PLAYGROUND COTTAGES HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

SAHM – Officially.Posted by admin on April 30th, 2008

May 1st.
My resignation took effect yesterday. I left the office, for the last time, at 9PM. I left with a very heavy heart. It took a great deal of effort to convince myself NOT to cry.

It was all so bittersweet for me. That was my first job, and I lasted five years. What was supposed to be a temporary money solution while I work got extended because I need to get married, I got pregnant, then I needed to support the family. Then I got promoted and work became something I really loved.

I guess it’s also bittersweet in a way that this is totally life-changing for me. Im not dreading staying at home – Im so looking forward to it. Time with the kids. Focus on me. Good stuff.

But when you leave a job that has so much memories – it hurts.I grew up there. I had friends. Too many happy and sad memories.

Bittersweet.
That’s what April 30 meant.

UpgradedPosted by admin on April 30th, 2008

My Wordpress is now upgraded to 2.5. Done without any problems because my hosting rocks (Well, actually my hostess rocks!). Thanks Amore

Now to customize this blog some more with plugins and a spanking theme.

Going (Window) Shopping.Posted by admin on April 30th, 2008

I finally got the chance to drool for some gadgets today. Forget about my search for the perfect furniture and kitchen equipments for the new house. If money wasnt an issue, I’d have the latest gadgets known to man. That is one area where the husband and I really agree on – technology and over-all geekiness. With scrapbooking (digital) as a hobby, a camera, printer, scanner, laptop – all high quality of course – becomes a need. I already have the Canon Digital Rebel (EOS400d) and a pink Dell Inspiron 1525 (customized of course). The scanner we have is a Canon Lide Scanner (flatbed). So other than a few lenses I want for the Rebel – Ive been eyeing the macro lens, I need a printer.

The question is, shall I go Epson or HP? (Ive been pretty loyal to Canon all my life but scrapbookers have been recommending Epson a lot).

The Epson R800 printer is a very recommended printer among scrapbookers – the only setback I have is their ink is quite expensive. I might convince my husband to buy me that though. Note that Ive been trying to convince him for two months already. I think it is bad timing with the house move and expenses piling up (in addition to my resignation). I like having to window shop online at Mpire.com as they provide comparison on prices on different shops.

And for somebody who downloads GBs of stuff on the web (mp3s, korean dramas and scrapbooking kits), I need an external hard drive to serve as a back up of my stuff. I pretty much have decided on a Western Digital My Book™ Essential Edition 2.0 (1000 GB) 1 TB USB Hard Drive – just waiting for a sale and the big baby will be mine . I think I will get a 500GB for a back of the back up too.

There goes my gadget needs. I hope extra money will come in so I can finally buy them.

Re-chargedPosted by admin on April 29th, 2008

That is me after getting myself my me time (surfing the web for half a day without interruptions).

I feel like I have caught up with “everybody” (my online friends) and accomplished many things. I realized how much I depend on the internet to keep me connected to the world. Sounds scary to think about it.

Anyhow, Im now updated with the news, my daily dose of Korean dramas, Hollywood pap, nursing forums, toddler center stories and surfed the web with possible scrapbooking layouts.

Im good.

Me Time.Posted by admin on April 29th, 2008

After 10 days, me time – minus the kidlets – at last.

Im now at the office trying to tie up loose ends before my resignation takes effect by tomorrow. My officemates are treating me out to lunch today and tomorrow and I plan to eat all the food I will have a hard time looking for once I retire to the ‘burbs again. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret resigning from my job – it’s just being a mommy without a nanny, taking care of two kids – I need a day off too.

So now, Im enjoying a bit of uninterrupted time of surfing the world wide web before I finally buckle down to work.

Today is the day.Posted by admin on April 28th, 2008

Today is the day we are going to go broke.

We are supposed to buy a ref for the house and fans (we have three rooms and a living room with only one fan – how sad). And we are also supposed to have my eldest tested for his entrance exams in two schools we have narrowed down for him. I dont know if all this would push through though. I have a lot to do today – one of them to apply for internet and cable connection at the house and change all mailing addresses for our bills to our new one.

I think the list is endless. *sigh*.

