Sophia's Happy Bread Day!

Gardenia Philippines made this day their Happy Bread Day in celebration of the World Bread Day, which was created by Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners, an organization of bakers from across the globe whose members were from places where bread plays a prominent role in people’s diet. Gardenia Philippines held their event at Eastwood City, Libis in Quezon City. We were not there to attend the full-of-free-breads event but we celebrated it at home in our own way.

Grabbed from Gardenia Philippines' Facebook fan page

Sophia Goes to School but Nanay Also Learns

Busying herself with the instruction manual. Cool.

One semester has passed for my school girl and there have been obvious changes. Her bulol words had slowly diminished and she has been doing good with her relationship with her vocabulary. Her Tatay Rhambo always brings with him an army truck load of English but he still gets dizzy and yes, his nose bleeds when they talk. Haha! Sophia still watches TV a lot but she's now aware that there are shows she's not allowed to see, like some cartoons from Cartoon Network. She used to spank & slap anyone when she's happy and more so when she's mad, but now it can be avoided. We learned {yes, she's the one who goes to school but we BOTH benefit from it} the phrase from her pretty Teacher Lois, "hands for loving, not for hurting". So when she suddenly has the urge to do so, I'd automatically utter the powerful phrase and she'll gracefully stop. I'm also amazed at how magical my birthday wish was for her. Do you still remember when I wrote it here that my birthday wish for her was for her to wear her slippers without my prodding? Well, she always does now! I think I should make a Christmas wish quick & that is for her to learn how to pack away her toys PROPERLY. Really, it's beginning to be an eye sore.

Bebeng's Bonggang Bicol Express

Whenever I post food photos in my fan page, I've always been asked about its recipe. I admit about not being good in recipe-writing but I have attempted to write one, which you could see here and I will bravely do it again. I will be writing about Bebeng's Bonggang Bicol Express! It is not as photographic as what this blogger posted here, but I will do my best in sharing with you on how I did it. But before we proceed, let me remind you that I am a non-standardized cook. I cook based on my guts, really. As I am poor in Math, measurements will always be "approximately". I believe that cooking is not a skill, it's a talent. Yes, for those wives who can't cook for their husbands, sulk in sorrow, dear; because cooking wives are hot! Chos. I only said that 'cause I know that my husband loves me a little bit more because I CAN cook. For those who can't, there is still time to learn. Remember, you will do it for the one you love. So cook from the heart. Trust me, even if it's burned or bitter, it will weirdly taste good for him. Alright, enough with the chika, here's the recipe, mga mars -

Thoughtful Tuesday: To Keep or Not To Keep?

Today is Sophia's last day in school for this semester. As Primemont Science School's Preschool Department's sem-ender activity, they had a pajama party. And yes, I am at home --- I was not there to witness her first show & tell. I was not there to take photos and videos of my little tattle-tale. But I asked the new helper (au revoir laundry & dishwashing!) to bring the camera and take photos of my little sleepy head. She brought her dinosaur plushie & Hello Kitty numbers book for their show & tell. When I asked her last night on what to bring for today's activity, she instantly grabbed that book and was in panic mode in looking for Dino, the dinosaur; which, was just inside her "box of surprise" when she went to her "imaginary world."

Sophia & her classmates in their blankies

Self-Theories on Why Ectopic Pregnancy Happened to Me

When something good happens to you, you rejoice and happiness is just everywhere! Have you noticed that? But when it's something bad, you question. You sulk in and wonder why of all people, that one bad thing happened to you. It is so human, isn't it? When I knew I had a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, I asked why. I contemplated on why it happened to me. I thought I was at my healthiest. I thought nothing could go wrong. Most of the good people around me said God has a purpose on why He let me experience this phase. These good people also told me that He let me had the pain because He knows I can endure it, because He knows I'm strong. And well, some people even said (I don't know if it's with empathy) that the operation was like giving birth through ceasarian section. Yes, it was actually almost the same, except that a Fallopian tube and an appendix were taken out from me and not a baby I could cuddle with after. I agree that there must be something reasonable about all of these. I am a logical person. I don't just sit in with the idea that something occurs out of nothing. So I asked my OB what caused the ectopic pregnancy. She said, in a matter-of-factly statement: "it just happens, Denise". My battle mode self was not on at that moment that I didn't inquire for a more detailed information. 

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Medical Center

A week after the very cinematic operation I had, I still wonder what caused those lazy egg and sperm cells to form outside my uterus. My mom, a no-nonsense woman, told me that R's sperm cell and my egg cell were too lazy to go inside the uterus and initially decided to relax themselves in the Fallopian tube, thus having what they called a tubal pregnancy. She actually has a point. Being the ever curious cat that I am, I went to my cyber bestfriend, Google. I stumbled upon a million links to my question "what causes ectopic pregnancy?" I scanned all the possible answers and eventually led me to some fruitful but practical explanations. I gathered the causes from different websites, which I deem related to me. First thing that shocked me was from ehealthMD, it says there that "it's important to remember that in most cases of ectopic pregnancy, the cause is unknown. However, several factors can raise your risk for an ectopic pregnancy"; one of the four factors the website mentioned is SMOKING. 

Scarred but Married to Superman

My whole body still feels sore from too much lying down. I actually can't complain. The thing is, the bed is my salvation as I can't freely move and go to anywhere that pleases me as the wound in my tummy is still fresh from the operation. I have disclosed here through an open letter to the baby I never had, that I had a miscarriage. And yes, I also mentioned that I needed to take Methergine to stop the bleeding but to also gradually wash away all that is left of the baby. Come Thursday last week, I was crying in pain. My tummy felt like there was a little monster kicking from the inside. I mustered the pain as I am a SAHM with domestic duties to fulfill, with the help of Dolfenal. I even managed to watch Taken 2 the day after (a must-see, btw) and even had a quick meeting for the blog. I thought, the pain was just a Methergine side effect.

It was a fine Saturday morning. I felt a bit relieved because my husband was home to go with me to my OB. We were scheduled to be at her clinic at 3pm. We went there earlier. And not in the clinic, but in the Emergency Room. The excruciating pain was taking my whole body to confess all my sins (not true) and give out my Facebook password to my husband (weird but true). The hospital I went to is not a 5-star hospital but it's fine and they took care of me (except for some noisy male nurses). It's what we can afford. We may have benefits to go to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) but we didn't risk it because we know that we have to wait too long even if it's an emergency; sadly, the very usual thing in government offices.

Parenting is NOT a Competition

I am a 4-year-old parent. Yes, basically new. I have my own ups & downs parenting-wise. Being someone in "authority" (but should not look that way) is not an easy feat. I never see myself as a strict mother, but being married to a military guy who is always away means I should also stand as the father. Which also means he can't share the burden of disciplining our BRAT --- cavaliers' kids. Rhambo being away is not a new complaint anymore. Or, a complaint at all. I have learned to live with it. I have learned how it is to be a SOLO parent --- geographically. I have learned to decide on my own, with bits of advice from MIL & Mama. These mothers are good because they have raised their children in solo-flight. My mother lost Papa 1993. MIL lost FIL 1999. My mothers are widows.