Motherhood, Marriage and Me: working mom

Showing posts with label working mom. Show all posts

MOTHERHOOD: The Surprising Treatment That Cures Swollen, Itchy Mosquito Bites

Wow, this article truly a surprises for me. If you have this product sitting on your cupboard, take it out and keep it in your purse as it will be handy anytime, now that it's rainy season when mosquitos are having a feast.

This article was originally posted on Yahoo!

Not too long ago, my boyfriend and I went to the Dominican Republic to visit his family. I was prepared for the humidity, the fast-paced Spanish, and the endless servings of plantains, but I wasn’t ready for the hordes of mosquitoes. “They bite foreigners more than natives,” my boyfriend warned, and he was right. After just one evening (despite sleeping under a netted canopy!), my legs were covered in huge, blotchy marks that were nearly impossible to resist itching.

After seeing all my bites, my boyfriend’s mother passed me a tub of Vicks VapoRub ($5), swearing it would cure them. I was pretty apprehensive. I seem to be particularly sensitive to mosquitoes, because each of my bites turns into a quarter-sized welt that mars my skin for over a week. But I tried out the remedy on a few spots, mostly out of respect to my potential mother-in-law. To my great surprise, not only was the itching quickly soothed, but each bump faded in a few short days! Turns out the product is used for many ailments in DR, including headaches, fevers, toenail fungus, and more. (It reminded me a lot of Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.)

According to NYC dermatologist Dr. Neal Schultz, host of DermTV.com and creator of BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz, there’s some solid science behind this homeopathic remedy. “Three of the ingredients (menthol, camphor, and thymol) are topical analgesics,” he explained. “They create a cooling sensation and stop the itching.”

The VapoRub was also responsible for flatting each bite, thanks to the formula’s nutmeg oil. This essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as pain-relieving and redness-reducing benefits. (That’s why it makes such a good at-home acne treatment.) Finally, the cedarleaf oil in Vicks acts as a natural mosquito repellent! Sometimes moms really do know best — I’ll never go on another tropical vacation without stashing a jar in my suitcase.

RECIPE: Halloween Cakes

Before we do shopping spree for Christmas, let's plan for Halloween first. My son reminds every now and then that he wants to be Spiderman on Halloween so that made me look for homemade ideas for his much anticipated costume.

Then I found these wonderful DIY cakes for Halloween that excites me to share with his friends. What do you think?

MOTHERHOOD: Your Body After a Night of Not-Enough Sleep

Who can relate? And I raised my hand - ME! ME! ME!

Funny indeed.

MOTHERHOOD: Bestselling Book Promises Kids Will Fall Asleep at Bedtime

Reading has a calming effect to many, that is why when we read we get sleepy.
It's good to practice children reading at least 20 minutes a day. Studies have shown that reading helps children academically. Reading to them before they sleep is a special time between you and your child. So grab any book tonight and read to them.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/best-selling-book-promises-kids-will-fall-asleep-126940733592.html

A book called The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep claims to help children have a restful and long sleep. (Photo: Getty Images)

Good news for parents of children who either refuse to go to bed or have sleeping issues: A book called The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep promises to change that.

While the book was published in April 2014, it’s recently skyrocketed in popularity, topping the Amazon bestseller list — a first for a self-published book — and even outselling Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman and Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train. And its Facebook page has 20,000 likes and rave reviews from parents who bought the book. According to Amazon, Roger’s story is “a quick and guaranteed way to help your child relax in the evening or during a nap.”

The 26-page book, written by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, a Swedish psychologist and linguist, uses psychological tricks and positive-reinforcement methods to soothe children to sleep. The premise is simple: Roger the Rabbit is so tired but he can’t fall asleep, so he and Mommy Rabbit visit “Uncle Yawn.” On their way, they bump into Sleepy Snail and Heavy-Eyed Owl, both of whom offer advice on how to catch some z’s. After Uncle Yawn sprinkles magical sleeping powder on Roger, he’s able to make it home and fall asleep in his bed.

Kids are encouraged to yawn throughout the story and emphasize key phrases to help them drift off, and parents can insert their child’s name into the story to immerse them.

How legit is the book as a sleep aid? Very, if you take these ominous warnings seriously: “Even if this book is harmless to use, the author and the publisher take no responsibility for the outcome,” and parents are discouraged from reading the book “close to someone driving any type of vehicle.”

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep (Photo: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

“It’s the verbal equivalent of rocking your child to sleep,” Ehrlin, of Jonkoping University in Sweden, told the U.K.’s Daily Express. “[It helps] the child focus on relaxation and become part of the story.”

And parents on Amazon agree. While the book only has 14 reader reviews, it’s acquired 4.4 stars. “Both of us were asleep before the book was over. [Definitely] becoming part of our bedtime routine!” one parent wrote after reading the story to her “night owl” son. Wrote another, “Our 9 month old daughter has been wild at bedtime, and we’ve tried so many methods of calming her, but this has been the first thing to get her into sleep mode in under 20 minutes.”

