Happy Birthday, Shoti!!! :)

My earliest memories with my brother were playing "school" with him. I was the teacher and he was the student.  Oh, along with that were the instances we pretended to be characters of the show Bioman with the other kids of our compound.  He waa Blue 3 and I was Yellow 4.  Fun times!

We do have our own fights and disagreements growing up, but as papa would always say "dalawa nalang nga kayo, kailangan magmahalan kayong dalawa", so as we matured, we have learned the value of sticking together and being each other's ally.

My brother is a big part of who I have become.  Even if I'm the older one. I am learning a lot from him.  He's loyal, trustworthy, responsible and has a good sense of humor.  He is also one of the people who would remind me to love and take care of myself even if I am so stressed taking care of the kids.

My relationship with my shoti is one of the reasons why I wanted Ben to have a sibling.  A sibling relates to you in a way that no one else can, from inside jokes, to your moods, to what it's like being raised by your parents, there are some things that only a brother and sister can fully understand. I pray that Ben and the twins would have a good relationship with each other just as I have with JP and Bry with his siblings.

Happy Birthday, Shoti! I wish you good health, happiness and most of all, prosperity (which I know you will share with your nephew and nieces, hehe!) Love you! 

My mommy time-out list :)

When you deal with young kids, you are faced with someone dealing with several kinds of emotions all throughout the day.  At Ben's age, he has been taught to try to regulate his emotions and use his words.   I'm not expecting him to be very good at it yet.  After all, even I myself have days when I want to just explode.  I admit, between Bryant and I, it is me that needs more work in keeping calm and not let my emotional breakdowns get the best of me.  I'm motivated to try harder not just for me but most especially for my kids.  After all, I can't expect them to behave if I can't.  

In my attempt to be more level headed and not add fuel to the fire by having my own tantrums when the kids are being challeging, here are some quick things I've been trying

1. Sing a calming song - my favorite (weird as it may seems) is Anima Cristi and You are my Sunshine - I do this when the twins are giving me a hard time at

night

2. Take a quick cool shower - sometimes, you feel better when you physically cool down 

3. Pray - I pray the rosary - it's repetitive, like meditating, or directly talk to God and ask for more patience

4. Swim, Jog or Dance to some feel good music - release that frustration!

5, Schedule a mommy date - sometimes what you need is to look forward to some adult conversation with someone who understands what you are going through.

6. Read a short feel good story - I'd suggest a book but maybe a chapter perhaps if there's not enough time

7. Watch an episode of your favorite sitcom - the distraction could calm you down

8.  Write about what you're feeling - doesn't have to be long.  Or color or paint - these calming tasks work for both kids and adults 

9,  Take deep breaths and think about 3 things you are grateful for

10.  Look at old videos or photos of the kids - and realize how much they've grown 

I am a work in progress.  Sometimes I forget (or I'm too proud) to pass the kids to someone more calmer and get back to them when I'm feeling better.  I hope that this list is a start of me trying to improve myself as a mom, and perhaps it can help others, too.

Anything else you'd like to suggests parents do in their "time-out"? :)