if iñigo will have home as school...

then it will be less expensive for daddy and mommy than sending him to the best school (because he deserves this) in our place;

then mommy doesn't need to stress herself and her little boy during exam weeks;

then learning will be more fun for iñigo as he can devote more time on his interests, aided by more field trips than the usual once a year;

then he doesn't need to compete with the other kids and he will learn that success doesn't need to go along with competition;

and he doesn't need to deal with bullies, sick classmates who'd share viruses with him, and boring teachers who make learning a not-so-fun thing to do;

then he doesn't need to mingle with kids that were raised with different values;

then daddy and mommy will be the main influence on his life;

and so daddy and mommy is forced to devote more time with him everyday...

to teach lessons and more importantly values, to motivate, to know first-hand of his strengths and weaknesses, to play and enjoy life...

so when it's time for him to go the big school we know that he's MORE THAN READY.

 

p.s.

homeschooling seems to be so ideal so we're doing all the research and preparation. we're not yet 100% sure on this but as of now, it's the best education that we can think of for our son from preschool to primary education.

 

our little engineer (and hearty eater) in the house

i can't help but to share what our budding engineer has already made at his age...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the wooden blocks set became his favorite toy eversince i gifted him with this. with good hand skills and imagination, iñigo is making giant slide, bridge, tower, building (such as in the left picture above), and castle of enchanted kingdom (right picture above, though i'm not pretty sure why there's a cow on top).

engr. iñigo dominador bustamante... hmm... sounds not bad at all, right? =D

i'm not sure though if his lolo jun and his daddy want to have another engineer in the family after them.  they think he has more potentials in acting... look how he plead for his one pack of cookies...

pang-famas!

***

aside from his hands the other part of the body that iñigo loves to use is his MOUTH as he still is a hearty eater... even up to this day (i remember i already blogged about iñigo's big appetite in this site but i'm really a happy and proud mom so i blog it once more).

give him his food, and spoon or fork if necessary, and i have 10-15 minutes of peace in the house as he's busy eating. among his favorites are fish, chicken, beef, pork, veggies, pastries, pasta... yes, almost every food i can think of... lucky me right? and it's sometimes a battle between us if he still insists of cookies after a full meal.

i'm really so glad his appetite isn't like mine when i was a kid as i was really a picky-eater.

btw, i let him eat on his own as much as possible, as i wanted him to be independent at an early age, which i think is precursor to early maturity and high level of self-confidence in kids.

 

samu't sari

my boss called me this morning to inform me that the venue of our conference early next year is no longer in shangri-la mactan. either i have it changed to shangi-la makati or tagaytay highlands, but definitely shangri-la mactan is already out of the picture because it is logistically unwise to hold the event there according to the sponsors. this is a sad news for me as i'm really looking forward to set foot on this 5-star hotel-resort in cebu for free, and i just have to pay for iñigo and jude, and probably my mom's (who will tend iñigo for me) airfare and accommodation.

but that was it. now we have a strong reason to push the other trip we're planning next year.

but i'm quite thrilled that tagaytay highlands is my boss' next option after shangri-la mactan as jude and iñigo haven't been there yet and i want them to have the chance to see it as the place is really lovely. and if i may add, it's only 30-minutes away from our house. =)

***

we have our hands full right now for next month's events. first in the list is our wedding anniversary so we're again preparing for an out-of-town trip, which we do every year. next is an (jude's younger brother) and rozunne's wedding on the 12th so we're quite busy preparing for our attire (AS IF...!), especially iñigo's as he'll be an extra bible-bearer to his ninong an's wedding. =D we wanted to throw a shower for the weds-to-be but we're not really sure when to do it as we will come back from our trip by 8th, our anniversary date, so we're in the dark with regard to this. add more to my stress is the visit of some important people from our number one company-client on the 9th and 10th.

but what's most stressful of all is when i found out that there's a big, big, big (more than 50% off?) sale of guess, mossimo, and mango items in the afternoon of 10th, it's only a one-time affair so i have to be there!!!

***

are male kids really uber-kulit? iñigo is right now and i sometimes end up in tears (no exaggeration here) as i am torn between reprimanding him or just letting him be since being naughty is in his nature as a two-year old. he's a very strong-willed kid and i am not sure if it's a positive or a negative trait for him. i'm nursing a bruise in my hips right now as while i'm sitting on a stool this morning, iñigo pulled it out as he intended to use it as a platform so he can get his toys above the cabinet, which i purposely put because once everything is in his reach... hay, CHAOS!

