Way to go, Momzilla!

Hello there

2012-03-05T21:14:00.003-08:00

Its been soooooooo loooooong....
I wish I could post a proper post again sooooon.
Just too many things going on for the past month.

Catch you soon!

Management Tip, for Parents too :)

2012-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

I wrote this today for my team, and i thought i'd also post in on my blog, because i think this management tip can also be applied to dealing with our kids :)
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Building Relationships and Mirroring Clients
Being in the service industry, I wanted to share some tips about building better relationships and mirroring clients.

Let me start off by saying that each client is unique and we need to make them feel we know them and we can relate to them, so they will trust us and let us help them.

Take time to know your clients, be genuinely interested in them, be their friend :)
Have you noticed how in a meeting, the salesperson asks the clients how they are, what they did over the weekend, before she starts a meeting? Its a simple gesture that helps set the tone of the meeting, of the conversation with the client. She talks to one client about diving if he is a diver, talks to one client about travel and places they’ve been to if they love traveling, and talks to another client about kids, health tips, and other lifestyle related matters, all depending on what interests the clients. And this enables her to build a relationship with the client, making them feel more comfortable talking to her, treating her like a peer.

Are you facebook friends with your clients? Check their latest posts before you go into a meeting with them and use that as a starting point of your conversation - “Hey Cess, saw your post about this new restaurant in BHS, how was it? I’m interested to try it too!”

Most of you are already doing this and you just probably don’t realize it, because it just comes naturally, but only for those that you are really interested in, those you instantly like. What we should practice is doing this more consciously and consistently for ALL our clients, everyone you deal with. You will see that your relationship with them will improve greatly :)

Of course, lets also just be careful not to overstep our bounds, some clients don’t like us being “too friendly” too immediately – the relationship does not happen overnight. Learn to pace, assess and take cues from how they also respond back to you and take it one step at a time. If today, you asked how their weekend was, and they happily chatted away about their escapades, then the next time, you can probably engage them more by sharing your own stories, offering suggestions of new places to go to, etc. But if upon asking them, they brush you off with “oh, it was ok, thanks”, then it may be a sign that they don’t want to talk to you about it, yet. Try again next meeting with something else, like complimenting them on what they are wearing, etc., things that will make them open up to you that are not too personal :)

Aside from just getting to know them better, you should also mirror how they act – so they will feel comfortable around you.
Below is an article about mirroring, which I hope you can take time to read. Examples of mirroring that you are already currently doing is power dressing when you need to go meet “corporate” clients. Aside from dressing appropriately, we should also be more conscious of mirroring how they speak to us – if its a corporate client, then they are more used to a conservative culture and a more structured working environment – so be mindful of how you speak to them, be formal as well if they are formal, no nonsense. If your client is from the fashion industry or from the entertainment industry, then they are more likely to be casual – so you don’t want them to feel uncomfortable by speaking to them very formally :)
In the meantime, please keep in mind the tips I mentioned above, and also from the article below. And start practicing these in your upcoming meetings with your clients, or even in dealing with suppliers, partners – not only for those in client servicing – but for everyone – since we all deal and communicate with other people.
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Mirroring and Pacing Your Client

Have you ever had a salesperson you felt comfortable around? There are reasons why. Weather naturally or they had trained themselves to do so. You can relate to someone through mannerisms and voice. If you are soft spoken and go to buy from someone who speaks really loud you are not gong to feel very comfortable around that person. A professional would lower their voice in this situation. If you talk fast, a professional is going to speed up their speech. If you talk in long sentences, a professional is going to do the same.

Mirroring somebody is going to make them feel more comfortable and able them to relate to you. With a client, whatever their personality is, the closer you are to them, the closer they will feel to you. The more they think they know you, the faster they will let down their guard. When your client lets down their guard it is easier for them to tell you what they want.

