Is it Christmas already?

   I couldn't believe it would be Christmas in three weeks! Has it really been almost a year already? Has one year really come and now, is it almost gone already?
  Christmas is just around the bend and way before the incredible traffic and the long queues at the cashier zap off the fun of buying for those on your Christmas list, beat the rush and start now. Well, you should have started months ago. But it is easier said than done. With all the trauma and the political controversies that our country has been subjected to, the value of peso has further weakened and, along with it, the desire to start the inevitable Christmas shopping.

  Christmas is, for me, the nicest time of year. I like how everything seems brighter, literally and figuratively speaking, and how everyone acts kind. Amid the hustle and bustle of preparing for the usual rituals, it never ceases to amaze me how this one season can heal and bring people together.

  It has been our tradition to put up our Christmas tree as early as the second week of September. Our house is almost filled with Christmas decors and you can  already see colorful wrappers and ribbons in our den and bedroom. I love wrapping gifts. More like tossing them in pretty bags, actually, like a mad woman with too many ribbons and too little time. I am tempted to do a little something extra special with the packaging, which is always the case, I look at the many naked ones staring at me, patiently waiting for their turn, and I am jotted back to my practical senses. My husband has been very tolerant of the festive mess I make and the zombie-like hours I keep.

  Meanwhile, harassed and pressed for time as I am, I am just...happy, in a shameless kind of joy. Despite the dizzying list of things to do and the whirl of get-together, the season never fails to bring me joy. There is no house mess quite as pleasant as the one Christmas ushers in, days are indeed merry and bright amid straps of ribbon and rolls of wrapping paper here and there.

  With all the tragic stories of houses burning down together from overheating Christmas lights, we thought it was time we kept things simple- just touches of Christmas cheer as opposed to glittery, shimmery Christmas everything everywhere. We used most of the old decor we had accumulated through the years. 

  This year, I was actually way behind my Christmas timetable. Way behind. By this time last year, I had already started delivering Christmas presents. I don't know why the spirit of Christmas came a bit too late this year, for me, at least. I have much Christmas shopping to do still. I'd better get started. I think I will let a few things slide. I will make it on time somehow, it's just going to be a mad rush but I'll get there.

  Christmas maybe the most expensive time of the year, with all the presents and celebrations that come with the season. It is the time to give back. A time to be grateful to the people you may not always see and be in touch with as often as you like. And at the core of this season really are friendships and relationships we nurture.

Wedding Vow Renewal

Last Saturday, November 29, was our tenth wedding anniversary. Andre and I celebrated it quietly with just a small dinner party with family and friends. But what really made this day special to us was our renewal of wedding vow. This is the moment we've been waiting for a long time now. The ceremony was conducted at St. Joseph Mission Center in Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is our tenth year as husband and wife despite the fairy-tale like circumstances upon which we met, fell in love, and got married, our relationship is as real as it gets. Real in the sense that though not perfect, it is strong and ideally happy, if I may say so. I am lucky because I married a man secure enough to let me be the person God designed me to be (I don't think I'm even there yet).

We have many reasons to renew our vows as couples. First, we simply want to reaffirm the tremendous love that has deepened and matured with the passing of years. Second, we want to pause and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. Lastly, we know that it would be a perfect example to set for our children. Can you imagine a more beautiful scene than children watching their parents joining hands and hearts as they affirm the magnitude and strength of their enduring love?

This ceremony is a symbol of our looking forward to many more years together. We've been married for ten years now and it is a truly amazing accomplishment. We have survived love's challenges together and it's about time for us to rededicate our lives and love for one another.

Andre is consistently very protective of and very gentle with me and though I always tell him how much I love him, I don't think I thank him often enough for being the kind of husband he is to me. Happy Anniversary again, husby. I thank God for bringing you to my life. I can't believe that we've come this far. You are my life, love and hope. You are my best friend. And like I always say, even when we are both old and gray, every time you hug me I just know that you will still take my breath away. I love you very much.

