Stay-at-Home-Moms vs. Working Moms

It's gonna be a never-ending topic.. Both trying to outdo each other in the field of motherhood. My two cents on this, if you have time, please read on.

First, let me share with you what I think the differences are between SAHMs and working moms.

The Working Moms

I am a working mom, out of the house from 8:00 in the morning and back at 7:00pm or sometimes later. But when I am at home, I am a wife and a mother. I cook our meals, make sure our place is clean, check Ava's things and attend to both my husband's and daughter's needs. On weekends, I make sure that we get to spend quality family time, regardless if we're just at home or out for a leisure. This for me, is what motherhood for a working mom is.

But then there's also a different version of a working mom. She works in the office the whole day, goes home at night. Eat dinner with the family, plays a little with the baby and then calls Yaya to take care of the baby for the rest of the night because she has a million other things to do. Work, internet, tired, whatever. Yes, similar to the ones we sometimes see on TV. Where the babies get more attached to the Yayas? It really happens.

I also know of some work-at-home-moms (WAHM) and they are awesome. :) They do their work from home and they get to take care of their babies first-hand as well.

The Stay-at-Home-Moms

SAHMs should be no different than working moms and they are equally hard-working as well. I also know this first-hand because I'd like to label myself as a SAHM during weekends. :) Here's what I think SAHMs do or should do. They wake up early to attend to their husbands needs before leaving for work. Then they attend to the baby's needs the whole day. And on top of that, house chores and everything in between. The presence of a helper is of course valuable but for me, they should be there just to assist you. I think in choosing to be SAHM, it also means that you are choosing to take charge of your family's well-being and that will only happen if you experience doing these things first-hand.

If you are doing otherwise, then maybe this mom is right somehow. Harsh words, yes but there's truth in some of them.

Screen capture used with permission.

Having help is not a problem at all because we can't do it all right? But if you rely on them in taking care of the baby, house chores, practically everything and you just sit around the house, sleeping, bumming, demanding and whatever, without lifting a finger, then I think that's where the argument will come from.

Working moms sacrifice their time away from their family just so they can help provide their needs. But that doesn't mean they will just put being a mother on the sideline. SAHMs also sacrificed their time and independence (mostly financial) so they can attend to their family's needs more. But that doesn't mean they will just bum around and demand things from their husbands.

We have different families with different needs. The most important thing is your family's well-being. Yes, it's not just about the baby, but it's also about your husband and yourself. Your disposition as a wife, as a mother and as a person. Working or not. open yourself up to learn from other people's experiences, advises and opinions. Because no matter what they say, it's still gonna be your call which of those things you'll take.

At the end of the day, we're all mothers anyway. :)

*A special shout to Ams. She has a wonderful post about how it's like to be a stay-at-home-mom.

18-Month Sleep Regression

About two weeks ago, Ava's sleeping routine went haywire. From sleeping soundly through the night, she went back to refusing sleep and to waking up every two hours just like when she was just a newborn baby. She refuses nap times or only sleeps when carried. We know she's already tired and sleepy but she won't sleep! With a toddler weighing 12kg (or probably more?!), imagine. Lucky for me, Mr. T takes the graveyard carrying shift. But most of the time, she wakes up just to nurse. It's pretty exhausting for both of us when we still need to wake up early the next morning and go to work.

So I looked it up. Thank you Google! Mamas experiencing the same with their toddlers, take a deep breath, what we're all going through is normal. I repeat. IT'S NORMAL.

Beef Sukiyaki

We love Japanese! :) But Mr. T likes the sushi, sashimi, grilled meat side of Japanese food while I love the noodles, soups, ramen and the rest that's in a Japanese menu. And since I am the one in charge of cooking, I cook what I like. Lol.

