I spent my me-time today unpacking while ironing our clothes. How cool is that? :) I took the chance to hopefully finish fixing our stuff while the kids had their afternoon nap :)
Well, I am still not done unpacking. Nope, we didn't bring home tons of things from our short stay in Manila. Unpacking, on my terms is: sorting, fixing and putting of new clothes to their proper places. This means I had to make room for the newer clothes, remove the old ones and hand them down to the newest bubs in town :)
While doing all of these and ironing our clothes, I realized: my kids just have so MUCH clothes already! I mean at ages 3 and 1, they already have their own cabinets plus 1 tallboy which they share. They even have enough supply of clothes until they turn 6 (for Liam) and 3 (for Sam), for all seasons, at that! But wait, we didn't buy all of it, okay? Most of it, yes. But there is a handful of hand-me-downs and gifts as well :) There is just too much clothes! I can choose not to buy them new clothes in the next 2-3 years! I am running out of cabinets! Getting a new one is not part of my solution.
And boy are they lucky! I remember that I had my first pair of jeans when I was already in high school and it was a hand-me-down. The first pair of jeans that I really owned was California Paddocks which I earned after landing at the Top 3 of my class. And my kids? Well, almost all their clothes are branded already. Guess, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Oshkosh, Old Navy, and even Lascoste! I had my first Lacoste polo shirt when I was already working! Yeah, no one to blame but me :( At this age they are not aware of the value of the clothes they are wearing, we are not actually telling them, because they might ask for it all the time and we won't be able to sustain it hehehehe. And realizing that Liam will only get to wear these only on occasions and weekends once he starts going to the big school (because he has to wear a uniform, right?), is nakakapanghinayang.
So this weird idea came into my mind while I was ironing our clothes. The next time I am tempted to buy them new clothes I would still get the money but I'd put the money some place else. We plan to open an account for the two of them by next week and so that is one place where I can put the money OR I can put it on our travel fund, so it will be easier for the family's plan to travel to materialize ;) OR we can use the money to help out others :)
So there, this is my newest project and hopefully hubby will be happy with it :)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Break Time!
I am taking a short break from all the unpacking and the sorting and the cleaning and the doing of the housechores. Whew! Like what my friend Vera mentioned this is one part, one hard part, of coming back home after a vacation, going back to the established routine. Not to mention doing all the backlogs :-)
Oh well, I am taking my sweet time. I have not even put up any Christmas decors! I am actually thinking if I still have to put them up, because I already know, I will also be the one who will put them all down. Hehehe Good thing before flying to Manila, I have already shopped and wrapped our Christmas presents for our Sydney based friends :-) because at the back of my mind, I was already expecting this :-)
It was our first time to go back as balikbayans and from this experience, I have learned a few lessons:
A. It is hard, no, make that, very hard, to go on long trips with a small bub in tow. With Sam being breastfed, and no hired help or yaya to take care of her, it was still us who took care of both of them even if we met friends and went out. There was help from family, but only during weekends. Liam also didn't want to be left with the care of Lolo or Lola, so Alvin and I took turns of staying home with them if we needed to do an errand like going to the LTO, CAP, or going to the spa. And they were with us every time we met up with friends. Maybe, when they are both older, it would not be as hard :-)
B. The next time I book a flight, I would choose a night flight so the kids would be sleeping most of the time. And when I choose a flight going back home, I will not choose a Sunday. It was almost eleven pm when we got here in Sydney. No more shops to eat as they were already closed. Good thing my brother already left in our refrigerator, the cooked food I asked them to buy for us last Saturday so were able to eat something. By the time we were settled it was almost twelve no in and all of us had something scheduled on Monday! It will back to work for hubby, back to school for Liam and back to swimming school for me and Sam! I didn't have the chance to re-charge or get things organized before going back to our usual routines! So next time, no more Sunday flights for us!