Even a person named Jacob, who gave the book only 1 star, could hardly critique its effectiveness, although he did have a valid concern. “Bought the audio book so I could have my son listen to it in the car,” he wrote. “But I ended up falling asleep at the wheel and crashed my car. This book ended up costing me $3,000 for all the damages to my car, and ended up putting my son’s and my life in danger. I definitely do not recommend this product, and warn people not to listen to it in their car.”

Roger’s exhaustive search for sleep is reminiscent of the 1947 classic Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Unlike the fantastical nature of The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, Goodnight Moon used a style of writing called the “here and now” to make bedtime tempting to children. According to a story published by Mental Floss, back then, narratives that focused on children’s daily routines were unexplored territory, which contributed to the book’s success. The modern bedtime story has evolved to books such as the 2011 bestseller Go the F*** to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, dubbed a “children’s book for adults.”

As the mother of a 13-month-old boy who isn’t sleep-trained, I’ve ordered The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, and I’m eager to embark on Roger’s adventure — even if I don’t stay awake to finish the story.

MOTHERHOOD: Mom’s Striking Photo 3 Days After Giving Birth Sparks Honest Confessions

(Photo: Yahoo!)

This photo has gone viral and reached 15,000 times share. This is a photo of a new mom experiencing post-partum on the 3rd day after giving birth.

She is Danielle Haines and she gave birth to her lovely son in November 2014. At first, the photo looks disturbing and very unhappy until you read the caption on her Facebook stating "This is a picture of me 3 days postpartum. I was so raw and so open, I was a f***ing mess. I loved my baby, I missed his daddy (he went back to work that day), I was mad at my mom, my heart hurt for my brother because my mom left us and now I had a little boy that looked like him, my nipples were cracked and bleeding, my milk was almost in, my baby was getting really hungry, I was feeling sad that people kill babies, like on purpose, I had not slept since I went into labor, I didn’t know how to put my boobs away, my vagina was sore from sitting on it while nursing constantly, I was kinda [losing] my mind.”

Being pregnant is hard enough, more so if it's the first time. You are on a whirlwind romance with hormones. Giving birth, nursing a child and feeling alone are tremendously nightmare. The photo may be distress but if we will look at it on a different perspective, it is moving. This photo shows that post-partum depression is happening and it is real. This represents how vulnerable a mother could get most especially if no one is beside her to go through all that is happening. Giving birth is a happy occasion but when you are lonely and feel alone, it can be a disaster.

So for all the moms-to-be and moms in the same situation, fellow mom here behind you and supporting you all the way. You can do it:)

Her story was originally posted in Yahoo Parenting!

MOTHERHOOD: Things I Never Understood About My Mother — Until Now

August is a Mother's Month in Thailand and in celebration of this wonderful women in our lives, I'd like to share with you how motherhood change our principles and beliefs in many of us.

Check this article. Which ones can you relate to?

Link:https://sg.news.yahoo.com/8-things-i-never-understood-about-my-mother-121622308864.html

Photo courtesy of Lori Garcia

When it comes to motherhood, it’s hard to say who shapes who more — the mother or the child. And even though moms parent with varying moments of warmth, understanding, rigidity, and spontaneity, devotion remains at the heart of each and every one.

But mom’s unconditional love doesn’t mean her methods are always easily understood. My mom was an amazing woman full of love and gentle guidance, but there were plenty of times I didn’t grasp her reasoning. It wasn’t clear to me why she’d lead me to independence only to keep me on what sometimes felt like a short leash, or why she trusted me, but not necessarily those around me. Before I was a mother, I didn’t understand that to her I was everything — her only child; the greatest love of her life.

If I had to round up the biggest quandaries that defined my development, these eight momisms perhaps say them best:

1. “Friendships in threes are hard.”

Growing up next door to two besties, there wasn’t a week that went by when two of us weren’t on the outs with the third (and we each took turns being the third). My mom used to always say, “Friendships in threes are hard,” and she was right, although that’s not to say our friendship wasn’t worth the sometimes struggle. Just ask Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe.

2. “Piano lessons are a privilege.”

From the ages of 4-12 I was, ahem, “privileged” to take approximately 416 piano lessons. And even though I made a solemn promise to myself that I would never, ever, under any circumstance insist the same of my child, those piano lessons taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, and even posture. Plus, I can still play the theme to Ice Castles … SO WORTH IT.

3. Half of all money goes to savings.

It didn’t matter whether my grandpa slipped me $5 on the sly or my aunt mailed me $20 in a birthday card, my mom hijacked half of all money I received to deposit into my savings account. Giving up half of the mad money I’d spend on Hello Kitty gel pens and Bath & Body Works glitter lotion wasn’t easy, but saving enough money to purchase my first used car made it worthwhile.

4. Allowing me to play hooky from school.

For as Type-A a mom as she was, she’d let me ditch school a few days a year for a little mother-daughter bonding time. At the time I thought my mom was just being uncharacteristically cool, but I now understand that these mommy-daughter ditch days were her way of staying connected to me at an age when I would have rather done anything than actually hang out with my mom.