For today's recipe sharing, I will share with you my own version of Beef Sukiyaki. See, I still take into consideration Mr. T's preferences even if I cook dishes that are really not up for his taste buds. I cook them in a way that he won't mind if I cook them again. Hah! And of course, this recipe is also BLW friendly for my darling daughter of course. :)

Ingredients:

500g Beef (Sukiyaki or Breakfast Steak cut)

2 medium-sized Onions

1 medium-sized Carrots

1 can Shitake Mushrooms

1 Chinese Cabbage (Pechay Baguio)

50g Sotanghon Noodles

1/3 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Mirin

2 liters Water (or Light Beef Broth)

Pepper

Cooking Oil

How to Cook:

1. Sauté onion over medium heat. Wait till it's soft and cooked (but not browned) then put in the beef. Cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Take out (strain) the beef and onion from the pan and set aside.
3. With the beef broth still in the pan, pour in the water, soy sauce and mirin. Boil for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the beef and simmer for about 2 minutes. Then add the sotanghon noodles and let it simmer until the noodles are slightly cooked.
5. Add the carrots and mushrooms. Then add the cabbage and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Season with pepper.
7. Serve and enjoy over a cup of rice. :)

*You can also add tofu to this recipe but unfortunately, I didn't have tofu available last night. The original recipe also calls for brown sugar but Mr. T doesn't like anything sweet for a main dish. The amount of soy sauce in the original recipe was at 1 cup (?) but since we're cutting down on salt for Ava, I reduced it to 1/3 cup instead. It's always fun to adjust recipes for you and your family's liking. Oh the joys of cooking. :)

You The Mom!

Motherhood is a bit overwhelming. Ok, not just a bit but maybe a lot. But if you find the right people to help you or advise you, then it can turn the tables and reveal the real awesomeness of being a Mother. Long story short, I found mine in Mommy Mundo.

Mommy Mundo is the Philippines’ most extensive portal of mom and family-focused resources. Born out of a passion for motherhood, an advocacy for active parenting, and driven by a desire to help and provide support to mothers, Mommy Mundo aims to serve the information needs of moms not only through this online home, but through other forms of media such as print, web, events, and beyond. Mommy Mundo is made up of an active community of more than 30,000 moms. - Mommy Mundo

Mommy Mundo's Expomom "You The Mom!" in Glorietta

The Balik Bukid Experience

I've been wanting to visit Sta. Elena Fun Farms ever since I've read about it in My Mom-Friday's post. They also have the Balik Bukid fair which happens twice a year, one during summer and one in the last quarter of the year.On their first year, we were busy with the wedding preps and I didn't know about them then, the following year, we were busy with parenthood. But finally this year, it happened! Just right on time for Mother's Day! :)))

Since it was our first time, I would like to share with you some of our learnings so you can enjoy your Balik Bukid experience more.

1. It is best to choose the right time you want to go to the fair. Check the schedule posted on their Facebook Page to see what activities will interest you. The fair starts at 8:00am and ends till 6:00pm. If you're coming with babies and toddlers, I suggest going early morning, or late afternoon. Otherwise, lunch time could be a little uncomfortable especially if you're going on a hot summer day.
2. Don't forget to bring stuff that will protect you from the sun. Hats, umbrellas, abanikos, sunscreen, etc. There are available stuff on site as well, but it's still best to bring your own so you won't need to buy and spend extra.
3. Think about having a picnic! Because that's one of the best things you can do during the fair. Bring blankets, pillows, etc. You can just choose a spot and setup and enjoy munching some food you got from the participating stalls or just enjoy an afternoon nap. We're definitely doing this next time.

Here are some of the photos during our visit. We particularly enjoyed watching Ava interact with the animals. She was so ecstatic. Just look at that face. :)

In the Kitchen: Stir-fry Mung Bean Sprouts with Tofu

I recently tried cooking this dish and found out that my daughter loves mung bean sprouts (togue). We tried it again last night and she still ate it! :) Now, this is gonna be a staple dish for our family. :)

This is a very easy recipe I picked up from the net. Since we are practicing the Baby-Led Weaning approach in feeding Ava, I skipped some seasoning and made the dish more BLW friendly. :) Let me share with you my recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pack Mung Bean Sprouts (I got the packed ones from SM, 30Php per pack I think)

