Mothering Sunday

http://www.btinternet.com/~cybercard/Mother.htm

it's mother's day this coming sunday. i know, i know, it's a bit confusing. UK doesnt celebrate it together with the rest of the world. lucky for us who live here (and are aware of the OTHER mother's day celebrations) - we get to demand 2 gifts from our dear hubbies (oh, that's just me =D)!

projectbritain.com explains:

What is Mothering Sunday: Mothering sunday is the equivalent of Mother's Day in other countries

What happens on Mothering Sunday in the UK: Mothering Sunday is the time when children pay respect to their mothers. Children often give their Mothers a gift and a card (and lots of flower-giving!)

Mothering Sunday Church Service: Many churches give the children in their congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their Mothers as a thank you for their care and love throughout the year

When is Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day)?: Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is always the fourth sunday of Lent
--> Mothering Sunday in UK in 2011 is 3 April
--> Mother's Day in US in 2011 is 8 May

Why is Mothering Sunday on different dates each year?: Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day because it's always the middle sunday in Lent. This means that Mother's Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall on different months.

Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK on the 4th sunday in Lent since at least the 16th century.

The history behind Mothering Sunday: Mothering Sunday was also known as "Refreshment  Sunday", "Pudding Pie Sunday" (in Surrey, England) or "Mid-Lent Sunday". It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the "Feeding of the Five Thousand", a story in the Christian Bible.

--> Roman Spring Festival: The more usual name was Mothering Sunday. No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the celebration could have been adopted from a roman spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess.

--> Mother Church: As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians. The epistle in the Common Book of Prayer for this sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as "the Mother of us all" and this may have prompted the customs we still see today.
It is known on this date, about 400 years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest biggest church (the Mother Church). The church in which each person was baptised.

--> Girls in Service: Young British girls and boys "in service" (maids and servants) at the local manor house or in a mansion, were only allowed one day to visit their family each year. This was usually on Mothering Sunday.

For some, this could be a significant journey since their mother may have lived some distance away, indeed another town altogether from the manor where they were put in to service. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home for their mothers. Sometimes, a gift of eggs or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed.

i wonder what i'll get from tantan on sunday... ok, ok, i know already! it'll actually cover the other Mother's Day, my birthday and possibly our wedding anniversary and christmas too! cheapskate!!!

http://www.btinternet.com/~cybercard/Mother.htm

Happy Mothering Sunday (in advance!) to all mummies who devote their all in bringing up their kids!

Special Guests

in a few days, it will be april already, the start of the 2nd quarter of the year. scary how time seems to be flying by so fast! kian will be 2 months old and in another month, cayden will be 2 years old!

anyhoo, im excited because my siblings are coming over for a vacation! my sister (aiza), her son (adam) and my youngest brother (neil) will be arriving on the 11th and are staying till the 21st of may. it'll be their first time to visit england. another brother, michael, will be flying over on the 21st and will be staying for 9 days (his third time). too bad, my one last brother, junjun (i have 3), wont be able to join us. he's been here twice already anyway and probably is busy with work (boo!). we would have been complete sana (well, except for my dad, but he's a party pooper, so ok lang lol), if he came too.

L-R: Michael, JunJun (only one not coming over), Aiza, Me, Neil (behind me), Adam

i wanted them to come earlier so they can be here for longer (as soon as my nephew's out of school) but he'll be turning 7 on the 9th and they will throw him a party pa before coming over. my brother, neil, will be taking a leave of absence from school for a sem so he could come. he studies in mapua and 4 sems sila and usually, super short lang ang school holidays nila.

i have lots planned already! sana kayanin ng powers ko travelling with a young, breastfeeding baby in tow!

cant wait! =D

Sa Wakas!

pagpasensyahan na po at tagalog itong entry na ito (as if naman madaming nagbabasa! lol). baka lang po me makabasang puti (lalong lalo na ang mga dating pinaglilingkuran ni tantan =D).

