As I write this, Baby S is on an all-out meltdown, shouting her head off, saying over and over again, “No dede! No mommy! No water!” Her mother, my daughter E, is patiently dealing with her while my son K and I listen quietly from the other room.
I don’t know what set her off, but there she is, screaming at the top of her lungs. And there’s her mom, sitting quietly by her side, making sure Baby S doesn’t hurt herself. There’s nothing E can do really, except wait for this raging fever to be over.
And then I wonder, maybe Baby S has something going on here. I mean, don’t you feel sometimes the need to scream and shout?! You’re wearing a frilly white dress and open-toed sandals, and it rains. You’re all set for an interview, and at the last minute, it gets cancelled. You’re in the middle of writing a story, and your editor is texting you that she needs it right now, and the power goes out! I could just scream!
Unlike Baby S, however, I have my no-fail set of coping devices, which doesn’t involve much screaming and shouting. Nah, it involves lots of chocolate-eating, beer-drinking, and TV-surfing. It works all the time. Unfortunately, I can’t pass a bottle to Baby S (Unless it's milk), nor can I give her a bar of chocolate (Her mom would kill me). We can watch TV, sure, but she’s still running around, screaming her head off. Maybe I should just run around with her? See how that goes?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
"I Ate Like A Pig!"
In the words of Pumbaa, "I ate like a pig!" That's what I kept telling myself over and over again as I drifted off to sleep last night.
Last week had me trying to beat my deadlines. Sometimes, I'd wake up at five in the morning just to finish off something before I get on my day's schedule. It was a bit tiring but every time I put a check mark on one of my assignments, I felt really happy!
And so, after enrolling F in college (Yes, I have yet another kid in college), we hied off in search of Ms. B's Tuckshop. I had read about Ms. B in Yummy and in several blogs. And it's the kind of place that appeals to me: small, personal, not commercial. The owners are three young chefs who like serving comfort food using classic French techniques. Cool! Ms. B is right across Buendia Car Exchange in Jupiter St., so it wasn't that hard to find.
Ms. B's candy-colored chairs reminded me of preschool. I remember bringing each and every one of my kids to their first day in school: them all fidgety, me all nervous. For the first few days, I would sit outside their classrooms for a few minutes just to make sure they're tucked in there OK. Of course, now my kids can't wait to get back to school so that they can see all their friends. Mwahahaha!
The day's specials are written on this big blackboard, which took one wall of Ms. B's. We were here for the burger. But looking at all the side dishes, F and I basically just went through the whole list. We had the Cajun Fries, Lechon Salad, Pomme Dauphine, and Creamy Mashed Potato. The Pommes Dauphine, which are crisp potato puffs, were super light. I could have gone through a whole bunch of them. The Mashed Potato was almost soupy in its consistency. My kids and I love mashed potato, and I might just try making this version soon.
The Beef Burger was delicious. It's really beefy and juicy. I don't know what the young chefs put in there but this burger definitely didn't need any help from catsup. The Cajun Fries had the right hint of spice but my favorite is the Lechon Salad. It was like a coleslaw with strips of lechon skin with suha. Yum! Oh yes, we ordered another sandwich, Pulled Pork, which was like lechon. We found it a tad sweetish though.
F doesn't like his picture taken. Oh well!! Study well, F! Next time, you'll be the one who'll do the treating! Or find out how to make those burgers and cook them at home!
Last week had me trying to beat my deadlines. Sometimes, I'd wake up at five in the morning just to finish off something before I get on my day's schedule. It was a bit tiring but every time I put a check mark on one of my assignments, I felt really happy!
And so, after enrolling F in college (Yes, I have yet another kid in college), we hied off in search of Ms. B's Tuckshop. I had read about Ms. B in Yummy and in several blogs. And it's the kind of place that appeals to me: small, personal, not commercial. The owners are three young chefs who like serving comfort food using classic French techniques. Cool! Ms. B is right across Buendia Car Exchange in Jupiter St., so it wasn't that hard to find.
Ms. B's candy-colored chairs reminded me of preschool. I remember bringing each and every one of my kids to their first day in school: them all fidgety, me all nervous. For the first few days, I would sit outside their classrooms for a few minutes just to make sure they're tucked in there OK. Of course, now my kids can't wait to get back to school so that they can see all their friends. Mwahahaha!
