CAS results: Everything looks OK

After the not-at-all-pleasant experience with All About Women in SM, my hopes of getting a Congenital Anomaly Scanning done is still there. Peace of mind can't be bought. During my daughter's Intramurals opening in their Talamban campus, we stopped by Dra. Canoy's clinic to get a nod on the CAS.

She agreed that because Xofia had ASD, my pregnancy is high-risk. Though there's very little we can do if ever we find something on the CAS, at least it would make us all prepared for whatever's to come. She's confident that I can take it having experienced Xofia's ASD. All I wanted is to be informed and be ready.

Right after getting the CAS script from her, we went straight to Cebu Doctors' University Hospital to get the CAS. When the sonologist learned that my first child had ASD, she was so focused on the baby's heart. After she got all the measurements and confirming Dumpling's gender, she was just looking at his heart. What got me worried was when she asked for another doctor to look at the reading for another opinion. She said that other doctor is the resident heart "expert". In my mind and heart, I was crying out loud: Please be OK. C'mon God, Dumpling's heart should be OK!

When the other doctor came in, the sonologist asked her to confirm her reading. She thought everything's OK but just wanted confirmation. Half of the scanning time, they were looking at the heart and that got me all the more worried. After a while, they both said that everything looks OK. I heaved a great sigh of relief.

Are doctors perpetually late?

We decided to have our Congenital Anomaly Scanning done in All About Women in SM Cebu. Because we thought it's convenient, heck the clinic is in the mall, what's more convenient than that? We thought wrong.

At 22 weeks, my initial worry has peaked. I'm not sure if I'm just naturally paranoid, but being a mother of a kid with congenital heart defect, I wanted all bases covered while the Dumpling is still in the womb. I wanted a Congenital Anomaly Scanning. I wanted to do all that I can to prevent any congenital defects while I still can and at the earliest time possible.

My OB-GYNE is currently on vacation, and I forgot to ask for a request before she left. We went first to Cebu Doctor's University Hospital Women's Center. They'll do the CAS at P1600 but we have to have the doctor's request. I didn't have that. I called AAW in SM, and they'll do the scanning without the doctor's request but at P2500. I didn't mind, I wanted it done no matter.

At 22 weeks, the doctor said the baby is still too bony to be doing complete anomaly scanning. She told us to go back 2 weeks after. She volunteered to give us an initial ultrasound report, but none of the details of the anomaly scan as this will be done when the baby is 24 weeks of gestational age. Appointments are set and clarified. Yesterday, we went back there 30 minutes before the appointed time. We were told that the doc will be arriving at 3:30 PM because she's still attending a meeting. We decided to wait since we're already there. We used our time shopping for stuff we don't need yet but might.

We went back to the clinic at 3:00. At 4:00, still no doctor. At 4:30, we asked if we can have a refund because my back is hurting from their uncomfortable chairs, and what a waste of time it was. The staff said they can't because payments are non-refundable. The staff explained that they're looking for a reliever doctor to cover the rest of the patients, but it should be Dra. Abu who should do the CAS. We didn't have a choice, we had to wait for her. Somebody suggested to contact Dra. Abu and let her know the situation in the clinic. Somebody answered they won't because Dra. Abu already said she'd be in by 3:30. We asked the staff if Dra. Abu knows what time she'll actually be in, they didn't know for sure because she's still in a meeting. I gather from the discussion around that that meeting was for a social event the next day, it wasn't some case of life and death. My opinion wasn't asked, but I told the staff anyway that they should just have cancelled the patients when they came in and not let us wait for four hours. I told them that this is my second pregnancy and I've never waited for a doctor this long; and how inconvenient this has become. At 5:00, we decided to go. They can't pay us back, and they can't pay the time we wasted from waiting, why wait some more?

Before heading out the door, my husband got up and gave them his calling card telling the staff to let the doctor call him because he's demanding a refund. The staff realized that my husband was a lawyer and easily regretted for saying the payment was non-refundable.

