Annoyances

 Today has been a somewhat challenging day for me. Sometimes, little annoyances sneak into your day and your morning or afternoon or whole day is ruined. Don't get me wrong. I am a patient person. I may not be the most patient person in the whole world, but I can keep my temper and I can be understanding. And yet today, my patience was tested when something happened in our garden. 

We love our messy garden. We love the weeds, the overgrown plants in their pots. We love the insects that come and enjoy our strange little garden. We welcome the caterpillars that turn in butterflies and even 2 snails that munch away. We don't mind. We love them all. And yet, sometimes our garden is tampered and prodded and god forbid, trimmed. We have even put a sign saying "Do not trim the plants", "Do not pull the weeds" and "Love the insects and birds" and yet, our instructions are ignored. So annoying really. I don't want to be the one who puts up a fuss but it's just very very frustrating when it's OUR garden and it gets tampered with. I just don't like it. 

Another annoyance today was from another person. Quite demanding, I might add. Her request prickled me to no end. It was very annoying. I was annoyed. To no end. It made me moody all day and I didn't like it. I'm not a biased person but this girl just rubs me off the wrong way. God help me.

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A typhoon is coming. It's a big, scary one. I hope it won't be devastating. I would prefer it not to hit Manila of course, but I also would not want any other place to be affected. So I am hoping that when it comes, it won't be as strong as predicted. Praying and hoping for everyone's safety...

Life Imitates Art

We used to do family photo challenges months ago, before the boys' classes started and it was a lot of fun. A few weeks ago, my sister asked us to do a Halloween photo challenge. We had to imitate a painting as best we could. Of course we had to pick simple ones because 1. we did not want to spend for the challenge and 2. we wanted to use whatever was available at home. So we picked the photos of artworks and this is what we came up with. 😄

It was a lot of fun and maybe we'll do another photo challenge for Christmas. 😄

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Cemeteries will be be closed this All Souls Day and All Saints Day. We are thinking os a way of honoring our dead from home. Hopefully, we will be able to come up with something creative and nice.

I miss my cousin most of all. He is always in my thoughts. I talk to him when something comes up during the day that reminds me of him. I miss him a lot. But I do know he is happy because he is with his mom. Chie, if you are reading this, I love you dearly...

Sick of Covid

 No, I'm not sick WITH Covid. I'm sick OF it. I just want it over with. Ugh. 

I know people will say "get over yourself", "you're lucky you're okay", "you should be grateful you have a roof over your head, you're eating and your family is safe", yada yada yada. And I get it. And I AM grateful, believe me. I'm glad that Ruther is working from home and safe. I'm glad the boys' education is still ongoing despite the epidemic, I'm happy that we are not starving or destitute. Yes, I am glad and grateful.

But sometimes, when you think about it, and you've been stuck at home for 7 months, it can be very trying. Twenty-four/seven chores with very little breaks can take a mental toll on someone. 

Enter April 2020. For 3 whole weeks I was just feeling so lousy. I wasn't in the mood to talk, I wanted to be by myself, I was grouchy, I would think about my cousin who passed and cry, I would not have the energy to do the things that I used to enjoy... It just wasn't me. And I knew it. I didn't talk to my sister who is my confidant. I didn't like to share anything. I just wanted to be alone. But I got out from under that cloud. Eventually. It took some time but I was able to rouse myself and tell myself to just get over it. And somehow I did. Was it all in my head? Maybe. Hormones? For 3 weeks? I don't think so. My sister said it was because of the quarantine. It was taking a toll on me. And I suppose she's right. I's hard to act cheerful all the time at home when you're neck deep in Mommy duties.

Christmas is coming up. And I don't even have the energy to decorate. I just think, what for? Who's going to see the decorations? Who's coming to celebrate? Ugh. So depressing.

Even shopping is dull. You shop online and it just saps the energy from you. Choose, click, add to cart. Ugh.

