because it's time to catch up

Last year, our life as parents became even more challenging than the previous year. We had to work doubly hard to be able to provide for the needs of our daughter. We also made some important career decisions that would later benefit our little pre-schooler.

I know I've been on blogging hiatus for several months already but I look forward to become more productive again when life would already give me the right balance.

For now, I just have to be content with whatever time I have for this writing/blogging hobby of mine. Blogging about our life as parents (and sometimes on other stuff) gives me an opportunity to preserve some important memories and events that I would later show to my daughter when she's old enough to read and understand them. I want her to know how proud I am for having her as my daughter. And even though we could not always give her what she wants, we will make sure she is provided with all that she would need to become a better person one day.

Just last month, she celebrated her birthday. We couldn't believe we're now dealing with a 6-year old. Oh, where did the time go?

a year-ender report on our life as parents

It's back to blogging time once again, folks! Ahem! I thought I would be able to blog earlier than today but, much as I would have wanted to, family, work and some other  priorities really got in the way, especially towards the end of the year. Still, I hope to start the new year with a little "year-ender" of some sort.

I am happy to say that, although last year was quite a challenging one for us, we were somehow able to successfully carry out some decisions which have something to do with our life as parents.  I cannot complain anything despite that we were not able to accomplish some of the goals last year. Overall, there were more blessings we have enjoyed that we hardly notice we have also endured

some trials. I am really thankful for all the material gifts we have received last year. More than anything else, though, I am thankful to God for giving us gifts of good health and whole lot of good friends.

Our little girl, on the other hand, has enjoyed every bit about her life as a preschooler and as the lone daughter. Husband and I have noticed a lot of progress, not only in terms of academics  but also in terms of displaying good behavior. Thanks to her teacher in school for partnering with us parents in helping to mold and shape our kid.

I and husband are still discussing our plans for the year - what we need to accomplish as according to priorities. It really helps to have realistic plans even though we may not be able to execute some of them.

going towards 100

My oh my, I am on my way to my 100th post for this blog! Thank you for many of you parents and parents-to-be who took the time to read my posts. My gratitude also goes to those who have liked Our Life As Parents on Facebook. Thanks for supporting me on my journey as a blogger throughout the years. I hope to do better with my future posts. In fact, I am planning to share with my readers how I am earning a little bit through this wonderful hobby of mine. You see, this hobby also requires diligence and dedication. Although it is not really necessary to do it every single day, it helps that you have some regular time to sit down and blog about your thoughts or ideas. Well, that's just a little information for now since our little girl has been begging me for the nth time to shut down this computer. LOL.

keeping up with our morning chores

I can already imagine what our life as parents would be like when our little girl starts schooling. After all, like a sneak preview, I had a little taste of it when Dippy went to summer school. Since Nursery classes are held in the morning, we knew we need to get up a little early than usual so we can have time to prepare her for school. Aside from getting her to wake up early and let her take a shower and get dressed, part of our very mundane routine is to cook a healthy meal that Dippy would love to eat. As much as possible also, we need to have that extra time as she wants either her father or me to feed her even when the sitter is around. Cooking is definitely one chore that eats up most of the extra time we have in the morning before we are able to prepare ourselves to go to work. Our bottleneck is in the preparation of the ingredients for a healthy meal which includes the cutting or the slicing of vegetables. In fact, there was one time that I almost cut my finger while rushing to get the cooking chore done. Luckily, the blade didn't get through my skin but it was really close to an accident. There was also another time when I dropped the knife and the blade almost landed on my right foot. Obviously, we didn't have one of those utility knives that are much safer to use. I did wish to own one soon but, for the meantime, I resolve to be more careful when using this kitchen tool. More importantly, we're taking that ounce of prevention by keeping it away from our little girl's reach.

the story behind a sad face

One day, we ran out of dishwashing liquid already; so I asked the nanny to bring the little girl along to buy one from the neighborhood's mini-store since this could no longer wait until the next day's scheduled grocery shopping at the big store. The little girl actually thought they are going to buy Coke. Coca Cola is one of her favorite drinks (sorry), aside from Tang which she calls "Handa, Inom Gawa" (words she copied from a jingle of the brand's TV commercial) and her milk, of course.

So, when she learned that they are going to buy only the dishwashing liquid, she was so disappointed and insisted that they buy Coke as well. The nanny wouldn't yield to her request. Besides, she didn't have extra money for that, anyway. And so, the nanny went back home with the dishwashing liquid and a broken-hearted little girl. The little girl then went upstairs to let me know they already bought what I asked them to buy. She also went to her father who was reading a book to ask money so she can go back to the store with the nanny to buy softdrinks. To her dismay, the father said No and told her that it's not good for her small tummy and she didn't even take her lunch yet. [We actually didn't want her to drink carbonated drinks; although, occasionally, we would allow her to drink but would remember to mix some water to it. LOL!] She was crying and felt so bad that her father said NO. She grabbed me along so we can go downstairs together with the intention of leaving her father behind, and blurted "Ma, ayaw na i-friend si Papa!" (Translation: Mama, do not be-friend Papa) :-) After that, she then turned to me and asked if I can give her money for the drink. When I also said No and explained to her why, she was a huge picture of sadness after that.