When we were in the car, a text from AAW came saying that we'd be refunded of the 50% that we paid. Reply: That is unacceptable. Another text saying that they'll deduct the initial scan that Dra. Abu did. Reply: Still unacceptable. We didn't ask for that ultrasound, it was your boss' idea, we wanted a CAS. If you're not paying us the full amount, you'd be forced to spend more than the P2500 we paid if this goes any further. Another text saying that Doc said it's OK to refund the whole amount. Reply: Please have the amount ready, my messenger will pick it up tomorrow.

We didn't ask that they pay us for the hassle and for the time we lost from waiting. All we wanted is for them to be professional enough to let us know what to expect. And we wanted our money back because technically, there was no services done anyway. We didn't want that initial ultrasound, it was only 2 weeks after my ultrasound, why would I want another one right after? If my husband was not a lawyer, would they be willing to negotiate with us and actually refund us of the money we spent for non-service? I doubt that.

This is not a bad rap for doctors. I know doctors had to attend to hospital patients and I understand why they're almost always late in clinic duties. But I also personally know  these doctors to be considerate on other people's time. My OB-GYNE is the only doctor I know who's never been late on an appointment. Xofia's pedia always makes it a point to explain why she's late in coming in the clinic. Xofia's pedia-cardio always arrives earlier than us on appointed times. If she's late, she'd call us and let us know. These doctors give us their phone numbers which we use very discreetly and only when absolutely needed. We have high regard for these doctors who didn't think that their privacy are gems that should be protected by not giving patients their cellphone numbers. In return, we don't call them on unholy hours, we wait unless it's an emergency. For somebody as paranoid as me, I had to really work on my worries at 12 midnight when my daughter has spiking fever and not call the doctor.

PS: The receipt they gave us has no TIN in it. It wasn't an official receipt, for sure. There was no BIR notice of some kind pasted in the clinic. We're actually thinking of reporting them to BIR. Heck, we're paying exact amount of taxes here, let everybody share the burden in fattening up this country's corrupt government official.

Watch your mouth, Mommy!

We found out that having Xofia watch TV later in the night towards her bedtime contributes to her restlessness during the night. There are nights that she'd sit up in the middle of her sleep and whimper. It's scary. There are also nights that she'd continue popping bubbles or calling TV characters with eyes closed. So we stopped the videos right away. Her nighttime activity must only include light play. No excessive mental and physical stimulation. Not even potty-training. It settled her a bit, and I was afforded an additional snooze time.

It's amazing how she accumulates words everyday. We talk to her in straight, big people words, no baby-talk allowed in the house. She'd repeat the words you said and get those words real fast. Before you know it, she'd be talking to you using those words. It's wonderful! Well, only for those words you'd like for her to learn!

Last night at the dinner table, while I was busy strapping her to her seat, she grabbed my soup bowl. Because you never know what two-year olds do with ceramic soup bowls, I hurried to yank it from her hands. In my haste, I stubbed my little toe! Because it was so darn painful, the F-word escaped from my mouth.

Xofia looked at me and said with such gusto, "f**k!" She was beaming ever so proudly, I was lost and sat there unbelieving and immobile.

The three of us, me, my husband and sister looked at each other and laughed.

Big mistake, Mommy. Big mistake.

Another hospital stay

Xofi has had another bout of pneumonia. I don't know why it went there when I am always extra careful whenever she has colds. Then again, I am not always around.

When she had colds and cough the other week, I waited until there's fever. Because really, doctors would only give you Salbutamol and I can very well administer that at home. On the third day of her cough, she developed high-grade fever. We went to the doctor the very next day. She was given Ceclor, an antibiotic. She had it for 7 straight days. The fever was gone on day 2.

However, after the antibiotic, her cough and colds worsened. We went back to the doctor that very day, and since there's no fever as of yet, our goal was to get rid of the symptoms. The doc RXed Ventulin nebules 3x a day. That night, after nebulizing, we played a bit because I wanted the phlegm to clear out before she went to bed. She slept at around 9:30. I got ready myself and went to bed thereafter. At 10:50, I felt the mattress shook. I looked over at Xofia, she was shaking and trembling all over. At first I thought she was only having a hard time breathing because of the colds, but there was mottling on the skin already and it just spelled bad news.

