PERSONAL NARRATIVES, MOMMY TIPS, AND THRILLING DISCOVERIES TO MAKE DAILY LIFE THE HAPPIEST
It was morning. I noticed my Firstborn without his eyeglasses on. I asked him to wear it, and he timidly said he accidentally dropped his glasses in a canal yesterday afternoon when I asked him to buy turon.
This mother is lucky to have met the beautiful Joy Mendoza. She is a blogger, family coach, and currently in the family way (her sixth pregnancy). She shared her tried and tested ways towards a holistic approach to stress-free living. Though her advice was practical, sometimes we still need to be reminded of those things to thoroughly enjoy life.
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As a parent, it is essential that you are setting an excellent example for your children. Your little ones need someone to look up to, to take inspiration from, and to admire. They don’t need to be disappointed on a regular basis or led down a dangerous path. To send out the right message, you will need to take a closer look at your behavior. It is necessary that you practice what you preach and follow through on everything you say. You won’t always get it right, but the point is that you try your best. Below are four steps that will help you to do just that.
They’re super easy to do at home, and you can win P20,000 worth of MAYA products if you try them!
We love hotcake! We always have MAYA Hotcake Mix at home and do pancakes, golden brown waffles, and muffins. Everyone at home loves eating hotcakes for breakfast (and even for lunch and dinner!). It is so easy to make, preparing them can be as much fun as eating them! Even my boys can do cook pancakes themselves. With a little imagination and a few additional ingredients, one can readily transform a typical breakfast staple into art. From animal shapes to birthday cakes, the options are endless.
At Marketplace and Rustan’ Supermarket, shopping is both rewarding and fun. From September 1 to November 30, 2018, you can bring home any or all seven sets of the award-winning European brand Kahla. This authentic and high-quality porcelain dinnerware is yours for free as you earn stickers from your every purchase.
In this modern day, multiculturalism is evident to exist around the world. Because of this, we also get to learn more about other religions. Whereas in years gone, the only way we learn about Bible characters and religious rites was in the school subject Religion. Now, we are fortunate to see different cultures around us.
In the past few months, you may be aware that there have been some key dates in the Muslim calendar. Two of which are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The traditional greeting for both is “Eid Mubarak.” For non-Muslims, it can be difficult to know the difference between the two. It is our goal then to explain to you the different Eid holidays.
We seldom go out to dine and enjoy the outdoors. Since we had our fifth baby, we often stay at home and do home-based activities instead. During those days that we go out, we often see other parents allow their youngsters to use tablets and smartphones. The tactic seems helpful as the kids are well-behaved and very cooperative. I may say then that it has become a common practice for parents to allow their children to use gadgets like tablets or smartphones at a very young age—many as young as babies! Some load up these gadgets with educational apps and videos to aid in their kids’ development, others see them as a way to keep children entertained—and out of trouble.
While these electronic gadgets help stimulate the mind and reflexes of young kids, they may also have adverse effects on the health and well-being of growing children. Makati Medical Center, a top hospital in the Philippines, identifies four possible consequences of letting young kids fiddle with smartphones and tablets all day.
Have you seen the latest McDelivery video? I so love how the couple helps each other in putting their babies to sleep. I also find them both cute on reminding each other to move with less noise as much as possible. That’s how I was with my boys and husband. They have known me so well that everytime they make unnecessary noise, they would check on me to confirm that I was indeed looking daggers at them.
But what notably made me fall for the commercial was how the delivery man reacted. He was so sensitive to the demands of the father that he acted accordingly to the need of the situation. He even remained careful even outside of the housing unit already.
Parenting is a full-time job that takes a lot of energy out of you and can quickly make you feel exhausted. Fret not as we share a few tips that will help you take the stress out of your daily parenting duties.
Remember that it’s important to set ground rules, but that it’s also okay to relax and laugh along the way. Give yourself your much deserved pat on the back and strive to do your best instead of aiming for perfection. Be kind to yourself as well as know you can always improve and learn from your mistakes as you go.
