MidEast to MidWest

Half year down into our new life in the Midwest, I think this site needs a much deserve update.

I've started this blog to jot down joyous events, both trivial and grand. This serves as a journal to look back on when I'm feeling nostalgic and when I'm just feeling lonely. This makes me realize how blessed I am after all. So, I've consciously just post the happier episodes and occasions in the past which I've lost track to see the past year. Notice when my last post was? That was how bad my mood and mind was that I failed to see how lucky I still am.

Last year, we finally received the news that we can be scheduled for immigration interview.  However, it will be in Saudi Arabia and we were already living in the Philippines. It took us a few more months again to transfer our documents and reschedule our interview to a more convenient Embassy for us. We've waited for this for so long that we didn't expect it to even happen. More of, our bank account wasn't really ready for this to even happen. We needed medical exams and updated documents (passports, licences, immigration fees, etc) which cost quite a lot. After interview, we will  also be needing airfare tickets. With more speed bumps and financial pressure coming our way, we almost lost hope that we can make our American dream happen. But we were surrounded with people who were willing to give us a hand (a hand full of money) and we made it through. Thank God.

We finally migrated to the Midwest -- North East Central to be exact. We moved here with 2 luggages of hand me downs each and nothing in our pockets. Hubby and I didn't know how to start. But I've always believed in Divine intervention and HE did make it happen. Fortunately we have relatives, whom we have never met, who fed and took us in while we don't have a home yet. They even gave us clothes to survive winter, which is I realized by now that is pretty much all year round here. We were then again surrounded by strangers who just wanted to literally throw stuff, the exact stuff we needed when we finally found a home. Then basic necessities just kept on pouring in via Walmart Pick up from other relatives. See how magical God works?!

My small family of three experienced nothing to more than enough. I am thankful for that everyday and I will pay it forward somehow. I pray too that our life here will always be safe and comfortable as we have always strive and hope to be. 

"Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually falling into place."

First Day High

I'm back again at my old school. Our little one is officially a student here and I'll be here outside waiting for her to finish classes. Two days ago was her first day in school. Thank God,  there were no first day of classes drama. I think she was excited to meet new friends and ignored us the moment she stepped inside her classroom. Though we still assured her that we'll be waiting outside. I think it was us, the parents, who are having separation anxiety.
I hope she enjoys learning and her new school. I hope she'll have new friends and have memorable experience. And I hope we learn to just let go and not to worry about her because she's not our little baby anymore. 

Shipping Our Stuff Home

 This is the 5th and last balikbayan box we sent from abroad. Thanks to Makati Express, all our prized (more of sentimental) possession were shipped safely to our home.
We sent them a few weeks before we travelled back home. As expected in sea freight shipment, they came 6 weeks after they were picked up from our home in the Kingdom.  I don't have pictures of the other boxes, but all of them looked like this. The boxes contained our clothes, small appliances, exercise machine and tons and tons and tons of toys. Maybe 3 out of 5 boxes had our little one's indispensable toys. All of them came complete and in perfect condition. From all the horror stories of OFW sending balikbayan boxes to Philippines, I didn't expect it will be possible to really bring all our stuff back home.
Now, I won't miss our life back in the Kingdom. Having all the things we have there will remind us how lucky and blessed we are that we were given an opportunity to make a life and start our family there... and I'm forever grateful for that.

Transitions

We have been busy re-starting our life here in the Philippines -- renovating the house, buying a new car, finding a new job and enrolling our little one to school. This also means we have to apply and renew personal documents and identification through government offices, that has been notorious for it's inefficiency. Surprisingly, everything we needed was done quickly and smoothly. Good job Pinas!
First stop was my student driver permit. I had to get one only now since I wasn't able to get a real drivers license before', because it will take me forever or a "token" to hasten the process of getting a driver's license. I tried my luck of getting my student permit in Lingayen, where we had a short vacation.  The LTO Lingayen District Office accommodated my application even if it was almost 4:00 pm already. I finished everything before the office closed, without "tokens" or charming my way. Just because of that, I regained my belief in the system of Philippine government offices.

