Day 128: Being a Mother

Right after my class last night, my son asked to use the computer. I thought he was just going to play his fave computer game or what.

After about half an hour I saw this photo posted on my Facebook wall...it had the caption "Happy Mother's Day to my best Mom ever - (tagging my name)" It was a post from my son, Jarred.

This is why I love being a Mom...why I'll do it over and over again despite the challenges, sacrifices and hardships...because little things like this make everything else so worth it.

It was truly a wonderful Mother's Day for me. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mothers, mommies, mamas, nanays and inays!

Day 2: Mommy Dearest

Today is Mommy's 65th birthday. She's going on her 4th straight year in Canada so we'll be missing her so much on her special day. The last time Mommy went home was when I gave birth to my first daughter, Caitlin which was in 2006. Since then, Skype and Google Talk has been our main means of communicating with each other. 

As I journey in my life as a homemaker, I begin to realize how difficult it was for Mom then...raising three children while juggling her very busy life as a pediatrician. She has made so many sacrifices for her family and I wish she could spend more time here in the Philippines and with my kids. 

Words can never be enough to express the gratitude I feel for all the love, care and sacrifice Mom has showered on me...ours may not have been a smooth-sailing mother-daughter relationship but I'm glad I was able to realize how greatly misunderstood Mommy was all these years. I wish I could make it up to her by spending more time being with her.

I love you MOMMY!!! Happy Birthday! May the Lord continue to bless you with good health, joy and peace!

Day 237: Sports Fun

Day Two of the week-long Foundation Week festivities rallied the athletes of Butuan Faith Christian School. It was a fun-filled day of sports, games and a whole lot of bonding. The different teams first competed in a quiz followed by games and sports activities. The mommies and guardians weren't spared as they too joined in the fun.

Day 232: We Are Family

It wasn't too long ago when it was just hubby and I starting out our life together...that was in early 2001. A year and a half later, we were blessed with our firstborn, JARRED ANDREI. And for quite a number of years, it was the three of us, living a simple life in down south Philippines. In late 2006, we welcomed a new addition to our family...our princess, CAITLIN ALYSSA. Five months after she was born, our family packed our bags and moved to Northern Mindanao, in the city of Butuan, which we now call home. Our family received a surprise blessing in early 2009 with the birth of the "bunso" of the family, CATHLEEN JANELLE. 

Life at home is rarely quiet and serene, most of the time it's filled with shrieks and laughter. The zen design hubby and I have always aspired to have in our home has taken a temporary backseat to the pieces of toys, books and thingamajigs that the kids manage to strew all over the place. There's wailing, crying and quarreling but there's also a whole lot of loving, caring, understanding and praying. 

Whenever I look at my family of five, I never cease to wonder how everything turned out to be this way...it seemed only yesterday when it was just hubby and myself. My life now revolves around what I call a HAPPY CHAOS...filled with laughter and tears, ups and downs, fighting and making up, misunderstanding and understanding, trials and blessings.

I thank God for placing me amidst this wonderful and crazy bunch I call family...it's His most wonderful gift to me. 

Day 227: Mommy Piggy is Belly-Mama...

Mommy Piggy is belly-mama as she is now more than halfway through her pregnancy. I guess the process of carrying offspring is similar across species, especially getting the hormones all wired up. She absolutely loves being doused with water very often (being pregnant does make you feel hotter than ever) and those mood swings are apparent now and then. 

Pregnancy is one of the valid reasons I had to "pig out" in the past. Well, I was eating for two, right? Hmmm..."pig-out"...now I know why that expression was coined. I was told that ever since Mommy Piggy got preggers, her appetite shot to the roof - she was hungry all the time!!! I know the feeling of being hungry for two...but can you just imagine being hungry for at least 12? Whoa!!! Eat on belly-mama!

Well, it wouldn't be long now until her wee little ones make their entrance...

Day 179: Dear Mom

I was up early, raring to start the day by preparing the family's breakfast and my son's lunch pack for school. Being used to multitasking, it wasn't unusual that I had a lot going on in front of me: fried rice being sauteed on the pan, toast for sandwiches heating in the toaster oven, water for coffee boiling in the heater and juice to be made. I was happily juggling all of these tasks when the image of Mom suddenly crossed my mind...and I remembered with poignancy how Mom used to do the same for us when we were younger. Well, maybe not on a day-to-day basis since she was working full time as a pediatrician then but I can distinctly remember that she made the effort to do things for us when she had the time. 

I've been a hands-on Mom for the past 7 years and I realized that many of the tasks I do were the stuff I saw Mommy did for us then. In fact, it was even more difficult for her because she had to juggle a very demanding career of taking care of young children's lives and health while overseeing the welfare of her family. As a pedia, Mom was the best! Many of her patients (most of whom are all grown up now) and parents can attest to the loving care that she gave as a doctor.

Looking back, my siblings and I always had that resentment about Mom's job mainly because it ate most of her time and there were several instances in the past when outings and family activities had to be postponed or canceled due to some medical emergency at the hospital. It is only now that I realize how important Mom's job was...to most of her patients it meant the matter of life and death.

When Mom finally had more time to spend with us, we were older and had developed our own personalities and quirks already. Unconsciously, we turned her away and didn't give her a chance to get to know us. We failed to acknowledge all her sacrifices and difficulties in balancing family life...that was all she wanted. Rejected by her family, Mom tried to seek acceptance elsewhere which led to the bad habits she has now formed. Somehow, we had a hand in that.

