Nap Time Rocks!

Vannie tagged me with a question. Should I spank my child or not? My answer would be a yes and no. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” is a principle that my parents willingly instilled in us growing up. Of course they don’t whack us with a leather belt anymore now that we’re grown ups, but I had my share of red thighs when I was a kid. I have to admit I never really liked it when I was young, but my parents did it (actually it was my dad because my mom never had the heart to do it) in such a way that I didn’t entirely detest it. Obvious ba, I’m actually voting for it. hehe.

I’m saying yes because it actually did something good for us. My brothers and I were often spanked because we were always at each others’ throats when we were small. Knowing (and fearing) that if mom or dad finds out we are gonna get the punishment, we learned to cooperate and promise not to tell nalang. hehehe. No really, our dad always explains to us why he needs to spank us before he does it and after every time, he always reassures us that they still love us. Worked for the kids. But more than that, it really reiterated the fact the fighting with each other is bad and it’s not supposed to be a norm between the three of us. We soon grew out of that so the punishment soon became extinct.

But I’m also saying no, for now. Mia is still at an age where she obviously won’t be able to understand no matter how animated I am in telling her why I need to spank her. She’s just either gonna cry, laugh at me, or immitate me and spank herself (or me). It’ll be totally pointless. But I know that once she reaches a more cognitive level, I’ll be a bit more firm with her. Maybe I won’t have to whack her with a clotheshanger because I don’t think I really can. For now, a firm look, holding her hand, and saying “no, that’s bad” suffices.

how about you meeya, joanjoyce, and jayme, will you spank your kid?

i don’t want to complain, but i think i’m having a stroke of misfortune. first my car gets a very flat tire. i discover a tiny piece of metal wedged in between the tire grooves, but it’s nothing the vulcanizing shop can’t solve. and then, barely a week later, my car’s battery conks out. tsk tsk. my car Clark must love me very much. either that or he’s really just nagtatampo because he hasn’t stayed clean in the last 2 weeks. (i had him washed, promise. it’s just that everytime i do, it rains. or i park under a tree with a bad case of falling leaves). (more…)

vannie tagged me to write down top 5 things I want my child to know before he grows up. Or more specifically, top 5 values I should impart to my child to make him be a better person. and these are:

• Faith in God - i appreciate how my own parents brought me and my brothers up, and that is with fear in God. i wouldn’t want it any other way with Mia

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Here are some of my long overdue posts. i finally get a free hour (at least!) before the princess wakes up and i am fully at her service again. (pictures are links to my multiply albums, so if you happen to pass by there, add me up!).

New Year at the beach

This is the first time that we spent new year’s eve away from home. and this was mia’s first new year outing too! mia was scared of the water at first, but after cajoling her to dip her feet in the water like after 15 minutes, she finally gave in to my kulit and she finally let me put her in her float (which tita mytee gave her for her birthday). it was really cold by then because the sun hasn’t completely come out and it was 2.30pm already. we only stayed in the water for 20 minutes because mia was freezing already.

and of course the best part of it was spending new year’s with my entire family. we shot music videos (but this one i linked to was shot at home just the other night; my cousin is still editing the others and i’ll post them on youtube as soon as they’re ok), took night time pictures, and ate lots of junk food.

and see that new section on my sidebar, What’s on my tube? that’s mia right there, playing with me when we were at the beach.

Mia’s 2 front teeth

my little girl is growing up. she’s got 4 front teeth growing! the only downside to it is that she got me panicking for the last 2 weeks. she’s had fevers on and of, which weirdly didn’t last more than a day; and a really bad case of diarrhea for 5 days. she really lost some weight too. i thought it was just because of all the holiday eating (because she also wanted to eat whatever we were eating, and she loved the chocolate especially). but when it just wouldn’t go away, and she was really getting picky with what she was eating, i knew it had to be something else. my cousin told me to get her a fecalysis but on the day i was supposed to bring her to the hospital, it turned out she was ok. hay.

Mia at Fully Booked

this is another reason why i love Fully Booked at Gateway Mall. the children’s section is carpeted, and although it’s not exactly spic and span, it’s still room for mia to explore.

it was fun watching her among all the books, but not really when she was throwing them around i have yet to teach her how to put things back in their proper places.

that was today, when my mom and i got mia’s ears pierced. she finally looks like a real girl now! hehehe.

