10 Things March

I couldn't be more glad for this month to be over soon because April is an exciting month for us. As you all know, our little one is expected to join us around the end of the month. Also, my life as a work-at-home mama begins so I have been preparing myself for it. You can tell it through the articles and blog posts I've been reading this past few days.



1. 4 Major Career Moves You Should Make Before You're 30

I haven’t baked anything for the past couple of months and I’m planning to do so in the coming days. Here’s the recipe I want to try next...

2. Easy One Pot Fudge Brownies

And of course, the rest is about pregnancy and parenting in general.

3. This Woman Applied A Full Face Of Makeup While In Labor

4. Unboxing the Philippine General Hospital Charity Ward, Part I: The OB Admitting Section and Delivery Room

5. The Birth Story of Orion David

6. My Breastfeeding Journey

7. 5 Things Breastfeeding Advocates Should Never Do

8. The Benefits of Babywearing

9. Neglectful Parenting | A Newly Accepted Form of Parenting?

10. We Are That Family

Getting There!

Yesterday marked the last day of my work with the company I have been with for the last eight years (almost nine years). Technically, my resignation is effective on March 31 but since I have company leave credits left, I decided to use them on days preceding the day of my resignation to advance my rest period.

Also, I'm turning 35 weeks tomorrow and two or three more weeks from now, it is already safe to pop out our baby boy. So yes, I am almost there! Close to getting the life I want - bear a child before I turn 30, become a work-at-home mama and have more time for my husband while still having time for myself and the things that I love to do.

Now, with more free time and less pressure from an office setting, I can focus on my preparations for the "big day" and beyond. With this, I commit myself to take morning walks at least 30 minutes everyday and maybe join my husband when he go jogging in the afternoon. I also need to get our hospital bag ready before the month ends so I'll have one less thing to worry about.

Additionally, I have been trying to write and schedule as much blog posts as I can for I know I may not have much time to blog when the baby comes.

For now, I am enjoying the "slowness" of my life. I am enjoying the remaining "just us" (me and the husband) days.

And while at it, let me share to you a video of my active baby and some photos I took using the camera of my phone during my walks.

How to Clean A Suede Footbed

My footwear may not be Birkenstock but at least it has suede footbed which I really love. This sandal from CLN provides great comfort to my arthritic, plantar fasciitis feet. I bought it when I was only a month pregnant for I know my feet will be working harder than before in the succeeding months because of the weight I will be gaining as my pregnancy progresses. I have been using it almost everyday to work and even during pre-natal check ups, strolling around and every possible situation. Seven months later, the pair is still as comfortable as ever however, it has become dirty and started to smell. Ewwww!

I wanted to ditch it for good but since I love it and it costed me over a thousand pesos (for me, anything over Php 1000 should be worn until it's worn out), I started searching for ways to address the issue. My husband suggested that I buy something to eliminate the smell but I know I want more than that. :D I want to eliminate the dirt as well!

Instead of buying a cleaning agent I might use only once or twice, I decided to use something that is readily-available in the kitchen - and it's no other than baking soda. It's safe, cheap and definitely effective!

My Love-hate Relationship with Candy Crush

...and the lessons I learned from the game.

When this game first came out, I didn’t really pay attention to it thinking it is just one of those games I’ll be playing for a little while and abandon it out of boredom caused by lack of update or requires other players’ gift or help to move on to the next level. Even after seeing my friends go crazy over it, still, I didn’t bother to even just take a peak as it wasn’t that appealing to me until I heard my co-workers talked about it like it’s the most entertaining game ever. And they aren’t even gamers! It intrigued the curious cat in me thus I tried playing, telling myself that I will only play the first few levels just to find out how this game works.

Fast forward to 2016, I am still playing and currently at level 1400+.

My relationship with this game is not an easy one. LOL! There are times when I want to quit playing either because I can’t survive a hard level or I want to get rid of the addiction, with the former being the most well-founded reason. However, this “sugar addiction” in me prevails so the game remains.

So what warrants this post? If you think that I am running out of topics to post, then you are partly right. LOL! Kidding aside, I just want to share some insights I learned after years of playing this game. This game taught me to:

Going Japanese at Mr. Misono Atria Park District Iloilo

One fine work day, a stressed husband asked if we can go out and go somewhere we can chill and relax. Since it’s was holday (EDSA Anniversary) and the company is not stringent with attendance during special holidays, I decided to take a half day off and be with him wherever he wants to go.

