Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Mommy, I saw you...

"I did mentioned here before that since I became a mother, I appreciate my mom more. Motherhood is a never-ending sacrifice for the love for your children and no one will understand these hardships, kundi ang isang nanay din. But having said that, I will never exchange anything for my my kids. I am more than willing to endure these hardship for them. Nothing will change that. "

- - - - - - - - - 

Nobody saw you

Nobody saw you,
nobody at all
at 3am when
they woke again.
Nobody saw you
picking up the peas,
wiping up the beans,
emptying the laundry basket,
taking out the bins
again
and again.
Nobody saw the crust of toast
that fell out of your bra when you got undressed at night,
such a glamorous life
being mum
wiping noses
washing faces
trying to stay calm.
(for fuckssake)
Nobody saw you
when you were so bored of playing princess ninja pirate turtles
but you said, ‘ok,
just five more minutes,
just one more time,
just one more go,
just one more round’
and then said it again ten minutes later.
Nobody saw you
holding the toddler who wouldn’t be put down
but also wouldn’t go in the buggy
but also wanted to walk but only in the opposite direction
and ‘oh look!
a stick/discarded lolly/dog poo/pebble/cigarette butt/the sky!’
Nobody saw you holding the sick bucket in the night
or on the way back from school
nobody saw you holding a jacket,
a rucksack, a book bag, a sunhat,
a scooter, the baby, a half-eaten apple
and an art project made out of three cereal boxes taped together
and covered in glitter glue,
holding soft little hands at bed time,
holding angry little bodies still kicking and shouting,
holding it together,
holding on,
holding a hungry little head
to a boob as hard as concrete
in those early days
of chaos.
Nobody saw you winding the bobbin up
and winding it back again
and pointing to the ceiling
and pointing to the floor
and pointing to the window
and pointing to the door.
Nobody saw you when it was raining again
and the kids were sick
and you didn’t leave the house for three days.
Nobody saw that.
Nobody saw how many times you watched ‘The Gruffalo,’
on the third day,
how many times you read about what happened to igglepiggle’s blanket
or the one about the inappropriate pets
sent by the zoo.
Nobody saw you in the car
when you dropped the baby off for the first time
when you promised yourself you wouldn’t
but you cried all the way home
all the same.
Nobody saw when you were empty
but you gave something
but you made something
but you thought of a game
but you said sorry to a little face
for being cross, for snapping again.
I haven’t seen you for a while
we haven’t chatted for too long
but I when I see those lovely pictures of your kids
you post sometimes
I feel like I am seeing you,
the mum behind the kids
behind the babies
and the bumps
and the toddlers smiling into the camera
I see the wipes and the nappies and the games and the songs
I see the snot and the poo and the tantrums and the kisses
I see you putting little arms
into little cardigans
and brushing tiny teeth.
(whilst being kicked in the face)
Nobody sees all of the things that you do
all of the ways that you manage
and with questions like,
‘So when are you going back to work?’
You can end up feeling like one of the hardest jobs
you have or will ever have done
is simply reduced to dossing around at home.
Nobody sees you sometimes
but you are building something
that will never be torn down
a love that cannot be removed
and sometimes it is boring
and sometimes it is the worst
and sometimes you have never been happier
Nobody saw how much you gave
every day
every night
every 5am
every 5pm
every moment.
Have I ever told you
that I think
you are such a wonderful Mum?
Let’s get pissed together soon ok?
- - - - - 
Source: http://www.likereallifeblog.com/2016/06/22/nobody-saw-you/- - - - - - 

Friday, 13 March 2015

My First Photobook from Photobook Philippines

One day, D said "mommy I want clowns on my birthday!" I said you had clowns on your first birthday, he asked "saan?" And I couldn't find a printed copy to show him and of course the little rascal wouldn't believe me without any proof. Then I realised, all our pictures that I took for memory's sake are still in the memory cards! my gulay!

Aminin! hindi lang ako guilty dito, almost all people nowadays, since the "digital age" started usually maintains digital albums and had been planning to print all their pictures for ages, but until now plans pa lang haha.  