The Wedding

nope, not mine i just attended the wedding of my good friends onee and rommel at the Madre de Dios Chapel at the Midlands, Tagaytay Highlands. the place was really beautiful and serene. forgive me for not sharing the details of the wedding because the only thing that stuck to my mind were the wedding singers. they were reeeally good. the guy and the girl (i think they’re part of the band Sound Salad) sang The Prayer which was originally done by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church. it couldn’t have been more perfect. i’m still trying to look for the band’s profile somewhere on the web, but i couldn’t find any. sayang.

i’m still asking for my friend’s permission if i can post their Love Story AVP on YouTube, which i made for them as a gift. labor of love yun!
Cadbury®, choose happiness

has anyone seen the Cadbury® Choose Happiness tv ad campaign? it’s a claymation (clay animation) tvc of a family that finds themselves in happy Cadbury® land and everything is made of chocolate. yum, right? so they all drive around in a chocolate car, over chocolate hills and past chocolate trees, and all that stuff. the dad who was driving even tried on one of the car parts that came off! it’s cute, but you get this ominous feeling that they will turn to each other and just eat one another’s arms. haha.

seriously. watch it. if i find a clip on YouTube, i’ll show you

anyway since we’re on the topic, there’s this really funny Thai TVC series of a beauty product, Smooth-e Babyface facial scrub. there’s no subtitle but you can almost get what they’re saying with the facial expressions and body language. and it’s really funny.

Smooth-E Babyface part 1

Smooth-E Babyface part 2

Smooth-E Babyface part 3

Smooth-E Babyface part 4

i hope i linked to the right videos.

…for complaining that I’m lost without my RSS feed reader. now i’m drowning in all the feeds that are on my flock sidebar and i’ve barely finished them all! hehe. (there’s no access in my office kasi). i’ve subscribed to so many blogs that i regularly read and i’m really surprised that my blogging network has actually grown in less than a year. all thanks to WP-Pinoys and recently Entrecard, i’ve met some amazing bloggers and cool moms like me! hehe.

right now i’m still deciding if i should put an end to my blogging-like-a-maniac hiatus and start posting long-delayed adventures and pictures. but i don’t even know where to start. first of, i’ve little time because my boss will wake up anytime soon from her short morning nap (and as my blog title implies, i can only be totally dedicated to my alter ego when it’s nappy time), and i have loads of Christmas and New Year pictures to download and upload to my Multiply site, and i also need to do a favor for my brother who is starting his internship this summer and he’s asked my help to look for companies who get marketing interns (hint hint! you might be able to help me? :)).

anyway, it’ll be one busy month. not counting february when i’ll have events lined up soon for my brands. i’m gonna post them here and hope you guys here in manila will be able to support me yey!

and just a little pahabol, i’m so amused with Mia’s new tricks. and she’s so noisy now that she’s finally discovering how to use her voice to force mommy into submission. hehe kidding. she’s really one loud baby for her size when she feels like it

i am scared 

just watched I Am Legend starring Will Smith. i was really curious about the film since i’ve been hearing people raving about it since it showed in the cinemas. it was ok; your typical vampire-ridden horror movie and will-smith-will-save-the-world type of plot (Independence Day Will but a lot more mature). ok fine, it was actually nice in a weird, there’s-a-darkness-lurking-in-the-shadows-but-you-don’t-know-if-it’ll-pop-out-because-there’s-no-music-at-all kind of way.

i was trying to hide behind Mia (ok, hiding my face behind her so i couldn’t see while she squirms out of her wimp of a mom) while watching it and she wasn’t even flinching. that’s how much of a scaredy cat i am. anyway. so i looked up the movie on the internet and found some really interesting things:

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rashes!

i need help with mia. she’s got rashes on her behind and i’ve been putting anti-bacterial creams and calamine lotion on it so it will stop itching. but it won’t and she’s really trying to scratch it. nakakaawa talaga when she cries about it. my cousin told me to give her iterax syrup and it’s only been one day since i started to give it to her, but the redness and the little bumps won’t go away still. what’s the best thing that can get it to heal fast? i hope someone can recommend something.

no “merry christmas”

here’s something you don’t know about me. i’m really hesitant to greet people “merry christmas” because i don’t believe in the greeting, really. for me it’s just an expression to mean whatever you want it once a year. probably to say thank you, be happy, be content, or let’s celebrate. it’s something you can say anytime of the year, for that matter. thing is, i don’t want to say it lest the true meaning be lost entirely on me or the person i’m saying it to.

