Rainy Afternoon

Is there another storm coming? I'm sorry; I wasn't informed. Heavy rains just started pouring this afternoon. Here's the view from the stairway window:

Windowsills need cleaning

It was a gray afternoon. I usually can see more from the window, but the photo above shows how everything turned foggy. I hope everyone's safe!

What jacket to buy?

Next month, we'll be going to Cebu to visit Papa's relatives. What makes this trip special is that it's Y's first time to ride a plane! That means fun -- and double preparedness on my part. The fun part, of course, of this preparedness is choosing what clothes to bring. I'm currently building his "vacation" wardrobe, but I still don't have any jacket for Y. Y needs one for the plane and the hotel because both would be cold. Brr!

I've been meaning to buy this baby jacket from where else but Choochoobaby:

Carter's Blue Whale hoodie

But I also saw this simple and clean-looking jacket from Zalora:

St. Patrick hoodie

Now, I can't decide. On another note, I also saw this hard-to-resist pair of baby jeans in Zalora.

Periwinkle Ruskin Pants

 Sadly, it costs P825, which is beyond my budget for a single piece of baby clothing. :(

On Preloved Toys (Part 2): Cleaning Preloved

On my last post on preloved toys, I talked about looking for a soft toy in the mall in vain. There are many cute toys to choose from, but somehow, I didn't find the perfect one. Now, enter this Facebook seller. I actually found the US-preloved toys in Multiply, but found out they have a Facebook account as well. I headed on to their account to see a more complete album of toys.

Lo and behold, I saw branded toys (albeit used) that were priced around P100 - P150 only. I myself bought three toys that were altogether cheaper than his baptismal tuxedo. Haha! I bought a Baby Einstein Octoplush and two soft books from Sesame Street and Taggies, all for less than P500!

Since they were all preloved, or used, cleanliness was certainly an issue. However, I followed a rigorous cleaning and disinfecting regimen, and everything was done in the comfort of our kitchen. How? Let the pictures tell the story:

What you will need:

The many times featured Cradle Toy and Surface Cleaner and the ever-reliable Zonrox Color-Safe (Not in photo: sponge and towel) (In photo: used Golden Fiesta cooking oil)

Step 1: Wet a sponge and pour Zonrox over it. Why did I use Zonrox for baby toys? Our family dentist swears by it and uses Zonrox to sterilize her equipments, the same tools she places inside our mouths. Just make sure to rinse them thoroughly.

Step 2: The sponge I used is very rough and not the soft kind. Its consistency is like a loofah's. With that sponge, I scrubbed the toys vigorously. Make sure to scrub every nook and cranny.

Step 3: If you are a mom, you'll surely have a basin or two. Get one and fill it with water. Immerse the cloth books to remove the bleach.

Step 4: The Octoplush is electronic and you can't immerse it in water. Instead, get a clean towel and wet it. Use this for the electronic plush toy and wipe all over it thoroughly. Don't stop wiping until all the traces of bleach is gone. Zonrox Color-Safe apparently creates suds, so make sure the toy is already suds-free.

Step 5: Drain the dirty water from the basin. Make sure the cloth books are suds-free, too, by mercilessly squeezing them. At the same time, boil water.

Step 6: After the water has boiled, pour it in the basin and let the cloth books immerse again.

Cloth books immersed in very hot, boiling water

Step 7: Since you cannot immerse electronic toys in water, what I did was get a smaller basin and placed the toy inside it. Then, I placed it on top of the bigger basin with the cloth books.

Octoplush inside a smaller basin

Step 8: After placing the smaller basin on top of the bigger basin, I placed a rubber mat over them to trap steam. I followed the principle of steaming as a way of sterilization, and that's a valid method ha. How do you think electric sterilizers work? So while hot water directly sterilizes the cloth books, very hot steam sterilizes the Octoplush.

Rubber mat to trap steam

Step 9: After the water has cooled down, I air-dried the toys by hanging them on the clothesline. After they dried, I took them down. No, they are not yet ready for playing. This is where the Cradle Toy and Surface Cleaner enters.

Step 10: After the toys were dry, I sprayed the Cradle Toy and Surface Cleaner all over them. Then, I scrubbed them (again) clean. After making sure that no residue is left in the toys, I hung them again to dry.

And it's done! Now, we can enjoy our (very cheap) toys - of course, after mommy has spent a day cleaning and disinfecting all three of them. But the look on Y's face is priceless!