So always take the time to get in sync with your customer. If they talk really fast, talk faster. If they talk real quite, talk quite. If they use long sentences, use long sentences. If they use a certain tone, try to get to that tone. This is what I call "their rhythm". The better you get at mirroring your client the better they will understand you and the more they believe you understand them. By doing this you will also better understand them. You are putting yourself in their shoes. You will become more efficient at helping them get what they want.

I went to buy from people before; wanted what they had but I felt they were so different from me I couldn't buy from them. On the other hand I have had sales people who spoke my language, didn't have exactly what I wanted, but I bought from them anyway. They were so in tune with me, they took so much time to get to know my rhythm and what I wanted: of course I bought from them. That is the power of getting in tune with your customer. Do it and you sales will increase; I guarantee it.

Go Get 'Em!

Children: The Most Sublime Joy You've Ever Felt

2012-01-26T04:30:00.000-08:00

I read this article on parenthood today and it really really touched me. The way he put parents' feelings into words was so accurate and so moving at the same time :) He didnt really go into much detail anymore about the graph he made and how children can be almost equally the most sublime joy you've ever felt and also an incredible pain in the ass, but I guess thats how we all parents really feel - we know our kids can get beyond irritating and sometimes you really wonder what kind of monster you created - but we all forget about it the second we hear our kid's laugh, or feel the warmth of their hugs, or just even just simply by watching them busy playing... All we remember is that moment, and the feeling of that gentle tug at our hearts.
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Pasted below the article from: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/10/on-parenthood.html

Oct 24, 2011

On Parenthood
Our son was born March 12th, 2009. He's a little over two and a half years old. Now, I am the wussiest wuss to ever wuss up the joint, so take everything I'm about to say with a grain of salt – but choosing to become a parent is the hardest thing I have ever done. By far. Everything else pales in comparison.
My feelings on this matter are complex. I made a graph. You know, for the children.

That one percent makes all the difference.
It's difficult to explain children to people who don't yet have children, because becoming a parent is an intensely personal experience. Every child is different. Every parent is different. Every culture has their own way of doing things. The experience is fundamentally different for every new parent in the world, yet children are the one universally shared thing that binds our giant collective chain letter of human beings together, regardless of nationality and language. How do you explain the unexplainable?
Well, having children changes you. Jonathan Coulton likens it to becoming a vampire.

I was having a conversation with a friend who had recently become a parent, and she reminded me of something I had forgotten about since my daughter was born. She was describing this what-have-I-done feeling – I just got everything perfect in my life, and then I went and messed it all up by having a baby. I don’t feel that way anymore, but the thought certainly crossed my mind a few times at the beginning. Eventually you just fall in love and forget about everything else, but it’s not a very comfortable transition. I compare the process to becoming a vampire, your old self dies in a sad and painful way, but then you come out the other side with immortality, super strength and a taste for human blood. At least that’s how it was for me. At any rate, it’s complicated.
Maybe tongue in cheek, but not that far from the truth, honestly. Your children, they ruin everything in the nicest way.
Before Henry was born, I remembered Scott Hanselman writing this odd blurb about being a parent:

