Bedroom talk

When we transferred to our current home last March, one of my goals was to really decorate the other room for our then unborn Alonzo.  I had a really bad case of what people on the internet call "nesting"  which is, as the term suggests, a behavior particular to mother birds who busy themselves preparing the nest for the cute little baby birds.  I just wanted Alonzo to have a nice playroom even though he wouldn't have any idea about it.  Basically, it was for me really.  :)

The baby room before my hormones suggested I needed to fix it up

I had tons of ideas really.  I grew a love and hate relationship with Pinterest back then because almost everything in there were just so pretty that I wanted to just put it all in the room.  So, I decided to go easy and make something to stick/hang on the walls first.  I was almost 8 months preggers then and I felt so heavy, so I thought the wall decor would be manageable.

Phase 1

 I made the wall decals in Photoshop (thank God I paid attention in college) and had in printed on sticker.  Then I reused old frames I had and also bought a few cheap ones. I really didn't have photos to put since Alonzo was still inside my tummy then.  I was wary to put our photos IN HIS ROOM too. I mean, who likes their parents' photos- being sweet and all- inside their room?  So I went ahead and downloaded free photos from the internet.  I also used his ultrasound photos and paintings given to us by friends. I will write about the wall decors in a separate entry. :)

When I gave birth, the room overhaul was put to a pause.  I let it be for a few months, but I had a plan to continue with the improvements when Alonzo was bigger.

Alonzo was about 5 months when I decided I needed to continue the work so he can play in it (and also so Jerome and I can have a little bit of time together without Alonzo inside the room).  The first thing I did was to paint the room. I badly wanted to paint the whole room, but that would be too tiring. Plus, I had already put on the wall decals.  It would take me more time and effort to paint around it or remove them.  So, I just decided to paint a part of the room. I then gave his cabinet a new look by also painting it.  I went for more gender neutral colors like gray, yellow and white.  I really want to have a big family, 4 kids to be exact (that used to be 6, but I had a C-Section so that dream had to leave. :p). The future babies will have to share this room with Kuya Alonzo. :)

Now sharing some photos of the baby's room. It's not anything grand, but I love this room so much because it made me realize that I can do pretty things out of love.  :) <3 Awww, shucks.:p

Tada!!

A very very bad photo of the cabinet before the new paint

The newly painted cabinet. I will share in a separate entry how I painted the chevron patterns. :)

This chair was owned by Jerome's grandparents.  We had the cushions reupholstered. :)

Bongga ka 'Day

I love Friday nights.  Close friends would know that Friday nights are sacred to Jer and I.  Ever since God blessed us with Alonzo, it is inevitable to not pay attention to him.  That's why we made a commitment to go out and have good dinner on Friday nights.  It's our alone time, and it's also our chance to discuss "things" as we are quite limited from doing that at home since we have to keep the "peace" (we often end up in passionate arguments.  Married folks, you know what I mean).

As much as possible we try not to talk about his work, because we get to talk about it the rest of the week at dinners at home. We try to talk about important stuff: our family's future, our walk with God, mmmm well other people (not often), and basically anything we can think of. As for me,  I love trivial stuff.  I love talking to Jerome about seemingly nonsense stuff.  But, I love to surprise him when the topic actually takes a turn for the interesting in the end.

Just like how I ended this night with a simple question:

"Don't you find the term Inday or 'Day derogatory?"

First of all, I don't mean to offend anyone with my question.  It was really just a matter of exchanging opinions about a harmless question.

Of course, I asked because I admittedly feel bad when I hear someone call a kasambahay Inday. I'm sure people have their own reasons why they do this, and I am not here to say their reasons are wrong.  I understand that it is something of preference, and maybe, I'm just not that used to it.

Growing up, I had Nana who was my loving yaya since age 0.  I called her Ate as a sign of respect since she was older (but not too old).  We had other kasambahays too, but we called them by their name. We sometimes use Ate for all of them, but I don't remember my Mom calling anyone of them Inday or 'Day.

I am not discounting the fact too that Inday or Manang can mean Ate in Ilonggo.  My Mom's from Capiz and she would often refer to her older sisters and cousins as Inday or Manang.  For some, I know they use it as a term of endearment.

