And these are serious yaya issues. I am writing on behalf of my friends who had unpleasant encounters with people whom they have chosen to entrust their babies with.

Friend #1 texted me last night to inform me that she finally decided to let go of her new yaya. Previously, she already asked me to pray for that yaya because she sensed that something is not right. That time, I advised her to heed her gut feel because a woman’s intuition is right most of the time. I told her that it’s our gift. She took note of my advice but she opted to let her stay since the hired help looked easier to work with. Then came the incident yesterday, when yaya let a stranger into their house to look at my friend’s newborn baby. Yaya didn’t even bother to ask for her permission even when she was at home that time. Imagine my friend’s reaction! So Friend #1 called yaya’s attention and spoke to her calmly. It was yaya who got angry. At that instant, my friend terminated her services and told her to leave. Despite of what happened,my friend was thankful that  that incident happened while she was at home. She was able to keep her little angel (and their house) safe and protected from people who do not have the best intentions for her.

Friend #2 is a work-at-home mom. She has a son who is barely a year old and her husband is also working full-time for another company. She did not have a yaya since her baby was born up until last month. She decided to hire one because she is now finding it difficult to take care of her growing baby while working. Her new yaya was a referral of another helper. The woman was notorious for being a war freak but my friend decided to give her a chance because she thought that if she would be nice to her, she would be good, too. Yaya barely completed her first work week and did just a few chores. She left one day and when she came back, she informed my friend that she is pregnant. My friend didn’t mind it and figured that she needed the job all the more. Friend #2 was so patient with her despite of her frequent absences. The last straw came yesterday when yaya failed to report for work again with no SMS to inform my friend. She just sent her mother-in-law late in the afternoon to tell my friend that she can’t come in due to pregnancy symptoms. The old woman insisted that she work in place of yaya and that she would start the following day. Friend #2 just told her that that she would have to consult her husband. But my friend had resolved not to hire her. She would just take care of her son while looking for another helper. I also gave her an unsolicited opinion: It wouldn’t be safe for the whole family of a stranger to work for them and know everything about their household, most especially if they are the kind with dubious character.

We  all need to be careful when choosing people to be part of our household. Our life, specifically our safety, highly depends on them. I think it would help if we would make NBI and police clearances as part of our requirements prior to hiring them. It would be better if they could also provide us with their most recent medical exam just to be sure that they won’t pass on any disease to our family especially to our little ones whose immune system are not yet fully developed.

Each day is different. There are times when negativity would show up. We either get into a not-so-nice situation or encounter pessimists. Each time, we have a choice on how to react. We can choose to be affected and be a grumbling grouch or shun the negativity with a smile and put on a sunny disposition. I hope that we will always find a resolve to be the latter.

Here are tips on how to bash that nega away:

• Put on your earphones and tune in to lively music.
• Listen to an inspirational podcast.
• Read blogs of positive, creative and happy people.
• Find websites that would stimulate your passion.
• Talk to friends who are oozing with positivism. Catching up on them on GTalk will do.

Before we got married, my husband and I signed up for credit cards that would earn us Mabuhay Miles. We were so thrilled of having to spend nothing for our airfare and so we always shop with that plastic. As we have accumulated a thousand points for each card, hubby called the hotline to inquire how we can convert our points into miles. He was disappointed when he learned that we need more than a thousand points to get a few miles. I was not happy about it too, since I’ve been wanting to use miles for our Singapore trip. We ended up flying on the cheapest airfare that we have found since we needed to shell out cash for our trip.

I consoled my husband and told him that we just keep on using the cards because we might accumulate points for a Boracay trip. Fast forward to today, our combined points were still not enough to buy a one-way trip. Ayayyay!

Just before lunch today, hubby shared a link to me via GTalk. It was an article about the SM and Asia Miles tie-up published in the online version of Philippine Daily Inquirer. I was excited to find out that earning miles using the SM Advantage Card was way easier. Every point gives you a mile. What’s good about it is that we only need 200 points to get miles. I was so giddy that I have already thought of an out-of-the-country destination for next year 😉

Asia Miles currently partners with the following carriers:

• Aer Lingus
• Air China
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines®
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific Airways
• China Eastern Airlines
• Dragonair
• Finnair
• Gulf Air
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Jet Airways
• LAN
• Mexicana Airlines
• Qantas Airways
• Royal Brunei Airlines
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
• S7 Airlines
• airberlin

Let’s go international! 😀

That is not the latest knock, knock joke, okay? I am talking about Coco’s latest concoction. He is my project budddy in the office and he often brings a liter of his own mix. He was very generous to offer me a glass of it each time especially when he learned that I’m preggy.

