A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us! (Again!)

He was not part of my plan this year.

 

But he was part of God's plan for me and my family. 

 

"For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us." Isaiah 9:6 (NET Bible)

This Word of God first became flesh and blood to me and my husband when I gave birth to our firstborn son more than six years ago. It was an answered prayer, a miracle from God, a promise fulfilled! It came to life for the second time when our second son was born. Another miracle from God! A bonus treat! Then, I got pregnant again! And we found out that we're having another son... Honestly, I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping that God would give us a baby girl this time. But, my disappointment did not last long. Thank God for the grace to remember that this child, this son, is no less a miracle compared to my two older children.

 

 

Being the thinker that I am, I asked God why He gave me and my husband another son and why he had to come close to Christmas.

 

One of God's answers to me was this: so that I would be reminded of His coming during the first Christmas.

 

Since I gave birth close to Christmas or just a few days before the start of the season of Advent, I could not help but turn my thoughts to Mama Mary's experience when she became pregnant unexpectedly and gave birth in a stable.

 

I wondered if she was also disappointed that her original plans did not push through, that she had to experience inconveniences (to say the least) because of this unexpected pregnancy ,and that she had to give birth in a stable of all places!

 

I admit that one of my weaknesses is my need for control on the things that will happen in my life. I love it when things fall into place as I imagined and planned them to happen. And I hate it when things do not turn out as I wanted.

 

I guess this third pregnancy and the birth of our third child is "very timely" indeed! I say this because I believe that God is giving me more opportunities where I can practice how to let go and let Him be in control.

 

I wanted to finish two more books this year. I wanted to finish at least one an online training program. I was thinking of going on tour to promote my book on breastfeeding. I wanted to cover as much material as we possibly can in our homeschool. I was excited to plan and prepare for Christmas activities with my family this year since my husband is in the Philippines this year, unlike last year when he was abroad. I was looking forward to attending Simbang Gabi Masses with my husband and kids now that we live in a house near a church. All these plans didn't materialize this year because I had another challenging/difficult pregnancy and I gave birth just before Advent.

 

God reminded me of this Bible verse through these unfulfilled plans.

 

"You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail." Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)

 

I am thankful to God for His abounding grace that helped me overcome my disappointment over the many plans that I had to postpone. I thank God for teaching me to be humble enough not to insist on what I want to achieve or happen this year. I thank God for the grace to trust in God's perfect timing.

 

As the year quickly draws to a close, I lifted my dreams and plans once more to the Lord this morning. I asked Him to help me fulfill the dreams that He planted in my heart. I asked Him to bless my plans for next year. I claim in faith that "all things work together for the good of all those who love the Lord and those whom He has called to His purpose. " I know in my heart that even though I was not able to work on these dreams this year, they can still be fulfilled if God wills them to be fulfilled. Even with another child to take care of, I know that God can still enable me accomplish these God-sized dreams. It might be more difficult because I would be busier but this could be the testimony that God wants me to share: that nothing is impossible with Him. That when God plants a dream in our hearts, even when our circumstances are not encouraging, God can bring it to pass. We only need to believe and allow Him to supply us with all that we need to accomplish the good that He has called us to do.

 

Thus, I thank God that a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us again at this time in my life!

 

Do you also have plans that did not materialize this year? What is God telling you through them? Feel free to share in the comments.
 

Adobo Adventures in the Kitchen

When you are a mom, what to feed your family will always be one of your daily concerns. Adobo is one of our family's favorite dishes and one of my specialties; but I don't want to cook and present it too frequently in the same way so as to prevent my family from getting tired of it.

 

Since it is so easy to cook and cooking it saves me a lot of time in the kitchen (compared to other dishes because I can cook and work a little while it's simmering), I looked for ways to cook Adobo in different ways.

 

I once shared in this blog my maternal grandmother's Adobo recipe, which is cooked in vinegar only (no soy sauce). It has been one of the bestsellers in this blog since then!

 

Last week, I cooked Chicken Adobo with pineapple tidbits. You cook the adobo in the same way until the chicken is almost cooked. Then, you add a small pouch of pineapple tidbits while you let it simmer in low heat.

 

Another variation to the traditional adobo that I do is to cook it with coconut milk. Again, the chicken is cooked until almost done before I pour in coconut milk (fresh, powder or liquid). Make sure that the chicken meat is almost cooked and that your flame is on low heat before adding the coconut milk because you don't want too much coconut oil on your adobo. You want a creamy sauce where the coconut cream is well-blended with the Adobo sauce. It would be tastier if you put finger peppers on this but if you will be feeding small kids, you might want to do away with that.

