PLAYGROUND COTTAGES HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

Third and Fourth Parts: To-Do's.Posted by admin on April 23rd, 2008

This will be the agenda for the week:

Today and tomorrow, I will be fixing all the things we can get here at my parents’ place into the new house (the treadmill included – Im so excited about that!). Friday I will take the kids with me to the city for their pediatrician check-up. I want to make sure they get a clean bill of health before we finally reside in the suburbs. There were symptoms of hepatitis cases going on a few towns away and I wanted to make sure we are also up to date with the vaccination of the kids and their boosters.

Friday night I continue packing (all major appliances and albums and my knick knacks are still there) and Sunday morning we move to Amadeo. Hopefully, everything will be as smooth as before.

I miss having my own space here. We have a desktop and two laptops with two desks. So I camp here and there. It’s hard to find my time, which I steal when the daughter is sleeping (Thankfully she sleeps long hours in the afternoon – like now).

I will update our move here and make this into an album someday.
Love this idea.

Second Part: DonePosted by admin on April 23rd, 2008

The house is spikingly clean, ready to be moved in. We just need to move over the big appliances and we are ready to stay there. Thank God for helpers. I got two helpers to clean the house and now even the garden and backyard are clean. I cant wait to plant some flowering plants – one day at a time, I say. Anyhow, all the things are going perfectly for us. Even the problem with (lack of) money seems so little as compared to how smooth the move has been going.

Safe house.
Clean house.

What next?

Today, we went to three prospective schools for my eldest. One school really stood out to me. The building, church, gymnasium, classrooms and bathrooms were mighty impressive. The one thing that drew me back was the summer program all new students need to go through next month. My son hasnt even enjoyed his summer vacation yet! The other school is not so impressive but the boy wanted it. The last one was OK – given that I wanted there first. I still need to consult with the husband how we go with that stage of the house move.

Lesson Learned.Posted by admin on April 23rd, 2008

The main reason why I named this blog Winding Creek Circle is because like the shape of the circle, I believe there are simply no ends to everything, we all just go round and round albeit with different situations. It would all boil down to this: We all come full circle.

And that holds true today. More than ever.
I love how you believe in things that come full circle.

Me Time.Posted by admin on April 22nd, 2008

Finally.
I get to be able to finally enjoy my coffee and net time today. The baby woke up at the ungodly hour of 6AM demanding for milk but so graciously slept again. I had to force myself to get up though. I promise to use my dad’s treadmill here. A treadmill that is soon to be mine! I asked for it last year jokingly, when we were planning to move to the area, and my dad said yes.

I had time to practice on it yesterday and came to one conclusion – I need shoes. Good running shoes. It is a good thing that I was able to find a very informative article on tips on the types of running shoes and what is good for flat-footed women like me (who are also obese).

I have long been a Nike Fan so naturally Id like Nike Shox – most especially when they are discounted AND in pink:

However, Id heard great things about the Adidas a3 Cushion Shoe and am tempted to give it a try.

Thanks to the article I read, I found out flat-footed women like me need motion control running shoes or high-stability running shoes. And a search on those categories led me to this:

It’s the Adidas Women’s Response TR 14 Running Shoe.

Goodbye Nike.
Hello Adidas

I.am.so.tired.Posted by admin on April 21st, 2008

Forgive me while I rant some more.

I just cried my eyes out in frustration with my eldest, who was crying because he didnt want to sleep yet. He cried so hard and LOUD – mind you, we are in a place where it eerily becomes quiet by 7PM. And everytime I told him to stop crying, he’d cry crocodile tears louder.

He only stopped when I started crying.
I swear, this is a mixture of hormones (the flag is up), the changes, physical tiredness, single mommy pity (husband is away), and the fact I was craving for some me time (I also needed to work my sideline gigs).

I will get used to this.

Tomorrow is a new day.

First Part: DonePosted by admin on April 21st, 2008

So I had an eletrician check all the wiring and outlets in the house, installed new bulbs and then had all the doorknobs replaced. Phase one: security of the house done. Tomorrow we go to phase two: general deep cleaning. Since I dont have a maid yet, people here are kind enough to refer me to helpers who I can pay per day. I’ll get one tomorrow and have the place looking shiny and clean for the husband. I was wallowing in self-pity awhile ago since I get to do all the dirty job – unpack, clean and make sure the house becomes a home, AND still be a nanny/mommy/poo washer to the kids without the husband. But I realized I can really do it, as long as the husband gives me money to hire help Now, once phase three is complete, I can now demand the installation of my workspace – I got some leftover shelves from the old house. I just need an adjustable desk so that I can do some crafts while the kids are sleeping. I want to have a worktable. Hopefully, everything can be accomplished before I go back to the city by Friday.

