Im in hibernation

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After the successful Sarangani Bay Festival in May, I started feeling really sick. I would get headaches and body pains and I was fatigued most of the time. I was irritable while breastfeeding my one year old son and was just not myself. It was not too long before I found out I was pregnant again!

I was very happy with the news. However, this happiness did not last long. I was seriously part of the 85% of women that got morning sickness. This morning sickness was way more intense than my last pregnancy. I was vomiting every meal ( and I honestly hate vomiting!!!). I lost 10 lbs in one week! I could not eat much because eating caused me abnormal gas and acid. After that week, I begged my doctor to confine me to hospital. It was the best decision. I was totally dehydrated and it could have been detrimental to me and the baby.

God is faithful that despite the rough first trimester, the results from the doctor indicated a healthy baby. I have to say, I could not accept any visit from friends. I was incommunicado. I did not leave our house and harldly got out of my room. I would cry and pray constantly and started to wonder if I was headed towards depression.

Another issue i was dealing with was having to wean my son off breastfeeding because I felt under-nourished, and for the safety of the other baby I had to reserve the nutrients I could hold down for the “baby in the oven.” Joshua, our toddler, had to go through the weaning process and he did so with a lot of crying and screaming. Not something you want to hear going through a tough first three months.

I was so thankful that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit. They gave Joshua the attention he needed, because I could not. My husband was very kind to care for me the best he could given his busy schedule. He would make all the calls to the doctor and try to pick up the slack with my other household chores. He was also very patient because I was really not the same woman. So much so, that I was warned by my doctor that if I don’t pull myself out of this emotional rut, I would be a candidate for postpartum depression. I immediately rebuked that statement by calling upon the Name of Jesus! Since that day, I prayed harder and started to read the bible again.

Since yesterday, I have been feeling better. I know so because now I can look at my computer again without feeling nauseous! Also, I have been eating closer to my regular diet. There is a time for everything, and God has reasons for the seasons in our lives. To all my friends who know and who prayed for me… thank you!!! I really need your prayers. To those who wondered why I have not responded to calls, messages and social media, I was trying to get “over the hump.” Hopefully, by God’s grace, I will see you soon.

Age of Discipline

This topic could be very trivial to some moms. I know some parents do not believe in physical discipline. But after attending parenting seminars, I am convinced that discipline help train up a child.

When my son started showing tantrums, I had to assess if I should start giving him the spank or not. Many times when he was 11 to 12 months I would tell him “no” to certain things (such as not placing his hand on the electric fan). I had to make him understand that there could be situations that he could get hurt. But his explorative stage made it a little confusing. So, I had to stand firm when I say “no” and remained consistent with it. It was repeated to him over and over, so he began to understand.

Joshua had limited words as a one year old. I feel that he would get frustrated because I don’t understand what he is expressing to me and he would have some angry fits. Initially, I did not know what to do when my little boy would get angry. I would try to calmly talk to him, but that did not work. Soon, his anger would now include him throwing things on the floor or at me. I would talk to him in my angry voice and say “no! Stop throwing”. Oh that worked for maybe 6 times only. Soon, it did not bother him that I raised my voice. He would throw things on the floor, and look at me. I would say “no!” again. He would get another book or toy and throw it and look at me with his little angry eyes. You may think I am exaggerating. I am not. I could not believe that my little angel would have that kind of angry fit at that age. After letting it go for about 1 week, I decided not to delay discipline any longer. If I do not bring this to Joshua’s attention, he will try to overpower me with his tantrums.
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So, I learned from parenting class that discipline should be for 2 reasons only. It is for DISOBEDIENCE and DISRESPECT. With Joshua, it was his disobedience on my instructions of not throwing things when he was told. That first time I spanked him it was a epic failure. He got his tantrum because he did not get the toy he wanted to play with. He was angry and started throwing things even when I told him not to. Then I decided to call him and told him, “Come here, I am going to spank you.” I then panicked because I had no object to spank him with. I have no heart to use my hands. I learned that our hands are used for loving and embraces so I needed another object to spank/discipline him with. Guess what I found?… a Lei with a button pin that says “Philippine Councilors League”. (Yes you can laugh at me now!) I made my little Josh bend over and I took a swing with that lei on his butt. However, I forgot he had diapers on. So it hit only his diapers! Talk about a capital “F” for failure! Hahahaha!!

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My spanking object

So, the very next day, another incident made my son start throwing things in his anger. After I warned him and said “no”, he again continued to throw things at me. This time, I told him, ” Come here, I am going to spank you”. I had the lei with the button pin ready and put down his diaper and gave that swing on his buttocks. Joshua cried and looked at me, and ran towards me in tears. I hugged him and I kissed him, and I told him “Joshua mommy loves you, so please no more throwing. If you continue to throw, I will spank.”

