The Husband Store!

I read this post from newyorker's multiply post. I just wanted to share it to my readers. Imagine yourself shopping for a husband. What are the characteristics that you'll be looking for in him? Will you also think of your wants and your needs? Or will you take the risk in buying something that fits without thinking what could have been?

Read on.

The Husband Store!
A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband.
Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE !

There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch . . .. you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband...

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.


The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead good looking and help with the
housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!" Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor.
There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

What kind of man did you get? :)

What 8s all about?

Two blogger friends, Elle and Louann, have tagged me to reveal 8 Random Facts About Me. Thank you for this tag and I hope I'll be able to make this one interesting. Haha. So, let us see what 8s all about?

The rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.

2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

===================

Here are eight tidbits about mommyness:

1. I am the youngest in a brood of five (three boys and two girls). My parents were just waiting for a female child, meaning my arrival was unplanned. My ate died when I was only 2 years old so I became the only girl.

2. My name Maria Angela has 3 origins, namely:
(1) From my dad's sophomore girlfriend (a smart and pretty girl) ;
(2) I smiled like an angel (according to mom); and,
(3) An engkanto was born the same time I was delivered. Because I had powers, they wanted to take me away from my parents. This terrified my parents. Thus, to protect me from them, I was named Maria Angela (I made up this story when I was a kid). I told this story to my classmates way back in kindergarten. Me and my creative mind.

3. My friend Wini and I made a song and entered it in Metropop Songwriting Contest. We received a letter saying that we emerged in the Top 100.

Excerpts from the song "Morning Sun:"

I never thought this would come
I am the moon and you are the sun
We're different in many ways
And things got worse sometimes

But you stood by me like the sun after rain
Chasing the dark clouds away

4. I love reading crime files. My husband and I share this same interest. We bought a book by the FBI, which lists all the profiles of different law offenders from 1900-1990s. I also frequent crimelibrary.com. I once dreamed of becoming a forensic scientist. Hubby wanted to become an private investigator.

5. I used to join singing contests in our neighborhood. At seven years old, I won third place (If we hold on together). At 9, I won first place (I have nothing). At 10, another first place (Love will Lead You Back).

6. I am a member of a sorority. But I refuse to be stereotyped. Apart from popular belief that sorority girls are just gimik girls, I graduated with honors and the sorority has helped me gain more confidence in myself and it has also honed my interpersonal skills. I also had my own dose of fun and partying in college. :)

7. I love babies and kids. Maybe because I'm the youngest in the family and I didn't have younger sibs to take care of. Now, I'm a young mom and wife and loving every minute of it.

8. I love street food. When I was in college in UPLB, street food was a part of my daily diet. But ever since I got pregnant and had Vito and all the Imbestigador exposes, I haven't had a bite. Hubby is not fan of street food cause of the possible health risks. It's been two years since I ate any. As I'm writing this, I am having images of street food in my mind.

I enjoyed doing this tag! Thanks! I am encouraging you, yes, I'm talking to YOU reader, to do this wonderful self-revealing tag if you have the luxury of time.

10 Random Facts About My Mom

Thanks Arlene for this wonderful tag. Here are snippets of the woman who raised and nurtured mommyness:

1. My mother was a very slender woman. When I was in 4th Grade, I needed to wear a wedding gown for a school project. But when I tried my mom's dress, believe it or not, it didn't fit.

2. She grew up using the name 'Erlinda' but her birth certificate only indicates 'Linda.'

3. Mommy dear is 3 years older than my dad.

4. She is the best sister in the world. When my aunts got sick, she was the one who took care of them. The latest incident was when her younger sister had an inflammation in the pancreas. The condition got worse, which rendered my aunt temporarily immobile. My mom became aunt's nurse. She went to my aunt everyday at 6am and went home at 8pm. My mom is 61 already.

5. Her maiden name is Napasindayao.

6. She has lots of freckles.

7. She is a stage mother. I used to sing and emcee when I was in elementary and high school. She always volunteers me tohost and sing at their company's Children's Christmas party.

8. She composed a song for a caroling contest sponsored by "Lovable" (a lingerie line years ago). Their group won. It was in the tune of "Silver Bells."

