Showing posts with label Family Bonding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Bonding. Show all posts

Fridate at Ikea, Edmonton

Last Friday,  I got home first as usual.  I rested a bit while  waiting for the  hubby and Bea.  Hubby is in charge of fetching  Bea from daycare.  This week was a particularly busy one for all three of us.  I had Math finals plus our class hosted the welcome lunch for the new batch.  Hubby experienced several "difficult"  customers.  Bea was student of the week,  which meant she helped teacher with miscellaneous tasks and presented the week's show and tell.  

While I was still in school I texted hubby,  "Let's go out tonight."  "OK!"  was his eager reply.  

When we were still in the Philippines,  we went out often.  Here in Edmonton,  we don't go out as much mainly because malls close early!  Hehe.  Plus,  we're trying to watch our budget too.  Anyway Ikea is always a good option because they close at 9:00 pm,  they have affordable yet delicious food,  and they have really house goodies at very reasonable prices!  




It was definitely a fun Friday date for our family.  We had dinner,  Bea played in the play area for a bit then we went and bought a few items for the kitchen.  :) 

The Good and The Bad of Being Nanny-less

We got our nanny from an agency. We paid for the agency fee and everything. And she is supposed to work with us for 6 months, complete with signed contract. Truth be told, our nanny’s salary is higher than the usual pay given to nannies. Even though her pay is really hard on the budget, we decided to take her services because we just couldn’t find any help! Many reacted negatively when we told them that we got the services of an agency, but what are we to do? We were desperate.

Yes, she is the same nanny who gave Bea the chickenpox. Read about it here. Last week, our nanny went out for her day off, she was supposed to return at 5pm. Her deadline came and went, no nanny. At around 9pm, we texted her asking if she will come home because if not, we’re locking the doors and calling it a night. No reply. The next day, we got a call from the OSP agency in Holy Spirit, QC asking innocently if we needed a new nanny. This infuriated us because they knew fully well that we still had a nanny and her contract is still good for a few more months. When we said no, we still had a nanny, that’s when they came clean and said that our nanny went to their office that morning wielding a medical certificate saying that she has a heart ailment and that she is not fit to work.  She will not be coming back to work with us. Really? That was fast! She got the certificate in just a day? She got checked up and got the results in a day? I want to know where her hospital is because their service is UNBELIEVABLY fast!

Long story short, we have no nanny. The agency refuses to replace her, with 4 more months in her contract. (Will do a separate post about the agency matter).  Thankfully, hubby and I are now working from home, in our photography business, with more flexible hours. We are not as panicked as we would’ve been if this happened back when we were still working our 9-5 jobs in Makati.

Thankfully too, we have a reliable cleaning lady whom we called last weekend to look after Bea while we were out covering an event.
Our family
I am trying to look at the bright side of things. Sure our present nanny-less situation will call for more time management skills, but it will also mean more bonding time for our family. The past days, we’ve had to drag our sleepy butts off the bed to prepare Bea for school, which means more time looking into her school affairs, her baon,her bag, her assignments, her projects, her hairdo for the day etc.
Laundry time
I also took care of our laundry for the week. Two weeks ago, in an attempt to cut costs, I decided to stop sending out our clothes to the laundry place. Now, I have no choice but to take care of it. OK, call it pride but I assured hubby that it’s not going to be a problem, so wash and iron clothes I did. I don’t really mind the washing, it’s the folding and putting away of clothes that I hate. Hehe. Anyway, my efforts paid off when I got a compliment from hubby, saying our clothes smell and feel the best when I wash them. *music to my ears* I am thinking about permanently taking on the laundry assignment, even though we already talked to the cleaning lady and she said she’d include the laundry to her weekly tasks. I just like to be more in control of our clothes and our laundry supplies. Our past nannies used detergent and fabric conditioner excessively, not to mention the water consumption. Hmp.

So now, Ariel Detergent soap and Downy Fabric Conditioner are my friends, and we intend to meet once a week. That is the plan. I hope I can stick to it. =)

Family Bonding over Disney Pixar's Brave and Musicals


The best part of being a WAHM is the chance to spend quality time with my daughter. Recently hubby and I started watching movies with her. When she was younger, we didn’t do this because we felt she wasn’t ready yet. Her attention span was just too short and she would ask so many (irritating) questions. Who is that? Why is she doing that? Where does she go to school? What section is she in? Who are her playmates? Argh!  

Merida
One day, I decided to let her watch Pixar’s animated movie Brave. I read somewhere that this is a must-watch for mothers and daughters. 

Merida with mom Elinor
A few minutes into the movie, the questions started. I was beginning to be irritated again when I realized they were actually relevant questions. Why are they out? Is it her birthday? Why is the bear mad? Why is Brave (Merida) sad? That was when I realized that she understands the movie and can now follow the story flow. Happiness! One more activity we can bond over as a family!

Happy Family
I don’t think Bea has absorbed Brave’s life lessons, but that’s ok. Spending time and doing one of my most favorite things with her is enough for now. Maybe reading next? *wishing and hoping*

Since then, Berto, Bea and I have been watching more movies together. Lately, due to the Les Miserables mania, we have been into musicals. Bea loooves Phantom of the Opera, however instead of singing Christine’s parts she prefers to sing the Phantom’s songs. Oh well…

Phantom of the Opera

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