One Special Night

Jehrard eating on my baby's toy car

My husband and son Andrew

Family Pic at my walk-in-closet room

Just three weeks ago, my baby was sick and my husband and I were very much stressed from monitoring his temperature to feeding him foods and trying to make him feel better. We didn't get enough sleep for many days considering that my husband has a lot of work to do in the office everyday while I am busy running the household, feeding my baby three times a day with a healthy meal and tutoring my three other kids. It was very tiring really. We also didn't get to spend time playing with our three kids because they are not allowed to go to our room until baby gets well. My first and second child always tells me how much they missed me and their daddy and how much they wanted to sleep in our room again. So, my husband had a better idea. Why not have ourselves pampered at Feet For Us? Yes, indeed why not? It will surely be a nice bonding experience for us and our kids.

I didn't need much pushing. The thought alone already started to relax my tired muscles. It was already past ten in the evening and my husband and I, together with my first and second child, went to Feet For Us which is located outside Waltermart at E. Rodriguez Ave. When we entered the place, a girl in the reception told us that they don't have available services for four people at that time which made us decide to find another relaxing spa to pamper our tired bodies. We went to Authentic Thai Foot Massage and Family Spa near UCC Coffee but we didn't get some luck either. Last stop was at Orchard Spa which is located at Tomas Morato. As we entered the room, already I can smell the minty yet sweet aroma of the place and immediately it set my mood in a very calm position. We were greeted by two masseuses and happily inform us that there are two couple's room available for us. Satiated and happy, we were all set for the treat.

My son Andrew and I were led to our assigned room after wearing shorts and robe. Same as with my husband and son Jehrard who were assigned in another couple's room. The Spa had dim lights that matched perfectly with the old style sort of antique looking walls and furnitures which added to my already relaxed state of mind. The scented candles and soothing music were little touches that were more than enough to set me in the mood for the evening delight I know I was going to have. We had a combination of Shiatsu and Swedish massage for that night and my therapist was really good. The pressure is consistent with precision. This is by far the best whole body massage I ever had from my Spa hopping leisure time.

After having our massage, we decided to go to Jollibee for a drive thru. My family loves Jollibee burger steak so much and that is what my husband ordered for us. Then we headed to our home. It was dark and quiet in our kitchen since almost everyone was already asleep, so we went straight to my bathroom and that is where we ate our delicious burger steak with rice. Each one of us shared stories of what we did during the day and it was such a wonderful feeling to be spending time together again. My two kids were so happy that they always look forward to having a spa again with me and their dad and have Jollibee burger steak for the evening snack. Well, this is really a one special night for us.

My Birthday Wish List

I am sharing with you my birthday wish list for my 30th birthday. Gosh, I can't believe I'm turning 30 this coming Sunday! Time surely flies so fast!

This year I want to/I will:

• Spend quality time with my husband.
• Eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables.
• Write more and meaningful blogs.
• Take extra care of my children.
• Pray always for good health.
• Try to have more and earlier sleeps at night.
• Help the poor and less fortunate people.
• Take walks more often.
• Touch base with friends more often.
• Try not to overanalyze things too much.
• Always accept people as they are.
• Use more wonderful potpourri in all the rooms in the house.
• Pray more, worry less.
• Enjoy watching movies, either in theater or DVD.
• Read more books from imported to local authors.
• Try out different dishes from different restaurants.
• Plant my own fresh herbs.
• Learn to save more for future use.
• Shop for nice shoes, bags, accessories and pretty dresses.
• Tell my parents how much I love them.
• Teach my children good morals and right conduct.
• To live longer and watch my children grow.
• Have more scrapbooking materials.
• Buy more notebooks for my journal.
• Visit neighboring Asian countries.
• Go on a cruise.
• Clean and make the house fully in order.
• Have a happy and healthy family.
• Bake and cook for my husband and children.
• To have efficient housegirls in our home.
• Buy a Canon Selphy Printer.
• Go to Boracay with my family.
• Order more storage boxes to organize my stuffs.
• To have a peaceful home.

