Milestone: First day in Summer Class

Hi Anak!

Today is your first day in summer school. Mommy and Tatay Erick came with you on this very important day. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I was nervous and thrilled at the same time kasi I know you too well whenever you’re around kids of your age. Of course i trust that you‘d adjust in a breeze. If things didn’t turn out perfect, it’s totally ok with mommy. I always say that I’ll let you commit mistakes so you can learn from it. Ganyan talaga ang buhay anak. I’ll support you whatever happens. I’ll be here for you always. Tandaan mo yan.

Anyway, let me tell you how it went:

We woke up around 6am then we started preparing around 630 am. Your class starts at 830am nga pla. Tatay started preparing your breakfast while i was busy fixing your things. You knew you were going to school but I’m sure you had no idea what it would be like. Your theme on this day was cars. i know you liked angry birds better pero it looked so cheap kaya we chose cars. Forgive me for making decisions for you. Understand that i can only do this while i still can..

We were all ready around 8am. at this time, we headed to your Ninang Iza‘s house... kasabay natin sya pumasok.. We reached your school around 8 din.. their time..  (kasi anak late ng 15 minutes ang official time nila! J) the guard and teachers let us in your room na.. there were around 5 kids na wen we came.. lahat sila tahimik.. some were still yawning.. kaw lang ang energetic anak.. we took some pictures then they handed you a toy.. Ken,your classmate, was the first person who talked to you.. he helped you with the toy you were given.. then 830am..Your teacher came.. i was somehow relieved when i learned that Ninang Iza was assigned to you.. d din nya alam un.. nun na lng.. Teacher Carla was there too.. Teacher mo silang dalawa.. You started that class with a prayer.

 Anak,ikaw talaga ang pinakahyper sa lahat! While everyone else was seated, you kept running around... your Ninang Iza was like nursing you na...  After the prayer, your names were called.. You were not paying attention din just like the other kids.. kasi nga you were busy running around.. ang happy lang ng peg mo.. I was teary-eyed nga kasi I’m glad to witness another milestone in your life.. After the introduction.. the music played and you started dancing.. eto na talaga.. I was holding back the tears.. you were so jolly.. you were following instructions din.. you were the most adorable amongst them.. then after dancing.. at this point.. We were asked to wait outside na lang. All parents were asked to leave the classroom.. That 10 minutes we were allowed inside to watch you was the proudest moment of my life.. Alam ko madami pang proud moments na darating.. So far.. eto na yung superlative.. :)

I was a bit anxious to leave.. I knew you‘d cry.. pero alam mo ba anak.. You didnt cry.. at first, upon you hearing your teachers bid goodbye to the parents.. you ran to me and hugged me too tight.. you didnt wanna let go.. pero when your teacher grabbed your hands and lead you back to your seat.. you just simply sat down and that’s when i saw an opportunity to exit.. Tatay Erick and I were waiting outside.. I was actually waiting for your teachers to call me outside since i was expecting you to have tantrums.. Surprisingly, d ako pinatawag anak.. We just waited outside.. I thought you‘d come out for snacks.. di pala.. So we waited till 11.. I was so eager to know how you were doing inside so from time to time.. I was eavesdropping.. I heard you laugh.. also.. ngyayaya ka na lumabas.. pero the 4 teachers you have didn’t let you out.. Despite that.. I didn’t hear you cry.. i was so proud of you baby.

Come dismissal time.. I couldn’t wait to hear from your Ninang Iza.. I was excited for feedback..

Sabi nya.. 2 lang kayo ng classmate mo ang nakapagidentify ng alphabet.. You were also good in socialization. You didn’t disobey mommy.. You shared your baon to your classmates... and most important of all.. wala kang inaway..I was praying talaga that you don’t cause trouble sa class mo.. and I’m so relieved you didn’t.

As per your teacher.. di ka pa daw nakakapag-focus.. You always want to get what you want.. Normal lang naman daw un.. Hopefully in the coming days, you’d learn to follow instructions na.. I know you’re very persistent pero I’m sure you’d learn and improve in this summer class..

Anak, I’ll try my best n0t to pressure you... I know you’re  too young for that.. i just want you to develop your personality.. and improve your socialization skills.. pag may natutunan ka outside that.. Bonus na lng un samen ni tatay...

I love you so much and ill support u whatever happens...!

Since i was happy with how your first day in school went.. we went to Sm after class then we ate at Jollibee as per your request.. we allowed you to play your favourite games then we headed home na..

Anak, you did very good on ur first day in school.. Tatay and I are super proud of you.. You surpassed our expectations! Thank you for bringing joy to our lives..!

I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Mommy Jhen

Scribbles on paper.

Today, I woke up with the sweetest smile on my face..

Erick ain’t the type who writes letters..