The day's specials are written on this big blackboard, which took one wall of Ms. B's. We were here for the burger. But looking at all the side dishes, F and I basically just went through the whole list. We had the Cajun Fries, Lechon Salad, Pomme Dauphine, and Creamy Mashed Potato. The Pommes Dauphine, which are crisp potato puffs, were super light. I could have gone through a whole bunch of them. The Mashed Potato was almost soupy in its consistency. My kids and I love mashed potato, and I might just try making this version soon.
The Beef Burger was delicious. It's really beefy and juicy. I don't know what the young chefs put in there but this burger definitely didn't need any help from catsup. The Cajun Fries had the right hint of spice but my favorite is the Lechon Salad. It was like a coleslaw with strips of lechon skin with suha. Yum! Oh yes, we ordered another sandwich, Pulled Pork, which was like lechon. We found it a tad sweetish though.
F doesn't like his picture taken. Oh well!! Study well, F! Next time, you'll be the one who'll do the treating! Or find out how to make those burgers and cook them at home!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Shooting Amina
I love meeting gung-ho moms. I love talking with these incredible creatures who could take care of the kids, run after their dreams, and keep their man. Amina is one such mom, and as she told me about how she was pregnant with her third child while moving her family from North to South, I was simply amazed. I moved houses six months ago, and I just moved streets, but still, it was a killer!
Amina used to model so it wasn't hard to shoot her. She was quite a candid interview as well.
We shot at the Edades model unit of Rockwell, and it had all these nice spaces.
Love the zebras :)
J and I can't help but strike a pose.
And here I am under a fish bone thingie. Nice day!
Get to know more of Amina at the latest issue of Urban Mom :)
Amina used to model so it wasn't hard to shoot her. She was quite a candid interview as well.
We shot at the Edades model unit of Rockwell, and it had all these nice spaces.
Love the zebras :)
J and I can't help but strike a pose.
And here I am under a fish bone thingie. Nice day!
Get to know more of Amina at the latest issue of Urban Mom :)
And So Yet Again, The World Didn't End :)
Yesterday, I was still half-asleep when my son K came up to me and said, "Ma, it's judgement day today." "Oh, Terminator is on cable?" "No, Ma, judgement day!" "Ah, OK," I said and promptly went back to sleep.
I am too high on life to think about sad endings. Let's go! :)
I am too high on life to think about sad endings. Let's go! :)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Version Me
On the way home with V the other night, she asked, “You don’t wake your kids up in the morning?” “No.” “Who wakes them up? “They wake up by themselves.” “Who makes their breakfast?” “They’re old enough to make their own breakfast.”
V gave me a look of utter surprise, as if I belonged to some other planet. She goes on to tell me that her mom still wakes her up in the mornings and fixes everybody breakfast. V is in her twenties.
D, who is in his thirties, also told me once before that his mother makes sure that breakfast is ready for everybody. And I gave him a look of utter surprise, as if he belonged to some other planet.
Well, apparently, I am the one who belongs to a galaxy far, far away.
Read more here :)
V gave me a look of utter surprise, as if I belonged to some other planet. She goes on to tell me that her mom still wakes her up in the mornings and fixes everybody breakfast. V is in her twenties.
D, who is in his thirties, also told me once before that his mother makes sure that breakfast is ready for everybody. And I gave him a look of utter surprise, as if he belonged to some other planet.
Well, apparently, I am the one who belongs to a galaxy far, far away.
Read more here :)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Rampage
Baby S has been going on a tantrum rampage for the past few weeks. Used to be, she’d just throw a huge one in the middle of the afternoon. These days, she’d throw one every time she’d feel like it, it seems.
At one point, it got so bad that I could hear her shouts and cries from my second floor bedroom. I dared not go down; I didn’t want to deal with another toddler and her tantrums. I figured, I’ve already survived the naughty antics of four kids, I deserve a break.
One particularly bad episode happened in public—always an unpleasant ordeal. My daughter E, who was maybe two or three years then, and I were out with my sister B. For some reason or another, she just started screaming and shouting that she wanted cake. I don’t know if she’d seen it on a store window or if she just suddenly remembered something she had eaten before, all I know is that she wanted cake—NOW! It was the first time that I’d had little tyke go psycho on me in public and it was humiliating, to say the least.
I would experience more toddler tantrum episodes after that, but these days, I just try to stay out of the way. Done that, done that, thank you very much!
