We just can’t sleep with the lights on.
And yes, it is Monday morning and we are still in bed.
*Yael here is at five months and 11 days old.
PERSONAL NARRATIVES, MOMMY TIPS, AND THRILLING DISCOVERIES TO MAKE DAILY LIFE THE HAPPIEST
We just can’t sleep with the lights on.
And yes, it is Monday morning and we are still in bed.
*Yael here is at five months and 11 days old.
Big Bunso was absent from his classes yesterday. He preferred to attend a kiddie arts festival. I showed him the other day a poster of the event and he excitedly told me “I want to be there, mama.”
And so I let him.
Yes, this mama who, as much as possible, does not want her boys to skip classes, allowed her Big Bunso to absent himself. Why? Because her son wanted to attend that art festival.
Big Bunso enjoys the feel of the art brush moving across his pentagon plate.
Just this morning, Second Son left as early as 7:30am for a church meeting. He is an acolyte, and has been serving our parish for nearly four years. He came home at 2:00pm which was unusual as meetings typically end before noon. His clothes were also covered with dirt. When asked, he told this mother he went to the nearby park after their meeting to play basketball. His mom just smiled then asked the son to accompany her buy fruit tea and hotdog sandwich for merienda. She didn’t flare up- very opposite of her usual reaction if confronted with similar incident.
Second son patiently waits for our fruit tea order. He has been so quiet on our way to the Bubble Tea house, perhaps preparing himself from his mama’s nagging.
I don’t know if the kids all prayed that their mom would react differently during those two separate events. Or God must have heard this momma’s plea to help her be more loving and understanding a mother.
Or perhaps, this mother realized that yes, school is important, but it’s not the only place where children can learn. That yes, high grades are very pleasing to any one’s eyes but, those aren’t the true measurement of learning.
The art festival Big Bunso attended will not only broaden his knowledge about the arts but will also deepen his awareness and appreciation that definitely textbooks cannot seem to teach.
I hope that I could stand by my decision that though school is an important setting where my boys would learn, the world can give a better chance for them to apply these learnings. I should have done this years ago– let them see the world’s beauty and chaos. But still, I am thankful that I finally let go of my excessively protective nature.
Second son’s decision to play basketball was perhaps an impulsive one. On his way to the park though, I am positive that his brain sent a vision of an angry mother thus giving him the chance to turn his back and head home. He pushed for it still and took responsibility. He may tell his mama the truth or make up excuses, but still preferred to be honest.
That honesty was such a noble act that made me prefer to keep quiet and trust my young man. Accepting ownership of his act was incredibly worthy of his mother’s understanding.
My two young gentlemen chose to be free — free from routine; Big Bunso of school and Second Son of house. So why should I be angry in the first place?
THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE. ANY MAN’S PURPOSE, AFTER ALL, IS TO LIVE AND NOT JUST EXIST.
I am not among those amazingly cool peeps obsessed with Harry Potter who, by the way, call themselves Potterheads . I am not to consider myself a Potterhead still even if I have completed J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series which accidentally sit prominently in our bookshelf. And after First Born played Harry Potter during a book parade in their school last first trimester, he had given my books too much attention that this mom would always remind him to take care of them. Not because I am a die-hard Harry Potter fan. It’s because the books are all hardbound and I quite invested on them. Still this does not make me a Harry Potter fanatic.
And so, on my birth month (which was months ago), I invited my best buddy Smash for an afternoon of chit chat and whatnot. I told her of this place called The Nook Cafe which serves the best butterbeer in town (or so they claim).
We paid a visit to the place.
The cafe seemed too unexciting, more like the hard post between Platform 9 and 10 at London’s King’s Cross Station. No muggles will ever take notice of it perhaps because of its ordinariness.
But wait till you enter —
The inside was too small that probably a group of ten students cannot fit sitting there. There were about three sets of tables with two chairs each. And beside those chairs was the small counter where transactions happen.
My Immobulus charm worked for us as it indeed caused those ahead of us to be immobile. We were able to transfer to the second level of the cafe after a couple vacated their spot. My charm that night was my then two-month old little munchkin.
Upstairs was a haven for this mama as the place displayed of books from J.K.Rowling to Rainbow Rowell, Veronica Roth, and Stephanie Meyer among others. There were also Harry Potter paraphernalia everywhere — the pentagonal box of frog chocolates, Quidditch broom, Hogwarts robes, and magical wands.
I was determined to try the butterbeer thus ordered the regular size (PhP100). The butterbeer, a popular wizarding beverage in one big tankard, tasted like the candy butterscotch.
And some of the food we ordered –
Cheese Potato Wedges (PhP95) sprinkled with herbs and parmesan cheese
Bacon Wrapped Chicken (PhP140) small chunks of chicken wrapped in bacon and dipped in honey
Triple S Pasta (PhP140) stands for Spicy Spanish Sardine
Pesto Pasta (PhP140)
The cake for the day is Red Velvet (PhP90) which is both moist and so! delicious
Matcha Hazelnut Latte (PhP100) which my buddy Smash preferred over the best seller Butterbeer
That’s my dear friend Smash and behind her is Harry Potter’s room in the Dursley household at 4 Privet Drive.
