A Mother's Day Gift

Yesterday,  my daughter came home really excited.  She asked me to close my eyes because she had a surprise for me.  I happily obliged.  When I opened my eyes,  I saw this beautiful sight in front of me:

My mother's day surprise 

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.  :) 

Spring Concert 2015

Spring has finally come in Edmonton, Alberta. Last Tuesday, we attended Bea's very first Spring Concert in her school. It was held in their gym. Only 2 tickets were given per family. The school didn't sell additional tickets. Extended family were invited to the dress rehearsals instead. I found this very effective since the audience for the performances was just a small group, easier to manage too. 

Bea performed with her cousins, who attended the same school. Her grandmother was also able to come and watch. There were 3 kids in my brother-in-law's family so I guess they were given a couple more tickets. 

The evening was fun. Berto and I watched Bea with our full stage parents battle gear. Berto had his DSLR and various lenses while I had my trusty digital camera.

The girls performed without a hitch. I felt so proud watching my Bea perform. I was also happy to note that she is now a few inches taller than her cousins, which is good since she is older than they are.

I loved how organized the school was. After the performances, parents were given some time to take pictures. Then, kids were ushered back into their respective classrooms where parents are supposed to collect them, for security purposes. Smart move.

Right after, we took the opportunity to take a few shots with the whole family outside the school. My mother-in-law then invited everybody for dinner. I begged off though, since I still had a ton of homework to do, but Bea and her dad went. Maybe I can join them next time. Fun night spent with family, priceless.

Toy Shopping at Walmart

Toys Aisle at Walmart

When we first arrived in Canada last June, we stopped by my cousin's in BC for a visit. She worked at Walmart and Bea asked to see the store. While still in the Philippines, Bea spent countless hours watching youtube videos about new toys and they'd often feature toys bought from Walmart. I think she thinks of Walmart as a sort of Disneyland full of toys. So just as she was starting to miss our family back home, we visited a Walmart. Boy, was she happy! She squealed with delight when she spotted the toy aisle. They were selling all kinds of dolls, but she zoned in on one particular doll, the Elsa Doll. It was still a bit steep at $18 (on sale too!) but I still wanted to get it for her anyway. A little welcome to your new country sort of gift. Something to keep her mind off the toys and loved ones we left in the Philippines. Thankfully, when we were about to pay for the toy, my cousin paid for it, with an employee discount too! 

We are so grateful for so many blessings. Thankful for wonderful family with generous hearts!

Of course now, we can also conveniently shop online on walmart.ca. They have free shipping too! The only hitch is that we still don't have a canadian credit card so.... online shopping will have to wait, And I tell myself... this is a good thing. Right? Right? 

Happy Birthday to Me! (2013)

Last month I celebrated my birthday by having a simple staycation in a hotel where our not-so-little Bea splashed around in the bath tub till her fingers turned pruny and blue. She didn't mind at all that unlike last year, we didn't get to go to Laguna to dip in the hot springs there. For dinner, we just popped a dvd of a cartoon movie and had Jollibee meals delivered to our room. 

It was as simple as that, but we were all very happy =)

The next day,  on the way home, we dropped by the stores along White Plains and bought Maning's Lechon Pugon, Jacinta's Kutchinta and Pancit Malabon.

Another year has passed, I am very grateful for all my blessings, including the learning experiences that I also encountered along the way. I am so grateful for my family, grateful for the past year, hopeful for the new year ahead of me!

For a more detailed post about my birthday celebration, click the link here!

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

Attack of the Crazies... and hopes of being a WAHM

It all started innocently enough. Daddy was playing Angry Birds in his PSP while his two girls watch on.

Since daddy was intent on playing with his game, we decided to ham it up for the camera. Here we are with the usual "wacky pose".

Bea suggested we do "silly faces" next. Sadly, my version of silly turned out to be the eng-eng look! Argh!

After a while, daddy couldn't help but join in. He actually just got frustrated when he couldn't solve the level that he was in. =)

And... there's the eng-eng look again. =)

I just treasure these precious times together. The little one is growing up so fast. Our bed is now too small for us as it is, imagine how it will be a year from now. Pretty soon cuddle/kulitan sessions will be too crowded, and someone (probably Berto or me) might just get hurt in the rough play. Boy, are those little arms powerful! Haha. 

I often remind Daddy to cherish these moments too, because in a couple of years, our little Bea would have her own friends, would probably prefer to lock herself in her room chatting with them on the phone or on the internet... and she'd rather spend time with them than with her folks. The way kids grow up nowadays, that might not be too far off in the future. Hay... sad. That's what's making me want to be a work-at-home mom even more. I wouldn't want to miss these moments because I spend most of my time at work or at growing the photography business. I wouldn't want to wake up one morning and realize that I spent most of my life, slaving off at a job I don't particularly like instead of being with people who matter  the most... my family.