Now, I never had an experience with a baby having chills. I called up my husband who happen to be out of town that day, and relayed to her over the phone what's happening. I woke up Xofia to check if she was still coherent. She still was. I checked the temp, it's still 37. No fever. What's happening? My husband called the doc and the doc advised that we rush her to the ER. All these, while I was frantic and crying the whole time. My goodness, I have got to get a grip of myself!!

On the taxi, I felt her fever rising. When we arrive at the ER, her fever was 39-ish to 40-ish. She was weak and wanted to go to sleep but she can't because the ER is so noisy and busy. I asked if can we have her admitted instead so she can rest in a room. The ER people didn't recommend because the tests aren't back yet. I was like, "Hey, colds and fever clearly indicate infection, what else are you waiting for?" No, we have to wait for the test results, and if I have to insist, it would be against their advise. Needless to say, I was frustrated, and not wanting to waste my energy discussing why these girls should listen to a mother, I shut up and concentrated on collecting Xofia's urine sample.

We got into a room at 3AM. Xofia was cranky the whole time because she's being poked with needles more times than necessary, lodged into an x-ray machine and whatnot.

We stayed in the hospital for 4 days. We are currently finishing her oral antibiotic, and we're down to our last day. Hopefully this time, the meds will get the bacteria.

Our Journey on Transcath ASD Closure

Dr. Kelly, a blessing in the guise of toxic goiter
Dr. Raquel "Kelly" Pasimio introduced us to Amplatzer. Before we met her, all I could ever think of was how I could let my daughter undergo open heart surgery. I was frustrated. I had no other option. My only hope was that the surgery would not be needed until she's older.

About the same time we learned of Xofia's congenital heart anomaly, my husband had to take medication because of his toxic goiter. He casually mentioned our situation to his doctor, Dr. Marsha Tolentino. Dr. Marsha told him about how Dr. Kelly is working with a team of doctors in Manila doing transcath closure of heart defects. We met Dr. Kelly a month thereafter. She's not just a ray of hope, she bonded with Xofia instantly. We had no doubts. We wanna see this non-surgery ASD closure to the end.

Questions
On Xofia's next transthoracic echocardiogram (2d-echo), the hole very slightly increased according to the reading, but the local pedia-cardio advised surgery before she turns two. Isn't that a bit drastic? The hole is not even bigger by a size. Emotionally, I was back to square one. Why is the hole not closing up? How can Xofia has this when she's a perfectly healthy, happy baby?

Sometimes when your current doctor cannot answer all your questions, you look for answers from somebody else. It's tiring to be asking the same question to the same person and be getting the same answer that never satisfies you.

We sent the 2d-echo results to Dr. Kelly. Because of her being based in Manila, we're only able to catch her every once in awhile when she's in Cebu---and while in a vacation at that! I couldn't believe the heart of this petite doctor, how she accommodated, guided and helped us through.

Through a letter, she let us know that Xofia is certainly needing an intervention, but a surgery this early isn't necessary. This opinion was based on the two readings by our local pedia-cardio obviously stating that there is no dramatic increase in numbers. This opinion was being collaborated by Dr. Charles Cuaso and Dr. Jonas del Rosario, both interventional pedia-cardio experts. But if we wanted a real opinion from her and from Dr. Cuaso, we'd have to fly to Manila for a transthoracic echocardiogram done by her.

Higher numbers
Six months later, which was last week, we were in Chinese Gen doing a very intensive echo on Xofia. Dr. Kelly was reading higher numbers! The hole has gone bigger. From the previous reading's 6.5-7, it is now in 12-13! The inferior rim has also gone dangerously small, 6-7.5mm. If the rim is any smaller than 6, we wouldn't have a chance on transcath closure. Dr. Kelly told us that if we wanted the transcath, the procedure has to be done ASAP. Even so, Xofia's was a 50-50 case. There's a big possibility that she's not viable for the Amplatzer implant, this Dr. Cuaso explained. The rims around the hole has to be enough for the device to latch on to. Xofia's inferior rim was borderline.