***

did you try googling your name? i did just this morning as i wanted to know what others will find out about me when they tried to key in my maiden name in google. it's my long-lost-but-found-now friend in college, jeanette, who told me yesterday while we're chatting that she googled my name in her effort to touchbase with me. siempre, napraning ako! hahaha.

there are only two entries for my name; one is mentioned in the website of national statistics coordination board as one of the reports i prepared for their office while i was still with department of trade and industry is posted there. but i laughed when i saw my job title as it's typed, "trade and tourism development specialist". hehehe. kelan pa nag-merge and DTI and DOT (tourism department)? my name is also mentioned in energy regulatory commission's (ERC) webpage for those who have cases with meralco back in 2001. to make it clear huh, i was the one, on behalf of my parents, who filed a case against meralco thru ERC because we received a billing statement which charged us php 30,000+ in amount. to make the story short, i won the case and i made myself popular in its kamagong branch. hahahaha.

i tried to search jude's name in google but there's zero result... hinde s'ya sikat. hehe.

***

TGIF, and we have a busy weekend ahead of us as we're going up north...

of metro manila. =)

oh no, mommy junior he is!

iñigo striked again!

i was putting on my clothes this morning when he snatched away my bag of kikay accessories from the cabinet. since i was in a hurry to dress up i let him tinker with my things for some minutes of peace and quiet. look what he did to himself which prompted me to get my camera...

isn't he pretty... este, cute?

i showed this picture to jude this evening but i couldn't tell if his smile was genuine or a smirk.

like mommy, like son. hahaha.

when it rains, it pours... and traffic and flood come along

...and you can expect that only in the philippines, in metro manila to be exact. we were there this afternoon (for those who still don't know, we already live here in cabuyao, laguna) as jude had an official business with DENR in roxas blvd. we went along as i also wanted to secure copies of iñigo's birth certificate from NSO and to pay my contribution with SSS. but before we proceeded with our plans, we dropped first our little boy in jude's parents' house in vito cruz so we don't have to worry about him and his nap time.

i left jude in DENR at 2:00 p.m. and just took the cab going to NSO's branch in macapagal ave. (reclamation area) and boy, traffic was already heavy that time! i reached NSO at 3:00 p.m. and to my dismay, the office is already closed. i was told by the guards that malacañang already announced ealy that afternoon that government employees can already go home by 2:00 p.m. because of heavy rain. waaah! to think that i even paid php 130 for my taxi fare just to get there!

so i left the NSO premises and rode a trike going to buendia, and paid php 20 btw for my fare. fortunately, (the only fortunate incident i had) buses abound along buendia so going to cash and carry, where jude and i agreed to meet, was never a problem.

the flow of traffic was heavier this time and if not for the movie of jackie chan that's being played on the dvd inside that bus i could have already died of boredom. it was already past 4:00 p.m. when the bus reached the corner of bautista st. (former dian st.) and to my horror, the entire area of bautista-filmore was flooded! i didn't see any spot along the road where the bus driver can drop me without me dipping in the floodwater. waaaah.... AYOKO!!! when was the last time i walked on a flooded street? twelve years ago during my UST days--that was a long time ago... maarte na ako ngayon... i really don't want to walk on a flooded street as i'm already aware of leptosirosis (did i even spell it right?) and its likes.

and just like a manna from heaven, i saw a pedicab coming before us. i asked the bus driver to call the pedicab driver and let him go near the bus door. woohoo-hoo! a piece of luck for me. but in just a matter of seconds, it showed me otherwise as floodwater already splashed onto my feet the moment i jumped inside the sidecar. and the more boo-boos i had when i sat down in its chair, which was actually a wrong move because the water can get high up to waist-level which made my pants wet! i was already in distress this time as i can't bear wearing wet pants all the way to our house in laguna. the pedicab driver advised me to just squat, and so i did.

i bought shorts (and panty... hihi) and a pair of flip-flops as soon as i reached the mall of cash and carry and changed into these right away. thank gawd i have alcohol with me all the time; hence, i was able to sanitize myself first.

jude already arrived after a short while and we decided to have snacks first in luk yuen for a hot beef brisket noodles before going back to his parent's house. we left the mall at 5:30 and what could be a just 5-minute drive became a nerve-wrecking almost two-hours ride as the traffic along bautista st. was really horrendous, nightmarish, and kasumpa-sumpa! there were a few school vans near us and i can't help but feel bad for its passengers, the school kids, as i'm pretty sure they were already hungry and bored to death.

we reached the house at exactly 7:15 p.m.. i really felt bad as nothing good happened to my day (jude was able to get what he needed from DENR) and worse is, i spent 200 bucks for an unworthy trip aside from spending for another pair of shorts, panty, and flip-flops, which i don't really need. =(

 

our househelp diary and why i was so busy

i'm in blogging mode once again as after more than a month of having no househelp nor yaya, i have another new one--thanks mama dear for recruiting one for me! =D hence, i have more time now to blog and surf the net... yahoo!

and i thought i'm already good as wifey-mommy-atsay-yaya and home-based employee rolled into one. honestly, i'm already getting the hang of it and if not for my once or twice a week reporting to our office, or only if there is a daycare center where i can drop iñigo when i need to leave the house, i prefer not to have another helper again. i just love the privacy of having no househelp brings. but since i can't forego my income (now pa na ang taas lahat ng bilihin!) i need to hire someone who can help me inside the house and take care of iñigo while i'm away.

