Boys & Basketball

The San Mig Coffee Mixers are once again in the finals of the PBA. I have been an avid fan of the franchise since its Purefoods days with Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera, and Jojo Lastimosa. My interest in the sport began when I was in grade school. I only had two younger brothers then. Oddly, our father was abroad working when we were introduced to the game. So interestingly, it was our mother who got us hooked to it. I can clearly remember us four (mother, me, and the 2 boys) watching on TV all together in our sleep wear. Yelling "defense". Even praying on our knees to make our team win. It was only a few years back, as an adult, did I finally make sense of what our mother did.

Our father instructed our mother, who was not a big fan of the game, to deliberately watch PBA on tv. We had two boys then. And as my father knew that he won't be around in the growing years of the two, he had to get the help of my mom to get them started into the famous sport. She then bought a basketball and had someone make a shooting ring in our garage. So since then, basketball has become a family affair. We now have four boys. Three are into basketball. The youngest, however, chose another sport -- volleyball.

In retrospect, what my parents did can be an example of intentional parenting. They did not have to see our boys grow to become teenagers who are not hooked to a sport just because of an absentee father. They had the foresight to compensate for what was missing at that time in our lives.

Today, my three brothers play the game as much as they could. They watch the game as much as they could. We still cheer for the same team. And when my father and brothers play together in a team, my mother is sure to be in the bleachers as their number 1 fan.

Thrilled to watch it live.

Dolled-up Jars

These jars are being sold in a common wet market for P10/each. But one usually does not see the potential in them when they come with pickled papaya (atchara) or shrimp paste (bagoong). Once the content is gone, the jar is disposed.

But these jars can be used in a number of ways at home. My instant thought was to doll them up as I love putting fresh flowers inside the house. So after cleaning them up, I placed some gerberas in them, and voila!

Tip: My mom taught me to put a few drops of laundry bleach in the water to make the blooms last longer and keep the water from getting dirty quickly. I also discovered that it keeps away egg-laying insects. An organic alternative would be slices of lemon or lime. That keeps the flowers longer but the water gets dirty more easily.

Dolled-up atchara jars

Memory Wall Project

Boring holes in walls can cause unnecessary anxiety to homemakers like me because we want to keep every part of the house intact. But I wanted to have a memory wall at home. Especially now that Zoe is fast-growing. So when we moved around our furniture, a side of our refrigerator got exposed. And the best part, it was bare! So guess what we did. A memory wall!

We got several photos printed out. Taped them. That way, we can easily move them around or replace them from time to time.

Memory wall

But yes, I still have a more permanent memory wall in mind. That will come.

Toast

Finally done with the month-end report. It is now 5am on my side of the planet. Breakfast for the husband is ready. His is actually an on-the-go brekky as he has to leave the house before 6am. His day begins as mine ends. It is a daily grind. 

Cheers to work-at-home parents like me!

My french toast

Zak Dearest

In my profile, I mentioned being a mother to two: Zak and Zoe. Zak was our firstborn.  I gave birth to him April 22, 2009. Exactly four months before that, he was diagnosed with anencephaly in-utero. We were devastated as the anomaly isn't compatible with life. Nonetheless, I carried him full term. Felt him. Talked to him. Sang to him. Stayed healthy for him.

We had him for six full days. The Lord, in His abounding grace, let us experience our son so we may learn some valuable lessons. It took us a while before finally being able to embrace the joy of such loss. But it came. Along with the peace and the comfort in knowing that he is better placed now.

The Lord gives.

The Lord takes away.

Blessed be His name.

DIY: Home Office

Because I work at home, a decent work space is necessary. Even just to keep me motivated. So I am sharing with you this do-it-yourself home office space by my husband. He used mostly re-purposed materials. We probably spent less than P2000 on everything. And best of all, he finished it in a day.

The space is flexible. We can place additional planks for storage. We can utilize the wall as a working board. We can also adjust the height of the table according to our preference. DIY is best.

Sacrifices

I will the skip the "Finally, my blog is up..." part and just go ahead with what I really want share.

_______________________

For days now, I have been reflecting a lot on what has changed with me over the past three years. You see, my daughter is now three. And to say that she has changed my life is somehow a bit of an understatement. Allow me to break that statement down for you.

I used to be an always-on-the-run kind of lady. I played the keyboards at church (sometimes from sunrise to sundown). I handled the youth group. I danced. I directed plays and musicals. I ran. I could do a TV marathon until the morning. I hosted weddings. I organized events. And a few more perhaps that I can no longer remember.

Then Zoe happened. I started working from home. I had to give up all those things I listed above sans the youth group. My days toss between Zoe and work and Zoe and the kitchen and then Zoe again and the garden, etc. While I am overjoyed by motherhood along with the fulfillment it brings every day, I also miss the things I used to do. I have learned that the secret to a blessed life is doing things in their proper season. Motherhood has become me. My time now has to be devoted into nurturing my child. To teaching her. To training her. So,as much as I long to do all those things again, I remind myself over and over that balancing my priorities should be more important than my whims and wants.

As my father told me, these are but small sacrifices compared to the ministry of parenting. That in time, these will mean nothing compared to the joy of seeing the kind of child my husband and I have raised.

Mornings with Zoe

So I end this entry with an encouragement from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.