There are so many fitness centers coming up these days that it's hard to choose - analysis paralysis! After 2 children, a very healthy appetite and a sedentary life, my body has definitely seen better days. I still look back with fondness at all the comments before on how I seem to eat like there's no tomorrow and still am stick thin. *sigh*
In school, I've always been the brainy one and never the fit one. I've always been the booster squad and never the cheerleader. My physical fitness then really revolved around my mom's mandatory ballet class (which I dreaded each time they rolled around). I'm thankful for those classes though as at least my abs have muscle memory on how tight they used to be. Or at least I'd like to believe that.
My first wake-up call came when I arrived home after a 10-month study abroad in Beijing. All the while there, I thought to myself how bad the quality of the jeans in China were - they were shrinking way too fast that I could hardly even get them up my thighs. The 2 pairs of Gap size 2 jeans I brought still fit perfectly well, albeit snug.
When I got home to Manila with my best bud and room mate Sarah, we headed straight to Boracay accompanied by my sister. Of course I brought my old bikinis. We were walking around Boracay enjoying the sun. When we got home, my sister, being the sister that she is, said - "didn't you notice I was walking as far away from both of you as possible? You both felt like you were so sexy but Ate, you were both so fat." Then my super favorite Tita's said, "Oh no! You look like all the little siopaos you like so much!" And my derma literally stood from her table, stared at my greasy and pimply face and said, "this is an emergency, do you want Roaccutane?" In 10 months, I had gone from 110 pounds to 135 pounds! My weekly Peking Duck 2 ways finished by just Sara and I, my daily bing jiding and daily yi-tiao baozi (1 steamerfull of little meat buns) and daily noodle soup with 6 pieces jiaozi (like little gyozas) had taken their toll!
So I had to move by butt. I got into badminton and aerobics and for the first time in my life, tried to eat just 1 cup of rice a meal. It worked! Whew! And FYI, the size 2 Gap jeans, upon closer inspection, were massively deformed after trying to fit me all those months.
Before getting married, I wanted to be more fit. I got into Bikram yoga and never felt cleaner and healthier in my life! While in class, I always thought I'll never go back this is torture but after class, I felt great. So my boyfriend and I kept coming back. It was really our quality time together. I never saw my actual wedding gown until my wedding day. I had only fit a muslin version of it. I saw the waistline and told the designer - that's too small I'll never fit into that! Lo and behold I did! Thank you Bikram Yoga!
I'd keep doing Bikram Yoga but I developed hyperthyroidism after I gave birth to Ava. Exercise took a back seat what with breastfeeding, a new baby and work. The next alarm came when my thyroid was getting controlled but my eating habits weren't. The weight started to come again. This time, Bikram Yoga was out because the heated room and my still too fast heart rate was a dangerous combination.
My sister recommended Plana Forma. I like the community atmosphere, the teacher's lively pep talks and that it's only 50 minutes long. In the class my muscles were really burning. Oh how that 1 inch up and down hurt so much. Being the procratinator that I am, I waited for the last minute to finish all my 10 classes. And boy did that hurt! My muscles were burning just holding the ball between my legs! Only then did I find out it's not supposed to be done daily. But my body responded - my old clothes started to fit and in just 2 months!
I haven't signed up again though because I panic bought 30 classes on Deal Grocer for Urban Ashram. Ahhh, the dangers of panic buying!
Yoga has always been my exercise of choice because I feel so relaxed during and after the class. It's been tough fixing my schedule around the Urban Ashram Fort classes though. I've only taken 1 class out of the 30 because I got sick after the first class. It wasn't the class' fault mind you. I was feeling under the weather even before I went to class.
Between the 2 forms of yoga, I actually prefer Bikram because I like the predictability of the poses and find comfort in knowing what's next. Sometimes, yoga classes become too teacher dependent and personally get bored doing sun salutations the whole time. But maybe that's also just my mind resisting the poses right?
Among the three, Bikram still gets my vote but I can't do it for health reasons (hyperthyroid). So between Urban Ashram and Plana Forma which would I choose? In a perfect traffic-less world, I would alternate between the two daily and be a totally hot momma. In this real world, I better finish all the classes I bought first then work out a more realistic alternating schedule between the 2 next year.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Movie Review: Courageous
Let me share with you a little secret, I only watch comedy films. I cry at a drop of a hat so drama is out of the question. I used to cry even at TV ads.
