First-Time Mom

Getting through a rough road and traveling for two hours with kiddos is all worth it when you reach this one-of-a-kind hot spring from Maco Compostela Valley. This is a sulfuric hot spring where folks there claimed to have natural healing properties. The mist in the background is coming from the streaming water. When you first dipped your feet, you would feel the burning sensation but you would get used to the temperature by and by.

Tips in Going to Mainit Hot Spring

1. You must come early so you can avail their cottages. We arrived there before 7am but the area was already crowded. We were not able to get a cottage and we got disappointed because we just had to eat in the car.

2. Some parts of the road were uncemented and imagine traveling for almost an hour with a bumpy and rough road. Though the road can be maneuvered by a small car, it's best if you travel by a big car for safer and more convenient purposes.

3. Bring your own foods and water. Though there are vendors selling foods on the sidewalk but we can't assure whether they are clean or not.

4. If possible do not bring along your kids. My kids did not really enjoy because the water is really hot.

5. It's best if you come when the weather is cold or come at dawn. Otherwise, the hotter the weather is, the hotter the water it will be.

6. Many people are flocking on the weekends so I advise you to come during weekdays.

I almost canceled Psalm's birthday party reservation with Mc Donalds Toril as the assigned crew (whose name I won't mention) messed up the schedule. They were supposed to host Psalm's birthday at the party venue but then another crew accepted another reservation from a big event on the same day. I only availed the mini-birthday-party package (minimum of 10 guests) which is maybe one of the reasons why they prioritized that event over me. I was hurt knowing how important that day was for my daughter. In spite of that, Psalm's birthday was pushed through.

Cake from Goldilocks

This is what I meant of the mini-birthday-party package. For a minimum of 10 guests, you can avail 10 balloons, 10 hats, 10 loot bags, 10 activity mats plus a party host and candle blowing. For foods, they have four food mixes to choose from depending on your budget.

via: mcdonalds.com.ph

We occupied the play area exclusive for us where Psalm's guests (mostly children) were having fun playing. The area is small and just enough for guests of 10-15.

McDonald's Loot Bags

My experience with McDonald's was not a total blast, but if you are on a tight budget and wanting a simple party, then I would recommend this mini package from McDonald's.

I used to teach in a private school for over five years. In fact, teaching had been my bread and butter so I devoted my time and energy to this profession. In a span of five years working, I slowly realized that I was no longer happy with it. It not only drains me physically and mentally, it also takes away much of my time that I'm no longer able to enjoy my weekends and holidays as they are already scheduled for making lesson plans and checking papers.

When I got married, I decided to quit teaching. My husband, who is a web developer, introduced me to online job. He first trained me to create a website from the scratch using only css and html. I became eager learner my first time. It suddenly occurred to me that this is the kind of work I am passionate about. After two months of training, I bought a domain and built my first website through the WordPress platform, thinking that having a portfolio increases my chance of getting hired. True enough, my portfolio landed me on my first online job which is my job for almost seven years now. If you would ask me what made me inspire to stay in this job, here they are.

1. Salary is Better than Teaching

For five years in the teaching profession, the highest salary I received was only P11, 000 minus the tax and benefits (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, etc.). But when I got my first online job, I was right away compensated P10, 000, which inspires me to cling on my job. I won't mention now how much the raise after 6 years but I assure you it's higher than a teacher working in the government.

2. I Can Work in the Comfort of My Own Home

Gone are the days when I had to deal with commute and traffic, wake up early to be in school before the time, get home late and dead tired. The exact opposite when working at home, I can choose my own hours, work in the comfort of my own home where no one supervises me, and take a rest as soon as I carry out the tasks given to me by my employer.

3. I Can Spend Quality Time with My Family

Working from home allows me to be part of my family's routines. I can play with my 2-year old, help my older daughter answer her assignments when she gets home from school, and cook my husband's favorite lunch. The amount of time I spent with my family was indeed quality.

4. I Enjoy My Weekends and Holidays

As a former teacher, I had to sacrifice my weekends and holidays in order to get things done - checking papers, making lesson plans, preparing visual aids, etc. That's why I salute all the teachers out there who pour out all their time and energy for their students. As much as I want to stay in the world of teaching, my passion is not really into it. Maybe I am not really meant for teaching.

5. I Can Do Things That I Love

After I left the teaching profession, I have more time blogging, reading books, cooking meals for my family, and traveling. Yay!

Hello, momshies! It's been a month now since my last post, which is an evidence how super dooper busy I am. I wish I had more time so I could share a lot of stories with you guys apart from what I am going to share today.

Anyways, let me start this one.

