lunch out

had lunch at UNO and we had these:

it was all good! i wasn't able to take pics of the rest :) too busy eating. hehe. its my first time to eat here and i like its cozy ambiance. i had nice company. they are my girl friends from our growth group. funny, we've known each other for more than five years and yet, rarely do we go out and have lunch together. maybe because we are busy with our own family which takes so much of our time. i do hope we could do this more often. i like them because they are nice people and most of all, they have a deep relationship with God and those kind of friends is what i need especially these days. it is different if you constantly talk to friends who have family as well. i need that kind of support group. helps me understand more about raising kids, marriage and how it is to have a family. i thank God for friends like them, for great food, for this kind of friends and for this kind of dessert

amen!

girl-boy friendship

someone recently confided in me that there's a buzz going on around their office about her and her married boss. she said that there is really nothing going on between the two of them but just plain friendship. i trust her of course, but the guy, well i can't judge him since i do not know him.

so, that girl-boy friendship thing, is it for real?

my husband is a non-believer. well for girl-boy bestfriends, that is. hehe. he said that there is no such thing. if there is, it's bound to end in a relationship, a.k.a bf-gf relationship.

i myself used to have some close boy friends. now some of them are just a contact in facebook, some are hi-hello friends and some are just like strangers to me. it's as if we didn't know each other. i thought that i just lost contact or they ended up with a girl who doesn't like me so they cut ties. hehe.  but come to think of it, i also chose it to be that way and distance myself from them, as a sign of respect for my husband and for their partners as well. hey, i'm not against this girl-boy friendship. me and my husband started with this and we ended up perfect for each other :)  all i am saying is, there should be a line, a boundary. you could share the whole of you to your partner but not to a friend. you could tell your partner everything, but you keep some from your friends. your concerns are your partner's concerns as well. a friend sympathize with you. it's not really limiting the friendship but leaving no space for doubt for your partner and for your friend's partner too.

i think a relationship starts with a good and honest intent from both sides. if it's for friendships sake, then it is for friendships sake. as simple as that. if a single boy wants to pursue a single girl, and the girl likes the boy, then it will lead to a deeper relationship. if just one intended for friendship, and the other wants a different thing, then it wont go anywhere.  

 

drowning

i'm sad, scared and frustrated. these past days, our countless debts are beginning to take its toll on me. now i don't know when we'll be able to finish paying it all off :'( it's not really that we spend a lot on unneccessary (spell check) stuff. can i just say that it just did pile up? i am not into designer bags, clothes or shoes. i am not even into shopping. it did accumulate i guess because of our trip past 2 years and of course, the interest on the cards just keeps on adding up. only husband has a regular monthly income. true, i have 2 businesses. but it is not enough especially now that we have two kids. one is in pre-school and the other one, has a monthly shot which costs an average of Php4,000 per month :(

waaaah! i am drowning honestly. i am sad because i desperately want and need to have another regular source of income to help husband. i am scared because we might not have enough savings for real emergencies. and i am frustrated because i keep on trying and very little outcome :( the newly opened food cart business isnt really taking off as expected and selling online isnt much of a success either.

hay... sometimes i wonder what's the concern of the rich ;)

anyway, the good thing is i still believe that we will be able to rise from these dilemma and we will be able to pay all our debts. most importantly, God has never left us and has always provided. i am holding on to His promise that He won't  forsake us. as my friend, @investorjuan said, pera lang yan. besides, others have more serious problem than we do. what makes me go on too is that i know that me and my husband are together in this

amen!