One of my daily prayers is for God to please strengthen our family, to guide my husband and I in this journey of life with Him firmly in the center. We are a young Catholic family. We go to church every Sunday. We pray with our children nightly. But we are seeking something deeper, a relationship with God that will be truly alive in our lives. I've been reading Joy Tanchi's blog and a lot of what she says resonates with me. However, I don't really "force" my husband into any form of thinking. In my own little way, I try to be a better Christian wife and mother.
Imagine my surprise when he called me to say his friend had given him a film that made him think about what it means to be a father. It made him re-assess our family dynamics. It made him realize it wasn't enough that I was being a mom, it made him want to step up being a dad. Don't get me wrong, I think he already is a good dad. But I was very happy that we are now on the same page on how we are going to raise our children. It made me so happy when he said he realized that he is the spiritual leader of our home.
On our way to CCP to watch the Phantom of the Opera, I grabbed the opportunity to watch the movie in the car. It is a bit sappy and mushy. But it gave us clear insight in where we can improve as a family.
Being Catholic, we don't have a tight church community or a pastor who can help us along on our journey. We don't mind, we read non-denominational Christian literature because the truth contained is still true for us. We just pray that we find a way that family life guided by Christ can be more fully alive for Catholic families like us.
I'm lending the movie to my brother and office staff who are young parents in hopes that it plants a seed in them just as it had for us.
One of my daily prayers is for God to please strengthen our family, to guide my husband and I in this journey of life with Him firmly in the center. We are a young Catholic family. We go to church every Sunday. We pray with our children nightly. But we are seeking something deeper, a relationship with God that will be truly alive in our lives. I've been reading Joy Tanchi's blog and a lot of what she says resonates with me. However, I don't really "force" my husband into any form of thinking. In my own little way, I try to be a better Christian wife and mother.
Imagine my surprise when he called me to say his friend had given him a film that made him think about what it means to be a father. It made him re-assess our family dynamics. It made him realize it wasn't enough that I was being a mom, it made him want to step up being a dad. Don't get me wrong, I think he already is a good dad. But I was very happy that we are now on the same page on how we are going to raise our children. It made me so happy when he said he realized that he is the spiritual leader of our home.
On our way to CCP to watch the Phantom of the Opera, I grabbed the opportunity to watch the movie in the car. It is a bit sappy and mushy. But it gave us clear insight in where we can improve as a family.
Being Catholic, we don't have a tight church community or a pastor who can help us along on our journey. We don't mind, we read non-denominational Christian literature because the truth contained is still true for us. We just pray that we find a way that family life guided by Christ can be more fully alive for Catholic families like us.
I'm lending the movie to my brother and office staff who are young parents in hopes that it plants a seed in them just as it had for us.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bali with Kids
Call us crazy but we like traveling with our kids without yayas. It's a little thing I promised myself, no traveling abroad with yayas.
I was so excited when Philippine Airlines started direct flights to Bali this year. Our first trip to Bali in 2010 involved a nerve wracking run through the Singapore Airport with a 2 year old, tons of handcarry, me pregnant on my first trimester and a delayed flight from Manila. As soon as we sat on our seat to Denpasar, the door of the plane closed.
We didn't really enjoy the first trip to Bali as we stayed only in Seminyak. And there isn't much partying that can be done with a 2 year old. But the foie gras at Metis www.metisbali.com was unforgettable. The melt in your mouth tiny quiche at Biku also gave me something to come back for. Add super promo PAL fares and I as ready to give Bali another go - this time with 2 little kids in tow!
On this second trip, I decided to venture out into Ubud, try Nusa Dua and Canggis on top of Seminyak (for foodie reasons!).
What are my tips for families with little kids traveling to Bali?
1. On the flight: the schedule of the PAL flight is red-eye so expect to kill your first day and last day because of the schedule. It's also a bit tough for the little ones so don't schedule much on the 1st day
2. Renting a private house with driver is a good idea but risky too. I tried this for our first 2 nights at but the villa was too far from the main road and renting a car to take us around was a hassle. You can't just walk around and explore. Also, we didn't have the luxury of having knowledgeable people like a front desk to help with figuring out our itinerary.
3. It's nice to rent a hotel close to the action. We stayed at Amadea in Seminyak on the last leg of the trip and it was so convenient to be on the main road where the restaurants were. I actually liked the hotels we stayed in in 2010 in Seminyak - The Kayana and The Samaya especially because they had a car that would drop you off and pick you up for free around Seminyak. For P5000 a night though, the Amadea was a clean and central place to stay. We missed the fabulous breakfast and frills of a villa though. And the price difference isn't that big. So if you're budget can take it, spring for better accommodation. We were also ripped off by the transportation service at the Amadea.
