I now have a toddler!

I couldn’t believe that one year have passed and my daughter is already a toddler! Yep, you read that right, the little baby I’ve been blogging for the past few months is now an official toddler. Gone were the days when she’d just lay on her back, look straight in to my eyes and whimper whenever she wants to ask for milk. But now that she’s a toddler, she can already express her feelings more and more each day.

From lying on our bed, to lifting her head, to crawling and sitting and now she’s already walking. I tell you; toddlers spend half of their time roaming around the house, trying to do what you don’t want them to do as soon as they learn how to walk. How much more if she can run? I couldn’t imagine myself chasing her to and fro.

From the day she turned 1 year old until today, I have noticed so many things about her. She’s continually changing and developing day by day.

She loves watching videos that are lively. She prefers “real person” dancing on screen like Hi-5. Cartoon shows don’t pique her interest that much, though she enjoys watching the mini movies of Minions (which I am kinda against of) .  

This is Milly while watching Despicable Me 😍😍😍

A video posted by @kc_alcantara on Jul 20, 2015 at 6:03am PDT

She loves dancing whenever she hears the song “If you’re happy and you know”, London Bridge is falling down and Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes. Nothing would stop her from dancing the moment she hears these songs.

Milly's signature dance moves 😆

A video posted by @kc_alcantara on Jun 25, 2015 at 10:21pm PDT

Whenever she starts to cry (out of nowhere, ugh) one way to pacify her is to count slowly from numbers 1 to 10.

She learned to call our dog Princess than saying the word “mama” or “papa”. Whenever she sees our dog, she’d say “Tssesss! Tsessss!”

She enjoys scribbling. She really got amazed when she discovered the wonders of a white board marker.

She loves to flip each and every pages of her book. 

A lot had changed since she turned 1 year old and in as much as I don’t want to spill this, my daughter’s getting a little stubborn day by day. LOL! But even if she tends to get a cry baby most of the time, nothing could ever replace the happiness she brings to our little family whenever we witness all the things that she does every day.

Things I miss before I became a M-O-M

Time’s flying really fast and few weeks from now, my daughter will celebrate her 1^st birthday. Sometimes, I feel like I am on reverie; I couldn’t believe that my husband and I already have our own bundle of joy. She was a dream came true, and God knows, even my closest friends, how much we both wanted to have our own child. Every time we look at her, we always praise God for giving us a healthy, makulit and beautiful little girl. We must have done something really good for giving her to us.

It seems like yesterday when I found out I was pregnant, and I must admit that I am missing a lot of things that I used to do before I became a mother. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mother, but you know that feeling when you realize you have given so much time and effort for your family? That sometimes, you feel the need to take even just a little break from reality? Mother’s deserve a little break too, but we’re too selfless and we’d rather spend our days nurturing and spending time with our family. That’s why I admire some moms who get the leisure to spend quality / me time for themselves - I don’t know if it’s just me, but no matter how much I find time to pamper myself, I just can’t fit the “I-want- to-do-things” on my schedule. It’s as if one day isn’t enough to do all the things that I need to do for my family. I feel like I am always cramming to go home every after work just to spend time with them. But no matter how much I love and enjoy being a mom, sometimes I’d like to spool back my life even just for a day or two.

Here are my top 8 list that I miss doing before I became a busy-mom

    1.       Me time - before, I could spend one day on the salon having my hair permed while I have my nails manicured and pedicured. But right now? I couldn’t stand sitting on the salon chair for more than an hour. I’d settle myself for a simple haircut.  I couldn’t even believe that I used to spend so much money with my hair. (Pero ngayon, I’m fine with a 49.99 haircut. Hehehe!)

    2.       Rest / Sleeping - this is what I call luxury right now. I’m always sleep deprived. Before, I could spend my rest days lying on my bed sleeping all day but right now? 3-4 hours of sleep is my daily routine. I also missed waking up whenever I want to. Before I became a mom, I could wake up whenever I want to, but now that I have a daughter, I wake up between 4 to 5am during RESTDAYS.

    3.       Shopping - yep, I missed shopping for myself. I could spend half of my salary shopping for myself but right now, every money I spend is all for my family. I always think that the money I could be spending from shopping alone can save up for Milly’s future.