Photo source here.

I have included Adobo in my 4-week cycle menu, which I posted in this blog years ago. (That post is among the all-time bestsellers here.)

 

That's all for now. Next time, I will share my well-loved traditional Adobo recipe with soy sauce.

 

Have you tried other variations of the famous Adobo in your kitchen? Please feel free to share it in the comments. I would love to learn more variations to this all-time Pinoy favorite!

 

Going to Daily Mass: Our Daily Struggle

I was not very happy this evening. We failed to go to daily Mass again. My eldest was eating VERY SLOWLY AGAIN. My younger son was a bit sluggish this afternoon (must be because of his 6-in-1 vaccine yesterday). I was hoping that we could still go even if we will be a bit late. But things didn't happen that way. Dinner was longer than usual.

 

This has been our daily struggle since we moved to our new house which is just behind a church. I sometimes feel frustrated, a lot of times disappointed, that we are not yet consistent in attending daily Masses. I have been dreaming of this for so long. There are always challenges every day especially when we don't have a maid to help me out with the chores and in watching over the kids. And in case you don't know, I also work from home and write books.

 

Anyway, on days when we have successfully stepped out of the house to go to Mass, the next challenge that I face is keeping my kids well-behaved while the Mass is going on; so I and the rest of the other church-goers can pray in peace. This could be easier if my kids are already older. But my kids are both below 5 years old. Both of them are so active and curious that it's difficult to keep them focused, sitting down and quiet. My eldest son is also a high intensity child. He loves to go to Mass. He loves to sing with the choir. He likes to read what is projected on screen. And I love that about him. My challenge is guiding him and reminding him to tone down his voice and to sing or read together with the congregation. His voice can be really loud sometimes that I sometimes want to melt where I'm standing when he sings louder than the choir members who are using microphones. I usually heave a sigh of relief when we are able to participate well in the Mass -- meaning, the kids are extra obedient and cooperative and my eldest is not singing too loud.

 

There are days when I would wonder if I should even bother to bring them with me since making the daily Mass an integral part of our day means that we need to be more organized and disciplined in our household.

 

I thank God that on days like today, I received inspiration and encouragement to keep on fighting this daily battle. I received my much needed encouragement through the homeschool group I was a part of (ROCKERS). Someone shared this article: 10 Reasons to Attend Daily Mass.

 

I was particularly struck by this quote from St. Augustine that was included in the article. He said, “All the steps we take to hear Mass are counted by the Holy Angels and that person will be given a high reward by God in this life and in eternity.” 

 

I felt like crying as soon as I read this quote. It was as if God just whispered in my ear and in my heart, "It's ok, child. I understand your struggles and challenges. I know what's in your heart."

 

I remember a line I often heard when I was a young Christian. Our elders in our community would constantly remind us that God wants our faithfulness more than our success. Today, God reminded me of that lesson again. I know that God wants to see me and my kids in the church daily attending Holy Mass. But I know also that when we fail to be present there, God knows that I tried.

 

Sigh. Now, my vision is a blur because my eyes are filled with tears...

 

You see, I love the Holy Eucharist so much that I've been a daily communicant for many years (sometime in High School until the early weeks of my pregnancy when I was not still on bed rest). I've faced and triumphed over many challenges during those years. It has been around five years now since then. So, you could just imagine my eagerness to go back to this daily habit now that our house is literally a stone's throw from the church.

 

This article helped strengthen my resolve to continue in my struggle to include the daily Mass in our daily lives. This article affirmed me that bringing my kids with me to the Mass would be good for them and is the direction that He wants us to take for our homeschool. I pray for extra grace to be successful in achieving this goal and in being faithful.

 

Let me end this post with Psalm 84:1-7 (NIV) and a song by Himig Heswita that I like listening to:

 

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. "Selah" 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.   

 

 

 

 

Favored to Give Birth Again

I write this post today as I sit in front of my youngest son's hospital room window. Rain clouds, grey skies, and rain are what I see as I look outside.

 

He has been confined since Monday night due to on and off fever and below normal platelet and white blood cell count. Since that night when we brought him to the ER, hospital staff had been extracting blood from him every day to test if his platelet and white blood cell count have improved and within normal limits. Sadly, the past two blood tests showed that they are still not within normal limits; though the latest result showed signs of improvement.