i confess i have said it to a lot of people this year but that doesn’t mean i don’t mean well wishes. i do. it’s just that i would rather say may God bless you and that you remember why it’s always a special occasion. it’s a remembrance of something or someone greater than us, than gifts, or tradition.

no, i think it’s not cliche to say that it’s all about love, sacrifice, and grace, and the One who made it all possible. so there. no more merry christmas-es for you just a simple prayer that may God take care of you and your family and your loved ones. and that you have an even better year too! may our 2008 be more meaningful than this year

yet i am guilty of being busy with other things

somehow i believe that there is order in chaos. no matter how busy it was this year more than any other in my entire 25 years of existence (not that i was aware for the first 10 years), i know i had not forgotten what it’s all for. somehow, that little person right there reminded me who does sacrifice and unconditional love better than i do.

mia could have helped with the gift wrapping but all she could do was crumple the postcards i was using as gift tags and keep pestering mommy to carry her

it’s been a personal tradition to make my own version of the ref cake every year. this year i experimented with a different batch of ingredients (just different brands, nothing drastic) because i always use Nestle Cream and MY San’s Honey Graham Crackers. it’s just that when i went grocery shopping at Hi-Top, i couldn’t find the aisle where the Nestle Cream usually is and they ran out of HGC! it was already 2 days before Noche Buena and i had no more time to go to any other supermarket. plus, i didn’t want to brave the holiday rush traffic.

i’m quite happy that it turned out good. my nephew whom i gave a small container to as a gift actually finished it in one sitting still, next year i’m going back to my old ingredients. nothing feels better than what you’re used to. besides, Nestle Cream makes more than Alaska’s All-purpose Cream when it’s whipped. hehe.

A night at The Fort

i had the chance to treat my family out to dinner last night at the fort. we went around fashion market at market! market! first to buy some more gifts, then went to Bonifacio High Street to have dinner. i was taking them to Texas Roadhouse Grill but the restaurant was full and we were 7th on the waiting list and my mom was already complaining. so, we head back and on the way, asked at Italiani’s, Mini Shabu-Shabu, and Claw Daddy’s all to no avail. the place was just crawling with families and groups of friends gathering for pre-Christmas celebration dinners.

i got frustrated because i really wanted to eat at Texas Roadhouse. the chicken tenders are just awesome. i realized i should have called to reserve. well, next time. so we ended up at the Polu Kai Grill at Serendra. since we really had no choice, as the other restaurants were full (except for Brazil Brazil, that only offered buffet meals at P600++/head which my mom pointed out that she was not going to get my money’s worth for it), i had us get a table at the Hawaiian themed restaurant. (more…)

2 tags and a couple of updates in one post. i need to maximize precious time!

O Christmas Tree!

here’s a tag from miss misyel to show our Christmas tree at home. this photo is actually about 2 years old, but we haven’t replaced it in years. sorry kasi you can’t see much because this is all i have on my pc right now. i know i need to take a picture of it, but there’s just no time! (i know, i’ve complained about it for the nth time, sorry). anyway it’s something i put together that i posted on my flickr site.

the seiko wallet tag

my wallet will not fare against malen’s wallet. hers has everything!

inside: mercury suki card, robinsons atm, abenson discount card, citibank and metrobank cc, philamcare card, some cash, and a few calling cards and receipt slips hidden somewhere there

this wallet is from my mom and she gave it to me because she doesn’t like big wallets. i, on the other hand, have a liking for everything in big sizes big wallets and big bags, what were you thinking?

that’s it for my 2 tags. so show me yours, k, lilmiz, ate pao, joyce,  kath, meeya, ate maru, karmi, and you!

mia and her favorite book

i just caught mia kissing her favorite book, Elmo’s “In My Stroller” soft foam book. it’s really funny what kids can do.

i hope she starts that love affair with books early, like mommy. and then, mia starts to get a feel of walking on her own.

with her lolas trying to show off some new skills

i was just so thrilled to see mia interact with other people since we’re always cooped up inside the house and mia never gets to see other human beings other than her immediate family. that’s why when we’re with relatives or my friends, she never wants to go with anyone else which can be quite hard too. last sunday when we went to my lola’s house in bulacan to have her 2nd flu shot by my cousin, which was also my other cousin’s bday party. the other kids were there and mia was happily exploring the grounds with clarice, my niece. whenever clarice would squeal, mia would imitate her. it was so adorable!

