The Word "No"

I have come across a number of articles that when teaching toddlers the meaning of the word "no" parents should be consistent. For example, when you see your toddler putting things inside his mouth, you tell him to stop doing it or simply say "no, don't do that." When the little tot doesn't abide, you keep on saying the magic word until he does what you told him to do. If he does it again after 5 minutes, parents, most often than not are already tempted not to call the attention of their kid. After all, it is also tiring to keep on saying these things and sound like a broken record. But experts say, you must. The consistency on the part of the parents will likely to be the best tool to teach the toddlers that you are serious and you mean business.

Well, how about if it's the other way around? The little tot telling you "no"...would you stop and do what he says?

Well, I had this experience just this afternoon. We went to church this afternoon and while the priest was giving the homily and my 2-year old son was sitting on the lap of his Papa, I quietly got the mass guide on the seat and read the reflection part. I was still not done reading it when my son got down from his Papa and got the paper from me. He put the paper back to the seat beside his Papa and said this to me "Mum, no more" I told him, "can I please borrow it again?" He said with much conviction and with actions this time "no more, no more, no more." What would you do?

At that moment I was torn to just get the paper again and tell him thru my actions that "hey, look I'm the older one here, so I do want I want to do." But at that moment also, maybe thru God's wisdom, it occured to me as well that if I did get the paper after he said "no more" it might give a different impression on my little boy. Maybe, just maybe, if I got the paper again and continued reading, he would think that "Ah ha! Maybe I can do that as well...continue to do what I want to do even if mum says no! She just did it." If I did it, I would have totally contradicted myself. All these efforts of teaching him to follow me whenever I tell him "no" will just be put to waste. Maybe I'm thinking too advanced now, but let us not underestimate these little ones. We may be surprised as to how these kids absorb what they see around them.

And so there I was, so hopeless. I gave in to my little one. I did not get the piece of paper even if I wanted to, very much. I stopped myself because as they say, parents are the best teachers to their kids. Modelling is the key, as many would point out. I want my little tot to learn that when Mum says no, she means no. So I did it when he had the chance to say no to mum. I just hope that this incident taught him that.

It's funny how kids like our lovable little toddlers can turn the tables on us without trying too much, and teach us a lesson along the way as well.

Well, I did get to finish reading the reflection on the mass guide. That is because I ended up bringing home the mass guide with us =D

Looking Forward to Great Things This 2010

Life has been good to us. Life is not perfect. We've had our share of ups and downs especially last year, but we managed to pull it through.

There were a lot of changes and adjustments that transpired last year. A lot of prayers, a lot of dreaming, a lot of hoping. The journey that was 2009 was a roller coaster ride. An adventure.

Looking back at the things that happened, it was one big adventure! A year full of blessings. Simple things, big things! Dreams slowly becoming a reality. Time for family. Own home. Good health. Stable job. Happiness. Joy.

January is almost over, in eleven month's time we will bid 2010 goodbye. As I continue with my journey I can only hope for the best. I can only share my excitement on what is in store for me and my family for the rest of the year.

I and my family will hope again, will dream again, will pray again. We are learning our lessons. We are enjoying our journey as a family and we look forward to more great things for us this 2010!

New Home New Year!

God is so, so very good! This year is about to end but He hasn't stopped giving us blessings. This year has been a challenging one, but it also brought in a lot of things to be thankful for.

A few days ago, Tuesday to be exact, we finally got approved for our home lease application. I was surprised that everything went well quickly and fast. No problems. We were not expecting it would be that quick. A week ago, during the Feast of the Mary Immaculate, I went to the open house by myself, after attending the mass. I liked the house, I felt it was good for the three of us and it looked much better than the first few houses we saw on some of the open houses we've been to.I also loved the fact that the area seems to be quiet, but busy in the afternoons when kids, my son's age are out to play (according to a resident whom I was able to talk while waiting for the agent). I asked questions, recorded a video about the place, discussed it with my husband. We both agreed to try it out. But we were not as hopeful. We were very much open to the idea that we might try out a lot of applications before we finally get our first home. Having no credit history might be a big factor. Another thing was that the date I wrote for our availability is 2nd week of January, which is actually still after a month! If I am a businessman, I would think twice of approving this application becuase I'll be losing a month's worth of rental fees. But we still tried. No harm in trying as they say.