You think you love you wife when you marry her. Then you have a baby and you realize you'd throw your ~~wife~~ yourself under a bus to save your baby. You can't love something more.
Nuts to that, I thought. Hanselman's crazy. Well, obviously he doesn't love his wife as much as I love mine. Sniff. Babies, whatever, sure, they're super cute on calendars, just like puppies and kittens. Then I had a baby. And by God, he was right. I wouldn't just throw myself under a bus for my baby, I'd happily throw my wife under that bus too – without the slightest hesitation. What the hell just happened to me?
As an adult, you may think you've roughly mapped the continent of love and relationships. You've loved your parents, a few of your friends, eventually a significant other. You have some tentative cartography to work with from your explorations. You form ideas about what love is, its borders and boundaries. Then you have a child, look up to the sky, and suddenly understand that those bright dots in the sky are whole other galaxies.
You can't possibly know the enormity of the feelings you will have for your children. It is absolutely fucking terrifying.
When I am holding Henry and I tickle him, I can feel him laughing all the way to his toes. And I realize, my God, I had forgotten, I had completely forgotten how unbelievably, inexplicably wonderful it is that any of us exist at all. Here I am with this tiny, warm body so close to me, breathing so fast he can barely catch up, sharing his newfound joy of simply being alive with me. The sublime joy of this moment, and all the other milestones – the first smile, the first laugh, the first "dada" or "mama", the first kiss, the first time you hold hands. The highs are so incredibly high that you'll get vertigo and wonder if you can ever reach that feeling again. But you peak ever higher and higher, with dizzying regularity. Being a new parent is both terrifying and exhilarating, a constant rollercoaster of extreme highs and lows.
It's also a history lesson. The first four years of your life. Do you remember them? What's your earliest memory? It is fascinating watching your child claw their way up the developmental ladder from baby to toddler to child. All this stuff we take for granted, but your baby will painstakingly work their way through trial and error: eating, moving, walking, talking. Arms and legs, how the hell do they work? Turns out, we human beings are kind of amazing animals. There's no better way to understand just how amazing humans are than the front row seat a child gives you to observe it all unfold from scratch each and every day, from literal square zero. Children give the first four years of your life back to you.
I wasn't sure how to explain meeting new people to Henry, so I decided to just tell him we've met a new "friend" every time. Now, understand that this is not at all the way I view the world. I'm extremely wary of strangers, and of new people in general with their agendas and biases and opinions. I've been burned too many times. But Henry is open to every person he meets by default. Each new person is worth greeting, worth meeting as a new experience, as a fellow human being. Henry taught me, without even trying to, that I've been doing it all wrong. I realized that I'm afraid of other people, and it's only my own fear preventing me from opening up, even a little, to new people that I meet. I really should view every new person I meet as a potential friend. I'm not quite there yet; it's still a work in progress. But with Henry's help, I think I can. I had absolutely no idea my child would end up teaching me as much as I'm teaching him.
Having a child is a lot like running a marathon. An incredible challenge, but a worthwhile and transformative experience. It leaves you feeling like you truly accomplished something for all that effort. After all, you've created something kind of amazing: a person.

Bob: It gets a whole lot more complicated when you have kids.Charlotte: It's scary.
Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born.
Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that.
Bob: Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk, and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life.
It's scary and it's wonderful in equal measure. So why not have another baby? Or so we thought.

Turns out, we're having two babies. Both are girls, due in mid-February 2012.
I've been told several times that you should never be crazy enough to let the children outnumber you. I hope to ultimately win the War of the Lady Babies, but when it comes to children, I think all anyone can ever realistically hope for is a peaceful surrender.

Workout Playlist

2012-01-20T02:02:00.000-08:00

Paul and I started going to the gym again - YAY! Finally found the time and resources (hehe) - apparently, Golds Gym has better packages than the previous gym we used to go to, so here we go!

We enrolled last week, and so far enjoying both the Alabang and Intercon clubs.

Anyhow, to make our sessions more enjoyable, i decided to update my gym playlist - since i get so distracted by whats on TV and tend to miss the rhythm while on the treadmill or the stepper! I asked friends on facebook and a lot of people replied, plus i added songs from the Step Up 2 and Step Up 3D soundtracks.

End result is a playlist Paul and I also play on the car on the way to work as its so energizing and upbeat that helps us get through our sleepiness on the way to work :)

Sharing with you the playlist:

1. Beautiful People (Chris Brown)
2. Club Can't Handle Me (Flo Rida)
3. Fancy Footwork (Chromeo)
4. Forget You (Cee Lo Green)
5. Freak (Estelle Ft. Kardinal Offishall)
6. Give Me Everything (Pitbull Ft. Ne-yo)
7. Glasgow (David Guetta)
8. Higher (Twista)
9. If I Was You [OMG] (Far East Movement)
10. Like A G6 (Far East Movement)
11. Low (Flo Rida Ft. T-Pain)
12. Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5 Ft. Christina Aguilera)
13. Mr. Right Now (Pitbull Ft. Akon)
14. My Own Step (Roscoe Dash + T-Pain Ft. Fabo)
15. The New Workout Plan (Kanye West)
16. Nothing Really Matters (David Guetta)
17. Oye Baby (Pitbull Ft. Nicola Fasano)
18. Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO Ft. Lauren Bennett and Goonrock)
19. Real Gone (Sheryl Crow) *this one is actually Basti's favorite from the Cars OST
20. Ride on Time (Black Box)
21. Right Round (Flo Rida)
22. Sexy and I Know It (LMFAO)
23. Shake Senora (PitBull Ft. T-Pain and Sean Paul)
24. Shake Senora REMIX (Pitbull Ft. T-Pain and Sean Paul)
25. Shawty Got Moves (Get Cool)
26. Sorry for Party Rocking (LMFAO)
27. Stronger (Kanye West)
28. This Girl (Laza Morgan)
29. Up (Jesse McCartney)
30. We Found Love (Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris)
31. We R Who We R (Kesha)
32. Whachadoin (N.A.S.A. Ft. M.I.A. etc)
33. Where Them Girls At (David Guetta Ft. Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj)

There. Sooo ready for the gym again tomorrow morning :) Chinese food for lunch and Serenitea for break today means I need to probably hang out at the treadmill for awhile :)

Raising a Son

2012-01-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

My sister shared with me this link on rules for mothers of sons, and I really liked it.
Hopefully I'll be able to come up with my own version of this list one day, when I can look back at my experiences raising Basti :)

http://studerteam.blogspot.com/2011/11/25-rules-for-mothers-of-sons.html?m=1

The following is the list, but click above for the complete post to understand what she meant by each :)

25 Rules for Mothers of Sons

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
2. Be a cheerleader for his life

3. Teach him how to do laundry
4. Read to him and read with him.
5. Encourage him to dance.
6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
9. Teach him to have manners because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.
10. Give him something to believe in
11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.
12. Let him ruin his clothes
13. Learn how to throw a football
14. Go outside with him
15. Let him lose
16. Give him opportunities to help others
17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.
18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"
19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you. especially the wipes.
20. Let his dad teach him how to do things...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.'

21. Give him something to release his energy
22. Build him forts
23. Take him to new places
24. Kiss him
25. Be home base

Just Doing Our Jobs :)

2012-01-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

Saw this on facebook today :)

Planning for 2012

2011-12-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

Everyone goes crazy over planners given out yearly, but i think only a few really get to use the planners religiously until the end of the year, haha.

URBAN MOM PLANNER
But this year, I got a very cool Mom Planner from my friend Janice, and upon opening it, I knew it was going to be uber useful for an urban mom like me! Its not just a planner, but also a compendium of all the things that a mom has to keep track of. This planner will really help working moms like me :)

I love the quote on the bookmark :)

It has a child info sheet where you will put in all the details of your child for reference.

There's also a page for Parents' health - of course mom's take care of dad and herself aside from the kids :)

There's also a menstrual tracker!

And its like a combined baby book already too - with pages on immunization records and your kids' health files too :)

And of course a page for the household staff records because you care for them like your family too :)

LUNAR CALENDAR
And another planner i know is going to be worth getting is the 2012 Year of the Water Dragon Lunar Calendar/planner - which offers something that other planners dont - luck guide! Who doesn't need a little luck in their lives, right? :) And this planner will help us optimize the luck that we are blessed with :)

This one is authored by Master Joseph Chau, a world renowned feng shui master!

It has a Feng Shui Chart for 2012, which tells you where to position yourself (where your bed should face, your chair, etc) this coming year, based on your sign for maximum luck :)

The calendar/planner tells you what sign is lucky or in conflict each day, and what activities are good or not so good to do on each day.

It has a luck reading for each sign for the year, so you know what to watch out for and what things you can do next year that will be lucky for you.

So if you are planning to get a planner for next year, pick these two which should be really useful :)

Here's to a very efficient 2012 for all of us!

