In between my snacks from Mommy Treats, I found this yummy cookies by Quaker Oats. It comes in different flavors: Raisings, Chocolate Chips, Honey and Apple and Cinnamon.

I just had to try all of them. But my favorite was Chocolate chips. Next to it was Apple and Cinnamon. You can taste the oats int he cookies. The sweetest of them was Honey. I found it too sweet for me. The Raisins was okay if you like raisins.

Sure it has fats but hey, I'm breastfeeding and I'm always hungry.

There are other brands out there and will definitely try them.

I want...

I have 3 small kids who needs diapers, formula milk, toys and all the other necessities that go along with having a child. Not to mention I also have to pay the bills and the tuition fees and partly the salaries (partly).

Human as I am, I have wants and needs myself. But how do you include that? Where do you get the funds for that? I often ask myself these questions. I drool when I look at stuff, things that tickle my inner soul to buy but couldn't. So instead, I constantly look at them hoping to take away the urge to buy "them". Yes "them".

Now if only they offer installments, then maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to drool much.

A Burglar is On The Loose!

So exactly how do you recover when you're jewelries got stolen? It's been weeks since they've been gone. How many? I think I've lost count. I've lost a couple of sets of white gold and a couple of yellow golds. All given to me by my mother.

How you might ask is still a bummer. It's hidden in a locked case but somehow she may have her own key. Why "she"? because only the maids are allowed in our rooms.  Before getting admitted, I've lost only a few pairs. After giving birth, I've lost more. I don't know whether to love jewelries or hate it now.

Some I kept for special occassions. Maybe I've should have worn them all even in the not so special occassions. Darn!

I'm like my mom. I love jewelries. My dad, I think, hates them now. He said so because as time passes, the values of each piece goes down. For me it's different. It's something I can pass on to my daughters soon so it's of a different value to me.

But now that some of the pieces are gone, I don't know how to feel about it. I want one, but at the same time, makes me think twice of buying.

So where are they kept now? To a safer place where you need to know my combination to open it. Top that you theft!!!

Mommy Treats for Breastfeeding Mommies

I'm sure some of you are familiar with this. And I know some of you have tried it. Addicting isn't it?

I stumbled upon Mommy Treats while I was browsing thru Babymamaph's page on facebook. I've read good reviews about it even when I was still pregnant with my second child. Never really bothered to order since I was already taking supplements back then. But curiosity got me this time and so I went ahead and ordered. Mind you, I didn't order for just a week of goodies but a 6 weeks duration of muffins and cookies:)

Just arrived!

Fresh from the box

Sure I didn't know if I would like the taste but looking at all the photos made me wanna eat them for a whole year. And true to words, they are the yummiest, most nutritious for me and my baby.

A pack of 3 pieces muffins or a pack of 6 pieces of cookies is good enough for a day. But I cheated and finished 2-3 packs per day. I try to control myself so that it would last for 2 weeks, just in time for my next batch of treats but I couldn't help it. Now I'm on my third week but still, looking at the muffins makes me wanna grab and finish them all in one sitting.

My New Breastfriend

Recently I bought a new breastpump. While others may be excited of new jewelry or bags, I was excited to try out my new powerful bestfriend. Why powerful? Because it said so in it's specifications.

Photo in babymama's website

this is my spectra 2 in action

Features (as per babymama's site):


> you will just pump in one place only or transporting a bulky pump is not a problem.
> you pump several times a day
> you have twins or premature baby
> you are satisfied with the A/C power source alone

> you understand that there is a chance that milk can get into the tubing and pmp which might cause    damage to the pump

> you are okay with having only one control for suction

> nipple size is average

Can be shared: Personal use only

Type of pump: Can be used on one breast or both breasts at the same time

Suction Strength (Baby's suction is an average of 200 - 220 mmHg): Up to 350 mmHg

Voltage: 220v

Warranty: 1 year

Weight: 4.4 lbs

Power source: Power Adapter

Accessories included: 2 breastkits

Price: P6,000

It's a lot cheaper than my previous breastpump but it's stronger. Although it's heavier and needs power source, I'm okay with this. I'm still looking for a car charger for this. Hope I can find one.

Teaching My Kid the Alphabet

There's no easy way on teaching kids the ABC. I've tried writing it on paper, but her attention shifts to other things. I tried printing letters then laminating each one so it's like flash cards. I even bought those flashcards sold at book stores. She knows the objects but she doesn't know how to connect the letters with the objects.

I wish there was a manual on teaching kids how to read and write. A lot of experts have given their thoughts, rules and how-to's but it doesn't always work for everyone.

My daughter was given a set of words to read. There was a note saying she has to be able to read them by Aug. 22. When we started with it, I found that she had difficulty reading each letter. So how can she read the whole word. I don't know what they are teahing my daughter in school but I was desperate to teach her A-Z and how each letter sounds.

She couldn't recall every letter so we started with A-E. And every once in a while we'd glance at the set of words for her to familiarize.

One day when I fetched my daughter from school, the yaya told me that R didn't get an "amazing" stamp because she wasn't able to read the words. I was frustrated. I was a failure.

