"Stop Wasting Money!"

This is what the munchkin would say whenever Tapioca came home from grocery shopping. At first, I couldn't seem to understand where the idea of wasting money came from. I mean, for a 5 year-old, how can buying groceries be considered wasting money?

Then one time, I asked her to get her cup from the cupboard. She then saw all our drinking glasses collection. She said "Mommy, you have so many glasses. You're wasting money!" Hmmm, not again. Minimalist living ba ang peg ng anak ko? Then I thought she may be right. But how on earth can my daughter understand this early about wasting money?

I figured it was from watching and playing Roblox. You know, the game play allows you to earn and save money so you'll be able to buy upgrades and other things. Please don't nag that I'm being an irresponsible parent for letting Munchkin play Roblox. 

When it comes to games and stuff, that is Tapioca's territory. He makes sure that all safety measures are implemented. So I trust him when it comes to decisions about what games Munchkin is allowed to play. Though, if Tapioca would have it his way, he would rather Munchkin play Minecraft instead. 

Going back, while some parents might consider Roblox a bad thing, I think there's something good that came out of it and that is Munchkin learning the importance and value of money. As early as now, we tell her that we are not rich. That Mommy and Daddy need to work hard to earn money. 

So when she wants something, she will always ask if it's expensive or not. Because she knows if it is expensive, it might take time for us to buy it or we may never be able to afford it at all. 

And speaking of wasting money, I came across a video from Chiky Tan which is very much the reason for this post. He discussed 8 reasons that waste all our money. After watching the video, it further proved that Munchkin was right after all.

 

We are wasting our money when we do grocery shopping! So there we have it, Munchkin! From now on, no more cereals, no more Chuckie choco drinks and Dutch Mill yogurt drinks and pancakes and strawberry jam. Hahaha! My little munchkin can only answer with her biggest smile.

Oops, I was wrong. She said she will help Mommy and Daddy daw by earning money by playing more Roblox. Aws.

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The Munchkin's Life Goals

At five years old, my little munchkin already has a "life goal".

She wanted to go to Legoland for her 6th birthday.

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org

I asked why Legoland? Why not Disneyland?

photo from https://www.rappler.com

She said it's because Disneyland is for her 7th birthday! YAY!

Some life goals, huh? Ang yaman namin. Hahahaha!

I wish we could afford it. I wish we could all do it. But with the global pandemic and the probability of travel during this time?

Impossible.

Last night, I had to break the bad news. No Legoland until the virus is gone. Or until it is safe to travel again.

She was a little disheartened. But you know, kids - they get over these things so easily. 

Bad news to her. Good news to me. It means I will have time to save up for these trips.

Legoland and Disneyland aren't cheap, you know? Tapioca and I are just salary workers so we really need to work our asses off if we want to make it happen.

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Tapioca and Munchkin Bonding Time At Bonifacio High Street

The Munchkin has been practicing riding her scooter every chance she gets. After getting her a scooter as a gift last year, Tapioca has been bringing her to the park, basketball court or any open spaces she’s free to scoot around. 

She’s actually getting really good at it. She finally knows how to use the break and how to steer from left to right. Munchkin is mostly practicing inside the house much to my annoyance. You see, we live on the 2nd floor of a small rise condo and the last thing I want to hear is a complaint from the downstairs neighbor. 

However, their practice session stopped when Tapioca got hospitalized. Munchkin has been asking when they will go back to the park again. It finally happened last Sunday.

. . . Tapioca and Munchkin

Here are some of the clips Tapioca took with this phone. The second video almost gave me a heart attack. I kinda freaked out seeing how fast the cars/vehicles were going. At first, it sorta looked like Munchkin would go straight to the other side of the road.

Tapioca rationalized that Munchkin was still far from the road and that there was a good 12 feet before it hit the road. Hmmm. I’m not sure. I guess I’m not convinced. Hahahaha!

When the little girl got tired, she asked for some donuts.  

Time for some refreshment. You bet these guys had fun. 😁

time for some donuts . . . 

I am thankful Tapioca is such a devoted father. I am thankful because I can rely on him  to take care of the kids even if me or the nannies are not around. I am thankful because he always makes an effort to spend time with the kids. No matter how tired or sleep deprived he is.

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Munchkin's First Field Trip

It’s Munchkin’s first field trip today. I’m so glad I insisted on Tapioca to join us.

When the school announced this year’s field trip, we were apprehensive of joining because of the steep price. Php 1,700 for kids and Php 1,800 for adults. Well it’s reasonable if it’s just Munchkin. But if all three of us join, that will be Php 5,300. If you think about it, we can spend that amount for an overnight trip out of town.

Tapioca said one of us will have to stay and that’s gonna be him since he has work. I thought about it. If it’s just me and Munchkin, who’s gonna take our pictures? Who will watch over our stuff on the bus during the stopover? Or when we need to go to the loo? Who am I gonna talk to aside from Munchkin? I don’t know anyone there except from Munchkin’s teachers. I’m anti-social na kasi hahaha. So I insisted he join. This is our daughter’s first field trip. We should not miss it. Kebs na sa gastos. That’s why both of us are working so we can provide these experiences.

. . .  the little munchkin woke up early and excited for the day

eating instant noodles that daddy cooked for breakfast . . .

. . . slurp, slurp, slurp!!!

As I was saying, I’m glad Tapioca joined us. He woke up extra early today and made egg salad sandwiches which we will bring as baon. He also packed Munchkin’s stuff - extra clothes, snacks, towels, etc. When I woke up, he was cooking instant noodles for breakfast. All Munchkin and I had to do was eat, take a shower and get ready. Awesome, right? I didn't even ask him to do all these. Nagkusa ang lolo nyo.