mia smiling at the camera because clarice was, too; with ninang jed also

later on mia would grab that hotdog stick

i am rated G

everyone’s welcome to read my blog. this site just gave me a nice rating. too nice, in fact. i’d like to see mine with an X on it. haha.

all this season’s hype is getting to me: the pressure of having to complete my shopping by next week, christmas parties to attend to, and finding the right gifts! i am so overwhelmed by so many things needed to be done and my grownup side is really being pushed to the limit. it wasn’t long ago when all i had to think of is myself, my family and my friends. anything goes. no reason to be conscientious too much with spending both money and time. i had no one to answer to, except maybe my own limitations.

this year is quite different, as it was also last year. a year ago, my daily routine would take me to the hospital where mia was being incubated because of her premature entrance into this world. that would be twice a day, one in the morning, and one in the evening when i would have also saved enough breastmilk for her feeding times. the nurses in the nursery were all very familiar with me that they would often let me do the bottle feeding myself if i came in right in time (it wasn’t allowed normally allowed). it was also there that i would have to endure watching ABS-CB’s soaps and variety shows because that was their channel and i don’t exactly have arguing powers. sometimes though, they would tune in to 24 Oras on GMA7. well it’s ok. besides, i would be busy talking to mia and telling her to get better and that she should come home by Christmas, or if not, before New Year.

i would also keep a casual conversation with whoever was visiting that time and we would be exchanging stories about how our babies have been doing. it would eventually be a contest when we determine which baby is more good looking or has more attitude in the nursery. of course, i would always win because of my story of how i delivered my baby and because mia was so tiny, but mostly because she was so cute and had golden brown hair and was such a fighter that anyone who would ask how she’s doing i would have something new to say every time.

watching her weight was also in my daily checklist. her doctor gave her a weght requirement before she could come home with me, which was 4lbs. (she was 2.14lbs when she came out). it was a hurdle that we took one day at a time, and there were times when it didn’t change at all. during those times that her weight dropped because she got sick, it seemed to me like another day extending her stay at the hospital and away from me. but there were days that she had done so well that it made me cry.

last year, things were somewhat depressing. i spent Christmas day partly at the hospital and partly at my grandma’s house. i spent the entire time praying that we get to take her home before New Year’s. i spent half the time crying too. all my friends know how horrible i felt that time. save for the hormonal emotional spurts, i was not in a Christmasy mood.

i don’t know, but somehow everything that has happened to me in the past year has made me a lot more responsible. not just because i’m required to, but there’s that earnest feeling of having to step up my game in anything that i do. that i have to be reasonable always, and that i don’t just answer to myself, but to mia also.

sometimes i miss being a carefree, anything-goes kind of person. even in shopping! a while ago i was out trying to finish my gift list (midnight sale at Araneta Center’s malls — Gateway and SM) and i can’t seem to enjoy it. maybe because i keep thinking i have to finish early so i can get back to take care of mia. i’m pretty sure she’s not going to sleep early again because she has a habit of waiting up for me sometimes. or maybe because i have to carefully watch how i spend my Christmas bonus because you know, there are just more important stuff to buy.

i can feel peter pan and tinkerbell sprinkling pixie dust on me. hehe. but well, many things are inevitable to happen, and taking more responsibility is one of them. i don’t regret anything i’ve done in the past, except maybe for some mistakes, but i’d like to take a break from all the hype now. all this rationalizing is making it even worse. i’m going back to that anything-goes mood. albeit a little more mature now.

i’ll be sharing some great shopping finds next time. i’ll also be featuring a new post category, which doesn’t have a title yet and whose concept is still in the works. watch out for it.

3 years ago, i started a christmas wishlist of the things that i need and want. the wants won more than the needs, so it was really more of a wish list that asked not for the heavens (you’ll be surprised), but for little practical things. here it is, but it’s not going to be in order anymore since priorities have changed. hehe.

ris’christmas wishlist from 2 years back (and my comments a year ago)

#001 pilot g-tech pen, .04 i got this a few years back, and i actually prefer using pencils now than pens, so scratch this