ang aking asawa po ay umalis sa kanyang pinagtatrabahuhan dito sa me amin dahil nainis sya sa knyang mga kasamahan. unang una, pinapapasok sila ng sabado at linggo lalo na kung me mga hinahabol silang deadlines. buti sana kung sila ay babayadan ng OT or papayagan lumiban ng ibang araw. kaya lang ito ay magiging "salamat po" na lang. tapos sabi nya, ang daming chismoso sa knila. minsan nga, backstabbing na ang nangyayari. sa sobrang inis nya, umalis sya sa trabaho ng wala pa syang trabahong lilipatan. kakatakot d b? huling araw nya doon ay noong katapusan ng enero.

ok lang na wala syang trabaho ng pagpasok ng pebrero dahil ako ay nakatakdang manganak. at least, makakasama namin sya sa bahay ng hindi kelangan mag-leave. subalit sya ay nagaapply apply naman ng trabaho. mahirap kayang mawalan ng work dahil kelangan mabuhay ng aming pamilya, lalo pa't dalawa na ang aming mga anak.

pinalad naman syang makakuha ng trabaho at nagsimula sa huling linggo ng pebrero. mas malayo sya pero hindi na nya kelangan magbiskleta, na aking ikinatuwa! ok naman ang trabaho nya, mabait ang mga kasamahan subalit itong kumpanyang ito ay hindi kalakihan. ok ang sweldo, mas mataas ng 2k kesa sa iniwan nyang trabaho. at ang maganda nito, makalipas ang 3 bwan, tataas ng dagdag 3k pa ang sweldo. subalit si tantan ay hindi masyado masaya sa trabaho. ito ay dahil lamang wala sya masyadong ginagawa. iniisip nya na wala syang matututunan dahil hindi challenging ang trabaho.

by southafrikanse

nung me mag imbita sa knya na dalawang kumpanya para sa interview, hindi sya nagdalawang isip. pinalad syang tanggapin nung isang kumpanya. ang sweldo ay pareho lamang ng sa pinapasukan nya ngayon pero hindi madadagdagan ng 3k. subalit, sila ay merong mga profit sharing na kung isusuma tutal, mas magiging malaki pa kesa sa 3k na makukuha nya. at eto ay mas malaking kumpanya at pakiramdam ni tantan ay marami syang matutunan. nagpaalam si tantan sa kumpanyang pinapasukan nya ngayon. laking gulat nya ng sya ay inofferan na tataas na agad ang sweldo epektibo ora mismo. wag lang sya umalis. at sinabihan sya na makalipas ang anim na bwan, posibleng magkaron ng profit sharing din sa kumpanya. sabi nya pagiisipan nya. hindi sya umoo pero hindi din humindi. pero nakapag decide na sya na mananatili sa pinapasukan. tutal, mababait naman ang mga kasamahan nya at medyo maluwag sila. pinapayagan ang flexi time.

akala namin ay tapos na ang dilemma. hindi pa pala. ung isa pang kumpanyang naginterview sa knya ay biglang tinawag sya para sa pangalawang interview at makalipas ang ilang araw, sya ay inalok ng trabaho. kwento pa ng recruiter, tinanong sila kung anong sweldo ang sa tingin nila ay ikatutuwa ni tantan at tatanggapin ang trabaho. nagsabi sila ng amount at ang ginawa pa ng kumpanya, dinagdagan pa nila. natuwa si tantan dahil mataas ang value nila sa knya.

kung tutuusin, hindi na dpat pinagiisipan pa kung ano ang pipiliin. etong bagong kumpanya ay mas malaki. ang sweldo ay mas malaki pa ng 500£ dagdag sa 5k na ibibigay nung kasalukyang pinapasukan. mas mahaba din ang bakasyon, 26 araw kumpara sa 20 araw lamang nitong isa (hindi kasama ang public holidays). me mga vouchers din, social funds, etc. at pakiramdam ni tantan, madami syang matututunan. un nga lang, mas mahigpit ito sa oras. subalit, nagdadalwang isip kami. napakabuti nitong isa para basta bsta iwan na lang. si tantan, gusto nya lumipat. ako, sabi ko wag na. umabot pa kami sa punto na nagbunutan kami (ako, si tantan at si cayden) - ung bagong kumpanya ang nanalo. kakagulat lang din kasi ako lang ang nakabunot dun sa kasalukuyang kumpanya.