Y enjoying his toys -- He was really enjoying them but his favorite commercial was on when I took this photo, so the toys were ignored (Caught on photo: Davao Mommy's thunder legs)

Here again is Y, trying to get some reading done.

"Please don't disturb me! I'm trying to find Ernie!"

How about you? How do you clean and disinfect preloved things?

*The toys above are used versions of Baby Einstein Octoplush, Sesame Street Peek-a-boo Book, and My First Taggies Sweet Dreams book. All of them are in good condition and do not need repairs, whatsoever.

*Grainy photos courtesy of my 2-year old mobile phone.

Random J Kwento

I'm still working but I just have to make a quick post about this. J and I were talking last night when our conversation had a random shift:

(DISCLAIMER: The original conversation was in Bisaya but I translated it into Tagalog for the better good of mankind.)

J: Gaano na nga kataas si Y?
Me: 71 cm na sya
J: Ah, matangkad, mana sa tatay.
Me: Talaga? Sige na nga haha
J: Gaano na sya kabigat?
Me: 8.2 kilos na kasi malakas kumain :D
J: Ah, mabigat, mana sa nanay!

Isn't he sweet? If we were talking personally, I would have pushed him off the bed. Sinong mabigat? Sinong mabigat?!

On Preloved Toys (Part 1)

As a mommy, I'm always on the lookout for things that would help my baby develop physically, mentally, and socially. That's why I breastfeed exclusively, give him time to exercise, regularly bring him to his doctor and to the Barangay Center for vaccinations, sing to him, talk to him, and do many other things I never dreamed of doing before.

I also know the value of toys for a baby's development. He has cute toys given to him by his papa, and a lot of other equally cute toys given to him on his baptism. However, all of these toys are plastic and aside from being hard to the touch, they are also hard to disinfect. I was looking for soft toys, particularly soft books, which could aid him develop his visual and tactile senses (and won't hurt him if he bangs them on his head, which he does a lot).

I went window shopping and found some soft books in Choochoobaby in Gaisano mall. They are not very expensive, ranging from P400 - P700, but I found none that I liked. The cheaper ones are from Lamaze and, while cute, I'm not fond of the yarn detail that Y could accidentally ingest.

It's really cute, but Y would get hold of those yarns in no time.

Another soft book was from Disney. It is cute but it is too small. Its redeeming quality was the stuffed toy, and trust me, we don't need any more stuffed toys.

They look good in pictures but I really find the book quite small.

The last one was a pillow book, also from Disney. I really planned to buy one, since it can also be used as a pillow, but it's designed for older kids. I really don't think Y would appreciate reading about Cars yet. Maybe in a year or two.

It looks like a pillow but opens up as a book!

But the letters are too small; it's made for toddlers, not babies.

So what did I do? Incidentally, I found a seller on Facebook who sells preloved toys from the US. I was wary of buying preloved toys because I know Y's tendency to chew on his books whatever he can get his hands on. However, I got the go-signal from my non-germaphobe mother (I kept it a secret from J hahaha) who said I can easily disinfect cloth toys.

And what did I find? Really cheap toys from Taggies, Sesame Street, and Baby Einstein.

(To be continued...)

Chikungunya virus in Surigao del Sur

I heard this news about Chikungunya fever this morning. It has affected five residents in Surigao del Sur. Not knowing what this illness is and knowing that J's family is in Surigao left me so anxious. You don't know how worried I am.

I did a research and found out that Chikungunya (can someone please rename this into something easier to spell?) is a dengue-like virus that is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Check out this Wikipedia link for more information.

Anyway, I also found out that the affected residents are from Barobo, which is pretty far from where J's family lives. I also remembered that he is now in Surigao del Norte, which is farther away. However, knowing his attitude on illnesses doesn't give me peace of mind. He won't go to a doctor unless he sees blood. Cases in point: when he got shot in an encounter and when he broke his leg in a car accident.

Once, he caught dengue fever and you know what he did? He still reported to work and drank tea made with tawa-tawa.

Image taken from Wikipedia

For the uninformed, this is called "asthma weed" in English and is commonly used in the Philippines as first aid treatment for dengue. Again, please check this link for more info.

J didn't go to the doctor at all. He immediately got well, actually, but I think it's because he's so healthy. He eats well (lots of fruits and vegetables) and exercises a lot, so I think the credit goes to his immune system. If you live a slightly less healthy lifestyle (like me), please do me a favor and go to a doctor once you see symptoms of dengue fever, or in this case, Chikungunya fever.