I have sent him lots of notes but he never wrote back..

But today..

He wrote me a letter.

And I'm soooo touched.

Every day, I am more convinced that I made the right decision. J

The 3 C's of life: CHOICES, CHANCES and CHANGES.

source

This is nostalgic.

I’m glad I took the chance of living another life again.

 I was once a casino-addict which turned me to someone I wish I never knew – a negligent partner, irresponsible mother, undependable daughter, unreliable friend and the like.

But I made a CHOICE to turn my life around and make a CHANGE.

 I’m glad I was given the CHANCE to work in a great company, the CHANCE to be a responsible mother to my son, the CHANCE to be a reliable breadwinner and a good provider to my family, the CHANCE to love and be loved again..  

…and most importantly,

 the CHANCE to be a better person.

I’m just happy I was able to bounce back.

Life gives us a lot of chances. Let’s make the most out of it. J

Four most painful moments in life

I came across this quote and super nakakarelate ako. 

I miss my best friends.

 

Sigh.

 

Anyway,

 

Have a great week ahead everyone! ☺

On Learning the art of cooking.

I don’t cook and sometimes, I feel bad about it. Siguro I’m upset with myself din kasi I’m not like any woman of my age. I have tried several times to live on my own away from my parents and during these times, yan ang lagi kong problema. What to cook and how. I remember when I was still living with Niño when I was still pregnant, I had to call my mom and cook while on the phone with her. Given all the detailed instructions, ganon pa din. Sometimes, OK. Most of the time, sablay. Mas madalas ung sablay. My mom is a very good cook so I still believe na if I’ll take it seriously, matututo din ako. Dun kasi ako nahihirapan sa part na pagtimpla ng vinegar, soysouce or any condiments. For some reason, di ko sya ma-gets. And it’s so frustrating.

I remember one time when I met Erick’s friends for the first time, I was asked to cook “adobo” for them. I was nervous. Kasi di ko nga sya magets. Super hindi sya edible at first then I started putting in a lot of sugar, Surprisingly, everyone liked it. Erick even said that it was the most delicious “adobo” he ever tasted! ♥ Until now, there were times na nagtatanong sya if I can still cook that same ”adobo”, unfortunately, hindi ko na kaya. I’m not even sure how I cooked it. L

Anyway, good thing, Erick is not so hard to please. I’m proud that there are two dishes I’m expert at! And Erick is so inlove with them, pati si Nyx. So when I’m in the mood to cook, I cook these for them.

That’s Purefoods Sisig and Argentina Corned beef. 

For the corned beef, I put a decent amount of onion and a lot of potatoes (kasi Nyx super loves potatoes!). I put right amount of salt and that’s it. I taste other corned beef and feeling ko ibang iba ung akin (hihi!). O baka kasi exaggerated lang si Erick. For the sisig, I just put a lot of chili and chicharon without any other condiments. Basta naman maanghang, it pleases Erick na. :) I’ll try to cook more so I can cook for them. I know eventually we have to get our own place so I better start learning how to cook. J By the way, I can also cook great “Sinigang”! J

Happy 50th Birthday Inay! :)

Last weekend, we were not supposed to go to Batangas. Pero since Inay texted to inform us that Melissa (Erick’s sister) would come for a visit, we opted to go na lang din kasi it’s very seldom that Inay sees all her 3 children together. We want her to be happy. At first, I was not really considering it kasi I know we’d be busy in the next 2 days with all the construction and renovation. Pero since Erick almost begged for me to agree, I said yes. J

We left Cavite at around 7 AM and we reached Erick’s family house around 10 AM. Super sanay na si Nyx sa byahe. He never complained and I guess, we can start tagging him along in our future trips. Kahit mga tipong Zambales and Baguio lang.Kasi I don’t think kaya na nya ung Ilocos. J

I remember sharing here na super ayaw ni Nyx ang magpapicture. Ewan ko ba dun. Hindi pa nasanay. Super bilang na bilang ko ung few pictures na nakatingin sya. Kiber! I still take pictures of him kahit di sya nakatingin. J 

This was taken before we left Cavite. I super love it na kasya na sa kanya ung Adidas shoes na bigay ng tita ko from Dubai. It looks so good on him! J

 This was the cake we bought for Inay when we came home to Batangas. Medyo na-disappoint lang ako kasi hindi sila kumakain ng cake. Meron palang nageexist na mga ganon. We gave cakes away sa mga kids then nilagay na namin sa fridge. I was just thinking, kung sa bahay namin un.. di na un magtatagal sa table. Anyway, atleast it made Inay smile. So its worth a try. Si Nyx din kasi ang nagbigay. Sino bang hindi mapapangiti dun?! J