C. The i-remit Visa card was not as hassle free as I thought it would be. When i make transactions and the reader recognizes it as a debit card, it lets me choose either the sa or chk account which when I both tried didn't work. I had to talk it out to the cashier to use it as a credit card or to use a different card reader. Sometimes they tried out of politeness, but others didn't. So what is the use of having a debit card? I ended up carrying big amounts of cash fearing that if I use the debit card it will not again work. Hay.
These are just the major lessons I have learned. I will be blogging about the realizations and stories of our trip next time :-)
Back to work for me :-)
Oh well, I am taking my sweet time. I have not even put up any Christmas decors! I am actually thinking if I still have to put them up, because I already know, I will also be the one who will put them all down. Hehehe Good thing before flying to Manila, I have already shopped and wrapped our Christmas presents for our Sydney based friends :-) because at the back of my mind, I was already expecting this :-)
It was our first time to go back as balikbayans and from this experience, I have learned a few lessons:
A. It is hard, no, make that, very hard, to go on long trips with a small bub in tow. With Sam being breastfed, and no hired help or yaya to take care of her, it was still us who took care of both of them even if we met friends and went out. There was help from family, but only during weekends. Liam also didn't want to be left with the care of Lolo or Lola, so Alvin and I took turns of staying home with them if we needed to do an errand like going to the LTO, CAP, or going to the spa. And they were with us every time we met up with friends. Maybe, when they are both older, it would not be as hard :-)
B. The next time I book a flight, I would choose a night flight so the kids would be sleeping most of the time. And when I choose a flight going back home, I will not choose a Sunday. It was almost eleven pm when we got here in Sydney. No more shops to eat as they were already closed. Good thing my brother already left in our refrigerator, the cooked food I asked them to buy for us last Saturday so were able to eat something. By the time we were settled it was almost twelve no in and all of us had something scheduled on Monday! It will back to work for hubby, back to school for Liam and back to swimming school for me and Sam! I didn't have the chance to re-charge or get things organized before going back to our usual routines! So next time, no more Sunday flights for us!
C. The i-remit Visa card was not as hassle free as I thought it would be. When i make transactions and the reader recognizes it as a debit card, it lets me choose either the sa or chk account which when I both tried didn't work. I had to talk it out to the cashier to use it as a credit card or to use a different card reader. Sometimes they tried out of politeness, but others didn't. So what is the use of having a debit card? I ended up carrying big amounts of cash fearing that if I use the debit card it will not again work. Hay.
These are just the major lessons I have learned. I will be blogging about the realizations and stories of our trip next time :-)
Back to work for me :-)
Thursday, November 24, 2011
All in the Name of Vanity!
I am not a virgin anymore, to sugaring that is.
I saw this spa a couple of days ago that offers sugaring-- the use of sugar, instead of wax to remove hair from different body parts. I got intrigued and told it to hubby. Hubby was OK with it, and he did encourage me to try it out.
So today, I tried it. I really don't use wax to remove hair on my legs and in the bikini area. If I don't shave it, I usually use Veet cream. I am actually happy with Veet because it is really soft in the skin and the new hair that grows is not coarse. Anyways, I was also afraid to use wax because of the TV shows I got to watch before. I mean just seeing the faces of the hosts after they strip off the paper, ooooh!
Well, before I said yes, I asked for some more explanation on sugaring. I asked the attendants to explain the procedure, the material which will be used and what I should expect. They know what they were doing. They gave me a handful of explantions and even gave me tips after learning that it will be my first time.
I chose to have it on the bikini area first and like the attendants told me, if I think I can handle the pain, then I can easily upgrade it to a Brazilian.
Wahahaha...end result? Nakakapanghina!
Good thing the attendant was very patient with me, laughing with me during the times that...oh wow...hahahahaha...
She even guided me and took it slow when I asked for a break every now and then so I can regain my composure. I thought I can upgrade it to a Brazilian but when she was doing it near the sensitive area....ha! No more upgrades for me!!!!
Well, it was a wonderful experience, it was something that gave me a good laugh...it was painful but the pain does not linger hehehehe
Will I do it again? Probably.