Joshua learned after 2 more spanks that I was serious about the no throwing of things when he was upset. Don’t get me wrong, I allow my son to feel angry or frustrated. I am just not allowing him to throw things at me when he is upset. After teaching him that, I only have to say, “Mommy will spank”. He automatically changes his mind about throwing that toy or book. I also can just pull out that Lei and ask him, “you want spank?”. Then, he would walk away from that item he intended to throw at me.

I had to also ask my other mommy blogger friends how old they started disciplining their kids. The result of the survey is as early as one year old! Even one year olds, can challenge their parents on how far they can get their way. If discipline is not applied, we would be raising spoiled and whiny kids. We had a great discussion on the reasons and styles of discipline. I honestly felt like I had a support group that agreed with this method.

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SoX Women & Mommy Bloggers

Just last night, Joshua was whining and he was again tempted to throw his book at me. I whispered in his ear, “Please do not throw. If you throw, mommy will spank”. He became quiet, looked at me, and with laughter he turns to embrace me. My 1 year and 4 months old understands discipline! Here are some encouraging verses from the bible about discipline.

Proverbs 13:24 (CEB)
Those who withhold the rod hate their children, but the one who loves them applies discipline.

Hebrews 12:11 (CEB)
No discipline is fun while it lasts, but it seems painful at the time. Later, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

Its definitely Summer

Posted in Insights by

It has been quite hot in the past weeks. Some afternoons, the airconditioner would blast on high cool and yet the air still feels like room temperature air. There are limited activities a one year old toddler can do during the summer. In my case it was my son who showed me what fun we can do this summer.

He whined himself out of the house and walked toward the hose. We have introduced the hose to Joshua so he could learn watering plants. That particular afternoon was different. At 230pm on that sunny summer afternoon, Joshua strolls himself around the house with the hose. We let the water run and suddenly he became quite creative. He starts playing with the water and showers himself with the hose. It was fun to watch. He super enjoyed the sprinkles of water on his face. With the summer heat, my son taught me to have fun in a more practical sense!

Summer is here

I also bought a inflatable swimming pool for Josh to enjoy at home. The first time we set it up, I got all excited and took liberty to be in my swim suit to play with him in the pool. But after two photos with him in the pool, Joshua insisted to kick me out of the pool. I was not even a minute in the pool! Hahahhaa.. It was like him telling me, “I can take care of myself mom.” He can be really independent some times. In fact, he makes me forget that he is just 1 year old.

Mom and babe in the pool before Mom gets kicked out!

Mom and babe in the pool before Mom gets kicked out!


I guess swimming and hose playing are a good way to cool down this hot summer. Also it is good to keep babies hydrated with them drinking water and juices. This heat can be really fun if we allow our little ones to enjoy it. Playing with water can be really, really fun!

TANG Sweet Orange Baby Teethers!

Posted in Personal Picks by

If you are a mommy like me, you know exactly that a baby going through teething is no joke. Our babies get cranky, they often want to have those itchy gums soothed by pacifiers, or even toys.  Well my little boy is growing a new tooth again and though he is pretty sport about it, it still makes him drool alot and want to bite on toys.

This week, I was privileged to join my other blogger friends to the launch of Tang’s new product.  They introduced something really interesting… A TANG powdered juice formulated for the Mindanao palate.  They brought their own food scientists to study what a Mindanaon wants in their orange juice.  7 out of 10 Mindanaoans seem to agree that they want a sweeter flavor in their orange juice.  So, if you like your orange juice sweeter, guess what, you can now buy the TANG SWEET ORANGE.  The only catch is, you can only buy it in MINDANAO groceries and sari-sari stores! 

Think about this —  An international brand willing to formulate a new variant just for Mindanaoans … willing to adjust to the taste and the culture of Mindanaons???   I say, “Its just super cool!!!” 

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Well, my son is a true Mindanaon. He was born in Mindanao and most likely will grow up in Mindanao.  Therefore, it will be highly possible that he will develop a Mindanaon palate.  Good thing that TANG Sweet Orange it is fortified with Vitamins A,B, C, Folate and Iron, and is Halal certified (meaning clean food and organic).  So I have decided to be creative, and use TANG Sweet Orange to make a Baby Teether suited for my Joshua.

It is suggested to mix one 25g sachet of TANG Sweet Orange with 1 Liter of water. I still find it very sweet.  So, to adjust to my little one year old’s taste, I mixed the sachet with 1.5 Liter of water.  Then I started storing it in Ice Plastics and placed it in the freezer overnight. This TANG Sweet Orange teether is ready to soothe my baby’s gums.  Also since its summer, it is another great popsicle to cool off the hot sunny days! 