She really felt so bad but when I told her I'll take a picture of her so she can see how she looks like when she's not happy, she managed to compose herself - crossed her legs and faced the camera! Oh, my poor girl! :-)

We must have broken her heart at that time but we know it is for her own good.

smiled at this story today

Nanay Thelma, the nanny, just told me today that my little girl complained about why I need to work. She doesn't do that all the time, though. According to her, my daughter said I shouldn't be working so I can be with her all the time. However, when she told her that Mama has to work so there is rice to cook and some clothes for her to wear, she quickly smiled, changed her mind and said (in our own dialect), "All right, Mama has to work!" I can't help but smile at this story as well. As young as she is right now, I was glad she already understood our situation. I know I am raising a good daughter.

what it's like every morning

Here's a glimpse of what it's like every morning just before we would take off for work.

Our little girl is waving goodbye...

Such a sad scene to watch, I should say. 

Although she has already accepted the fact that her mama and papa has to leave everyday for work, she would usually wake up early so she can still have the chance to kiss and say goodbye to us. I wish she never had to watch us driving away to work everyday so she wouldn't feel bad.

What's giving me some peace of mind, though, even if we have to leave for work is because my in-laws are there to take care of her. We are definitely indebted to them for the unconditional love and attention they are giving to our daughter. After all this time, I still find it hard to leave my kid behind but I have to fight whatever awful feeling I have for leaving her to my in-laws' care for the meantime that we can't find anyone else we could trust our kid to. Both of us needed to work so we can successfully carry on our financial responsibilities as parents.

loving my family

I realized it's been a while since I posted pictures of us here in my blog.

with my husband and my little girl

I think this was taken some months ago when my brother arrived from Abu Dhabi and he treated us for lunch at SM. Obviously, brother is not in the picture as he was probably the one taking it. Every time we go out as a family, I will always look for an opportunity to have pictures of us taken even though there are many times that I feel like I don't look my best. After all, it's a reality I have to face, right? It's definitely a good idea to have our life as parents captured in photos. I love my family!

guess how much we love our kid

A few days from now, she'll turn 3! It feels like it was only yesterday when we've raised a newborn. It feels like it was only yesterday when she can barely communicate with us. Now, she's one little conversationalist. Sometimes, she would also mimic the words that are spoken by adult people around her and this is one reason why we would need to be careful when we converse in front of her. She's also now at this stage where she would want to keep wearing her favorite dress, sometimes to the point that people would probably wonder if we ever thought of buying her a new one. :-)

Guess how much we love our kid? I think most parents can relate to this feeling. Definitely, our love cannot be measured by the toys and the birthday parties we are able to afford them. So, dear daughter, if you are able to read this blog when you grow up, please know that you are loved so much!

approaching the second year of our life as parents

Some time next month, my toddler will be two years old. Wow, I am really looking forward to year two of our life as parents even though they say that one of the hardest times in the life of parents is when the child turns two years old because it will be a time where the parents' patience and tolerance will be tested in terms of their ability in dealing with and managing toddler tantrums and other irritating to unpleasant behavior. In fact, I had mentioned in my previous post that we already started dealing with her occasional tantrums. I guess it came early, huh!

One thing I noticed about our toddler these days is that she's all prim and proper when we're outside the house. I mean she wouldn't show off any signs of being cranky except when we're at home. I guess she knows how to place herself. My analysis was that she's really just too comfortable in showing her crankiness only with us.  Her crankiness doesn't happen too often, though. Most of the time she's lovable, sweet and clingy (trying not to sound like a defensive parent here).

How about you guys, care to share your toddler's manifestation of unpleasant or irritating behavior? How do you deal with it?


Anyway, I've been meaning to share this video of my toddler when she first learned to love a Justin Bieber song. I just love the way she had obediently sang her part here. :-)

wordless wednesday: there are less words to say today...

only because I'm writing them down...
 the traditional way on a pleasant wednesday.... :-)

showcasing my daughter's talent

It's been a while since my last update. I didn't realize I've concentrated with my walk through life blog more than being here. My apologies for I have been busy. I hope to update this more in the future. For now, let me just brag about my daughter's talent.

This is just a short video of my toddler dancing through the music of a nursery rhyme. She likes music a lot. Everytime she hears music, she would dance to it, no matter how slow or fast the beat is. To explain what's that thing on the side of her face, she was actually taking her breakfast when she started to dance. :-)



We are really enjoying our life as parents a lot!