Our plan was to stay in Batangas overnight pero since Nyx took a nap for over 2 hours, I was afraid na baka hindi sya magpatulog ng ibang tao dun. So I asked Erick if we could go home by 7 pm. Pumayag naman sya. I was amazed kay Nyx kasi he was up the entire time on the road plus he was still super energetic when we reached home. Iba talaga ang energy ng anak ko! J Anyway,  I was thinking din na renovation would start early the following day and I wanted to be there when it starts so nagyaya na din ako umuwi. Good thing, Erick agreed . J

I have the most understanding, generous, caring, kind, patient and loving boyfriend in this planet talaga! ☺

It was totally fine with Inay din kasi Melissa left naman ahead of us. J

Baguio. :)

I know I have already shared here how fascinated we are with Baguio. Erick wants to settle down there in fact. Ako din. There’s just something in that place na ang sarap balik balikan. Siguro kasi I found peace there. It’s my haven. I studied there for a year and it’s definitely unforgettable.

Few years ago, when Erick and I were just friends, I introduced him to this place. It was his first time. And since then, pabalik-balik na sya sa Baguio.

In fact, it was a co-incidence that we stay in the same transient house whenever we visit Baguio. Dahil dyan, pareho namin kilala si “Ate Nining”. She’s the very nice and accomodating land lady sa transient house na to.

Sa super dalas ni Erick sa Baguio, one of his colleagues asked him to book a reservation for a family in Ate Nining’s transient house for the Flower Festival. So, last weekend yun dapat. The reservation was set na so in the middle of Saturday night, nagising kami sa text ni Ate Nining asking what time darating ung nagpareserve – which reminded Erick na hindi pa pala nagfofollow-up ung officemate nya. Hmp! How inconsiderate! (pero ok na.. forgiven na.. kasi the following day, nagtext ung son nya saying that nasugod pala sa emergency si Mommy Verns so di sila natuloy. )

So you know what Erick thought about?!

He was insisting that we go to Baguio instead para hindi nakakahiya kay Ate Nining. Matagal na kasi namin pinapangarap na makita si Nyx na tumatakbo around Burnham park or Mines View. He was dead serious. As in. I just had to say “yes” daw tapos gigisingin na nya si Nyx at aalis na kami. I thought about it. Buti na lang hindi ako nagpadala sa kanya. Kasi mega gastos na nga kami dahil sa renovation, sabayan pa namin ng Baguio escapade. Baka ma-drain na ang little savings namin. So I told him we’ll go there some other time. Plus, I don’t suggest that we go there during Flower festival kasi super daming tao. Hindi masaya makipagsiksikan sa Session Road with a 3-year old kid noh!

So ayun na nga.

Hindi kami natuloy.

In October of last year, nangyari na din to. Out of the blue, niyaya ko sya mag-Baguio. He said yes kagad without hesitations. So we went there unplanned. This time, ako ang di pumayag. J

I’m sure next time na bigla kami magkayayaan, matutuloy na un. J

If you want a cheap transient house in Baguio, you can message me and maybe we can help you with the reservation. I’ll post pictures of the place when I have the time. It’s super cheap kasi it’s only Php 300.00 per head. The place has a common restroom (with hot shower, ofcourse!), common living room with TV (cable) and you can even use the common kitchen if you want to cook your own food. J This is ideal for people travelling in large groups kasi super cheap lang ng place. Walking distance lang sya sa Victory liner terminal. J

Happiness. :)

We normally plan our weekends ahead of time. But since there were scattered rains the entire week last week, we thought it would be better if we’d rather stay home. It was Inay’s (Erick’s mom) birthday last Friday, February 22^nd, and since it was raining hard all day, we were left with no choice but to stay at home kasi nga mahirap bumiyahe especially with a kid during rainy days. So un na nga, we stayed home instead of going home in Batangas.

Minsan lang to mangyari na we have a long weekend so I was super thrilled. Again, we had no plans kasi nga we were kinda expecting the weather to be not cooperative.. So while we were watching TV, Friday afternoon, we thought of having a major renovation of our room. It badly needs renovation din kasi. The walls, ceiling and the windows aren’t ok na din. This has been in my bucket list ever since but since I didn’t have savings during those days; it remained in my bucket list for so many years. Now that we have finally started saving, it’s a lot easier to do home improvement. Finally, we’ll have our own personal space na din!

So un na nga, I hurried downstairs to tell my mom the good news. She’s been waiting for a major house renovation na din kasi ever since my dad stopped working. So when Eric finally agreed to tap on our savings to get everything done, I told mom na din para di na kami mag-backout. J Mom instantly asked for a construction worker to check on the house and do estimates of how much the labor and materials would cost. That same day, I asked my dad to order for the construction materials and have it delivered Monday (kasi Monday pa daw pwede ung mga laborers, I had to do that kasi baka magbago pa isip ko if we wait until Monday..).So wala ng makakapigil sa’men!