nagpaalam si tantan. nakakagulat, tinanong sya kung ano ang nais nya para lang mag stay sya sa knila. sabi ko ke tantan, wala na sa sweldo un dahil parehas lang halos ang ibibigay nila. sabi ko, sabihin nya ung offer nung kabila at sila na ang bhala magdesisyon kung ano kaya nilang ibigay. hindi necessarily na parehas na parehas d ba? sabi lang ni tantan, kung pd nila ilagay in writing ung sabi nila na constant review at ung sinasabi nilang in 6 months, pd sila magkaron ng profit sharing. tumanggi sila. kung sincere sila sa pagsasabi na ibibigay nila, bkt natatakot silang ilagay sa kontrata? hmmmnnn.....

sa dulo, pumayag na din sila na pakawalan si tantan. inisip na lang din namin na in the long run, mas makakabuti sa aming pamilya na lumipat na lang sya sa mas malaking kumpanya. nakakalungkot dahil naging mabait naman ung isa, at alam namin na malaki ang matutulong ni tantan sa knila (kaya nga ayaw syang pakawalan d b?). pero mas importante ang seguridad ng aming pamilya. un nga lang, posibleng magpahinga muna si tantan sa pagaaral dahil mahigpit sa oras ang bagong papasukan nya.

etong nakaraang linggo ay talaga namang naging napaka stressful (sa magandang paraan) para sa aming dalawa ni tantan. nakakatawa dahil inihalintulad pa ito ni tantan sa pakikipagkalas sa kasintahan. mahirap, masakit na desisyon (uhmnnn, base kaya ito sa experience?!). hindi namin inakala na magkakaron kami ng ganitong problema (napakagandang klaseng problema! - kakaiba) pero sa wakas, natapos din.

kami ay nagapasalamat sa dyos sa biyayang pinagkakaloob nya. sa panahon na ito, mahirap makahanap ng trabaho. at ang mabigyan ng oportunidad na mamili ng papasukan, isa talga itong biyayang hindi mapapantayan.

sana lang, tama ang aming naging desisyon.

fr andrew goenardi

Sleeping Habits

excited to go to bed each time because of thomas the tank

cayden is now sleeping in his own bed, in his own room. after 19 months of co-sleeping, he finally accepted the fact that he cant sleep with us anymore.

ok, it was really our fault, he got so comfy sleeping with us that he didnt really wanna leave. he was breastfed and feeding him was easier since he slept beside me. we know the dangers of co-sleeping but we were very careful. our midwife/gp/health worker reiterated this a number of times but someone also said, do what you think is best for you.

we said when he turns 1, he should be sleeping in his own room already. we bought him a toddler bed (to prepare him for the inevitable) bec he didnt want to sleep in his crib, at all. incidentally, we found out we're pregnant with baby#2 a month after cayden turned one. that gave us the push to train cayden in sleeping in his own room. afterall, when baby 2 arrives, he'll be co-sleeping with me as he would be breastfeeding like cayden did. we had to train him before baby2 arrives so he wouldnt think the baby pushed him out of the bed, out of our room.

unfortunately, after the first few weeks of bliss (a month to be exact), cayden started waking up loads of times in the middle of the night, crying. he would end up in our bed just bec getting up so many times became really exhaustive. we felt that he was like that because he's sensing he wouldnt be an only child anymore and our attention wouldnt be solely his. then he got sick a number of times so he had to stay with us so i can monitor his temperature (he suffers from fibrile convulsion).