5. Bluebird Taxi is the way to go. You don't need to deal with the touts and illegal car rentals. We discovered this taxi and private car rental service on the last leg of our trip. We wish we knew sooner!
6. Slow down your schedule - Our kids were bored with the shopping but loved just hanging out at the hotel so make sure you're hotel is super kid friendly. We didn't try the Four Seasons on this trip. We tried Aman but we find the Four Seasons experience tough to beat. Ava still remembers learning how to dance the real Balinese dance with the community children as arranged for free by Amandari though. We took the time (as best we could considering the hectic schedule I made) to enjoy the pools and the beach.
7. Baby carrier is the way to go - Our Ergo came in so handy during the long rice paddy tour and walking the 1 km (though it felt longer!) to Sari Organik. Both were pleasant outdoorsy walks made comfortable by carrying Emilio backpack style throughout. He seemed to enjoy it too!
8. Jean Francois Fichot (jf-f.com) - Since we didn't have much luck with the drivers we got for the tours, we couldn't find his workshop which was a great loss on my part as I found his jewelry in the hotel boutiques and they were beautiful. Bummer! Maybe next time right? The John Hardy outlet we went to was nice too. But since I don't know what the regular prices are, I can't really say if it was cheaper or not. We also checked out the jewelry shops in Celuk village. I would really give that a miss if you prefer more fine work as they look like what you'd get in Greenhills or Baguio.
9. Ubud and Seminyak - Among all the places we stayed in, Ubud and Seminyak would be my picks for traveling with 2 kids. It's very laid back but everything is within reach. There's bits of shopping and restaurants all around the place. The other places we went to were a little too contained.
10. The Kecak dance was a great introduction for the kids to Rama and Sita. Ava still remembers the story up to now and she's only 3! Plus the views were beautiful too. Just maybe think twice about the Jimbaran Bay dinner as being Pinoy, we do get lots of yummy fresh seafood here. I heard the Indonesian resto at the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay is a better option. We just didn't get a chance to try it.
Check out my other posts on the places to eat! We were lukewarm on whether we'd go back to Bali again in the near future but the places to eat we discovered (plus my desire to go to JF-F) makes me want to go back sooner rather than later.
But we think it would be better to leave the kids with lolo and lola first and maybe go back just the two of us. It was heartbreaking to be washing and sterilizing bottles nightly as well as going to bed at 9pm. I honestly wanted to be out in the restaurants exploring and having a drink or 2. I also wanted to give the yoga classes a try.
I was so excited when Philippine Airlines started direct flights to Bali this year. Our first trip to Bali in 2010 involved a nerve wracking run through the Singapore Airport with a 2 year old, tons of handcarry, me pregnant on my first trimester and a delayed flight from Manila. As soon as we sat on our seat to Denpasar, the door of the plane closed.
We didn't really enjoy the first trip to Bali as we stayed only in Seminyak. And there isn't much partying that can be done with a 2 year old. But the foie gras at Metis www.metisbali.com was unforgettable. The melt in your mouth tiny quiche at Biku also gave me something to come back for. Add super promo PAL fares and I as ready to give Bali another go - this time with 2 little kids in tow!
On this second trip, I decided to venture out into Ubud, try Nusa Dua and Canggis on top of Seminyak (for foodie reasons!).
What are my tips for families with little kids traveling to Bali?
1. On the flight: the schedule of the PAL flight is red-eye so expect to kill your first day and last day because of the schedule. It's also a bit tough for the little ones so don't schedule much on the 1st day
2. Renting a private house with driver is a good idea but risky too. I tried this for our first 2 nights at but the villa was too far from the main road and renting a car to take us around was a hassle. You can't just walk around and explore. Also, we didn't have the luxury of having knowledgeable people like a front desk to help with figuring out our itinerary.
3. It's nice to rent a hotel close to the action. We stayed at Amadea in Seminyak on the last leg of the trip and it was so convenient to be on the main road where the restaurants were. I actually liked the hotels we stayed in in 2010 in Seminyak - The Kayana and The Samaya especially because they had a car that would drop you off and pick you up for free around Seminyak. For P5000 a night though, the Amadea was a clean and central place to stay. We missed the fabulous breakfast and frills of a villa though. And the price difference isn't that big. So if you're budget can take it, spring for better accommodation. We were also ripped off by the transportation service at the Amadea.
