. I want to live long because I want to be always there for my husband and our children. Not for myself, oh Lord, but for my family. Always for my family.

Kung...

Kung ibebenta ang utak ko, malamang sa murang halaga lang... kasi sa araw-araw na pag-a-analyze ng data, gamit na gamit, mga atey. Hindi kagaya ng iba dyan, good as new! Har!

Why I Have Been MIA

                                                                                   My Daddy and my baby Mako

I know it has been awhile since my last post. I have lots of things on my mind to write about but I haven't had the chance to these past few days. Here's why...

Sunday (Apr 15) - My cousin sent me a message through Facebook informing me that my Dad was rushed to the hopital because he collapsed. I also got an early morning text message from my older brother telling me the same thing. I immediately called home to ask how Dad was doing. The information I got were: very high fever (40C above) with chills, high blood pressure, and severe UTI.

My brother and I agreed that since Dad was already in the hospital, the infection would be taken cared of via antibiotics. So I just checked on Dad from time to time thinking that he'll be okay. By the way, my Daddy is based in Roxas City (Region VI), our hometown. To get there, one has to either ride a plane or a ship.

For the nth time, I wished limang kendeng lang Roxas City na.

Monday (Apr 16) - Dad was still having high fever with chills. Hindi daw siya makakilala ng tao kapag mataas na mataas ang lagnat niya. Another additional diagnosis was pneumonia.

Side story: My Dad is an accountant... a very smart and hardworking one. Workaholic talaga si Dad. One important rule he always taught me even when I was in school was to always make sure that deadlines are met. At kailangan, maganda/maayos ang gawa mo...something you can be proud of. 'Yung hindi mo ikakahiya.

Anyway, back to what happened last April 16... I found out that Dad has been working really hard these past few weeks because of the tax season. So hard that he didn't get enough rest despite having fever. Ganyan ka-workaholic ang tatay ko. Because of this, fatigue and stress were also considered culprits for Dad's condition.

I was getting worried about Dad but I kept reminding myself that it has only been one day since his confinement and perhaps the medicines haven't kicked in yet that's why he was still having fever and high blood pressure.

Tuesday (Apr 17) - I called home again and found out that they still did not see any improvement. Dad was still having high-grade fever (40C above) with chills. Nagdedeliryo pa rin everytime he has fever. His blood pressure was still high. I was also informed that his doctor asked for kidney ultrasound to check Dad's kidneys because he was complaining of sharp lower back pain.

I was getting very worried and wanted to fly home to Roxas but my brother and I agreed to wait for the results of the ultrasound before deciding if we need to fly home. Mahal kasi ang airfare kapag malapit na ang travel date plus we both have very busy schedules at work and it was the baptism of my brother's daughter that coming Sunday (Apr 22).

I asked my cousin in Roxas to check on my Dad and get all information she can get from the nurses and the doctors. We have been asking for the doctor's number so we can call him and talk to him directly about my Dad's condition but somehow, we couldn't reach the doctor.

Later, my cousin texted me the information she got from the nurses looking after my Dad - high-grade fever with chills, pneumonia, severe UTI, high pus cells, left kidney has stone, right kidney okay, prostate glands inflamed, high blood pressure, and high fbs. She also felt that we perhaps we need to talk personally to the doctor about my Dad's condition because he didn't look well when she visited.

That was it. I knew I had to go home to see my Dad. You see, my Mom and my younger brother are now living in the US. My kuya and I are here in Manila. Noone is there to look after my Dad. I just had to come home.

I composed myself and talked to my boss about my Dad's condition and my need to file for emergency leave for the rest of the week so I can fly home and take care of my Dad. I was very thankful when my request was granted.

My kuya also decided to go with me. That night, he got us tickets to Roxas City.

I flew to Roxas City last Wednesday (Apr 18) and stayed there until Saturday (Apr 21). I have nothing much to talk about the trip because we mostly stayed in the hospital looking after Daddy.

The following day (Apr 22 - Sun), we attended the christening of my very cute niece, Maya Andrea.

Then Monday came and I became doubly busy because I had a lot of catching up to do at work.

So now you know why I have been missing-in-action (MIA).

