That Scary Time Of The Year

It is that time of the year again!  

I do not mean Christmas.  We still have about 90 days to procrastinate for the girls.  I mean it is the Focal Point Review again, for employees who follow the fiscal year calendar.

Taken from platowa.com

Selling myself and "bragging" about achievements isn't really one of my best traits.  I cringe and die when asked.  I was asked once, by my boss no less, why she should give me an "Achieving the Expectation" rating.  I knew I deserved something decent, given that there has been improvement of late with the department.  But see, the first thing that came to mind was, "Uhhh... You don't have to, if I do not deserve it".  This was never articulated, of course; sanity arrived just in the nick of time.

Being in a Multi-racial Lovely Chaos

This is probably the most frequently repeated conversation since I became a parent.  Mostly exchanged between a stranger who are amused about how we, as a family, look.

       Stranger:  Ohhh they are lovely little girls.  Is their Dad a foreigner?

       Me:          Uh yes, he is.

       Stranger:  (to my girls)  You are beautiful! <insert small talk here>

       Stranger:  (to me)  How about their mom, is she American too?

My reply will depend on my mood - in one instance, the conversation was with a sales lady.  I ended up saying I'm their mother and bought more than what I needed to, out of spite. When I am in a jolly mood, I tell them that I asked my friends in the hospital's nursery department to swap my kids with more beautiful "foreigner" kids - Pinalitan sa hospital.   What I wanted really to say was how good they must look if they have their foot in their mouth. Heh.

Then there's this variation:

         Stranger:  They are lovely little girls.  Are they yours?

         Me:          Yes, they are. <awkward smile>

         Stranger:   (looking at my 3-year old)  The Dad's American?

         Me:           Yes.

         Stranger:   (looking at my 6-year old) How about her?

         Me:           Last time I checked, American too.

Note to self:  Next time, be more specific.  Say American-Italian.  One of the brats look more Italian.

Joking aside, I know I do not need to answer to any of their questions.  I am not accountable to satisfy their curiosity.  It is just interesting to see their reaction.  Wayyy funny to see them scramble to redeem themselves at the end of the conversation.

One of my guilty pleasures. :)

The Scary Questions

Every time I am close to convincing myself that I am ready for parenting, there will always be something to prove me wrong.  

Mommy dearest has gone a long way from the "almost-punched-a-nurse-during-newborn-screening" mom to "calm-and-cool-even-when-you-see-blood" kind of mom.

Then there come these moments when you don't really know how to answer; when the simple questions or comments can be quite difficult to deal with.

Like when Pot asked if the middle finger (or the ring finger) is the bad finger (gasp!). Or when she has enthused comments about her classmates having boyfriends; or a doll's dress and the way she smiles as "sexy" (faint!).  She IS in first grade!!!!

How prepared are you?

Because really, did I miss the memo?  Shouldn't we be invited to a conference on how we deal with this phase.  Because, by golly, I might literally faint the next time she ask me these things.

Have you had a similar experience before?  How did you answer them?

  

Read-Up: An Elegant Blog Giveaway!

When I first saw Zuri Baby Couture’s website, I was awed by the brand’s fashion accessories for babies.  Their headbands, necklaces and shoes are to die for.  To think the list doesn’t end there. 

For those who have been regularly following my blog, you know that my bratinellas love dressing up - with their favorite tutu dresses, hair accessories and little ladies’ shoes.  So when I showed them Zuri’s line of accessories, I saw their eyes brighten while they were saying wow.

Here are a few of their lovely designs.  The full catalog of their designs can be found here:

What Is Best For Babies (and Mommies)

There is a photo that has been circulating all over the social networking sites about a mother who was nursing her little baby in front of an infant formula vendor’s booth.  That picture prompted a number of arguments about breastfeeding versus bottle feeding.  Some applaud this mother for making a bold statement over formula feeding while others felt that she has shamed women to ask about options, thus preventing their right to choice.

For one, breastmilk is known to be the most complete form of nutrition for babies – for their immunity, health, growth and formation.  Breastfeeding also forms a strong bond between the mother and child, which experts have stated helps make a more confident child…. Studies also show that mothers lose their pregnancy weight-gain faster when they breastfeed.  And hey, breastfeeding is free so it is cost-effective as well.