We were not in a rush. We actually started praying for our first home when we were positive that Alvin made it in his new job. We just prayed for it everyday and we knew in our hearts that one ay it will just happen. After going thru a lot the last couple of months -- praying for something and the Lord asking you to WAIT (which is actually the HARDEST part), we learned our lesson.

We submitted our application Thursday of last week. By chance we saw that they had another open house for the property set for the weekend, Saturday morning, to be exact. Since Alvin was available I told him to drop by to the property so he has an idea what it actually looked like. Just like me, he was ok with the place. But was also open to the reality that we might not have an approved application. Before we left the place, the agent told us, that we might hear from them Sunday afternoon, regarding the status of our application.We went with our usual afternoon actvities, but we passed by Officworks to photocopy the requirements we might need in our future applications. That was how open we were.

Sunday passed. Monday passed. No calls. But we were not worried, although we decided to follow-up on Tuesday and to ask as well if we can bring in additional supporting documents. Tuesday morning I called. The agent said it was ok to bring in some more documents but the applications were still being processed. Lunch time, one call after another- visa copies needed, open house for a similar propert which is newly renovated, date of availability -- then I heard the magic words "you are approved." "What?! Is our application approved already?" I had to hear it twice because I can't believe our prayers were answered so quickly this time!

When I realized that January 5 was too early for us, I bargained again. I called two minutes after getting the good news. In my heart I knew that if the owner didn't agree, the house was not meant for us. We went to the office that afternoon not knowing if our appeal was granted. But as I've said everything fell into place. To make things simple, we gave our holding deposit and on Saturday we will already be signing the Lease Contract. That house is for us. It will be our first home here.

It is not a brand new house. It is not a big house. It is a small townhouse unit in a small community. Close to the bus stop. Close to schools. Close to the House of God. In three weeks time, I'd be very busy fixing the house. Putting everything in place. We are all excited. But aside from all these, we look forward to making it a home. So new year, new home!

I had an early Christmas present. I hope you get yours too! Merry Christmas!

Busy As A Bee!

I can't believe than in two weeks' time it'll be Christmas already! In a couple more weeks, Liam will turn 2 and of course 2009 will be over! What a year! I've been busy the past few weeks that I realized I haven't had the chance to write a blog again during the last 16 days!

So what kept me busy? Many. To start with, I have been getting more casual teaching calls and it means I had to report for work. By the time I get home, it'll be Liam time and house chores time as well. I spend my free time cathcing on FB hehehe.

Another that kept my hands full was of course my Christmas preparations. This includes my Christmas shopping, bargain hunting, Christmas gatherings and wrapping of Christmas present.

Next on my list is our house-hunting. After finally getting a better paying job, my husband and I are now really seriously looking for a place to rent. We are in the process of looking for that perfect home, perfect community, for our family, as we move out from my brother's place, after 9 months. We just started applying this week and hopefully, it'll be successful. Attending open houses takes most of our weekends as well.

That was short. It seems simple but it obviously took most of my time. I've been busy as a bee the past few weeks. Dead tired at the end of each day, but no worries, because the things that kept me busy are all blessings. Prayers that were answered, so I am not and I will not complain.

More busy days ahead of me!Hmmm, I am just wondering when I'll get the chance to write my next blog entry. I would be lucky if I even get to write 5 blogs this month! Oh well =D

Great Buys, Great Finds

I love sales! Who doesn't? It started 2 years ago when was heavy with Liam. A friend of mine informed me of a sale somewhere in Pasig. It offered super low priced clothes for kids. I was preparing to be a mum soon so my husband and I agreed to go there. To our surprise, there were also maternity clothes in the site. So at the end of our shopping day, I was able to spend around 2000 pesos for 7 pieces of maternity clothes and a lot of baby stuff. Not bad! We got a good value for our money!

