Cutty

I made it home in record time, 13mins to be exact.  Getting inside the house was another story.  It took me 15 minutes to wake the helper. I forgot my keys to the house, you see.  She forgot to turn off the phone. I had to resort to yelling their names using my barely-there voice.  Didn't work.  I hosed the windows from ground floor.  It didn't work either.  I ended up giving myself a shower instead.  Making the dogs bark didn't work too.  I found a plastic container to throw to the window.  That woke her up. Hay naku, award kami pareho.  Siyempre di ko mapagalitan kasi wala nga kong boses.

Here's a quick run down of what my family did last week.  I'm sure yours was just as busy. Unlike most Manilans, we decided to stay in the city this year.  It was usually a quick trip to Tagaytay and Visita Iglesia along the way.  We spent some part of the Holy Week checked in a hotel.  I used up my membership's complimentary night stay.  We enjoyed the pool and the sumptuous dinner buffet.  I was tempted to enjoy the spa as well, but I didn't give in to temptation.  It was a relaxing stay until our latest household drama. That same night, a stranger entered our almost-empty house.  It seemed that two of my yayas decided to let Yaya A's boyfriend inside.  On the morning before we left, we were informed by the neighbors that the boyfriend has been sneaking into the house late at night.  Then he sneaks out at dawn.  Vic authorized the guards to capture the trespasser and to turn him over to the Baranggay police.  Needless to ...

Have you heard of that superstition?  They say that after two failed attempts, the third will most likely succeed.   That's exactly what happened to our yaya's 3rd attempt to get a passport.  After so much hassle, she finally came back with some good news.  I am hoping that there wont be any other delays so she can get it in time for our departure. Now that she can tag along, we can bring Bettina with us.  We will be complete this coming New Year! It will be different this time.  For the past 4 years, we've celebrated New Year's Eve cooped up in our hotel room.  It looks like Vic and I can slip out on New Year's Eve, while the kids are asleep. I can hardly wait to plan our stay.  But wait, I still have to search for Bettina's passport's delivery receipt first.  I hope I find it.  Otherwise, I'd have another problem. In the meantime,  I am Cathy's Kitchen's slave.

In the past few weeks, I've been gathering requirements for our yaya's passport application.  For our year-end trip, we are planning to bring all three kids and one help since we can not manage all three. For our first appearance, I've asked her to get her birth certificate from NSO, a baranggay ID, her Fetcher's ID and the ID from our subdivision.  Since she doesn't have any other government issued IDs, I was hoping that those were enough to prove her identity.  So when we went to DFA to get her passport and Bettina's, I wasn't surprised that she was asked to present more documents.  We finished Bettina's application within two hours, thanks to the courtesy lane.  Yaya, on the other hand, was instructed to get her documents from her hometown.  The following day, her mother managed to get a transcribed copy of her birth certificate from the local Civil Registrar, unearth past school IDs and diploma and was able to secure a copy of her Form 137.  By...

 As the song goes, "All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go...."  Haha, I wish it were that easy.  (Yes, my bags are packed, with only a few more bilins and toiletries to squeeze into my maleta, I'm all set.) In 10 days, I am off to a trip with friends.  As a hands-on mother and wife, how do I endorse everything I do to the husband and to the help?  How do I begin listing down what I do on a daily basis?  Though the yayas work with a schedule, there are still some aspects of child-care that are missed. It was easier back then because I'd leave my kids with my parents and they'd take care of everything, from food, monitoring playtime and overseeing the nannies.  Now, the husband will reign over the household.  How do I make the transition easy for him, for my peace of mind? My husband is more capable in the office and has more patience with adults. I need to go through my daily routine in my head and list it down.  This entails a great d...

It is hard to think happy thoughts when unpleasant surprises come my way.  I'm a planning freak so when something disrupts my plan, I get very upset.  I cope but I get upset. Impeding trips or online (window) shopping usually perk me up.  But it isn't working this time.