How to get student driver's permit:
1. Must be 17 years old; physically and mentally fit to operate motor vehicle; can read and write in English, Filipino or applicable local dialect
2. Submit  requirements (duly accomplished Application for Driver's License (ADL) form, original and photocopy of NSO birth certificate, and medical certificate from licensed physician stating that the applicant is physically and mentally fit to operate motor vehicle) to the receiving LTO personnel  to evaluate documents
3. Once approved, applicant will be called for capturing photo and signature.
4. Pay fees at the cashier when called.
5. Claim student permit card with receipt at the appropriate window. 
*Within 30 days after issuance of SP to one year, the SP holder may apply for non-professional or professional driver's license

DFA NCR East proved me right too. We had to renew the little one's passport and scheduled our appointment via online here. I was expecting that there will be some delays or long queue, but there wasn't. It only took us about 30mins to finish everything from assessment, encoding, taking photo and paying.  The office was very accessible too, as it was inside a mall, very clean and has perfectly working AC.

How to renew passport for minors
1. Set appointment in the nearest or most convenient DFA office for applicant
2. Arrive on time and present your confirmed/ printed application form at the information counter to get a queue number
3. Submit requirements to the Processing Area when number is called (confirmed appointment, printed application form from DFA appointment system, original and photocopy of NSO birth certificate, most recent or expiring passport,  photocopy of the data page (page2), valid IDs, original and photocopy of  NSO marriage certificate, original and photocopy of  passport of mother (see other requirements here)
3. Pay fees at the passport Processing Area
4. Go to Encoding area for photo and signature capturing. 
5. Choose how you would like to claim your passport ( pick up at the DFA office or delivered via courier)

Hubby and I also got our police and NBI clearances. Processing them was also a breeze. If Philippines had always been like this (and there's no traffic), we could have returned home long ago. LOL.

*Sign up and log in at NBI Clearance to apply and pay fees for your NBI clearance. You will still need to go to NBI office for photo capturing and claiming your clearance.
*Go to your nearest Police Station to get your police clearance. Bring Community tax certificate and Baranggay clearance, where you can both get from your local Baranggay Hall.

Anyway, I'm just glad that we are back and everything, so far, is making this transition very easy. Hoping that everything will go better and better as we live our life here again.

Project for 2016

I've kept mum about this for a few months now. I really wanted to make this a surprise at least until we made major bookings done.  but hubby let the word out already. hihihi. 

mood board 2016 

I'll be posting some ideas here to take notes of what we like and what we've decided on just in case someone "accidentally" deletes my notes from several months of planning.

Talking about Mortality

Our conversation started with,

"Did you play with your Mom and Dad when you were a kid?".

 She has always been curious of the past. I said, 

"Not really. But I played a lot with my cousins. We all live in a very big house with all my cousins, aunts and uncles." I said something like that.

"I don't want to be a grown up."

"but why?"

"I don't want you getting old." , she said a little bit serious this time.

Aaawww. How sweet. Then I asked her to repeat on camera this time so that I can show my hubby who was at work at that time.

Now rather upset, "No. I will not talk anymore."

I insisted until she finally said,

"I don't want you dying." And now she's almost crying like she's very upset, angry and frustrated.

Huh?! Where did that idea come from? The timing couldn't be better, it was a day after we remembered the dead.

I think she's too young to really understand the concept of death if we talk about it now. I'm a bit uncomfortable discussing it with her or to anyone too since I think talking about it makes it real --which scares me. But I guess it's time.

I told her that everybody will grow old and eventually die and go back to Jesus. (She knows that part since she was aware already when she lost her greatgrandma 2 years ago.) We will be sad and miss those who go before us. But we will be alright eventually. We just have to make happy memories with everybody so that when they go back to Jesus, we will have nice memories of them. But she is really upset that Mommy and Daddy is part of everybody so she doesn't want to grow up nor want us growing old. I gave her lots of hugs and kisses and reassured her that I will live as long as I can to be with her. I then distracted her with more fun games and toys so as she will not worry anymore.

Having this discussion with her made me realize of our mortality. It really scares me that I always dismiss this thought. In my head, I will live as long as my own little family will  live and that we will all live in this happily ever after with no ending. But reality is, we will all go back home to our Creator and some people will be left behind. It is a sad reality that everybody will go through at some point. Even if I pray  and wish and pray and wish and pray and wish some more,  that it will never happen to me or to her, at some point whether it is a family member or a friend or an acquaintance, it will happen . (blank thoughts. blank thoughts. and more blank thoughts,)

Oh Lord, please give us strength for whatever it is that will come our way, make us appreciate what we have now and guide us to do what pleases You  and to live without regrets.

