my hopes, my dreams, my loves - anything under the moon

Friday, August 27, 2010

Very Simple

I love this brief entry in zen habits. This is from Leo Babauta. This has captured the very essence of how to enjoy life. Too many material things have clouded our meaning of happiness. Time to change that perspective and go back to basics.

A BRIEF GUIDE TO LIFE

Life can be ridiculously complicated, if you let it. I suggest we simplify.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote, which I’ve stolen as this site’s subtitle, is the shortest guide to life you’ll ever need:

“Smile, breath, and go slowly.”

If you live your life by those five words, you’ll do pretty well. For those who need a little more guidance, I’ve distilled the lessons I’ve learned (so far) into a few guidelines, or reminders, really.

And as always, these rules are meant to be broken. Life wouldn’t be any fun if they weren’t.

THE BRIEF GUIDE

less tv, more reading

less shopping, more outdoors

less clutter, more space

less rush, more slowness

less consuming, more creating

less junk, more real food

less busywork, more impact

less driving, more walking

less noise, more solitude

less focus on the future, more on the present

less work, more play

less worry, more smiles

breathe


happy weekend!

Slowly but surely

The past week has been a good one. D has been showing good progress in therapy.

Aside from being able to answer "What's your name?", he now knows other basics such as "How old are you?" and "How are you?". Being echolaleic, these are huge improvements in such a short time!

He also has started learning to grasp two critical elements/concepts in a statement. At first he would only remember the last object in a statement, with a little push, he is able to understand that there are 2 objects he needs to focus on.

This week, he has also started to learn colors. I'm very happy hearing him answer my question, "What color is this?" :-D

With all these things, he has started to be very interested in conversations. He would say, "Look at this, mommy!" or "What is this?". Huge, huge improvement!

I'm praying these milestones continue. The only catch is that he is performing very well during therapy but we still have some challenges at home. The tantrums, the hyperactivity, the babbling and the hyperfocus are still there. I think he sees school and therapy as formal venues where he needs to respond to questions, write and trace letters, color pictures and answer puzzles. He sees home as a place where he can let loose. I'm keeping it that way for now, of course, there is still structure at home but we don't overdo the writing and studying. I try to make learning fun.

I look forward to another good week!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Top Thing To Do: Spring Cleaning!

Inspiring message from Bertrand Russell:
"It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly."

Well said, Mr. Russell!

I need to start spring cleaning. We've accumulated too much stuff through the years and never gotten around to doing an inventory of things we have. The motto is buy, buy, buy.

No more delaying...I need to DO.THIS.NOW.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Dress Up Game for Grown-up Girls

My daughter is a dress up game addict. She could play several dress up (or makeover) games for hours! She gets her games from dressupgames.com or games2girls.com. My favorite is poupee girl where you can even upload your items and use them to dress up your character! Cute!!!

Recently, we found a site for grown-up girls (yep, mommy just won't be left out on this game trend!). I've been spending hours on this site, super fun! Mix and match, change your background, make it look like a fashion editorial (karir!!!).

Here's what I recently made - what I would wear on a normal day to work (of course, just the look, not the brands!)



This is great for when you just want to kill idle time or relax during lunch break...I'm killing 'em all idle minutes now!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Malunggay Galore and an Oatmeal Cookie Recipe!

Finally, I'm slowly building up my milk supply that I leave at home for nights when I'm in the office. I have my pumping schedule in the office down pat. I could bring home around 3 4oz packs of pumped milk everyday.

When I'm at home I nurse Damian the whole day. This would mean he'd sleep by my side or the yaya would bring him to me when he's hungry then take him when he's done. I'm happy that this way, we're still able to bond even if I'm sleeping.

Thank God for the wonderful malunggay!

I started taking Natalac capsules last Friday. I take this twice a day - once in the morning and then in the evening. Of course, I still take my pre-natal vitamins so I don't lose out on important nutrients.

My mom also made me special malunggay dishes. First off, the Ilocano dish called patalbog. Basically, the vegetables are added to boiling water with fish bagoong. No sauteeing thus no oil :-) Her weekend patalbog had malunggay, saluyot, ginger, tomatoes, okra and ampalaya leaves. Talk about green!

Then on Sunday, my mom made tinola without the chicken LOL! How is that possible, you say? She cooked the chicken in water so she had a broth, took out the chicken then added the vegetables (sayote and malunggay). What did we do with the chicken? We made it into adobo of course! Instant double dish :-)

I've also discovered a recipe for oatmeal cookies from Chronicles of a Nursing Mom. Great recipe! I think this will taste yummy! Honestly, I didn't know that oatmeal is a galactagogue until I read Jenny's entry. Good news for me! I loooovvveee oatmeal! I can eat oatmeal everyday for breakfast. Having it as a cookie is a super treat! Here's the recipe:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar – we’ve reduced this to ½ cup
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar – we’ve reduced this to ½ cup
* 4 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons flax seed meal – available at healthy options
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats - You can use the “quaker oats” brand – choose quick cooking not instant. You can also buy oats from Healthy Options
* 1 cup chocolate chips – Some moms replace this with toffee chips or chopped-up pieces of Heath bar.
* 2-4 tablespoons brewer's yeast – available at Healthy Options. I also sprinkle brewer’s yeast on my daily oatmeal bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well. Add eggs and mix well. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mix. Stir in oats and chips. Scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.

