Posted by Mommy Woobie on August 19th, 2008 in Baby Basics, Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Mom Entrepreneur, Mommy Alert, Mommy Thoughts, Proud Mommy
When I first decided to leave my job and be a work at home mom for real, I was very scared. There’s a part of me that’s doubting everything I was doing. Until I opened one of my pregnancy books and started a prayer written there. Here’s a part of that prayer:
God, please do not let me miss those moments that I could have spent with my child. Let me carry him more often and feel his tiny body gently wrapped in my loving arms. For someday I will not have the strength to pick him up anymore.
It’s the small things that I share with AJ everyday. It’s holding him when he’s trying to sleep. And, being with him when he feels too scared (usually when one of his favorite TV characters get blown off in a cannon)… I don’t want to be too stressed to be with him anymore.
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Posted by Mommy Woobie on August 10th, 2008 in Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Mommy Alert, Mommy Thoughts
We need a stereo cabinet. No, we need a stereo cabinet that has space for a huge television way up on its shelves. But then again, I think we’ll just settle for television that doesn’t have an off/on button on its front part.
The baby hogs the television at home! I know I talked about this before in this blog, but the situation has gone from bad to worse. If you will remember, our girl maid left us because of boredom, and the fact that she cannot watch television because my son won’t let her has worsened the case of intense lack of things to see and do in our small, quiet village. The only time there’s something to do here is when the nearby Church holds a feast for one reason or another.
Now that we have a new maid, our son is at it again! Maybe I’ll just buy the new maid a television of her own inside her room, but I’m afraid my son will hog that set too.
Posted by Mommy Woobie on July 16th, 2008 in Baby Basics, Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Mommy Thoughts
When AJ was born and up to his first year, friends and relatives constantly sent us baby clothes , which were necessary during that time as babies get dirty a lot during the day. My big mistake was storing them and thinking “these can’t be worn daily, they’re too nice!”
And so, to the cabinets and big luggage they went. Until one day, I realized that he will never be able to wear them if I kept them too long.
It’s no wonder that some of the ‘hand-me-down’ clothes we get from friends look like they have never been used. Most probably, those moms kept their baby’s good clothes inside a cabinet ’til they forgot about them. Today, I made my baby wear his Church clothes even when it’s not going-out time. They are shrinking before my very eyes and they have never been worn!
Posted by Mommy Woobie on July 11th, 2008 in Family Quirks, Kids' Imagination, Mommy Thoughts, Proud Mommy
Recent video game issues at home provoked the thought of me founding a Family Video Game Addicts Anonymous. Simply put, this organization will cater to families that play video games together!
The biggest video game buff of course is the dad, who gets to learn the ropes first before I and AJ do. We already have the latest gadgets, except playstation 3, which we COULD buy, but we won’t for now because we still have other Nintendo games to discover and play… as a family.
Maybe this video game craze has kept some people apart because one or 2 members are in another world, but I have to say, having similar interests certainly made us closer. 
Posted by Mommy Woobie on July 9th, 2008 in Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Kids' Imagination, Proud Mommy
My resignation in the office is now finalized and I am a free woman. Unemployed, but free. Poor? Hmm… that would depend on how people will define being poor. I”m rich in love and overwhelming excitement about being able to spend more time with my family, particularly during the most exciting holidays of the year. Money poor? Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
We are well into the second half of this year, and so far, this has been the best year of my life. The second part of the year has always excited me, but now that I have AJ, my excitement meter is almost bursting. First there’s Halloween, then Christmas and then New Year. This year is the first year that my son can fully participate in the activities connected with these holidays; because he’s bigger now and can fit into the halloween costumes I’ll make him wear.
The things I must plan for include the birthdays of the most important men in my life; and these entail one major restaurant theme party and one major open house party at home. These event planning things go right up my alley, but my major dilemma is getting the men involved to participate. I may have to bribe them into doing the stuff that I want them to do, like dress up like comic book characters in tandem, i.e. father and son (Superman and Superboy). I used to never understand how stage mothers feel, but now I do! And, hopefully, the little pinoy devil will feel like a star so much that I can continue being one.
One how-to tip on getting the men excited about holiday events and parties told me to center the craft activities around things they like. During Halloween they can cut-out and color the bat and spiderweb decorations together, while I cook the pastries. For Christmas, they can do the tree. My men love to over-think things and I might just get red bats and a multicolored Christmas tree! AJ in particular colors like a crazed house painter, but his color schemes match so well, you can even call them art!
Posted by Mommy Woobie on July 5th, 2008 in Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Kids' Imagination, Mommy Thoughts, Proud Mommy
The little Pinoy devil strikes again!
Here’s the deal. AJ loves TV and he is the master remote holder at home. We even have a theory that he’s learning a lot how to count via remote control handling, as he can easily find the channel he wants just by pressing buttons. Or, when he misplaces the TV remote control, via changing the channels on the TV itself. He utters words that ’sound like’ numbers as he goes from one channel to the next. And, he even prefers one language for the TV.
Yep. He configures the television himself, usually while he watches. He adjusts the color and the language right before he watches his favorite programs at Cartoon Channel or Karaoke Channel. He almost always manages to find the configuration he wants, with German as his language of choice.