I hope it's not too late to let her know how important she is in my life and how grateful I am that she is my mother. I love you Mom...everything about you...the good and the bad, the sacrifices and the headaches...the understanding and misunderstanding. I thank God that He made me resemble you in many different ways...I love that I have your face, hands, fingers and even nails. I share your taste buds, mannerisms and stubborn streak. I will keep in my heart all of the memories I shared with you especially those times when you were here to assist me in childbirth. I pray to God that He will give us the opportunity to spend more time together so that the rest of my family can experience the purity of your heart. I love you, Mom and I miss you so much!

Day 129: Mommy and Mama

On this special day, I pay tribute to two mothers who are my inspiration and source of strength in my own journey in motherhood.

To MOMMY: 

Thank you for all the sacrifices you've done to give us a good life and a bright future. It is only now that I understand how difficult it must have been for you to balance your duties as a dedicated pediatrician and your obligations as a wife and mother. 

Please forgive me for failing to acknowledge your efforts by focusing on what I couldn't see. I learned to appreciate your brand of motherhood only when I became one myself. It was a trying experience for me. 

I will never forget how you rushed to my side when I gave birth to Jarred and Cailie. We were spared so much hardship with you at the helm during my two deliveries. You taught us well, Mom. So well, in fact, Jerome and I made it on our own when our bunso, CeeJae was born. You'd be proud of us...

As a doting Mommy Lola, you never cease to think about your grandchildren and provide for their needs. The kids always remember you whenever they get hold of the precious toys or wear the attractive clothing you so lovingly gave them.

Thank you will never be enough Mom. Please remember that we love you very much!

To MAMA:

How can I possibly put into words the gratitude and love I have for you in raising a wonderful son like Jerome? You've had your share of hardship and trials in raising 5 boys, almost all on your own. It must have been chaotic and scary but you've managed and all of them grew up to be exceptional young men.

Thank you for accepting me into your family and treating me like your own. I value the assistance and support you give us whenever we need a hand with the kids or we're strapped for cash.

When Mommy wasn't able to come home when I gave birth to CeeJae, you were the one who assisted us in taking care of her. You made sure I was well enough to care for the new baby myself before you returned home.

Your apos look forward to their Cebu visits because they can spend time with you. I'm touched by your generosity and kind heart. 

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On this day, I wish my two mothers a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! Both of you have taught me to cherish motherhood and enjoy its ups and downs. I love you both! 

Day 109: Mother

This small statue was a Christmas gift from hubby's boss about 3 years ago. It depicts a mother in an embrace with her child.  During that time, all of the wives received such gift. It was sort of a tribute to us, our sacrifices, understanding and support to our hubbies and their work. Over the years, it has had its share of accidental falls, hence the chipped pieces here and there. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of my distinct role and responsibility to my family. I'm proud to be called a mother and I relish everything that is associated to being one - joy, sadness, success, failure, fun, hardship, blessings and sacrifices.  

I also remember my own mother - her love and sacrifice all these years, my mother-in-law - her own hardships to raise all 5 of her boys as wonderful Christians.  These two women are my inspirations in being Mom to my 3 young children.

Day 9: Market Day

Saturday is Market Day.

With my trusty purple and yellow modern  "bayong", hooked on my shoulder,  I trooped to the neighborhood market, my 3-year old daughter in tow. 

Understandably, when it's market day, there's more produce and more produce means more people. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the two days of the week that people would normally go to the market here.  There are more choices in terms of fish/seafood, meat, vegetables and fruits.

Growing up in a middle-class family, I didn't really bother myself with "wet" market details and always thought that weekly marketing was such a boring task.  It is only when I became a wife and a mother that I learned the ropes of going to the market.  Hubby was the one who taught me how to go about buying our weekly supply from the market.  Having gone through the weekly exercise of going to the market for the past several years, I've come to realize that it isn't a boring activity at all.  In fact, my weekly marketing has become a therapy of sorts.  I love to be surrounded by the buzz of people and merchants.  I get a high when there are a lot of fresh produce to choose from.

In recent times, there has been a more important reason why I love going to the market.  It reconnects me with my mother who is currently based abroad with my younger sister.  Every time I go to the market, I feel as if Mommy is just around.  You see, I grew up watching Mom do the weekly regime of going to the market to buy our supply of food.  Despite being a busy pedia, Mom always took the time to do the marketing herself.  I don't remember her ever relegating the task to our helper.  Early on a Saturday morning, she'd wake up and ask us what we wanted for the week and after taking a mental note, she'd go off to either the neighborhood wet market or to upscale Farmers Market in Cubao.  After a few hours, she'd arrive with a grin on her face which I never understood why she had until I myself went through the same exercise.  Being in a market is like being a little girl inside a candy store.  Go figure.

Mommy's task doesn't end there.  She would be the one to painstakingly unpack her goodies, wash and prepare them to be stored in the pantry or the refrigerator/freezer.  With utmost care, she would divide the fish/seafood, meat and poultry into portions that would be easy for her or the maid to cook within the week.  It is only after preparing and cooking our Saturday lunch and leaving weekly cooking instructions to the maid that she'd finally relax and take a shower.

My siblings and I often resented Mommy's 24/7 profession while we were growing up.  We envied our classmates' Moms whom we would usually see in school, attending to their needs...whether it be for PTA or what-have-you.  It is only now that I've come to fully understand how difficult it was for Mommy to be juggling a full time job and taking care of the family.  Looking back now, she has shown her love and care for us in her little ways...instead of resting her heels during the weekend, she took it upon herself to do the task of marketing to ensure that we'd have the best and freshest produce.  It is these little things that I failed to see and acknowledge.  I guess this is the reason why I really insist on doing the marketing myself, rain or shine.  For one day in the week, I get reconnected with Mommy and I am reminded to be grateful for all she's done for me.