I just feel crazy having decided to try it out all for the name of vanity (and all for the name of romance wahahahaha) :-)
I saw this spa a couple of days ago that offers sugaring-- the use of sugar, instead of wax to remove hair from different body parts. I got intrigued and told it to hubby. Hubby was OK with it, and he did encourage me to try it out.
So today, I tried it. I really don't use wax to remove hair on my legs and in the bikini area. If I don't shave it, I usually use Veet cream. I am actually happy with Veet because it is really soft in the skin and the new hair that grows is not coarse. Anyways, I was also afraid to use wax because of the TV shows I got to watch before. I mean just seeing the faces of the hosts after they strip off the paper, ooooh!
Well, before I said yes, I asked for some more explanation on sugaring. I asked the attendants to explain the procedure, the material which will be used and what I should expect. They know what they were doing. They gave me a handful of explantions and even gave me tips after learning that it will be my first time.
I chose to have it on the bikini area first and like the attendants told me, if I think I can handle the pain, then I can easily upgrade it to a Brazilian.
Wahahaha...end result? Nakakapanghina!
Good thing the attendant was very patient with me, laughing with me during the times that...oh wow...hahahahaha...
She even guided me and took it slow when I asked for a break every now and then so I can regain my composure. I thought I can upgrade it to a Brazilian but when she was doing it near the sensitive area....ha! No more upgrades for me!!!!
Well, it was a wonderful experience, it was something that gave me a good laugh...it was painful but the pain does not linger hehehehe
Will I do it again? Probably.
I just feel crazy having decided to try it out all for the name of vanity (and all for the name of romance wahahahaha) :-)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Happy 1st Birthday, Sam!
Thank you, Lord for the gift of twelve months!
Thank you, Lord for the gift of a beautiful, happy and healthy daughter...
Thank you, Lord for Andrea Samantha!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Another Feather On My Cap ;)
Surprise!
Yes, I too, am surprised that I get to write a blog on our supposedly holidays here in Manila.
Blame it on the rain...and the fact that we live sooooo far from everything LOL :)
Well, kidding aside, I think reality has set in. I still can't leave my two kids and do the things/errands I have planned to do. And yes, the weather really didn't cooperate as it has been pouring the past 3 days already!
But first, some stories first on our flight back here in Manila.
If you have been following my blog you already know by now that I took the challenge of flying to Manila with 2 kids. Well, to date, that is my biggest achievement! Yes, I did, all by myself! hehehe well, not really :)
When we got to the airport hubby saw the parents of an acquaintance (a common friend is one his Beta Ep brods in UP) passing by us so he told me that we might be on the same flight. And luckily we did. While waiting for our turn to check in, he introduced himself and us and informally entrusted us to them. But the thing was, they were seated so far from us. Anyways, from check-in up until boarding, everything was manageable. We got good seats as well. Well, that is aside from the fact that our flight was delayed by more than an hour.
I was expecting for the worst, but surprisingly I managed. I was able to prove that I can still keep my cool when things were not going my way -- like Liam pooing while on flight. Yes, I managed that and to go to the toilet with Sam with me. I guess expecting for the worst did a lot of help, not to mention a lot of prayers and mind conditioning.
But I guess the credit really goes out to my two adorable and well-behaved kids. Many people have already told me that my kids are "mabait" especially Liam. Well, this experience was the one that really convinced me that yes, they are truly good children.
I will not write it but there were people who really went out of their way to commend them (and me **blush**) for their behavior all throughout the trip. As one passenger said: "I just want to tell you that your son is amazing! I mean how can you manage with two kids and not have a hard time?" She commended Liam twice. First during the first half of the trip and the next when we were about to land: "I mean how can he endure an 8-hour flight without giving you a hard time. Amazing. Simply amazing." I was a proud mum. Yes, Liam just sat on his seat, buckled up and only standing up twice. One when he needed to wee and the other one when he needed to poo. That's it. Thank goodness they didn't go after their Papa who feels sea sick when traveling hehehe :)
Sam was behaved as well. But she did give me a little hard time during the last hour and a half of our trip. I tried everything to soothe her but she was just restless (not crying). I knew she was sleepy already because at that time it was already 9:30 PM Sydney time.