#002 016 il mare, my sassy girl, windstruck dvds –>yep, still as is but this will probably go down the list#003002 nike shox/air unify –>oh yeah
#004 the devil wears prada book –>got this already
#005 nike watch–>this one too, but not from nike, though
#006 nokia 7610 6270/6280
#007 nokia hands-free set –>got this one along with my phone last year
#008 Gokab Puto Special
#009 any graphic novel book
#010 any gaiman book (except american gods)
#011 coleman lunch box
#012 someone to sing me a nice song –>hehe
#013 someone to hug for Christmas
#014 nice new speakers for my pc
#015 a cd of the shorts that i helped/starred in (*hint hint*) –>paging ruthie and wawel…

and for this year’s new list…
#017 world peace (i can’t be entirely selfish can i?)
#018 the postman (il postino) soundtrack –>thanks to one good being

and now the 2007 rehashed-yet-again wishlist:

i got the Nike Shox ODrive (in black) i wanted thanks to my generous aunt and uncle who treated the boys (my cousins, all 15 of them i think!) each to a nike shopping spree. and where does my nike shox come in? i was luckily one of those who just tagged along and received early pamasko. that’s the picture right there, except that the columns and the accents on mine are blue-green. hehe. anyway.

1. il mare, my sassy girl, windstruck dvds - still need to scour quiapo for these
2. technomarine watch
3. iPhone or Nokia N82
4. bibingka from a particular store in Dasma, Cavite
5. stil, a collection of Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels
6. a cd of the shorts that i helped/starred in - i still don’t have this! oi wuthie and wawel, please make my day
7. a nice big bag for mia’s stuff and mine for when going out
8. a new laptop that’s loaded with the right stuff, i’m still thinking if i should go Mac
9. transfer of all my Betamax and VHS video collection of classic Disney cartoons to DVD (yes, i have loads) for Mia
10. a shopping spree at Fully Booked or National Bookstore - now how geeky is that?
11. a shopping spree on Amazon.com

i’m actually having a hard time filling in my wish list even up to 15. my wants have drastically changed since a long time ago when all i had to think about was myself, then my family second. yes i admit i was a bit selfish and materialistic before. although my self-purpose was always about my family, i still only had to worry about myself.

after having Mia, it becomes a different story. now, all i want for her is to be there for her, 24/7 if possible. but i have to work, and not even for myself, but for her. talk about change. i don’t even want material things for Mia, but a good childhood and that I become a good parent to her as God intends. so no matter what stuff i list up there, they will never equal the worth of what I’m going to ask the Lord for. and He knows what it is.

let’s pray it’ll be a more fruitful 2008 for all of us.

mia decides to show mommy her skills at 5 in the morning. for the longest time since mia learned to crawl she has been doing it on her tummy. as in she pulls herself around with her arms and a little push from her legs. i don’t know if it’s just a preemie thing to do though. but this morning, after waking up twice in the middle of the night for milk, she explored the room on all fours.

imagine how happy (and groggy) i was to see her crawling around. i’ve been teaching her how to do that but she won’t; i guess she’ll just put them to use when she wants to. and now she sits up on her own too. yey! mia scores again.

so now she’s found herself more mobile, she just grabs anything she can to stand herself up. we wrestle most of the time before going to bed because she just won’t quit. but of course i’m not complaining even if it’s at 5 a.m.

that’s her first baby laptop that her ninong joel and tita sadel gave her for her 1st birthday. i told myself not to buy mia anything electronic while growing up (or maybe until 12) because i wanted her to play with clay, Lego, and even sticks and stones to develop her creativity and imagination more. you can guess that’s how i grew up but then again, toys are gifts and who knows, mia might grow up to be a techie person more than her mom is. you just don’t know how much intelligence and behavior is evolving these days with the proliferation of media and technology into our daily lives. and being a mom, of course you only want the best for your kid.

maybe the one thing that i really won’t let her play with are video games. not until she’s twelve maybe. i wouldn’t say she’ll be deprived because my brothers and i didn’t grow up in front of the tv and look how we turned out. real bad. hehe kidding. but really, i don’t regret our parents bringing us up the way they did. and i think i’m finding myself adopting their discipline with mia. but maybe with a little difference when she reaches her teens. i think all parents naman have their ideals when it comes to raising their kids, and it’s usually because of how they were raised. as for me, i just pray i do a good job.

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a beautiful little princess whose name is Mia. She was a joy to everyone who saw her, a jem in her mommy’s eyes, and the delight of her grandparents.

Hehe. The birthday party was a success. We did go to far far away land, but more like we drove there. (more…)

pahabol, before i  log off for a while until next week. it’s mia’s bday celebration tomorrow (her real bday’s on the 20th)  and we’re flying off to Far Far Away Land for her party
she’s starting to learn standing up on her own (finally!) with anything she can reach and hold on to. it’s quite a bit hard to take her down every time when i’m putting her to bed, though. still, i’m proud of  mia.

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