9. She had many suitors when she was still single. One man courted her for seven years. The man's son was my batchmate in elementary.

10. Since I got to the thinking age, my mom already taught me to pray for a good spouse. And I will pass on the same teaching to my children.

I'll pass the mommy tag to Mitch, Jj, Louann, Camz, Deb, Rache and Julie. I had fun doing this tag. I had to dig out memories of my childhood. This is very sweet. Hope you find the time to do this tag.

Awarded by a fellow Mindanaoan

I have been to many blogs and have read about it countless times: "I received the thinking blogger award!" I never thought that I would one day be blogging about it. Yes, I received the thinking blogger award from my blog bud and proud fellow Mindanaoan, Dimaks. Many, many thanks.

I, too, would like to pass on the award to bloggers in my community. *Drumroll please* And the Thinking Blogger" awards go to (in no particular order):

• 3 Boys and a Lady
  Louann is a mother to two adorable boys. She is already an orphan but still continuously trying to overcome the pain of losing her loved ones. She notes down her feelings on the certain end of life and relives memories of her parents through her blog. She also shares her day-today life with her family.


• When Silence Speaks
  Mitch is foremost a devoted mother and a faithful wife. She is a proud OFW who writes about her daily life: motherhood, raising kids, and parenting. She also loves to share new knowledge and little things that will already make your day.


• My Blog about all things Cute and Internet
  I found Yingdong through my environment blog at Sanriotown. Yingdong is an alpha and a bee. Alpha, because he always is first when it comes to new Hello Kitty, news, events, and internet stuff. Bee, because he loves to share the information he gets through his blog.


• Scrapbooking Mommy
  Trisha, an HR person, loves to chronicle life through scrapbooking. She is a doting mother who flips through the pages of her mommyhood life with wonderful colors and a creative display of memorable moments.


• Kwentong Walang Kwenta
  Auee is a fellow pinoymom. She is an OFW based in London. She is a loving mother to Kelvin and a wonderful wife to her husband. She writes as if life was an adventure and that we are hitching the ride with her.
  
  

Congratulations to all awardees! This may not be your first, so double, triple or nth congrats to you!

Potty training: How difficult can it get?

These past days, I noticed that Vito's wetter than usual even with his large size diapers. Is this a sign that I should start to toilet train him? Or is it still too early? Some say that a child can be toilet trained as early as 18 months but others think that it's better to intervene at 2 years or more. Vito's nearing 18 months. I'm just concerned that I might not be able to teach him well.

According to Freud's psychosexual stages of development, toilet training may result to an anal retentive or anal expulsive personality depending on the response of the child and these may have long-term effects on a child's character.

Freud labeled on character type the ANAL RETENTIVE, the child who learns to hold back his or her feelings to gain the approval of others. If training or punishment is too strict, the child may learn to defend himself from being guilty by becoming compulsively near, orderly, obedient, and by holding back his feelings and needs.

Anal-retentives learn to live up to the expectations of others to avoid punishment and to receive praise. Forever after they may become dependent on others for their feelings of self-worth. They may have to "achieve" to win the affection and attention of others to make them feel worthy. Often the "over-achievers" in the world are anal-retentive character types. Some may become compulsive "workaholics", dependent for their identity and worth on their achievement at work.

The ANAL-EXPULSIVE character type is self-confident, assertive, outgoing and is relatively uninhibited. The expulsive expresses feelings easily and is independent in thought and action. A persuasive, expressive type, the expulsive is often chosen to be a leader. Expulsives have a low tolerance for frustration. They are the two-year old who wants his way and may "blow up" in a temper tantrum if something stands in the way of their pleasure.

Expulsives tend to be disorganized and messy, but very creative and imaginative. Expulsives live life on their own schedules and are often late. They feel little shame or guilt for their actions. Expulsives are self-confident, free and spontaneous in action, but rarely predictable. Expulsives tend to be sensation-seekers who love adventure and travel. Psychodynamic Development

With these facts, I have to make sure that Vito is ready for toilet training. I don't wanna be too strict or too lenient, either. It's a difficult stage and one day, I have to face it head on.