By this time my battery levels were going low but thankfully I managed. It was challenging when I was filling out the Disembarkation cards while carrying Sam attending to my hand-carry luggage (which was about 7 kg!) and keeping an eye on Liam. That was the hardest part of trip for me. But help came at the right time and the right place. When it was time to get my checked-in luggage and the pram from the luggage conveyor, Tito and Tita (couple we met at the airport) were with me so they were able to help me out :)
No problems whatsoever with Immigration and Customs. Thank God.
I felt tired and my paranoia was at its peak when we went out the airport with my Papa and brother picking us up. But after one week, I guess my paranoia has lessened already :)
I am proud of myself. I am more proud of my children.
P.S. After experiencing a night flight and a day flight, I was able to compare and realize that when you have kids with you when you travel, very young kids like my kids, it's better to take a night flight than a day flight.
More kwentos next time!
Yes, I too, am surprised that I get to write a blog on our supposedly holidays here in Manila.
Blame it on the rain...and the fact that we live sooooo far from everything LOL :)
Well, kidding aside, I think reality has set in. I still can't leave my two kids and do the things/errands I have planned to do. And yes, the weather really didn't cooperate as it has been pouring the past 3 days already!
But first, some stories first on our flight back here in Manila.
If you have been following my blog you already know by now that I took the challenge of flying to Manila with 2 kids. Well, to date, that is my biggest achievement! Yes, I did, all by myself! hehehe well, not really :)
When we got to the airport hubby saw the parents of an acquaintance (a common friend is one his Beta Ep brods in UP) passing by us so he told me that we might be on the same flight. And luckily we did. While waiting for our turn to check in, he introduced himself and us and informally entrusted us to them. But the thing was, they were seated so far from us. Anyways, from check-in up until boarding, everything was manageable. We got good seats as well. Well, that is aside from the fact that our flight was delayed by more than an hour.
I was expecting for the worst, but surprisingly I managed. I was able to prove that I can still keep my cool when things were not going my way -- like Liam pooing while on flight. Yes, I managed that and to go to the toilet with Sam with me. I guess expecting for the worst did a lot of help, not to mention a lot of prayers and mind conditioning.
But I guess the credit really goes out to my two adorable and well-behaved kids. Many people have already told me that my kids are "mabait" especially Liam. Well, this experience was the one that really convinced me that yes, they are truly good children.
I will not write it but there were people who really went out of their way to commend them (and me **blush**) for their behavior all throughout the trip. As one passenger said: "I just want to tell you that your son is amazing! I mean how can you manage with two kids and not have a hard time?" She commended Liam twice. First during the first half of the trip and the next when we were about to land: "I mean how can he endure an 8-hour flight without giving you a hard time. Amazing. Simply amazing." I was a proud mum. Yes, Liam just sat on his seat, buckled up and only standing up twice. One when he needed to wee and the other one when he needed to poo. That's it. Thank goodness they didn't go after their Papa who feels sea sick when traveling hehehe :)
Sam was behaved as well. But she did give me a little hard time during the last hour and a half of our trip. I tried everything to soothe her but she was just restless (not crying). I knew she was sleepy already because at that time it was already 9:30 PM Sydney time.
By this time my battery levels were going low but thankfully I managed. It was challenging when I was filling out the Disembarkation cards while carrying Sam attending to my hand-carry luggage (which was about 7 kg!) and keeping an eye on Liam. That was the hardest part of trip for me. But help came at the right time and the right place. When it was time to get my checked-in luggage and the pram from the luggage conveyor, Tito and Tita (couple we met at the airport) were with me so they were able to help me out :)
No problems whatsoever with Immigration and Customs. Thank God.
I felt tired and my paranoia was at its peak when we went out the airport with my Papa and brother picking us up. But after one week, I guess my paranoia has lessened already :)
I am proud of myself. I am more proud of my children.
P.S. After experiencing a night flight and a day flight, I was able to compare and realize that when you have kids with you when you travel, very young kids like my kids, it's better to take a night flight than a day flight.
More kwentos next time!
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