It is Monday and we’re supposed to be experiencing a great storm.  Fortunately, it didn’t hit Metro Manila.  It remained cloudy throughout the day but there was no rain.  We don’t know how it is in Isabela where the typhoon landed because we had no cable the whole day and I think it’s going to be the same the whole night too.  Well, I can deal with no cable as long as the skies are calm and we’re safe.

I hope everyone is safe too, especially our kababayans from the northern regions.

I love that I have a flexible schedule.  I don’t have any deadlines to beat everyday anymore.  I need this flexibility in my schedule in order to make sure I can still take care of my family’s needs.

I have devised an informal schedule.  It works most of the time but sometimes it doesn’t but I’m satisfied with it.  It works well for me and my son and for my husband too.

My schedule goes like this.  I wake up early at about 5 am, early enough to be able to see my husband off to work.  Once he leaves out our door I immediately start doing my work.  Before, I procrastinate and check my favorite blogs and websites first but I have learned to stop that bad habit.  I needed to get a headstart on my work while my son is still sleeping.  By six in the morning I have to wake up my son and prepare him for school.  He’s out the door by 7:30 and I quickly resume working.

He would be at school until 10:30 am and I try to do as much work as possible during that period.  At some point I lose my momentum and concede that I have to relax so that’s when I browse my favorite websites.  This routine works better than checking out the websites first early in the morning because once I start working I then get bored reading these websites and go back straight to work to finish my unfinished tasks.

By the time my little one gets home I’m still not finished with my work.  I just take some time off to chat with him and ask him how his day went.  Then I tell him since he has been good at school he can play, watch TV, or do anything he wants until 12 noon.  I then resume back to working.

When lunch time is near I remind him to wind down because we’re about to eat.  It’s important to give him these reminders in advance so when the time comes that he has to put away his toys we won’t have to deal with tantrums.  When lunch is set I turn off the PC and he puts his toys away.  We then eat our lunch.

After lunch, we talk a bit and relax before we start our studying routine.  I help him with his assignments, review their lesson for the day, and also do some advance lessons.

By mid-afternoon we have our merienda and by 4pm we go out to meet his Daddy in the parking lot.

So that’s our simple schedule these days.  I know it will be completely overhauled when the baby comes but for now this works well and I love how stress-free our days mostly are.

We already have a home, thanks to our MIL who just arrived today.  Of course, we’re still dreaming of owning our own house someday.  We want to experience being able to design our own house and experience the joy of seeing it built from ground up. We want to experience the thrill of being able to set foot on our dream house for the first time and enjoying the fruits of our labors.  I don’t know when it would come maybe 10 or 20 years from now but I would surely look forward to that.

Building a house is not that easy.  Aside from the cost that might shoot way beyond your budget you also have to think of the safety of the workers building it.  In our country where the weather changes in a day tarps are very important so the workers can take cover when there’s rain or when the heat becomes to unbearable.  Of course, they have to be wearing protective clothing in the first place.  This can serve as additional protection from all the elements.

As a homeowner, you’re not only concerned about the workers.  You’re also concerned about the products that you have bought for your house.  Sometimes it would be necessary to cover some materials with poly sheeting to keep them safe from the rain or the heat.  You have to keep a roll or two in handy for emergencies.

My tummy is getting bigger and bigger.  Baby is already kicking hard at five months.  I don’t know what the gender of our baby is yet but if I were to guess judging by his kicks I think baby is going to be a boy again.  Hubby and I have no preference with regards to the gender but hubby’s family are waiting for a baby girl.  It’s because there are already six boy cousins in the family but not a single girl.  They are all awaiting for a baby girl but I guess we have to disappoint them again. hihi

Speaking of baby, we’ll have to buy baby things again because I have given away Z’s old things.  We’re hoping to get a crib courtesy of my Dad so the only thing we’ll buy is a baby bedding.  Of course, it would be more comfortable for our new baby if we get an organic crib mattress too but I still have to check the price of that.

Meanwhile, I’m dreading the coming months because I can still remember how uncomfortable I was during my first pregnancy when I reached my last trimester of pregnancy.  My tummy was really huge the first time!  That’s why I’m hoping this time around I can get my hands on maternity pillows to make my second pregnancy more comfortable.