Oh, I hate writing the word.

The 2012 Belle de Jour Fair

I’m super excited for the 2012 BDJ Fair at the SM MOA Music Hall on October 14! :)

Check out their activities and GET A CHANCE TO WIN Free BDJ 2013 Power Planners and many more special prizes from their lifestyle brands! TO WIN! --- Play an active role in the fair’s festivities. Pre-register in any of the following activities below.  Please note each activity is limited to a certain number of slots :) First come first served.

10:00AM-11:00AM Kick-Ass Krav Maga (50pax)

Unleash that Strong Bella inside you as you learn self-defense techniques from the expert coaches at IKMF-Philippines.  Be proud and confident in the knowledge that you can protect yourself!

11:00AM-11:30AM Style Me Over! (50pax)

Give yourself a style update with this mini-workshop by Jasmine Mendiola as she shows the ways you can look even more amazing!

1:00PM-3:00PM Bloggers Extraordinaire (200pax)

Listen in as Tricia Gosingtian discusses how she has kept her blog current and relevant amidst the constant changes of the blogging world; while Patty Laurel talks about her love for travel and her lifelong goal of visiting a new destination for every year she’s on this earth.

3:30PM-5:00PM Beauty Bootcamp (200pax)

Know the essentials of Georgina Wilson’s skin care routine as she shares how she keeps her skin fresh and glowing all day.  Erica Paredes teaches us the basic items we need for our kikay kits and demonstrates how to use them. 

5:30PM-7:00PM  Life Lessons (200pax)

PJ Lanot will get you all charged up and raring to go as he guides you toward the self-realization that the Power is in you all along!  Fitz Villafuerte from the Ready To Be Rich blog shares with us why we need to start planning for our future now.

7:30PM-9:00PM Fierce Fashion! (200 pax)

Watch as BDJ Girls sashay down the runway in stylish outfits from SM GTW, Ladies Wear and Parisian. Learn from stylist extraordinaire, Donna Cuna-Pita as she talks about the ways you can infuse fun, bright colors into your everyday work staples. 

BE A SUPERMODEL: Strut your Sexy Self! (24pax)

Walk the runway in styles that that are bold, daring and fun! Be part of the 24 models for the BDJ 2012 Fashion Show showcasing the trendiest ensembles from SM GTW and SM Ladies Wear.  You must submit a full body photo wearing fitted clothes with your vital statistics (bust, waist and hips size), height, weight, and contact no. Please send by October 3. We will pre-select models for a go-see on October 6.

To participate, email them at bdjfair@viviamoinc.com with the following details:

SUBJECT: The 2012 BDJ Fair: LIMITLESS!

Name

Email Address

Mobile

Activities/Talks to Join: 

1.       Top Choice -

2.       2nd Choice -

3.       3rd Choice -

What are you waiting for? Send them an email at bdjfair@viviamoinc.com  NOW!

Visit their website at www.belledejourpowerplanner.com  

Like their facebook account (facebook.com/BelledeJourPlanner)

Follow them on twitter! @BDJBuzz

See you Bellas at the BDJ Fair! :)

EDIT: If I were in Manila on October 14, I will certainly see you there!

Y turns 6!

This very day, my Y turns 6 months old. We celebrated the day by going to the Barangay Center for his Vitamin A. Haha!

We got there a bit late and there are many people already. Number 23 na kami (monthsary hahaha). Anyway, the people from the center told us that the normal weighing scale for babies is broken (sinong baby kaya nakasira?), so we'll be using a spring-type scale.

What's that, you ask? Here's a sample picture:

Image taken from Google

If you ask me, that's a very scary looking weighing scale, considering they just tied it around a wooden ceiling beam. Nevertheless, I watched the other parents place their babies (very carefully) inside the hammock and waited for our turn.

When our turn was up, I placed Y (very carefully) with his legs hanging out. He couldn't fit in the hammock! I'm so proud! Hahaha! He actually looked very comfortable just lying in the hammock that I contemplated getting one for the house - when I realized his grandparents already bought him one. I guess we'll use it next time.

Y is heavy! He weighs 8.2 kilos already, or more than 18 pounds. Also, he is 71 centimeters or almost 28 inches long. We're thankfully on the good side of the growth chart. :-)

Usually, we would wait for the vaccination for more than an hour, but since we're only getting a dose of Vitamin A, we got to leave immediately. Y just slept through the whole ordeal. Goodbye for now, Barangay Center. See you on December!