As of this writing, my Dad is already recovering at home. I think he just waited for me and my kuya to go back to Manila before insisting to go home. Last time we talked, he admitted that the doctor only agreed to let him go home provided that a nurse will check on him from time to time and inject his medicines. Haynaku, Daddy.

I continue to pray for Dad's recovery. I still wish na sana limang kendeng lang, Roxas City na.

Happy Monday

Yesterday, I practically dragged myself out of bed so I can prepare for work. We had a busy weekend so I still felt sleep-deprived. However, I knew I really had to go to work because our team is busiest on Mondays. As a consolation, I just promised myself eight hours of sleep in the evening (which I did not keep after hitting the sack at 11pm).


E bakit kamo Happy Monday ang title ng post ko? Kasi...

I thought it was my usual boring Monday until I checked Mommy Fleur's blog and found Mako in This Kid is It! Mommy Fleur is a popular mommy blog and is part of my daily read because her stories about her hubby, baby and helpers are so nakakaaliw. Seeing my baby Mako in her kiddie fashion section just put me on Cloud 9! :)

But wait... there's more...

When we got home, a Happy Gram from Kuya Maki's school was waiting for me and Hubby! Our boy ranked 3rd in class and will also receive the Best in Language award. Happiness overload! :)

And finally, a long weekend awaits the family because Hubby and I will be on leave this Friday to attend Kuya Maki's Recognition Day.

So there... my usual "Tinatamad-I-want-to-go-home-agad Monday" turned out to be great! :)

Ofc na. Lab u.

"Ofc. na. Lab u."

Every weekday morning, I wait for this text from my Hubby (of course!). The message may be short and simple but to a wife and a mommy like me, this means her hubby was able to drop off the Kuya safely to school and arrived for work safe and sound as well. I say a quick prayer of thanks to Him who watches over me and my family.

So this morning, the most-awaited text came and now I can start working on my deliverables for the day with a happy heart knowing that my loved ones are safe. :)

Manic Mondays

Every Monday morning, as I drag myself out of bed at 4:15am, I always ask myself, "Where did the weekend go?" Then I start telling myself to get more hours of sleep during weekends so that waking up on Monday mornings won't be as hard. I go over these thoughts some more while in the shower.

5:15am - I prepare baons for the Kuyas and me. All three of us bring packed lunch and snacks because (1) there have been a lot of reports about food poisoning from cafeteria food, (2) the kids have super quick recess and lunch breaks making it more practical to bring their own food than waste time in the canteen line, and (3) it's budget-friendly. Son #1 and I also bring packed breakfast. He eats his breakfast while in the car on his way to school while I eat mine in the office. We prefer this over waking up super early (as if 4:15am is not super early) just to squeeze in breakfast.

5:30am - After making last minute bilins to our helper, we leave home. Son #1's classes and Daddy's office hours start at 7am.

6:00am - I clock in for work... 3 hours early. I don't mind. I have time to eat my breakfast, have coffee, do some reading (of blogs and news), and even write entries for my blog (Mommyholic and Our Little Family ). During days of heavy workload, I also get to have more time to work on my reports.

9am to 6pm - Work. Work. Work. 'Nuff said.

6pm - I leave the office. Everyday, I make sure I am done with my deliverables for the day before 6pm because I go home with Daddy and Son #1. We make quick trips to the supermarket if there are things that the Kuyas need to bring to school the next day or if Daddy wants to buy dessert for the family. Otherwise, we head straight home.

6:45pm - Home sweet home. Daddy usually plays with our 2-year old son # 3 while I check the Kuya's assignment notebooks.

7-7:30pm - Dinner time

7:30-8pm - I ask our helper how son # 3's day went (i.e., check if he was given his vitamins, what he ate, and how long his naps were today). I also give my little boy a quick bath. He sleeps better when clean and fresh. We all do, I guess!

8pm-9:30pm - Web time for me. I check my blogs and facebook account, help the Kuyas with their research works, and look for good running events to join. I stay up a little later if need be. Otherwise, I make sure I am done by 9:30pm so I can still have 7 hours of sleep.

9:30pm - I say my prayers (thank God because I have my Hubby and kids, ask Him to continue to watch over my loved ones, say sorry if I have been maldita today, etc), give quick kisses to my hubby and kids, and then sleep.

This is how I usually spend my Mondays. How about you? Do share! =)