Archive for Daily Living
Making It Through The Day *
September 8th, 2010 Daily Living, Motherhood & Pregnancy
Oh, God, give me grace for this day.
Not for a lifetime, nor for next week, nor
for tomorrow, just for this day.
Direct my thoughts and bless them,
Direct my work and bless it.
Direct the things I say and give them blessing, too.
Direct and bless everything that I think and speak
and do. So that for this one day, just this one
day, I have the gift of grace that comes from
your presence …
–Marjorie Holmes, “Just for Today”
***
My world has turned topsy-turvy. Since I gave birth to another child, things have been in disarray – literally and figuratively. I now have to go by two routines: that of my toddler and of my infant. On some days the household gets utterly crazy and I end up shedding tears out of frustration. And while I remain unable to reproduce myself or install Arms Extend-o, I try my best to juggle several things and multi-task to the best of my ability. At the end of the day (which is around 10pm, actually), I find myself staring out in space, totally exhausted. It’s when my brain becomes a grey matter that’s about 3 pounds worth of volatile compounds. Just a minute of downtime, please. I need to vaporize a few elements at low temp.
[And the toys are still at the foot of the bed. The folded clothes have been gathering dust in the sofa, waiting to be shoved into the closet (which needs some reorganizing too). My hair is crying for a decent cut. My body is longing for a good bath. And so many whatevers that call for attention.]
Then I sleep. Wake up. Sleep. Wake up.
When I’m awake at night, I sometimes sit by my side of the bed and look at my husband and two lovely daughters all asleep. I think about spending Christmas with them, going places with them, walking on the beach with them. Somehow, despite the daily domestic grind, there’s the beauty of looking forward to great possibilities. Because you know you have a family to make memories with. And that’s something that matters. Really. Even if I’m yearning to flash a huge placard that says “I’M TIIIRED! I WANT A DAY OFF!”
When I wake up in the morning, I still say hello to the day and try to look for that silver lining (have you seen any?). I list my to-do’s, plan the menu, check my email, worry about many different stuff. I know it’ll be another day of haggling with and disciplining my toddler, saying no to most things, blowing my top, and receiving a lot of unnecessary disturbances from neighborhood dogs, rude drivers and perambulating sellers/beggars/solicitors. I’ll have to bear with sore nipples and an aching wound yet again. When will all these end? I’m not even looking for an answer. It’s just how things are these days. You either cope or mope.
For now, I have only one conscious priority: making it through the day.
* Blog title inspired by Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “Simple Abundance”
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- Celebrate Breastfeeding Month at SM Megamall
- Meet Stella, Our Little Star
- Positive Visual: The Dream House
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Positive Visual: The Dream House
August 12th, 2010 Daily Living, Things & StuffTags: Avida Settings, G, home, house, positive visuals, Victorian
Late last year, my husband emailed a link to this article about positive visuals. It was a short but focused article on the good side of having a visual inspiration. The article suggested that you must have a photo of something that makes you happy or inspired, or of something that you want to have in the future. My husband has a picture of a BMW on his laptop. It took me a while to choose my own positive visual, not because I don’t know what I long for, but because I have so many design ideas in mind.
Just one thing for me: a house
It doesn’t have to be big. But I want it built on a nice neighborhood with lots of trees and birds and well-educated people. I’ve yet to finalize some Home Design Ideas, but I’m leaning towards Victorian design and architecture. Or something like the one in the picture. Quaint, isn’t it?
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Pak That Fly
July 23rd, 2010 Daily LivingTags: Candice
This is quite recent. Wish I could record every conversation I have with my 2 y.o. She’s such a chatterbox now. And I love it when she tries to make sense of a lot of things without my intervention.
Me: Candice, what are you doing to THAT fly?
Candice (running around): I’m trying to pak it, Mommy.
Me: What do you mean?
Candice: I’m paking the fly, Mommy. Like this … PAK!
Me: Oh.
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Frugalista Mom
July 15th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: coupons, frugal living, frugalista, online coupons, recessionista
After going through the 2008-2009 economic recession as a housewife/mom, I have become a recessionista. The word sounds so chic — but if you really go deeper and try to live up to that label, you’ll realize you need some creativity and skill to be fashionably frugal. Throughout the economic crunch, I had to live on a tight budget and scrimp and save whatever I could. While our family was (and still is) somewhat fortunate enough to afford a house, a car, and a helper – we still had to tighten our belts and give up a lot of things.
