Kids have the simplest joys and they remind you so. We beat ourselves sometimes over not being able to give them the latest toys or gadgets or fashion, when no matter how “sophisticated” or “tech-savvy” they are, all they really ask for is our attention and time.
Okay, fine, sometimes they also ask for gadgets, haha!
I recently shifted to freelancing from a full time home-based job. Honestly, since my ass had been practically glued to my workstation for two years, I’ve been struggling on getting used to my new normal. Sometimes I forget that I now have time to spend with my kids, and that I can always schedule work much later in the day so I can home-school them first or play with them.
I did that the other day. I decided to get our Barrel of Monkeys set and took turns with the kids in trying to hook all twelve monkeys with just one hand.
We laughed a lot every time someone’s monkey would fall back to the pile, but that wasn’t the highlight of my afternoon. In the middle of the game, my two older kids alternately leaned to kiss me on my cheeks, then my 10-year old went, “I love you, mom!” I was moved.
It was just a simple, old-fashioned game, but it was enough to make my preteen’s heart swell with happiness. And I’m glad I was the reason why.
A few mornings before that, I decided to try the chocolate-flavored pudding I received from Milna Philippines and have them taste it.
I just thought about doing it a few minutes before they woke up, so I was sort of rushing to make it. The instructions on the box were pretty easy to follow, thank goodness, and I had little servings of pudding ready in no time.
My kids’ eyes lit up upon seeing the treat after they had their breakfast, and they laughed that it was labeled for toddlers, but they devoured the thing anyway, haha. I’m telling you, it was gone in a matter of seconds!
I didn’t let them eat the cereals, but they look pretty promising to me. Box says it’s packed with 12 Vitamins and Minerals, AA-DHA, Protein, Iron & Calcium. If I still have babies, I’m sure I’d be giving it to them. My kids ate baby cereals, along with real food when they were babies.
But anyway, I decided to just give the Milna cereals to someone whose baby would love them. I got two boxes – Brown Rice and Banana (which I am sure is a hit as no babies say no to bananas, seriously. Have you met a baby who’s said no to banana?) and Beef Stews and Green Peas.
Oh, my kids loved the biscuits! I’m sorry, they were too quick to disappear into their mouths to their tummies, I wasn’t able to take photos. But they loved them.
They look more like cookies, too.
Okay, so I nibbed a bit because fellow mommy bloggers said they tried it, hehehe. I like it! They were yummertz.
Going back to my original point….Truth is, being a mom’s not always easy.
There are always toys to reach for under the bed, paint to scrub off the walls and floors, tomatoes under the mattress, and whining and crying to deal with everyday; and just today, I dun’now what my youngest was thinking (I read a book that they’re very, very experimental at 4 years old), instead of going to the bathroom, he watered down our refrigerator!
Yup, that’s mommy-life for me. As my friend Millie would say, we’re just “keeping it real.”
The thing is, tender moments such as a kiss when I played with them, their giggles as they tried the pudding, or their arms wrapped tightly around me, they remind me of how much I cherish and love mommyhood.
So never mind if I had to throw away some vegetables today and totally disinfect the lower bin (and repent for screaming my kids’ head off today), I still love mommyhood. Everything is still right in my world.