At one point, it got so bad that I could hear her shouts and cries from my second floor bedroom. I dared not go down; I didn’t want to deal with another toddler and her tantrums. I figured, I’ve already survived the naughty antics of four kids, I deserve a break.
One particularly bad episode happened in public—always an unpleasant ordeal. My daughter E, who was maybe two or three years then, and I were out with my sister B. For some reason or another, she just started screaming and shouting that she wanted cake. I don’t know if she’d seen it on a store window or if she just suddenly remembered something she had eaten before, all I know is that she wanted cake—NOW! It was the first time that I’d had little tyke go psycho on me in public and it was humiliating, to say the least.
I would experience more toddler tantrum episodes after that, but these days, I just try to stay out of the way. Done that, done that, thank you very much!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Debt Free!
I didn’t know how I let it run away from me. I missed a payment here and there, and before I knew it, I was snowed down in interest. Yes, you know what I’m talking about: credit card debt.
When I quit my previous job, I forgot to give the credit card company my forwarding address: and so, no bill, no payment. When I finally remembered to do so several months after, the bill has ballooned into humongous proportions. And I was like, goodness! How did I let this run away from me? I felt incredibly stupid but I was determined to pay it off. It was like this big noose hanging around my neck.
Late last year, the company offered a fast but painful payment scheme, which cut the interest down. Right away, I signed on without knowing how I was going to make those payments. But something always came up—a new project or a new assignment—which allowed me to make those payments on time. Every time I went to the bank to make a deposit, I felt like Hercules cutting off another one of Hydra’s heads.
I slayed Hydra a couple of months ago, and yesterday, I finally got the certificate which proves it! I felt like a She-Man! It was wonderful!
When I quit my previous job, I forgot to give the credit card company my forwarding address: and so, no bill, no payment. When I finally remembered to do so several months after, the bill has ballooned into humongous proportions. And I was like, goodness! How did I let this run away from me? I felt incredibly stupid but I was determined to pay it off. It was like this big noose hanging around my neck.
Late last year, the company offered a fast but painful payment scheme, which cut the interest down. Right away, I signed on without knowing how I was going to make those payments. But something always came up—a new project or a new assignment—which allowed me to make those payments on time. Every time I went to the bank to make a deposit, I felt like Hercules cutting off another one of Hydra’s heads.
I slayed Hydra a couple of months ago, and yesterday, I finally got the certificate which proves it! I felt like a She-Man! It was wonderful!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Short End
The cool thing about having a 20-year-old daughter is that you get to have nice, long girl talks. Whenever I need a break from work, I just scoot over to E’s house and we talk about stuff. Last night it was about height, specifically a guy’s height—or his lack thereof.
When my boys were growing up, I prayed to God every day to please, please make them tall. I knew enough about how shorter boys are treated in school, and I didn’t want my boys to experience that kind of ribbing or teasing—ever!
The problem becomes more complicated when those boys reach their teens. I remember being courted by A, a vertically-challenged boy, who was, in fairness, really nice. When he went to our house, however, A was met by my mom, who immediately said, “Uminom ka muna ng gatas!” (“Drink your milk!”) He would forever be asked by our friends if he’d already drunk his milk whenever I was around. Poor boy!
Now, I have nothing against short guys—I know some who are just great and talented, and even dated a few—but as a mom, I wanted my boys to have one less issue to worry about. Growing up is hard enough.
Fortunately, my prayers were answered for my three boys are growing like weeds. Unfortunately, they are also eating everything in sight with lightning speed—but that’s another story!
When my boys were growing up, I prayed to God every day to please, please make them tall. I knew enough about how shorter boys are treated in school, and I didn’t want my boys to experience that kind of ribbing or teasing—ever!
The problem becomes more complicated when those boys reach their teens. I remember being courted by A, a vertically-challenged boy, who was, in fairness, really nice. When he went to our house, however, A was met by my mom, who immediately said, “Uminom ka muna ng gatas!” (“Drink your milk!”) He would forever be asked by our friends if he’d already drunk his milk whenever I was around. Poor boy!
Now, I have nothing against short guys—I know some who are just great and talented, and even dated a few—but as a mom, I wanted my boys to have one less issue to worry about. Growing up is hard enough.