Letting Go of FB

We gave up using Facebook and its related services for Lent since we're uselessly spending most of our time on it. It was a "wrong move" at first because facebook connects us easily to our families and friends back home. It was a bit lonely without it/ them. But between giving up food and social media, I would rather eat my feelings than post it online. Friends and families who really matter or who are genuinely interested with our lives will surely find ways to get in touch with us anyway.
We are now over a month without Facebook and our lives are pretty much happier. We have spent more time with each other and less time browsing our gadgets and virtually stalking other people. We appreciate more what we actually have and to a lesser extent want less of what everybody else has because we realized that we have more than what we really need. There's some sort of irrelevant comparison that happens when you see too much of other people's lives posted online that makes you feel that you didn't accomplish anything at all.  I guess even after Easter, there'll be lesser use of Facebook or maybe just finally let go of it. I still have other apps anyway. :)

From Bottle to Cup

We trained our little one to use (milk) bottle when we decided to wean her from breastfeeding. (what were we thinking?) She was about two and half years old. Even though breast to bottle is not the ideal "route to progress", we thought that this will just be a short transition to drinking from cup. She already knows anyway to drink from straw, sippy cup and cup. How hard could it be to train her to drink from the cup? However, it is only now, a year after, (Yay! finally!) that she is actually drinking milk from cup.

It is an interesting story how we ended up here. We've been thinking for a couple of months now when to stop giving her milk from the bottle. But child's preference and parents' convenience always wins.

The other night, the little one decided to threw her bottle of milk on the floor in an attempt to get my attention. I was furious why she acted that way. So I picked up her bottle and threw it straight to the trash bin. (what was I thinking?) Of course we can't use it anymore. I hid the rest of her milk bottles and stayed firm that she won't be drinking milk from the bottle anymore. The little one disliked my decision. She cried all night, without drinking milk, to sleep.

She still remembered the next day what happened and requested for her milk in the bottle. Now calmer, I explained that I already threw her bottles because of what happened the night before. She can have her milk in any cup she likes from the collection of cartoon inspired cups we already have. She liked the idea and chose a sponge bob cup with straw. (That was easy!) But hubby was a bit hesitant about using straw since it didn't seem like we "progressed". With that in mind, I asked the little one if she wanted to drink milk from her spongebob cup without the cover. She surprisingly prefer that too. (Thank God!).

It's interesting how the little one's tantrums (and mom's violent reaction) is all we need to make her stop from the bottle. "The end justifies the means." (I've always liked Machiavelli.) Now, we are saying good bye to milk bottles and sippy cups!  (and saying hello to small(er) bags and purses when going out -- I don't have to bring bottles anymore.

Oh, I hope I didn't jinx this by blogging this too soon.

Of Leaving, Returning and Being Together as A Family

As soon as we got back home (our home for the last 3 years) from a more than a month vacation, the little one asked, "Why are we back here?". She was a bit disappointed of coming back here since, I guess, she'll be away from everything she enjoyed and wanted -- friends to play with and grannies and relatives to spoil her. Hubby said, "We are back here 'coz Papa has work. I need to work so that we have money..." "..to buy food and toys!?" the little one added. "Yes."
And everything was okay.
Once in a while though, the little one would cry, "I want to go to Lola." There's nothing we could do but tell her again that we have to stay here with Papa 'coz he has work and the holidays are over. Then you distract her with toys, games, movies and with other enjoyable memories to forget for a while the longing to go back home.
This makes me sad for her. I know how isolating and lonely being away from everyone is. Sometimes I think if staying together (our family of three) and away from everyone else is good for her or not. Maybe this doesn't make sense to other cultures where it is common to be away from your extended family. In the Filipino culture, family is closed knit that your extended family (grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) live close together or sometimes living  in the same house.
We convince ourselves that this is better, the three of us together. We can give our little one a more consistent love and care that only parents can give, a constant home that is not defined by size, materials used nor zip code and a concrete example of complete and always present family our little one will hopefully strive to build and keep in the future.
Hopefully this experience will teach our little one too that, leaving and letting go is part of life and so as returning and getting things back.

