Battery Stockpile

Guess who got carried away on the panic-buying and stockpiled a bunch of batteries ?

For those of you who have kids, you'll understand why I felt that I needed this much - with all the musical toys and other electronic gear, plus the fact that I also need to get batteries to run my Medela breastpump for when we travel next month.

Having to go to 3 different branches before finding the batteries also contributed to my panic-buying spree. The first 2 branches we went to this afternoon were out of AA batteries - the brand & packaging that was on sale - that I wanted. So when we finally got to the 3rd branch, I have had enough and decided to stockpile.

Oh, I also figured that we could always get those AA to C or AA to D battery converters instead of buying specific sizes. I did buy some D batteries though, Swe-cha's projector might need fresh batteries soon.

*sheepish grin*

Someday

We attended a friend's housewarming party at the beginning of this month, it was an exciting time not only for them, but for the entire group as well. We're all happy for the couple and wish them well in their new home.

Looking at their new home makes me hanker for one of my own as well. We love it here in our cozy condo but we really do need (want!) some extra space. Swe-cha's toys and gear are really taking up a lot of space and add that to the fact that I like to stockpile diapers and supplies when there is a sale, there are times when all that just leaves us with a very narrow path to walk in around the house.

One time, the building superintendent knocked and asked to look at our window because a downstairs unit reported a leak and he wanted to check it out, I was so embarassed to let him in because I had 8 boxes of diapers stacked near the window area - I had to let him in anyway.

But, I digress... so let's go back to talking about houses. I figure, it doesn't cost anything to dream, right ? We - my husband and I, and my Mom too - dream about having a bigger place some day, a place with a backyard (this is mostly me, hubby does not look forward to the idea of mowing the lawn), or maybe even a place with a pool (this is mostly hubby, even though we both do not know how to swim). Mostly, I dream about a place with nice looking furniture and not the hodge-podge that we currently have (seems like such a waste to get rid of stuff right now, I figure we'll just throw these away and buy new things when we move.. eventually).

Someday.

But first, I gotta have a job first.

Chicken Yakitori

I made chicken yakitori for dinner today, I picked it up from the homecookingrocks.com. I wasn't really skeptical but since the recipe didn't call for marinating the meat, I wasn't 100% sure about the results either.

And I got the ultimate compliment(s) from hubby:

- I cooked the usual amount of meat which, on a normal day, would give us enough for 4 servings so we'll both have our baon for tomorrow. Pag ginanahan, this gives us 3 servings. Tonight, ubos! We polished off the chicken and bitin pa.

- While eating, I heard him mutter under his breath (I don't think I was supposed to hear this) in a very sarcastic tone, "what a day to start dieting". Yun pala, he decided to start dieting na. heehee.

Almost there

That new baby I talked about a few posts ago ? The online shop that I'm starting w/ a partner ? Well, we're almost there. I've only got to order a few more items before the box is filled up completely and ready to be sent out.

In the meantime, my partner is doing her part back home, she tells me that she's going to have someone check out auspicious dates for our official grand opening. Keep us in your prayers, okay ? Please pray for our success. I told my mom about this venture and she's excited for us as well.

I was browsing around this morning, looking for ideas to spice up our online shop and came across good deals for personal business cards and to be honest, I'm tempted to order some but it might still be too early. After all, this is only a startup and it's an online shop. We'll probably order some when business officially opens so that we can start handing them out to friends and when we attend shows. It'll be good advertising and since it's small, you can easily tuck them into your wallet or purse and bring them out when you need to buy something.

I'm an "Ate"

Yesterday, the guys from the balikbayan box company came to pick up our bbox and when they arrived, this one guy started calling me "Ate".

"Ate, eto po yung bagong box, ilagay ko po dito ?"
"Ate, pwede pong pagamit ng CR ?"
"Ate, pa pirma po dito"

"Ate, ano pong phone number ?"

Each time he called me "Ate", it seemed to grate on my ears... On my end, I was about to call him "Manong", my usual title for older Pinoy males, but it was then that I realized that he didn't look old enough to be my "Manong".

Shucks.

When did I suddenly become old ? Or more importantly, when did I start thinking that I was old? since when did I calmly and silently accept being called an "Ate" by strangers?