We made it clear to Dr. Cuaso how we wanted the procedure, and that surgery is the last thing that we'd entertain. And we wanted the procedure done ASAP, no time to wait. Since only St. Luke's has the small TEE probe that can be used for Xofia, the procedure has to be done in St. Luke's. We didn't mind the least. It's the best hospital in this country, and we have the best team of doctors attending to Xofia. Dr. Cuaso made some calls, and had it not been a legal holiday (May 1) and banks were open, we would have done it right away. We then scheduled for the transcath ASD closure on May 7.

The longest 3 hours
Now Xofia has a memory like that of an elephant, and she hates hospitals. She was OK when we were at the concierge, but the moment we stepped into the room, the mood has changed. She wouldn't even sit on the bed! We had to place the IV on her and draw some blood. Everytime she's poked by nurses, she'd look at me almost telling me how her mommy can let something like this happen to her. I kept telling her I was sorry and that everything will be over soon. She did not take that lightly. As soon as her hands were free, she'd hit me with such passion I didn't know a baby's slap could hurt like that!

I accompanied her on the cath lab. She needed to be with me before she goes under. The anesthesiologist told me to keep her happy. The nurses were so attentive and caring. They kept Xofia entertained to the extent of kidnapping toys from lockers they didn't know who owned. At about 2pm, and while Xofia was under general anesthesia, I went to the waiting lounge to start my longest 3 hours. Dr. Charles Cuaso, Dr. Jonas del Rosario, Dr. Dexter Cheng and Dr. Kelly Pasimio then entered the cath lab. Dr. Cuaso, before he entered, said, "We will try and hope, but no surprises, ok?"

I could have watched, but I didn't. Apart from the fact that I wasn't sure I could handle it, I was confident that my baby was under the care of the best team of pedia cardiologists anyone can hope for. I can endure the wait.

I will not go through the details of how I dealt with the knots in the pit of my stomach and those lodged in my throat. I was only waiting for Dr. Cuaso or any of the doctors to come out of the door. While all our friends were praying, attending and offering masses, every piece of me hoped and prayed that the transcath procedure will be successful. Just please, don't let her have to go through open heart surgery, please!

Relieved and grateful beyond words
Three hours after, I saw the smiling face of Dr. Cuaso, the team of doctors by his heels, and I welled up even before he was able to do a thumbs-up. The gratitude that I felt is beyond words. Words, emails, texts, hugs can never do justice of the happiness I felt. We are forever grateful to everybody who extended help and time. We are extremely thankful for all the prayers. God must have heard the noise you guys were making!

Xofie only has a couple of puncture wounds on her groin area. It's nothing compared to open heart surgery. Now, the only problem is how to keep her from playing too much and running around. I hope she understands me when I explain that she has to let the booboo in her thighs heal before she can run. I think she does, but only for about three seconds, and she's off running again.

Needless to say, THIS is the best gift any mother could have. Happy mother's day to all mothers out there who knew exactly what I endured. We are tough, mommies! Oh, yes we are!

Must.Wean.

When Xofi was hospitalized for pneumonia, we had to take the paci out to give way to her breathing. One can't really suck on a binki with a stuffy nose, so even if it comforted her greatly, we had to take it away. She survived. She did not ask for it. Or maybe because she was way too preoccupied with the pain and the medical people in white uniforms to bother with her binki.

Then she got well. My husband and I let out a gallop of joy thinking we finally weaned her from the binki. She did went through a couple of nights without it. But without the pain from being sick, I guess she remembered. She'd wake up in the middle of the night, though not a great crier, still enough to keep me awake. She fussed and couldn't go back to sleep.

It must be the binki. We thought. So we tried giving her the binki, and instantly, she fell back to sleep. She's been on the binki since, but only at night.