Our Family of Three

Few nights ago, Hubby and I were discussing our plans for the future. This may (or may not) involve a brief physical separation from each other. We were thinking of more practical and logical ways to keep our family together and a short time away from each other might (or not)  be the solution. It was a very difficult decision to make as hubby and I already know how it feels like to be away from each other and we just don't want that to happen anymore. But we convinced ourselves to do this "grown up" decision.

The next day, our little one drew this, by herself -- no prompts or cues nor previous art works similar to this. She was even hiding it from me when she was making this.

Our family through the eyes of our 3 year old daughter.

She drew a house with Daddy (the one with the biggest head in red), Mommy (the slim one in pink) and little one all together inside.

This must be the deciding factor -- because her vote matters. Our little one, through her drawing, must be telling us that we must stay together in one roof. It made me teary eyed when I saw this. Why is our toddler wiser than us in making big decisions?

To my everdearest Natnat,

Thank you for always being you, the sweetest and smartest one in the family. 

Mommy and Daddy loves you so much. 

Doll Cake for My Little Princess

Happy 3rd parenting birthday to us! I feel so old now.

Our little girl turned 3 years old yesterday and her only request was a Doll cake (and a Snow White Barbie). And I willingly obliged to do this laborious task of baking her one.

Not bad for a first time er!?

My Doll Cake looks so easy and simple. It was, actually. But I have a really small oven and a small icing syringe so I have to do everything in small batches and make again to complete the entire cake. So this is pretty much the hardest and most exhausting thing I have ever baked (so far). I had to prepare ingredients, mix, wash mixer, beat eggs and bake and wash all then repeat 4 times. I had to do my buttercream 4 times also too. (I don't think I'll beat egg whites and butter again any time soon.) But it was all worth it.  I was really happy with it. I think the birthday girl was too. 

To my Everdearest Natnat,

May god bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

May you stay, forever young

May you grow up to be righteous

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

And may you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay forever young

Happiest Birthday to my Sweetheart! Mommy and Daddy loves you so much!

Recipes here : Vanilla Cake and Buttercream Frosting

Message / Song From here: Forever Young - Bob Dylan

 

Of Defiance and Tenderness

Sometimes (most of the time actually), it is extremely difficult to put our little one to sleep. She would lie down and pretend to sleep when told but after a few minutes, she will get up again and trick us to allow her to stay up a little longer. She would say she still needs to pee, or request to sleep in between Mommy and Daddy, or ask for peanut butter sandwich, etc. We give in most of the time since most of her "requests" are legitimate and/or good for her. However, she used the "I'm hungry. I want peanut butter." trick 3 nights in a row making it really obvious that she's just making it up to stay up a little longer. After a tiring day, that pissed me off and pretended I was asleep already. She kicked and hit me and  cried trying to wake me up to make her a sandwich. She knew I was angry already and just cried herself to sleep. But I guess she's the type that wouldn't want to go to sleep knowing her parents are angry. She woke up again after a  few minutes and said sorry while trying to wake me up from my pretend sleep. She kept going and going until I finally said, "It's okay. Go to sleep now. I love you."

There was also a time that it was our little one's dad who was angry after putting her to sleep. She was upset and cried herself to sleep after her fight with her dad. In the middle of the night, she hopped over me (we still co sleep our 34 months old daughter) so that she could sleep on her dad's arms. I think it was her way of apologizing to her dad.
It's so cute and sweet that even though our toddler is in the stage where she exerts all her energy to assert her power (that sometimes look very disrespectful), she knows how to humble herself and apologize for her mistakes. She would always, always, make "lambing" and say sorry after her bout of aggression. She would swallow her pride and resolve her conflicts first. She would never go to sleep knowing she is or we are upset. I guess she loves us that much. Awwwww. We are doing great in this parenting job er?!
I hope and pray she remains this strong and smart but with a sweet, tender heart who knows what matters most.

*While writing this, I came across this article. Gameplan for Terrific Twos. This is a good read to ace this parenting thing.

Weaning: All Good things Come to an End

I guess we have" successfully" weaned our toddler off breastfeeding. We have enjoyed the benefits of breastfeeding for good 31 months (and beyond). Though she says she still wants "mama milk", it is easier now to tell her that she can't have it anymore.