Ill get used to this.Posted by admin on April 21st, 2008

Since my youngest is now staying with me (she got to stay with my parents during weekdays when I needed to work), it is such a great but hard and frustrating learning process to get to know her again – her little quirks and antics. Obviously, I need more info how to clue in to her needs – like when she gets sleepy, how she needs to eat and all her fascinating little hobbies (like looking for spiders). And that talking about lizards calms her down. Seriously.

Case in point – last night. My daughter has a weird habit these days of waking in the middle of the night with the urge to watch Elmo. So last night, I didnt have the strength to get my dose of surfing the web since we moved some boxes to the new house. We were all dead beat and slept by 10pm. She woke up at 2AM saying ‘Bee bee” *(TV). We ended up watching three DVDs of Elmo and slept again by 4.30am. So we woke up together at 10AM. Banishing my ME time in the morning.

This gets easier, right?

Day One: Life in the SuburbsPosted by admin on April 21st, 2008

We are now staying in the suburbs. The daughter is sleeping so I can finally have some me time with technology. Internet has not been connected yet at the house so I get my internet fix at my parents’ house five minutes away. One thing I need to adjust with here is how people say some place is so near yet it really is far, and that by near, you can be qualified to walk as long as one can run on track. So when I say 5 minutes away, I actually mean that it is near but you need a ride to get here. Five minutes is close because there is no traffic (and no cars for that matter). My agenda for the day is to have the doorknobs replaced and the lightbulbs installed (see earlier post). When we moved yesterday, I realized I cannot live with a gate that is as high as my son’s height. People in the suburbs are generally friendly (and nosy) that I would freak out if a neighbor leans over the gate to make small talk. Trust me, Im anti-social on that aspect (Leave me alone! ) On the other hand, the husband is making friends here and there – too bad he wont stay during weekdays at home since he still needs to work in the city. Appliance Parts for cooking needs to be bought this week too. We need a gas range stove and the tubes that tie it to the gas tank – so I can finally cook.

I think the move will be harder for me than I thought. It is a big thing to move houses, but to move house to a different setting, quitting your job, doing more demanding work as a stay-at-home-mom with no maid at all and with nosy neighbors….ack. Im so negative.

But during these days, I think Im allowed to be at some point one time or another.

The Move Begins.Posted by admin on April 20th, 2008

We just finished unloading the first batch of boxes at the house earlier. We still might need three more road trips, as we are just using an IPV truck which is not that big. Tomorrow, I really hope to be able have the doorknobs replaced and the lights installed so we can begin the hard cleaning of the house. We plan to really move in by May 1 so that give me one week to clean. It is hard because the husband needs to work so Im alone to take care of two kids and then I need to coordinate everything with the house repairs. The stress is beginning to kill me as I have been unnaturally quiet in the house (read: always staring into space).

Prioritize.

That is what needs to be done. Im now looking at ShopWiki for some must-needs in general cleaning. (It is hard when I am really undomesticated – that’s a skeleton out of my closet!). So far, we need to replace doorknobs (for security) and light bulbs. The house still has the yellow light bulbs which I found out consumes more energy from reading the light bulb buying guide. The fluorescent light bulbs are the ones that can really save electricity (and gives more light). Light controls are another option, if money was not tight, so we can easily dim everything.

Now that we are really on our own, it maybe best if I actually start learning how to be a Jane of all trades, most especially since I will be staying at home now. I need basic tools and hardware to make sure whatever small hiccup we experience at the house can easily be fixed. I need a toolbox. What to get into that toolbox is another question.

We have bed linens already for the beds. We really just need more shelves.

The list never ends.

My Dream Office Space.Posted by admin on April 17th, 2008

Just think Pottery Barn and I think you’ve got it. Ive been in love with the Bedford Modular System for awhile now as it looks homey with lots of space and functionality.

Here are some of the workstations I love:

Edil and I like the second one better but that is saved when we get a house of our own. At least we agreed on something – the look and feel of the house we want! (Think lots of wood and neutral furnitures with a splash of color).

Now, I am so copying this space by my friend, Gloria:

It’s perfect for small spaces and perfectly doable too In fact, I already have the bookcases and photo cube boxes (in green though). It came with the box she packed for me. I have G, like hers too . If only I can get a chair like that in green as well.

I hope my space can be fixed as soon as we move into the house. We have some leftover plywood I can get painted or varnished.