Quarantine

My gosh. How long has it been? I haven't opened up this space for a long time. You see, life's been busy and my laptop is too slow too process everything. We need an upgrade but we're still saving up for that. The coming months are when we pay fees for school--priorities of course.

It has been 2.5 months of staying at home. I feel bad that our government doesn't really care or prioritize the people. It's like "survival of the fittest" here in our country. When our children ask us how long until we can go out we sugar coat the things we say: "a little more time" "when there are no more sick people" "we're sorry but it looks like it will take a little longer."

Ellie was quite heartbroken because school will be online. You see, it will be her first year going and she was so excited so breaking the news to her was painful for me, too. Bean misses her classmates and still doesn't know how she feels about the situation.

I'm the kind of mother who would build a fairy tale world for my kids but we also give them a dose of reality. Things are dire right now and there's nothing we can do about it. So we live daily doing what we can with the time we have. Mostly our day will be filled with preparing meals, cleaning up, art, Netflix, games and some school activities to prepare Eleanor. She can now write her name.

Bean at 8 years old is more into gaming and reading. She can build fantastic worlds in Minecraft; cute farms in Stardew Valley, and breed different creatures in Pokemon. She loves to read still--now adventure books and short novels.

Ellie is so into painting lately that I hoarded paper online. She paints the rainbow and characters from My Little Pony. She loves it when her work is filled with color. One thing I find different about her is that we have to force her to use an ipad when w have to do something. She'd rather be bored and sing songs than force herself to use it--so we don't have much trouble with her screen time.

Adam spent this whole quarantine working, playing the guitar and games on the Play Station. He is also the one running errands to minimize people who go out of the house. And I am so grateful.

As for me, I've been playing the ukele, trying to translate the songs I know to the guitar. I am also painting again and still doing digital art. I've had two ulcer attacks this quarantine which prompted me to change the way I eat. I have also been doing HIIT workouts which made me stronger.

I know this time in our life isn't the greatest. Adam and I usually talk about our worries and decided to live each day to the fullest and do the things we can at the moment. Hopefully this pandemic ends soon (though I really doubt it because of how the government and many citizens are handling it.) We want to travel, or just get out of the house. 

I really don't want a NEW NORMAL....I just want the old normal back.

1/52

1/52

  "A portrait of my daughters, once a week, every week, in 2019." 

I did the 52 project with Bean last 2014; while I missed some weeks I sure did have fun documenting her growing up.This little space of mine on the internet is where you will find how Bean grew up and how I bloomed as a mother. I plan to start this project again this year because time is flying fast--Eleanor is no longer a baby and I am not yet down for that. I also want to document her growth and how much she is the opposite of her big sister. Good luck to me and this project! Happy 2019!

Lately in the City

It's summer...and the world seems to be flat. No surf...nothing; and life in the city made me reflect on some things in my life. It's not very breezy these past few weeks. Our grandmother is in the hospital, and of course, everybody is worried. As much as I/we crave to be by the sea.... our hearts tell us we need some time at home--to rest, to recover, to just be with family and friends. And so.....

I realized that Bean will be going to school this year. That means I get a few hours to myself which sounds nice...but then I get anxious thinking about it because it wouldn't be just me taking care of her and teaching her. What's great about this isn't really having a break from my girl, but knowing that school will feed her curious mind. She never stops asking questions and most of the time our conversations go like this:

"Mama, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Hey, that's not a nice word, mama. And I said I have a question."

"Oh, sorry. What is it, Bean?" 

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Oh. I think your thinking about the sea."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you like the beach. I like the beach and sea creatures. Did you know that jellyfish can sting you? Then you need to go to the hospital to get yourself healed. But what do sperm whales eat?"

"You know about sperm whales?"

"Yes, mama! Even Orcas!"

So she knows a lot of things about the sea; not just the sea....even animals and how plants are powered by the sun. I think she's smart.

Another thing  I thought about is how to finish the artworks I'm planning to sell or use to start a business since the little miss quit all her naps. I have to get around to doing this!

I also want to be able to improve on my cooking skills and meal planning. Especially because I will be preparing Bean's lunchbox this year. I am excited about this but worried that she won't eat them. She is such a picky eater...so I am taking notes of her favorites.

Taking pictures, capturing moments-- I have been neglecting this side of me that loves documenting life. We have been too busy surfing and I really want to shift my focus on this. So that's another one for my list.

This blog. I would really like to write more in here; and I will be. I have reviewed the contents and noticed that I post about our surf trips mostly and I would like to strike a balance with the things that I place in this space; after all,our life is comprised of more than just the sea!

Two superficial things I also realized: 1. I haven't been taking care of myself in terms of the way I dress. It's always shorts, shirts, tank tops and flip flops! So me and dearest husband have been doing a bit of shopping to update our wardrobe. I couldn't even remember the last time we dressed up for a date! Lol. 2. I am so tempted to get rid of my hair again and sport a sort of pixie! I have done this last 2008 and then 2012...and right now I am pretty bored with my hair....but I am taking my time to think about this because I don't want to regret cutting my hair just because I am bored. Superficial.

Lastly, I have been contemplating on how to get to see my grandma more. I have a hard time finding someone to leave Bean with for a few hours so I can visit her more.

So these are the things in my head lately here in the city. Care to hare yours?