Our household woke up early to prepare for our trip to Batangas last Sunday. Apparently, our "loyal" yaya woke up much earlier to make her escape with her boyf, who happens to be our houseboy. The remaining yaya said she didn't notice anything or heard anything. Ang ganda nila! I can deal with the chores and additional load. What gets to me are Johann and Javi's questions of where Ate G is. For several days now, Johann has been bugging me to pick up his Ate from the airport. When I tell him that Ate G may not come back anymore, he'd say, "Sabi niya babalik siya." I asked him if Ate G said goodbye to him the night before she left. Hindi naman daw. Sayang, I offered to bring her HK with us and to send her to school next semester. I thought she was smarter than this. Oh well, you know how it is when you're young. You tend to make wrong decisions. ----------- Fortunately, we got our replacement the following day. I am really hoping this works o...

In preparation for our year-end trip, Ate Gera and I went to NSO and the Post Office after bringing Johann to school. May I just say that the traffic in the Timog-EDSA intersection is just horrendous!?!? I was stuck in there for 30 minutes. Buti na lang di slow si Ate, literally and figuratively. I just told her to walk along East Ave since she will get there faster than our car would. I gave her instructions on where to go and what to do. In a couple of hours, she already got her birth certificate. Serbilis talaga! It beats having to pay P300 for a 5 day processing period through Teleserve. While she was at the Census Office, Javi and I went to the Post Office along NIA road to get Ate's application for a Postal ID. I heard it was the easiest to get among all government-issued IDs. The sign said we need to get the form, supply 3pcs 2x2 picture, get a Community Tax Certificate, submit a copy of the Birth Certificate and have it notarized. Jusko ang dami. Just for the ID, ...

You heard the gist here . What happens next? I am actually undecided and uncertain. I consulted a dentist-friend due to the urgency of the situation. She advised giving paracetamol and antibiotics. She also doesn't recommend extracting the theeth. The following day, we went to a pedia-dentist. She recommended the same meds but she gave me two options. First is the cheaper solution: Extraction. Second: Root Canal and Crowning. The first option is the quickest way to relieve the pain. He will be given an oral sedative so the dentist can perform the extraction. He will only be groggy not totally asleep. The downside is he will be toothless till he turns 7. I hope it doesn't foster insecurity. Another downside is it seffect on the growth of the permanent teeth. The second option would entail several procedures. Though the procedures will attempt to save the teeth, it is obviously the more expensive option. Let's just say that I can already purchase an LV Damier...

When Javi's full-time nanny went back to her hometown for her son's graduation, Javi and I spent a lot of time together. It was during that week that I noticed some changes in him. He walks more confidently since Vic and I can't run after him all the time. We let him roam around our room. He got some bumps and bruises but they all healed eventually. He can call on almost everyone in our household. He can already call on Daddy and his Aya ( Kuya Johann, though we're not Chinese). I think this is because we let them play together as opposed to the yaya who just lets him play by himself. He can also name what he wants. He added a few more words to his vocabulary like water, truck, bus, jeep, bike, toy, book and others I can't remember. I also noticed that he likes repetitive words. I never realized that he acquired so much of the traits of the yaya and how much she has stunted his development. I am not sure if it is laziness and lack of imagination or ini...

Yesterday was Johann's first day of summer classes. I enrolled him at Rosefield's summer program. It is a short course that lasts one-and-a-half hours. This was Johann's third visit to the school so he is quite familiar with the place already. We've gone around but he hasn't been inside the classrooms. Before entering the classroom, students and aides are required to remove their shoes. Johann didn't want to remove his even after several minutes of showing him where to put it and showing him that other kids wore socks inside the rooms. Everybody else was encouraging him to come inside but he refused. I was forced to carry him inside and to stay with him throughout the session. Once inside, he didn't sit with the kids. But he answered when Teacher asked him a question. He even showed off his knowledge of circles and butterflies. The session started with a prayer. It is followed by a short story then a song-and-dance activity. They were also given a...