5. “Nothing good happens to a teenager after 10PM.”

I remember exactly what I was doing when my mom said this, the most outrageous claim my teenage ears had ever heard. Even though I swore she was so wrong, 10PM did seem to mark the time the real fun started.

6. “I don’t know that friend, so I don’t think so.”

If my mom didn’t know you, the time I spent with you outside of school was pretty limited. It was like she knew that if you were up to good things (and only good things), she’d have already known you. And dammit if she wasn’t right.

7. Waiting up for me at night while pretending she wasn’t.

Living at home during college, late nights were a pretty standard occurrence. As a notoriously early riser, my mom had no business being awake at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. Yet there she was, watching TV or organizing the family photos because she “got busy and lost track of time.” Yeah right, and bless you, Mom.

8. “Call your grandparents.”

For every huffy dial my mom ever made me angrily stab into my cordless phone, the moments spent talking to my grandparents remain among my most cherished.

What do you understand about your mother now that you are one?

RECIPE: Easy Roasted Chicken Breast

I am always on the lookout of chicken recipes. My husband loves fried chicken but my son is not very fond of fried foods (I'm happy and proud). And this recipe hopefully meets both likes of my two boys.

Link: http://www.popsugar.com/food/Easy-Roasted-Chicken-Breast-Recipe-37685436

Skin-on chicken breasts is being used in this recipe but skinless can be used as well.

Ingredient:
2 bonless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 lemon, zest only
rosemary (optional)
thyme (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven 450. In a small casserole dish, lay the chicken breasts flat, dot with butter, sprinkle with lemon zest and season with salt and pepper

Step 2: Roast for 20 minutes. Allow chicken to rest for up to 15 minutes before serving

RECIPE: Pinakbet Tagalog

I am not sure if I'm calling it right, but according to my mom, "Pinakbet" has a lot of version. There Pinakbet na Ilocano and our version is Pinakbet Tagalog. That is what I will share with you today.

Ingredients:

2 strips of pork belly (liempo) cut into bite size

5 small pieces of baby ampalaya (bitter melon / bitter gourd)

5 string beans (cut into small pieces about 1 inch)

5 pcs of okra (cut off the head and the tip and slice into half)

5 small pcs of baby eggplant (cut into small pieces)

1/4 of squash / pumpkin (peel and cut off into small pieces)

half clove of crushed garlic

1 medium size sliced onion

2 medium sized of ripe sliced tomatoes

3-5 tbsp of strained anchovy ("bagoong na isda")

white pepper (optional)

cooking oil

1 cup of water

Step 1: Heat and oil the pan under medium heat. Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes with at least 1 minute apart. Add the pork and 1/2 cup of water then simmer it for 5 minutes or until the water evaporates.

Step 2: Add the anchovy little by little (warning: the anchovy could smell funky so ensure that all windows are open while cooking). Let the pork absorb the flavor of anchovy. Add the other 1/2 cup of water and simmer it for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add the squash and simmer it for another 2 minutes. Then add ampalaya, eggplant together and simmer it for another minute. Do not stir too much so it won't taste. Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer it for another 1 minute. Add the pepper

Step 4: Taste it. If it's too salty for your taste, add a little bit of water (about 1 tbsp at a time) then just simmer it for a minute. Once cooked do not cover it so the vegetables will not be overcooked.

Did you try cooking Pinakbet? Let me know your experience.

Follow me on IG and Twitter: @alynn217

9 Habits You Should Drop Before Turning 30

This video caught my eyes. Funny but true!

I am happy that I was able to ditch some of those habits though I still have to work on to achieve the others. I can do this!

RECIPE: Pork Estofado

This recipe is a long wait. I always have this notion that Estofado is a difficult recipe as I only eat it during reunions or fiesta during my childhood. So, i thought that this recipe is a special recipe that needs much time and attention. Then I tried it with the assistance from my grandmom-in-law. I tasted the best Estofado made by her. Never did I realize that it can be done in 4 easy steps and on a working night.

Ingredients:
500 g. of mix of pork liempo and pork shoulder cut into small cubes (you can only 1 pork part as you prefer)
1/2 cup of water
1 clove of garlic
medium size onion
medium size carrot sliced into cubes
5 pieces of plaintain = "saging na saba" (more if you want) cut into halves
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar (or apple cider)
1/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar)
ground pepper
salt to taste

Step 1: Saute garlic, onion and pork. when pork turns brownish, put the water to boil. Simmer it for 30-45 min or until the pork is tender. Add water if needed. Do not let it drain and run out of water.

Step 2: Once the pork is tender, put the soy sauce and let simmer for 2 minutes. After, put the carrots and let it simmer.

Step 3: Once the carrots are soft. put the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and let it simmer for 1 minute. Then put the plaintain and simmer it for another minute.

Step 4: Taste it, if you prefer to be more sweet, add more sugar. If you prefer a little bit salty, add more salt.

How was your experience cooking Estofado? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Follow me on IG and Twitter: @alynn217