Today though is a new year. Perhaps the magic of the new year will work for me.
Perhaps, aside from birthdays, children appreciate Christmas the most. They get to receive gifts, and the food is just overflowing.
Christmas is also the time for reunions and meetups. Visiting friends and relatives not only gives us the time to catch up but gives the boys — much to their delight– the opportunity to receive gifts either in cash or in kind. My boys received mostly cash from these visits.
Usually, I let them spend their Christmas money, but still under my supervision. Last December though, husband and I encouraged them to open a bank account and start saving. Part of the money they deposited were their own savings from their school allowance. To encourage them all the more, husband promised the boys he will double the money they invested in the bank.
I have three almost grown-up boys. Grown-up because they act, talk, and eat like grown-ups. And they love board games.
When big Bunso turned 10 years old last November, we planned to have our dinner at Van Gogh is Bipolar. But because it was already dark (around 8:00 pm), we cannot locate this abode-slash-restaurant thus ended up at the end of the Maginhawa Street. Then saw and read Snacks and Ladder to my right.
As I have said, my three grown-up boys love board games. Perfect!
The boys were still inside the car, and I could not stop their excitement. They were jumping up and down! And when we finally alighted, they rushed inside the diner.
The place was jam-packed. Not with my mom’s and my age but full of teens and twenty-something peeps. And they were all busy playing — board games.
For every five- and 10-peso coin I got as change, I put it inside our bamboo coin bank. After months of religiously saving coins, this mother was able to accumulate P4,000.00
I have been practicing this for years and every year, I put my savings in the bank. This time though, this mother thought of using the money to buy the boys’ school needs such as socks, handkerchiefs, sando, and even school shoes.
The kids may not see the value of saving these coins but I hope they would be impressed to realize that they will be having new shoes and socks from accumulated coins we sometimes take for granted. And if we didn’t save these coins, they would have ended up in sari-sari stores in exchange for candies and chips.
Perhaps the start of 2016 is the right time to start this kind of practice. After all, I could see most people still very much inspired and well, very driven.
So got that five- and 10-peso coin? Put them instead inside a jar or any plastic container. You will gain a completely different perspective on how to treat those coins once you open the jar after a year or a few months. And it might surprise you. Though it may seem logical to indeed accumulate money if you save, surprises lie in the way how you spend or use them.
Happy saving!
Do you remember the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker?
I first read that story when I was in grade school. I so appreciate the kindness of the elves and sincerity of the shoemaker that from then on, I try to emulate them. As a kid, I would want to be rewarded of my sincerity and kindness so I always act with prudence and integrity. As much as possible, I only speak the truth, act with consideration, and deal with honesty and respect. I would fail, and many times I failed. But still, I strive to be and do good because I would want to be like the elves and the shoemaker.
Now that I have my own kids, I always teach them the value of honesty and kindness. Lying is a big NO NO at the small house. We always encourage the boys to be honest at all times no matter how hurtful the truth may be. That they be kind to one another and extend the same consideration to others, even to strangers.
A few weeks before Christmas, my boys played elves to their grandmother Elvie. My mother bought about a thousand mason jars which she intends to fill with chocolate candies. She is raising funds for the repair of our subdivision’s old chapel. Her good intention is so selfless that this daughter sees the opportunity to repay her kindness with kindness.
So one weekday, the boys and I sneaked into the big house and fill all the jars we can with chocolate candies. My mother was pleasantly surprised when she got home from work to find the jars already filled with candies. She was grinning from ear to ear as she thanked the boys.
This mama couldn’t be prouder.
Momi Elvie was pleased she need not worry about the jars and instead can attend to her other commitments. The boys were equally joyful, too, as they were able to make someone happy. They were all the more delighted when their grandmother gave them money as compensation for the effort they have exerted. And just before Christmas, the ever generous grandmother invited the boys for a shopping spree.
“Kindness begets kindness.”
Just like what Princess Diana, one of the most adored members of the British royal family, once said,
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Have you done a random act of kindness lately? Oh how good it made us feel! Making someone happy and brightening his day is one of the most generous things we can do. How about we start today?
By the way, to refresh us all, let me share with you the story of “The Elves and the Shoemaker.”
A shoe maker and his wife lived in a little house on the edge of a wood. They were very, very poor and each day they grew poorer and poorer. At last there was nothing left in the house but leather for one pair of shoes.
The shoe maker cut out the leather and left it on his bench. “I will cut out this last pair of shoes,” the shoe maker said to his wife. “Tomorrow I will sew them and peg them”
The next morning the shoe maker went into his workshop to finish the shoes. What did he see? A pair of shoes, all nicely made and ready to be placed on display in the window. The stitches were so fine and the shoes so well made that they were quickly sold.
