Feeling for the Killer

Much has already been said about the lastest Ateneo incident wherein a 10-year old boy was killed.

It IS a tragedy. I don't think there will be any words that can truly comfort the grieving family.

But I just hate it that the media is sensationalizing the tragedy. I'm all for using what happened to bring about good changes to protect future victims, but I hate that they're exploiting the story.

And it's not that I want to defend the driver who killed the boy. It's just that whatever evidence and testimnoy and interview they come up with, I just also really believe that the driver didn't go on that school run to kill someone. She's a mother too. A mother who now is sure to go to jail, leaving her family behind. She's not some drunk driver targeting innocent kids for kicks. Sure, she has to suffer the consequences of her actions, that is the legal and moral thing to happen. But I do wish people will also find it in their hearts to find compassion for her (or at least, mercy)... and at least consider that she has a child/children who may hear that their mother is being crucified for what is really an unfortunate accident.

*~*

I'm praying for both the Alcantara and Torres family. May true friends help them heal and move forward.

Breastfeeding and Supplements

All a nursing mother really needs is lots of rest and a good diet of really healthy food (like fish, vegetables, fruits and other dairy products). But since nursing sometimes really depletes our calcium stores, we may have to check if there are discount supplements available to us, just to augment our calcium reserves (and maybe iron too, for all the lost sleep).

Drinking lots of milk and getting enough sun go a long way in making sure our bones stay healthy but calcium supplements are not bad to be taken either. One should also discuss calcium spplements with one's OB if she notices bones aching or extra sensitive teeth, especially for those who breastfeed for a long time.

Just a Little "Ewww"

Just for the record, I don't really believe they have an incestuous sort of relationship.

But a dad and daughter posing like this is also just plain wrong to me. And I don't care if people say am a little limited on how dads and daughters should be like... so I really wish the Mom in this family would get some backbone and put a stop to all this fame-whoring gimmicks her husband (am assumming they're still together) and daughter do, if not come up with.

Yuck!

Source: INFDaily.com

The Last Spice Mommy

Sporty Spice, the last to become a Mom of the Spice Girls, gave birth last 22 February to a baby girl they named Scarlet Starr.

If you ask me, am not such a fan of the baby names the Spice girls chose for their kiddos... and Posh seems to be the only one blessed with boys (maybe because God knew she'd be a bad role model to a daughter?).

Source: Babyrazzi

Further Proof she's Channeling Jolie

Look at some of the latest pictures taken of OctoMommy at Just Jared. If that doesn't scream Angelina Jolie to you, I don't know what will.

I know... I am seriously developing a hate fetish with this woman.

Sleep, Mommy, Sleep

One of the surefire ways for a new Mom to lose her bearings is by not getting enough rest and sleep.

It was one of the mistakes I made, which I later found out is pretty common for every new Mom. While still reeling with the changes of the latest addition to the family, one that is very demanding at that, we also tend to feel pressured to be super Mom. We have to be the one taking care of baby. We have to be the one to do everything for them. When the fact is, the only thing we should really do because we alone can provide it is nurse them. The rest, Daddy can do, or the helpful, excited relatives.

Plus, the other chores can wait, can be delegated, or are just not that important.

We need sleep. Otherwise, we might drop our own angels out of exhaustion. And we'd have less loving, doting moments for baby when we're cranky and fatigued ourselves. And baby will feel all the negativity and blame himself (they're egocentric, you know!) and will fuss because of it. So prevent from the same vicious cycle from happening to you.

Get rest. Get sleep. Every Mom needs her sleep. The long hours of uninterrupted sleep will be an unrealistic expectation but one-hour naps along with the baby are more than achievable!

Step Forward to Breastfeeding Better

Latch, Inc. is holding a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Certification Program this coming March 6-7, 2009.

I have already deposited my payment for the program and is actually thrilled to go. But I'm still thinking twice if i'd pump milk for Yakee or not since he eats meals and snacks already anyway. An he does like milk, whether fresh, Nido with Ovaltine, Lactum, cow's milk, etc and yogurt or Yakult.

Summer Heat Can Help

Mommies who want to lose some (or lots) of weight should do well to use summer to their advantage.

First, the heat can't help but actually burn more calories, whether you're exercising or not. It even sometimes help us lose appetite (maybe because digesting food generates more heat and our bodies unconsciously tell us it's not interested?). Then there's the fact that it makes us want to drink and drink and drink, which helps in losing weight, and also makes us full.

Other things that could make us forego diet pills for the meantime (or for good) include all the out of town trips we'd probably be doing, and the swimming/beach activities popular during the summer. Don't they say swimming is great because it exercises all muscle groups? And you need not do it in the height of day, when the sun is hottest anyway. Night swimming is just as rewarding (and maybe even romantic).