What's inside my diaper bag?

What’s-in-my-bag posts always amuse me. I'm a naturally curious person and I would love to root around someone's bag to guess his or her character and personality. For example, someone who likes reading almost always have a tattered copy of a book in her bag. A techie person will have gadgets and wires all over. Anyway, because I’m amused with this kind of posts, I decided to have my own, too – this time, it’s what’s in my diaper bag.

I know, I know. What I wrote above is just a lame attempt to show you the contents of my diaper bag. I’m not even sorry! Haha! What’s in my diaper bag? Here they are:

My pink and brown Baby Couture diaper bag

An insulated pocket where I put Yuri's bottle -- if we bring one

Diaper mats -- one came with the diaper bag and one from the department store, which just costs P49 (teehee)

Details (macro haha)

Shawl -- in a distracting, orange color -- for emergency coverups

Y's record books from our pedia's clinic and from the Barangay Center

Extra mittens and bibs -- I don't know why I still bring a pair of mittens since Y doesn't use them anymore

Health care essentials -- Hygienix hand sanitizer, Cortizan cream for eczema, Diacare diaper cream (same bottle since he was born!), pen for signing autographs, digital thermometer, baby-sized cotton buds

All of which are placed inside the clear pouch that came with the diaper bag

Travel-sized wipes are a must!

And travel-sized wipes for hands and face

Just three diapers to last the whole day -- Y poops just twice a week (Before you ask, no, he's not constipated. That's normal for breastfed kids.)

Extra rompers -- I learned my lesson when Y accidentally pooped on his clothes in the clinic. :D

Extra shorts if he's wearing onesies

I also used to bring Y's pacifier, too, but he doesn't like using it.

So, there. Those are the contents of my diaper bag. What else should I have? I'm open to suggestions. How about you? What's in your diaper bag?

* This post has been sitting on my drafts since last week. I didn't post it yet because I felt I would be changing something in my blog -- and there really was!

Another Lazada gift!

Last week, Lazada's customer service team sent me an email containing a survey for customer satisfaction. Having nothing better to do, I answered the survey. By the way, I like answering surveys, so...

I answered very honestly. I told them about the complaint I had regarding not giving me the tracking number immediately. It was a very minor problem, but I had to track the purchase so that I can be sure that I can receive it at home. Nevertheless, the complaint was well taken by the customer service team and I had no problem afterwards with the delivery.

I actually like ordering from Lazada because they offer free shipping anywhere in the country. It also has Cash-on-Delivery option for Davao City, something I greatly appreciate because I don't like using my mother's credit card and I'm not too keen on going to the bank to place deposit.

Now, this came to my email:

500 pesos is a big deal for me, and getting a voucher of this worth for free is nothing but great! I now have a Lazada tab open on my browser and as soon as I finish work, I'm going to browse for something to buy. Oh, I can't decide!

Busy, busy, busy!

I was scheduled to do a LOT this morning, but the little boy did not cooperate and woke up at almost 8am already. While longer sleep is certainly better for Y, Mondays just doesn't work that way for mommy!

First off, I need to disinfect (and disinfect, and disinfect) some preloved toys I bought yesterday. Yes, I tried my luck and bought preloved toys for babies. I figured it may be fine because a lot of other mothers are buying preloved toys. I'm not a germaphobe, anyway. Don't worry; as I mentioned, I really did scrub and disinfect the heck out of them. I'll be posting about them in a few days time.

Second, I need to work on setting up my new domain. That's right. My mom bought domains for herself and for me, in return for me working on her website. I started to set my mom's domain up yesterday and didn't have time to set my own. It was easy, until I encountered problems with domain forwarding and my Nuffnang. To solve the problem with the latter, I deleted my old Nuffnang account and made a new one.

As for the domain forwarding, I had to look through GoDaddy tutorials so that readers (I know I have four) can open the website even without the "www."

Awa ng Diyos, tapos na. I think everything's fine in the blog already, except for the reduced ranking. Imagine just missing out on blogging for a couple of days and the blog goes from 200 down to 300? It's okay. We'll all live. :-)

As a result, it's already almost half past 10 -- and I haven't started work yet! Aaaahhhh! I need to work now. Then, I'll be back to regular programming. Bye!

Is it time to have my own domain?