I just hope that I am able to get back to work soon - before I reach retirement age ;)

Neighbors

We have got to start being more sociable to our neighbors, especially those who live in our hallway. You see, there's this family - a couple, an in-law (Mother-in-law) and a toddler - who live next door and we see them all the time. We exchange a few words and even a few stories but up to now, I do not know their names. I see the names on their mailbox but they're distinctly Spanish (and none that I've encountered before) so I have no idea how to pronounce it or even if they have shorter nicknames.

Hubby and I have taken to calling them "Ayie" after our friend (they look alike). So we might say, "I saw Ayie today.." or "Ayie's husband was out w/ D today" (we know the son's name) and though we both know that we're referring to the neighbor and not our friend most of the time, there are also times when this causes confusion. I might say, "I saw Ayie and the baby today" and hubby would be surprised, "ha ? They're here ?", thinking that our friends drove all the way from MA to NJ on a weekday. I'd be equally confused because they live here, where else would they be ? And it usually takes several minutes before things get sorted out.

Gulo, no ?

Unfortunately, we've been talking to each other in the hallway for a year or two now. It just seems awkward that we'd only ask for their names NOW. But then again, I'm sure they don't know our names either. How to proceed ? Hmm.

baby woos

Sigh. I have an almost-10 month old on my hands and he is quite a handful, especially during feeding time.

Anything I put in his mouth, he spits out. Sometimes, I'm quick enough to catch it in the spoon so I put it back in his mouth again and he eats that but more often than not, it goes to waste because it falls on his bib. I suspect that he discovered how fun it is to push food through his teeth & gums out of his mouth ( come on,.. admit it, it does sound like fun, no ? ), much like playing with mud, I think. But I do worry sometimes because what if this isn't just a phase ? and I don't want to have a picky eater on my hands. Sigh.

My parents tell me that he's got my genes. I get the feeling that they're having quite a laugh about it because I was a very difficult child. I must have eaten several hundred jars of Gerber's "egg yolk and noodles" because that was the only thing I'd eat. Dad tells me stories of how the combed through supermarkets and all the stores they could find in Metro Manila - and sometimes, even went all the way to the nearby provinces - just so they could get it and hoard for fear of running out and me starving.

This must be Karma knocking on my door :P

Oh wait. I was also told that I never got past 4oz when drinking milk (note that I didn't give up drinking infant's formula until i was 7 years old and yet, i never drank more than 4oz) and until recently, Swe-cha didn't get past that too. But thanks to his Ninang A & Tita R's encouragement and support in training him (as chronicled in our baby blog), we're past that and we're drinking 5, 6 and even 7 oz now. HA! Get that, Karma!

I'm always grateful for the little blessings :)

---

p.s. to Karma - joke lang ah, I don't mean to challenge you. *smile*

Good deals

... come to those who wait.

I've been waiting for a good deal on cordless phones for a while. Our current phone setup is a bit messy in the sense that we have a lot of gadgets just for our phone service alone. First off, there's the cable modem (yes, we do use this for internet access as well so this and the next item shouldn't be included in this list), then the network router and then the VOIP adapter.

Physically connected to the VOIP adapter are 3 phone units - First is a cordless phone that has 2nd handset that we have plugged in downstairs, next is a corded phone (I find this very useful because we tend to use the phones a lot and we run out of juice), and last is another cordless phone w/ a built in answering machine.

Now, the thing is, that dual handset cordless phone set ? Both charging cradles work but we are only left w/ 1 handset now, the other one's broken. And that one w/ the integrated answering machine ? The machine works but the handset is just about to retire. Even when fully, charged, the battery doesn't last long anymore and the LCD has died a long time ago.

Then recently, there have been lots of cordless phone deals at Staples, but I have not been able to get one. I kept hemming and hawing and eventually, they run out of the unit that I want. Not to mention that hubby wants me to get one set for his mom too. And then there's this coupon that I've been saving - a $25 off $75 purchase - so it means that I had to get something that was $75 or more after instant savings but before easy rebates. Hay. It's not easy, I tell ya :P

So now, after 3 weeks, I did get my phone and I did get a 2nd set. Both are 4-handset Unidens with integrated answering machines. We don't need all 4 handsets but I figure that with the way that these things go in our households ? Having 4 of them means that we have a few backups on hand when they start breaking down. So long as the main unit remains functional, this should last us a long time.