Today, I came in the office with that cold again. I saw Coco in the pantry and he asked me if I wanted to have juice. When he told me that it was apple and pear, my eyes lit up and I poured some on my tumbler. That mix was able to alleviate that nasty cold that I had the other day. That time, I drank a glass of salabat after finishing my serving of his juice. This morning, I added squeezes of calamansi into the apple and pear mix to add more Vitamin C. Again, it worked!

I delight in natural remedies for common illnesses especially now that I am infanticipating. I can’t just pop a pill into my mouth because very few medicines are safe for expecting moms like me. I rather err on the side of precaution than take risks to protect my baby. I thank God for health buffs like Coco 🙂

It has been raining since yesterday afternoon. I never really liked rain but I now love how it keeps the ground and everything around it wet. For me, it’s an answered prayer.

I asked God for the rain when I got irked with cigarette smoke last Friday evening. For someone who has allergic rhinits and pregnant for 4 months, having a whiff of that really annoys me. And so I peeked through our window to see where it was coming from. I saw two men smoking in front of our house, near our bedroom window to where I was. I looked at them hoping that they would go away. The one standing just looked at me. Really annoying! So I slammed the windows shut.

I then told hubby to remind me to keep that area wet before we go to sleep to discourage incosiderate men from smoking on other people’s territory. I silently prayed for rain to pour in every night so I wouldn’t have to go out and do it.

I hope that it would be sunny during the day and rainy at night.

Finally! We’ve got our new TV mounted on our bedroom wall 🙂

When they were finished with the TV, my hubby asked them if they could also mount our wedding photo. Glad they agreed.

Hubby was so happy that he asked me to hurry with their merienda. I was so thankful that our TV and wedding frame were now off the floor. I made sure that the boys would eat before they leave. In case you’re wondering, I keep on referring to them as boys because they were younger than what I expected. They looked like they’re in their early twenties.

My Mom asked me to accompany her to my eldest nephew’s school to get his grades for the first quarter. I don’t usually tag along on card giving days because I find it boring. I’d rather spend my time doing something else. But, this time it’s different. I was compelled to go and talk to his teachers because I was bothered by his tales of bullying and teachers who don’t seem to care.

This morning, I went to school with my parents and my kumare whose kids are studying in the same school. Mom and I waited in line so we could get my nephew’s grades from his class adviser. This is the best time for parents to talk to teachers about their children’s progress and behavior in school. This is why some conversations took longer than usual. Ours is no exception as we several concerns that we would want to be addressed. When our turn came, Mom introduced me to the adviser then she proceeded to talk to her about my nephew. The teacher was very calm and accomodating. She acknowledged our concerns and offered explanations and solutions. When Mom was about to cry as she tell the teacher about my nephew, I began to bring up the topic of bullying. I reminded her about the effects that it would have on kids and adulthood. I suggested that if that particular kid has been bullying most of the kids in class, he should either be transferred to another section or just get homeschooled. He is already destructive and anti-social. The teacher beside the adviser told us that they will escalate the issue to the guidance office. I felt relieved. We thanked the teachers for their time.

I then moved on to another teacher to talk about making fun of the low scores of students. It was a good thing that the school coordinator was just beside him. I introduced myself to him and called his attention to what he did to my nephew and his classmate a few days ago. He said that it was not his intention to ridicule the students. He wanted to motivate them. I told him that being an Education graduate, he should be aware that making fun of kids in front of the class could affect their self-esteem negatively. He agreed. I then reminded him not to do it again. I also told him that we are not fond of confrontations such as that. I explained that repetitive stories of my nephew, who was not keen on bringing his parents or guardians every time that something bad happens in school, bothered and prompted us to take action. I had peace of mind when I left the table. I thanked the teacher and coordinator.

I pray that all school problems such as those will be settled once and for all.

The big move took time to take place. With transition comes decisions, preparations and actions. I call it the Great Transition not only because I have moved from a free blogging platform to a paid domain. It’s also because I have decided to commit to something that will become part of my identity.

You see, this site bears my new name, an indication of a change of status. I decided to retain my father’s last name and hyphenate it with that of my husband’s. It is part of my identity before I got married and I hope to carry it forever. 

My former blog has posts made on an irregular basis. With this new site, I pray to chronicle my thoughts, views, experiences and passions on things big and small daily. I used to write for an audience of three, which includes myself already. Now, I will write for more people, specifically for my unborn baby.