I've been contemplating on getting my own .com since Monday. I figured it would be a great way to "pressure" myself into writing more often and immerse myself more in this blogging business. Yes, I'm pretty serious when I said I want to be a serious blogger.

I know it's quite ambitious of me to want to have my own domain already, given that my blog is still very, very small -- it's just a teeny weeny part of the blogosphere as of now. However, I found out that you can buy a domain from GoDaddy for just around $13/year. There's nothing to lose, right?

I told my mom about it and she said she wants to buy her own domain, too, for her real estate blog -- which I won't link to because it's not up yet. Yes, I'm her webmaster. Yes, anybody can have a website now, so don't shoot us. Don't worry; we won't waste online space. We'll try not to.

What do you think? Can I handle being my mom's webmaster, working full-time as an online essay instructor, blogging seriously, and being a mother to a baby who's turning 6 months next week?

On Blogger Bootcamps and Angelito

Disclaimer: I am not there.

I'm here at home and am supposed to review another essay but I got a headache because I-don't-know-why. Anyway, I remembered that today's the first day of the Davao Blog Weekend Bootcamp. As someone who aspires to become a serious blogger, I really, really wanted to go there! But I cannot, for obvious reasons. Who will feed Y? How will I work?

How can I watch Angelito: Ang Bagong Yugto?

Just kidding. But I'm really hooked to this series. Gone are the days where I watched ANTM, Two Broke Girls, and reruns of Friends while I breastfeed Y. Now, the yaya decides what to watch on television! LOL! That means minutes of suspense as I watch Jenny desperately trying to hide the truth that Angelito fathered her baby... I digress.

The bootcamp takes place at the Malagos Garden Resort, around 2 hours away from here. We've been there last year, and we thoroughly enjoyed the bird show. On the other hand, one of the speakers of the bootcamp is from the newspaper where I used to work. I can totally feel the connections between me and this blogger bootcamp. But I cannot go! Oh gosh, why?

I don't blame Y, though. In fact, I won't go anywhere if that means being away from Y for too long #newmommyproblems. I'm such a smitten mommy that I cannot go anywhere, even for an hour, without missing the bébé! Oops, do I mean Y or J? Hahaha!

Lost comments!

I did away with the old Blogger comment form and incorporated Disqus form. Now, all the comments in my blog are gone!!!

Oh gosh, why.

It's okay. I'll live. Konti lang naman yung comments eh. But still! :(

EDIT: I removed Disqus from the blog, and the handful of comments are back! Yay! I changed my mind and will stick to Blogger platform commenting. :-)

Taking solid feeding to the next level!

Can you guess what this is?

This is my favorite shot. I can take macros after all!

It's from Fisher-Price. What is it?

If the picture looks crooked, that's because it is. I took these pictures with Y in my left arm.

A dishwasher-safe tray, which would be really useful because we don't have a dishwasher -- harhar

It's a booster seat for Y! We're taking solid feeding to the next level!

In all its blue, white and green glory

We actually bought this when I was still pregnant. We were looking for strollers, but bought this booster seat instead. However, we had to stash it upstairs because we didn't need it yet. It gathered dust, so yesterday, I spent my afternoon disinfecting the seat.

What I love about booster seats is that they are not bulky like regular high chairs. They are also generally cheaper than high chairs. Plus, if you have a car (and are a germaphobe), you can bring the booster seat along whenever you eat outside.

In our case, even if Y stops using this as a feeding chair, it can still serve as his own play-seat. Just remove the tray. Can you do that with regular high chairs?

Look at the little boy enjoying his booster seat!

What's this?

Oooh, I like it! (That's lola behind Y.)

Thanks, mama!

He was wiggling all the time, so I had to remove him from the booster seat before he topples over. We'll use it again tomorrow; don't worry!

Top 5 Craziest Things I've Done

Ae Mi Lee of  My Baby, My Star, from the BC Bloggers, suggested this crazy topic. It's really crazy, actually, and I thought how hard could it be? Amazingly, I had trouble writing this blog post. I didn't know where to start! How could someone so young be so dumb crazy? After listing a dozen things and then short-listing them to seven, I finally came up with the top 5 craziest things I have done -- to date.

5 - Work as a reporter for a local newspaper
This was a good job experience, but I consider being a news reporter crazy because I already had a good-paying job at that time. Little did I know that I'm about to enter a world where I have to scour the entire city under the scorching sun to look for news that are hard to write, to earn minimum wage at the end of the month. After a couple of months, I quit.

