Davao Mommy Blog's Direction for 2014

Yesterday, I told you all about the direction I'm planning to take this year. Today, I'll talk about the direction I want my blog to take.

When I wrote a round-up of my favorite blog posts last December, I realized that my blog is a hodge-podge of personal experiences and thoughts, reviews, and Yuri updates. Many personal blogs are the same, and while this, too, is a personal blog, I itch to provide a little organization in it. Also, I want to create a blog that has a concrete purpose. Maybe it's my slight OCD that makes me want to do this, but I really want to give my blog proper and good direction.

Also, it's not in my personality to just "go with the flow." I'm a person who needs a plan.

After pondering for a while, the general direction I want to give it is raising a toddler. More importantly, the direction would be God-centered first and home-centered second. Now that Yuri will be turning 2 in just a few months from now, doesn't it make sense? While it will still contain other content, like current events and personal thoughts and views and product reviews, I came up with general categories for specific days that I will try to stick to through 2014. Here they are:

Mondays - Books and Toys of the Week
Tuesdays - The Weekend That Was
Fridays - Finance Friday (still)
Sundays - Weekend Round-up

Other categories: Toddler Reads, Toddler-Approved, Toddler OOTD, Homeschooling Updates, Monthly Fun-and-Frugal Finds

As you may notice, everything is toddler-based. The reason for this is that I'm truly enjoying raising Yuri in his current stage, which is toddlerhood. He will be a toddler for only a few years, and I surely want to remember all the aspects of this fun but challenging phase!

Also, I'm beginning to homeschool Yuri. It's nothing serious actually. Just setting aside 30 minutes or so each day (except weekends?) for free reading and exploring. I think that would be a good start, although there would be less time for me to work. Thus, the "Books and Toys" and "Toddler Reads" categories. This is also in relation to the toy and book rotation system that I'm implementing, which I will write about soon.

I will still be doing old posts, such as weekend posts, Finance Fridays, and Toddler OOTDs. I will still be reviewing stuff, but for "Toddler-Approved," I will focus on toddler stuff, such as toddler recipe, toddler toys, toddler books, toddler-friendly restaurants and places - basically anything under the sun!

Finally, I vow to be less concerned about statistics and more concerned about content. I will strive to create posts that are enlightening and inspiring and avoid writing posts that are judgmental and negative. I pray to be able to represent Jesus in my blog, which is a heavy aspiration but a noble one! Don't worry; I will try to not be preachy! Heehee!

I hope you'll still enjoy reading Davao Mommy (Mom Meets World). Thank you for the support last year, and I hope to still "see" you this new year!

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Mapping Out 2014

Background image: http://pxwallpaper.com/

Last year, I mentioned that I am not into resolutions. I still am not. What I am very into, though, is planning and goal-setting. I think there is a vast difference between vaguely wanting to achieve something and actually jotting it down in something concrete like a to-do list.

I have the A-type personality so I pretty much like everything organized and written, and this helps me achieve my goals. However, there are some goals I just couldn't do because they fall off my priority list. This happens often.

For example, in my goal list last year, I found that as the months flew by, those "goals" went down lower and lower in my priority list. For instance, I had the goal of being team leader in my job (which I don't really know how to achieve), but soon enough, I realized that I'm not yet qualified to be one. Also, I don't want to be even busier than I am today! I also mentioned that I needed to "declutter," but that was before I realized how much I need to do to raise a toddler on my own. I'm not saying I don't like it; it's fun, really!

This made me realize that all the goal-planning I will do this beginning of the year won't decide what I will do for the rest of the year. God will always be in charge. However, I also know God is pleased with a person who plans and is intentional about her direction, so I pray He blesses my plans and "to-dos." Now, here is my "To-Do List" for 2014:

1. Continue reading the Bible everyday.

I used to have a daily devotional time every morning right after I wake up. However, I backslid, but that's a long story. Last November, I recommitted myself to the Lord and began reading the Bible every night (my free time) since December 1. This time, I pray it becomes a lifelong habit. That's the reason why I'm incorporating Bible verses into my blog posts almost every time now. I'm just so blessed with what I read that I'm compelled to share it with you!

2. Continue tithing, saving, and investing.

The three pillars of financial wisdom. We began tithing and saving early last year, but we only got to invest recently. I pray that we get blessed with enough provisions to consistently tithe, save, and invest every month. I also pray for more wisdom about spending and shopping. Actually, I don't have problems controlling my buying habits for my own stuff, but when it comes to things for Yuri, I can't seem to muster enough self-control! #momproblems

3. Begin homeschooling Yuri.

No, I don't plan on making him memorize letters and numbers. He's just 21 months old! Though he could recognize a handful of letters and numbers, in no means am I going to pressure him into knowing how to use them. I refuse to take the fun out of learning!