In defense of those who decide to bottle feed their infants, it is argued that with bottle-feeding, a mother knows exactly how much her baby intakes so she does not have to worry about accidentally under or overfeeding.  Proponents also contest that modern formula milk has at par nutrients with a mother’s breastmilk, so all the health benefits are amply provided.  In addition, the mother is given freedom to go back to her normal life, as fathers or older siblings can participate in feeding the newborn.

I am very interested to know how my readers feel about this.  I would like to know, which do you prefer best – breastfeeding or bottle-feeding?  

Watch out for my next post as this will be a poll on this topic.  You will surely like what we are giving away!

My Learning Tidbit: Childproofing My Home

It was another eventful evening.  My little girls were playing pretend, the bigger one was the doctor while the little one, Nemo, was the agitated patient.  Doing the general check-up, the doctor decided to clean her patient's ears with a cotton bud.  She ran to her grandma's room to get one and started cleaning.  Within seconds, pretend play was done and the little one cried and shouted real loud - the unmistakable pain evident.  

Since my husband and I work the afternoons, their grandma looks after them while we are away.  She made the nervous call to us because my little one's ear is bleeding and then she and my brother took off to the Emergency Room.  Hours after that, we were sent home with a anti-tetanus shot and an order slip to see an EENT specialist.

Scary.  We are bringing her today.  I pray her ear drums are intact and there are no serious damage on her ear.

You can take precautions to make our homes safer but it is also necessary to watch kids at all times.  My girls can be Houdini-apprentices sometimes.  They can do tricks while you're watching them and, if you're not at par with their speed, you'll realize they've done their magic tricks on you.

Childproofing is important.  Here are some tips to make our home safer for them:

• Scope out the Territory - It is important to take a child's view of your home.  What dangerous can they get?  What can interest them?  No one knows what entices them better than you.  If you can't childproof all the rooms, make sure they do not have access to those that are not.

• Secure Your Windows and Doors - Can they easily open them?  Is it easier to reach especially with chairs or tables around?  There are window and door guards to stop them from falling and accidentally pop them open.  

• Know Your Furniture and Appliances - You will be surprised at how children can innovate.  They can ladders out of drawers, "swimming pools" out of linens over hard floor, "trees" to climb on with furniture that are "strategically" together.  Bolt whatever you can to the wall.  Put heavier and bulkier stuff on the bottom shelves so they are harder to topple over.

• Prevent Drowning - Do not leave your children unattended in the tub, even if they are on a bath seat.  Drowning does not take a lot of water.  It only takes a few inches of water.  If they lose their balance while looking at our trusty ole timba (a bucket the Filipinos can't live without), they can fall and drown.  This can happen when they look at the toilet so latches are handy,

There are a lot more tips which can be found in this article that I saw in babycenter.  The key takeaway here is keep our homes safer while we watch our kids closely at all times.

~Rose

Zen vs. Road Rage

I want to believe that I am good at keeping my composure. Most times, I just let things slide. The worst thing you might hear from me is a hum, a sniff and it's like that awful things did not happen.

Then there are the not so frequent "Ohhh-I-so-want-to-punch-you-in-the-face" moments which instantly consumes my inner peace.  

This evening was one of those moments.  On our way home from Festival Mall, we were greeted by the biggest bottleneck in front of the Metropolis.  It's always bad there with all the cars, friggin' jeepneys and buses - all wanting to take a U-turn.

Let me try my best to help you visualize.  Think of a 6-lane road.  All of these roads have a fair mix of vehicles.  The first five lanes to the left then gets into a bottleneck going to the other direction to take a U-turn.

Everyone was boxing out the lanes to take that single U-turn slot.  It was mental!!  The bus to our right looked like it wanted to exchange paints because it was too close. If the driver sneezed, I would probably get his germs.  On top of that, people were crossing the street/leisurely riding the jeeps like it was the safest thing to do! Double-mental!!

So I got home with a huge headache and an equally awful body pain.  My husband wasn't exactly feeling giddy either.

Hummmm.... hummmm...

This tranquility is brought to you by my lavander-scented candle.

(Okay, so I had my favorite 400-calorie milk tea too but let's keep this as our little secret).