5. Bluebird Taxi is the way to go. You don't need to deal with the touts and illegal car rentals. We discovered this taxi and private car rental service on the last leg of our trip. We wish we knew sooner!
6. Slow down your schedule - Our kids were bored with the shopping but loved just hanging out at the hotel so make sure you're hotel is super kid friendly. We didn't try the Four Seasons on this trip. We tried Aman but we find the Four Seasons experience tough to beat. Ava still remembers learning how to dance the real Balinese dance with the community children as arranged for free by Amandari though. We took the time (as best we could considering the hectic schedule I made) to enjoy the pools and the beach.
7. Baby carrier is the way to go - Our Ergo came in so handy during the long rice paddy tour and walking the 1 km (though it felt longer!) to Sari Organik. Both were pleasant outdoorsy walks made comfortable by carrying Emilio backpack style throughout. He seemed to enjoy it too!
8. Jean Francois Fichot (jf-f.com) - Since we didn't have much luck with the drivers we got for the tours, we couldn't find his workshop which was a great loss on my part as I found his jewelry in the hotel boutiques and they were beautiful. Bummer! Maybe next time right? The John Hardy outlet we went to was nice too. But since I don't know what the regular prices are, I can't really say if it was cheaper or not. We also checked out the jewelry shops in Celuk village. I would really give that a miss if you prefer more fine work as they look like what you'd get in Greenhills or Baguio.
9. Ubud and Seminyak - Among all the places we stayed in, Ubud and Seminyak would be my picks for traveling with 2 kids. It's very laid back but everything is within reach. There's bits of shopping and restaurants all around the place. The other places we went to were a little too contained.
10. The Kecak dance was a great introduction for the kids to Rama and Sita. Ava still remembers the story up to now and she's only 3! Plus the views were beautiful too. Just maybe think twice about the Jimbaran Bay dinner as being Pinoy, we do get lots of yummy fresh seafood here. I heard the Indonesian resto at the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay is a better option. We just didn't get a chance to try it.
Check out my other posts on the places to eat! We were lukewarm on whether we'd go back to Bali again in the near future but the places to eat we discovered (plus my desire to go to JF-F) makes me want to go back sooner rather than later.
But we think it would be better to leave the kids with lolo and lola first and maybe go back just the two of us. It was heartbreaking to be washing and sterilizing bottles nightly as well as going to bed at 9pm. I honestly wanted to be out in the restaurants exploring and having a drink or 2. I also wanted to give the yoga classes a try.
Maid's Uniforms
Here's a little secret for Quezon City moms. I found an inexpensive place to buy helper's uniforms. The Centris Sunday market has a stall where uniforms are sold for around P200-250 per set. Yup, you read it right!
They have lots of prints and they aren't the big boxy scrubs that look so shapeless. They are still scrub type but with a bit more detail. Sometimes, it's just hard to put together a whole set of maybe 5-10 of all the same prints in different sizes but I always find something that would work for me and my helpers.
I also buy yaya's white uniforms here. It's not as thick as the one in Rustan's so I keep 1 set of the nice Rustan's ones for occasions and have a couple of these simpler white ones with a little chinese collar for day to day. Our yaya actually likes them because they aren't hot and they dry fast.
They have lots of prints and they aren't the big boxy scrubs that look so shapeless. They are still scrub type but with a bit more detail. Sometimes, it's just hard to put together a whole set of maybe 5-10 of all the same prints in different sizes but I always find something that would work for me and my helpers.
I also buy yaya's white uniforms here. It's not as thick as the one in Rustan's so I keep 1 set of the nice Rustan's ones for occasions and have a couple of these simpler white ones with a little chinese collar for day to day. Our yaya actually likes them because they aren't hot and they dry fast.
Fun Ranch or Active Fun?
We often look for fun places to bring our kids for some family time together. So far, our default places have been either Active Fun in the Fort or Fun Ranch in Tiendesitas.
I personally prefer Active Fun because it's newer and hence, looks a lot cleaner. There are also more shops which I enjoy going to nearby. There's a Mothercare just in the ground floor and now that I like doing yoga in Urban Ashram, I am imagining (hasn't actually happened!) that I will have my yoga practice while the children play at Active Fun downstairs.