a few weeks before kian was born, we said we'd train cayden once again. this time, the daddy will stay in his room (sleeping on the sofa bed). it also gave me the chance to get plenty of rest before i tackle the sleepless nights again. at first he would cry and would try to settle in our bed. but after a few days, he knows where he should sleep already. we dont need to lie down beside him. we just keep him company - him on his bed, us on the sofa bed. no need to tap him nor sing him to sleep. but he has to touch his nipples to go to sleep! lol. he's also sleeping through the night. yey!

this is his sleeping routine:
(Naptime) is between 1-2pm, he would ask for his milk and we'll say "nyt na" (for goodnight - he associates goodnight to sleeping). he would then initiate going up the stairs (or we'll ask him to follow us to go upstairs). he'll go to his room and settle in his bed. sometimes if he gets distracted, he'll play a little first. he will then sleep for about 2-3 hours.

(Bedtime) is between 8:30-9:00pm. after cleaning, brushing his teeth, he'll kiss us all and say "nyt". he'll go to his room with his daddy and they'll read a book. he'll then sleep while drinking milk. he'll wake up around 7:30am the next day.

tantan is still sleeping in cayden's room. cayden can sleep in his room alone during the day but we havent tried leaving him at night. tantan chose to stay in cayden's room bec he's scared of squishing kian in our bed. it's fine with me as im spared of his loud snoring! =D

kian is just 5 weeks here!

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kian is co-sleeping with me. at 5 weeks, he only feeds twice overnight, would let me sleep bet 4-5 hours in between feeds. unfortunately, i got used to waking up every 2-3 hours so even if i want to sleep longer, my body automatically wakes up. sometimes i'll try to feed kian, but he'll refuse.

during the day however is a different story. he used to be able to soothe himself to sleep. after breastfeeding, before he completely falls asleep, i lay him down in his crib and wait for him to doze off by himself. it worked until my mom (the lola) started picking him up everytime he cries. nasasanay sa karga! my mom and i would argue at times but i have to insist otherwise, it will be very difficult putting kian to sleep if he gets so used to being carried or rocked.

i have also recently discovered the wonders of a pacifier! cayden didnt use one and im actually apprehensive of letting kian use one. but i've read that babies need something to soothe themselves and they usually do it by sucking. i didnt want him to be attached to my breast all the time so i said i'd try. well, whatdyaknow? he falls asleep really easily! but i only really let him suck on it at night.

i will feed him around 9pm and lay him down. i'll give his dummy and he'll doze off really quickly. his next feed will be between 1-2am. then between 5-6am. kian is proving to be an easier baby than cayden. but i think it's because we already know what to expect and what to do. we're trying to do things differently although admittedly, i feel guilty at times thinking im not giving kian the same comforts i gave cayden. but it's not true. we're not loving him any less. we're just not spoiling him as much as kuya and it's really for his own good.

oh well, in 3 week's time, kian will be 2 months old and in less than 2 months, cayden will turn 2y/o. my babies are growing up fast!

Jumped In!

our friends bought an xbox with kinect. when we visited them at the end of january, we were able to play and sample the console. we're play station fans and since we already have the ps3, with most of its accessories (band set, move, etc), we said we dont need yet another console. but just a month after, we found ourselves buying our own. well, tantan was the one who really wanted one. i was against it (seriously!) as we dont need another gadget that will just gather dust in the end. we hardly play with our ps3 bec we dont have the time, how are we going to justify the costs of this xbox?! tantan said he wants to learn to dance and he enjoyed the dance central game immensely (seriously?)

says on the box, so we did!

anyways, tantan found a very good deal we couldnt resist. imagine, the xbox console + kinect, we only paid £159-ish. actually, when we ordered them online, they were priced at £190- ish. still a steal since rrp is £249+. he said a console alone would cost around £150. the next day, tantan found out that the store even lowered their price. he phoned up and was given a refund. then tantan found a brand new dance central game on ebay and only paid £22 including shipping.