We went to Atria in San Rafael, Mandurriao as it isn’t usually crowded as compared to malls during a holiday. We scout the vicinity for restaurants we haven’t tried before and we ended up at Mr. Misono. What we initially planned to have “light snacks” and just chill turned into a food trip that resulted into a bill that costed us as much as what we usually pay for lunch or dinner. No, the foods aren’t that expensive but they are so good we ended up ordering more.

Initially, we ordered Judoka burger, California Maki and miso soup. We devoured them so fast that my husband decided that we order one more burger. We added M.E. burger and later on malted milk for dessert.

The Judoka burger (Php 144) and M.E. burger (Php 125) are almost the same except that the former has breaded onions. Patties of both burgers are crispy.

Freedom!

Remember the big decision I talked about in this post?

Well, I finally did it! I already handed my resignation letter to our HR officer. Yes, after almost nine years with the company, I will be leaving its arms soon. Back then, it was a hard decision to make especially upon learning that I am pregnant because I know, having a kid nowadays can be very costly. Additionally, I want to earn and save as much as I can to secure his future. However, as my due date is getting near, the thought of getting back to work and leaving him at home made me realize that this is not the set up I want for us.

First and foremost, I want to exclusively breastfeed him for at least three years. I want to be around during every milestone and teach him values I want him to have. I want to be the one to prepare his foods and use cloth diaper on him. I want to be with him every step of the way and I know it would be impossible if I go back to work after my two-month (or 100 days when the bill is passed into law) maternity leave. Also, I' afraid I may no longer work as efficiently as before due to lack of sleep when the baby decides to go on a night shift and that would definitely affect my performance at work.

So after careful consideration and months of "thinking" along with my husband's support, I finally handed my "freedom letter". While I may no longer have a stable income in the days to come, it is liberating to know that I am no longer tied to my responsibilities in the office. I can work during my free time (blogging and some part time online jobs) and be with our son all the time. I just have to practice my money management skill this time. :D

Effective date of my resignation is at the end of this month and I can't wait to enjoy my free time, my me-time, before the arrival of our little one.

Saturday Dinner at Hukad sa Golden Cowrie, SM City Iloilo

Change is inevitable.

If you’ve never been to Iloilo for a couple of years or so, you might not have seen how progressive it has become. New business establishments are sprouting everywhere and the existing ones have been renovated to cater to the growing needs of the people. One of those establishments that has just gotten a facelift, or at least an expansion, is the SM City Iloilo in Mandurriao.

The expansion gave way to various shops, service centers and restaurants including Hukad sa Golden Cowrie. Hukad, which originated in Cebu, offers all time Filipino favorites such as lechon kawali, kare kare and adobong pusit along with many Visayan menus.

The other week, we tried their chicken pandan, ngo hiong and bulalo soup.

Chicken pandan (Php 146), deep fried marinated chicken wrapped in pandan leaves.

Quote of the Month: March

I couldn't find any better quote to describe my current situation now than the one above. Eversince I became pregnant, my tummy has been growing rounder and my body wider and weirder. Weird in a sense that, I find myself disliking the foods I used to love before and craving for foods (hello chocolates and grilled pork) I can do without pre-pregnancy. Weird in a sense that I have been suffering from constipation whereas I used to have very regular bowel schedule. And weird in a sense that a little human being with a beating heart is doing somersault inside me.

And like other expecting parents, I and my husband often talk about how our baby will look like and what his characteristics will be. Will he inherit my big eyes? Will he grow up an artist like his father? These are just some of the questions we often ask ourselves and I'm glad that we will get answers in a matter of time. Just a couple of months actually. 

Right now, my heart is filled with everything. Fear, not of labor pain but of the possibilities such as preterm labor, overdue, meconium infection and most of all, C-section. But more than the negative thoughts I need to brush aside, I am more excited and eager to push him out of my womb so I can have him in my arms. I'm pretty sure I’d be emotional when the time comes.

But for the next few weeks, I’ll just wait and continue to grow rounder, wider and weirder while wondering who he’ll turn out to be.