Xofi and Classical Music and why I'm missing all those Wonderful Shows

Of course, I wanted Xofi to like THE ARTS, but, can I have my movietime back?

Xofia has gone to liking classical music like I've never seen her into something before. It all started with me burning a collection of classical masters which she'd listen to in wide-eyed wonder. This made me stop playing the music because, hey, my intention is for her to sleep through it, not stimulate her into forgetting to sleep. OK, I know, bad mommy!

One weekened afternoon, me and my husband decided to hit the bootleggers of ye 'ol downtown and check for new kids show collections. To our luck, we chanced upon Little Einsteins. Little Einsteins teach these little kids arts and music appreciation by integrating significant music and arts into the "adventure". This piqued her interest, so I started playing the classical masters at around 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. The music was like jutes. It enhances whatever mood she's in. When she's jumpy and all over, multiply that by 5. When she's sleepy and slow, she'd go to dreamland even before the first score is halfway.

The music has acquired different titles, too. Mostly they're called Little Einstein song, or Classical Baby song, or BumbleBee Song, or I Love Balloons Song, or just generally, Classical Music Song.

So, whenever I wanted her in bed right away, I wait until she'd slowed down from the day's activity and plug in the music. Off to la-la land she goes. And she brings me with her, and who am I to fight the power of classical music? Goodbye TV shows for me.

Then out from the caverns of her disc collection, she dug out the Classical Baby. The Classical Baby was an HBO feature, and there were only 2 episodes from that CD. (I'm not sure if there are more, but we definitely did not find more). I remembered putting it away but couldn't remember why. These days, there's nothing on our TV but Classical Baby and Little Einsteins.

One night, me and my husband were watching Blind Side (after eons of not watching home movies together), in the living room. Xofi just won't stop bugging and terrorizing us into giving in. She'd get her Little Einsteins CD and like a bee just won't stop buzzing "wanna watch Little Einstein, wanna watch?" again and again.

By the time there's peace, I'd be too exhausted to watch my own movies.

The Price of Children

Close friends and family are privy of the things we go through in Xofia's first 3 years. When recalling, I just laugh at the thought of how it's getting us closer to bankruptcy than we've ever been. Reading the forwarded message below made me realize even more how priceless having Xofia is in our lives. She's about to turn 3 in a few days. And even with just those 3 years, she has filled our lives with countless joy and immeasurable love I can never imagine myself anywhere else.

The Price of Children

Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 (P7,206,300 at P45 to a dollar) for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is, 'don't have children if you want to be 'rich'. Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights . First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day..

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Pooh and Piglet,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins, but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your (future) children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren...

It's the best investment you'll ever make!

My endless battle with househelp staffing

I have right now a gay househelp. I don't have issues of him being gay, I have issues of him meddling affairs and creating fictional stories just to rouse the humdrum of daily househelp life. The house is too small for two drama queens. I am the crowned drama queen, so by gosh, he has to realize that and move over. I intend to let him go soonest. I just need to find a replacement.

The nanny, I like. However, young as she is, she wanted to go home and rest. When asked if what she's doing at our house is tiring, she said no, that her chores are very light. Now, help me understand that.

I also have reports that these two aren't getting along very smoothly. I think my emotional capacity right now is only about enough to accommodate one kid, not another two overgrown babies who are not mine!

Ergo, I'm letting them both go. We're getting tired of hiring word-of-mouths, husband and I decided to hit the agencies. I don't expect that my battle ends here, for surely, it will only end when my daughter goes to highschool. Or we decided to have more kids, when all these kids go to highschool. Or better yet, when I give up my corporate life and stay at home.

We'd probably hire just one stay-in nanny, and a stay-out laundry woman. The people at home better do their share of household chores.

Birthday week

So I turned a year older last week. No fireworks, really. I preferred it without the frills of celebrating by throwing a party. The help did cook pancit bam-i. That's about it.

Then we had to bring Xofi back to the doc because she was feverish when she woke up. I've been observing her closely since she caught the colds. As per history, colds always develop into cough, and cough bacteria will then claim residence in her lungs, i.e. pneumonia.

I was always right. I'm her mother, afterall.

We're set to do a couple of tests when she's over this pneumonia bout. I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. I don't know what could have been worse than a heart condition. This time, it's the lungs.

Plans of another kid are now taking a back seat, officially.

All in all, it was a good birthday, with the universe reminding me to prioritize and plan well.

Spontaneity, too, can be enjoyed some other time.

Finally, Xofia's eating!

Adik sa itlog. This was what her nanny described Xofia.

I noticed she eats the yellow part, but only when it's cooked soft. And because I don't want her feeding on eggs from laying mash-eating hens, I instructed the help to buy organic (bisaya) eggs from the wet market.

Yes, they're smaller and more expensive, but a very small price to pay if it's the only thing she eats. She doesn't eat hard-boiled eggs, so it has to be soft-boiled. Not too soft that it's almost raw, though. The whites should no longer be transparent but must remain soft. My husband did the cooking instructions, I did the feeding instructions. (Oh yes, we're spoiled! :P)

A tiny opening is made at the top of the soft-boiled egg, dashed with a little salt, and mixed with a toothpick: salt, white and yellow parts. It was then fed to Xofia, and what do you know, she gobbled it all up, and asked for more. They had to cook another one because Xofia won't stop crying for it. She can very well finish 4 eggs in one feeding.

Yep, still alive!

And so you wonder, what the H is happening to the blog author? That is, if you still visit me here.

Like always, work gets in the way.

I got so so sooo busy and stressed that I had to have a body massage. For the first time ever. Because I have done every possible way of de-stressing but to no avail. See, I never had a body massage in my life because I am ticklish I was afraid I'd drive the masseuse nuts.

One day at work, I literally surrendered and succumb to the inevitable. I wasn't able to finish the day, I was dead tired. The reason I wrote on my leave form was, and I quote myself, "general feeling of fatigue and discomfort." I later realized it sounded like a symptom of a borderline mental case. My manager, bless her, approved my leave without further questions.

I was this close to a state-ordered psychotherapy treatment.

And before I turn myself completely bonkers, I try and steal as much time as I can for myself. It doesn't come by as easily nowadays.

So, please forgive me if postings here are few and far between.

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