The real test of which is better is end user rating. And Ava actually prefers Fun Ranch. I cringe when I give her the option between Fun Ranch and Active Fun. Since then, I have stopped giving her a choice and just announce, "Bring socks because we're going to Active Fun! Yay!" She's pretty cool with Active Fun anyway. She stops being cool about Active Fun when it was a choice between the two.
Why?
I tried probing and basically the gist is Fun Ranch is bigger so she has more things to do. Yes, this is despite her getting a huge friction burn on her below because of the slide. It's all part of it, I guess. She also likes feeding the rabbits at the zoo nearby. But the real reason I think is she gets to play the fishing game. It's really just fish with magnets and the plastic fishing rod with magnets. It's one of those projects I'm thinking of recreating here at home since she likes it so much.
I'm not too fond of Fun Ranch because it looks so dirty. That's really my main concern. Plus it's such a big problem when it rains or drizzles because it's a walk through semi-covered then uncovered and sometimes slippery paths to the car. I must give them credit though, it's very nice that they include a free grown-up ticket for children 3 and below. Active Fun charges another P125 for an adult to go in with young children but parents couldn't possibly let a child younger than 3 all by himself. He will literally get trampled on by the bigger kids! Fun Ranch is much lighter on the pocket.
My top tips for enjoying these activity areas:
1. Bring socks for your child and yaya (or you if you're feeling energetic). It saves a lot of money in the long run as the socks they sell are practically disposable. They unravel after the first wash. I usually include a pair of socks in my yaya's uniform kit so that we come prepared.
2. Bring something to do while you wait. I've tried going in the play area with Ava and it was really really tiring. I could do it for about 30 minutes but maybe not a whole hour. But the kids like it when they know you're just there watching them. Ava likes waving from odd areas.
3. Avoid going on weekends - when everyone seems to have the same idea as you. We've gone on 2 weekends and each time I promised myself I wasn't going to do that again. We left super drained and mentally tired. It was not a good weekend activity.
4. Keep in mind that this is fun for our kids. I honestly am so bored being there and can think of many other places I'd rather be. But I keep repeating how I'm being here for my kids and try to be as excited as they are. And I think of all the times I made them wait while my meeting went on and on or dragged them around doing errands. Those times weren't fun for them too so it's a give and take. Sometimes, I throw in pretending to be Elasto-girl from The Incredibles just to make it more fun and Ava pretends to be Violet.
5. Bring some water and handy snacks and of course a change of clothes - the kids are extremely hunger and sweaty after. The food choices in both places aren't all that healthy.
Oh and maybe avoid planning another activity after. They'll probably be tired and cranky and you'll want to go straight home after! I treated Ava to an unlimited play time in Active Fun when I had a meeting that would run long. She actually opted out of Active Fun after 3 hours. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and woke up the next day.
I'm making a list of fun activities to do around town. It's time we got to know Manila all over again through our children's eyes. Up next on our list are the Farm in Sta. Elena, doing the Viaje del Sol, maybe even a trip to Baguio. Closer to home, we plan on visiting the National Museum. They may be too young for the Old Manila Walks though.
Plays and fairs are fun activities too. We took Ava to watch Horton Hears Who? in Repertory and we came back this year for the Wizard of Oz. She loved both so I'm taking her to more plays these coming months like The King and I. We missed the Book Fair this September - bummer! Maybe a trip to the Negros Fair in Rockwell will be a fun field trip this weekend.
Let me know if you have other ideas where we can take our kids! And stay tuned for more ideas.
I personally prefer Active Fun because it's newer and hence, looks a lot cleaner. There are also more shops which I enjoy going to nearby. There's a Mothercare just in the ground floor and now that I like doing yoga in Urban Ashram, I am imagining (hasn't actually happened!) that I will have my yoga practice while the children play at Active Fun downstairs.
The real test of which is better is end user rating. And Ava actually prefers Fun Ranch. I cringe when I give her the option between Fun Ranch and Active Fun. Since then, I have stopped giving her a choice and just announce, "Bring socks because we're going to Active Fun! Yay!" She's pretty cool with Active Fun anyway. She stops being cool about Active Fun when it was a choice between the two.
Why?
I tried probing and basically the gist is Fun Ranch is bigger so she has more things to do. Yes, this is despite her getting a huge friction burn on her below because of the slide. It's all part of it, I guess. She also likes feeding the rabbits at the zoo nearby. But the real reason I think is she gets to play the fishing game. It's really just fish with magnets and the plastic fishing rod with magnets. It's one of those projects I'm thinking of recreating here at home since she likes it so much.