The only trouble is, because he is Television Dictator at home, I and Daddy can no longer follow our favorite programs and have relied on torrents to watch our favorite series, such as House and Lost. One time, the hubby told me all about home theater seating and how it would be nice if we can all relax watching a big screen television. However, I pointedly reminded him that our son will hog that TV the same way.
But still, it would be nice to watch television in style, even if we have no choice but to watch ONLY Tom&Jerry and Dora the Explorer.
Posted by Mommy Woobie on June 26th, 2008 in Baby Basics, Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Kids' Imagination, Mom Entrepreneur, Proud Mommy
Back in nostalgia lane. I can’t help but compare how much my childhood differs from AJ’s. In our village now, I don’t see many kids playing tag or hide-and-seek. There’s a park, sure, but with the way things are right now in the Philippines, it’s a risk to let children play on their own in parks. Right now, it’s so hot inside the house. I want my son to be friends with other kids in the neighborhood like I used to in La Union.
We used to draw circles on the pavement and shoot stuff inside those circles. We’d ask some cranky old neighbor to share his Hibiscus flowers so we can mash and mix them with soap, for bubble blowing. More importantly, we’d go catching dragonflies and then let them go when we got bored.
Maybe progress now means having your child inside the house all the time playing video games on an expensive gadget and watching DVDs, but I can’t help but realize just how my son is missing out on all the fun of outdoor playing.
My resolution now is to earn enough from my freelancing so that I may be able to buy swing sets for AJ on Christmas. Since a second baby isn’t possible now, I’ll just be his playmate ’til he gets tired of playing with someone who says “No, too dangerous!” all the time.
Posted by Mommy Woobie on June 20th, 2008 in Family Quirks, Mom Entrepreneur, Mommy Thoughts
In one Oprah quote, she said “It doesn’t matter who you are and where you come from. The ability to triumph starts with you, always”. This touched me to the core, particularly with my current career situation now.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job. Loved it like a lover that I nurtured. But there really is a point in a person’s life when she has to prioritize. Will giving this up mean I will be able to teach AJ how to speak properly? Will quitting give me the chance to spend more time with my son? Deep inside me, the part of me that fear of money issues doesn’t touch, I know I made the right choice.
According to Oprah, anyone can excel. I live by her example as she is a smart lady with humble beginnings (and yet unmarried too). Because my choice was difficult, I prepared myself for a more difficult time ahead. I went out of my comfort zone (extremely stressed but with a regular paycheck) to pursue my dream of being the whole mom package to my son.
They say that if you follow your passion, money won’t be shy with you. Oprah inspires me in that I am 100% sure my passion for writing and helping others will get me far. So here I am. Thank you, Oprah.
It’s funny, though, that I think of Chicago travel whenever talks of going to the US comes up. Could that notion be Oprah-influenced too?
Posted by Mommy Woobie on June 19th, 2008 in Baby Quirks, Family Quirks, Kids' Imagination, Mommy Thoughts
Recently, several costume play events took place in Manila, including Toycon etc. Browsing through photos showing kids in cosplay, I’m conflicted whether to encourage the same with AJ. There are mini Mario Bros and babies in Ironman masks. The ever-present justice league costumes will remain the cosplay favorites for kids. Video game character costumes are the most difficult to assemble, though it’s easy enough to buy some online with the major costume producers finally realizing that modern cosplaying geeks love Tekken and Streetfighter characters. But enough of this, I want my son to consider sports, not video games!
Can two geeks spawn a social-worthy athlete? Can two nerdy parents who spent most of their childhood reading dictionaries and encyclopedias spawn a child that will be more interested in sports? I seriously doubt it, but I’ll try my best.
Some baby costumes and halloween costumes are just too cute! Throw in a homemade headgear, and voila, our son will be cosplay worthy and he may even win an award (with mom’s prodding of course). Sometimes, though, I wonder if the old adage about “living your dream through your kids” was true. Maybe my goal isn’t really to make my son live a life that is far from mine, but I hope his interest diversifies.
Posted by Mommy Woobie on June 7th, 2008 in Family Quirks, Mommy Alert
School time is when parents shine the most. When we were growing up, our parents would be awake at 5 am preparing breakfast, waking us up (several times) and putting on school clothes to those who are still very sleepy. I don’t know how they do it.
My dad will be very alert on the breakfast table with his usual coach stance telling us that today is going to be the best day, and that we will learn so much. I remember listening through half of it then letting my mind wander to recess and dismissal as early as 6:30 am. That I managed to graduate with honors is something that I attribute to my dad’s early morning pep talk. I really think the “You can do this! You just have to get the gist of the lesson then you study at home” that he said over and over again hypnotized my barely awake mind into doing it every day of my school life.
What else could parents do for their kids during the school days? One unique suggestion would be to buy a bus, a small one, and be the carpool service for neighborhood kids. School bus service is expensive, and having a small service of your own could benefit your community as well as your school kids. Particularly now that the bad elements are around trying to get to Filipino kids to steal their organs.