But what I don't understand is-why is Inday WIDELY and IMMENSELY used to refer to kasambahays?  TV and movie characters use them.  We use them in kasambahay jokes.  But really, if you mean Inday to be a term of endearment or another term to mean Ate, then why not call the cashier Inday?  Why not call the waitress Inday?  Really why not?

Am I wrong to feel bad about it?  Am I actually the one who's negative here by creating a new issue altogether with something not that big of a deal?

Oh and don't get me started with "teh" and "kuya."  I've undeniably called millions teh and kuya, I'm not going to act all self-righteous here. But I can't help but wonder, when is it really appropriate?  Why would I cringe if I hear someone call a bank teller teh, but would consider it as the norm when I'm in the market?  I've tried to stay away from calling strangers teh or kuya, and went with the safer "miss" or "sir."  Or if all else fails, I just say "excuse me" out loud to get their attention.

Maybe it's the way people have abused these terms in several situations?  I really don't know exactly what turns me off.

Or maybe, secretly, I'm judgmental too.

Yeah maybe that's it.  

I guess my point is, we all have names.  Our parents have spent a considerable amount of time thinking of the perfect name for us.  That's me speaking from experience.  It took us months and a book to decide what to name our first son.  Alonzo Mathias doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but to him it does (or it will).  To us it does.

There is a reason why restaurant servers have name plates. Surprise! It's for you to know their names so you can call them with it.  Kasambahays have names too!  Elna, Apple, Marissa, Victoria, Mercy, Sophie.. whatever. They have a name like you and me.  So why not call them with their names?

Again, I can't fail to emphasize that I'm also trying to understand why I feel so negative about it. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated too.  Do you think Inday, Day, or teh is derogatory?  Would you feel bad if someone called you other than your name?

Tell me about it!

    

Motherhood S01E08

Finally the baby's sleeping.

Now, if only I can manage to keep up with this "silent typing"  then I can keep him asleep for a few more hours (or minutes) so I can FINALLY get this blog started.

Where do I begin? Hmm.

I'm now a mom to an awesome boy named Alonzo. I'm relatively new in this whole parenting thing so I am still learning the ropes on most days. I've only been a mother for 8 months, but I can truly say that it is the most most most mostEST beautiful thing in this world!  I absolutely love being a mom!  

Since I gave birth, my husband Jerome and I decided that I should give the corporate jungle a rest for a bit. Not because it was too stressful, but we both felt that God was leading us to a totally different season. We both took the plunge, and we haven't regretted it.  Seeing Alonzo grow everyday is incomparable.   

So now,  if I don't have my hands full with mommy duties, I find myself googling for stuff to do at home.  I've been keeping myself busy with DIY stuff, which on most days annoys my husband. HA, the JOYS of family life. I really wanted to keep myself busy so I won't be bored (and annoyed) with the routines of being a stay at home mom.  

And then it hit me. Why not make a blog out of it?  I was not too sure at first because I might not be able to update it regularly because I have to keep an eye on the little one.  And yes also, I might be too LAZY.  But nah. I must always fight the urge to just sit on the couch, sleep when the baby's asleep, eat, and eat some more.  Believe me, these things are not so easy to avoid when you're just at home.

I created this blog not to brag about stuff that I've come up with. Really no.  I'm using precious cyberspace to inspire other SAHMs (Stay At Home Moms) out there that THERE IS LIFE ASIDE FROM THE BABIES. Yes there is! And I'm also here to encourage you that it doesn't hurt to redecorate your home. Surprise the spouse (good surprises only please) by letting him come home to an organized and beautiful home.  And when I say organized and beautiful, I don't mean expensive.  You can always give new life to old stuff--that's exactly what I like about DIY.  Plus, it won't hurt the husband's pockets too! :)

I am also not an expert at this. I didn't have a degree in Interior Design or Architecture, heck, or even Art.  I just love to look at nice things and somehow bring them to our home.  I also love functional stuff.  So when I find some stuff expensive in stores, I make them.  I'm not a success 100% of the time though.  Most of the projects I've done are disappointments too!  So don't be afraid to try!

Let's get started!