Counting blessings….

I have been contemplating on a lot of things today. My son is sick, he has a terrible cough and a really itchy throat, and his periodical exams will be two days from now.
I already nebulized him since that is the first thing to do to prevent his asthma attack (according to his pediatrician) and as an asthmatic myself, a dose of salbutamol eases my throat and helps liquefy sticky stuff on my throat. In a few hours we’ll be going to his doctor for his check up, I just hope it’s not anything really serious. Another thing that bothers me is that my husband’s payday is four days away, and I only have a few peso coins and a rosary in my handbag. Our health insurance is still not activated since they haven’t given us our health cards.

As these thoughts run through my mind, I saw my baby daughter, she had already woken up and has this bright smile cooing and raising her hands to play with the curtains softly swaying from the cool breeze. She’s always in a good mood whenever she wakes up in the morning, never grumpy, always smiling-just like her brother when he was a baby.

I informed my husband that I might bring our son to his doctor; he told me that he’ll go home today; he apparently decided to take a day off. He got promoted last week and has been really tired working 12 hour shifts. He told me that he’ll meet us up in Dr. O’s clinic so that we can pay the necessary Dr’s fee. Wow! I said to myself, one minute I was worried about how I’m going to pay up all these expenses and the next minute here’s my husband coming to my rescue. God is really good!

Piling up

My laundry is piling up…

I have this irritating habit to forgo mundane chores for something much more interesting and (I believe) more important stuff to do; like playing with my 4 month old daughter, and teaching and helping out my 8 year old son with his lessons- now if my daughter is asleep and my son is in school, I would rather clean our kitchen a bit- and I mean- a bit (which only involves dish washing) and clean our house a bit- READ –sweep the floor.

I’m not so big in cleaning and I’m not a fan of everyday spic and span, I’m not the Susie homemaker, the ideal mom who would always clean after the mess had been made by my son or husband- who do they think I am, a slave?! I’m not the type who wanted my computer area super clean- actually it’s a bit dusty – I’d rather write- if opportunity permits, than do the laundry.

Last December I got the chance to find a maid; she’s 22 years old, married, and with a two year old kid. She’s ok; helps keep the house looking like a house and not a cave from the boondocks (as my mom exasperatingly declares whenever she enters). Now it has been two weeks since she last appeared for work. She got sick and I don’t know what happened, she left a word two days ago that she’ll be reporting for work yesterday- but again- no helper appeared- thus- my laundry piled up.

I got word from my son’s school service driver (who knew her family) that she’s not going to work for us anymore, uuh-duh? H told us that this girl won’t be showing up since as I believe:

a) Her daughter’s birthday is over
b) The Holiday season is over
c) Her husband’s birthday is also 2 days ago
d) She had Ebola virus that she’s going to die in a week
e) She doesn’t need the extra money since the Holiday season is over.

So much for people like her, it's hard when these things get to your inner circle-situations you would rather get rid off.

Until now, I’m still on a search to find a reliable household help, but for now, I guess I have to be content in doing the laundry… myself.

Thank God for blogging!

I'm getting a hang of this.

I accidentally browsed the line housewife on my profile, and guess what?! there are 2000 housewives blogging their hearts out. You can also say that there are 2000 creative housewives out there which got bitten by the blogging bug ( I dare you to try saying bitten by the blogging bug 10 times without making a mistake -ha!)

A housewife needs a life too ya'know.

Till my next foray...

Fortunate

Call me fortunate…

I have P 9.00 on my coin purse and lots of love from my family.

Others may see that yours truly is going nuts, imagine, with less than a dime? How can she feed her family for crying out loud?!

Actually, the ref. is fully stocked for two weeks. My electricity bill and water bill is fully paid, my kids’ supplies are covered- specially my daughter’s diapers.

And all I got now is nine pesos on my coin purse, lots of love from my family

… and freakin’ nowhere to go…

Of Rubber Erasers and Seven year olds

I’ve never imagined it would be this quick…

My husband and I were dumbfounded…

“But it’s only the first week of school…” he muttered, concern lining his forehead.

“Oh don’t worry, wait till we get on the third week, maybe we can create a contingency measure.” I assured him half incredulous half believing myself. “Maybe if we buy a whole block of it then will get through March, I’ll just cut it to small pieces-then we’ll be all set…” I further added.

“I could not understand why a 7 year-old kid loose a chunk of rubber eraser in three days!” my husband said, flailing his arms in the air. “Yup, three days, 7 year old, 1 big chunk of rubber eraser... Our son told me that he placed it in his pencil case but it suddenly vanished into thin air…amazing…” I said, shaking my head as I sit on the rocking chair staring at the ceiling.