We started weaning when she turned one year old. We did it gradually by reducing the number of breastfeeding sessions during the day. We started with removing the late afternoon feed for several weeks/months. Then we removed the "morning snack" feeding session. We replaced these feeding sessions mostly with games and playing outdoors. We were also feeding solids at this time. We were almost able to wean all daytime feeds after several months but we had to travel and spend a very long vacation in Philippines. We travelled a lot, moved from one house to another, got seasonal allergies, and feed our little one with something as she is a picky eater, etc. Direct breastfeeding was the most convenient and safest way to feed our toddler.  So we were back again to breastfeeding day and night. My little one was already 2 years old this time.

When we went back home, we started the gradual weaning process again -- a few weeks of no late afternoon feeds, then the upon waking up and/or morning snack feed til there are no more daytime nursing. This phase now is shorter than our first try of weaning. At this time, our toddler is just also (re)learning to feed from the bottle and beginning to like drinking fresh milk and/or formula milk. She really prefers the boob and really dislikes non-human milk. Though she can already drink from the cup, we still let her drink from the bottle as this was, I guess, more convenient for the caregivers. And the suckling helps her sleep.

After a week or two of no daytime nursing, we began removing the just before sleeping feed and still continued to nurse her when she awakes at night. There were a lot of kissing and hugging to replace the nursing sessions. This lasted for 2 weeks. Then we decided to wean her completely -- strictly no nursing day and night.

It was difficult at first (for the parents) as it is really difficult to get up in the middle of the night to prepare the bottle. To add to that, our toddler likes "hot milk" so preparing milk was really tedious (compared to just giving her the boob). By the way, our little one hasn't learned sleeping through the night yet so imagine the sleepless-nights-like-having-a-newborn.

After a week or two, our little one finally slept a little longer than usual. If sleeping through the night means 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep, then we are sleeping through the night already. Yay. I have noticed too, that after several weeks of no direct breastfeeding (almost 2 months) I don't get milk when I hand expressed. That means, I am not lactating anymore (and my boobs are back to normal even size).


However, around this time that she doesn't take breastmilk, our little one got sick -- colds, cough, fever. It was probably due to seasonal allergies. Our little one took many meds but it seems that it is taking too long for her to get well. When she was breastfeeding, she rarely gets sick (Thank God) or gets well very quickly. I am tempted too many times to give her the boob just to make her feel better. Expressed milk is not an option since I don't have my pump and there is very little to none breastmilk anymore. But I have to be firm in this decision of weaning since I'm there already. It took us more than a year to get here and I'm afraid that it will take time again to wean her off if we re-latch/re-lactate. 

It makes me sick thinking that the "decision to wean" won over "toddler's need".  I can't even remember why we even decided to wean our toddler. I'm just trying to convince myself now that weaning her doesn't have any relation to her current health status. It is just seasonal allergies as all of us have it too. Or at least there are several other factors that caused her to be sick. (she is getting better as of this writing)

If any of you has an option to go through baby-led weaning, please do so. The benefits of extended breastfeeding (and the psychological effects on a worrying mom) is as crucial as breastfeeding a newborn. According to Breastfeeding Inc

"Breastmilk still contains immunologic factors that help protect the child even if he is 2 or older. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk that protect the baby against infection are present in greater amounts in the second year of life than in the first. This is, of course as it should be, since children older than a year are generally exposed to more infections than young babies. Breastmilk still contains special growth factors that help the immune system to mature, and which help the brain, gut, and other organs to develop and mature." 

For more info on extended breastfeeding,  visit these sites:

Timeline of Breastfed Baby

Extended Breastfeeding

Extended Breastfeeding Benefits

Oh well,  I just hope all will be better soon. 

Christmas Story, Our Story

Life has not been very kind to us lately. Things are not going as we have planned and imagined that we begin to lose sight of our goals. We are starting to not try anymore. Then, something brings us back to our senses...

While staring at our handmade First Christmas scene, our little one said:
"(that's) Baby Jesus, Mama Mary, Papa 'seph."
"same Baby Jesus", then she points to herself
"same Mama Mary", then points to me.
"same Papa 'seph", then points faraway referring to her dad who was at work.

It was exactly what we/I needed.

Christmas is about Christ Child who was born to show us how to live --- in faith, hope and love.
Faith that God will see us through whatever storms we are now facing.
Hope that everything will be in the right and better place.
Love, above all, is the driving force to keep us moving on.

Thank you, Sweetheart for giving us joy and hope when we need it most. We are so blessed to have you.

Merry Christmas everyone!

