Kids in Paint

Recently, I've been having a lot of fun with apps (don't blame the stay at home mom; she never gets to go out  and have fun! haha!).  Yesterday, my younger brother paid us a visit with his new Samsung Galaxy Note II.  I just wanted to share these pics he made of my kids via the S Paint.

Frustrated Mother; Bad Temper

Yesterday, I got really mad at Kuya when we were preparing for school.  I woke him up but he was too sleepy to do anything.  He was just sitting there staring at his french toast until it was time to take a bath.  I didn't know why but I really lost my temper.  I was thinking: it's time to take a bath now and he has not eaten anything and if he will get hungry before recess time and the school bus* will be here soon and we're not ready and the other kids would have to wait. --Yes, all those thoughts simultaneously.  So I just lost it. I was screaming and he was crying as I dragged him to the bathroom.

I hated that it happened.  It does not happen often but when it does, I hate it. I hate it that I started his day like that.  The truth is it wasn't his fault and he did not deserve that. Good thing I had enough sense to talk to him and apologize before he left for school.  I explained that I did not mean to be too angry, that I just wanted him to have already eaten something before he leaves for school.  We finished in time and I just wrapped the toast in a napkin so he can eat it in the school bus on the way to school.

You see, mothers often mean well.  There is usually a good intention behind everything.  In this case, I didn't want my son to be hungry while studying and I didn't want him to still be unprepared when the bus arrives.  The problem is that, mothers sometimes fail at expressing those intentions through a compassionate manner.  That was also my own mom's problem.  Most of the time too, when mothers get really angry, it was not even because of what happened or what the child has done.  A lot of times it was due to her own frustrations about things that caused that situation.

As I've mentioned, it was not Kuya's fault.  This January Dad has to work in the night shift.  I have classes at night until 11pm and because of that, the kids have been sleeping late recently.  It has been a little difficult for them to sleep earlier since there is no parent to tuck them into bed.  I think it is actually unnecessary for Dad to be assigned in the night shift; they have had a morning schedule for years.  Recently, their management started alternating their shift each month and it has been most inconvenient for us.  This is actually the source of my frustration. 

What frustrations do you have that makes you lose your temper?



* here in the Philippines we call every type of school service a 'school bus' even if it usually is just a van

Hello Blogger!

I decided to reconnect with Blogger today.

I am currently blogging at http://kidsandwhatnots.wordpress.com/ although I have just been recently active there again.  Something made me want to start a new blog here, something more localized and I think more open.

I guess it's always an issue when you blog how open you plan to be.  I don't mind talking about myself but for mom blogs, it's a little bit harder because you have to think carefully about how much of your family you're willing to share.

For this blog, I think I'm going to be more open and a little bit more specific.

First, I want to talk a little bit more about myself and my family.  In two weeks, my husband and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary.  We have two kids; Kuya <big brother in Filipino> is four and a half while Baby Girl is three.  Both hubby and I feel so lucky that we have a boy and a girl as we're not planning to have any more children.  Kuya is in Kinder 1 and Baby Girl will enter Nursery this coming school year <June here in the Philippines>.

Currently, I work from home as an English teacher to Koreans and I've been doing this for almost a year now.  I used to do office-based online teaching just after I graduated, then after that I worked for a large BPO company as a medical claims analyst.  

What I can say about working from home is that it is most definitely convenient.  Obviously, there is no need to travel, to bring packed lunch, and best of all to deal with difficult bosses (hehe).  However, there are some sacrifices too; in my case, since I am working just part time right now, of course, my current earnings do not compare to my BPO salary.  Still, I consider this opportunity a privilege because I can earn while being able to take care, and I mean really take care of my kids and our household.

Unfortunately though, not having to leave home has made me disinterested in clothes, shoes and bags; all of which are sources of happiness for me in the past.  Often, you'll finds me in short-pants and T-shirts; all the better to cook and clean and organize and to play with my kids with.

I have always loved reading ever since I learned how to.  For a few years, I did not have enough time or opportunity to just lean back, relax by my self and read a good book.  But just a few months ago, I found myself being able to do it again.  I guess the kids are growing up and they are not as dependent as they used to.  I feel so much more alive now that I am able to read again.

I know a lot of moms out there that would have the chance to read this would feel that they are reading about themselves.  So if you're one of them, don't hesitate to drop me a line.  I would love to hear from all the stay-at-home/work-at-home moms out there!