When I look at our family albums, I really and truly miss our adventures. I'm not talking about travelling outside the Philippines. Just family trips anywhere nearby. We bond, have lunch together, discover new things, new experiences... Now, it's like pulling teeth. I have to constantly think of ideas and research activities for the boys to do at home. It's very time-consuming, stressful and tiring, to be honest. But of course, I still do it. What else can we do at home? Just sit and watch TV? Sigh.

WHY did 2020 have to happen? 😩😩😩You were supposed to be a stupendous year! Now you just suck.

Suspended

 Online classes are suspended today because of Typhoon Quinta. You might think "WHY?" since students are all learning from home but well, internet providers in the Philippines suck so the connection is not very reliable. It would be very stressful and worrisome so I, for one, am glad that mayors considered cancelling online classes today.

Last night I couldn't sleep because it was so blustery. I was worried about the weather and drips and such. Thankfully, the typhoon at this time, is leaving the country so I hope the winds will die down a bit and leave our mango trees in peace. When I see them swaying I ask God to protect the trees because so many birds live in them. In the morning, it's such a joy to hear the birds chirp loudly and non-stop. You don't usually get that in urban places. But here, because of our trees, we are fortunate to have these birds sing to us daily.

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Today was supposed to be a United Nations Day celebration for Enzo. They were supposed to be in costume while having online classes. Too bad. Enzo had his jinbei prepared. We got it from Japan years before and fits Enzo well. It was actually Ruther's. 😝I think it looks nice on him. 😄

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I am so glad the storm is leaving the country. I usually am not so worried about storms and typhoons but this one made me worry so much. I must be getting old. 

I'm Back. We're Back.

It's been a while, I know.

Life happened. It's a long story. Boring stuff. Let's just skip it.

Fast forward to 2020. We're in the middle of a pandemic. We're okay. I hope you're okay. And yes, it's not a joke. We're taking it seriously and we're taking all necessary precautions. 

It's been a hectic several years. For a while, I lost my desire to blog. I don't know why. One day I just did not feel like blogging anymore. Life got so busy and I had to focus on the boys. But now that we're in quarantine and at home, I suppose there's nothing stopping me from blogging again, right?

Our baby is now 10 years old. Can you believe it? He's in Grade 4 and Nikki is in Grade 12! Graduating soon! My babies! Ethan is still homeschooling and just loving his art activities. My sweetie is working from home and for a while, it was quite an adjustment, but it's nice having him home all the time. He gets to be with the boys 24/7 (even if it drives him nuts sometimes) and can interact with them often. Although we're on quarantine, I seem to have my hands full all the time. From cooking meals to keeping the house clean and helping Enzo and Ethan with lessons, there's still not enough hours in a day to accomplish much. I suppose a mom's schedule doesn't change.

School started last August. That's a two-month delay in case you are not from the Philippines and don't have an idea when classes usually begin here (although some universities have already moved their opening of classes to July/August). Adjustment has been huge. Online classes worry me, not for the grading system, but for the screen time. But I will reserve my concerns for another post.

After almost 3 months, Enzo seems to be adjusting nicely. He is most concerned about recitations because he is shy and afraid of making mistakes. So I tell him to just do his best and I will be proud of him whatever the outcome. 

I worry about Nikki's college entrance tests. How will we accomplish those? When will the schedule be? How will we be able to get his documents and forms from his current school? So many questions...

I don't know how many more months of quarantine we will have to endure. It's definitely trying, I'm not going to lie. Last April I was in such a funk I couldn't even recognize myself. My sister said it was because of staying cooped up for weeks. I don't know. I was so cranky and moody (no, it wasn't my period) and I wanted to be alone all the time. It was so weird. Thankfully, I got out of that funk and yes, we are thriving. 

Will I continue blogging? Yes. Will it be soon? Hopefully. I always liked writing (or typing) down my thoughts and I suppose I shouldn't stop now. So yes, I will write again and I will be seeing you soon. :)