“Well, this time we’re still lucky, I do not have an idea if we will be this lucky in the following months- maybe now the eraser, next, a pencil then after a few weeks his notebook then maybe a book or two”… I smartly quipped as I rose and inspected our son’s pencil case. “Oh look honey; he still has his sharpener intact! Things aren’t so bad at all! ” as I proudly show my husband our son’s blue sharpener, with its case, only to find out that its only the case which I am holding- no sharpener beneath.

” Uhuh, yup, tough luck!” said my husband.

“Yup, tough luck indeed.”

Finding the right maid-August 19,2007

Finding the right maid is like finding the right mate. Sometimes you go on the wrong foot and everything ends in a disaster, sometimes it’s ho-hum but you have the feeling that something is missing. Sometimes you thought this is it- the one you have been looking for- but for a few months you’ll end up looking for another.

I have set my sights to one of our former employees in our store, she’s efficient, a good friend, she’s loyal to my parents-her former employers -problem is, she has a family and with three small kids and a Can’t- Manage- Simple- Stuff- guy for a husband- talk about tough luck. She would’ve been perfect- if her kids are all grown up and can manage their own home -even while their parents are both working.

I could go on for all the things I hate about all my former household helps. The first one was quite old, she’s a genius when it comes to laundry specially hand- washing, and ironing; but she’s not too keen when it comes to cleaning, (she uses downy to mop our floors) and rarely wipes the surfaces as instructed to her; one day she just sorta “handed-over” her sister –in-law to me because she has something to do for the weekend, and she never came back- she even brought with her my son’s sandals that I let her unemployed (or so she said) husband repair just to help her out; turned out that this husband of hers is gainfully employed at a shoe factory in Marikina.

Now, her sister in law first appeared to be alert, very courteous and very receptive- which, at first we appreciate but gradually turned out to be such a slob! She’s terrible with household chores (again- another avid fan of downy and, barely deaf at instructions) and, laundry (she once soaked our plain white shirts for three days, and my son’s cloth diapers in this very potent powdered bleach, it ended up having holes in them, not to mention having a steady culture of fungus-eeiw) - Then, there’s this incident where I actually saw one of our soiled trapos in-between neatly folded, newly ironed handkerchiefs! I guess the only thing that she excels at is asking for an advance (she asked for an advance after her first three working days) and eating.

Now, my most recent addition to this roster of horrible maids is a classic-again, this person appears to be the epitome of a perfect maid- my age range (30-35 yrs. Old), alert, receptive, efficient, very disciplined, and has no irritating habit of asking for an advance- or so I thought, after almost two months of working, she gradually evolved from cautious employee to a very bossy employee. She never helped my mom with the trash, she never cleaned her mug or used plate for Merienda whenever she irons our clothes and she sold our used bottles and old stuff to the junkshop without our permission. She even borrowed the slippers that my son is using and telling him to use the one that I put in the trash- prompting my child to take his slippers from the trash and wear it. I was so angry that I want to fire her immediately- but then again, to whom shall I hand over the laundry? Since I can’t barely manage especially right now that I’m about to give birth in September, I just have to grin and bear it –for now.

I envy one of my friends- after my hapless text message asking everyone I knew if they could refer somebody to me she texted back, asking why. So, I told her my horrid story. After reassuring me that she would help out, she told me how happy and contented she is now with her maid of two months. She told me that this person takes very good care of them.

Upon waking up every morning-she would find that breakfast is ready, and mind you- fried rice, she always feeds them with rice and breakfast stuff every morning. All of her girls stuff is ready so that all her daughters have to do is eat, get dressed and go to school. My dear friend didn’t even need to lift a finger since everything is being done by her trusty maid-even cooking lunch, Merienda and dinner, washing up the kids, cleaning and laundry, going to the market (she can juggle the food budget well) and watching over the girls while my friend is attending her nursing class-not to mention sewing and replacing all her old pillowcases! All of these for just P2000 a month as her maid’s starting salary (to think that I have to pay mine P2500, no cooking, no marketing, just laundry and cleaning, she wouldn’t even bother looking after my kid). She told me that she immediately gave her a raise so her maid’s pay now is already P2500. How I wish I could also have that kind of blessing.

I learned a thing or two about my friend’s experience, 1^st- not to be too generous immediately with the helpers, and 2^nd, always make it a point to communicate well especially with regards to the rules of the house and what you expect them to do. In my friend’s case, she’s lucky because she hired a helper that is efficient, can manage well without constant supervision and can work with heart-qualities that I find rare nowadays.

I hope I’ll get lucky and find this ideal maid- tomorrow’s a new day.

By the way… our latest maid runneth with no particular valid reason- just a short text message that her aunt came back from Laguna and asked for her company “ sinasama po ako ng tiya ko, di ko na po mapa-hindian..” According to her text;

I have no idea where this aunt of hers took her- to hell perhaps?