truth be told, we only found the time to play 2 weeks after they were delivered! but boy oh boy was it fun! i didnt get to play much when we were at our friends' house bec i was still heavily pregnant and just days away from popping. so i only got to enjoy it when we bought ours. it's like working out but more fun! we're now looking at buying the zumba game (dance but latin) and the sports, which we got to sample at our friends' house. but we'll wait till the prices are more affordable (they are uber expensive!) and till we find more time to play =D

Bike Hate

when tantan got a job locally (around 4miles from our house), he bought a bike so he can just cycle to work. i never liked the idea as i hear/see lots of accidents involving cyclists. but he insists that it'll be good for his health and pocket (especially since petrol price has really rocketed).

for the one year that he's cycled, he had 3 accidents
(1) probably 4 months into his cycling, he tried to avoid a stupid dog. he crashed and ended up with a black eye. fortunately, he was wearing a helmet and the black eye was all he got. he went to the ER nonetheless to have himself checked (he was given the all clear)

(2) 11 months into his cycling, coming home from work, a 50-something y/o polish lady crossed his path and bumped into her. it was all the lady's fault, as per witnesses. tantan couldnt understand why she crossed (it's not even a pedestrian crossing!) and didnt see him when his bike light was so bright (and he was wearing an orange jacket, which is easily seen). he fell from his bike but the lady suffered more (a cut on her forehead). the ambulance and police were called to the scene. the lady was brought to the hospital, tantan was checked but was given the all clear. the police got annoyed bec. they said it wasnt like a car-person accident, they shouldnt have been called.

a few weeks after, a police officer knocked on the door. apparently, the lady's nephew filed a complaint and wanted to claim for injuries. fortuantely, the police officer who came was the same one who responded to the call at the time of the accident. he just came as a formality, actioning a complaint. anyways, he knew that it wasnt tantan's fault. he even told us that they will be visiting the nephew and will be told that (a) there's no case and (b) the police somewhere north are after him - either way, he wouldnt be happy.

a few weeks after, we got a letter from the constabulary officially telling us the case was closed. trying to  pull a fast one on us, ey?

(3) 12th month - while cycling home from work, tantan was bumped by a CAR at a junction. the lady driver didnt even pause, when she's about to turn on the main road (where tantan is). tantan's bike got damaged. though wearing a thick jacket, his elbow got bruised and until now hurts. his tailbone was also painful at one point. but since he was wearing all his gears, the damage was less.

the driver immediately admitted fault. she however asked tantan if she could just have the bike fixed without going through her insurance as that will increase her premiums. tantan agreed, not minding his physical injuries. the lady brought him home and had the bike fixed the next day. tantan also used my car, so he had to shell out for petrol.

but tantan wasnt happy with the way his bike was fixed. he told the lady what he wanted but he got peeved when the lady said "ok, out of the goodwill of my heart....i'll have the bike checked again.". like, duh! tantan didnt want to be bumped by a careless driver like you! besides, tantan was the one doing her a favour by not going through her insurance and wasnt even claiming for his injuries and petrol!

in the end, they both agreed to just settle with her insurance. so now, tantan is also claiming for physical injuries and petrol costs.
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tantan's driving again since he got a new job and it's a bit far to cycle... to my relief! he's been driving for  over 6 years now and he only had 1 car accident (not his fault) as compared to 3 in just one year! i told him no matter how careful he is, there will always be a careless moron driving out on the streets. he's been lucky his accidents were minor. but the worrying and terror is still as bad - on my part. im really happy he's not cycling anymore. at least, to get to work. he's still allowed to cycle - recreationally.