frachise issues update

just an update, we had a meeting yesterday with our franchisor. it went ok, not the best though. i choose to remain hopeful. hopeful that from now on, their service especially in the line of communication will be better and that their succeeding delivery of their products will be of high quality. they mention that they will have a price increase. well, they still have to prove that they have the right for that price increase. we still have a loooong way to go with that franchisor. we have a contract of three years and we just started a month ago. maybe we just had a bad start. they may have valid reasons for the bad service that we received for the past month, but we will be watching them. according to my very disappointed sister, "markado na sila!". but i want to give them a chance. we will remain watchful and surely, they'll hear from us if things go the wrong way. i have to be honest, i would NOT recommend that franchise though. kainis tlga! even if we just had little time to research on that company, we constantly got in touch with them. it wasn't enough pala. it's also not enough that they responded constantly or if they have an office. it wasn't also enough that they are nine years in the business already. and it also may not be true that they were recently awarded best franchisor for the year ***  (something like that) as they claim, cos i heard, certain awards could be bought. hope it's not that way. but i just wonder, if they are nine years in the business as they claim, how come only a few franchisees got them here in MM? how come there's no feedback page or testimonial page in their website? hmmm, let's just see what happens for the remainder of the 3-year contract. let's be hopeful!

honestly, some things are really worth investing on. now we know, we will save enough, or perhaps get a loan, so that we will get a franchise with a big name because for sure, it will have the best service and quality. jollibee? mcdo? max's? haha! aim high! dream big! who knows? :)

* if you want to know who that franchise is, send me a private message. ha!

some kinda advice while pregnant

i had a fun time with my good friends @cimeon and jessa (not her real name ;p) last saturday night. i am truly grateful for the friendship that started at the workplace about 10 years ago. i am blessed becuase they say that it's hard to establish friendship at work. just like in showbiz. lol!

anyway, we talked about a lot of stuff especially about pregnancy and wedding. two of us have been through it and the other one is on its way there. i'm sure she'll hear plenty of advice from different people and i'm no expert, but i've shared some of my experieces and lessons about it.

during pregnancy:

* think happy thoughts

* eat healthy

* eat in moderation

* don't allow oneself to be big

* if you eat something that's prohibited like shrimp, soda, and salty food, yes you may eat, but very very little

* try to control laziness!

* make an effort to look good to feel good

* don't eat eggplant and shrimps

* walk, work around the house

* if you can and if permissible, do what you can (in moderation & extra care) and don't think that you can't just because you are pregnant

* watch light stuff; don't watch stuff that will scare or disappoint you like the news :)

* snack on veggies and fruits

i'll leave the rest for herself to discover :)

my struggles

i love my kids! i think i love them too much to spend all, if not, most of my time with them. they are my priority that at times, i tend to sacrifice my own needs and wants just for them. and i think its taking its toll on me. as they say, too much of anything is bad.

its deafening to hear them cry all day! even if rob is not hungry nor sleepy, there are times that she would just cry. raya on the other hand, cries for no reason at all. i think she craves for attention. she cries when she doesn't get what she wants and cries too when i get mad at her.

its also those menial tasks that makes my everyday life crazy! such as picking up towels and dirty clothes scattered all over, picking up and putting toys, pillows and books in order, thinking of what to have for lunch, dinner and even for baon, feeding time and sleep time.  add to it the discplining, the budgeting and worrying how to survive for the next payday!

it all seems like a struggle every single day. 

i now have a yaya/helper who helps around the house. i delegate tasks to her. she also helps out taking care of the kids. i don't think we need another helper. we can't afford it too. is this a case of time management? i don't think so since we already have a schedule of our daily routine. so is it now becoming routinary? i try to have a ME time once a week. i nap at times in the afternoon even if it's just 15 minutes. perhaps its not enough. but what can i do?

so, is it me? do i expect too much from my kids? from myself?

the last thing i would want to be is be a monster mom.

i also don't want to lose myself...

one morning

its drizzling outside and me and the girls are enjoying the cool weather. we're in the bedroom. rob taking her morning nap, gab doing her new puzzles and coloring book while i tinker with my laptop. nice!