Two years later, after surviving the hard times, I think I can now call myself a Frugalista Mom. I can plan cheap but nutritious meals. I can recycle a dish or use its ingredients to come up with another dish. I can *almost* predict when it’s time to hold the money and purchase a new LPG. I can work on a certain budget when shopping for groceries. I buy shoes, clothes and recreational stuff only when there’s a sale. And, I’m often on the lookout for good freebies and promos that guarantee a few peso savings.
Coupons are a frugal mom’s delight, too. Whether they’re coupons for Home Depot or HP discount codes, coupons spell SAVINGS. Honestly, I’ve never been this eager to cut out coupons and use them. The newest coupon that I have is this McDonald’s coupon that I got from Drypers. We’re getting one apple pie for free! Last time, we were able to get a McDonald’s hamburger. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I keep the coupons in my wallet and use them when the opportunity comes.
I also use online coupons if the purchase wouldn’t require a huge shipping cost or a gargantuan “minimum” purchase. I scour the web via Savings.com to look for great deals. I actually have my own coupons/deals site (see sidebar), but I can’t use the coupons that I post for obvious reasons.
What about you? Are you a Frugalista Mom, too?
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- Making It Through The Day *
- Positive Visual: The Dream House
- Pak That Fly
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Wednesday is M.O.B. Day
July 10th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: green living, shopping, SM
Last Wednesday, I went to the nearby SM Hypermart to get some breakfast items. As I wheeled my mini orange cart toward the frozen food section, I created a mental list of things to buy:
- chicken pesto
- chicken cheddar
- sweet ham
- sweet hotdogs
- sausages
- tocino
- tapa
- etc. etc.
(Oh, the list went on…)
So I did my rounds, scrutinizing labels and throwing stuff into the orange basket. Then I lined up at the cashier. I saw baggers packing items into big brown paper bags. What’s wrong? I thought. Oh, maybe they ran out of big plastic bags that’s why they’re using paper bags and cartons.
Then I looked around and saw a dangling tarpaulin that says Wednesday is M.O.B day. What the heck is M.O.B.? Then I learned from the cashier that Wed is eco day at SM and M.O.B. stands for “My Own Bag”. Shoppers are supposed to bring their own bags or make do with the brown paper bags that don’t have the usual handles. You carry them like babies.
I really wouldn’t mind having my groceries packed in eco-friendly paper bags. BUT I was alone that day and I had to commute going home. And not to mention the heavy stuff that I’m carrying in my belly. I looked at the contents of my orange basket and tried to calculate their total weight. The bagger said I would have to carry 2 brown paper bags if I want them all punched and packed. No way, baby. So I discarded some items (goodbye, chicken hotdogs and watermelons!) and settled for just a bag of groceries. Whew. In that brief moment, I wished I had my own car. It doesn’t matter if it’s a limo with chrome accessories or a secondhand car. I just need a decent vehicle to carry hefty paper bags for me.
Carrying that one huge grocery bag was a joy though. It reminded me of grocery shopping in the U.S. Maybe when I’m finally able to drive the family car, I’ll do my grocery on a Wednesday. It’s good to be part of this green project.
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The Weather Report
May 26th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: summer, weather
Just a quick update:
The month of May has been tough for me, not because I’ve a gazillion of projects to work on, but because I’ve been trying to catch up on my article quotas while dealing with the terrible summer heat. So far, I’m still lagging behind my goals. I’ve got a few days left before the 30th, and I’m really hoping that I could perform better despite the nagging heat. I’m thankful for our A/C though, which has been running marathons day in/out. I hope it doesn’t conk out soon.
And wish us luck on the electric bill.
On a more positive note:
Yesterday’s downpour, albeit a short one, made me smile. I’ve been praying for better weather, and it seems that the Universe has finally gathered enough rain clouds in our area to make some rain. I hope it rains again today, even just for a few minutes. Please?
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Rainbow After The Rain
April 27th, 2010 Daily Living
The past two weeks have been filled with a few challenges. Thank God, I managed to go through it all unscathed and with bits of zen still lingering in my bones. True enough, hardships make us wiser and tougher. If we dwell on how pitiful we’ve become, we’ll never be able to achieve a good sense of purpose.
I know I’d rather live a colorful life than go by a dull, drab existence. It’s a choice.
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Snooze Time
March 20th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: books, Candice, naps, stickerbook
Guess who fell asleep while reading her stickerbook.
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Chocolate Critters
March 4th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: chocolate, chocolate critters
Lately I’ve been eating chocolate to improve my mood. I’m not in any serious trouble; it’s probably just a combination of hormones and unpleasant circumstances.
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Dicey loves to sing
January 8th, 2010 Daily LivingTags: Candice, videos
The little girl sings Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star *at least* once a day. It’s the very first song that she learned to sing in full.
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- Making It Through The Day *
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