 

My husband and I together with our eldest son are all here with him... watching over him, playing with him, reading to him, feeding him.

 

It's so tempting to give in to worry again and despair over work tasks that we need to do but can't while we are here.

 

I choose to focus on the good and the blessings that each rainy day brings instead.

 

Like today, I realized, while looking at the raindrops on the window, that our blessings each day are so much more compared to our cares. Yes, there are things that happen each day that make our lives far from perfect. But there are many more that we can be thankful for and we can praise God for.

 

I count my blessings today, big and small, and slowly my heart fills so full of love and joy.

 

If God can grant me my trivial food cravings today (avocado shake and macaroni salad), surely He can and will grant my more important prayers (healing my son and making a way for all the things that need to be done for my upcoming book).

 

The 3-Minute Retreat at Loyola Press today affirms this insight.

 

God spoke these words to my heart as I meditated on the reflection:

 

"The Lord favors you and is with you!"

 

I thank God for the grace to focus my eyes on my blessings and on the truth. If not for His grace, I would be easily disappointed and I could give in to despair. I could question the truth that He has just spoken that I am favored by Him.

 

When we go through challenges, it's sometimes difficult to see that God favors us. We could easily question this truth because challenges can block our vision.

 

Thus, amidst the rain and grey skies today, I praise and thank God that His favor rests in me. I praise and thank Him for being with me -- wherever I am. And yes, I believe that He is with me now as I care for my sick child in the hospital.

 

I thank Him for this big favor of giving me another child to care for and nourish through my breasts. I thank Him that He chose to bless me not with only one but two miracles, two children from my own womb!

Let me quote from Genesis 49:25 what Jacob said about our God.

 "the Almighty... blesses [us] with...the blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

 

I thank Him also for choosing me to give birth again to a new "baby." Like Mary, I didn't know at first how I can I give birth to this new baby but God granted me grace to believe. He gave me the strength to say YES to His invitation and now I'm about to give birth again. 

 

I'm giving birth soon not to a baby boy or girl but to a new book -- BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking. I praise and thank God for sustaining me this far. I believe and I claim that He will continue to walk with me and will even go before me in this path.

 

My upcoming book's front cover.

 

On this far from perfect rainy day in my life, I thank God for the just enough grace He has given me to remain positive and hopeful and to rejoice even in the imperfect life I have.

 

Is it raining now outside your window, too? Can you see countless raindrops there? Do you also see those raindrops to be symbolic of the blessings in your life? I hope so.

 

P.S.

You can already order a copy/copies of my upcoming book to me. Just email me at teregmps@yahoo.com.

"Boses": A Movie on Giftedness and Healing

I took a break from manuscript writing and working on my book project this month by writing a couple of articles. This was once of them. It was published yesterday at Smart Parenting Online.

 

 

**********

 

 

I first learned about the movie Boses through a friend’s post on his Facebook Page. I got curious right away when I learned that it’s about a boy who is naturally gifted in music and his reclusive violin teacher. I didn’t read much about the movie before watching it; the little that I read from the post was enough for me to convince my husband to watch it with me. It was worth it! The movie moved me so much that I’m taking a break from finishing my manuscript to write my thoughts about it.

My curiosity stemmed from me having a child who is also gifted in music and who fancies violins and other musical instruments. We have not enrolled him in formal music lessons though since he is only 4 years old, and we’re simply exposing him to different kinds of musical instruments and allowing him to enjoy the experience.

 

What drew me to the film in the beginning was fast overshadowed by the pains that the child went through, scene by scene. The boy, who is a product of a broken family, has a mother who is an OFW who eventually abandoned him and his father. Further into the film, the boy was shown as being physically abused by his drunkard father. A neighbor reported the abuse which prompted the authorities to grant temporary custody of the child to a shelter for kids.

In the shelter, however, the child meets a bigger and older child who bullies him and provokes him into a fight. Just like when he was still in their home, the child finds himself hiding inside a cabinet because of fear. That’s when he met his future violin teacher.

 

Read the article in full here.

When things are at a stand still

Have you ever had those days when things suddenly come to a screeching halt because of something else that's very important?

 

I had those kind of days last week.

 

My Sweetheart and me

My husband had a medical emergency. He suddenly had a high fever and was having chills one late afternoon that I had to drop everything I was doing to care for him. The following day after the onset of his fever, I thought (he also thought) that he was better. We even prepared for the worship that we were supposed to lead for Feast Ortigas. But while we were discussing about the exhortation and the songs, he suddenly had chills again... They were the kind of chills that moved me to bring him to the emergency room of a hospital. I was already afraid that he contacted dengue or malaria.

