Mom's Typical Day

Everytime I wake up in the morning, I seem to do the same things everyday...so routinary! Others might think what a boring life I have. For me, it may not be that boring after all...because I see each day as a challenging & exciting another day...not just another ordinary day. It could be another day of new challenges in my life as mother, wife, daughter, friend & doctor.

I always look forward to new discoveries in my children's growth stages. I find them very interesting because they can teach me a lot. Parenting has become my favorite concern. It seems like a continuos learning process, wherein my kids are my best tutors & my experiences with them are my best tools. I learned the importance of my children's individual characteristics... each one has his/her own unique essence. So I feel that I don't need to follow anymore the guidelines written in my favorite parenting books as strictly as I thought. In every skill that I master each day, I feel as if I received another medal of accomplishment...for another triumphant day. Would you agree with me that a Mom's life in every day of her life is truly interesting & exciting...& so fulfilling?

Whe I reviewed my daily "to do" notes, I noticed that my day is typically loaded with Mommy activities...they overwhelm my other daily tasks. Here is an example of my to do list (during school days).

6:15 AM - wake up!!!...say morning prayers
(ask yaya or do the following with yaya's help)
- prepare kids' breakfast & their lunch boxes
- prepare their uniforms, shoes
6:30 AM - wake the kids up!!! usually takes 15 minutes of "noise making" before they
finally get up
- kids eat breakfast...keep on prompting them to eat fast (or they'll be
late for school)
7:00 AM - kids should be in the bathroom for a quick shower, brush teeth
- dress up
- fix Kakay's hair
- make sure that they are wearing their i.d.'s
- check their bags & lunch boxes
7:30 AM - off to school (Kakay) ... sometimes I need to drive Kakay to her
school when their father is not around
7:45 AM - wait for Justin's school bus & see him go
8:00 AM - time for breakfast...finally!!!
8:30 AM - check e-mails, read news in the internet
9:00 AM - take a shower
10:00AM up to ? - clinic...work!!!
...often times I have luch late, past 1:00PM :( , depending on the
number of my patients. 3 PM is my latest lunch time
- Hospital rounds will follow right after my lunch
3:30 PM - Yaya to pick up Kakay from her school
- Justin will arrive from school
4:30 PM - check Kakay's Assignment notebook for homeworks & schedule of quizzes
- Justin's tutor will arrive before 5PM
- let the kids rest & have snacks
5:00 PM - teaching time (Kakay), do homeworks, review, advance study
6:30 PM - Dinner time
7:00 PM - kids take shower, brush teeth, put on pj's
- review Kakay some more if there are scheduled quizzes for the following day
- review Justin ( in case his tutor missed something)
- check their bags if all books & notebooks are inside, sharpen all pencils
8:30 PM - kids should be sleeping by this time
- check e-mails, update Facebook & Multiply sites, blog if with spare time
10:00 PM- say evening prayers...then hit the sack...finally!!!! - if there are no
calls from the hospital

This is my typical daily schedule from Monday to Friday. There are some changes during weekends though...you can see that my duties as a mother rule my daily list of activities. I love it when I accomplish my to do list everyday!

Holy Week

In observance of the Holy Week, we made sure that the kids are cognizant of the tradition solemnizing Jesus' sufferings & death on the cross. For the past years, they usually go with us to visit the different churches in our town or the neighboring towns, but this year we did not observe the Visita Iglesia. We explained to them what we do in the churches, how we pray the station of the cross as simple as possible for them so that they could easily understand the true essence of the visits & the prayers in each station. Tonight, they joined the procession for the culmination of Jesus' sufferings. They were excited but we had to remind them that they need to behave during the march...I told them that it is not a joyful parade, instead there should be lamentation because we are mourning for the death of Christ. True to their promises, they behaved well & finished the procession without complaints. Tomorrow, they will probably attend the Black Saturday Mass. And on Sunday, they will celebrate Jesus Christ's coming back to life...His Resurrection. Happy Easter!

I posted some of the pictures of the beautiful images of the prominent personages in Christ's Death.

Countdown to 12...

Soon my husband & I are going to celebrate our 12th Wedding Anniversary. I was roused to reminisce the memories we made together for the past 11 years.

The first 2 years...
"In LOVE, each man is his own personal challenge."

...not so long ago, I was a blushing bride who trembled with excitement, anticipation and fear...of what? Because I knew that as I accept the ring that would symbolize our unbounding love, I also needed to embrace the new challenges expected of my new role as a wife. I was uncertain of what would happen after that special day...the day of the pronouncement of my obligations not only to myself but to the new person who became my better-half! We vowed to think, act & feel as one being without forgetting our own uniqueness & selfrespect. I did not anticipate for a marital bliss at once. I knew that we had to strive for it. There is no guarantee of a 100% obstacle-free union, that's a fact!

The third year...
"We are one, after all, you & I, together we suffer, together we exist & forever will create each other."

...the first 2 years ensued uneventfully, probably because the sacred vows were still fresh in our minds, so it was quite harmonious! This year was the time for discovery & adjustment. Both of us gradually & surprisingly uncovered each one's good qualities & shortcomings. We learned to accept our flaws & tried to change for the better, there were times when it seemed so hard to do. The next thing was more troublesome...to adapt. Sometimes, we didn't know who really needed to adjust in order to tune in to an "ideal" relationship.What I learned was that it's difficult to change the person's innate character & how one was raised. It would be less tedious if the person you're trying to change is willing to accept change!

...this year, Justin Cedric came to our lives. There were beautiful changes that made our union happier. Our baby boy was our sunshine...he took all our blues away!

From the fourth year onwards...

"Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself."

...still striving to put up a "perfect relationship". There were trials that made our marriage stronger. On our 5th year, God gave us His greatest gift: our daughter Angelica Ysabelle. We felt so blessed because we never expected that our dream would ever come true. She was a big factor that kept the bond tighter!

We both felt that our family is now complete. We already have a family to nourish with endless & unconditional love; we have more lives to care for. Our children need us for guidance & to instill in them the virtues handed over to us by our own parents. We have so many plans for our kids. We want to give them the best of everything, to make their lives comfortable while keeping our lives as simple as possible. Whenever we make plans, we always have our children (& our fathers)in mind as our priority. We don't feel neglected about anything that concerned our children...he'll understand if I needed to spend more time with the kids or have them invite themselves to sleep on our bed (they love to squeeze-in often)or if I consider first what they want to eat or what they need. We silently promised to ourselves that we will always understand.

I don't know if being parents has made us both more resilient & open to suggestions & criticism...possibly, I think! I noticed that we became less stiff & more jovial, we can crack jokes every now & then, play around with the kids & enjoy bonding time without necessarily going out & spend a lot of money on expensive recreations. Our life remained simple but happy & contented.

We surpassed the downpour of trials that almost pushed us to our limits...we thought that it was better to go separate ways...to break the union. I guess God intervened, He made way to forgiveness...He made our hearts meek & forgiving. Gradually, the bond was restored, a better communication with acceptance of each one's fault mend our broken hearts. Everything that hurt us was left behind and forgotten!

As a husband, Orlan has proven himself to his better-half that he is capable of giving so much love (sometimes in ways I don't easily perceive) to his family; a hard worker who strives to attain his set goals; a person close to God who never misses his fervent prayers everyday & every night. He has learned to become a true partner in life! Now, I can say that I have no regrets in marrying him....