The good thing is that it's easy to know when Vito's gonna do his thing. He suddenly stays put and gives out THE sound. One time about two months ago, hubby and I tried to introduce him to the potty. When he saw his cute potty, he started to get curious so instead of sitting on it, he started dissecting it. Probably, he was not ready yet.

The strategy I am doing now is similar to what I did when I taught him how to brush his teeth. I let him see me brush my teeth and when I hand him his toothbrush, he imitates me and does it magically. Last week, I showed him around the toilet. Hopefully, he will soon grasp this goodbye diapers thingie.

I found this public service ad on toilet training. This one's from Japan. I hope we also have something like this here in the country.


How did you toilet train your child? Or are you also about to toilet train your child?

Reciprocating Linky Love

Janice Ng, mother to adorable boys Amos and Zac, is a very thoughtful lady who often visits my blog. She is a devoted mother and wife. She chronicles her everyday adventures with her beloved family.

Janice, thanks for giving me a ride in this linky love train. :)

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1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list in the paragraph. This isn’t a suggestion. You need to break up the duplicate content. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra link back.2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the “Originals” list.4. Add at least 1 new blog that you KNOW is using the DO FOLLOW plugin to the list in the “My Adds” section. (Add no more than 5!) Let the people you’ve added know, so that they can keep the list going!

My Adds:

1) In Our House
2) Life is what we make it

Originals:This is a Miracle Mariuca Revellian d bImBo Secret of Mind A Great Pleasure Little world of thoughts Renisphere mott's island Kev's Walkabout iBubbs woof Down Memory Lanes Woof & Arf Lovely Mummy Bubba Stuff Mommibee Moments in My Life Rambling Moo All about Zara & Zaria Hip n cool momma Random Thoughts of a Blur Mommy Mylittleanelqianyi Bits & Pieces De’moments chinneeq Giddy Tiger Huei Rabbit Rinnah Simple America Niceheart Ethel Sanna The Queer Chef Shoshana Leahgina> Haze GheeNeng aka Sirena Angelo Ju aka The Border aka Juana of Femjo Tina Keep the Faith jsonvlog Suncoast Scribe Blogging Kenneth My 2 Centavos Worth Manila Mom 3 Dogs, 3 Pigs and A Family Cafe Romanza Earn Global Credit Ability Macuha Flee the Cube Smart Wealthy Rich MomReviews.net Fellow Eskimo Pajama Mommy Amanita.net WebStyle Meredith’s Weight Loss Blog Pink Blog Tricia’s Musings Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot Midlife Musings Utterly Geek Whatever I Feel Like My Dandelion Patch Surviving NJ GeekySpeaky Simple Kind Of Life 3DayMom BuyMeBlog The Hockey Dad Twist & Skewer The Hip Mommy's Place Mommyness Is Happiness Listening..Learning..Living First Time Dad

Can a man be monogamous?

Last week, topics on marriage and commitment became the favorite dessert in the office. I don't know how the conversation got there but one of the questions raised was "can men ever be monogamous?" I find it funny that these conversations usually come up whenever hubby's away. At times like these, the sense of security that I have in my marriage becomes tested.

One officemate said, "You're committed to your husband. The question is: is he committed to you." I didn't answer the question and just smiled. Inside my head, though, I said "yes." He continued, "The levels of infidelity vary. He could just be exchanging glances with another woman. They may go out and get to enjoy each other's company. Infidelity is not always synonymous to going to bed with another woman, although it may lead to that." Allow me to digest what he said. I think what he really wanted to say was, "There are just too many women out there. How could a man resist them?"

"There are just too many women out there. How could a man resist them?"

Where does this mentality come from?

Let's face it. Monogamy - for the male of the species, anyway is not a natural state of affairs. Our genetic programming, encoded millions of years ago when man crawled out of the primordial ooze, ensured the survival of the human race by making each caveman want to impregnate every cavewoman in sight.
Men's Fitness, Nov, 1998 by Dean Brierly

The good news is that man has the ability to control his raging libido granted that he is emotional mature. The most trying stage, according to majority of men, comes at the seventh year of the relationship. Dean Brierly shares a checklist that will make your heart stay when it is about to escape:

* Remember why you got together in the first place. Think about all the things that first attracted you to your mate - the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual allurements that made you say, This is the one, and then ask yourself if those qualities of hers are still as attractive to you. If so, consider all that you stand to lose by chasing after a different skirt. And even if some of the bloom is off the rose ...