*Both planners available at all Fully Booked branches :)

Hollywood Christmas

2011-12-24T00:44:00.000-08:00

Our company Christmas party theme was Hollywood Glam - which i really resented, because I was voting for the theme Musicals instead - because I was already planning to go as Annie, haha :)

So for Hollywood glam, I really did not know whom to go as - thankfully, Ron, my boss' sister, suggested I go as Veronica Lake, because of my wavy hair, and she said she could easily style my hair that way in 15 minutes, yay!

So off i prepared searching for the attire to match the look - definitely 40's inspired.

I bought a little black dress at Hip Culture, and then i wanted to buy a black fur collar for the glam effect, but could not find a cheap one, so i decided to just buy a structured bolero with electric pleats, also from Hip Culture.

On the day of the party, while Ron was styling my hair, for some reason, we decided I would go as Dita Von Teese instead :) Which i felt was more fitting, since I had black hair anyway, and my black dress seemed more fitting for the character :)

So here was how I looked vis a vis how Dita Von Teese really looks. Taduh!
Ron really did such a great job!!! If you're interested to have her do your makeup and hair for a party, or wedding, or any ocassion, you can reach her (Ron Maclang) at 0916-5613309.

Dita Von Teese, the original burlesque star in hollywood

Me (as Dita, Ron Maclang version :), the other photo is me with my officemates Geri and Cla

Needless to say, our office party was a success! Everyone really dressed up and we had so much fun :) More photos of who's who in our party here at my officemate Vea's blog.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

Merry merry Christmas from my family to yours :)

Have so much to write about, but right now, lets all spend our holidays with our loved ones and celebrate in love and light :)

May you all have a blessed new year!

Lets rock 2012!!!!

Christmas Rush - Here We Go!!!!

2011-12-01T03:22:00.001-08:00

So many things happening - just really caught up with work and also my husband Paul just had a surgery last week, so been busy with that too.
I really really want to be able to post something new again...

Its already the first day of December, and just 24 days to go before Christmas! I havent even come up with my Christmas list yet...

Hopefully will be able to get more things done over the next few days.

But right now, some things you might want to check out with your little ones -

1. Candy Corner's Wonka Imaginarium at the Grand Atrium of the Shangrila Plaza Mall, Dec 1-4 - World famous Wonka candies turned into larger-than-life 3D art installations of everything from singing willows to predatory ants; learn magic straight from wizards and witches and find your way out from a tunnel of lost wishes and forgotten dreams. Experience the most creative, magical — and definitely the sweetest–Holiday season to date! I'm sure the kids will love all the candies and chocolates on display and of course there for you to buy, haha :)

2. Give Fair on Dec 4,10 AM to 10 PM at the Trinoma Park, 4th level, Trinoma Mall. - There's going to be a concert, and a chance for your kids to style their own TOMS pairs :) AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF IT ALL - With every purchase of a pair, the One for One Movement of TOMS shoes allows you to give a pair of shoes to children who need them until they’re 16! Its an event supported by TOMS shoes, Krispy Kreme, Trinoma and Buy The Bucket. (Paul, Basti and I are currently loving TOMS shoes, by the way :) will share more about this current fave of ours in another post :)

Sick

2011-11-22T03:23:00.001-08:00

Sorry, been sick, my coughs and colds that started out as viral, have activated my allergies, hence now its an allergic asthma attack. hmmph.

Be back soon!

Mommy Tip: Nebulizing

2011-11-17T18:45:00.001-08:00

Basti absolutely hates nebulizers, thats why when he has asthma attacks, I only nebulize him when he is sleeping.

But the other day, he seemed more sensitive to the sound of the nebulizer than most days, and even if he was sleeping soundly, he would wake up when i tried to nebulize him and refuse to continue, of course.

So to make him "want" to nebulize, I thought of showing him videos from youtube of babies being nebulized, who seemed to be having fun, and were not making such a fuss. There was even one video f a kid singing while on the nebulizer.

