When my kids started going with us to the malls, they were 2 years old. With that age, it is still easy handling them. We just let them see what we knew children would love to see inside the malls, buy clothes, dine and go the the playroom. When they turned 3, things started to change. They wanted more time in the playroom and have always been demanding to go there whenever we are in the mall. It’s as if mall equates to playroom for them. There was even a time when Elysia threw a tantrum and cried out loud while rolling on the granite tile floor of SM. I was really devastated over how she acted that day. I felt like I was the worst mom in the world with all the people looking at her and at me.
Handling things and discussions with the kids was always difficult for most of us parents. Kids can’t easily understand and we have to find a way to make them understand what we are trying to convey. In my case, there has always been a bias. My mom would always want the kids to let them have what they want – just so they won’t cry. I pretty much understand how she wanted them not to cry at all but it has became their habit to cry whenever they want something. And I have to act. As their mom, it is my responsibility to teach them how to behave, especially in public places.
We had our share of hard times too. It was more than a year before they started to recognize our authority as parents. And that they have to respect us, listen to what we say. We don’t normally dominate the conversation, we try to let them talk so they’d learn how to speak for themselves. After over a year, the kids can already control themselves whenever we are in the mall. There’d be times when they still want to do the things they want, buy items they like but if it’s not in the plan, we talk to them. They’d react naturally and they will be sad but after the conversation is over, they will feel ok and tantrums will no longer be a problem. And because they behaved well, they deserve to be rewarded. We will bring them to Fun Ranch next week. I’m sure they will have tons of fun.
I have been longing to do one. I love to cook and I love the be in the kitchen when I am at home. I am not really good or anything but I just love to try most of the recipes i see in books, cooking shows and magazines. Besides, there’s no harm in trying.
There is just one thing annoying me all the time whenever I’m in the kitchen, the sink and the faucet. The sink has been replaced last year because of leaks and rust but it did not last long. Just after a couple of weeks, the enamel coat started to loosen. I guess I need to include this on the list for our house renovation plan. A good kitchen sink must be paired with a good faucet so here’s a Kohler faucet I saw online that I think would match the design I am looking for.
Ain’t it beautiful? I wonder what husbands are talking about when they hear their wives amusements over these things. LOL! This will definitely be on the list. Our area is not big so I’d better plan the design carefully. Good thing I have a lot of friends and contacts whom I can ask for help in designing. It will be hard for sure but I am sure it will pay off. Can’t wait.
5 days more and January will be over. February will be here and as you know, it is the love month and February 14 is Valentine’s Day! Daddies, have you already gotten your gift for your 
wives?
It has always been exciting for a lady to receive a gift from a man. Whether married or not, a lady will always be a lady at heart – craving for surprises and kind treatment from the guy she loves most. So gentlemen, don’t forget to take extra effort and get at least a token to show her how much you love her, give some gifts for her on Valentine’s Day.
It will also be nice if you could get a movie ticket for two and go to your favorite restaurant for dinner. After all, Valentine’s do happen once a year and it will be a great time to spend some of your precious time with the one you love. Get some souvenir shots, and have it documented, whether in an album or a scrapbook. It will surely be nice to come back to those memories to rekindle the flame of love.
Oh and if you are worrying what to use for a scrapbook, I will have a Valentine kit released soon. Take a peak!
Ain’t this just a perfect match to those Valentine memories? So go now, grab your give, get a movie ticket and a reservation before every man in town get the slots out. 
Getting married is not as easy as ABC. It entails a lot of responsibilities, not just about parenting and family but also about ensuring that the household finances and documents are all updated.
We officially got the house last year. The TCT has been under our names already and this year, is our first time to pay the real estate tax. I was new to the entire process and I don’t even have the slightest idea of how much will I have to pay for it. Me, the budgeter would always want to check on every expenses first before getting the money out of my wallet. But this one is different. I just have to go there, get the documents filled out and pay whatever the amount the cashier will tell me. Whew I pretty relieve to finally know it was way below my expectation.
It was a good experience. Now, I am really feeling a bit more responsible than I was before. I left the office after getting some documents that my mom needs for her business insurance. I thought I will be having a hard time but it wasn’t. I’m glad I decided to pay early and did not procrastinate until the deadline is near. I was spared of the hassle and I don’t even have to take a leave from work.
I will be starting to maintain more household documents starting this year and I have to make sure that everything will be paid and updated.
Are you having problems with your child’s appetite? Do you think they are eating the right kind of food?
I perfectly understand how hard it is to teach the child to eat right. When we say eat right, we mean following the food pyramid with fruits and veggies often. I should be proud to say that when my kids started with solids, I have always given them veggies on every meal. It became a daily habit to eat vegetables and have been a weekly inclusion in our market list.
When I started to work again, I noticed that they have been eating less and less veggies and have always been so fond of fried chicken and our local dish “adobo”. That’s when I came to realize “oh yes, I was always leaving the kids to my mom”. Unfortunately, my family members are not vegetable fans. They have been meat lovers ever since and that’s when the kids started hating veggies too. When they don’t want the dish at home, my mom would always come to the rescue preparing “meals” that can be eaten by the kids – hotdog, fried chicken, adobo. I started having arguments with my mom about the kids’ meals.
For us parents, it is our priority to get the kids to eat the right food. Primarily because we wanted them to grow healthy. I just don’t understand why my mom would always argue with me about it. She’d always say she prefers that the kids eat something than nothing at all. And my stand, they’d eat if they have nothing to eat but veggies and they have to be taught. So in my household, I always ensure we have veggies on the table during meal time. To be able to teach the kids to eat right, the parents should set good example. I don’t like veggies but just so I can show the kids that it is indeed the healthy meal, I have to set a good example.
Then I started researching for some vegetable recipes while doing another research on instant life insurance quote. I need to have variety of dishes that they will surely love. That way, they’d be fond of eating – and I mean eating healthy.
