Yup, for the past two weeks, I have been just that, spoiled and
pampered by my husband.  I’m not trying to get you military wives out
there envious but please indulge me as this is the first time that I
have received treatment such as this from my husband.

To help you understand, let me give you a little background
information. In the more than five years that my husband and I have
been married and out of my three pregnancies, this has been the only
time that my husband has experienced the first trimester of my
pregnancy.  As you ladies know, the first trimester is the most crucial
time as this is where the development of the baby happens and as usual
the cravings and the moodiness sets in.  In my first pregnancy, even
though he was assigned at Camp Aguinaldo, he would still be sent for
three months at a time to Mindanao or Visayas; so, he did not see me
when I was in my “moody moments”. In my second pregnancy, he was
assigned in Tarlac which was three hours away and can only come home
every two weeks if we’re lucky and depende pa sa mood ng bosing yan ha.

My first OB check-up coincided on my husband’s arrival and on
ultrasound, it was found out that I had bleeding in my uterus; so, my
OB advised that I take it easy so as to prevent spotting and since my
husband had two weeks off from work, he set out to cook, clean, and
wash our clothes.  Chores which I normally do.  All I had to do was to
eat, sleep, work and my sanitation.  Ang sarap pala ng feeling na may
nag-aalaga sa yo at para kang prinsesa pero nakakabato rin pala yung
buhay na yun kasi nasanay na yung katawan mo na ganun ang ginagawa
araw-araw tapos biglang iba ang gagawa. OC pa naman ako when it comes
to the cleaning most especially the kitchen and the CR.  Buti na lang
nga at di ako inadvise na complete bed rest. Inimagine ko na kung
inadvise ako ng ganun, siguro kinakarga pa ako ni Jonas papababa ng
stairs.

Well, the two weeks are up and it’s back to normal for Hannah and me. 
Back to reality ika nga but it was nice to be spoiled and pampered for
once.

It’s the first day of April and April for our family is the month that we consider the most momentous.  Aside from it being Hannah’s birthday month.  April seems to be the month when we are always in for a change.  Two years ago, April was the month when we transferred to Bonifacio Heights and this year, we are going to move back to our house in Angono, Rizal.  A year ago, hubby was reassigned to his present assignment and this year, would be his reassignment again to another post. This reassignment would mean that we would not get to see hubby almost everyday but every other weekend instead. Well, that would be the price for getting a 25% additional instructor’s duty pay. Hehe. This is also the month when we are expecting something big for hubby’s career which would translate into a 500 peso increase in his basic pay and added responsibilities.

With change, also comes major expenses.  This is the month that we have to shell out money for Diana’s (our car) registration. Don’t ask me why our car has a name, I think that it’s a guy thing.  This is also the month when we will be enrolling Hannah in her new school. Being a product of “traditional schooling”, I was shocked when I asked what the miscellaneous fees would include and they said that a bag with the school’s logo and school supplies are mandatory for students.  Talk about money making! We have no choice but to go along with this so-called “rule”. I just hope that the bag and school supplies are sturdy enough to last for many years.  Just being practical you know! Of course, there’s the celebration for Hanna’s birthday and hubby’s career “advancement”.  As a family, we don’t celebrate birthdays and the like by throwing a party, we would rather eat out together with our families or prepare food to be eaten at home.  We prefer intimate gatherings but this time, with hubby’s celebration, we need to include his men whom he will be entrusting to another troop commander.  I don’t mind the expense this time though because I know most of his men and they deserve to be included in this celebration.  As the saying goes, they work hard and they party hard!

We are not daunted by these prospects for we, as a family, welcome change and we know we can weather anything through family support.  Here’s to April and the things it will bring into our lives!

