The trouble with moving

I've never been someone who moves so much. I lived in our old family home for 26 years and then only moved out with hubby and the kids earlier this year. I think my kids are going to be the exact opposite. We are moving yet again next week.  We've only been here in our new place for 7 months. But each weekend, Ryan and I go out on a hunting spree for a new home. This became our little weekend routine, scouring our sleepy old town for prospects but I tell you, there aren't so many choices when you go out there looking for houses for rent and even apartments. It's either, there are no vacancies or the rent is way over the budget.  So we looked and looked, twisted our necks for signboards and got dizzy with all the hunting.  But last Sunday, unexpectedly,we found something. We were about to end the search and call it a day,when I saw this paper sign.  And the rest is history. We would not have entertained moving thoughts if not for the reason that it's smoldering in our present place!  Ventilation anyone?  And just recently, ants began swarming in the whole place.  They are literally everywhere! And the final blow, they've discovered the joys of munching our clothes for their snacks,dinner or  whatever.  So most of our clothes have teeny holes in them.  And the worst thing is, they won't, no matter how I tried,leave our home. I ended my ant wars. They just would not budge. They're such stubborn insects and I'm ending the fight. It's about time we leave this place. I don't want to be ant feed or be bathing in my own sweat every time.

So after an endless search,  we found this dusty old 2-story place. Not exactly, the house of our dreams but it will do.  It still needs a good amount of cleaning though but who cares if its dusty and dilapidated.  It can always be cleaned and fixed before we finally settle in next week. After 7 long months, Khym made some new friends.  Children of people living beside us.  I really don't know the extent of the impact of moving when it comes to Khym. I'm not too sure if he's going to take it the hard way or just shrug it off. Right now,he's on heavy-duty mode in making friends.  The trouble with moving is, you could never rule out you kid's feelings leaving their new friends or leaving a place they've gotten used to.  I'm just glad that we're only moving in the same city and not some strange new place.  The trouble with moving is all that packing. 

Boxes here and there, scattered items, a messy house.  Thinking of moving makes me want to just lie around and rest.  I'm tired of boxes. I'm tired of sorting.  I'm tired of cleaning up a new place.  I'm tired of lists on what to bring, what to buy and what to dispose.  But the reality is, I have to get up and start packing now.  But with the kids running around, that would be next to impossible.

After all the packing and cleaning, I will still miss this cramped ant-infested place.  I'm always melodramatic when it comes to moving.  But moving means living anew amidst all the old things in your life. Moving means embracing a new home, a new life.  When I think about it, moving isn't so bad after all.  At the end of the day, everything will always be worth it.

My diaper bag over-packing obsession

Years back, being a new mom and all, clueless and obsessive-compulsive, travel time and even short trips out the house would always mean packing like there's no tomorrow.  I tend to over-pack the diaper bag and that includes unnecessary items.  Fast forward, the bag's still filled to the brim, things squeezed so that they would fit in, with the bag overstuffed all ready to explode.  And of course, there's Ryan giving me that all too familiar " You're packing way tooo much look" !  At the end of the day, when I take a peek at my baby's diaper bag, I see so many things unused and well,... unnecessary but I dumped them in the bag anyway. Lately, even half a day out with the kids in tow somehow drains my mommy energy and let's not forget the plump diaper bags and the hassle of carrying heavy stuff all throughout.  Trips, even short ones: a trip to the mall, a walk at the park, a short swim at the beach or even a short visit to the kids' grandparents make me achy, dizzy and stressed, in desperate need for a mommy massage.  My rule of thumb is: It's better to over-pack than live to regret it.  But then again, you could always stick to the basics.  My over-packing tendency might have been because of that lack of a good diaper bag basic checklist.  And so, I decided to cut back on my packing obsession with a little research because I have 3 kids now. Over-packing is way too much hassle when you have other kids.  I came up with a revised checklist, the real deal and not my own checklist w/c consists of everything but the dog.  : D

WHAT TO PACK IN YOUR BABY'S DIAPER BAG:

1.  baby bottles and formula

2.  diapers- Take more than what you think you'll need.  It's better to be safe than sorry!