 

He was confined for a few days.

 

Good thing that the diagnosis was that his fever was due to a viral infection. I felt relieved.

 

But the many things I needed to do remained UNDONE, UNFINISHED. They were at a STAND STILL. The materials for the Stress Management Workshop I needed to conduct (which I conducted yesterday) and my manuscript for my upcoming book on breastfeeding had to wait.

 

I could have chosen to bring my laptop with me while watching over him at the hospital. BUT I chose not to.

 

Deep inside I felt that God had a message for me. I felt that God was teaching or reminding me something through this situation.

 

So I chose to listen and meditate on whatever I felt God wanted me to learn during those days.

 

Here are some of my insights. Some of them I already knew. A few are new lessons.

 

1. When things are at a stand still, it doesn't mean that God is not moving things for us. We don't need to see all the time all that God is doing for us and in us.

 

2. God sometimes allows road blocks in our journeys to give us time to rest, listen to Him and think. I thank God for those days when I was able to rest and relax with my husband while he was confined in the hospital. I felt that his confinement was a blessing in disguise for we were forced to stop and rest.

 

3. When medical emergencies happen in our families, we are reminded that our family members are definitely more important than any other deadline or goal. That everything and everyone can take a back seat in the meantime because your loved one is far more important.

 

4. When things are at a stand still, God is teaching us not only to trust in Him but also to be dependent on Him. These are times when most of us feel helpless. But thanks be to God for those moments because we are reminded that we depend on Him. I praise and thank God that He always proves that He is faithful and oh so dependable.

 

5. When things are at a stand still, we are somehow forced to smell the roses and to focus on the present moment. We live in the now. I thank God for those days and even the day after my husband was discharged from the hospital. Again, I could have started working again on my materials and many other things that are waiting for me. BUT I chose to linger with my husband and just be present to him.

 

I have already conducted the Stress Management Workshop for one of my clients yesterday and I praise and thank God that it was successful. I know that if not for His grace, wisdom and help, I would not be able to lead and inspire the participants. The wonderful result of the workshop is another proof that God goes before me always. That He works things out for my good and for the good of my participants even while I was resting and caring for my husband. That when we trust Him to do for us what we cannot do, He gladly fills in the gaps.

 

Me and my participants posing with their one/two-word big lesson
from the Stress Management Workshop I conducted.

 

 

My husband and I were not able to lead the worship at The Feast in Ortigas that Sunday when he was rushed to the emergency room. BUT I was still able to lead people into worship yesterday through the workshop I conducted. I was hesitant at first to include a time of prayer and worship in the design. I'm glad I followed God's lead because I discovered a few minutes ago (when I read all the post program evaluation forms of the participants) that the worship/prayer time was the activity that many of the participants liked the most. Amazing!

 

My upcoming book? Well, the manuscript is still undone. I'm slowly but surely working on its completion. But I think there's a difference now in the state of my heart. I am more at peace. I am more at peace of the fact that I have not met my target deadline in completing my manuscript. I have learned to accept the fact that the launch date for my book is beyond my control. Since I've learned to recognize this, like my participants yesterday in the workshop I conducted, I am less stressed. I have chosen to entrust the result of my efforts to God. I have chosen to simply do my best and let God fill in the rest. Anyway, He told me that my obedience is more important to Him than the results of my efforts.

 

I think the most important lesson/insight I got from my husband's confinement is this: All the good that I'm doing and would like to do CAN WAIT. But caring for my husband and my kids CANNOT. Thus, I pray that I would be conscious and disciplined enough each day to not let my family WAIT for me to be available to serve them in favor of the other good things that I'm busy with because my primary service and ministry is to my family and in my own home. I know that the book that I'm working on would bless many babies and moms and their families. But working on this book project should not rob my own family and my own kids of my precious quality time.

 

The loves of my life next to God.

 

Oh how I love God more for teaching me this awesome lesson on family life! I thank the Lord for humbling me enough to acknowledge my mistakes and shortcomings. I thank Him for opening my eyes. I thank Him for gently and lovingly guiding me back on the right path to holiness.

 

How are things at your end? Are there some things that are at a stand still in your life? What do you think is God's message to you now? Feel free to share by leaving a comment. Would love to hear from you.