Instead, I plan to allot daily reading time. Maybe we can start from just 15 minutes. Then, it increases as his attention span increases. My primary goal is to expose Yuri to a FUN and exciting world of literature. I'm sure there would be a lot of cuddling during those reading sessions! I will also focus on making him play with open-ended (as opposed to electronic) toys, such as blocks and play dough, to encourage his imagination.

4. Know how to cook.

For real this time! So help me God. Heehee.

5. IF Yuri weans from breastfeeding, THEN I will go to the gym.

This is a conditional that depends on Yuri's unpredictableness. I have planned to go to the gym for years now, but honestly, I couldn't because of Yuri. Aside from his clinginess, he also remains to be a voracious nurses. I read that rigorous exercise creates a bad taste in milk due to amino acids, I think.

Another thing is that I'm still not very pressured to lose weight because breastfeeding still does it for me. I still burn a lot of calories lying down. Okay maybe that's just me being lazy. Not good!

6. Be slow to anger, slow to speak (and yell), and slow to judge.

I am a very flawed person, and some of my worst flaws are my quick temper, my quick (and sharp) tongue, and my quick judgment. I burnt a lot of bridges due to these flaws. I know part of this is because I am raised by unemotional and critical parents, which hardened my heart, but at the end of the day, it is my fault. It is me speaking. It is me getting angry, it is me yelling, and it is me judging, and I can't blame anyone for these faults. It is me hurting another person's feelings, and I pray that with God's grace, I'll be able to make the 180 degree change.

8. Get closer to God and make a lot of beautiful memories with my loved ones.

I'm sure these two most important "to-dos" are on your list, too. :-)

Photo: spiritualinspiration.tumblr.com

What an exciting year there is ahead of us!

PS:

Yesterday is my dear friend Teena's birthday. Happy birthday, mwre! I'm so happy you are still a constant figure in my life. We've been friends for so long, and I honestly pray we'll stay friends for many, many years. I pray that God blesses you with perfect health, better and stronger relationships, a stable career, a start-up to wealth, wisdom to know whom to trust and whom not to, courage to walk on raging waters, love to always see the positive side of things, and an unwavering faith - your beacon - that will guide you through life. I love you. Mwaaaah!

Photos grabbed from Teena's Facebook account. Hirap mong hanapan ng solo pic na ikaw ang content. :P

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On Obedience and Waiting

A few weeks ago, Job and I made the decision to minimize communication. We would have cut off communication altogether,but we saw it detrimental as Job needs to know how his son is doing.

It first started when I prayed - really prayed - to God and asked him when he would fulfill the desitres of my heart. I was growing tired and weary. God, being the loving Father that he is, comforted me of course. However, he also said something to me that tested my maturity. He spoke to me and said:

I cannot bless you if you don't stop sinning.

Radical, right? I didn't know what it meant at first. Then God revealed to me (through what I read) that I was being disobedient to my parents. You see, my parents have been hurt at me and Job. They ordered us to stop communicating. That was years ago. However, obviously, we are still very much together and always communicating.

I have been going against my parents' will without realizing it. In God's eyes, this is a huge sin, and He cannot bless me (in this aspect) because of it. Come to think of it, God might be the one hardening my parents' hearts.

So I promised God that I would minimize communication to please Him and my parents. I promised that I will only talk to Job once a week to give him updates about Yuri, the investments, etc.

I dreaded telling Job abou t this because he is a very emotional person. Predictably, he reacted negatively when I first told him. What I wasn't prepared for was how fast he accepted it. It was just around 30 minutes. Then I remembered praying to God that He speak to Job and convict his heart. God did the work even before me.

Job then talked to me about God and how he wants to help me overcome sin. Then, he shared what he read from the Bible. Amazingly, we were both convicted to read Abraham's story.

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22: 15-18) (Emphasis added)

We were truly blessed by that, and he shared more Bible verses to me. It was as if he was the one who made the "decision" in the first place! In the following days, all he did was read the Bible, and I did not even tell him to do it. It was all God's work. Aside from me, He also wants Job to be a man after His own heart. I feel really blessed.