1 Month

happy 1st month birthday, kian!

carrot cake cooked by lola

he now weighs 4.80kgs. he feeds a lot, that's why! but he's a lot kinder than cayden (when he was his age) because though he feeds a lot during the day, he only wakes up twice overnight to feed - usually around 2:30am and 5:30am.

he's now settling into a routine. he's usually awake for most of the afternoon. as i've said, wakes up twice to feed overnight. he's a quiet baby, doesnt cry much, only when hungry. doesnt cry bec of soiled nappy. doesnt burp much but can fart with the best of them! =D

he's been lifting his head up at week 1. can handle my squirting milk (forceful letdown) better than cayden did. loves listening to music, would stop and look for the sound. stares at you when talked to and can follow you with his eyes and/or head. he's chuckled a few times and it was cute!

we're doing things a bit differently this time. as much as possible, i let him fall asleep by himself. i try to refrain from rocking him to sleep (which my mom sometimes find hard to resist). right after i feed him, as  he's starting to doze off, i put him down and let him soothe himself to sleep. we had difficulty with cayden bec he got used to being carried all the time.

also, since week 1, i have trained kian to bottlefeed expressed milk. not everyday though. more like once a week, 2 oz at a time. this, i still feel guilty of but i know this is what's best for him. we were told to wait at least 6 weeks before introducing the bottle. we did as told with cayden and he ended up refusing the bottle. he never learned until he turned one! when i went back to work (cayden was 8months old), cayden refused to drink milk the whole day! he would only feed from me. he's into solids but he wasnt a big eater back then. anyways, kian can now feed from the bottle but at the moment, it's like once a week. this will also make travelling or going out easier for everyone.

im just babbling here, writing the first thing that comes to mind. but really, one month has gone too quickly! and before i know it, he'll be turning 1 already!

Who Are You Kidding?!

as a backgrounder, you need to pay car/road tax here if you want to drive a car. of course, you also need to be insured and have your car checked annually (MOT) - that is, if said car is more than 3 years old.

tantan's car's road tax expired in december last year. incidentally, his car insurance expired on the 3rd of january. since tantan used to cycled to work, and we have my car to use for errands, we decided to keep his car on the sideline to minimise our expenditures (road tax costs around 235£ annually and his insurance, about 500£+, not to mention petrol prices!). we didnt really use it much ever since tantan started his job locally. we SORN-ed (statutory off road notice) the car, meaning we reported to the governing agency that we're not going to use the car, hence, we're not paying for the road tax. and didnt renew its car insurance. we planned to have it taxed and insured in april, for when my siblings are here as we need a bigger car to accomodate everybody.

anyways, since the car hasnt been used much, the battery died on us. well, tantan actually forgot to start the engine after more than 3 weeks on non-use.

imagine our dismay when we got a letter from DVLA (driving and vehicle licensing agency) telling us that we have to pay a penalty (70£) because it has been reported that we used/kept the car on a public road on the 24th of january at 1:40pm. it also mentioned about court proceedings and bigger penalties, like they're threatening us to pay.

but hey, hey, hey

jan 24 (monday) - tantan was at work and he used my car

again: the car wont start bec the battery's dead

i only drive automatic cars and tantan's car has manual transmission so it cant be me

the car is parked off road, although we're not sure if the agency considers that public (but where else are we supposed to park - we dont have a garage!). but it's OFF ROAD (proper parking area) so they cant really say we are keeping it on a public road!

we wrote back to the agency and still awaiting their reply. our friend said this happened to his friend and he didnt pay. they were perhaps trying to intimidate people and see if they'll just cave in and pay upfront. but but but - they should make sure naman that before they send out letters like that, they have a valid and strong case! they are just wasting their time and their resources (money from the tax WE paid).

anyways, tantan had the car insured again and will be paying for the road tax soon (his insurance is still not appearing on the database so he cant order the road tax online. he doesnt have time to go to the post office to buy it there). he's got a new job and he cant cycle to work anymore, plus, his bike got damaged when he had an accident (will tell in a diff entry) so he's been using my car for the longest time. i cant wait to have my car back! i realised it's really handy when i want to buy something on a whim. or just go out and have some break.

ok, i digress. hopefully, the agency will see their mistake and wont charge us anymore. afterall, we are honest people. we pay our dues and we pay them on time. this is just totally unacceptable!