* Why rock the boat? After years of searching, you finally found someone willing to put up with your moods, overlook the mess you leave in the bathroom and be sensitive to your needs after a hard day at work. She doesn't care that you're not the world's most handsome, rich or virile man. She loves you anyway - warts, hairy back and all. Can you honestly expect a new sex partner to stick around and take the good with the bad after the first flush of new love has subsided?

* Consider the consequences. Is the momentary pleasure you'll derive from a hot, clandestine affair worth the pain and suffering it can ultimately cause? (Unmitigated cads need not answer.) Sure, you might satisfy short-term physical needs, but you could also create huge long-term problems. Separation is usually painful (to you, to her, to the kids, to your parents, to the dog) and often messy; it's even worse when you spell it D-I-V-O-R-C-E.

* Who's got time? In today's hectic world, many men's schedules simply don't allow them a window of adulterous opportunity. What with a full-time job, commuting, working out, rearing children, doing home repairs, going bowling, watching TV and keeping up with the Joneses, an affair becomes almost impossible to work into one's agenda even if you're a time management wizard.

* It's too risky. From a practical standpoint, it's often just too damn hard to get away with hanky-panky. Something sooner or later is bound to trip you up: lipstick on the collar, phone calls your wife inadvertently intercepts. Even if you've seen A Guide for the Married Man and think you know all the answers, chances are your wife will divine your errant intentions. The moment you start an extramarital affair (even some time before it), there's a phenomenon that therapists refer to as "an elephant in the room." What they mean is that we project our intent from the unconscious, and that projection haunts the household in so palpable a manner that your wife's unconscious readily taps into it - just as it would be impossible for her to miss an elephant standing in the room.

* Avoid the guilt. There are few things in life as ugly as a guilty conscience. If you truly love your wife, you're going to feel bad about cheating on her, and that negative vibe is going to affect other areas of your life, perhaps for a considerable length of time. Even if you're no longer in love with her, you may still feel a considerable degree of remorse and regret - feelings that can be exacerbated if you have a family together. Life has enough built-in stress; why compound it? Given time, that rueful inner voice may drive you to ultimately confess your crime, a course of action that could prove fatal to your marriage/relationship.

* Wives and lovers. Many breakups result from a stale sex life. But instead of just walking away from the problem, try to fix it. Buy your spouse a sexy teddy to replace the flannel pajamas she normally wears. Explore the outer reaches of your sexuality - utilize fantasy, role playing, electronic aids, whatever it takes to get your rocket to the launching pad. As Frank Sinatra crooned the words to a famous Burt Bacharach tune: "Dim all the lights, pour the wine, start the music. It's time to get ready for love."

When I got home, I felt the need to let my husband know just how much he and our marriage mean to me. I told him, "You and Vito are the best things that ever happened to me. Only God could love you more than I do."

Before I went to sleep, hubby sent me a message saying, "I love you b1 and b2." Sleep tight. FUG."

B1 is short for baby1 and b2 is short for baby2. I'm b1 and Vito, our son, is b2. FUG is an acronym of our vows on our wedding day. Love is: Fidelity, Understanding, and God.

I had a wonderful sleep that night and woke up with a secured smile and heart.

To keep the flame, I messaged him this morning: "I miss you so much! Lagot ka sakin pagbalik mo." Yeah, naughty me.

You can read Dean Brierly's article here (Monogamous man: how not to scratch the seven-year itch)...

"Hate" is such a strong word

I was tagged by newest blog buddy, Arlene. All I have to do is enumerate the things I hate. Hmmm... Hate is such a strong word. Haha. Let's see what will come out of my hate list.

1. Food I hate. Anything that tastes too bitter. I also don't like main dishes that are sweet.

2. Fruits I hate. It definitely wouldn't be durian. I grew up in Davao City and that means, I too grew up with durian. I super love it. My husband doesn't. I soo love fruits but if there's one fruie I would not eat, that would be "chico." I think it has got something to do with the sandy texture. I was still a kid when I first ate chico. Never tried to eat it again.