    4.       Reading - I used to read all sorts of novels before a became a mom, but I don’t know if it’s just me or my time management, but I couldn’t even get hold of my e-book  these days. From novels, I am now down to reading story books and all sorts of baby books. :D

    5.       My old figure - I really don’t mind wearing size 40 and XL tops at all, but every time I look at my old pictures, I feel bad for gaining so much weight after I gave birth. No matter how much I try to lessen my food intake, my bulging tummy just won’t return to its old state. It will never be the same again.

    6.       Watching movies/series/television- call me OA, but I am no longer updated with current events! My daughter hates noise and she easily wakes up every time the TV is turned on. So ending, whenever our TV is turned on, expect that the volume is too low or no audio at all.

    7.       Clean room - Our room is always messy. Start with the dresser down to the cabinet. Toys and books are always on the floor and I’ve realized that having a clean room is close to impossible. :D I spend time picking up things when she’s asleepm waiting for the same thing to happen again once she wakes up.

    8.       Quality time with my husband - I am a wife before I became a mother and it’s a must that I spend quality time with my husband. But there are times that we can’t even do the things we used to do before. :D Oh, how I missed going out on a date with him. (We better work on this) Good thing, we enjoy spending time with our daughter by playing and cuddling with her. Now, that’s a great bonding time.    

These are just some of the things that I missed the most before I became a mom, but I do not feel any pinch of regret having my family even for one second. I may have sacrificed a lot of things for them and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Everything I do for them is all worth it. 

The best teacher to my daughter

I loved and enjoyed schooling - actually i was part of the “habituated” students who’d rather stay at home to do home works and review her notes. Now that we have a daughter, we would like to instill the same “passion” and enjoyment with studying.

We’re going to take a big leap to go against the social’s norm. We want to take charge of our daughter’s education and make sure that she learns things the best way possible. Few months ago, before our daughter turned 8 months, my husband and I discussed into home schooling her. I know a lot of parents are still curious about the pros and cons of homeschooling, but based on the articles I’ve read and moms I’ve talked to, I know deep in my heart that homeschooling is just for us. This is my calling, our calling and I’m looking forward to take that challenge. 

So what really compelled us to homeschool our daughter in the next few months?

·         Own curriculum - there are a lot of available curriculum available and you can choose your own schedule that works best for you and your child

·         Bonding - being our child’s teacher is a great bonding. #attachmentparenting at its finest! J

·         Teaching method - we can adapt the teaching method that suits best to our daughter

·         Shelter our daughter from violence and bullies in school

·         Flexible study hours

·         We’d be able to monitor her studies

·         To be closer to God

Right now, there are homeschool providers that are accredited by DepEd. You may check the list for accredited providers http://hapihomeschooler.com/about-hapi/hapi-members-affiliates/. 

 My husband and I are eyeing for these providers: CFA (Catholic Filipino Academy) www.catholicfilipinoacademy.com founded by Bo Sanchez; International British Academy www.iba.edu.ph , Kids World Integrated in Greenhills and Homeschool of Asia and Pacific in Madrigal Alabang.  We might enroll her as soon as she turns 3 years and we’d home school her spontaneously as soon as she turns 1 year old. Call me OC, but I’ve saved tons of references online and activities to prepare for my daughter.

If you’re curious about homeschooling, these links may be helpful for you.

http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/kids/preschooler/why-homeschooling-is-best-for-your-preschooler

http://trulyrichmom.com/homeschooling-in-the-philippines-answers-to-some-faqs/

http://trulyrichmom.com/homeschooling-in-the-philippines-where-to-get-support/

We’re already eyeing for CFA and their program is really interesting.  Once you enroll your child to their homeschool program, you can have access to curriculum and materials. You can even let your kid join a full blown orchestra and there will be weekly activities so you don’t have to worry about their social skills. Just like any other schools, field trips and moving up day is also available. More details here: http://catholicfilipinoacademy.com/exciting-news-from-cfas-preschool-department/

If you want to teach your child, there is no such thing as “Too Early”. That’s why as early as now, I always allot time for our tiny tot study time. Every day, just before her morning siesta, I make sure to let her read some books, and at the same time teach her the “basics”. Take a look at the video below, this is my daughter during her study time. (best when played with sound) ♥ 

Mommy, I'm going to read you a book, okay? So listen very carefully. 😂😅😂

A video posted by @kc_alcantara on May 25, 2015 at 1:33pm PDT

A is for Apple 🍎 Good job my little Miss Bookworm. #millysmilestones

A video posted by @kc_alcantara on May 27, 2015 at 6:57pm PDT

This is how Milly says "Hi". 😅 Quite bitin but she's really doing a great job. We're so proud of you! #millyat10months #millysmilestones love you baby. ❤️ thank you @ohbabyph