it's been almost a week now and my first daughter Raya is still sick

:( fever is on and off. she still have colds. she had our cbc & urinalysis yesterday. and i'd like to mention that she did not cry during the blood extradction. we're proud! :) and since it's our pedia's birthday was yesterday, she can't be reached for the results. even if we do get the results from the laboratory, we wouldn't be able to interpret it, right? here we are so worried because we don't know why Raya is sick and our pedia is unavailable!! anyway, we got the results and ask our doctor friends. thank God for them!! base on the numbers, it seems that it's just a viral thing. thank God!! her ninang also recommended to take paracetamol instead of ibuprofen. since late last night up to now, Raya is ok. hopefully, she will recover completely. and hopefully, our pedia is available tomorrow for another consultation. hay! and hopefully too, none of us will get the virus especially rob since we sleep in just one room. i trust that the breastmilk she got from me for the past 6 months will protect her.

business relationship

we recently got a food cart franchise and placed it in a grocery. so far, sales is ok. our concern for the moment is our franchisee. it's been less than a month and yet, our relationship with the franchisee is starting to weaken. i am not liking it. i, along with my sisters and mom, invested on it. it might not be big for others, but for people like us who struggled to find the funds, this is something we are watching real close.

we've set up a meeting with them to discuss things and i hope, from there, we will continue to have a good relationship. we want to do the right thing. it's healthy for the business to have a good working relationship. they help us, we help them, then both parties will earn, right? right! keep you posted...

finally

finally, we have a new yaya/helper. yey! she is young, a high school graduate, second child of 9 kids (can you belive it?!!), claims to be an honor student and a scholar. she said she stopped school to give way to her other siblings. she wanted to work immediately to help out in the house. she is from the province of iloilo. most importantly, she had previous experience around the house and taking care of kids. hmmm, does that meet our standards. of course it does. i just hope this is it :)

finally, raya has no more fever. we went to see the pedia this morning. she said it seems like just a viral thing since weather these days is erratic. just to be sure, raya will have to rest and continue her  meds for a few more days. the thing is, she'll miss school for another few days. oh well. better be safe.

finally, hubby was able to make time and clean up raya's toys. there's a plenty! he doesn't like litter. i still have to check inside the plastic where he placed the toys for disposal. just in case there's something that he shouldn't dispose. hehe.

hmmm, what else. so far that's it. i gotta go and visit our laundry shop and corn booth. hope sales are good.

Lord, please help! :)

Sunday

I'm happy because...
mahal is back from his busineSs trip
It's raining! Therefore, more water for our dams and trees. Also more customers for our laundry shop
Cool weather
We might have found a new all around yaya

I'm sad because...
Too much rain might cause another ondoy
Raya has high fever since last night
*pls let it not get worse. It's making me go nits! She'll miss school and sad to add, we couldn't afford it.

Gotta save more and invest on health insurance.
Gotta pray some more and more frequently

sweet ending

finally, our helper left. good riddance! haha! i am glad that we, especially my kids, and our wallets are safe ;)  i am sure that we'll find a better one even if it's hard to find a very reliable and trustworthy yaya/helper these days. we lost money, true, but we've learned. that's the most important thing. so let's move on...

it's been 2 days since we have no helper and no husband. hey, i'm a single mom!! :) hubby  is on a business trip. so far, the kids and i are ok. catching up on laundry and cleaning and putting things in order of course. tiring but ok. in the midst of this, i got to spend quality time with raya through playing le crosse (spell check), golf, horsey, play dough and puzzles. she's crazy about puzzles these days. she's so good! im proud. rob, on the other hand, well, she just sleeps and drinks milk. i can't wait for her to grow up too. but not too fast ;)

last night, we slept at grammy's (my mom) house who lives like a few meters away from us. hehe. we had dinner there too. it's comforting to have a few companions rather than just me and the kids alone in the house. it also helps me not to miss gelio too much (cheesy!). it's really different when he is not around. oh well! my night ended sweetly anyway. i was putting robin to sleep when raya decided to join us on the floor. she wants to be beside us! that's what i've always been praying... that we will be a close and happy family always!