Fortunately, my prayers were answered for my three boys are growing like weeds. Unfortunately, they are also eating everything in sight with lightning speed—but that’s another story!
Plus Four
For a woman, becoming a mother is one of life’s defining moments. No matter what else happens in your life, you will forever be a plus one, or a plus two, or in my case, a plus four.
The other day, I was looking at my youngest son and I gasped, “Kyle! We’ve been together for 14 years!” And that for me is the gift of motherhood: You get to have front row seats to the unfolding of a life. You get to see your child grow from a tiny babe who could sleep snugly on your thighs to a young man whose thighs are now actually bigger than yours.
In between, you get into all sorts of scrapes together. It won’t always be a fun ride, true. But no matter how upset you get at that child who is now two heads taller than you, you’ll always see him as the cute little infant whose chubby cheeks you wanted to pinch all day.
After my marriage ended, my mom, who always manages to see the good in everything, told me, “Buti nalang mababait ang mga anak mo. Maganda at mga guwapo pa!” And I couldn’t help but laugh because in truth, I cannot imagine my life without Erika, Felix, Sam, and Kyle. I cannot imagine my life not thinking about them or worrying about them, or talking with them, or getting mad at them, or laughing with them, or just hanging out with them.
I am a plus four, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
The other day, I was looking at my youngest son and I gasped, “Kyle! We’ve been together for 14 years!” And that for me is the gift of motherhood: You get to have front row seats to the unfolding of a life. You get to see your child grow from a tiny babe who could sleep snugly on your thighs to a young man whose thighs are now actually bigger than yours.
In between, you get into all sorts of scrapes together. It won’t always be a fun ride, true. But no matter how upset you get at that child who is now two heads taller than you, you’ll always see him as the cute little infant whose chubby cheeks you wanted to pinch all day.
After my marriage ended, my mom, who always manages to see the good in everything, told me, “Buti nalang mababait ang mga anak mo. Maganda at mga guwapo pa!” And I couldn’t help but laugh because in truth, I cannot imagine my life without Erika, Felix, Sam, and Kyle. I cannot imagine my life not thinking about them or worrying about them, or talking with them, or getting mad at them, or laughing with them, or just hanging out with them.
I am a plus four, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Arabela
J, who has this incredibly miraculous story of how she gave birth to one of her kids, was telling me of a recent trip to Liliw. The moment she mentioned Liliw, I immediately thought, "Arabela!"
I love this teeny, tiny place tucked in one of Liliw's side streets at the ground level of one of those wonderfully preserved vintage houses. The claustrophobic may not be too comfortable with its cramped quarters. But those who like quirky, kitschy spaces will feel right at home here.
Every nook and cranny is chock-full of something: books and magazines hog every table and shelf; posters, paintings, and other thingamajigs hang on every wall; and chairs and tables crowd every available space.
But what you'd like here most is the food cooked home-style from their teeny, tiny kitchen: pizza with kesong puti, pasta with generous dollops of sauce in generous servings. If there are no other diners waiting for tables, you'll definitely want to linger in this restaurant that feels oh so like home.
Ah, pizza! Always a favorite :)
Pizza and pasta
Order up!
Every wall is covered with pretty-looking stuff
Batibot chairs painted in every color of the rainbow
Take me there!
I love this teeny, tiny place tucked in one of Liliw's side streets at the ground level of one of those wonderfully preserved vintage houses. The claustrophobic may not be too comfortable with its cramped quarters. But those who like quirky, kitschy spaces will feel right at home here.
Every nook and cranny is chock-full of something: books and magazines hog every table and shelf; posters, paintings, and other thingamajigs hang on every wall; and chairs and tables crowd every available space.
But what you'd like here most is the food cooked home-style from their teeny, tiny kitchen: pizza with kesong puti, pasta with generous dollops of sauce in generous servings. If there are no other diners waiting for tables, you'll definitely want to linger in this restaurant that feels oh so like home.
Ah, pizza! Always a favorite :)
Pizza and pasta
Order up!
Every wall is covered with pretty-looking stuff
Batibot chairs painted in every color of the rainbow
Take me there!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunset Bliss
Was so tired by the end of last week that I found myself drinking a Heineken after doing the groceries. Not good!
And so, I was very happy to have ended the week here...
For a beach babe, it was plain bliss :)
And so, I was very happy to have ended the week here...
For a beach babe, it was plain bliss :)
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