 

The Power of Intercessory Prayer

I once read the book The Power of the Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I actually read it when I was still single and didn't have a boyfriend (as in no boyfriend since birth). Why did I read the book? I read it before giving it as a gift to a married friend. I'm glad I did it. Not only was I happy with my purchase (knowing that I'm giving an inspiring gift), I also learned from it. I thought that what I learned would prove to be useful when I'm already a wife. So I tucked those lessons in my heart and in my mind for some time since it took me a while before I found my one true love. :)

 

Fast forward to my present life. I'm now a wife with two active little boys. I work from home and my husband works outside the home in an office relatively near our new house.

 

Last Friday, as usual, my husband went to work early in the morning at around the same time that I was busy cooking in the kitchen. I said a prayer in my heart as he went out our front door and as he drove our vehicle outside of our gate.

 

Then, I went on with my tasks.

 

A little later, while I was at our second floor hallway, I walked past our altar. I stopped. I was moved to pray some more for my husband. I said a prayer again for him. This time I read the prayer to the Holy Family which was printed behind the picture of the same image. This picture is a replica of the icon that was here in the Philipines I think more than a year ago. After praying, I went on again with my household tasks. I prepared the kids for lunch and my eldest for his session with his teacher (which was scheduled at 1:30 PM).

 

Just after lunch, a friend who is also a lay preacher and Feast Builder sent me a text message (sms) inviting me and my family to attend the Healing Mass that evening at SM Sucat. I really wanted to attend the Mass when I first learned about it. I was hesitant though because I'm not sure if I can handle the kids especially that there will be a long waiting time and it is expected that there will be many people in attendance. My husband will be coming from his office so he would be late as well. The text message I received however made me rethink our initial decision.

 

 

I've decided to change my mind. I've decided to go to the Healing Mass. I thought of my husband and his health concerns. He's hypertensive and is borderline diabetic. I thought that if he could not come to the Healing Mass, at least I would pray for him while attending that Mass or I will bring his picture and ask Fr. Suarez to pray over his picture.

 

I tried calling him in his office to inform him of my change of plans but I could not reach him. I called again several times until just before leaving the house but I still could not reaach him. He forgot to bring his cellphone with him that day that's why I had to call him in his office landline. I also sent him an email to inform him of the new development.

 

The kids and I, together with our new maid, left for the Healing Mass. I was confident that my husband got my message. He's usually online anyway. I thought that maybe he was in a meeting that's why he has not responded.

 

We got to the venue and were happy to be early enough to find some vacant seats. I prayed that my husband can get to the venue early so he can be prayed over. If not, I thought that at least he would arrive in time for the worship after the talk.

 

Then, there was change in the program. The talk and worship was done first before the Healing Mass. Usually, the program at The Feast starts with the Mass. But I was so happy with the change in the program. The more that I prayed for my husband to make it just in time to be prayed over by Fr. Suarez.

 

It was already pray over time but my husband was nowhere in sight.

 

Then, a little while later we saw him lining up at the back. He went to us and we were so happy to see him finally. That's when he shared to me his "story."

 

He recunted that he went to the ER (emergency room) of St. Luke's Hospital around 10 AM. He had difficulty breathing. While there, he found out that his blood pressure was elevated. He was asked to stay in the hospital for some time. He stayed there until around past 3 PM. Then, he was discharged.

 

After that, he went back to his office and that's when he read my email.

 

I was in awe after I heard his story.

 

I believe that it was the Holy Spirit who moved me to intercede for my husband that day. It was the Holy Spirit that paved the way for us to change our plans and to go to the Healing Mass.

 

I thanked God that night for always watching over me and my family. I thanked Him for the power of intercessory prayer that was at work that day. I thanked Him that I have learned to apply the lessons I read from the book The Power of the Praying Wife. It sure was handy that fateful day! I thanked Him for making a way for me and my immediate family members to be prayed over by Fr. Suarez. I have heard about him in the past years but I have had the opportunity to attend any of his Healing Masses. It was definitely a memorable first!

 

Are you also a wife or parent? I encourage you to get (buy or borrow) a copy of the books by Stormie Omartian in The Praying Series. I'm sure that these books will bless you as they have blessed me and my family!

 

Let me end with these lines: Prayer knows no bounds. Prayer allows us to reach those who are far from us -- physically or otherwise. So, take time to pray today for those you love. Pray even for strangers when you feel the prompting to say a prayer for them. Let the Holy Spirit lead, guide and use you to be a vessel of His Power.