I also know his reading the Bible and singing worship songs isn't just superficial because his tone also changed. Before, he would impatiently announce that he wants to be with me and Yuri already. Nowadays, he would say something like "please take a lot of photos of Yuri so that I would also see him when he was little when God finally allows me to be with him."

We agreed that aside from minimizing communication, we will not focus on our relationship for now. Instead,we want to focus on building our relationships with our Maker. We are learning to trust in God's perfect timing.

Job and I agreed to talk only on Saturdays. We inevitably fail miserably because it was Christmas and New Year, and my gift to him arrived, and his gift to me arrived. However, we kept our talks very straight and direct to the point. Then, after delivering the point across, we stop talking and wait until our designated talk-day.

Photo: society6.com

Is it hard? Of course it is. I have been in a relationship with Job for years. and I naturally look forward to swapping stories with him at the end of the day. However, we can do it with God's grace. We're confident we will get blessed in His time if we follow him. In fact, we're already getting blessed just weeks after making the decision. I know God only wants the best for us, and in order to attain this best, we need to obey His commands.

Now I understand that God and the world aren't just "picking" on me. God wants to build our characters to prepare us to receive the abundance of his blessings. What a relief.

Photo from Facebook

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Yaya-less for 4 days!

I'm finally back to the daily grind! I actually started working yesterday, but I wasn't able to do much because the students were still in vacation-mode. I focused instead on creating posts and scheduling them so that I can focus on working in the next weeks.

If you can only hear me, you can tell that I'm giddy. Based on the posts I see on social media, it seems like I'm the only one excited to return to work! My reason is that I've been yaya-less for 4 days, and it's much more tiring than working for 8 hours a day. To housewives and SAHMs, grabe, I salute you!

To some of you, just four days would be sisiw, but please keep in mind that this is single mom speaking! :D

Just to make it clear, I do not not like being with Yuri 24/7. However, I also miss the "rest" that working can provide me. Also, I need to earn money! Buying too many gifts this past Christmas season has seriously taken a toll on my wallet!

I've never felt so tired in my life! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but this time, it's different because I had to be on my feet the entire 4 days. To relive the days I've been without a yaya, here are some photos I took during Day 2. One day lang because on Day 1, which was Sunday, we were out the whole day, Day 3 was New Year's Eve, and Day 4 was January 1st. I was too busy to take photos.

During that day, we stayed inside the house. It was too hot to be outside! It was even humid in the living room, so we resorted to just staying inside the bedroom. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of air-conditioning. Anyway, here are the photos I was able to take:

It's you and me today, momma!

The buckets of toys are on the bed.

 We also read one of Yuri's new books, Sandra Boynton's "Rhinoceros Tap."

And ate snacks. In bed! #breakingtherules #medyobadgirl hahaha!

And practiced playing his puzzles.

It was really hot that day, see. Too hot to be outside - and still too hot to be running inside!

So I committed a major parenting blunder and watched TV with my kid.

Snapshots of New Year's Eve

Happy New Year! I'm writing this post in bed next to Yuri. I'm on full-out holiday mode today since Yuri's yaya isn't bound to come back until this afternoon or evening. She's been on (unplanned) leave since Saturday afternoon, and it has been a real tiring almost-5 days for me. But let's save that for another post.

Our New Year's Eve didn't begin on a good note. My mom and dad had a little fight and weren't speaking by dinnertime. I thought we wouldn't eat Media Noche anymore, so I changed Yuri into a pajama outfit (I dressed him up for NYE) and went to bed. To cut the long story short, by midnight, my sister came up to tell me we were eating Media Noche, and everything was fine after that. Even Yuri who hates being woken up was in good spirits. Whew!

Without much ado, here are some photos I took of our New Year's Eve:

Our first time to make lasagna: success!

We only bought a little more than a couple of kilos of Lechon Baboy - because highblood. Heehee.

The parentals went to Digos City a day before New Year's Eve and bought a lot of kakanin from Mer's. The suman moron was love!

Due to insistent public demand (from Yuri and my sister), I made mango float again. This time, I topped it with lots and lots of mangoes!

Some of the lechon were made into paksiw. Honestly, I prefer the paksiw over the original lechon. Always!

And some caldereta, as my sister requested.

I wasn't able to take photos of the other foods my mom prepared because it was time for Yuri to take a nap. And when Yuri takes a nap, I take a nap, too. Heehee. Hindi madali maging mom 24/7!

After Yuri woke up from his nap, he resumed playing tirelessly. I had to pull him back for a second to take this pitiful selfie. :D

Our humble Media Noche spread