To my Everdearest Natnat: Giving and Letting Go

To myy everdearest Natnat,

We used to go out and treat you every weekend with a fast food kids' meal. It's an inexpensive way (so it seems) of giving you something as prize for being "good" the entire week. We all look forward to it because you get a toy and mom&dad gets to eat fast food in moderation since it's kid size serving. Over a year, we have accumulated a lot of toys and trinkets that came for free with meal. We usually choose and buy from the fastfood resto that has better toy so you have something nice to bring home. Most of them are now just hidden somewhere in the pile of toys you don't want to play with anymore. Since this is a time of giving and sharing, we will let go of these 'sentimental' toys.

You're a little older now and we'll try to get you something more useful and age appropriate for you. We are letting old toys go so that we have space for something better.  (This life lesson will be useful to you someday.)

I hope your toys will bring smile to some kid's face like you did.

Happy 27th (and 3 days) month sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy loves you, as always.

Christmas 2.0 : Keeping Christ in Christmas

"I’m participating in the KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS Blog Link-Up 2013

sponsored by the Catholic Bloggers Network.

Be sure to visit as many links as possible,

listed at the bottom of this post.

  

It's the time again of the year where we can make season specific themed crafts while teaching our little one (one of the joyful parts of ) the customs and traditions of our faith. It's our second Christmas living in a non-catholic country. And it is difficult to show our child a more tangible experience of our faith -- we can't make the sign of the cross before meals when dining out, we can't celebrate Sunday mass, we can't display religious figurines and ornaments, etc. So we try to make extra effort of showing (displays) and doing something (rituals) more Catholic like practices especially during Christmas season. Christ, our Savior, being born is the reason for it all anyway.

We started this season with our advent wreath. I have seen too many craft ideas on pinterest. And this is the most appropriate and easiest to do with my 2 year old. We used the little one's feet for the wreath and my fingers for candles. The hubby and our child put on stickers to "light" the candle each week of advent.

We also have prepared hand and other shapes cut outs to make our nativity scene. As of the moment, our little one can identify Jesus and Mama Mary (in different pictures she sees in different forms). It'll be easier for her to understand the story of Christmas when we finally make our Nativity craft. I'll post in a week or 2 when it's all done. Shapes in our trial homeschooling set-up is not in our lesson plan yet. 

We'll also be doing the same holiday traditions as we have done during our first Christmas together -- Simbang Gabi, good deeds, Jesus' "birthday menu", etc.

I hope these traditions will help us make our child realize and believe in Christ and our faith, not just during these festive season but always.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Equipping Catholic Families: Keep Christ in Christmas

Simply Homeschool  Living Advent Series 12/1 - 12/25

Fifth of Five    Keeping Christ in Christmas - Blog Link-up 2013

Coffee Moments with Sam     The Light of Hope

Hand-Maid With Love: CHRISTmas Presence: Keep Christ in Christmas 2013 Edition

Open Window            Making hay while the Advent wreath shines

Faith Filled Freebies: Keep Christ in Christmas

Written by the Finger of God: Not Christmas as Usual

On the Way Home:  Keep Christ in Christmas

Sue Elvis Writes: Bring Christ to Others

Mommy Bares All       Why Celebrate Christmas Even After #YolandaPH

 Canadian Catholic Mom         Keeping The Little Ones Focused: An Advent Link-Up

Mountain of Grace Homeschooling    Keep Christ in Christmas

Em’s Estuary: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Happy Little Homemaker: December Devotion: Immaculate Conception 

Adoro Ergo Sum:  How We Keep Christ in Christmas

JoyAlive.net: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Home to 4 Kiddos      Keep Christ in Christmas

Embedded Faith         Boldly Be the Christ in Christmas

City Girl, Country Home        Emmanuel Is With Us. Are we WITH HIM?