so my current right now is the third since jude and i settled down. i thought my first one was a heaven-sent and as matter of fact, she was with us for two years until may of this year. she knew the drills inside the house; she knew my standards and my ka-OC-han; and she knew well how to take care of iñigo as we hired her before i gave birth. but as the song goes, " all good things never last" and my heaven-sent helper transformed into a witch. for the last two months she was with us i cannot count on how many times she lied, she slept over her unfinished chores, and she complained to everyone of her tedious job and how snotty i was to her! the last one was really a "DUH! (with wishing na puede bang manabunot???)" as i was even scheduling chores so she'll have a lot of time to rest and the more and louder "DUH! (with wishing na puede bang manampal???) as i held myself in confronting her when i caught her many times that she's using my things--from shoes to hair accessories. i was even generous of praises and gifts like brand-new celfone as i thought that those would motivate her to do better in job and hopefully to win her loyalty for us. but i should know better na tawag ng pag-ibig is more powerful and in one month after meeting the guy (give one week for their ligawan, if that ever happened) my first househelp, matet, told me that she'll go back to her province for good to study DAW.

me: eh pa'no yun may na and alam mo na makakaalis ka lang after a month, yun usapan natin.

matet: okay lang po ate... inenroll na raw nila ako.

me: ah good. at least wala ka na palang problema.

matet: oo nga po. pagdating ko na lang daw po sa bicol ako mag-eexam.

me: HA???

i decided not to continue with what i have to say. uhm... malay n'yo prelims na pagdating n'ya sa bicol 'di ba? hehe.

her bigtime lies was just one of the many things that made her a good riddance when she left us.

nuggets of her kabalastugan:

- she left the house on her last day without us knowing. if i'm just a malditang employer i could have fabricated a story that she stole something, right?

- she had her boyfriend slept inside our house when we were in malaysia.

- she taught iñigo the word, "pawo (for palo)" while holding a slipper. grrr talaga! and you know how dead-set we are of just using time-out to discipline our son.

- she's telling everyone in their barrio (my staff in bogzzi told me this) that she has an illness, which could lead to leukemia (anemic lang pala, paano nga kakapuyat!) after her stint with us.

- the postpaid line which we issued to her registered an amount in the billing of whopping php 3,000--and that's only for two weeks of use. thank gawd the smart customer representative called the attention of jude or else, it may balloon to a five-digit figure with the rate of her phone calls.

sighs... i really hope not to have another of her inside our house.

the second one was a recruit of my mother... or should i say pirated by my mother. hehe. she's already with another family in antipolo when my mother offered a better compensation package. the whole thing was actually done in bad fate since she only left her former employer's house to visit her sons who live near my parents' place and in three days, she was already with us. i know, i know, it's not right... and i also knew the moment i hired her that she won't stay long.

but i never thought naman that she'd only serve us for one month. hay naku talaga! but do i have the choice when she told me that her sons wanted her home? i don't want another bad ending with a househelp so i asked, "when kayo manang kelangang bumalik?". she told me that coming saturday. hello? it's already wednesday! "may emergency" daw. i dug deeper, "ano pong emergency?". "ano... kasi... namatay yung lola ko uuwi kame ng kapatid ko."

galing naman ng lahi ni manang... may lola pa pala s'ya at her age of 50+. good grief!

and so those are my experiences with our former two househelps. now would you blame me if i prefer now not to have a househelp at all if i just can do the housechores and tend iñigo alone? as i've said i'm already good in having all the jobs done. and it's better for me that way than to have a sakit ng ulo. just to give you an idea, this was my routine everyday except when i need to go to my office after lunch, then i have to do everything in the morning:

prepare iñigo's breakfast (nevermind mine or jude's), sweep then mop the floor while he's eating, wash and hang clothes which i prefer not to be done in the laundromat, water the plants, organize things particularly iñigo's things, cook our food if i have to, wash the dishes, spend time with iñigo thru playing and reading books though this is squeezed in in between my chores as he'd demand, "mommy, sit down here!" oh 'di ba? dictator ang anak namin! hahaha. check emails in the afternoon when the son is already asleep. lucky i was if i had an extra time to take a nap. then another round of sweeping and mopping our floor and putting the house in order (i tell you OC ako), and in the evening when jude and iñigo already dozed off then it's my time to iron the clothes which either came from the laundry house or i personally washed. this took me until past midnight as i never let any garment, even the undergarments, be kept in the cabinet without being ironed.

while jude was in charge of the "dirty jobs" like cleaning our T/B and garbage disposal.

unfair 'di ba? oh well, that was my life and somehow i'm thankful now that my shoulders and back can take more rest.

but  definitely i will demand from jude a free spa and massage. =D