helper issues

this morning, i finally had the courage to face our helper of almost 1 year. i don't know why it took me so long to do so. perhaps i'm just not confrontational as what others think or maybe i fear for our safety especially for my kids.

like others, she was ok at first. she was even worried because she wasn't doing anything much at home. well, our apartment is just small and we don't have lots of stuff to begin with. i do the cooking for all meals cos she doesn't know how to cook. clothes and bedsheets are mashine washed. she does the ironing only once a week. cleaning could be done in a few minutes since we don't have much stuff. we don't even have a sala! so i can say that work for her should be easy. and guess what? her day off starts saturday afternoon and goes home monday morning.

the problem started when i noticed that some of my money was missing. started with just the coins then some Php20, Php50 and then the piggy bank. this prompted us to purchase a cash box with lock. it didn't stop there. she even gets money from my wallet which is inside my bag that's inside my room. if there's big amount missing, i'll ask her to look for it cos "it must have fallen from my bag" and then she'd "find" it.

for the past weeks, i noticed that she's masungit, mabigat ang paa, nagbubuntung-hininga, she's not responding when we call her, etc. i know she's not tired. mind you, i do most of the work at home. i seldom go out. i go out when i bring raya to school. that's it. last night was the last straw. she went out to go to the store [i think] without saying anything to me nor to my mom who was there. she just passed by us. when she got back, i asked her if there's a problem. she didn't answer.

so this morning i again asked her if something's wrong. she didn't answer. so i let her sit and talked to her. good thing gelio was there too with me to talk to her. i didn't expect her to deny everything even if we cited some incidents! i was thinking she will just keep quiet. but no! hay....  

anyway, she said she'll buy ticket. sana nga umalis na sya. i want her to pack in front of me. my wedding band is still missing. we talked to our family and the guard in our village already.

are we so lenient? maybe we have to go through this to learn the expensive way.  :(  an officemate of my husband advised me to set the rules right from the start. i'll do that. i've listed [in my mind] the rules for the next helper/yaya. i'll be strict this time. if i see something's wrong from the start, i'll have to confront her. i should NOT be scared that i'll lose a helper or that she might hurt my daughters. the more i should act on it to prevent anything bad happening to my family. anyway, i AM the boss!

what's your choice?

if you have a choice, what will it be?

     1) SAHM - having lots of quality time with family, seeing your kids grow, being able to take care of family, 24/7 day "work", no pay, no benefits, no rest days...

OR

     2) working mom - with pay & benefits & rest days, no worries about having a regular income, bills being paid on time, but lesser quality time with family??

time out

i love my husband and my kids very much. they are truly God's gifts to me. infact, i consider them my life. totoo pla yun?  i mean, a person could be somebody else's life! i can say that when i became a mom and a wife. but, can i just say TIME OUT muna?  sometimes, i get tired too from all the crying, the disciplining, picking up scattered toys & clothes on the floor, putting things in order, preparing food, fixing stuff, interrupted sleep, budgeting, thinking of ways to earn extra and so on and on and on. now i question myself if i allow myself to rest. yes i do. i am not sure if it is enough. am i the "do-it-all" person? i don't think so. it's just that my current maid doesn't know how to cook so i do the cooking. i also do not want to completely entrust my kids to her. i want to be the one to give my girls a bath, feed them and i want to be with them. do i need another helper? but we can't afford it yet

:'(  and i'm home most of the time so i don't think we need another one. so what is it? oh no, might be a case of time management. but its not. when my first daughter raya, started to go to school, i have somehow managed my schedule. maybe having a new baby & a toddler, a workaholic husband, a not-so-efficient helper in the house, a tight budget, and 3 business on the side is really quite a handful. i wonder how my lola who have 8 kids managed it before? or my mom who have 3 kids did it? to think she was a working mom. maybe it was really different back then. hay, kakaloka tlga!