Journey to Wisdom: Trusting in your Awkward Fiats

Joy of Nine9   Waiting in Joyful Expectation Like a Child

 Splendor in the Home Ideas For Keeping Advent and Christmas Holy

Training Happy Hearts            10 Ways to Celebrate the New Liturgical Year

A Catholic Life           Advent: The Beginning of the Liturgical Year & Source of Rich Meditations

Designs by Birgit: Elf on a Shelf and Santa Claus

Catholic Inspired: Faith-Centered Family Christmas

A Slice of Smith Life: How we keep Christ in Christmas

Catholic All Year: Three Reasons I love Advent

Mary the Defender: Christmas The Battle Begins

Truly Rich Mom: Keep Christ in Christmas

Day By Day in Our World: 40 Days Seeking Him and Keeping Christ in Christmas

Diapers and Drivel: Keeping Christ in Christmas

 Raising Soldiers 4 Christ: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Rosary Mom   Keep Christ In Christmas With A Teenager

Tercets:            Keeping Christ in Christmas: Join Church Ministries

Campfires and Cleats  How We Keep Christ in Christmas

Life Unabridged: Celebrating the Fullness of the Advent and Christmas Season

Homeschooling With Joy        Keeping Christ in Christmas

Mrs Domestic Bliss     Gingerbread Nativity

The Chic Traveller       Keeping Christ in Christmas

California to Korea     Keeping Christ in Christmas

Dominique's Desk       Keeping Christ in Christmas

Our ABC Life: An Advent Update

Journey Living: Anno Domini

The Road to Rome: Advent Prayer and Reflection Resources

Life of Fortunate Chances: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Quidquid Est, Est!: Reblog: Advent Posts

Trying Out Home Schooling

I have a couple of friends who are into homeschooling their kids -- not just one but 2 -3 kids. They have been successful at it even when they are Work-at-Home-Moms. I see the value of homeschooling as you can structure and re-structure your own "classroom" as you go along with it or as you see fit with your child. I still intend to put my little one in traditional academic setting. But since I am a Stay-at-home-mom for now, I would give this a try.

I found this sites very helpful in trying to create my lesson plan for my very playful 2 year old.
All In One Homeschool
JumpStart
I don't expect her to learn all or even finish any activity suggested here as my toddler's mind is pre-occupied with Unboxing Egg Surprise Videos on Youtube. 

So far we have done these:

Day 1: Filling Letter A

Day 3: B for Breakfast

Day 6: Pin the Letter/Shapes

And she's doing well... and too smart to let me teach her things that "she already knows". I used to spend 2 days on 1 letter so I adjust it to just 1 letter a day.

I'll end this entry with a movie scene from 2009 that I just watched recently...

Zebulon (The Answer Man): I'm gonna tell you a couple of things. All kids develop in different ways at different times and in different directions. Now I am confident that Alex at some point will be able to tell time and make change, which, let's face it, just about covers it.... What I am hearing is that Alex is not a good candidate to be a robot in your clone army.

My Breastfeeding Journey

I think I have announced the end of our breastfeeding journey prematurely. I just realized that, though my little one seems to be liking the milk not from mommy, she still needs me and my milk... Specially at night. I guess our breastfeeding journey will still go on.

I was underweight before I got pregnant. I (and maybe my OB too) thought that I won't be able to breastfeed even if I wanted to. My body is just too small to hold milk, or anything at all. But I really think breastfeeding is the most normal/natural thing to do. And the benefits of breastfeeding both for the mom and baby are priceless. I also think breastfeeding truly completes my womanhood. I told myself, even for only a short period, I will try to breastfeed.

So before I gave birth, I tried to attend all those free breastfeeding and parenting seminars for pregnant women. I will arm myself with all the theoretical and evidenced based facts of this breastfeeding just in case I am given the opportunity. At least I know what to do.

I had a smooth delivery. I had the chance to have skin to skin time with my newborn. But it is not enough to have a successful latch on. As per the hospital's policy, my baby was brought to the nursery for a night (or at least a few hours to finish some tests and lab works). I can go to her if i wish to breastfeed her. I think my baby only received some glucose. No formula because my OB knows that I will breastfeed. So the very next morning (I gave birth around 9:30 pm), I forced myself to stand and walk so I can go to my little one for breastfeeding. She must be hungry by now, I thought. I went in to the nursery, very confident that I know what I'm doing. But clearly I do not. My baby just wont latch properly and I think nothing is coming out of my boob. I tried to hide the way I hold and bf my baby because I'm too embarrassed to be seen by other nursing moms. I tried peaking on the idiot boards and posters of how to breastfeed. And I just can't seem to do it right. So I just gave my baby back to the nurses and said that she's too sleepy to drink milk... Which is half true. I went for another try after 3 hours. This time I was alone and can focus on doing it right this time. But still no success.