This helped Basti be comfortable about it, when he saw that other kids did it too and it shouldn't be scary :)

So while he was nebulizing, we were watching videos of kids doing the same on youtube, then I also turned on the webcam, so he could also see himself while he was nebulizing and could compare it to the videos :)

Yun lang. I guess my tip is when your child feels scared or resists doing something, it may be because he feels its not normal and other people are not doing it. So you just have to show him there's nothing to be scared of, by doing it yourself or showing other people doing it :)

Christmas gift list [part 2]

2011-11-10T23:54:00.001-08:00

As promised, here is part 2 of the Christmas gift list. This time, we were hanging around at Toy Kingdom (SM Southmall, Las Pinas City).

As i was browsing through the toys, i realized there were a lot more cheaper options at Toys R Us.

Anyhow, still found some good finds, here goes:

Vinyl balls - Php 69.75

Disney Water Bottles - Php 100.00

Disney floor mats - Php 100.00

Modern City Car Sets - Php 199.75

Wooden puzzles - Php 129.75-199.75

Floor puzzles - Php 169.75-199.75

Hats Action - 129.75

Disney Character Pillows - Php 199.75

Will definitely be going around other shops and malls these coming weekends, so standby for more posts on this :)

Squeeze the day!

2011-11-10T19:24:00.001-08:00

Jamba Juice from California is now in Manila! :-)
Was at the launch last night of the first Jamba Juice in Southeast Asia, which is at also the newly launched Bonifacio High Street Central.

Jamba Juice officially opens to the public today - 11.11.11 - so go ahead and try out their "better-for-you" drinks and snacks!

Here's me with my first Jamba drink :)

Here's also the loot i took home for Basti since I wasn't able to bring him to the launch - a Jamba opening day shirt and a sports tumbler. But i will definitely take him there soon so he can try out the drinks and have fun playing around BHS Central (he'll go crazy with the fountains for sure!)

Check out the Jamba Juice website and follow them also on facebook and twitter for more info.

Work in Progress: Christmas 2011

2011-11-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Tree is up! :) Basti helped set it up and decorate :)

Christmas gift list [part 1]

2011-11-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

I realized since we spend so many hours inside toy stores that I might as well take that time to start looking for Christmas gifts to buy already - and I thought, why dont I share it with you too!

I know how hunting for gifts for kids, especially when you are on a budget, can get really frustrating - more so if you have to buy for 3 dozen kids composed of your nephews, nieces, god children, your son's or daughter's playmates, classmates, and so on...

My tip when gift buying for kids is not to over analyze. Being some sort of a perfectionist, sometimes I too am so guilty of over-thinking - asking myself questions like - "maybe he has this toy already?", or "maybe she wont like this?", or "isn't he too old for this toy?", or "a lot of people might think of this gift..."... I always want to be the mom who gives cool gifts.

But now I know, we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves when thinking of gifts for kids - because its with kids that the saying "its the thought that counts" holds very true. They really dont care what it is inside - they just want to open their gifts! They don't care if its their 5th slinky or if its a board game they will never play with - they will still appreciate it and will not go anywhere without it, at least for the day, haha. But of course, some really spoiled and bratty kids will be exceptions to this general rule of thumb.

So for the majority of your kiddie Christmas list, here goes part one of my mini best buys list for Christmas, from Toys R Us (Powerplant, Rockwell). All are Php200 and below, and most of it for toddler boys (because I know its harder to buy gifts for boys).

Chuck and Friends mini toy trucks - Php 99.75

Rainbow ball - Php 189.75, Shape sorter - Php 199.75

Wood puzzles - Php 149-189.75

Maisto die cast cars - Php 79.75

Fastlane die cast cars - Php 79.75

Tech deck starter set (for 6yrs old and above) - Php 199.75

Art materials - 12 colored pencils - Php 99.75, 24 colored pencils - Php 159.75, big crayons - Php 129.75, 27 crayons - Php 64.75, scissors - 69.75

Googly worm (that lights up) - Php 159.75

Universe of Imagination clay mini tubs set of 10 - Php 149.75

Universe of Imagination clay tubs (Amazing buy 3 get 1 free deal) - Php 34.75 each

For sure we'll be out this weekend in some mall again so watch out for part 2 of my gift list :)

Start making your Christmas lists now! I know I will!

