Musings Archives - Page 43 of 49

I Will Drive, Maybe

I said, I will bake, maybe or I will drive.. maybe

Driving and baking are two things that I don’t think I can include on my skills list, not for the moment, maybe in the near future. I told you, baking to me is overwhelming and driving, well, I still have to convince myself that I can drive, patiently.

My husband has been telling me to learn how to drive, go get a student’s licence then later on a driver’s license. And here are my dilemmas so far:

I still have to fix my name on my birth certificate. It turns out that the name I have been using is not my name at all. It’s not that bad, it just so happens that my name is actually Filipinas and not Pilipinas (oops! did I just blurted out my name?!? argh!). Emphasis on the F and the P. I will not dwell on how it happened, it’s a long story and I have my mother to blame. Driver’s license is a big deal, it is recognized as an official ID and I wan my name with the P to appear on it. It’s not hard to get a driver’s license right? You just need to bring the necessary document. But yeah, I have to fix my NAME first!

I have a patience of a bull and I am not sure if I can hold my temper whenever a motorist tries to steal my road. And with me being OC and all, how can I drive here in the city? Maybe a countryside driving can convince me to learn how to drive.

I have no car! We do have a car but it’s his and not mine. If ever I will learn how to drive, of course I would want to drive my own car.

Driving has many advantages of course, If I knew how to drive, I can drive the kids to their school and I do not have to rely on the school serve. I can do errands by myself or when I need to go out, I can without having to worry where to ride or commuting via public transpo.

I guess in due time, I will have to learn how to drive. Or it maybe sooner, when the time comes that a driver’s license will function more than a driver’s license. I heard that in some countries, enhanced driver’s license is being used for identity and security, almost replacing the use of passport.. now that sounds promising! or if time comes where our driver’s license will also serve a smart card, an ATM or debit card, that will be my cue. Nay, pakiayos na ang birth certificate koooohhh..

But the real question is: Are we ready for a driver’s license card that offers more?

Afternoon Walk At Binondo

been planning for this walk since time immorial.. and finally! spent an afternoon with my girlfriends walking around Chinatown..

First stop (after a quick Divi shopping) was Waiying Fastfood at Benavidez Street:

We had Fried Noodles, Fried Rice (2 orders), Hakaw (3 orders), Pork Asado (1/4 lang), Fried Wanton (4 orders) and Hot Salad + Buko Pandan for dessert. We also ordered Cold Milk Tea (5 glass) as suggested by our waiter. Our total bill was 1505 PhP. ang mura di ba? at ang sarap! nag take out nga ako ng buchi (which my husband liked so much), buchi is 60 PhP for 3 pieces. Food and price aside, I think one of the reason why this restaurant is very popular is their staff.. every one of them is very accommodating and helpful. Our waiter suggested on what we should order and how much we should, like the Pork asado.. which he suggested we order just a quarter first. He was the one who mentioned about their fried wanton, which turns out to be a favorite.. we ordered another serving and another 2 for take out! Not only that, when we asked him to wrap the asado sauce for take out, he said he’ll just give us new sauce for take out.. nice! And they were really nice to take our photos even though the place is full:

argh! I know, plastic bag! haays.. food take outs.. I still don’t know what to do with them..

After our feast (Levy has to leave early.. kaines!) we started walking again.. from benavidez to Salazar and then to Ongpin street. Just before the bridge at Ongpin, we found a small store that sells Melona Ice Cream.. at nagulat kami! 25 PhP lang pala isa.. ignorante mode lang.. akala namin mahal LOL

And while Melona melts in our hands, I thought of asking this joke I found online:

3 women are eating popsicles, one is biting, one is licking, and one is sucking, which is married?

Which one? Tell me on the comment section!

Off to Ongpin, to look for Sati’s earrings and we end up at a store almost in front/side of Sta Cruz Church (if I remember correctly, this is also the place where I bought our now gone wedding ring haha).. a few inquiries here and there and I got the little girl a 14K standard gold for 900 PhP (originally 1500 PhP.. ay oo mga teh, ako ay reyna ng kabaratan!).. a few more walks and we stopped for a quick rest and water refill.. then we head back to the stall where we bought Sati’s earrings.. found a really cute earrings for me..got it for 300 PhP, original price is 500 PhP.. turns out, pag alis namin, may pumakyaw sa paninda nya. Maganda daw akong buena mano kaya pumayag sa tawad ko na 300 at totoo naman, based on my expereince pag nilapitan ko ang isang tindahan, dinudumog hehe

kaya ko naman nagustuhan ung hikaw for Sati (kahit wala sa budget) eh dahil sa de roskas sya (tama ba spelling ko) ay basta un, parang de tornilyo ba.. at least hindi na madali maalis ung pakaw unlike sa mga dati nyang hikaw.. mura nga halos every month naman nagpapalit kame..aysus! The swan earrings for me, I bought it kase feeling ko ugly duckling ako dati.. I mean hindi lang feeling, ugly duckling talaga ako.. and it has my birthstone! and yes, I feel I’m a swan now.. hehe

We end our walk with fried siopao..we found it along Ongpin street corner Bahama street (near Metrobank). It’s small store, almost unnoticeable but their fried siopao is very famous. I bought 8 pieces at 16 PhP each.. 4 pieces for my kids and 4 pieces for my “other” kids aka Kieth&Dylan.

