The Journey. It’s Mine. [My personal take on love, life, parenting and blogging.]

Because the hours that Raine spend in school is the quietest time I can get to work at home, obviously I am not the one who drops and picks up Raine in school. My mother does, regularly. So when the two of them arrive from school, my mother is the one to fill me up with stories from Raine’s teachers, classmates and their parents. It is our regular session over coffee.

There are times when I really envy my mother, because she gets to interact with other parents in school. But if I have a day job, she gets to do that anyway or somebody else (probably a yaya) will have to do it because I would be at work right? And since I work at home, I get to stay at home instead.

Anyway, there was one time a few weeks ago that for my-being-Raine’s-mother’s sake (and because my mother needed to do something else), I dropped and picked Raine from school. On waiting times I found myself talking to other mothers. The topic went from pregnancies, child deliveries to best positions for conception.

Not that the topics weren’t insightful (believe me they are!) it’s just that I get queasy when married people talk comfortably about what happens in their bedrooms and on their marital beds. I mean If one is discussing such things with their closest friend, that would be a different story. But in front of strangers, in the parents’ waiting area while waiting for your child to get out of the classroom? C’mon.

And then I get to be asked questions, like if I am planning for another child or if i would prefer a girl over a boy next time. Not that I wouldn’t want to answer. It’s just that I cannot answer such questions without giving them a brief history of my unmarried-with-child life. Not that I mind explaining and answering more questions, but they are just most of the time not ready for my answers. Each time I open my mouth, I solicit shock from these parents and I make them uncomfortable with my unconventional views on marriage and parenting.

I haven’t been back to Raine’s school since then. He he. Not yet.

Through this post I just want to let Yuga know that the Harry Potter Book 7 he sent (the one I won from the book contest) arrived this morning.

Thank you very much. This latest addition completes my Harry Potter book collection.

Click on photo to see my notes on Flickr, each one has a story.

…whether you are an employee or a student (anywhere you are in the Philippines) because of the following consequences: floods, land slides, typhoons.

Thank God it stopped raining this afternoon. Hopefully clearer skies will hold up so I can have better signals on both satellite TV and wireless broadband – the two things I cannot do without these days.

Yes, I am a TV-addict, because it clears my mind when I am too tired from the things that i do. Try it sometimes. TV is the best thing to clear your mind from “heavier” stuff. He he he.

Anyway, I do hate rainy days not only for the abovementioned reasons but mostly because around here, rains are precursors of typhoons. That and strong winds. Believe me, you do not know what typhoon is like if you haven’t experienced it in bicolandia. Nope, the floodings in Metro Manila doesn’t even come close.

However, because there is no storm signal (despite the rains), classes and businesses proceeded as usual.

But Raine is just too happy gearing up for school…

…in time for me to find out that he has outgrown all his sweaters and jacket.

Thus, Raine ended up wearing my brother’s sweater (when he was about 10 years old) and bonnet (not in photo though) which - if we were days too late - would not have fitted at all.

Gosh, is Raine really that big? He’s barely five! Or may be the sweater shrunk after all these years?

What can we do when we don’t want to do it anymore? A single mom asks - not just any single mom, but Christina of Solo Mother.

First I thought I’d comment but my comments were becoming a full entry so I thought I’ll just write it here, for other single moms to read as well.

Responding to Christina’s question: no it isn’t horrible to feel at times that you don’t want to be a mother anymore. Single parenting is exhausting and difficult (to say the least!) and there are times when you want to stop being responsible for the life of another. I think it is but natural to feel that way, I guess even married moms will feel it at times, much less someone who is doing it all alone.

The feeling will pass however, because your kid is the joy of your life and yes, you wouldn’t trade him for anything. Those heavy feelings will pass - believe me - you single mom just need to do something for your self alone.

Call in sick at work perhaps? But do not stay home, leave your kid with the nanny or at daycare and without guilt pamper yourself even for just a day. I did that, lots of times.

Get a hair cut or a foot spa or just hang around the mall -fit shoes and blouses you wouldn’t buy anyway because you just can’t afford it. Or maybe read a book in a quiet corner of a bookstore - just read for the moment, not buy the book because you won’t have time to read at home, at least not until your kid is reading his own book already. Take note that if you do any of these two at office hours, the shops are practically empty so you can take your own sweet time.

Better yet, call a girlfriend - eat out, watch a movie together or just talk (lots of) and go for a long walk. If no girlfriend is available (who would at office hours?!) do your grocery shopping in peace without hurry (and walk all the way home) –this alone is bliss for any mom, single or otherwise.

In fact I still do something like those from time to time, except the walking home part (because home these days is too long a walk to take, a choice between 5 and 13 kilometers!). I think any mother should (if not already) escape once in a while for some ME-times. Once in a while.

Anything. Anything that will make you come home happy. Tired maybe but happy to face your responsibilities once more. Christina is right — always, always come home.

Yes I won a Harry Potter Book 7. Yeeha!!!

Click here for evidence.

(I edited Yuga’s orig photo intentionally.)

We are so happy!

(buti, ko-konti sumali…he he he…siguro kasi lahat na ng tao sa mundo nakabili na, maliban sa akin!)

I can’t wait for it to arrive and complete my Harry Potter Book Collection.

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… because Raine’s handwriting went from this…

…to this - in a few weeks.

Now he can’t stop writing, it is the last thing he does at night before sleeping and the first upon waking.

Just to demonstrate how crazy he is with writing at the moment: 

We are out of those school grade notebooks (for the nth time!).  A few minutes earlier, just woken from his afternoon nap, Raine insisted to go to town just to buy a notebook.

(Silly me actually because I kind-a bribed the said nap with a new notebook!)

Tito Ye to-the-rescue-as-usual, went with him. 

Down here, this is a silly hour to go to town (in Gubat) because the last jeepney trip going back is at 5 pm. If you miss it, you either have to walk or pay 8 times the normal fare for a tricycle to take you home.

Well, he wants a notebook right? He he he.