I want to wean her off it. I gave myself until she's 18 months, which is NOW. She'd be 19 months old this month. And I still don't know how to do it. I know for sure that I'd have to give up more sleep in the process of weaning. I read some moms put holes in the binki so it's not as effective as it should be, thus discouraging the baby from using it. I'm tempted to try that, but isn't it dangerous to be giving your kid a defective paci?

If you have tricks that worked, let me know. For whatever it's gonna take, I am so weaning her off the paci. Just don't know when, or if I'd have the energy to go through the pain of sleepless nights yet again.

What will I do without Dr. Karp and ice packs?

Dr. Harvey Karp said that toddlers acting out when their mommies (yes, mommies, not daddies) are around is the ultimate form of flattery. I remember he made an explanation as to why (and it made sense!), but totally forgot the moment my 1 1/2 refuses to go to sleep when Mommy is in the room.

At one and half, my little Xofia is beginning to be a handful. I think she forgot how to walk, she's running all the time. She has mastered throwing things at a precision that everytime she'd successfully hit her target, she'd beam with pride, clap her hands, say "bub" (her version of "good job"), and look around for a nod of approval. Her glowing pride will most definitely stop glowing when she'd see my serious, upset face. I then proceeded to lecture in toddler-ese how we don't throw things in a civilized world.

With eyes almost filled with tears but refusing to let herself cry, she'd walk away with shoulders down, and observe me from a distance. If a glance in the next minute is met with a neutral face, she'd let out the cutest smile and who am I to resist that. The moment I curve my lips into a smile, she'd come running to hug me.

Sometimes, my Harvey-Karp Method makes me feel like she's the grownup and I'm the baby. Those moments that she'd look at me about to cry, I have to stop myself from saying sorry for getting upset, that it was nothing what she did.

I just hope she remembers all those in the next 5 minutes before she rolled to the edge of the bed despite my stern warnings, and in a blink of an eye, hit her head on the floor and got a major boo-boo.

Thank God for ice packs!

An award and an ad space

I so wanted to make a scrap of Xofia's 1st birthday, and so wanted to make it in time for Scrapbook Saturday last Saturday. But what do you know, my scrappy muse is nowhere to be found. So I sat there, looking at the fancy embellishments I recently purchased, trying to knock some sense into the idleness of what could've been my scrappy-Saturday-ultimate-me-time. Nothing. That is just so sad when things happen like that. So I bloghop, and I was reminded that inspirations abound, not necessarily something that make me grab the crafting glue and scissors, but it did more than uplift my spirit.

I won an ad space!
Lookie here, I won me an ad space from MammaDawg's treasure trove of a blog. She's got PR 4, and she threw in a contest to celebrate that. Rockin' Hot Momma this girl is. This is big, because really, I have never been lucky in random contests like this. I have got to make me a 30x30 icon. :-)

I got an award!
Shimumsy, another cool mommy, gave me this Butterly Award for the coolest blog. I mean, my blog? Cool? Sheeesh! *blushing, blushing, BLUSHING*


Thanks, girl, this really touched me. Thanks a million for remembering my blog.

I will not name blogs here because I think all of you bloggy friends are cool and awesome and wonderful -- you make my life so much better. But if you wanna grab it and give it out, you're free to do so. ;)

Here are the rules:
~ Put the logo on your blog.
~ Add a link to the person who awarded you.
~ Nominate 10 other blogs.
~ Add links to those blogs on yours.
~ Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

MMR, to have the shot or not

Because your thoughts are important to me, I'm making this into a sticky post, please scroll down for the most recent entries. And since you're already reading this, I hope you'll comment if you have something to say on the MMR issue -- Is MMR worth the risk?

You heard me talk about Xofia all the time. What can I do, I'm one inlove mama who can't get her grubby hands off her daughter. I'm happy to report that she feels the same way towards me as well. At least for about 15 minutes seconds, then afterwards, she'd want me to put her down so she can continue exploring her world without me. Such is a fact of life. :-)

I will do anything for my daughter. I wanna give her the best care I can afford. I bet all moms feel the same way. Since her birth, I've never been amiss on her vaccinations. See, my daughter has a heart anomaly, but that's a totally different story. Part of me wanted to be an activist and wanted my daughter to get immunity the natural way, a big part of me doesn't want to subject her to the aggravation of getting the disease just so she gets the necessary immunity. Though she's been asymptomatic so far, I don't want to compromise. Up to now, I had her shots complete and on time. Until it's time for her to get the MMR shot.