[repost] The Bad Guy

2011-11-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

[Reposting old stuff from my old blog www.paulandsara888.blogspot.com]

Dear Basti,

I’m here at work today thinking about you. And hoping you are ok, and not throwing up anymore like yesterday.

I know one day you’d understand why even on days that you don’t feel too well, I still have to go to work.

I need to believe you wont think I love you less. And I pray to God that you wont love me less.

I hope you know that if I could, I would just stay home with you everyday - even when you are not sick. I hope you know that I would rather be playing with you and singing songs with you or simply just be near you to watch you sleep.

But somethings just have to be done. Like work.

It’s probably not easy to understand why I can’t just drop everything at work everytime you get sick. I guess it doesn’t make sense when I say you’re the most important person in my life, and when you need me to be there with you, I can’t.

So today, to you, I will be the bad guy instead of the hero.

But that’s my sacrifice. For you.

Love,

Mommy (September 14, 2010)

[repost] Our Job

2011-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

[Reposting old stuff from my old blog www.paulandsara888.blogspot.com]

Last night, Basti and I were playing in our room before we went to bed and one second he was so happy, the next he was wailing like crazy. His fingers got pinned when he pushed close a drawer. My heart raced as I ran, no, leapt to where he was, pulled open the drawer to release his fingers and carried him and kissed him and tried to console him and just did not know what to do. I screamed for an icepack and while I was waiting for it to be brought upstairs to us so I can apply it on his fingers, so many thoughts ran across my mind -- are his fingers alright? Are they complete? I checked. Yes they are all intact. But is blood flowing inside? How will I know? Shit. Can he move his fingers? He has not stopped crying. Oh God. I know it hurts like hell. I once had all four fingers pinned by a sliding door of a van. It was so traumatic for me that I got shingles a few weeks after because of the stress it caused me.

Finally, his dad came rushing to us with the icepack. Basti was a bit distracted by it and stopped crying as we placed it on his fingers. But I guess it was still painful and so he started crying again... I thought I was going to cry too. I think I did. After several agonizing minutes, I was able to calm him down a bit and he fell asleep- probably from exhaustion from too much crying and the shock.

Basti's fingers are completely ok. He was able to hold his bottle properly when he was dozing off to sleep. When he fell asleep, I tried to re-enact how he pinned his fingers and did it several times with probably more force, just to check the level of pain he probably felt so I can assess how he was feeling. After a few times, I felt a bit better. I don't know if it was because I realized it did not hurt too much (but then again I was 29years old and Basti's fingers are just more than a year old!), but maybe also because I felt like I punished myself already by experiencing the same pain more times over.

But of course that was not enough punishment for me! My thoughts raced again -- what if what happened was much worse?? What if his fingers got cut? What if they weren't cut but they got numb forever? Will he still be able to play ball? He loved shooting hoops! He is so good at it. Will he be able to drive a car? He loves playing with the steering wheel…

A few more minutes passed, and soon I was able to calm down more. And the sensible me started whispering to myself, just relax. It’s nothing. He'll be fine and will forget about it tomorrow. Besides, it’s the first time, and there will be more similar terrifying experiences to come...maybe some even much worse. Its part of growing up and raising a child…

Sometimes, I still get overwhelmed when I think about our job as parents, my job as a mom.

At work, I run the operations of a company composed of about 50people. My responsibility includes ensuring that the company is earning more than enough, so that we can pay our dues, and pay the salaries of the people in our team, so they in turn can pay their dues. It’s quite a handful to manage, it’s a very big responsibility such that if I don't do my job well, a lot of people will be very much affected in a bad way.