4 - Drink with two of my fraternity brothers the night before a major exam
I vividly remember that it was a midterm exam for a major subject. I believe that it was supposed to be just a couple of bottles of beer to relax, but we had more and more. I don't remember much, but I do remember crawling up the stairs, crying hysterically, and not being prepared for the exam. In short, I totally embarrassed myself.

3 - Climbed over a high fence to escape a landlady
In college, a couple of our friends lived in another dormitory governed by a strict landlady. One Friday night, we slept over at our friends' room to watch movies. A neighbor warned us that the landlady will check all the rooms in the morning for unwanted visitors. To escape her, we woke up really early the following morning to go outside the dormitory, only to be greeted by a padlocked gate. So we did what any lady would do - we climbed the steep gate without concern for our limbs.

2 - Secretly jumped on a bus to Surigao del Sur with my boyfriend
I did a lot of crazy things with J, in the most innocent sense of the word. One of them was celebrating my birthday in his hometown, 12 whopping hours away from Davao City. I knew my parents won't allow me to go, so I didn't tell anyone about it. On the day of our departure, I immediately left as soon as I came home from work. We stayed in Surigao for three days. Down to this day, I still wonder what would have happened if I my mother texted me to go home.

1 - Have a baby with my boyfriend and kept it a secret
This may be the craziest thing I have ever done in my life. My parents have always seen me as a good and studious child - not that having a baby changes this - and this event was particularly shocking to them. My mother knew about J, but she didn't think it was serious. Over a year ago, I kept my pregnancy a secret and ran away from home. However, it doesn't matter now because the new grandparents simply adore Y. Now, if they could only adore J, too... Haha!

All of these crazy things that I have done taught me different lessons that I will always remember. Even though I've done things that are not very admirable, I have no regrets because these crazy things complete me as a person. These lessons I have learned will also be taught to Y, although I may encourage him to work as a newspaper reporter. :-)

Let’s Move & Let’s Love

This is my official entry to Nuffnang Philippines + Benetton's "Let's Move & Let's Love" Blog Contest.

I was an extremely selfish person. I could not bear to part with what I have and all I cared about was having more and more -- until I became a mother.

I didn't become a generous person overnight. It was a long process, actually, that involved me having to accept that life isn't just about myself. Now, I had to take care of a stranger in the form of a baby, who is helplessly dependent on me. I suddenly can't buy the things I usually buy for myself. I suddenly can't do the things a normal person does -- read books, take a shower, eat on time, brush my teeth. I suddenly had to prioritize a screaming baby over my own wants and needs.

But what I realized is that life owes me nothing. I realized that this is what I am made to do: become a good mother. What encouraged me to work on becoming a good mother is the generosity of other people.

My boyfriend, although he is not here personally, never fails to communicate with me even in the wee hours of the day so that I can have company while I rock my baby to sleep.

My family, whom I utterly neglected and disobeyed, supported me in all aspects of baby-raising.

My friends, even though they didn't need to, would always ask how my day was.

Friends of the family would drop at the house bringing stuff my baby can use: from small things, such as baby clothes and shoes, to bigger things, like a crib and a stroller. I saved a lot just from these "donations!" Haha!

I can only return this heaping dose of generosity with a hope that I can give a part of myself to others:

I give a part of myself to my baby daily by breastfeeding him. I may have selfish reasons on doing this, but my primary reason is that breast milk is the best for him. And I don't want anything but the best for my baby.

I try to become a better, more understanding girlfriend. Admittedly, I am the one who always likes picking fights, but I realized I cannot be so selfish to only think about my own issues. Even though he doesn't say it out loud, my boyfriend has problems, too, which outweigh my own.
 
I give back to my family. Last year, even though I was working, I hardly gave them anything. This year, I don't care if I can buy anything for myself because I will treat them to a vacation in my father's hometown in Cebu.

Finally, I pray harder now. I pray for more people: my baby, my boyfriend, my family, his family, friends, strangers, people on the news, people who need help. I realized that I simply cannot be selfish with my prayers. If all I can give is my time to pray, I will gladly do that.

 
How can I not do these things if I am so blessed in life? I have so many people around me who support and love me unconditionally. It kills me not to be able to give back. I commit to becoming a more generous person who is not afraid to give.

I have been a mother for only almost six months, but I can say that I am a better, more generous person all because I was moved and am loved.