I'm not too fond of Fun Ranch because it looks so dirty. That's really my main concern. Plus it's such a big problem when it rains or drizzles because it's a walk through semi-covered then uncovered and sometimes slippery paths to the car. I must give them credit though, it's very nice that they include a free grown-up ticket for children 3 and below. Active Fun charges another P125 for an adult to go in with young children but parents couldn't possibly let a child younger than 3 all by himself. He will literally get trampled on by the bigger kids! Fun Ranch is much lighter on the pocket.
My top tips for enjoying these activity areas:
1. Bring socks for your child and yaya (or you if you're feeling energetic). It saves a lot of money in the long run as the socks they sell are practically disposable. They unravel after the first wash. I usually include a pair of socks in my yaya's uniform kit so that we come prepared.
2. Bring something to do while you wait. I've tried going in the play area with Ava and it was really really tiring. I could do it for about 30 minutes but maybe not a whole hour. But the kids like it when they know you're just there watching them. Ava likes waving from odd areas.
3. Avoid going on weekends - when everyone seems to have the same idea as you. We've gone on 2 weekends and each time I promised myself I wasn't going to do that again. We left super drained and mentally tired. It was not a good weekend activity.
4. Keep in mind that this is fun for our kids. I honestly am so bored being there and can think of many other places I'd rather be. But I keep repeating how I'm being here for my kids and try to be as excited as they are. And I think of all the times I made them wait while my meeting went on and on or dragged them around doing errands. Those times weren't fun for them too so it's a give and take. Sometimes, I throw in pretending to be Elasto-girl from The Incredibles just to make it more fun and Ava pretends to be Violet.
5. Bring some water and handy snacks and of course a change of clothes - the kids are extremely hunger and sweaty after. The food choices in both places aren't all that healthy.
Oh and maybe avoid planning another activity after. They'll probably be tired and cranky and you'll want to go straight home after! I treated Ava to an unlimited play time in Active Fun when I had a meeting that would run long. She actually opted out of Active Fun after 3 hours. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and woke up the next day.
I'm making a list of fun activities to do around town. It's time we got to know Manila all over again through our children's eyes. Up next on our list are the Farm in Sta. Elena, doing the Viaje del Sol, maybe even a trip to Baguio. Closer to home, we plan on visiting the National Museum. They may be too young for the Old Manila Walks though.
Plays and fairs are fun activities too. We took Ava to watch Horton Hears Who? in Repertory and we came back this year for the Wizard of Oz. She loved both so I'm taking her to more plays these coming months like The King and I. We missed the Book Fair this September - bummer! Maybe a trip to the Negros Fair in Rockwell will be a fun field trip this weekend.
Let me know if you have other ideas where we can take our kids! And stay tuned for more ideas.
My Season of Motherhood
The seasons, well there are only 2 in the Philippines, are relatively predictable. And they are comfortable in their predictability. I can trust that in December, it will be cooler and in August, the rains will come. Abroad, it is beautiful to take pictures of leaves turning red, ready to fall and of trees in spring and summer, all green and lush. Why is it more difficult to trust the seasons of motherhood?
I recently took the time to go to Books for Less and it was a fantastic treasure trove for a bookworm like me and my little bookworms. We came home with about 5 books each - books that before going I had wished would be there like Big Bear Brown Bear and other Eric Carle books. I came home with much more - especially parenting and homeschooling books I've always wanted to buy but never really bought at Fully Booked. Imagine, we bought 15 books and I spent P4,000.00 only! Just one of the Eric Carle books would've cost around P500! Oops, it was a pretty big dent on our budget considering that the trip to Books for Less was a detour because I missed the opening hours of LBC. Perhaps the detour was an answered prayer because out of those books, I learned so much. And one of my biggest insights was on motherhood.
I'm a working mother in a family business. That basically means nobody dictates when I go to the office or how long I stay there. It also means the desire to work and see the business flourish comes from a much deeper desire to see what my husband and I started grow. I wish I had the luxury of working from home but my work takes me away from home. I wish I could homeschool. I have the whole kit and all the books but no energy and predictable schedule. My big fantasy is to be a stay at home mom. But things being what they are, I can't.