But when something like tonight's incident happens to me, I am reminded of what a bigger responsibility it is to be a parent. Your child has only you to depend on, for his life, for his future… At work, if I don't do well, they can just replace me... My baby boy, he did not choose me. He cannot replace me even if he wanted to (I’m sure it will occur to him to wish for that at one point in his life). He's stuck with me. And he's counting on me, us, his parents. So it’s up to us to be just the best we can possibly be for him.

When he grows up to be a fine young man someday, I’m sure I will not get a loyalty award for being a good parent and putting up with him for so many years. I’m sure there will be no fat bonus waiting for me when he graduates from college or when he gets married. But one thing I’m definitely sure of – it will still be the most rewarding job I will ever have in my life.

- Sara (August 31, 2010)

long weekend, yay!

2011-10-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

Here comes the long weekend!
This is my way of saying I probably wont be able to blog as well for several days, haha :)
Will be spending a lot of quality time with the family for sure, can't wait!

Be back soon!

2011-10-25T02:49:00.001-07:00

My family had the grandest time in Amorita, the best family boutique resort in Bohol!
Here are some photos of our trip - will tell you more about it in another post :)

First Flight

2011-10-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

We're going to Bohol on Saturday, and its going to be my son's first plane ride!
We're very excited, but anxious at the same time, because he is in his terrible twos and I'm really not sure what to prepare for - to ensure he will be comfortable and cooperative during the wait at the airport and during the flight...

Any tips for me?

So far, I'm busy downloading lots of animated movies on our iPad so he can watch it during the wait/flight.

I've been trying to prep him also emotionally and have been telling him about our trip since last week - but instead of getting him excited, his reaction is defiance, haha. "No sakay airplane Basti!" (No ride airplane Basti!) which is just his usual reaction anyway to everything at this age, but nonetheless, its not helping, haha :p

Oh well, my husband and I are just focusing on the thought that we will be in Amorita this weekend! Its the best resort in Panglao, Bohol, and we cant wait! :) Especially that we're bringing Basti this time :)

I'm actually going to be there for work, but just for the Saturday, hopefully :) then the rest of the weekend until Monday, we can relax and enjoy in the beach! Yey! Its been really such a long time since we were able to travel as a family, because of the knee operation my husband had to go through this year. Sure we were still able to go to his family's resort in Lucban, Quezon a couple of times this year, but really going away to somewhere far away will still be different :)

Will tell you all about it when we come back!

Back!

2011-10-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so i know i was really really really unbelievably MIA for awhile.
Just so many things came up, like life, in general :)
Anyhow, i was browsing some favorite sites today to get inspired for a new look for my blog and came across this image, an old post from the wolf and willow blog.
I just wanted to post this and share, especially for me to remember :) Also dedicated to my fabulous friends S, L, M, T, S :)

Paying dues

2011-08-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Took out a loan today and the money just passed through my fingers as I had to use it to pay our other bills...
Hay.
Thats life...
I'm sure God has a plan for us.

Amen.

Rant

2011-07-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

E kung ako kaya maging pasaway today?????
Hay.

Sorry ranting.

There are just days when i feel so tired of trying to be sensitive to everyone, trying to please everyone, trying to make everyone feel better, trying to answer everyone's need.

Hello, world, I'm only human.

.

New Haircut Place

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love this new barbershop that opened inside our village which is for both adults and kids :)

Basti used to get his haircut only at a kiddie salon in Alabang Town Center, which had toy cars for chairs, which made kids pre-occupied while getting their hair cut. They also had a small TV where they play kiddie shows like Thomas & Friends, which is Basti's favorite.

But just last month, Hair Masters opened in our village (BF Resort), along Gloria Diaz St. and we decided to try it out.

Needless to say, we loved it and Basti too, so we're probably going for this one moving forward. Besides the fact that its cheaper, its better!

Basti getting his hair shaved while watching Bob the Builder (check out the LCD screen)

There is even a play area for kids while waiting for their turn. Basti, however, in the middle of his haircut, chose to go down and play in this area, so the barber had to wait for him instead, hehe :)

Stack of DVDs to choose from