During those times, I wasn't worried that I wont be able to breastfeed. I was just too confident that I'll be able to do this, after all, I attended every seminar offered by Mothercare. I think, believing in yourself that you can do something, actually helps.

I was only able to successfully feed my baby approximately 24hrs after she was born until now that she's almost 2 years old. We had our joys and pains... but really, it's all worth it.

So there's really truth to those things they taught me:
> that it's possible that your milk supply will come out maybe a little later after your baby is born,
> that baby is tired and sleepy and maybe will not latch or feed right away
> that baby will only consume what she needs; no need to strictly follow recommended feeding schedule/amount
> that baby knows when and how to latch... Just hold him properly
>  that your body will produce enough to nourish your baby (no formula supplement needed)
> that your baby will be healthier (in the long run), leaner and less likely to get sick
> and her poop are not as bad smelling as formula fed babies

My breastfeeding journey is successful because:
> I really wanted this to happen
> my husband was supportive in my decision even if he has his own way or opinion in feeding our child
> I have family, mostly in laws, who help me, specially with chores, and sending me treats and snacks, so I can focus on nursing and taking care of my baby
> an OBGyn and midwife who gave me tips in nursing positions and increasing milk supply
> my kinda expensive avent breastpump (but it's worth it)
> moringa supplements, oatmeals, soups and other food that increases milk supply
> nursing wears and accessories
> support groups that share their triumphs and boo-boos in breastfeeding
> free seminars for new mommies
> internet, blogs, Facebook support groups for the breastfeeding
> and a the cutest and most loving baby that needs and wants my milk

Okay, time to breastfeed again.

Happy breastfeeding month!

Revisiting the Bible

The hubby has been leisurely reading the Bible. The Church also encourages us, Catholics, to read the Scripture to have a deeper relationship with God. I guess he also wanted to make sure he knows what he will teach our little one as we would like to raise her a good Catholic. 

He had some questions regarding what he was reading which it is quite impossible to find answers outside our home since we are living in a non-Christian country. My teachers would be really disappointed for I was only able to answer SOME..not all. I should know more of these since I went to Catholic school for 10 years.

I guess, it's time to revisit the Bible again.

The Bible is a collection "divinely inspired" texts considered sacred by Christians. It is divided in 2 sections -- The Old, which has 39 books and New testament, which has 27 books.

The first 5 books of the old testament is called Pentateuch, forms the theological foundations of the bible. The next 12 books are accounts of Israel's history where there are stories of great leader, prophets, heroes and villains. The next 5 books, the poetry and wisdom books of the bible, are my favorite. These are collection of stories were we can somehow relate with our struggles in our faith.The rest of the old Testament books are the major and minor prophets.

The new Testament is all about the life of Jesus Christ. The Gospels, the first 4 books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) gives different perspectives about Christ's life and works. The Epistles of Paul, the next 13 books of the new Testament, are letters for the believers of Christianity. While the Letters of Paul addresses specific situations, the next 8 books are general epistles/ letters which gives us basic principles of living as Christians. And the last book, Revelation, is one book I am personally hesitant to read. I tend to over think symbolisms and give me unnecessary worries.

With the general view out of the way, we can now just (enjoy) read the many stories of love, hope and faith of the Holy Bible.

And as Ms. Perry, associate director for Utilization of the New American Bible, said, "reading is not enough." One must not simply read but meditate and put into actions the lessons from the greatest book of all time.

*All texts are from my point of view, as a Catholic, from reading other sources. See links below:

Understanding the Bible

Books of the Bible

General Epistles

7-8-9

A facebook status post that caught my attention last Sunday:

7-8-9... 7 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and 9 hours to do everything and anything else.
This came from a priests homily.

It makes perfect sense. Even if you interchange the hours/ time spent on the tasks. One can't argue or complain that he has no time to do other things. Specially for a stay at home like me. 7 hours of sleep is more than enough to recharge me. 8 straight hours of taking care of the baby and the house would do. And the remaining 9 hours for all the 'Me time', 'date night' with the hubby and all the other things I've been wanting to accomplish is possible. But apparently, it seems difficult or rather impossible to be able to do all these grown up responsibilities in this 7-8-9 thing. Maybe I'm too distracted with non-sense things that is taking up most of my 24 hour deadline.

I should make better schedules and stick to them (to the dot). Time management and prioritization is the key.

Remind me this 7-8-9 thing again when I complain I don't have time to even brush my hair.