250 grams Tofu, 1/2" thick sliced

1 medium-sized Onion

1 medium-sized Red Bell Pepper

1 medium-sized Green Bell Pepper

2 medium-sized Carrots

1 cup chicken broth (please use real broth, not bouillons)

1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce

Garlic Powder

Ground Black Pepper

Cooking Oil

How to Cook:

1. Heat your oil in a pan over medium heat. Add your tofu and cook until brown on all sides. Cool down a bit then slice into cubes. Set aside.
2. While frying the tofu, you can slice your onion, bell peppers and carrots into thin strips (juilenne cut).
3. In the same pan, sauté onion.
4. Add the chicken broth (or you can just add plain water if you don't have chicken broths available) and the oyster sauce. Add the carrots and mung beans. Simmer for about 3 minutes. Then add the bell pepper and simmer for another 3 minutes.
5. Add the tofu, a dash of garlic powder and ground black pepper.
6. Simmer for about 2 minutes and then it's ready.
7. Serve hot and enjoy! :)

*Best paired with Fried Tilapia. ;)

Babywearing and Breastfeeding in a SaYa

I think I was more emotional now that Ava turned 18 months old compared when she turned one. Lol. I wonder why. Maybe because we are also celebrating some of the milestones she did at 6 months or maybe because it's Mother's Day. Or most likely, one of those times when I can't help but think that my baby's growing up so fast. #nanaysentiments

Breastfeeding while babywearing my 18m.o. darling daughter. 

So one result of my senti moment, I posted a photo of Ava breastfeeding while I wore her in our much loved SaYa carrier. And the beautiful Miss Buding, took notice and asked if I could make a simple video tutorial. I just love sharing and learning to and from other moms so I told her that I'll surely make one. And this is also my Mother's Day gift to my fellow babywearing Mamas. :)

Celebrating One Year of BLW

It was exactly on Ava's 6th month celebration when we introduced her to solids. Her first food was avocado. That was one year ago already.

When we started out with the whole parenting thing, we were basically relying on our doctors, parents and siblings for advises. That meant doing everything the traditional way. As we adjusted a few months later, we began to have a better understanding that we are already building a family of our own. I, particularly, wanted to break from my family's norm of raising up kids. Don't get me wrong, I am forever grateful to my parents and I respect my siblings' decisions in raising up their own kids. It's just that I think, our generations have evolved immensely and there are significant information that we didn't know back then that we know now. That's where our choice for Attachment Parenting (AP) came in.

Our Darling Daughter's Birth Story

As our toddler turns 18 months old today, I would like to finally share the story of her birth.

October 30, 2012 | Wednesday. It was two weeks before my due date. I was sitting outside my OB's clinic after my office, waiting for Cholo and for my turn to be checked. Ava, like the impatient baby that she is, was kicking and somersaulting like an olympic gold medalist inside my tummy. I was not complaining because any movement was always a good indication for us during that time. Cholo arrived around 7pm and not too long after, it was our turn to be checked. During the ultrasound, our OB told me that she can't seem to scan any movements, apparently Ava fell asleep right before we went inside. She instructed me to turn to my left side so we can wake Ava up. Still scanning, our OB told me that she's gonna send me to the ER if she didn't see any movements so we can have a stress test. A few minutes later, Ava twitched. What a good girl! :) My cervix was also checked via IE, I was already 1cm dilated. But we were allowed to go home since I was not experiencing any contractions yet.

After our checkup, while having our dinner, Mr. T and I were even talking about the possibility of Ava being born on November 1. And we thought we were just kidding. I still have a little blood discharge when we got home, thinking it was from my IE earlier, I went about my nightly routine and prepared to rest for the night. My discharge, though small in amount, seemed to be more than just an effect of my IE so we decided to message our OB. She immediately instructed us to proceed to the ER to be checked. So I took a bath (because if this was really it, who knows when's the next time I'd be able to get a full bath. :P), got our stuff ready and went straight to the ER. When we got to the hospital, the residents immediately checked on my cervix. I was admitted at around 11pm, 3cm dilated. It was a long night.