 

Have a blessed day!

 

Documenting My WAHMderful Day

If you've been following my blog, you would know that my hands are so full in the past months. I'm writing this post to document what I had been doing during those days when we didn't have maids and I had to do some chores in between/on top of WAHMing (working from home).

 

Here's how my typical day would go:

 



Oatmeal for my boys.



Read and meditate on the readings for the day. Read reflections from devotionals and inspiring posts from people I follow/look up to.

 

After saying my morning prayers, I cook breakfast. That's oatmeal most of the time because it's so quick to prepare aside from being healthy. If I don't have time to cook and the kids are already awake, we have cereals and fruits for breakfast.

Oh, this smile makes all the effort worth it!

 

 

Then, if I'm able to buy ingredients for homecooked meals, I cook a viand for lunch and dinner. I cook rice in the rice cooker also while cooking the viand. If I'm not able to go to the supermarket or too busy to cook, I just cook rice. We buy cooked viands or order food to be delivered to the house.

 

If the kids are still asleep by the time I'm done cooking, I do some work on my laptop. If the food I'm cooking takes a while, I try to do some work in my laptop while making sure I don't burn our food. haha

 

When the baby wakes up, I breastfeed him and feed him breakfast.

 

I play with the baby for some time and encourage him to play on his own.

 

After some time, my eldest should get up from bed. I will make sure that he eats his breakfast and says his morning prayers or lead his brother in praying their morning prayers.

 

I will let the kids play with each other.

 

While the kids are playing, I'll try to work again until around almost lunch time. Then, I'll heat our food and set the table. Ask the kids to pack away and wash their hands. Say grace and eat our lunch.

 

Cooking picadillo.

 

After eating, I bathe the baby and supervise my eldest son as he takes a bath on his own.

 

Once the kids are dressed, I would encourage my eldest to read a book or read to his baby brother or I read to them.

 

Then, it should be naptime for the kids. I breastfeed the baby until he falls asleep.

 

If my eldest doesn't sleep (which happens often lately), I ask him to read, practice writing or lie down only to rest while I try to do some work again or take a bath.

 

When the kids or the baby wakes up, I let them play again or I will play with them. I use my work breaks to play with my kids and to destress by asking for hugs and kisses. That's what we do until around evening when I will heat our food again and prepare for dinner.

 

If the laundry basket is already full or overflowing, I sort the laundry, count the pieces of clothing and list them in my notebook. When the kids are awake while I do this, they help me sort and count. It's amazing how even my little Mateo (one and half years old) can identify which clothes are mine and which are his Dad's). Then, I call the laundry shop to schedule pick up.

 

After dinner, I wash the dishes or my husband washes the dishes. Sometimes, I wash the dishes after every meal. But on very hectic days, I wash the dishes only after dinner or when we need to use them again.

 

After that I try to work while my husband spends time with the kids.

 

Then, we have some family talk time before night prayers and going to bed.

 

We homeschool our kids, too. But since homeschooling/learning has become our lifestyle, learning is integrated into our daily activities like the kids' pretend plays, playing music, reading, our conversations and the way we do things at home and as a family. Our main focus in our homeschooling is still values/character formation over academics.

 

The truth is it's tiring to live this kind of lifestyle especially when I'm swamped with work other than housework. The smiles, kisses and hugs, and witnessing my kids' childhood however make all the inconveniences and challenges tolerable.

 

At the end of the day, I thank the Lord for another day and all that happened in it. I thank Him for sustaining me and for watching over me and my family. Then, I ask for grace again to do all that I need to do the following day.

 

Are you also a WAHM? Feel free to share with me in the comments how similar or different your day is with mine. :) I would be happy to hear from other WAHMs especially those who also homeschool their kids.

 

For Work-at-Home Moms: How to Get Work Done with Kids Around

To say that the past five weeks had been busy weeks for me is an understatement. I had been facilitating a series of workshops for my clients in the past weekends and most of them were done out-of-town. I also had an out-of-town speaking engagement a few days before one of the teambuilding workshops I facilitated in Tagaytay. Moreover, I write articles and books in between these workshops and speaking engagements. I had been doing all these and more in the past weeks that we do not have a household help.

 

You might ask: How do you get to do all the (business-related) work given your circumstances?

 

Aside from grace from God and help and support from my spouse, I give credit to strategies I learned in the past years as our helpers come and go. These strategies are very useful whether you work from home or run a home-based business. I work from home to do writing jobs and HR projects. But I run my consulting and training business as well. Let me share my time-tested and kid-tested strategies with you.