The book I was reading talked about various seasons in a woman's life- a season for mothering and a season for a career. It basically said (and this is a very abbreviated version of the book) that as women, we should be ready to put our career on hold for a little while when our children need as most. And then when they are bigger, we can transition into a season of career growth. It also said to trust that my husband will take care of our needs. Ouch, how I always found joy in the two of us building something together. Our daily drive together to and from the office is one of the highlights of my day.
There are so many opportunities in my line of work. I love working. I love being creative in the office and in many ways, I feel more in control. But so many times (hmm... like daily!), I am guilty that I left the children to the yayas. And I really wonder if all the family vacations, the ability to buy nice toys make up for all the other days when they didn't have me. Yet when I am home, I also think about the office. What am I missing? What should I be checking? Who should I be meeting? I think about how demanding I must seem to my staff yet "slack off" every now and then. It's crazy! Nobody pressures me to clock in the hours. It's my personal work ethic that gets to me.
Realizing these seasons of motherhood or a woman's life made me take stock of my life. I know I always say my order of priorities are God, family and work. Yet my schedule tells you otherwise. I'm at my mothering season now that my children are toddlers and preschoolers. Already I see some character traits which need forming in them. It's a no brainer to slow down. The crazy thing is, I don't know how!
So here's my big leap of faith. Today marks the day when I really will put my career on a simmer and trust that our business will still be healthy when I am ready to return to it full blast in a few years. It has all been lip service up until today. I have been praying really hard for the courage to believe that the Lord will pull through for me and my family. I have been working for more than 10 years now and I am scared of what slowing down will mean at work.
Maybe, it's the same way the trees trust the Lord that even if all their leaves shed, the season will come when they will be green again.
So, here's my journey. Hold me accountable, please.
I recently took the time to go to Books for Less and it was a fantastic treasure trove for a bookworm like me and my little bookworms. We came home with about 5 books each - books that before going I had wished would be there like Big Bear Brown Bear and other Eric Carle books. I came home with much more - especially parenting and homeschooling books I've always wanted to buy but never really bought at Fully Booked. Imagine, we bought 15 books and I spent P4,000.00 only! Just one of the Eric Carle books would've cost around P500! Oops, it was a pretty big dent on our budget considering that the trip to Books for Less was a detour because I missed the opening hours of LBC. Perhaps the detour was an answered prayer because out of those books, I learned so much. And one of my biggest insights was on motherhood.
I'm a working mother in a family business. That basically means nobody dictates when I go to the office or how long I stay there. It also means the desire to work and see the business flourish comes from a much deeper desire to see what my husband and I started grow. I wish I had the luxury of working from home but my work takes me away from home. I wish I could homeschool. I have the whole kit and all the books but no energy and predictable schedule. My big fantasy is to be a stay at home mom. But things being what they are, I can't.
The book I was reading talked about various seasons in a woman's life- a season for mothering and a season for a career. It basically said (and this is a very abbreviated version of the book) that as women, we should be ready to put our career on hold for a little while when our children need as most. And then when they are bigger, we can transition into a season of career growth. It also said to trust that my husband will take care of our needs. Ouch, how I always found joy in the two of us building something together. Our daily drive together to and from the office is one of the highlights of my day.
There are so many opportunities in my line of work. I love working. I love being creative in the office and in many ways, I feel more in control. But so many times (hmm... like daily!), I am guilty that I left the children to the yayas. And I really wonder if all the family vacations, the ability to buy nice toys make up for all the other days when they didn't have me. Yet when I am home, I also think about the office. What am I missing? What should I be checking? Who should I be meeting? I think about how demanding I must seem to my staff yet "slack off" every now and then. It's crazy! Nobody pressures me to clock in the hours. It's my personal work ethic that gets to me.
Realizing these seasons of motherhood or a woman's life made me take stock of my life. I know I always say my order of priorities are God, family and work. Yet my schedule tells you otherwise. I'm at my mothering season now that my children are toddlers and preschoolers. Already I see some character traits which need forming in them. It's a no brainer to slow down. The crazy thing is, I don't know how!
So here's my big leap of faith. Today marks the day when I really will put my career on a simmer and trust that our business will still be healthy when I am ready to return to it full blast in a few years. It has all been lip service up until today. I have been praying really hard for the courage to believe that the Lord will pull through for me and my family. I have been working for more than 10 years now and I am scared of what slowing down will mean at work.
Maybe, it's the same way the trees trust the Lord that even if all their leaves shed, the season will come when they will be green again.
So, here's my journey. Hold me accountable, please.
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