My ears are beginning to hurt because of my earphones. I put them on to keep myself awake. I decided to give my MP3 player (and my ears) a break and write instead.
The yayas left mid-morning for some time off and promised to be back tomorrow. I laid to bed at around half past three yesterday morning and tossed and turned until daybreak (I panicked when I saw the light coming in through the windows and finally fell asleep). Woke up at around 8, had breakfast, then attended to the Little One and Kuya while having my relatively late breakfast as hubby had to leave for a conference call in the office. Thankfully, he decided to bring Ate with him.
The kids were rather distracted because of cartoons (bad, bad mother) so it wasn’t difficult. The toughest part came as I was trying to pacify the Little One; she wanted to come with her favorite nanny. I felt sorry her looking so distraught as she clung to the yaya so tightly and begged her to change her clothes so she can come, too. At one point, as I tried to comfort her, and the Little One pushed me hard and I landed on the floor, hurting both of my knees. (Yes, a toddler can do that!). Instead of feeling sorry for myself or being jealous, I thanked God that the kids love their yayas that much. It only meant that they were treating our kids well.
Cooked lunch - a lot of it! So ulam na naming hanggang gabi. (Come dinnertime, “Why the same food? I want fish!” - Kuya). Fed the kids (with help from hubby), cleared the table, washed the dishes, brushed their teeth and then collapsed on the bed and took a “nap” which inadvertently lasted for three hours. When I woke up, hubby was crabby having watched over the kids all by himself. I got defensive and felt sorry for having slept too much (instead of studying or helping with the kids) and ended up feeling crabby, too. Nag, nag, a little quiet, whine and then nag some more. Sigh. Why do I do this? Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?
Dinner time was nice and relatively peaceful. Hubby and I were happy to have the whole family seated at the table. The Little One was very much behaved and the way she cleared her plate with her spoon and fork made me beam with pride. Kuya was alright but he refused to eat the rest of his potatoes. Ate had to be nudged and encouraged a lot because hubby said she ate too many Oreos for snack.
Hubby took care of wash-up and helped with the dishes, too. (Am I lucky? Or am I lucky? Please smack me hard on the head whenever I forget!). I brushed the kids’ teeth and helped them with their pajamas while hubby prepared their beds. Everything went well except that there was always too much yelling in the house. I wonder why the kids had to speak so loudly even when their sibs were standing right next to them. Sometimes, the volume just gets so irritating that hubby and I end up yelling at them, too (thus, having a houseful of yellers). Bedtime was surprisingly pleasant and quiet. Hubby and the kids are sleeping in the other room right now while I stay here try to read as much as I can (and endulged in an hour of watching ‘The Practice’). No facebook tonight, though =)
So, this is how life abroad must be like. I mean, without the yayas. Even with the dishwasher and their high-tech washing machines, I realize it’s not easy. But I have to say that I felt a unique feeling of fulfillment as I drudged through the household chores. Now, if I need to do this every day and need to go to work, too… that’s a different story. I am grateful that we - our family - are here where we are right now.
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