The following year, in an e-group, I learned that Guess and Mossimo apparel will be offered in a 3-day weekend sale. I was so happy when my husband agreed to go with me. I was surprised with the number of people when we got there. I thought that my husband wouldn't stay and be patient enough to wait for me, but no! We endured the hours of wait and the number of people to get ourselves some clothing for a good price. We spent around 4k that day -- which we don't usually spend in a day -- but were happy because if you are to sum up everything that we got in their original price, it wouldn't even be less than 10K!

Now, in Sydney. New place. No more sales? Nope, every week they sales! I look forward receiving the catalogues each week. I feel elated each week especially after going to the shops to buy some good stuff. The past weeks, I've been frequenting the shops to buy all sorts of things, all at a good price! Here's my list:

a. Target - home and kitchenwares
b. K-mart - same as Target
c. Big W - same as the first two
d. Nike - clothes/sports apparel, shoes
e. Guess and Mossimo - kid and adult clothes

Now that my family is preparing to move out from my brother's home, I am extremely happy with the kitchenwares I was able to purchase at half it's original price. Aside from this, I was also able to buy bed linens, comforters, electronic gadgets,kitchen appliance all for such a cheap price. Mind you, I was able to get the branded ones! If we were to purchase all of it when we have moved out already, I am pretty sure that I won't get the good brands.

So hurray for sales! People like me, who always strive to get a good valu for hard-earned money, will not tire of looking and attending sales. Until my next find!

Learning Patience Along the Way

I can be very impatient. Yes, I am a teacher but it is quite ironic that I find myself most of the time losing my patience. I hate waiting. Looking back at all the things I have prayed for I usually do something opposite while asking the Lord to let His will be done. In short, I usually put matters into my own hands, only to get hurt in the process. It was quite a struggle. I didn't enjoy the process.

But each experience as they say is a way for God to teach us a valuable lesson. I think this time, God is teaching me how to be patient. But at this point I still have to prove I have learned the lesson. Since we got here in Sydney, we have always prayed for a job that will allow my husband to practice his exertise. Being a mechanical engineer, he was given the chance to work with San Miguel Coproration when we were still in Manila. We thought that having a number of years of experience tucked under his belt, he wouldn't have a hard time looking for a good job here. Well, to make the long story short, I guess, a few days ago he finally got a job. A job with a good company. A job on his chosen field. A job for our family. A job that will start our future here. Somewhere a long the way God has touched me again and allowed me to see the beauty of waiting.

It is quite hard and scary to know that there will still be a lot of times where I'll be praying for things, asking God to grant my prayers, but Him also asking me to wait again. I am pretty sure He is not yet done with me. I will still be stubborn most of the times. I haven't passed the lesson yet.I can't say anything concrete because I also don't know what is in store for me, what circumstances awaits me. All I have is my faith that just like this one, these circumstances will allow me to really learn the value of patience, in the truest sense of the word. And that someday soon, God will tell me, "Well done, my child, you have passed this test!"

The Computer Addict in Me

Hi, I'm Jeana and I'm a computerolic. Yes, I must admit that I am guilty of being a computer addict every now and then, especially with FB. A few years ago a former student introduced me to Friendster and a few years later it was replaced by FB. It just feels good uploading pictures, so family and friends back in Manila can share with our latest happenings. In the same way that it's good to see how friends, former colleagues and classmates are doing now.

These social networks are not the only reasons why I am a bit addicted to the computer. Blame it on the internet. The internet as they say is the window to the world. In the just a few seconds you can actually get what you are looking for. I can't wait to see or browse the newest catalogue of each week's sale offered by the different shops - Target, Big W or Kmart at that.

I sometimes feel guilty of spending too much time in front of the computer. It is as if my day is not complete if I do not touch the keyboard or surf the net. One minute leads on an hour. I don't stay in front of the computer for more than two hours but after an hour's rest, I find myself again back and surfing. Sometimes, this causes a little discussion between me and my husband.Oh, my surfing makes me happy. Can you blame me?

Oh well, I still believe it can still get worse if I don't do anything now. So, while I still can, I better save this piece turn off the computer and do more important things than to surf the net. =D