Mommy's Friend

My flash drive is my friend.

One of my best friends, actually, because my son already knows how to demand from me.

See, one of our players is this multi-player thingie that looks like a casette player. Aside from playing CDs, VCDs and DVDs, it also has a USB slot and plays what's on flash drives and thumb readers.

So if I want to entertain my son with pictures of him and his cousin, I just copy files on my flash drive and play. Hubs also updates the instructional videos there. Son is thus forever entertained.

But I know... I really shouldn't let him watch too much TV.

Crib or No Crib

One of the things parents really have to decide about is the purchase of a crib. After all, the decision to co-sleep and breastfeed is attached to that decision.

We didn't buy a crib because we knew we'd always co-sleep and breastfeed. But we did end up buying a pen when our son started being mobile (at four months) so we'd have somewhere to leave him if, say, I really have to pee.

Some parents I know opted to just forego bed frames to minimize occasions where their kid might fall off the bed (or at least, if he falls, it wouldn't be from a higher point). And yes, some of them later on invested on playpens as well.

And yes, the more expensive cribs can be converted into a pen, then a toddler bed.

Anyway, aside from the breastfeeding benefits we believed in, I was honest enough to know that I wouldn't sleep well without our baby beside us. Aside from SIDS worries, it just seems to me more hassle to have to get up and lie down again and again in the times that baby is fussy.

So yes, baby stayed in bed with us. And yes, now am wondering when is the right time to introduce a toddler bed.

Salma Playing Wet Nurse to an African Baby

Way to go, Salma!



Source

OctoMommy

(Source: TMZ)
A part of me wants to feel for her. Something must be seriously wrong with her psychologically for what she's done, and for believing she's really not in this for the money.

But I also hate her. I just wish i'm wrong to do so and she will be a remarkable mom indeed.

I read somewhere that she's channeling Angelina Jolie, which in turn gives Jolie the creeps. And hello, Jolie works and earns millions... she doesn't depend on food stamps and isn't asking for donations on the net.

Ugh. I hate her.

Mommyhood and Car Issues

One of the things I never really paid attention to before, but was concerned a great deal after becoming a mom, is our car.

Are the tries worn out? How often does it need an oil change? Is the fuel tank full? What are car lifts for? Are there tools and a spare tire in the back? What's covered in the insurance and when is it due? Are the brakes working properly? Does it use up much gas?

Are there so much junk in the car that can become dangerous projectiles in case of car crashes?

And eventhough we didn't use car seats (because there aren't laws about it here in the Philippines), I even read up on rear-facing ones and its advantages.

You just can't help but be more critical and concerned when you become a parent.

Time Flies When You're a Mom

Time flies when you're a Mom.

One moment, you're in agony from the labor and delivery. The next, you're anguished, wondering when the late night cryings will end.

Before you know it, your baby is already sitting up and eating solids. And without warning, he's walking and running.

One minute, you're teaching baby sign language while arranging playdates. Then you suddenly see yourself scouting for schools.

And in the blink of an eye, your tot seems to go from riding on toy cars and suddenly asking you about cheap travel insurance for the family car that's been handed down to him.

And you wonder where time went, if it was well spent. So you turn to photographs to remind you of the blur that his childhood was.

Scared for a Moment

I opted not to bring my son to hubs' grandma's wake since I won't be of much use to my in laws if am running after him.

But just before the Mass last night, I received word that my son had a slight fever and was vomiting. I prayed that I could get a cab despite it being a Friday night (payday weekend and Valentines to boot) and that it wouldn't be traffic much.

God must have been on my side. I got home as fast as I could and my son was generally alright. He still has the colds bad and is a little warm but he's playful and eating and even slept through the night.

But it was really one of those moments when I asked myself, "is this one of those trying times for Mommy?"

Babies Makes Moms Shopaholics

I'm not really a shopaholic, to start with. But ever since baby came, it's really been a struggle to resist sales.

Case in point, today. Hubs and I have already agreed that we'll only buy our son one new outfit monthly and one gift/treat weekly that wouldn't exceed P200. And none if somebody gave him one already.

But what's a mom to do when the son she loves so much is now really responding to books and books just happen to be on sale at Toys R' Us? Tell me, what's a Mom to do?

I did restrain myself though. I only bought him a picture book that cost P55 and a story book that cost P30.

But yeah... I bought him three books just last week. I really should restrain myself more.

Somebody Tell Me How

My son has twice made himself bleed because he has so many teeth already and is a fan of roughness and tumbling.

