extra time

i don't know what i did, or what happened but the past days i suddenly found myself having more free time :) oh, i'm still doing what i have been doing the past 6 months -- the chores and even doing some of alvin's chores now, so i really don't know what happened. to think that this week, i had to bring liam to the dentist for his annual check up. but i'm loving it.

now, i'm in the mood for cooking. i just baked bread and butter pudding. loving the smell of cinnamon and butter inside the house :) tomorrow, i plan to cook beef salpicao and chicken mini-drummers with liver spread. on saturday, i plan to cook mac and cheese and homemade mashed potatoes, as well as sweet and sour pork. on sunday, i'll cook tinola and steamed basa fillet in soy. we won't be eating all of it, some of them will go straight to the freezer, as next week will be a busy week -- i have a class, the last meeting for this term, yipee!

i just realized that i am really a workaholic person. i can't just sit and do nothing. i need to do things, my brain needs to work, i need to move. oh, don't worry, in the busyness of my everyday life, i don't forget to relax, i get to have long afternoon naps now with my kids, blogging relaxes me, and so is watching master chef or other tv shows at night with my family. i still get to do fb, and my bible reading is becoming more regular now. so what happened? i don't know, but i am very thankful for this extra time :)

super friday!

yay! it's friday already! and boy what a day did i have! :)

started when alvin went to work...
changed sam's nappy
prepared breakfast
ate breakfast with the kids
gave the kids a bath
washed the dishes
hanged the laundry outside
mowed the garden
put baby sam to sleep
took a bath
cleaned the house...

with Liam and Sam in tow,
we went to Asian to do our weekly market
went to Blacktown to buy cooked food
stopped by a shop to buy an additional uniform for alvin

back at home:
sorted the food we bought at the Asian market
cooked lunch
ate lunch with the kids
washed the dishes
put the kids to afternoon nap, power nap for me as well :)
fetched my niece and nephew from school
prepared afternoon tea for the bagets
cooked dinner
folded our dry clothes
tried to look for a place to go to this Easter holidays
cleaned our mower
put baby Sam for another late afternoon nap (which she likes to have while she is carried the whole time, or else, she'll wake up ;)
prepared dinner
ate dinner

...yehey! alvin got home early! :)
loaded our coloured clothes
hanged the laundry
helped alvin with the dishes (washing)
cleaned and prepared the kids for sleep :)
played with Liam
DARNA!

mind you, i'm a breastfeeding mum! :) so i get to have "breaks" when Sam needs feeding :)

finally, my time! :)

(watching ASAP XV on TFC while doing FB, blogging, and school work)

DARNA! :)

Teaching Responsibility to My Toddler

Growing up to be a responsible person is not like a piece of apple picked on a tree. It takes time. You have to grow up with it to live it. Many parents don’t realize it but as young as 2 or even younger-- when you can see that your child can comprehend what you are talking about, they can already teach their kids the value of responsibility.

Parents are quite apprehensive to give their kids house chores thinking what other people might say. In this case, we have toddlers. Let me just emphasize that as parents, we should be sensible enough to the kind of chore you are giving your little tot. You wouldn’t ask your toddler to prepare or wash dishes, would you? Of course, parents should do some reading and try to sell which chores can already be assigned to their toddlers. To make it simpler, look for chores that are age-appropriate.

I am a mother of a two year old boy and I am just amazed on how quick my son learns just by observing the things around him. I realized that I should make the most of this opportunity to teach him some “chores” since he is still in that age where his mind acts like a sponge.

Start early. Bend the tree while still young. These are some of the famous lines my parents and parents-in-law share with me as I raise my toddler. And true enough I am already starting to reap some fruits of starting early. What do I mean?

At age two, the most that you can do for my little one is to teach him to pack away his toys after he plays with it. During my first few tries, I had to be consistent. I had to remind and show him that I am checking his room after he plays to check if everything is on the proper place. When I see some toys not properly packed away, I remind and show him again how to do it. I take it one step at a time. After a few more tries, I can now say that every time he finishes playing, all I have to do is just tell him to pack away, and I know that he’ll do. I am pleased when I see that he has learned his lesson.

Another story I would like to share is that, when my little one sees me cleaning the house, wiping the tables, walls, or even sweeping the floor, he now volunteers to help. There was even an instance where I asked him to just watch TV or play with his toys, but he said, “No Mama I want to clean.” And so I let him. Of course, this time, I don’t expect him to clean like a grown up! I just wanted to let him feel good knowing that he was helping mum with the chores. And I wanted him to feel that he was acting responsibly. Never mind if I had to do a second round of cleaning after he felt bored already with the activity. At least in my mind, I know that we’re making progress.

I believe it wouldn’t hurt if we give them chores every now and then to teach them how it is to be responsible. When you praise them after a job well done, their self-confidence is boosted as well. Is my strategy effective? I don’t know. Only time can tell. In a few years I will know. But as for now, I will continue to hone and teach him some more skills and instilling values along the way.

Counting my Blessings

I took a short break from writing because I found myself flooded with a lot of to-do lists and errands. It's a matter of choosing which comes first. Obviously, even if I love writing and sharing myself through my blogs, it has to, it had to take a back seat. It seems that it has been so long since I last wrote. A lot of things has happened already. I finally passed my driving test. I finally got my accreditation letters from NSW Institute of Teachers as well as in Catholic Education Office. Alvin and I have decided to enrol Liam on a child care every Mondays and Tuesdays just to prepare him in the event that I find a full-time teaching job. Liam has made a big progress in terms of increasing his vocabulary. We have started his weekly classes in Gymbaroo. The Math textbook I finished writing last March was published already. My family has been to two BESA gatherings in a span of one month. This is my last week to prepare for my IELTS exam scheduled next weekend. I am busy as a bee. My hands are always full. There is no dull moment at home. There is always something waiting to be done, be it the laundry, the clothes to be ironed, the home to be cleaned, the bin to be emptied, a new dish to be cooked.  Tiring. Yes. Definitely. But I am not complaining. Sometimes I am on the verge of complaining, I am after all human. But looking all of these things on the other end of the spectrum -- considering all of these as blessings -- gives a whole new meaning to it. I am counting my blessings. Rather than complaining I am actually thankful. First on my list is of course the gift of life. How many of us actually go to bed at night thinking that tomorrow will be just another day to do our usual routine? Of course, it all starts after waking up. That is if we wake up. Admittedly, many of us always take this reality for granted. Death is real. We won't know when our time is up. So I am thankful that I get to wake up each day to do a lot of things including the time I get to spend with my loved ones. Second is the gift of good health. This is another thing that is usually taken for granted. I am thankful because aside from being alive, I am physically fit to do the things I need and  want to do. Third, the material blessings that I get from His generosity. The financial provisions He continues to give me and my family,  allow us to have a home, dishes to cook,  food on our tables, clothes to wear, books to feed our brains, a car to drive and the means to travel. In short, we get to enjoy some luxuries every now and then. Winter is almost over and Spring is almost here. Time will fly again. The weekend is almost over and soon it'll be a start of another busy week. Another week of  to-do lists. Another week of errands. Another week of being thankful. Another week to count my blessings.