The rains have already started in this side of the world. I thought we’re done with our home repairs but it turned out there are still leaks here and there that we have to fix. We can’t call motor home repairs because we’re just living in a plain old bungalow but good thing we can do the repairs ourselves. With just a can of Vulcaseal we can hopefully fix the leaks in no time. Tomorrow, I would ask Bam to go up the roof while I supervise at the second floor window. I hope our leftover Vulcaseal is enough to seal all the leaks.

Have you heard the ongoing Bedtime Routine Contest?  Johnson’s is committed in helping parents establish a bedtime routine for their little ones so they’re holding a contest so mommies can share their tried and tested bedtime routines.

Since this contest is being sponsored by my good friend, Pehpot, I would surely join this one.  I have already shared a video showing our bedtime routine which already won an award but unbeknown to everyone my hubby is better with my son and shares a more amazing bonding moment with him at bedtime.  I will look for their video and share it with you all so stay tuned!

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I don’t remember Z moving this early when he was still in my tummy but I’m sure that’s because I was then busy with my call center work, confused and scared being it was my first time and all.  So I was quite surprised when three weeks ago I felt baby moving in my tummy.  At first I thought it was just my imagination but then it occurred so frequently and consistently every day that I finally accepted it’s real and that it’s baby moving inside.  I don’t know how I can describe it to you but it’s like a bubble popping inside my stomach.  It doesn’t hurt but it sure feels weird.  I can definitely see some of baby’s personality as early as now, would you believe?  Baby moves more aggressively when I’m lying on my stomach or sideways.  I think baby doesn’t like it!  So sorry baby, I’m not used sleeping on my back but I guess I have to learn quick.  I definitely get your message loud and clear.  LOL!

When we moved to our house we changed all the lights to CFLs or compact fluorescent lamps.   These area what they call the energy saving lights.  Previously, our house was filled with incandescent lights.  CFLs are a practical alternative because they give off the same amount of light but uses less electricity.  They also last longer on top of that.

We’re all for practical reasons right now but my dream is to have stylish pendant lights too.  These lights come in beautiful, stylish designs that would surely enhance the beauty of any home.  They come in different shapes and colors.  I want to install one in the living room because it’s where we entertain our guest and also one in the kitchen.  I might also install pendant lights for the bedroom so we can have soft lights whenever we want to relax after a long day at work.  I have so many plans in the future.  I hope we don’t have to wait too long for this to become a reality.

After going to salon today I decided to drop by the dentist to have Z’s teeth checked.  I wanted him to have his oral prophylaxis first because this was the first time he has seen this particular dentist and I wanted him to familiarize with her first.  When the dentist saw her teeth she immediately recommended to have his teeth filled so we can still save it.  I thought she was just referring to one tooth or at most two but little did I know that she filled four teeth.  Poor Z, he had no idea what teeth filling means but he had no choice but to sit still and follow the dentist.  To Z’s credit he was really very brave and didn’t cry.  After finishing the four teeth I thought Z’s ordeal was over but the dentist took out a needle and removed one of Z’s chipped front tooth.  I have given her my permission but it didn’t occur to me she could do it all in one sitting since it’s Z’s first time.  I have to give it to the dentist because she was really efficient in handling a squirming five year old.  Z was absolutely no match for this seasoned dentist.  She was so fast in whipping out her needle that Z had no time to react when she finally gave him anesthesia for the tooth extraction.  I heard Z say, “Ouch!” a couple of times but the dentist didn’t let go.  I think she gave him more than one injection to the consternation of my little boy.  Anyway, after the procedure we were both glad that it was over.  Z was so proud of himself and showed his teeth proudly to his Dad when he arrived.  His Dad was shocked at what Z went through but I assured him it’s all for the best.  We still need to visit the dentist for another extraction but I’ll wait a little while until Z forgets the pain before I bring it up to him again.

We have finally moved!  It was much easier unlike when we moved to our third floor apartment but my gosh, it’s so expensive to move into your own home!  We renovated a lot of things here and all of the expenses came out of our pockets.  Well, that’s one thing I’m going to be missing in having a landlord.  We’re so used to moving in with everything newly painted and fixed.  *sigh

What I would certainly not miss is the monthly rent.  I hope we made the right decision in moving here.  Our main reason was so that we could save money but now that we’re finally here we’re not even sure if we are indeed going to save a lot by staying here.