MMR is a single shot composed of three live attenuated vaccines: Mumps, Measles and Rubella, thus the acronym. At least in my own little research, never has a vaccine so abundantly littered with controversies than MMR. There is a very big controversy on it's relationship with autism. Autism was non-existent before MMR was introduced. Of course, I am not discounting the fact that time and again, scientists claim that there is no link between the vaccine and autism. I am also aware that because MMR is administered at approximately the same age babies who have autism manifest the disorder, thus the fires of doubts were stoked even more. On the other hand, the companies that fund these researches that prove no relationship between the two are allegedly the companies that make the vaccine. It is of no secret that the vaccine business is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Go figure.

As you can probably see by now, I'm all for shots. If you look at my daughter's baby book, you'd be amazed by how perfectly I followed the vaccination schedules. Now it's all about weighing the risks. Autism is a lifelong threat. Giving my daughter the MMR shot does not guarantee a 100% immunity from the three diseases. Mumps is not that threatening to girls, and even to boys if they had it early in life. Measles, she's had a separate (individual) shot of that. Rubella is not life-threatening unless she's pregnant (by then, fatal to the baby).

Now the question is am I willing to take the autism risk just so my daughter gets her chance of immunity from the three diseases? Our pedia has been very understanding, and has been very patient in answering my questions. She has scheduled Xofia twice for the shot, twice I expressed my fear and told her that I'd rather wait up and delay it, if I ever should have Xofia have it.

Evidently, the jury is still out on whether she'll have the MMR or not. Right now, I am at a point where I am unwilling to compromise in as much as I am unwilling to take the risk. If you're a mother who has had experience or know something about the issue, your input will greatly help me in arriving at a decision. If you're a parent faced with the same dilemma, what did you do? Do share?

Blessed Bump

I've been tagged by Faery Rowan; and yes, it's true that my own pregnancy warrants a Hollywood contract. It's that crazy! Thanks, Atih, I had fun doing this! :-)

{START HERE}

Preggy Facts:

1. Who did you first inform about your pregnancy and how?
>> My husband. He was waiting right outside the bathroom door when I did the test :-)

2. Maximum weight?
>> 152 lbs. Oh, I was BIIIIIGGGGG!

3. Cravings?
>> No cravings, but I did want to always have a sweet, juicy watermelon all the time. I could finish an extra large one in one seating. Did I tell you I was big?

4. Aversions?
>> Holy cow! Almost everything. I had never experienced such heightened sense of smell, and everything just smelled so bad! The elevator, the malls, the supermarket, the people, their perfumes, even their makeup. I totally abandoned my cooking because the moment the pot hit the stovetop, I'd be running outside covering my nose. The site of anything oily will send me barfing, I cannot stand french fries and anything that is under the dairy family.

5. Morning Sickness?
>> For four long months. One time I had a very scrumptious dinner buffet at Marco Polo with husband and his siblings. I was able to keep the food down while we were at the restaurant, however the moment we got home, straight to the restroom I went; and barfed all Php800++ worth of gourmet. DISGUSTING!

D Day Facts:

1. Number of Kids/Deliveries?
>> One kid, one delivery.

2. NSD or CS?
>> Normal. No Epi, just Demerol to keep me asleep in-between contractions.

3. Girl or Boy?
>> Girl

4. AOG (age of gestation) on Birth?
>> Around 38 to 40 weeks.

5. How long in labor?
>> 24 hours. Read the harrowing ordeal here. Enjoy! :-)

Moms Who Played Along:

Mai | Yen | Eds | Vannie | Fun.Fierce.Fab | Bojoy | bonz | Pinaymama | Lourdes' Mia | Faery Dancing | Purpled Sky

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I'm tagging Tash who gave birth to charming Athalia 4 months ahead of me.