 

 

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Creative Play

Posted in Insights, Teach at Home by

The daily routine of my 16 month old boy includes alot of play.  We use toys, we do role play, we have books and story telling, lots of hugs, affirmation and laughter. We have toys that are battery operated and makes alphabet sounds and music when certain buttons are pressed.  It has helped Joshua understand cause and effect. It also helps him with the mastery of his fingers and hand motor skills. Music also communicates an idea more creatively. Its good to have music and sounds as part of the play.

What amuses me the most, are the “accidental toys”.  These are household items or stuff I intended to throw, but in a surprise has become a valuable toy in the eye of my little boy.
One of the most enjoyed items Joshua has been playing are bottles. Shampoo bottles, lotions bottles, water bottles, and other toiletries are actually fun to arrange and rearrange. Joshua can actually play a while with these items as his imagination takes over.  He stacks them, rearranges them, packs them in boxes and likes to discover the object’s shape and function.

Another one he enjoys is making the monoblock plastic chair his ship.  We make him stand on it and we just push it around the dining area as if he was the captain sailing away.

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Recently, my husband received a gift that has become one of our objects of creative play. Its a wooden set of coffee confectionary. Joshua has made it his imaginary kitchen and role plays that he is cooking up a great dish. We have fun pretending to be chefs and making up recipes. I really enjoy watching him pretend to stir the food and take a taste with the spoon as he says “uhhhmm!”

Another toy that has become cool is just a box. His nanny saw that he would fit inside that box. She puts a ribbon at one end and made Joshua sit inside. With the ribbon we dragged him around the house making the box his make shift car/jeep. Its been a lot of fun!

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Playing does not need expensive toys all the time. We can just look at our closet or pantry and find lots of interesting stuff for our toddlers to play with. What we parents need are just a bit more imagination and creativity…

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He decided to potty!!!

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I bought that baby toilet seat about a month ago for my 15 month old. I was trying to make him understand that poo-poo should be done on the toilet seat. Joshua did not fully understand at first. I would make him sit on the baby toilet seat and hold him with my facial expression of pushing bowels and making that sound “uh-ohhh… Uh-ohhh”. He would try to follow my face but still not get it.

For the first time today (April 11), in the middle of our play time, Joshua looks at me and makes the “u-o” sound. So I asked him, “do you want to poo-poo?” I was surprised to see him turn away from me and run to the bathroom.

We rushed to follow him, and took off diapers and placed his potty training toilet seat on top of the main toilet seat. He sat without protest. He kept pointing to the toilet paper. It was not long when he finally dropped those baby bombs! Yes! My son at 1 year and 3 months got himself to successfully do #2 in the toilet. I am so thrilled!

Joshua has caught me using the toilet several times. I surmise he figured things out by what he saw. This son of mine never ceases to amaze me. He really is such a smart little boy!

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Music and intelligence

Even when my son was in my womb, I had sung to him songs. I made him listen to my ipod tunes. They say, if you let your child listen to classical music, they get brain stimulation. For me, any music can stimulate a child.

Maybe its partly genes that my son is just a natural music lover and dancer too! But I am more inclined to believe that exposing a child to music at an early age just helps in their development.

I have never stopped singing to Joshua. I sing songs I know, I have also discovered and reconnected with many childhood songs, and I also put melodies to my own sentences. Music is part of our mother and son relationship.

I also bought him musical toys like a small xylophone. He also liked playing with a baby drum. I also downloaded a baby piano and a baby drum application on my tablet. He started playing with these as early as 4 months.
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A few days after Josh turned one, I decided to take him to a kindermusic class in gymboree. It was there I discovered that Joshua was quite ahead. His exposure to music at home gave him so much confidence. I was a bit embarassed actually. He was getting all teachers attention while the other kids were still figuring music out.

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listening to percussions at a wedding

My son at 15 months can do the actions of several nursery songs (about 8 children’s songs or more). We are constantly exposing him to instruments and music. Its been a wonderful thing to do songs together and affirming him when he gets it right. It is a new level of fun!

As a parent, I can’t stop praising God for the joy I experience with my toddler. Music has been a great blessing to my little intelligent baby too.

“Thank you for the music… the songs Im singing… thanks for all the joy they’re bringing”

Its okay to play with sand

February and LOVE goes very well together. Both have the following ingredients to a great short vacation — Great weather, white sand beach, and a wedding. Yes, it so happens that the youngest sister of my husband has decided to have a destination wedding in Boracay Island. Our little boy will play a role as a ring bearer on that special day.