Yup, you read it right. I am 32 years old and still learning how to ride a bike and last Sunday, I was finally able to do it. I forgot to include this one in my new year’s goals but this one definitely belongs in the short-term category. Last Sunday, my husband finally had the time to teach me how to ride a bike. It must have been a funny sight to see a grown woman (although some still think of me as a teenager. Go ahead! hehe!) struggling to keep a mountain bike upright. Yup, of all the things I could have used to learn how to ride a bike, I chose a mountain bike! You see, I have been asking my husband for quite some time to teach me how to ride a bike. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about because he is an avid mountain biker even when he was still in the academy. He was always telling me that he would teach me when he had enough funds to buy me my own bike. I couldn’t use his bike because it was custom-built for him. He is very tall and when I will be using his bike, my feet won’t touch the ground. My wish was granted when we won a mountain bike which was being raffled off by NCRCOM during their Christmas Party; but, based on our luck with raffles, I never thought that we would be able to win one out of the 100 bikes that were being raffled off. I had just told my husband that if we won a bike, it would be mine since he already has one and that he would fulfill his promise to teach me when lo and behold, his name was called!

So, after almost two months of nagging him when he would teach me how to ride a bike, he finally relented to teach me last Sunday. First, he taught me how to fall and how to use my feet to anchor the bike. Then, he held the back of the bike much like how a father would hold the back of the bike and then we were off. There were times (well, most of the time) that I would fall and using what he taught me, I firmly planted my feet whenever I could feel the bike falling off to one side. I had a go at it for two rounds when he finally let go. In the thrill and excitement of the moment, I lost my concentration and had a nasty spill which promptly gave me my first scraped knee. I saw my husband’s face when he saw my “severely” scraped and bleeding knee and he immediately concluded the lesson. I wanted to get back up and ride again; but I could see that the sight of blood oozing out of the wound was too much for him; so, I agreed to stop the lesson. Scraped knee and all (not to mention the loss of my physical asset. hehe), I am still willing to get back up on the bike and learn how to ride. I was going to take the bike out on my own yesterday when my husband texted me that I shouldn’t take it out and wait for my “instructor”. Well, what can I say, he knows me so well.

I also learned that I should be wearing knee pads the next time I ride the bike. I don’t care if it would make me look silly but one badly scraped knee is enough thank you. Hehe. When I learn how to ride a bike, I think that the next challenge would be to overcome my fear of driving. Well, baby steps first and one goal at a time.

The next time you go to Bonifacio Heights and see a grown woman learning how to ride a bike, that would be me and hopefully there wouldn’t be scraped knees anymore.

I came across this article in the online version of the Philippine Star and I thought that it would be very helpful to all married couples or people who are in a relationship.

The article discusses the differences between men and women and how they each deal with stress. The resource person of the article was Dr. Gray who, incidentally wrote the book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.” I got a kick out of reading that book and I wish that I had bought a copy of that so that my husband can also understand our differences and how to cope with these differences. Note to self: Get a copy! hehe.

My husband and I are opposites which I guess, makes our relationship stronger. Don’t get me wrong, we do fight; but, we try and work it out by talking when we have both calmed down. It is the making up part that is great. Our mistah always comments that he loves staying with us because our home is such a happy home because we try to supplement our shortcomings, i.e., my hubby cooking when I still have work and helping in doing the laundry (things which some consider unmanly!). We are not perfect, mind you. I guess what makes us click is being able to understand our differences and making our way around those differences. We choose our battles. We do have disagreements because after all, we both come from different backgrounds, thus, different opinions on a LOT of things. There are times when a little humility makes all the difference. I try to let small things pass when we disagree on things. Not all disagreements should be a chance to “one up” the other and he does the same. Marriage is not perfect but a process to make it perfect.

I was finally able to convince my husband to watch “High School Musical 3″ last Sunday. The movie brought back memories of my own high school life which was a very long time ago and as I was reminiscing those days, I got a disturbing email from a batchmate:

My sisters and I just visited Miss Salazar/Tita Medy this
> afternoon at around 4:30. This was quite a feat as
> we’ve been trying quite unsuccessfully for the past week
> to get our act together ever since I shared your email with
> Betchy.
>
> Tita Medy normally sleeps at 5pm then stays awake at night
> until past midnight. The complete address is 2372 A
> on Aquino Alejo. We entered through Torres on South Super
> (coming from San Andres) then right on Alejo.
>
> She’s really deteriorated. We prayed for her and read
> some Bible verses to give her strength for this
> extraordinary ordeal. I told her that there is a prayer
> time allotted to her every 3pm by our batch. She truly
> needs prayers.
>
> Her arthritic pain especially in her knees has been
> excruciating to say the least for a long time now that she
> cries when she’s moved or placed in her wheel chair.
> You must love her enough to truly visit her as the place and
> her condition is heartbreaking but her companions say she
> welcomes visits. She doesn’t say a word but you will
> just see her tears trickle down her cheek as she gazes at
> you sometimes blankly or she rolls her eyes and looks away
> as you talk to her. My sisters and I had a chance to thank
> her for the years she spent teaching and somehow influencing
> our lives positively.
>
> Her vermin “bites” had been sutured well and
> Makati Med doctors were all aghast in imagining the size of
> the rat that gnawed on her head, chin and forearm. Her
> caregivers, Thelma and May (volunteered even without pay and
> used to operate the agency that supplied her maids in the
> past) said that the lone vermin is indeed big and even if
> they put a cat inside the house, it’s not gonna work.
>
> She didn’t want to leave Makati Med because of course
> the comfort and care are far more superior than what she
> will ever receive in her home. Not that she isn’t
> cared for but her bed sores, thank God, buti na lang have
> been healing due to new medication. But previously this
> was what attracted the rat and when it couldn’t go to
> the wound, gnawed at the parts I already mentioned. And
> if she isn’t tended to regularly, she’s had
> cockroaches & ants crawling on her as well. These two
> women do their best to look after her actually. A niece
> visits her everyday after work and spends time with Tita
> Medy. Seeing her like she is now, your heart will truly
> break and death is far more sweeter because she will not be
> experiencing pain anymore and will have peace at last.
>
> I suggest that the money we can put together be given to
> this niece. I really don’t know her. Giving it to
> Tita Medy will not be wise because someone who’s in
> charge of her care, a relative perhaps, should be
> accountable for it in it’s use. What do you think?
> They spent, if I heard correctly, around 300k in Makati Med.
>
> Thanks for the work you’re doing to get all of us to
> help Ms. Salazar in this truly great hour of need. God
> bless you.

This email has apparently been forwarded to past batches already. Ms. Salazar or as we irreverently called her, “Sally” was the Coordinator of Student Affairs when I was in high school at St. Scho-Manila. High school in St. Scho wouldn’t have been memorable if it weren’t for Ms. Salazar and Gng. de Vera. They were the people who instilled discipline in us. Anyway, Ms. Salazar was the one you went to when you were absent, late or forgot or lost your ID. She was scary because she did not take any nonsense from anyone. She could tell if you were lying to her or not. There were times when she would just sign the slip letting you join your class or there would be times when she would quiz you on the why’s of your absence or tardiness. She was a permanent fixture in my four years of high school and you could rarely see her smile and when she did, it was like a miracle. I guess we were scared of her because we respected her. She was very firm in instilling discipline in us. Come to think of it, her discipline was a positive force in my life. From her, I learned to stick with the truth even if it sounded ridiculous like a flat tire that caused you to be late. I remember that she told my batch that we were the batch that she would miss most maybe because we were the “rebel” batch. We were the ones who stood for our teachers who went on strike and stubbornly believed that it was not right to fire them up until we graduated.

In this time of her need, I am appealing to everyone who are alumnae of St.Scho-Manila High School Department or who know an alumna to help spread the word to continue to pray for her and to offer support in any way they can. Thank you.

I got this from Marnellie’s site (thanks sis!) and I also wanted to share this with you. This was an email sent to her which is very informative and worth remembering.

The right to refuse .. (sa PINAS to ha..)

Ladies, you may want to forward to any female relatives who may need to know this important information.

I was talking with a lawyer friend of mine. We were discussing the law and women`s rights.

She told me about this incident - a young girl was raped by a man posing as a plain clothes officer; he asked her to come to the police station when she and her male friend didn‘ t have a driver`s license to show. He sent the boy off to get his license and asked the girl to accompany him to the police station. Took her instead to an isolated area where the horrendous crime was committed.

In fact, the law clearly states that between 6 pm and 6am, a woman has the right to REFUSE to go to the Police Station, even if an arrest warrant has been issued against her. It is a procedural issue that a woman can be arrested between 6pmand 6 am , ONLY if she is arrested by a woman officer and taken to an ALL WOMEN police station. And if she is arrested by a male officer, it has to be proven that a woman officer was on duty at the time of arrest.