New baby in the house

I just worked out an agreement w/ my friend to partner with each other and start an online store in the Philippines. We plan to stock up on a few essentials first and expand our product line based on how well the initial stock sells and on customer feedback & requests.

So, friends, watch out for the official announcement, okay ?

In the meantime, while we plan to set up shop in Multiply initially (for a quick setup), I've also been working on an official website as a personal project. Aliw lang that I get to brush up on my web programming skills and am finding out about other applications & gaining skill using them as well (web servers, MySql, text editors, photoshop, etc). It's nice to have something technical to do again. It has been oh-so-long since I last had something like this to do as I've mostly been doing administrative tasks in the recent years.

God's perfect timing

Last week, Swe-cha and I were out and doing our rounds of the supermarkets to purchase the on-sale items that we needed to replenish our food pantry. That day, I counted 14 consecutive traffic lights that turned yellow just as I was crossing the intersection - I was on a roll! I patted myself on the back for my great timing. Amazing how these little things can make me so happy.

It got me to thinking how timing plays a role in our lives, specifically, God's perfect timing. We got married (was able to process hubby's papers along w/ my permanent residence application even though this wasn't a factor when we planned our wedding), hubby immigrated (and got his permanent residence card months after he immigrated), we got pregnant, and I've become a SAHM - all in perfect time. Not all of those events were planned that way but God knows what is best for us and steered us in the right direction.

I've always considered myself a very lucky person because everything in my life - even those events that seemed unfortunate at the time (everything is a blessing, we just have to learn to recognize them for what they are) - have all worked out and turned out to be the best option for us. But I need to correct that misconception, we're not lucky,... we're blessed.

I am happy. Tired and veiny (veins popping out of my hands na!) but happy.

May God continue to bless our family and may our eyes be opened so that we may recognize and acknowledge the blessings that He showers upon us.

Move

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

We saw an ad in a magazine for the Playstation Move the other day and hubby went "oh, wow!". He turned to look at me and immediately, I knew what he was thinking.

Playfully, I raised an eyebrow and asked him, "So if a genie were to appear suddenly and grant us a Playstation *and* a Playstation Move, when were you planning to play ?" By this time, hubby knows me so well and could recognize a loaded question. If he gives me a time, I would counter by saying that he could use that time to help clean up the house. If he claims to have no time to play, then I would counter by saying that we don't need yet another gaming system in the house. See ? It's a no-win situation for him :)

But seriously, I know how much he's been wanting his Playstation and I plan to either gift him with one or let him buy one (he does not read this blog so it's a surprise) as soon as our finances get better and the new Playstation Move w/c only costs $99 for a bundle will definitely be a huge plus because it means that I will enjoy playing with him as well. I can almost imagine our little family having game nights in a year or two, we'll probably have to get Swe-cha his own controller as he'll surely be battling us for a turn. Hubby will surely want to play Resident Evil while I will "claim" to want to do some exercise and play a sporty type of game.

My boys and I playing together ? I really cannot wait!

Tired

We're in the middle of training Swe-cha. First we trained him to use the Playtex disposable nurser bottle so that we could bring less when we travel - didn't realize that he started hating those, he used to be very flexible when it comes to bottles because we had a variety. He took to it after a few days of crying & screaming.

Now, we're trying to eliminate his night-time feeding and his sleep association with the bottle. Ang hirap! I'm currently expressing breastmilk now - 3a is one of my usual times to do this - and I am so sleepy and tired. I do not remember being this tired in the recent months. We had a minor victory this evening, we got him to sleep w/o using his bottle as a pacifier, it took about 40 minutes and I was actually quite surprised when he finally stopped shouting. I kept wanting to give in & just give him a bottle at the 30 minute mark - his shouting is hard on the ears - but what friend A said before kept coming to mind, "you have to be committed to this, if you give in, sinayang mo lang yung iniyak nya earlier" and so I persisted.

Salamat sa encouragement, A, pero super nakakapagod talaga.