 

Teach your kids to play on their own.– When you’re a new and first-time parent, you have a tendency to think that you need to be with your kid ALL the time. But the truth is, you need to give your child some time alone to teach him to be independent and to teach him to entertain himself. I know this to be true because I was like that when I was just starting out as a new mom. Good thing I love to read and I learned from the books and articles I have read that teaching and allowing kids to have some time alone is also good for them and to us parents as well. You can teach this to your child gradually. Start by giving him five minutes of independent playtime. Then, slowly extend over time or with practice. This helps develop not only your child’s independence but also his creativity and imagination because he does not need to be dependent on you all the time in taking the lead on what he will play with and how.

 

Farmer Mateo and his produce.

 

If you have more than one kid, teach and encourage them to play with each other.– In the beginning, I thought and felt that it would be very difficult to have more than one kid. But as my boys grew older, I learned to appreciate having more than one child. One of my joys now as a mother is to watch my boys play with each other. I am amazed actually at how much they enjoy being and playing together. My youngest who is one year and a half loves to play with his older brother. He laughs so hard at his antics. He wants to follow him everywhere. So lately, I ask my eldest child to keep his brother busy by playing with him when both of them are awake and I have some work that really needs to be done. This strategy promotes camaraderie between my boys and teaches my eldest all about responsibility. The great thing about working from home is that I can easily step in when they suddenly fight over a toy or someone cries.

 

Doctor Yanthy and his patient.

 

Schedule to do some work while the kids are asleep.– I had been employing this strategy since I had my first child. It’s easier to work when the house is quiet and the things around the house are not a mess. You can do this early in the morning like what I’m doing now as I write this piece. Or you can work during their nap times after lunch (that is if your kids still nap.) I used to get a lot of work done in the afternoon when my eldest was still a baby and a toddler. Now that he is four years old and a preschooler, most of the time, he doesn’t want to take a nap anymore. You can also work at night after the kids go to bed. It’s quite challenging though to work at night if your kids go to bed late. Thus, it would be very helpful if you train your kids to sleep by 8 or 9 o’clock.

 

 

Mateo sleeps in the carrier.

Instill in your kids a love for learning and reading.– One of the things I’m very grateful for is that my kids love to learn whether with me or on their own. My kids are bookworms, especially my eldest. He would read on his own even with no one asking him. It’s one of his favorite past times. And because my eldest loves to read, his younger brother imitates him. My youngest pretends that he’s reading, too! I love it when I see him make up words while holding a book in his hands. So my kids learn by reading while I do some work on my laptop or while I do my own reading. Since my eldest already knows how to write, practices his writing skills, and loves to draw, his younger brother follows his lead. I therefore make sure that I have a lot of paper, crayons and pencils available to keep their hands busy. I also feed their curiosity by answering their questions and encouraging them to be observant. This practice has further developed them to be always curious to learn and to be keen observers. By answering their questions most of the time, they are encouraged to ask more and develop the attitude to seek understanding of something.



Our little genius.

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Because it's worth it

Today, I choose to pause from my busyness. I choose to savor my little victories. I choose to smell the flowers and appreciate the sunshine in my life. I know it has been raining in the past days here in Manila. It has been raining also in my life. And when I say it has been raining, I do not mean that it's raining with blessings alone. I mean that rain has also dampened my mood and spirit and my momentum in pursuing a few of my God-sized dreams. But today, I choose not to focus on what has been wet because of the rain. Today, I choose to focus on the beautiful flowers along the road of my life. Today, I choose to celebrate because in spite of the rains and the delays it has caused me in my journey, I am aware that I still have plenty of blessings to count.

 

Today, I'd like to take time to gaze at two of my biggest blessings even as I stand in the rain. Have you already experienced that in the past? That it was raining but the sun was also shining brightly? Today, is one of those days in my life.

 

One blessing I choose to celebrate today is my baby Mateo's 19th month of life. This cliche has been used too many times but I will still use it today. Time flies so fast! 19 months! Wow! I had been spending each day in the past 19 months with this beautiful baby - God's gift to me. 