Then out of the blue, one long weekend, I received a notification from Photobook Philippines that my free voucher from Metrodeal that I got 6 months ago is due in 14 days. Yes, I totally forgot about that 100% discount deal, P0 for a 6x6 mini soft cover 40 pages photobook. 

So I took my chances, sat in front of my lappy, downloaded the software designer and spent the whole day putting our 2014 events and pictures in a book. 

After 1 day of lay-outing, 2 hours figuring out how to upload and pay the shipping fee, 2 hours of uploading, and 20 days of waiting for the delivery. My first ever photobook has arrived. 

Front Cover
I placed my watch beside the photobook so you can see the actual size. 

Back Cover

Inside Page

Inside Page

What I love about this deal....
  • It is absolutely free! I just paid the delivery fee of P130 and custom's examination fee of P100 (because it is printed from Taipei, Taiwan)
  • I love that it looks sturdy and looked like a real book. 
  • Although my lay-out is not so artistic, I loved the idea the it is personalised para hang nag scrapbook
  • The paper quality is good, not the once na malambot and will fade thru time. 
  • It is a photo album and a book in one price
Some point for improvement...
  • It takes ages to download the software and upload it. 
  • The online editing is so slow, well maybe it is depended din with your internet connection. 
  • Maybe a faster delivery service for those who opt for the minimum shipping package. 
Will I buy more? Yes, actually there is an ongoing promo for P10 at metro deal, so I bought 5! haha na-addict! 

Btw, this is not a sponsored post, I just loved the idea and the result. Ang taba ng brains ng nakaisip nito! 

Go check it out! 

G, 

Friday, 29 August 2014

Recipe for Motherhood


One time, while I was busy doing something in the kitchen and D is watching Hi-5, I heard him said "wag kayo maingay!, tulog na kami" to the kids in the TV, omg!

Then while we are having dinner, D said to his lolo "ayoko sayo! patay kita! lagay kita sa sako!" omg! again... 

While we are watching TV at the sala, he said to his lola "paliguan kita tubig!" and he did pour the water almost to his lola. OH MAY GULAY TALAGA! 

His teachers also mentioned that parang matanda na daw magsalita si D. What can we do? Oldies naman talaga kasama niya sa bahay?!

After these incidents, I am now contemplating, tama ba ang pagpapalaki namin kay D? I enrolled him in a playschool/toddler training camp so he can interact with other kids, but we don't see any progress. Instead he went home one day telling hi lola "Itatapon kita sa apoy!" promise nanlaki ang mata sa akin ni daddy R! And I am now asking myself, am I doing mothering right? If not, what will I do?

After bugling my mind some days, I identified some possible roots of the behavior and some solutions; 

1. PBO and other old movies that his lolo watches. D's mind is like a sponge that absorbs everything he hears so the Fenando Poe and Lito Lapid lines are the culprit! I already told papa about it, and hopefully, sumunod. 

2. No playmates. As much as I want D to have a baby brother or sister for his playmate, I am not yet ready. And neither I will allow him to play with our neighbor's kids, their too old for him and minsan with bad attitudes na din. A playschool? I am now considering gymboree or kindermusik. I just really wish we have one near, because the nearest to us is one 1 1/2 hours travel. 

3. Words that he hear at home. We are no perfect family at home, we also burst with our words. And even our procrastinations like "mamaya na!" ay napipik-up niya. So we are now sanitizing our mouths. 

4. Over exposure to TVs, cartoons and gadgets. And studies shows that exposure to these gadgets shortens the attention span of the kids. Sighs, I so guilty about this. So now, we are implementing a no gadget to D at home, even limiting his TV to 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. 

5. Being inconsistent in rules. When I am at home, D will eat dinner sitting in the dinning table, when I am not at home, he eats while playing and running. When I am at home he's not allowed with junk foods, when I am not his granies "always" give-in to his requests. And this is the hardest part, hindi tlaga kayang tiisin ng mga lola ang pinakamamahal nilang apo. 

I am really in the experimental mode, iba naman talaga ang mga bata ngaun. But hopefully, I am doing it right. So I get inspired with this picture, 


Right? Right? All we need is love and lots of prayers. And and everything will be okay.