Maharot is what he is. And no matter how we tell him to calm down a little, to go slow, that we're not playing with him, that he shouldn't run, that he should be careful... he just keeps on going and keeps on getting hurt.

How do you encourage the free spirit and delight without the aches and tears? Or are the tumbles really part of the package?

Yet Another Blog... Sshhh

I created yet another blog. It's Yakee's Blog, where i'd document a lot of the little things he does asm mostly online anyway and not every new antic he does can be attributable to Mommy's loving and rearing.

Breastfeeding Statue

In an obscure town in Nueva Vizcaya, where steel buildings are rare, but waking up to fog outside your window is common, there is a church that houses the statue below, which made me smile so much.

I think it's safe to say that I won't see a lot of such holy images... so I really applaud this town, and whoever built this statue. Surely, even Baby Jesus himself was nourished the best way possible.

So it was, so shall it be.

My Son, My Valentine

Hubs has already told me he has to work come Valentines. So dashed are my hopes of a day trip at Balay Indang.

I wonder if there's anywhere I can rent a tuxedo from for my little boy, so I can wear my new dress again and we could go on a date of our own. Sorta like playing prom, but Queen Mommy is going with her Little Prince instead.

Sigh.

I can't wait to actually go on 'dates' with my son... hopefully I will be able to make him appreciate women in a more healthy and loving way so he'd be good to them. And I know it will be bittersweet when he's really dating and romancing a girl his age (please, always someone his age!), when Mommy is no longer the greatest love of his life.

But hey, I still have some 12 years or so at least... with him.

Prejudice Against SAHMhood

I'm not saying I don't have prejudices myself... or that I didn't have moments too when I felt (or thought) that some woman threw a good career away to follow her husband abroad, or be a SAHM.

But those times happened generally before I became one, and before I appreciated (and somehow take pride) in how intelligent, independent women are the ones making the choice to stay home for their kids.

It's actually becoming a sort of trend now. In my husband's peer group, there are at least 3-4 of them with SAHM wives (or WAHMs) and two of us are considering homeschooling.

A former colleague just commented on how I threw away my years of service in my former company. True. But I just told him it seems more of a waste to throw away the chance to raise my son firsthand when we have the chance, despite the global economic crisis.

And no, I wasn't annoyed at all. It even seems a little funny how that's what comes to other people's minds (even my parents, mind you) when they hear someone's a SAHM/housewife. Just goes to show how much we've been Westernized... good thing even the West is slowly coming back to making the home the ultimate must-work-for company.

Summer's Coming

Technically, the country is a field of mosquitoes. But you know summer isn't far away when there's more of them flying around and biting your kid.

Which is why I should get the husband to install a new outdoor lighting for when my son is playing outside in the late afternoon to early evening. And get my cousin to do her spring cleaning magic on our joke of a yard. Mosquitoes are known to haunt damp, dark places after all. Not to mention, who knows what else creepy, crawly creature could be found outside.

I guess I should also take to putting some Off lotion on my son before I banish him out to play and run after the neighborhood dogs. Hehe.

A Disconnected Mom and Daughter

A friend shared to me the story of a mother who posed with her daughter and gave an interview about not loving her own child.

My friend cried buckets about over this story and felt so much for the girl.

Others, I know, were horrified that she didn't do the interview anonymously and even posed with her daughter.

Me, I can actually relate to the Mom, in the sense that although a part of me instinctively loved and felt responsible for my child even when he was still in utero, a part of me also has always stayed detached from him, and what I have with him.

It's that part that sometimes lets him cry because I don't want anything to do with him anymore... or just wandering whether I can actually care for him.

And honestly, even if the Mom went a little overboard by not going the anonymous route, I felt sorry and sad for her.

And I actually hope that what the girl would feel is relief. Relief that her mother has just acknowledged to the whole world that there was something wrong with her, and that nothing was wrong with Catherine. There is that fine distinction to that, and I hope Catherine, despite her 11 years, will have the grace to actually feel sorry for her own Mum, eventhough she was denied of maternal love as some people know it.

And really, I hope they can bridge more of the disconnect now that it's out.

*~*

Besides, I find the octuplets' mom more heartless, irresponsible and less deserving of the Mom title.

Parenting Online

Found a site online that offers rich articles and news resources about parenting: Parenting Online. The latest article (Classes offer rewards for teen parents) is inspiring. I know attendance to those parenting classes will not guarantee that the teenage parents will be more responsible but it's at least a step in the right direction.

After all, these kids have already made huge mistakes (being parents at a young age), the least society can do is give them tools so they can have a chance at success and happiness, and so their kids would also be happier and better cared for.