It will be our first time as a family to go to Boracay. The travel was a long one for us. We had to drive to Davao then take a plane from Davao to Cebu. From Cebu we get a connecting flight to Caticlan. Then lastly a boat ride from Caticlan to the main island. Oh well, even with the long travel, we were excited to be with family.

Joshua’s first beach experience was in Gumasa, Glan. He was so young though. He was only 5 months that time. This time, he is much older and I think will appreciate the beach even more!

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Sand challenge
We as parents have been so careful about cleanliness and hygiene. Especially after Joshua got sick with ameobiasis we became even more cautious. So many times we warn Joshua about dirt and not to touch it. So, for the first time, Joshua was allowed to go freely and touch the sand. However, we found him in full restraint and even dislike playing with the sand. He wanted sand to be taken off from his feet and just wanted to be carried. Oh-oh!!!

Steve being the strongest figure in our son’s life was the only person who could break that “scary sand” mindset. So daddy, took time to play and introduce the powdery white sand of Boracay to Josh.

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It was not long, Josh was finally under the sand! Thanks to daddy and his uncles, Joshua was able to conquer his fear.

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Boracay is really a place for babies to learn to love the beach. Its cold, fine sand just appeals to kids of all ages. Its also a good place to help strict parents like us to just chill and take a break. It gave us a chance for our little boy to enjoy just being a baby boy. Thank God for precious moments like this.

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Joshua walking on sand

First Hair Cut

My little guy had very cute curls that were growing well over his head. We were hoping we can make him look like a surfer with those nice long waves… Well it was not until his daddy decided, it was time to get a haircut. Joshua’s very first hair cut was at 14 months old.

Little boys need their fathers to introduce something new, like one’s first barber experience. Better yet, if the barber is your dad. It makes a huge difference! First, there is that trust. Second, there is that comfort of doing this right out of your own bathroom. Third, you get instant encouragement from both mom and dad about the new look!

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The sound of the clippers and its vibration can be pretty scary. Good thing daddy was demonstrating the barber cut on his head, and it made Joshua unafraid of the clippers.

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In a couple of minutes, his head has been evened out and a good 2 -3 inches of hair has been cleared.

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A full body shower was the best way to rinse off any hair left. This was one of the perks of doing this at home! The best perk is that its done with lots of love and is absolutely FREE!!! The new look made my baby look younger and also fresher. Thank you daddy Steve!!!

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Alternative Milk

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I was trying to wean my son from breastmilk to cow’s milk, suddenly he contracted amoeba. My personal suspicion– it was triggered by lactose intolerance. Finding the right milk for him suddenly became secondary because I decided not to wean him. Breastmilk has so much antibodies that it strengthens a child who is afflicted with some kind of sickness.

In reality, Joshua even having his amoeba continued to play, continued to run around as if he was not sick at all. Of course he had the runs, but overall he seemed very well. I have to say that the breastmilk has really given him some kind of booster that makes him quite strong. Even when everyone got the virus, he too got it. But again, he just continued to play, run around, laugh and he was not difficult at all. I have to really thank God for giving me a child like that.

However, I also know that reality will set in, I have to find an alternative to breast milk. I am really planning to wean him slowly. My schedule is filling up with activities and meetings which means I am often out. I have to start finding another milk that Joshua is not allergic to. I was told to try goats milk, or soy milk. However, there are two mothers who have recommended another kind of milk. Nut based milk is their choice and specifically, the Almond milk.

So when I was in Manila, I entered Rustan’s and there was a section of Silk’s Almond Milk. What made me happy was seeing that it was NON-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), Lactose Free, Gluten Free, and Soy-free! Wow, its calcium content is higher than cows milk, and it tastes just great! Also a box is not so bad it costs from Php 144- Php152 a box.
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A box is about 946 ml. To my son a box is good for about 7 days. You must be thinking, “how can that be? Isn’t that too little?” Remember, this is just an alternative.. It only supplements when I am unable to directly feed. But just think about it… How much is formula canned milk? Its 9 to 10 times the price of this one.

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In Sarangani, the focus of the agricultural program will be on naturally grown food which is really the kind of produce God intended for us. But today most of our food come from genetically modified sources. They are also causes of cancers and other degenerative diseases. So, going all natural is the best!

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Overall it has been such a relief to find something suitable for my son. Unfortunately this milk is not available in Gensan or Sarangani. We have to fly them in from Manila for now (until purchasers of our groceries here find it worth bringing in.)

Thank God for quality products like Silk that help moms with kids who are lactose intolerant.