Here’s our route during our Binondo Walk:

Green dot is Waiying Fastfood, Purple Dot is where we bought fried siopao and the yellow dots is the gold center.

It’s not the usual Binondo Walk and we did not even have enough photos to say we did walk on the streets of Binondo..first timers! hahaha so in our next visit, I will make our itinerary and as early as now, here’s our must stop list:

Chinatown Welcome Sign
Binondo Church
Binondo Fountain
Sta Cruz Church
Ride a Kalesa
Food trip (Waiying, Quick Snack, Estero, Shin Tai Shang, President’s Grand Palace etc)
Ongpin Bridge
Gold Shopping/window shopping (I saw this uber cool engagement ring and forgot to take a photo.. so next time..)

Any suggestion?

Practical Tips For A Hassle Free School Year (Specially Made For SAHM)

If the school year started with last week, ours will only start tomorrow.. uh oh.

Are you prepared mommies?

We need to wake earlier, cook breakfast, prepare the kids, take them to school.. prepare their lunch, fetch them, teach them.. then dinner..and don’t forget to wash the dishes!

just thinking about it, makes you want to go back to sleep and wish vacation isn’t over yet? right?

Oh well, that was me a few years back.. but this year, weeks before the start of school year, I already trained myself to accept the fact that I can no longer sleep until 10 AM teehee

Imagine my situation:

4 kids.. 2 are grade school students, 2 will be home schooled.. and a demanding husband (joke lang pow!) and a few blogs to manage..it’s not easy, it’s NOT! and the school year hasn’t started yet! waahh

but well, I already made a plan for this year and hopefully I can keep up to it. So here are some Practical Parenting Tips For A Hassle Free School Year:

Prepare yourself psychologically. It helps a lot that you, as the main man, err woman of the house knows and understand the position you are in. Oh yes, you’ll be the one to wake up earlier, you’ll be the one to cook breakfast, wash the dishes, etc.. no one else will do it (of course not unless if you have a helper).. My point is, ACCEPT IT! Accept the fact that since this is your home, you will be the home manager.. and will be the one responsible for almost everything. Believe me, it really helps if you will accept that you have no time for yourself.

Make Time For Yourself. Now if you have accepted the fact that you HAVE NO TIME FOR YOURSELF.. make time! The thing is, if you think you deserve a me time but you never had the chance to actually claim it, you will end up feeling sorry for yourself.. trabaho na lang ng trabaho, walis dito walis doon, hugas dito, hugas doon..ni hindi man lang ako makapagsuklay ahuhuh.. got the message? Go make your time even if you think you have no me time. Make time for yourself not because you deserve it but because YOU WANT IT and they can’t do anything about it.

Create a schedule that you can follow, even for weekdays. As a mom, I can imagine how we, mommies love to multitask which most of the time ends with not being able to finish, even just one task. Create your schedule, time for cooking, time for this, time for ME TIME, time for kids. From there, create your routine.

Want to peak on my schedule? Basically, my morning is about exercise, cook, prepare myself, MAKE UP, prepare the kids etc..

Prepare Yourself Physically. And I mean, physically, like as if you’re working, get ready, take a bath, wear make up.. the works. It helps in conditioning yourself that you’re ready.. ready to face the day, ready fro anything that you will encounter during the day. In fact, I read somewhere (oh please forgive my memory.. blame that to childbirth!) it helps if you will not wear you usual house clothes, wear something that’s nice, something that you will wear when going to the mall or to the grocery. It also helps if you will wear a shoes. Remember, you’re a manager! And yes, make up, everyday.

Orient Your Kid/s with the schedule. Let them know what are expected from them. Let them understand their role in keeping the house less chaotic and of course in keeping your sanity intact. Give them responsibility too.

Procrastination is now you ENEMY. What you can do at night, do it.. like preparing what you need for breakfast, ironing uniform, preparing your clothes, cleaning the house. I works for me very well.. that I never go to sleep unless the house is clean, that’s one less household chore for me in the morning.

Establish a Study Habit. I sound like I am all about routine no? but that is really the key! a routine is very helpful to make sure that all things are done and that you don’t miss a thing. It helps to keep you more organized and less chaotic. It’s not as if, one day, you will teach your kid in the morning before going to school then a few days after, you will teach them after school. Establishing a study habit will give you an advantage in managing your time and not only that, it will also be helpful to your kid/s in the long run.

And lastly, keep your laundry clean (full post for this one coming soon). Basically, separate the clothes accordingly, specially the socks, the uniforms and the undies and hankies. It would be a lot easier to find these garments if you wash it separately from the other.. making it easier to prepare it for the coming school week.