Part of me wanted to scold myself. Because I’m the mother. I should be responsible for doing those things. I should be the one taking care of them.

Times like these, I really appreciate Tapioca. I’m thankful that I can always count on him. That he will step up when I’m slacking.     

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Weekend Is Over

I’m in the bed right now sandwiched by Munchkin and Pumpkin. Can’t sleep so I’m typing away on my phone.

Tapioca is also deep asleep on the couch in the living room. This is our setup every weekend. I wonder how long it’s gonna last. The Munchkin refuses to sleep in her bedroom when she knows Mommy is at home. The four of us couldn’t fit in our semi-double bed. Well right now, there's just the three of us. It’s still a small fit but we make do.

Every night, when the kids are fast asleep, I look at them with a smile on my face. They look so peaceful. Far from the naughty, kulit kids during the day. At night, they look like angels quietly and peacefully sleeping in bed with me.

I thank God and praise him for the wonderful weekend I get to spend with them. For giving them to us. For the experience of becoming a mother. For knowing how my heart can be so big that I can love not just one one but two kids. I can love them both at the same time. For knowing there’s always space in my heart to love another child. I’d like to think that my heart just got bigger and it got space for more hahaha!

Well, my heart is full. And I knew exactly what it means now.

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Stress . . . Again and Again

Hello. Long time no post. Been very busy and stressed lately because of recent changes at home. How do I begin?

Last week, the Munchkin got sick. It started with bouts of cough, then colds, and a full blown fever that would shoot up in the middle of the night. Pumpkin caught the bug too but it subsided after constant breastfeeding (I love breastfeeding!). 

Munchkin had her school activity scheduled last Saturday. They were given costumes as Igorot. Then I borrowed some necklaces from the office. It was originally used as an accessory from an activity in our office called Junk to Funk. It was made from recycled materials and it matches Munchkin's costume which was awesome. 

As I was saying, Munchkin was not feeling well after days of dance rehearsal at school. She's been absent for a few days but come Saturday, the day of her school activity, her fever was gone. I was quite hesitant then whether I should bring her to school or not but since we're already prepared . . . you know, the costume and all. 

I also ordered kakanin (puto and biko) for that day. I told myself we will just drop  the food at the school and leave. 

. . . special biko made by the nanny

Then I figured if we were just dropping by, we might as well let Munchkin go with us in her costume. Sayang naman kasi her costume and the necklace that I borrowed. We can have some pictures taken as souvenirs for her very first Linggo ng Wika. Except we will not let her join the dancing activity. Tapioca and the Munchkin agreed. However, when we were at the venue, she got upset and insisted on joining her classmates. She terribly wanted to dance. She was so excited as if she was not sick at all. 

What happened next was not what I was expecting. We did not finish the program and headed home to change. Munchkin’s fever was back again. And it was even higher than the last time. We have to go to the hospital. Pronto.

me and the little munchkin in her costume . . . 

It was a payday weekend so traffic was terrible. Booking a Grab car was such a pain. Thankfully, her pedia accommodated us despite it was already his clinic's after-hours. After examining her, we were advised for confinement due to fever of 4 days and no improvement even when Munchkin was taking antibiotics. 

This was us over the weekend.

. . . at the hospital - parang staycation lang, huh? :)

snuggle time with mommy . . . 

Pumpkin was left at home with the nannies. He was also feeling under the weather. Tapioca had to stay at the hospital while I went back and forth from the hospital to our home. I had to stay home because I needed to feed Pumpkin. 

. . . feeding the little guy

After spending so much time with her Daddy, the Munchkin started to miss me. One time she cried because she wanted to go home with me. Awww my heart melted. 

Then this week, Pumpkin’s nanny left. This has been planned in advance and we already got a replacement. But the timing was still off. I was running errands going back and forth to the hospital and I still had to train the new nanny. Not to mention Pumpkin still needs to warm up to her which will take some time.

So tell me, what is STRESS?  Life of a mom. My life. 

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Summer Art Class

Munchkin’s summer class ended last Friday. The teachers advised if parents can come because they’re having a little program. As much as I would love to go, I had to beg off because the program's gonna start at 1130am and ends by 12 noon. I am exclusively breastfeeding Pumpkin so I cannot just leave the house without him. And twelve noon is not an ideal time to be taking Pumpkin out. Not to mention we will be commuting going to and fro.

And so it was Tapioca who went to school for the program. Here are the photos of her art works. 

. . . munchkin's work of art

Proud momma here! This was her very first art class and I was amazed with her works. She has never attended proper schooling just yet with the exemption of trial classes from a couple of preschools we've scouted last year. You can just imagine my surprise upon seeing these. My little munchkin is surely ready for school. She can now follow instructions without parents' supervision.

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Back To Work

After two months of vacation leave, I finally went back to work yesterday. And the crazy traffic and weather welcomed me.

. . . back to work momma

kissy, kissy . . .

Time flies so quickly. The 2-month leave is over. The crazy traffic and weather welcomed me. What a treat.

Anyway, I'm just glad to be back to the daily grind. Will surely miss Munchkin. She is growing up so fast. In a few months she will be turning two. Oh the terrible two. It is so close I can almost taste it. I think it's starting now what with the whinings and meltdowns.

. . . me and my mini

quality time when I was still on vacation . . .

. . . munchkin and her books

to keep her occupied . . .

. . . but then she got bored

and turned the books into forts 🙃  . . .

She really takes after me. This is my karma. For being a bratty little kid back then.

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