With the money from the sale, the poor shoe maker brought leather for two pairs of shoes. The shoe maker said to his wife, “I will cut out the leather for two pairs of shoes. Tomorrow I will sew them and peg them.”
So the shoe maker cut out the leather for the shoes and left it on the bench.
The next morning the shoe maker went into the workshop to make the shoes. What did he find? Yes, there were two pairs of shoes already made. The work was so well done that those shoe were also sold very quickly.
With the money the poor shoe maker brought enough leather for four pairs of shoes. The shoe maker cut out the leather and left it on the bench once more. The next morning the shoe maker found four pairs of beautifully made shoes.
And so it went on and on. Night after night the shoe maker would leave the cut leather in the workshop and in the morning he would come down the stairs to find the shoes magically finished and waiting on the bench. Instead of being a very poor shoe maker, he became a very rich shoe maker.
His shoes were so well made word spread across the land and even the Queen herself wore them.
At last the shoe maker said to his wife, “We must find out who makes the shoes.”
So one bright moonlight night they hid behind a curtain, where they could watch the bench and not be seen. On the stroke of midnight, two little Elves jumped through the window, they skipped and danced up to the bench, sat down with their legs crossed and began to work at the leather. Their needles flew back and forth, back and forth! Their hammers beat rap a tap-tap, rap a tap-tap!!
Almost before the shoe maker and his wife could blink, the work was all done and the little Elves skipped and danced over to the window and vanished into the night.
The next morning the shoe maker said to his wife, “What can we do for those helpful little Elves?” “I would like to make some cloths for them, “ said his wife. “Their cloths are like rags.”
“If you will make their cloths, I will make them some shoes, “ said the shoe maker. “Their little feet were bare.”
When the shoes and cloths were ready, the shoe maker and his wife left them upon the bench for the little Elves to find. The shoe maker and his wife again hid behind the curtain. Just as before, when the clock struck twelve, in jumped the tiny Elves. They went skipping and dancing to their work, but stopped in their tracks when they saw the tiny cloths and the tiny shoes. The Elves clapped their hands for joy, then put on their cloths and skipped out of the window.
The shoe maker and his wife never saw the little Elves again, but after that night good luck seemed to always be with them.
December 19 must have been my lucky day. Aside from learning the value of intentional parenting and homeschooling, I got to bring home a basket full of Cetaphil products for my baby. My name was called in a raffle!
The gentle power of Cetaphil| Our baby and his basket full of Cetaphil products.
These products may last for about four months or more. And my baby also has a new fluffy elephant towel. Couldn’t be happier.
You’re just too good to be true.
Can’t take my eyes off of you.
You’d be like heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived.
And I thank God I’m alive.
You’re just too good to be true.
Can’t take my eyes off of you.
Pardon the way that I stare.
There’s nothing else to compare.
The sight of you leaves me weak.
There are no words left to speak.
But if you feel like I feel.
Please let me know that it’s real.
You’re just too good to be true.
Can’t take my eyes off of you.
I need you baby, if it’s quite all right,
I need you baby to warm a lonely night.
I love you baby.
Trust in me when I say, “OK.” (it’s OK)
Oh pretty baby, “Don’t let me down,” I pray.
Oh pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.
And let me love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby…
You’re just too good to be true.
Can’t take my eyes off of you.
You’d be like heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived.
And I thank God I’m alive.
You’re just too good to be true.
Can’t take my eyes off of you (I want you, I want you).
I need you baby, and if it’s quite all right,
I need you baby to warm a lonely night.
I love you baby.
Trust in me when I say, “It’s OK.”
Oh pretty baby, “Don’t let me down,” I pray.
Oh pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.
And let me love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby….
I need you baby, if it’s quite all right,
I love you baby, you warm a lonely night.
I need you baby.
Trust in me when I say, “It’s OK.”
Oh, oh pretty baby, “Don’t let me down,” I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.
And let me love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby….
You are so beautiful to look at. Even if sometimes I think you act silly or irrational, I still would want to hold you and cradle you to sleep. With your every laugh and cry, you always make me smile more.
Your expressive eyes easily take away my worries. Your toothless smile gives me a sense of completeness. Total peace comes over me whenever I sleep beside you.
You are truly a gift from heaven above and I do not regret leaving my corporate job for you and your brothers.
Perhaps my world needs an infinite amount of patience and love that is why God gave me you. My patience over your siblings is slowly losing and the only pious way to bring that back is to spend more time with them. They need a mother at the small house. They need guidance more than ever now that they are fast approaching the teen years.
Because of you, the small house has become a better place where more meals are served, more giggles and laughter are heard, move thank yous and I am sorry are spoken, and more love and care are felt.
How about you, mommies? Got someone who you can not take your eyes off? Bet that someone is truly special. Mine is one of the happiest looking and cutest babies I have ever seen.
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