3. Veggies I hate. When I was a kid, I hated a lot of vegetables especially "ampalaya" and "okra." But hubby, who's a veggie-lover, taught me to eat all types of vegetables when we were still bf-gf in college so right now, I take in anything. But perhaps, okra will still be the least loved veggie (because of the texture, again).

4. Celebrities/People that I hate. Rosanna Roces. No need to explain. Haha.

5. Event/Situation/Incident that i hate. I hate it when taxi drivers don't give change or ask more than what's on the meter. In Davao, the taxi drivers give you your change up to the last cent.

6. TV shows/movies that i hate. I hate movies that are too violent and gross. I hated "The Cannibal Holocaust." I don't have the stomach for those types of movies.

7. Music I hate. Those with explicit content, especially those that poke fun on women and sexuality. Locally, I hate Andrew E's music. He's using his talent to make music that are double-meaning. His music has no respect for women.

8. Household chores that i hate. Doing the laundry. I am always not satisfied with how I do it.

9. Thing that you hate around the world. A lot, environmental menaces, poverty, child abuse, human trafficking, social injustices, greed. "I hate the exploitative nature of people."

10. Thing/s that you have about yourself. Emotional. Sometimes I'm too achievement-oriented. Sometimes I procrastinate.

Again, "hate" is such a strong word. Can we use "least loved"? I am an advocate of subtlety. Hahaha. I am tagging: Sonnie, Janice, Misyel, and fellow pinoymom Liz.

I loved "Georgia Rule"

I recently watched the movie”Georgia Rule,” which highlights mother-daughter relationships of women (Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan) from three generations.

I watched the movie without expectations. I did not read the summary nor browsed the Internet to read about it but I ended up in tears. It is a beautiful film, where one woman’s love for her daughter is tested. It has a good twist and a good ending.

I invite you to go rent a DVD and watch it. I am no movie critic and even if a lot of reviews described this film as disappointing, I think that there's undeniably a human touch to it that moves a heart especially that of a woman, a mom, and a daughter. This movie also looks at the issues of alcoholism and child abuse. But the soul of the movie really lies in the essence of family, more than anything in the world. "Sometimes you have to lose your way to find your family."

[Note: Rated R for sexual content and some language.]

A few updates

My little boy, Vito, is now getting better. He's not irritable in his sleep anymore. In fact, he now sleeps longer than usual. Last Saturday, I really freaked out because he fell from the bed. He was crying when I came to his side and cradled him in my arms. My poor baby... He was too sleepy to even digest the pain he was feeling and went back to sleep. I watched him while he was sleeping. When he woke up, I told him "Vito. good morning!" and he gave me the sweetest smile in the world. *sigh*

My husband is still in Bicol but because there's an expected storm to hit Bicol, they'll be moving to Casiguran for safety reasons. Last week, hubby had shingles. He sent me some of the pictures of the reactivated chicken pox and it was not a lovely sight. Worse is that shingles is more than just the skin manifestation, it is more of a nerve disorder. Hubby felt muscular pains on his torso and describes a sharp, shooting pain that attacks him every now and then. He told me that he was feeling scared because the pain resembled a heart attack. I don't know if that's hereditary but my mother-in-law had the same condition a few months back. Probably hubby got the virus then but it only activated now. One time while we're talking over the phone, he said "How's work, ma? I wanna go home." There, I sensed his homesickness. It's hard to be away from one's family especially when that someone is sick. I constantly worried about his condition. I just pray that he'll get well soon now that he's taking some meds.

I haven't been blogging that often last week. I was on a lurker mode because I was attending to Vito's terrible cold and also, I've resigned from my job. Well, there's nothing wrong about the company whatsoever. Family will be moving to Los Baños end of this month. So, I'm pretty tied up with work stuff to facilitate my resignation. But, rest assured, I am here - reading my favorite destinations, celebrating your joys and feeling your sorrow. In blogging, I have found a new set of friends that I am very much thankful for. To pinoymoms, let's continue to celebrate the Filipino womanity.