Household chores I hate

I pride myself for being a domestic goddess, but that doesn't mean that I love doing all household chores that needs doing around the house. The good thing with having a help around is that I get to only do the things I love doing. Quite frankly now, I am better at managing a house than anything else. I keep everything running in their best condition, that includes the people around the house :-) I cook good meals, and I have an eye when it comes to organizing things. But other than that? Gah, I simply suck.

So anyway, I'm here to list down household chores I hate doing. Husband, let this be your reminder ;) Big hug to Mommy Ruby of Lourdes' Mia for this tag.

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This meme is pretty simple.

Here are the rules:

1.) List down the household chores you hate and why. Do you think you can survive without helpers and nannies?

2.) Copy the image.

3.) Tag as many girlfriends you want, the daddies and hubbies can also join.

4.) Add your blog's link in the domesticated divas linky love. You can add all your blogs.

5.) Leave a comment at Stripe and Yellow to be added to the masterlist.

DOMESTICATED DIVAS:

Living the Healthy Life / Sripe&Yellow / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Em's Detour / Me,Myself+2 / Kidd Designs / FunFierceFabulous / Ozzy's Mom / Insights from the Grocery Cart / Living A' La Mode / God's Best Gift / MommyAllehs Up-Close And Personal / My Precious Niche / Just Me.. Eds / Eds Mommy Life / Aggie Shoots Aggie Scraps / All Kinds of Me Stuff / The Salad Caper / Winding Creek Circle / InkBabyStudios / Joys in Life / Me and Mine / Little Peanut / Creative in Me/ Pea in a Pod / Sugarmagnolias / Notable Bistro / Around the World / I am Mommy / All About The Memories / Enchanted Play / In Depth / A Housewife's Journal / Life Together Starts / As We Face Forever / My Happy Place /Iam Dzoi / Suburban Sass / To the Moon and Back / Raising Sandy / Walk on Red / All Things Me / Because Life Is Fun / Feels Like Home / Growing up with Bea / My life... my own piece of heaven / Around the World / Hobbies and Such / My life in this Wonderful World /My Online World / / My Virtual Closet / My Views On My So Called Life / The Real Deal The Real Me / Changing Lanes/ Pit Stop/ Around the World / The Fountain Of Happiness / The Joy Of Life Forever / Love Is / Phtographic Memories / My Colorful World / Strawberry Gurl / Quicker8 / Mommy's Little Corner / The Dawn That Shines / Journey to Prosperity / Homelife / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Coriander Dreams / Gorgeous Traveller / A Traveller's Domain / Lemon Iced Tea / It's My Party / My Wonderful Life / Simple Life, Simply Me / Sassy Finds / All things Yummy / Shangrila Journey / My Charmed Life / Mommyhood and Me / Crissy's Zone / Crissy's Library / Vis Vires /Crissy's Haven / My Daily Thoughts / Abby's Way of Life / Princess Bela / Women Xplore / Our Journey to Life / My Planet Purple / And so I am / Arlene's Random Ramblings / Life's All About Lourdes' Mia / Faery Dancing / Purpled Sky / YOUR BLOG HERE

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So, on to the chores I'd do anything to avoid:

Laundry. "Langga, can't we just have these sent to the cleaners and get it done with?" That's my usual line whenever we catch ourselves with no househelp for a week. I just simply hate doing the laundry, especially here in the Philippines when it's too darn expensive to own high-powered washing machine and dryer.

Ironing. I can't stand the heat, please! I can iron, alright, infront of a 2 horsepowered AC in full-blast.

Cleaning bathrooms. Do I need to explain why? This job is simply hateful! I also hate that I had to do all those backbreaking tasks in such small room.

I'm passing the tag to Catherine at Newife Blog, and Constance at Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle. Mommies, what household chores you wish to live without?