Household Woes

On any given day, I always say to myself that I needed at least a week or two to get the things in order and put everything randomly lying around in their proper places. I've been a mother and wife for almost ten years now and still finds it hard to keep the house fully in order. It is almost Christmas and I haven't accomplish anything yet. The fact is, I recognized that need over four months ago, but despite my best intentons, it still hasn't happened for me.
Through the years though and with the addition of each babies in my family, I have contented and busied myself with tinkering the rooms in the house. As the family grows, much more things are added inside the house which includes additional toys, clothes, shoes, cabinets, beds, storybooks, photo albums, bags, baby bottles, and many others. I have a big family which means big responsibility. And as a mother and wife, it is my job to run the household and turn our house into a neat and cheerful home. Everyday is a challenge for me. In our home, you will find scratches on the floor and colorful marks on the walls in almost every room. Those are marks made by my kids while they are playing. It doesn't mind me actually because it's their joy in playing that matters to me the most.
Going through our house, I haven't made any progress in our clean and dirty kitchen. I have been planning to arrange all the kitchen utensils and to organize them in neat little piles and clusters but haven't got the time to do so. The kitchen cabinets, refrigerator and oven needs some cleaning up also! My room looks like a kiddie playroom. Balloons and balls of different shapes and colors were all scattered on the floor. Stuff toys and transformers toys were seen in every corner of my room. You can see all signs of my children almost everywhere in my big bedroom even inside my walk-in closet. I don't know how to fix all these but somehow it gives me joy everytime I see my children's toys scattered all over since it greatly reminds me of them every minute of the day. My desk, which is positioned at the corner in our room, is piled up with different stuffs from my paperworks to my kids' drawings and many others. I always try to clean and organize the mounds that seem to naturally pile up in satellites. But despite my best efforts, the cycle just goes on and on, and on.
I need to buy curtains and some more furnitures for my living room and den. I also haven't set up my Christmas village! Our Meralco bill is getting more exorbitant by the month, and I have made it my personal mission to lower it as much as I possibly can. But between being a mother and a wife, with a household to run, and work commitments to fulfill, and my children's activities, where do I even begin?
Neatness is a sneaky thing, especially for a housewife. She makes one area of the house as neat and as pretty as can be and before she even realizes it she is working on making the rest of the house the same way too. This is a challenge for me now. The challenge that lies in achieving neatness, beauty, and tangible order at the least cost possible. Wise choice always have to be made.

My Sick Baby

Surely, it has happened to me. A scary symptom shows in my precious little one, and my husband and I have to rush him to the emergency room. It was the 8th day of November and we cancelled all our plans for the day because of what happened. While we were in the emergency room of Chinese General Hospital, I was shocked to see that most of the patients there were still babies at the age of 2 1/2 and below. It was so sad to see such very young and innocent people have to go through the pains of injections and stuffs. I was hugging my baby tightly while the nurse was putting the dextrose in his hand. My baby was crying for help and I was in tears also during that time because I can feel the pain he felt during the procedure. I felt so guilty of letting him to go through it but I know that it was for his own good.
We prayed so hard that he will get better and be free from dangerous illness. We were so happy to hear that he has no dengue fever and his stool test turned out negative. It was such a great relief for me and my husband. But the doctor said he has primary complex which really made me sad. He has to take three kinds of medicines everyday before breakfast. Anyway, we stayed there in the hospital for four days and I promise myself to take extra care of my kids especially my baby from this day onwards. I can't bear to see one of my children suffering so hard. I almost lost a son last year and I don't want it to happen again. Never!

Reading To My Baby

I always read storybooks even when I am still pregnant with each of my children. I've learned from a pregnancy book that reading books while soothing your tummy can help nourish the brain of the baby inside you. It is also mentioned that they can hear their mother's voice while still inside the womb. This is the reason why I have been doing it daily during my preggy days and until now.
Reading to our little ones fosters a wonderful bond between parents and child. Our voice and facial expressions are also key in telling a story...the more lively and emotional your delivery, the better! My kids love it when I change my voice and pretend to be the character of the story. One book is not enough for them. That is why I still continue reading to them even if my voice already turned husky.
I greatly believe that books open our little one's minds to great discoveries and excellent future. So reading books need not be that boring and should not be limited only in school. We should stock our house with books and take time to read it to our child because our little ones will surely enjoy spending quality time with us while intuitively learning new things.