Yum, yum, yum!!! I will definitely try this one soon and post pictures!

Friday, August 20, 2010

In my Dreams

I don't buy designer anything - bag, shoes, clothes, anything. I feel like the money I will spend on those things, I can use to buy things for my kids. It also doesn't help that a price of a bag can send 10 kids to school in the Philippines!

But I like to read fashion magazines and look at fashion blogs. I like to play Looklet and Poupee Girls. Simply because I think of fashion (and that includes those pretty designer things) as work of art. I admire how someone can look at a pile of stuff and arrange them into something beautiful with the human body as the canvass.
Here is one bag I absolutely adore. I like things simple, plain but elegant - Alexander McQueen's Faithful black-polished leather bag. Beautiful.

Parenting.com: ADHD Overview

This article from Parenting.com gives a good overview of ADHD which includes information on symptoms, diagnosis, therapy, medication and prevention. Though not very comprehensive, the article gives important information any parent suspecting their child has ADHD should know. I find the section on the Child's Experience very useful.

Read the full article here: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

When to Test for ADHD

This article from Parenting.com has helpful basic information on when to get your child tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. I found that we made the right decision for our son.

When to Test for ADHD

Factors to consider when deciding to get your child tested for ADHD

By Christina Breda Antoniades, Parenting

Your kid has a classic case of ants in the pants. And he never seems to listen or follow directions. You've been hoping he'll outgrow it, but you have a nagging suspicion that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be to blame. Is it time to find out for sure? Consider these factors from Baltimore pediatrician Lawrence Pakula, M.D.:

How many red flags do you see?

Hyperactivity and impulsivity are two signs of ADHD (although not all children with ADHD are hyperactive). But other symptoms include difficulty in paying attention, completing tasks, following directions, taking turns, remembering things, or sitting still (all of which can apply to most any kid). The key: Are they interfering with his ability to function?

Does he have other developmental issues?

If he's generally immature, he may grow out of his antsiness at his own pace. But if he has marked delays in motor, language, or other skills, you may not want to wait. Those delays may be tied to ADHD, but they also can be a sign of learning disabilities, and the earlier those are diagnosed, the better for your child. If ADHD runs in your immediate family, that's another good reason to test your child earlier.

What kind of school is he going to?

There's a stronger argument to wait on testing if your child is going to a low-key kindergarten rather than a highly structured environment. But either way, consider giving him three to six months to adjust. And try simple changes, too: An assigned seat at the front of the classroom or a behavior-intervention program may be all he really needs.

Is he falling behind?

If he's lagging socially or academically, is constantly being reprimanded, or his behavior is unsafe (regular ER visits are a big clue), don't wait. Yorba Linda, CA, mom Debra Ann Afarian held off on getting her son evaluated until fourth grade; by then, he was suffering from intense anxiety from ADHD-related school problems. Looking back, she says, "I wish we would have tested earlier."

Milk Supply Challenge

I've been trying to feed my 2-month old baby with both breastmilk and formula milk. He doesn't like formula milk though and my breastmilk supply is depleting! Need to catch up and store more breastmilk in the next few days. Thinking of getting an electric pump to express milk faster.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Priceless!

Last week, my son D finally answered the question "What's your name?"

You see, my son is 3 years old and has GDD (Global Developmental Delay). This means his development is delayed in most milestones/developmental areas. His doctor said he is like a 2 year old in terms of his current capacity.

Before he would just echo whatever you tell him. If you ask him "What's your name?", he will say "What's your name?" back. Sometimes it gets frustrating especially when he's in a bad mood and you don't know what he wants. He also babbles a lot.

D also has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). This makes it hard for him to learn how to speak correctly because his attention is very limited. He can sit and listen to you for 2 minutes tops! That's the longest he's been able to pay attention. After that, he'll get distracted by something else or run around the room.

After being in therapy for almost a month, it was very heart-warming to finally hear him answer that question. A very big milestone for him and for us. We're hearing good feedback from his teachers as well so I hope this continues on :-)

Chronicles of a Nursing Mom

This is one of the sites I'm following. I admire that Jenny is able to breastfeed her daughter for more than 2 years! I wish I could do that too.

Information in this site is very useful and articles are actually entertaining :-)

Immediate read -> Freezing and Thawing Breastmilk Tips!

Here's the site -> Chronicles of a Nursing Mom

Back to Reality

Got back from maternity leave last Monday.

I have 5,746 emails in my inbox!!!! WAAAAAAHHHH!!! This was just for July till Aug 15. Wow! People are email-crazy huh!

Good news - I'm down to 130 unread emails woohoo!!! No important meetings yet. I am savoring these days and will treasure them for the rest of my work life :-)

On another note, I'm still expressing breastmilk at least every 4 hours while in the office. Baby feeds before I leave for work, I express 4 hours after that then another one 4 hours after. When I get home I either express again or feed baby directly. Strategy is working so far :-) Yipee!!!

I'm reading a lot of breastfeeding articles that hopefully will motivate and help me continue breastfeeding for at least 1 year!

Kallurkey Diaries

Thought I'd start something productive with my idle time (if I still have some). This should keep me sane. I'm a working mom with a high-maintenance husband, so good luck to me hahaha!!!