Book Sale Loot from Sunday!

My post from Monday, which is about our decision to raise Yuri to speak primarily in Filipino, received a lot of attention, and while it received positive feedback, it also received several negative reactions. I was prepared for that because I know many have a different opinion. But I wasn't prepared for the hurtful comments! Outside the blog, I actually received comments calling me absurd and insecure! It's sad how, despite the language, some just choose to be rude. But it's equally enlightening to know that some people can share their opinions while showing grace and respect. So much learning from a single post!

Anyway, let's move on and talk about something lighter. What about books? :-)

You see, last Sunday, after a long long while, I was finally able to revisit my most favorite store in the world: Book Sale.

When I was in high school, my mom and I would always go to Book Sale (and Bookshop before) to buy books. I maintained the habit and still tried to visit when I was in college. When I graduated and had a job, whenever I get my salary, my first stop is always Book Sale.

Unfortunately for me, there are only three branches in Davao City: 2 of them are in the south (we live in the north) while 1 is in the heart of the city that is not very child-friendly (think Quiapo). With a toddler in tow, I simply couldn't visit Book Sale on a whim now!


So what I did was regularly visit the online shop of The Learning Basket. And I did score a lot of great finds there! Our copies of Where the Wild Things Are and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are from it. It's clear that the owners only sell books which they and their children would read, too. But with the shipping fee, it tends to get expensive. Plus, palagi akong nauunahan haha!

(You can see more of our books here.)

Well, last Sunday, I really planned to go to Book Sale.

The Library Project

I live in a house that is full of books, and I give credit to the homemaker: my mom. Last time, I shared with you some photos of our bookcases, but in case you missed it, here they are again:

Aside from the books in the bookshelves above, there are still many books in the kitchen (mostly recipe books) and more in my own bedroom (Christian books, my Bible, devotionals, Eraserheads paraphernalia - alin alin ang naiba - and magazines). Someday, when we finally settle into our own home (which might be sooner than I think, God-willing), I hope it will also be filled with a lot of books.

For now, my project is more localized. My 21-month old, Yuri, has already developed an interest in books. Predictably, this fueled my obsession in buying children's books, which led to the predicament: saan ko sila ilalagay? It's a good thing there was an unused bookshelf in the house, which is perfect for Yuri's height.

At first, every book had its own place.

However, the shelf quickly filled up last Christmas.

You might not see it, but the books were just crammed together. This is a problem because it doesn't attract the toddler; in other words, hindi nakaka-engganyo. 

The amount of books was quickly accumulating, and it has only been a month since I started buying books intentionally! Pano pa kaya in a few more months? Well, I asked for help from the ultimate domestic diva (my mom), and with her magic hands, Yuri's "library" turned into this:

Disclaimer lang, malakas ang backlight (as can be seen in the photo above), so I had to use flash. #defensive

The books are now separated and categorized! Don't worry; the inside of the cabinet is not filled with Yuri's books - yet.