Today is also the day I will try to convince a close family friend to submit himself to rehab. He has been hooked on alcohol for the longest time and we were all in denial that he is addicted and getting himself more hooked than ever – he was able to maintain his job and wasn’t really violent. However, things are spiralling down as the drinking spree has become nightly and he can gulp down one bottle of brandy in one night. He has been really depressed and alcohol was his way of coping. So he really needs to undergo alcohol rehab. I think we will be doing this the medical way and make sure he gets alcohol detox before we start on counselling and therapy. I dont know why he would be depressed as he has a very happy family but I guess you will never know what really goes in inside of him, right? It can be childhood issues, job pressures, identity problems – we really do not know. I just know being addicted to alcohol is like drug addiction as well.

Habits.Posted by admin on April 25th, 2008

One of the sites I usually go to when I NEED inspiration and thoughful insights in Zen Habits. I just like how he makes everything so simple and uncomplicated and make everything seem DO-ABLE.

This post did me in.

“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” – Mark Twain

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun

13 Things to Avoid When Changing Habits:

1. Taking on two or more habits at once. We’ve all done this. I want to learn to wake early, and to start running, and to eat healthier, and to be more organized, and to write every day … all at once! But no matter how much enthusiasm we have for all of these goals, taking on even just two habits at once is setting ourselves up for failure. I’ve tried it. Many times. It’s certainly possible, but it’s not for those of us who have difficulty changing habits (I think that’s nearly all of us). I would estimate that you triple or even quadruple your chances of success if you focus on one habit at a time, for one month at a time. Devote all of your energy to that habit change, and once it’s on autopilot, move on to the next one. Knock ‘em down one at a time. Read the rest of this entry »

We Need a Break.Posted by admin on April 25th, 2008

We are back in the city for now. We arrived earlier today hoping we can take the children to their pediatrician as planned – guess what? We slept in and woke up at 6PM. So naturally, I know we will be staying up late tonight. It is also the first time we got to be with the husband and I got to admit it really is easier when he is around – like I get to have my own timeout. I also have a sounding board when I get frustrated. Adjusting to him working in the city while we stay in the suburbs will be more hard work than I imagined it to be. (Especially now that we have a bigger house).

I promise as soon as we get settled and things are “easier” with regards to the money aspect, I’m taking the husband on a well-deserved break – just the two of us. We still havent found a helper for us in the house but Im sure I can request my mom to look out for the kids for a day. Since we live near Tagaytay already, I would be taking him to a picnic, complete with a picnic time picnic basket with everything else with grand flair!

I can get that here.

I also promise Ill make sure to to book the Boutique this year – which means I need to lose weight BIG time so I can enjoy the view at the tub

Help a Cousin of a Sister-in-Law.Posted by admin on April 24th, 2008

The power of connections.

Im trying to help a cousin of my sister-in-law plan their wedding. Ever since my wedding in 2005, most of my relatives come to me for advice and referrals for possible wedding suppliers. I still smile whenever I think how perfect my wedding was and how the husband made it all possible even with three months of wedding planning. Anyhow, this cousin actually resides in Canada but will have all the wedding supplies made here so it will be cheaper. They will splurging for their honeymoon in Hawaii – since the weather in Canada is most of the time freezing, they want to bask in the sun for two weeks. Here comes the power of connection. Since I have two of my cousins live in Hawaii, I get to refer her as well. They will be staying in a villa in Kona Beach. One good thing about travelling in Hawaii is their car rental services. Hawaii Car Rental has the best rates online at this site: www.carrentalhawaii.net. You dont have to pay in advance. You just have to pay when you arrive there, you get to receive a confirmation number of your booking without payment and there is no fee for young drivers. (They are young, the cousin is only 19). It is such a convenient thing because they provide rentals at the Kona Airport where they will be arriving. And, they got a Jeep Wrangler, which they want to absolutely try – it is only $225 for a week. I suggest you compare car rentals in Hawaii first, if ever you have plans. But so far, this is the lowest rate I have found and my cousins approved it so Im recommending it to them.

Right Decision.Posted by admin on April 23rd, 2008

It seems we made the right decision.

You Should Live in the Suburbs

Like many people, you like the city – but you don’t want to live in it. For you, the suburbs is the perfect compromise. You can enjoy the city as much as you want, but you have a quiet, safe neighborhood to come home to.