I currently have three blogging sites and I was thinking of writing different topics for these blogging sites. I thought that this site would be dedicated to my family’s finances and everyday family stuff, while my friendster blog site would be dedicated to working on the exercises on the book “Power of a Positive Mom” (which is currently gathering dust as we speak!), and my multiply site would be dedicated to chronicling my daughter’s growth. Not a bad idea eh?

I guess this idea came about due to my being an obsessive-compulsive person and the need to constantly organize stuff (meaning: I have no more stuff to organize at home). Hehe. I plan on starting this next week as I am currently swamped with work, that is, household chores! I hope you do visit these three sites frequently starting next week!

Reposted from http://bubblesmd2001.blogspot.com

Yup, I turned 32 yesterday and I am enjoying it…

I usually don’t enjoy my birthdays because that would mean that I would be getting older and for me, it would just be routine. You know, the usual greetings and then eating out with the family, but today, it was different and it’s all because of my husband’s thoughtfulness.

Actually, I got up on the wrong side of the bed. I mean, I didn’t get to sleep much the night before as I had to work (yup, working on the eve of my natal day!) and I had to get up early to prepare Hannah for school and then, my husband made me cry because I forgot to put the leftover rice in the refrigerator and it got spoiled. What a way to start a birthday right? Then, after Hannah and my husband left, I was feeling so sad because I cried on this day, my special day! And to my surprise, my husband came back and was holding a bouquet of roses. Well, that to me, was a surprise because the only time he gave flowers to me was 6 years ago! Haha! I was touched by this gesture as I know he only had 200 pesos left in his wallet and when I asked him where he bought the flowers, he replied that he picked them up at the Libangan ng Mga Bayani (the joker!). Haha.

Then, we picked Hannah up from school and we went to Makati to have a birthday lunch. At lunch, I saw that there was a group of musicians and I said to myself, “ooh, ooh, I just hope that my husband don’t approach them or I would just die!” Haha, I lost sight of him when he got up to get more food (I got distracted by my food!) and he did approach them and when they came over, I knew that I would be embarrassed! I find it so out of date or “baduy” to have someone sing you happy birthday in front of a group of strangers; but, it really is different when it happens to you. I was touched by this gesture and I appreciated it. What was funny was after I blew out the candle on my impromptu birthday cake (yes, a cake, a slice actually!), the waiter took it and said that it will still be used at another table. bloopers! haha. But is wasn’t funny when the bill arrived. haha! The iced tea we ordered was so expensive. No wonder they gave us three stuffed toys! Pampalubag loob siguro. Hehe. Another thing that made my birthday happy was that I got my husband to go malling and he did not even declare his famous line, “Ang sama ng amoy talaga sa mall!” haha.

The day was fun, just spending it with my husband and daughter and now, it’s back to the daily grind of being a mom and wife. I just can’t wait until my next birthday. I don’t mind getting older as I’m sure that next year my husband will find a way to top off today.

If I could just sing that well and summarize how I feel today, this song would sum it all up.

If there’s one thing being I haven’t been used to in the past 4 years plus that I have been married to a military man is moving every so often. In the past 4 years, it was like being deployed with him. We have lived in four different houses in the past 4 years. It would have been alright if we did not have a house of our own but I find it rather absurd to be living in another house besides our own.

And now, after living here for one year, my husband has come up with another moving plan! So, that would make it five houses/locations now. Here are the options he has outlined in a memorandum he sent me:

Option #1 - Stay at GHQ until our daughter is grade one and my brother would be the one who would rent out our unit. Most of our things would then be left here at the unit and wait for the approval of our other loan and for Maynilad connection at Angono.

Option #2 - Stay at Angono, rent out our unit to a non-family member regardless of our loan approval and Maynilad connection.

Option #3 - Stay here at our unit, rent out our house in Angono regardless of loan approval.

And here was my reply, sent via a memorandum, too:

Option #1 - Renting out our unit to my brother is still not sure because it would be dependent on my sister’s civil status, who he is sharing a house with at the moment, and even if our sister got married, my brother would most likely just stay at our parent’s house. My brother also mentioned that it would be too expensive for him if he was the one who would rent our unit and besides, it wouldn’t be the returns we would be expecting on renting out our unit to someone else.