I am a stay-at-home mom, and many would assume I’ve got plenty of 15 minutes for everything. Reality is, I always end up running against time and retiring for the day too tired to even have dinner. But when I look back to the day I had, the house was a mess, the laundry was close to a mountain of dirty clothes, and the bed was still unmade.
For a mom who balances work and household chores plus family, time is essential. Every minute counts because it is in her nature to see everything in order. As she does her tasks, she feels a sense of fulfillment. Perhaps, her love language is service. But when it comes to her children, she can always accommodate, adjust, and even leave everything. She can still squeeze even a 15-minute break for her little one or perhaps a dozen 15 minutes until she lost count of the time.
Especially this time that we can’t leave the house because of the unpredictable weather, we often spend our time at home. It is just surprising that there are a lot of home activities a mom and her kid can do in 15 minutes. And often, it is that very time that becomes a quality bonding moment that all the more strengthens the relationship between them. Momi Berlin shares a few of her quality time ideas with her little ones.
15-Minute Bonding Ideas with your Kids
This is perhaps one activity we consistently do. 15 minutes is all it takes to visit a different world and meet new characters through the pages of a book. My two boys love it best when I change my voice to mimic the role of the hero or the villain.
We do this especially before bedtime. We read one book only in one sitting as my boys would easily be distracted and sometimes bored with long stories. But they love it best when there are great images that accompany our story reading. Sometimes, we end up not reading but identifying the pictures.
After the two boys’ bath, this mother massages their body. I love putting lotion on them just like how they love the feeling of my palm slowly gliding through their belly, arms, and legs. I usually do the “I love you” massage. It takes us about 15 minutes because I would always end up kissing their armpit, feet, belly button, and anywhere their little hands can’t cover.
I often tell my friends that my boys have extraordinary power. They would seem to wake up, too, every time I leave the bed. Especially in the morning when I prepare school food for their three older brothers, my little ones will join me in the kitchen.
As I prepare sandwiches, for instance, my toddler would begin to munch on the cheese or the ham or the egg. The little one-year-old will also reach for the ingredients and often, we end up with a messy kitchen countertop. I would sometimes feel frustrated but then, end up thanking God for the moment. This mother loves hearing their giggles and seeing their naughty smiles. I know such an opportunity will not last as a few years from now, they will not even care about waking up early to join me in the food preparation. They will be tweens then teenagers who will have their way to make fun.
Our three-year-old loves to sing nursery rhymes. Every time he sings, our little one-year-old joins the fun. So we always have a sing and dance moment anytime anywhere.
We will sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Old McDonald” nonstop. They also love to hug their mom in between the singing and dancing.
Even putting all the toys or folded clothes in the cabinet is a fun chore when with my little ones. Sometimes, I end up folding the same shirt thrice because the little one would keep on grabbing it. But I learned to laugh and be in love with the whole idea. I like how playful they can be and how energetic they are. They seem not to get tired of messing around. But I love best the smile they give to me. It’s the smile of sincere happiness and gratitude. There is no fear in their eyes but the joy of being accepted and understood.
15-Minute Bonding Ideas with your Kids
The special bonding we have with our kids are sometimes cut short when they get sick. Thus, it is also vital that especially this season when the youngsters are vulnerable to a cough, colds, and fever, we have our trusted brand with us.
Just like how a quick 15-minute bonding time with kids can do wonders with a mom-child relationship, Paracetamol (Calpol) also offers fast and efficient fever relief in 15 minutes. Its suspension formula starts to work on fever in 15 minutes (at 15m/kg dosing). This helps moms like me to recover the lost time and missed chance to spend time with their kids who just had fever. I love it too that Paracetamol (Calpol) is gentle on any child’s tummy.
I appreciate how the makers of Calpol considered that 15-minute fever relief to dismiss any missed time with the little ones. Though in reality, us moms give more than 15 minutes of our time for our kids. Just like yesterday, I wasn’t able to wash the dishes and do the laundry on time because again, I spent my first 15 minutes with my boys until it extended and I lost count anymore.
Momi Berlin Directory