I Need a Break!

Last night I remembered about my blog. It's been more than 2 months since I updated it. I thought about the reasons why I haven't been blogging -- I have lots to blog about but I just don't have the time.

Lately I have been getting less than 7 hours of sleep everyday. I wake up early to prepare my older child for school and I sleep late because of the oh-so-many things I need to do with the added responsibility of taking care of my Aunt who has Multiple Myeloma and is on chemo.

My Aunt lives alone next door. She has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma 5 years ago. Lately, it's more difficult for her to move around and so she's always in bed. We have been on the lookout for somebody to take care of her needs but with my Aunt's "micromanaging" it's hard to find someone who has the patience to be with her. So, until we do find somebody, the responsibility to take care of her falls on me.

I love my Aunt and I don't mind taking care of her, however, the added responsibility has robbed me of my "life" as well as that of my family. We can no longer go out whenever or wherever we want like we used to. We've been eating canned goods lately because we don't have time to go to the market. It's been really a stressful situation for all of us these past 6 weeks. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.

I need a break and I'm really hoping we'll be able to hire somebody to be with my Aunt soon. That does not mean I no longer have a part in taking care of her -- I will continue to have a part in providing for her everyday needs but I will sleep better knowing somebody is with her especially at night.

Extra Cash For Moms

For Stay at Home Moms like me, earning something extra for our family is a big thing. With soaring fuel prices, everything goes up as well. I therefore find it a blessing when I get to join sites where I can earn extra cash to help pay the bills.

If you're like me and you'd like to earn something while taking care of your family then SWATcash is for you. It's actually an enjoyable way to earn extra cash. Truth is, it is a pleasant diversion for me especially when I get too stressed out with the kids.

So far I've been paid more than $200 by SWATcash and I'm expecting a bigger paycheck this month.

It's free and fun, more so if you're a Mom. Join now!

Here's proof of payment I received from SWATcash.

Breastfeeding -- Smarter Kids

Another reason to breastfeed exclusively -- smarter kids.

A new study offers some proof that breastfeeding produces smarter children. Mothers who exclusively breastfed their babies scored better on intelligence exams.

It seems that mothers who choose to breastfeed are different from those who choose not to breastfeed. With breastfeeding taking more time, mothers who do these invest more time with their kids and interact more with them.

If you breastfeed, your baby will not only enjoy the health benefits of breast milk but can also be smarter too.

Read more about breastfeeding and smarter kids here.

Warm Cycle

My little girl loves eating noodles. One time her dad got the leftover noodles from the refrigerator which elicited much glee and excitement from her.

"It's still cold," my husband said. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Put it in the washing machine," my daughter seriously replied while pointing to the microwave oven.

Funtastic Art

My two kids attended a 3-week art workshop held at our local museum. It was a fun, educational experience for my daughters as they freely expressed themselves using watercolor, crayons, pastel, paint, natural clay, stones, canvas and all sorts of materials.

My older daughter was very expressive in the execution of her artwork but she wanted to work fast and was unmindful of whatever mistakes she had committed. My younger daughter had only 2 subjects in mind -- cats and pigs.

I was with them all throughout their workshop and and I have seen how they interacted with their art teacher and classmates and how intent they were in doing their work. Both of my kids enjoyed making pictures using paint. They love mixing the colors and coming up with different effects. They were both pleased with what they've created and I was happy to see them looking proud of their handiwork.

My main objectives for enrolling my older daughter was for her to improve more her socialization skills and to discover her artistic abilities. With my younger daughter, it was more about improving her fine motor skills and also to encourage her to express herself through drawing and painting.

I don't expect my kids to be great artists but I would like them to be well-rounded individuals who know they have the freedom to express themselves in whatever form they choose. As their teacher would say, "Kids should be free to learn and express their ideas and not be limited by what adults expect them to do."

One Sandwich Only

Although my older daughter is not fond of junk food she loves to eat and is now overweight. I've talked to her about it and she knows that she has to do her morning exercise daily as well as cut down on the amount of food she eats.

One day, I prepared chicken sandwich for her breakfast. She loves chicken sandwich and given the chance she'd have more than just one. But she knows she has to control herself. After eating the sandwich I prepared for her she looked at me sadly and said, "My tummy is still hungry." She then looked at her tummy and said, "Stop it tummy. You have to wait for lunch. Mommy will cook yummy food."

I'm glad that my daughter understands her situation and is making an effort to lose weight.

Bedtime Story

Last week we bought new books for our kids. When it was time for bed, my husband got one book and started reading to my older daughter who was already getting comfortable lying on the bed. She did not seem interested to listen but my husband still read the story to her since he felt it was ok even if she fell asleep in the middle of it.

Out of the blue my daughter faced her dad and said, "Are you crazy? I'm sleeping."

Moral of the story: Don't read to a sleepy child if she's determined to go to sleep. :-)