A video posted by @kc_alcantara on May 28, 2015 at 11:04pm PDT

Homeschooling isn’t easy and MAY not work for every one. A lot of patience is required, time management is important and there will be some things that you really need to give up. Of course, prayer is needed too. You need to ask for God's guidance to help you all throughout the process. Home schooling may mean, one income household, and since I want to focus on my child’s education, I am looking into leaving my job temporarily (which I’m still thinking over and over again).  For as long as I can manage my time, and can juggle working and teaching, I will do my best to be the best teacher to my daughter. 

PS: Let me know if you need the rates of the schools mentioned above. ☻ 

Visit at Manila Zoo

Happy almost end-of-month of May! You see I’ve been on pause mode lately. I’ve been very busy juggling my schedule to-and-fro and most of my work got piled up. Mommy chores got piled up too. I must say that this month has been a challenge for me and my husband but thankfully, everything’s doing well already and we’re one way or another back on track.

I celebrated my 29^th birthday this month, my first ever Mother’s Day with our daughter Milly and our 3^rd wedding anniversary. To cap off the busy past few weeks we had, my husband and I decided to bring our daughter to Manila Zoo! We noticed that she loves animals and we thought of showing her “real” animals. My small family is a family-homebody, meaning we’d rather spend time in the house cuddling and playing. So going out during rest days and strolling outdoors aside from the mall was a big thing for us.

Last time I went to Manila Zoo was during my pre-school days (yep!) and to tell you honestly, I do not remember any single detail about it. That’s why when we entered the zoo; I was really quite surprised how it looks like. While I enjoyed watching the animals, I really didn’t find it appealing at all - I think the animals in the zoo are not well taken care of. (Well, I hope I am wrong).  I actually feel sad for the animals that have to experience scourging heat, not-really-clean and rustic cages, swamp water and the environment, far from where they should really be. This may sound old to other people, but for someone who rarely goes out and would like to introduce this kind of leisure and educational parks to kids, this is really quite shocking.  I just hope the government/management can do more regarding its cleanliness and maintenance. They need to spruce it up.

But other than that, we enjoyed our little travel and looking forward to visit more zoos like: Ark Avilon & Malabon Zoo. For sure my daughter would love to see more animals. ♥ 

To end this blog post, let me share the pictures we took during our visit there last week. 

Every day is Mother's Day

Long days, sleepless nights, endless cries and puffy eyes. Giggles and chuckles, laughter and joys, smiles and frowns of my happy little one.

That pretty sums up my life every single day. I will never get tired of “feeling tired” as long as I can give what my baby needs.  I will sacrifice everything just to make her happy and promise to be the best mom I can be. I will love her more than the stars, until infinity and beyond.  

Few days from now, we’re about to celebrate Mother’s Day. (At the back of my mind, I like to appeal that every day should be Mother’s Day; that we should be thanking and celebrating life with them every day. ) It’s going to be my first Mother’s day and for first timer moms like me, the ordinary day every 2nd  Sunday of May unexpectedly turned in to something special. Right this very moment, I still couldn’t believe that I have this beautiful daughter who adores and appreciates me. My dream of becoming a mom has turned in to reality.  How can I not dream about being a mom? This is actually the best thing that has ever happened to me. It made me a better person and after I gave birth to a lovely daughter, it’s like all the stars have aligned and all my questions in life have been answered.  I will forever be thankful to God for this blessing and letting me experience this bliss.

To all the moms out there, flabby tummies, messy hair, battle scars, stretch marks, eye bags -  these are just some of the few things that we are made of. Whenever long days and endless nights seem like infinity, just take a look at your beautiful living miracle and everything will be fine. One day, all of our hardships on being a mom will pay off. Seize every moment, enjoy the time while  you can still squeeze your children and hug them tight. Continue looking in to their eyes and showering them with smooches. Remember, these kind of moments will turn in to memories, because one day, you’ll be surprised, that the little bean you have pampered from months to early years of childhood, no longer wants to be kissed and touched. 

Kudos to all of us. We are doing a great job. Cheers!

PS: To my mom in heaven, I know you are watching over us. Thank you. I will never be a great mom, if not for you. I never understood the depth of your love for me until I became a mom.