If you have noticed, most of my blogs this year are about family travel. It's because one of my family goals this year is to create happy memories with my family. Some of the parents today seem to ignore the importance of family bonding as they are too busy with their works. But with us, no matter how busy we are, we make sure to spend quality time with our children. For me, happy memories are more valuable than any material in this world because they last a lifetime.

Husband and I are so lucky to have worked at home because we are able to keep our eyes on with our children. After work, we can right away bond with them by watching TV together, taking a walk around our subdivision, or simply eating a snack together with good laughs and chats.

Or during the weekend, we take the days off by going to resorts to swim or get in touch with nature to unwind from a stressful week. Here are some of the pictures of our bonding moments with our children in one of the resorts here in Davao.

Some years ago, I wrote down about interesting personalities of Chesska and I also decided today to write about Psalm to be fair. I love writing my kids personalities because as a parent it will guide me how to attend their needs based on their unique personalities. Also when they are already grown-up, they will appreciate the things I write about them. I hope so!

Allow me to share some Psalm's cute personalities. Here they are:

1. She Has Nice Eyebrows

To be honest, I envy my daughter's eyebrows because it is thick and well-shaped. It matches well with her tantalizing eyes.

2. She Is Smiling

Though she's cranky at times, she never hesitates to smile at you.

3. She Loves To Cuddle Her Blanket

One of her habits is wrapping herself in a blanket. She also keeps biting her blanket as it gives her too much pleasure. I think it is perfectly normal for her age.

4. She Does Not Love Swimming So Much

While Chesska never gets tired swimming all day whether sunny or rainy, Psalm is a little fearful when you dip her in the water. She feels cold so easily.

5. She Gets Frightened Easily

She probably inherits this from me. Whenever she hears thunder, eerie sound, or scary stuff, she gets frightened easily and runs fast towards us for comfort.

6. She Is Choosy With Nursery Rhymes

As much as she likes nursery rhymes, she doesn't like watching them over and over again. She will hand the remote control telling us to change the song.

7. She Begins to Fight Back With Her Older Sister

Don't get me wrong but most older siblings are bully, right? Whenever the Ate shouts at her or pinches her, she will not hesitate to fight back. She already knows when she is being bullied.

My older brother and I used to fight when we were younger, maybe, because we differed in many things. Our age gap and gender could have been some of the factors of our constant squabble. We didn't agree on many things that often turned into siblings' fight.

When I see my two girls, 6 and 2, fight each other, it reminds me of my childhood memories. While Chesska was quite excited when Psalm arrived in the family, she sometimes got jealous when our attention was focused on her younger sibling. Well, it is understandable because she'd been our first-born for four years and was used to be the center of attraction.

But when Psalm is a little older and has a personality on her own, the fight started. They are both competing for our attention and love. For instance, when I sat Chesska on my lap, the younger one would cry, wanting to be included too. Aside from that, they keep fighting over toys. Since Chesska owns most of the toys, she will get angry when Psalm snatches the toys from her. The tendency is the younger one would cry and beg us to borrow the toys from her. Yes, we constantly remind Chesska that it's important to share but she's just a kid, too, whose emotion is out of control.

Hearing them fight is so upsetting so here are some tips on how I deal with siblings' fight.

1. Pay Equal Attention

It takes time for the first-born to accept her new sibling because she is already used to a big amount of attention her parents are giving. But I am fortunate to have a partner who is hands-on with my kids. When my attention is too focused with Psalm (since she needs extra care, attention, and protection), he is there to spend more time with Chesska. But when Psalm is asleep, I try my best to read story books and play toys with her. Also, when we run some errands, we make sure to bring them along so they will feel that they are equally loved.

2. Avoid Favoritism

Tip #2 hits me most because I played favoritism at times. I admit I seemed to have neglected Chesska when Psalm arrived in the family. I gave more hugs and kisses to Psalm (you will understand me because babies are naturally cuddly) because I always thought that I had already poured out my attention to Chesska for many years. When both were playing and physical harm was already involved, I right away scolded or pinched Chesska, which is wrong. It's best that when emotion between the kids arise, separate them until they calm down. Talk nicely to the older one that she needs to be caring and loving as ATE (Filipino term for older sister).

3. Have Fun Together as a Family

We always made it to the point to have fun together whether watching a movie, taking a walk outside our house or spending a mini-vacation, to establish a good relationship among the family. Creating happy memories can help reduce the conflict between the kids.

4. Never Compare

I try my best not to compare because both have different personalities. Chesska is a timid and clingy girl yet achiever in school. On the other hand, Psalm is smiling and jolly but I won't expect anything whatever she can achieve in school soon. Plain and simple, NEVER COMPARE.

Have you experienced your kids fighting? How did you deal with it? Feel free to share your story in the comment sections below.

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