 

 

 

My experience of raising him and caring for him has been a bit different from my experience of raising his older brother. I feel that I had been more hands on with his older brother because I was not working from home then. I sometimes feel guilty that I was not able to do some of the things I used to do for his older brother. But last night as I read a few more chapters in the book I'm currently reading, I felt God's loving reminder that I should not be too hard on myself. God reminded me through the book I was reading last night that as long as I give my best, I should not feel guilty. I needed to be reminded that I'm human and I have limitations. That my circumstances now as a mother of two active boys is different from my circumstances before when I was just caring and raising one child. That my responsibilities then as a full time stay-at-home mom are different from my responsibilities now as a work-at-home mom.

 

God continues to remind me this morning to celebrate the good that are happening to me now. And so I thank God for the gift of another son and the gift of breastmilk that I'm able to nourish him with. Mateo is exactly 19 months today and he continues to breastfeed from me. The past 19 months were full of joyful and memorable moments between me and my Mateo. I have not been able to document or blog much about our bonding moments as much as I would want to but they are all treasured in my heart. I thank God for helping me overcome all the challenges I've experienced and still experience in breastfeeding my baby. If not for His grace, I don't think I would be able to breastfeed this long. I thank God also for showing me that all my sacrifices and effort in giving the best milk for my baby is worth it. Just like his older brother, Mateo shows signs of good health and proves to be a very intelligent boy. I believe that this is partly because of breastfeeding.



Mateo breastfeeding at 18 months old
during our Mother's Day pictorial.

This brings me to the next good thing that I choose to celebrate today. I choose to celebrate my relationship with my God, my Dream-Giver. My relationship with God has been my greatest treasure and my source of greatest joy for many years now. I've had countless adventures with Him! Recently, we've had a number of adventures going on at almost the same time. One of these adventures is the God-sized dream He planted in my heart to publish a book on breastfeeding.

 

I'm actually close to finishing it. But I guess just like what many speakers and authors said in the past, it is when you are closest to accomplishing your goals that you encounter the greatest challenges. I believe that I'm at that point now. Frankly, I felt stuck in the past weeks. I feel that I'm making teeny-weeny progress. And what I think as my deadliest deadline in publishing this book is fast approaching! That's approximately 6 weeks from now!

 

I think I was already in panic mode since a few weeks ago. Thank God that I am currently reading the book You're Made for a God-sized Dream by Holley Gerth because I needed an encourager at this time. God has been giving me a lot of encouragement through this author. 

 

Last night was one of those nights when I felt some tears in my eyes as I read her book. Let me share some lines which pierced my heart with the love of my Dream-Giver.

 

It's a wild ride, this dreaming. Our role is simply to hang on with all our hearts. And to remember that it's worth it because GOD IS WORTH IT. (Emphasis mine.) The One who called us by name... fashioned our hearts, and walks with us every day is the ultimate reward. He's the reason we keep going, keep pressing on, and refuse to give up.

 

Truly, it has been an unpredictable adventure with the Lord! My adventure with Him in working on this book project was filled with many ups and downs, joys as well as challenges. But it's all worth it! Because this book project is not about me. It's about the God who called me to be part of His plan to bless many families, moms and babies most especially through this book. God wanted me to be part of His team in reaching out to many whom He wants to bless through breastfeeding.

 

As Holley Gerth writes it in her book:

 

The God of the universe has chosen you as his ambassador, his partner, his way of sharing his light with the world. You may not feel qualified. You may not feel ready. You may not think you can do what he asks. Listen, my friend: you are all you need to be to do all he's called you to do. "It's not about you" can be hard words to hear, but in this context they can also bring a profound sense of relief. You do not have to be superwoman to make God's plans happen in your life. Because it's ultimately about him, and your role is simply to let his light flow through you. You're the vessel - he's the source. 

 

In other words, let what you do shine in a way that helps people see who God is.

 

Yes, people will see you.

 

That's Okay.

 

You're still being humble.

 

And it's not certainly about you.

 

Amazing! Very beautiful words of encouragement and affirmation from God's messenger straight into my heart!

 

Yes, indeed it's all worth it! It's worth it because through all these experiences of mine of breastfeeding my children and writing a book on breastfeeding, I'm experiencing the love of my God. I'm getting to know Him better, deeper. I have grown to know Him in ways I wouldn't have known Him had I not made these decisions and pursued these God-sized dreams.

 

I thank God for calling me to join Him in these adventures and for calling me to invite other moms, other families to join Him in this adventure.

 

My role is to simply obey the One who called me and gave me this assignment. His role is to make things happen according to His plans. He is in charge of the results. My commitment is to give Him my best.

 

May His light shine brightly through me! I am but His light bulb! He is my power source!