When evening came I was desperate to finish the set of words. R was having a hard time and so was I. I wish there was an easier way of doing it. If I could just shove it into her brain but I couldn't. My patience was winding down and she was getting frustrated as well.

Good thing hubby had an idea. Recently, he got an Ipad2 as a birthday gift. He dowloaded alphabet apps for R. I never thought of that. Well I thought of that but the apps just became available recently. I kept some of the apps I previously downloaded in my Mac and totally forgot about them. So yeah, my husband is the HERO.

Here they are happily learning the alphabet.

They spent the night reviewing letters and numbers too. Good thing hubby is very patient. Mine was all used up.

Respect!

It's so amazing how people's personalities can change especially when they need something from you.
A woman came by my in-law's house looking for my husband. As some of you may know, he is in 5th yr of his training in general surgery. He does voluntary work for certain organizations.

So back to this woman. When she saw me she wasn't smiling at all. I don't know if she knew who I was but she said, "Si doctor?". So I called hubby. When she saw my husband, her smile came out. And it wasn't just a small smile. It was a big happy smile. As they were having their short conversation, I got the hint that someone she knows is one of a few who will benefit from my husband's generosity for the day.

Kaya naman pala ang laki ng ngiti!

Aren't we taught as a kid to say good morning or whatever time it is to anyone who we see? Especially when you're visiting somebody else's house?

That woman wasn't in her teens nor even in her twenties. She was in her 30's for crying out loud.
I always tell my siblings to be respectful when going into somebody else's house. I even warned them that if I hear someone tell me that they weren't respectful, I'm going to beat the crap out of them.
It doesn't only show who you are as a person but it reflects on how our parents or grandparents had taught us.

Wouldn't you agree?!!

A New Addition to the Family

It has been a long time since I posted on my blog. Had to repeatedly be admitted due to dengue, vaginal spotting and finally the birth of our precious son. It wasn't an easy delivery. He was delivered via cesarean section. Delivered at DDH with no complications.

Thank you Dr. Monteverde, Dr. Co, Dr. Estuart, Dr. Eden, Dr. Rioferio, Dr. Manny, Dr. Moreno and to the nurses who assisted.

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Sensible Lines Milk Tray

In order to save on storage bottles, I started using this tray which was given to me by my cousin's wife, @iamkheiy. It seemed so easy to do when i looked at the video. So after washing it (always wash everything before using it, except those pre-sterilized milk bags) and letting it dry, i hurriedly poured my excess milk into the tray.

At first it took only about 6 hours for the milk to harden. But overtime, it was taking me more than 12 hours, which was contrary to what the packaging had instructed which was 3 hours. I guess it would depend on the kind of freezer you are using.

For me, it delivered what it promised. Unfortunately though my bottles were small and I didn't wanna wait for a few hours before adding another stick so I decided to cut the sticks into two pieces then eventually to 4 pieces to fit everything into the bottle. If my bottles were all 8 ounces then it would make things easier.

Nevertheless, it saved me from washing my bottles as often as needed. This is definitely a must-have for breastfeeding moms who didn't wanna buy those breastmilk storage bags.

My breastfeeding Journey

As i have said in my previous blogs, brestfeeding wasn't thoroughly taught in medical school. We were never taught on the correct latch or how often should you breastfeed or the medications that are or are not allowed for brestfeeding mothers. If someone in my batch would disagree then i would say that i may have been absent on the day it was taught.

I breastfed my eldest for only 2 and a half months. I found it painful and tiring. My husband kept insisting that i feed her with my milk but it was too painful for me. Nobody taught me anything. So my milk dwindle.

When I got pregnent with my second child, K, i was determined to breastfeed for as long as I could. I read and read and read thru the internet, thru books and thru blogs. When K finally came it wasn't easy. My milk didn't come out till she was 4 days old. So i fed her formula for the first few days. When my milk came, it wasn't enough to satisfy her. For a couple of weeks with a day or two intervals, i had to pump every 2 hours to increase milk production. I was taking many supplements. It wasn't easy but we breastfed for more than 6 months.

When I got pregnant with G, i decided that I wasn't gonna breastfeed for long. I initially thought that being out in the field often, it would be difficult to pump. But i think Divine Intervention got in the way. While I was on twitter, a lot of whom I was following kept talking about breastmilk and breastfeeding. This got me interested... Again. So a lot of blog post and a few realizations later, here I am breastfeeding and pumping my almost 3 week old son and I've never regreted doing it again.

Sure it's costly at first. I had to buy a new breastpump, more breastfeeding accessories and it takes a lot of your time, day and night. But knowing that he's having the best food I could give coupled with love and affection, and looking at him gobble up all that magic milk, that's the best feeling in the world.

Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Blog Giveaway: Butterfly Twists - Super Shoes for ...

Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Blog Giveaway: Butterfly Twists - Super Shoes for ...: A couple of weeks ago, Trina, Stan 's high school friend contacted me about hosting a giveaway on the blog for Butterfly Twists - rollable,...