Option #2 - Staying in our house in Angono would mean bigger returns for us if we rented out our unit to a non-family member. Staying in Angono would be cheaper for us because the cost of living there is much, much, much cheaper than staying in the city. There is an SM already a jeepney ride from our house. So, living in a province and not too far from “civilization”. Going to Ortigas or Cubao is also one jeepney or fx ride from us. Staying in Angono would mean eating fresh produce as there is a wet market near our place. With regards to the water bill, staying in Angono would mean a cheaper water bill because that would mean we would have less people staying with us. It would just mean Hannah and me most of the time, so water consumption would not be too expensive. There would be no association dues or if there would be, it would be much lesser than what we are currently paying. There would be lesser utilities as cable is not available in that area. Hannah can have security with regards to her studies. She would be able to continue her studies in one school only up to high school. No more transferring. There is also a Kumon center near us at Angono where she can continue her Kumon. I have a garden at Angono where I can lose myself taking care of my orchids.

Option #3 - If we would continue staying here in our unit, it would be very costly because of the absence or the proximity of a wet market. Even if there was a wet market here, produce here is VERY EXPENSIVE. Not to mention that we always have people staying here out our unit meaning more bills for food, electricity, and water. Don’t get me wrong, I love having people over; but sometimes, you just want to have a little family time together. There is also the very expensive association dues we have to pay monthly and the added bills we have to pay because of the cable. I do not have a garden here and I miss my orchids which are currently in Naic. Schools here are very expensive even if they are not one of the “known schools”.

So, if I was going to ask you on your opinion, which of the three options would you be amenable to? If you haven’t figured it out, I am leaning towards option #2.

This is reposted from my other site:  http://bubblesmd2001.blogspot.com:

As I was waiting for Hannah to be dismissed from class, along with other moms, a mom commented that she felt like she was a “yaya” (or maid). As a work from home mom, I often get the same feeling, especially when I get mistaken as a “yaya” (which is more often the case). Hehe. But, I take it all in stride. I used to be so hanged up about it when someone calls me “ate” or when one of the guards don’t greet me, not unlike my husband who wears his most mangy outfit and still gets to be addressed as “sir”. Hehe. But, this is my choice. No one said that I should work from home or take care of my family. Yes, I could have had a lucrative medical career; but, does it all boil down to money and prestige?

Whenever, I get into this kind of funk or rut, actually, I say to myself, “You are a supermom!” And that mantra works everytime. I mean, who can be a wife, mother, cook, yaya, laundrywoman, and still work at the same time, huh? (I’m still working on the driver part though. Haha!) So, for all the work from home moms out there who feel overwhelmed with the mounting pile of laundry or dirty dishes, take it easy and give my mantra a try. Who needs a title before your name anyway? YOU ARE A SUPERMOM!

In connection with this, I would like to post a poem from Ms. Joan Baumann which was posted from an army wife’s site at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/6319/momsarmy.html which pretty much sums up a mom’s life:

Mom’s an Army

borrowed from Joan Baumann

Mom’s an Army now!

When Dad’s away Mom’s the Commanding Officer.

When Dad’s at home, Mom’s the Executive Officer, coordinating and executing actions for the Command Team.

Keeping track of the kids, she’s the S-1.

Collecting neighborhood news and relaying it to Dad she’s the S-2.

Making plans for the family and training the kids, she’s the S-3.

Stocking food and supplies for the family, she’s the S-4.

She answers all the family correspondence and makes appointments for Dad, so that makes her the Adjutant.

Worrying about the family budget makes her the Comptroller.

Paying the bills and accounting to Dad for the paychecks makes her the Finance and Accounting Officer.

Looking for a new place to live when we move, she’s the Billeting Officer.

Assigning us chores to do, getting us fed, bathed and put to bed; she is our First Sergeant.

Serving food and doing dishes, she’s on KP.

Carrying small children, she’s an ammunition handler.

Driving the family to all our appointments, she’s a duty driver.

Cleaning the house and making beds, she’s an orderly.

Looking like a queen when she goes out with Dad, she’s a soldier’s lady.

Doing all things well all the time, she’s a true “Big Gunner!”

Gosh, Mom’s a whole darned Army!