I’m super excited! Kasi Ive been wanting to paint our room, post pictures on the wall and draw paintings on the wall na din para it’ll look like Nyx’s room na din. Finally, mangyayari na din.  This Monday morning, tapos na sila sa walls and ceiling. They’ll come back tomorrow to install the windows and to do the repairs sa living room naman. I’ll post pictures soon!

Life really gets better to those who are determined and to those who remain patient while waiting.

Acceptance. :)

February 17th, Sunday

As a single mother, one of the dilemmas that I have is whether or not Nyx will be accepted by Erick’s family. I guess this is one of the many challenges single mothers face and I’m not an exception to this case.

Upon realizing that Niño (Nyx’s father) will be gone for good, it never really came to me that I’d be with someone again. I know I’m too young and it’s too early to tell yet. It’s just that the thought of rejection scares me to death. I hate the thought of Nyx being rejected by my future in-laws. We see a lot of it in movies and Lord knows it’s possible. So I dismissed the thought of being with anyone again.  

But..

Apparently, God has another plan for me. He knows that I need someone I can share my life with given all the responsibilities I’m faced with. He gave me a chance at love and life. I’m grateful of the chance and I’m just happy God made it so easy for me and Nyx..

It took us months to introduce Nyx to Erick’s parents. They were already made aware by Erick that I have a son even before I met them. As far as I can recall, their only concern was whether or not I am married. They were sort of pleased when they learned that I’m not. Erick was insisting that we bring Nyx in his family house months before we actually took him in Batangas. I was not convinced that they’d like him so I was hesitant. To my surprise, it was a breeze. In an instant, I felt that they sincerely like Nyx.

Nyx has this natural charm. Aside from looks of course, he knows how to make someone like him effortlessly. I think most kids are like him. I know I’m just biased because of course I’m his mom.

We spent our weekend in Batangas and I can never be happier as a mother to feel that my son is accepted by my partner’s family. Now, I’m convinced that I’m blessed to have Erick in my life. I never felt as comfortable around Erick’s family as I did this past weekend. Erick’s mom even gave me a purse and bag which I super like!  Everything changed when I felt their deepest concern to Nyx when they learned that he was rushed to the hospital few days ago.

Pagdating ng house, di pa sya nakakapagpalit ng damit, upo kagad sya then he started playing with Eric's niece. :)

Nyx feels so at home in Batangas now.

Di naman halata na at home talaga sya noh?!

Mega close na sila ng kapatid ni Erick.. Super habol na sya jan and everyone in the house adores him! ♥

Hiniram nya lang yan sa pamangkin ni Erick! Parang sa kanya lang ung mga damit e. :)

Mawawala na naman si Jollibee sa eksena. :) We dropped by Jollibee before going home. :)

Happy pa sya nyan sa byahe.. Super sanay na sya sa byahe. As in. Wala na lang sa kanya ung 3 hours na byahe.

Nakakatulog na din sya ng mahimbing sa byahe. Then when he wakes up, he'll ask.. "Andito na?"

He didn’t ask about going home in Cavite. He played with kids from the block and he even let me sleep while he was out playing. He was so comfortable that he wanted to go back in Batangas as soon as possible. I feel completely satisfied now as a mother to Nyx and as a partner to Erick. ♥

Note to Erick (My No. 1 blog reader):

"Thanks for making the load lighter. Thank you for the love and acceptance. Thank you for the understanding and patience. Thank you for giving me the family I never had. Thank you for making me feel complete. I can never ask for more (aside ofcourse from the ones listed in my wishlist! :p). Thank you for the trust. You know I’m bad at this, but I just want to say Thank you for everything! I love you babe!  ♥♥"

I’m a very proud mommy. :)

I remember sharing here that I had to stop my regular tutorial sessions with Nyx kasi he had fever one time after our intense lesson.. since I felt guilty about it, I opted to stop it muna and just resume after some time. I also remember sharing with you that I discovered an Android application about learning ABC’s and I introduced it to Nyx para there’s a fun way of learning naman din for him..

The other day, I was checking if he still remembered everything I taught him about alphabet. To my surprise, alam na nya din ung ibang letters na hindi ko tinuro. I realized, maybe he learned it from this Android application I was telling you about. There were times kasi when I see him browsing and playing with these applications. I’m just so proud of Nyx and I will definitely start teaching him how to write soon! J

Out of the 26 letters in the alphabet, 2 letters na lang ang hindi nya alam (Q and V)!

I’m just so proud and happy that my son is picking up really fast. He has good retention and comprehension skills and it manifests this early. At least now I’m relieved na kahit “bulol” pa sya in his age, smart kid talaga sya! J

I’ll be more patient in teaching him para he’d like studying din as he grows up. J