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And since I've been talking about how I am an efficient home manager, ehem, here's a convo from dNeero that talks about all of August so far, i.e. the skyrocketing gas prices, economy, olympics, etc. Can't help but relate this to household budget and all. *sigh* Read on...

Mothers who hurt their kids don't deserve to be mothers

I was at the ticketing office this morning for three hours. Quite frankly, I did not expect I'd be waiting that long. Anyway the first two and a half hours of which was spent window shopping and actual shopping. The last 30 minutes, I stayed inside the ticketing office. It was there that I witnessed a scene. A mother hitting her daughter.

I was trying to enjoy Mr. Bean silent movie when out of the blue, I heard a thud, followed by a raised voice. She kept on hitting the daughter, who's probably around the age of 8 or 9, who apparently didn't do anything. From what I heard from the woman, who seemed to announce to the world what shameful act her daughter did, the girl asked for money. The girl got hungry and asked for money for some food. This irked the woman, shouting to the girl that it's not her (mother's) fault that she did not eat at the house before they went out. And don't she dare touch the money inside the purse or else. She went on and on with her litany and every time she wanted to stress a point, she'd hit the girl with her bare hands.

I'm not sure if this was hormonal, but my reaction surprised me. It's not that I don't usually react to abusive parents displaying their abusive behavior in public like it's something to emulate, but I was actually about to cry right there and then. It was all I could do to stop myself from coming over to them and get the girl away from the woman's wicked clutches. I stared at the woman, and if looks could kill, she'd have died several times over. I actually "shouted" for her to stop but judging from how she was so engrossed at her own emotion, she never heard me. Fearing that I'd cause a scene in a seemingly decent place, I held on to my seat, and silently prayed for karma. Personally, there can never be enough explanation for hitting a child. It's just unacceptable.

For one, that baby never asked to be born. It was the grownups' decision or indecision that brought her out to this world. Secondly, a child is helpless. They can never hit you back as hard try as they might. They can never defend themselves. Isn't that enough for irresponsible adults to stop?

Grownups should have lived long enough to know that once that child come to age, she will never remember the reason for the physical punishment. All she'll ever remember was she was punished, she was hurt by somebody she loved and trusted; and that she can never recall why. Oh, she'll remember that she was embarrassed in a public place. One way or another, she will grow to resent that person. She will learn to hate that person, because, hell, she was given a reason to. That child will grow angry. Granting she won't get over it, she will form the notion that hitting is OK, and she will do the same to her children. Like any other abusive relationship model, it is a vicious cycle. Violence will never end.

There are a hundred and one more reasons why violence is never an answer. I know I haven't lived long enough to say that I've been there, still this I know: talking to a child calmly, especially those that are already old enough to understand, is way better than inflicting physical harm to get your point across. Spanking will only hurt the child, and certainly will never make you feel good about yourself afterwards (unless you're some kind of perv). Otherwise, you are never fit to be a parent to begin with.

To all the moms out there: YOU ROCK!!

I've been tagged by Faery Rowan and Pinay Mommy. Not that without the tag I won't be greeting the mothers on their day. And I do hope I'm not super late doing the tag. Truth is I only have a handful (but growing) blogging friends. Unofficially, this goes to all the mommies out there. Tag along, everybody's welcome :-)

So anyway, here's the rule:

1. Just choose any mother’s day graphics from Zwani to greet the mommies you know.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. )
3. Tag other mommies you know.

bloggerhappy berryscrappy A Sweet Taste of Life Me,Myself+2 Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe Fun.Fierce.Fabulous When Silence Speaks Everything About Deye Etc Atbp Hailey's Domain Hailey's Beats and Bits MOMEMO PM's DigiScrap Pinay Mommy Online Faery Dancing Purpled Sky You're Next Here...

I'm tagging Tash, the super cool mom of Athalia. Here's to the bittersweet journey of motherhood. Happy Mothers' day!

To those who are not yet mothers, go give the moms in your life a hug. A warm hug always turns anybody's day around.

And oh, it's no joke typing with a 10-month old kickie in your lap trying to grab the keyboard as you type. Gotta go, motherly duties...