3.  diaper wipes for wiping baby's dirty bottom and your hands too.

4.  changing pad

5.  hand sanitizer- this is for mommy, daddy and the older kids. Hands should be clean before handling the baby.

6.  bibs,burp clothes or small face towels for spit-ups and other messes

7.  tissues and paper towels for spills

8.  an extra shirt, pants and socks/booties for baby

9.  baby sunblock  

10.  plastic bags for dirty diaper disposal and for carrying home dirty clothes or wet clothes




11.  at least one favorite toy to keep baby pre-occupied




12.  a fave comfort object: a blanket or stuffed toy

13.  extra pacifiers

And because I have a toddler and a big kid, I also pack some portable distractions:  books, a box of crayons, their fave toys, snacks:  sandwiches/cheese cubes or cheese sticks/dry cereal/crackers/cookies or muffins/fresh fruit and their drinks in sippy cups or portable thermos.  Kliven prefers to chug down water while Khym likes his choco milk drinks.

Last weekend, the family went out to my in-laws place for Sunday lunch. And surprise!  I only carried baby's small diaper bag though I have this really huge one. It wasn't crammed with unnecessary stuff. It was surprisingly, well...LIGHT!! I hope my diaper bag over-packing obsession is gone for good. How about you?  What's in your diaper bag?

The plight of a sleep-deprived mom

Today, I looked at the mirror and said hello to my raccoon eyes.  Ugh!  Last night  I had about 3 hours of sleep.  Yesterday, only 2. Each day,more or less I get the same amount of sleep: 2 or 3.  Sometimes, a much appreciated cat nap in the afternoons if I get lucky but that rarely happens.  If one child sleeps, another one is awake.  If I heave a sigh of relief when Kliven takes his nap, that would most probably be replaced by a sigh of exhaustion because Korby just woke up. And just recently,  I've been blogging my heart out.  So, sleep-deprived me just got more sleep-deprived.  

Having a new baby is no joke. According to an article of Medical News Today, parents lose an average of six months' sleep during the first 24 months of their child's life. Approximately 10% of parents manage to get just two-and-a-half hours continuous sleep each night and over 60% of parents with babies aged less than 24 months get no more than three-and-a-quarter hours sleep each night.  That's like, many hours of sleep wasted away and many sleepless moms sporting raccoon eyes!  I kind of got around my sleepless schedule and I followed a routine that works for me, the kids and hubby too.

Before we sleep and after the kids are all tucked in their beds, I prepare all the things my babies might need throughout the night.  These are >> baby bottles 

>> milk powder all scooped up in their respective servings in tiny milk containers

>> and diapers for easy changing .

This saves me time and effort from having to go out of the room in a flurry when they do wake up and ask for something in the middle of night.  In a way, it diminishes the disruption of my sleeping momentum. There is teeny amount of time during the day that somehow all 3 kids are taking their naps.  During these times, I squeezed in my household chores

and blogging.  Sometimes, I do go through my day, smelling like baby burp and looking like a complete mess but I managed.  Aside from preparing all the stuff that my kids need before bedtime to ensure a "good" sleep, I also ask for hubby's help in taking care of the kids especially when I do my mommy-me-time which at this time is so infrequent.  So we switch turns in taking care of the kids.  I also get happy when the in-laws and my own parents are home.  At least, I get my time off even just for a while and grab a nap. When it comes to the house chores, I deliberately ignore them for a while.  Sometimes, it just takes away that energy reserved for hubby and the kids. There are days when I had to drag myself off my bed, groggily prepare breakfast and with eyes half-closed, see Rai and Khym out the door for work and school.  It just seemed like, I've been losing that good amount of sleep for the longest time having 2 closely-spaced kids. When I did get around my sleep-deprived self after I had Kliven, Korby came and I had to go back to square one--zero sleep and snappy me.  Snappy me.  The exact word to describe me at the moment.  Probably another effect of sleep-deprivation but hopefully not postnatal depression though.

These days, I'm sporting 2 dark eye circles, unkempt hair and burp-prone clothes. I've been day dreaming of hours and hours of uninterrupted sleep,

soft pillows,

snug beds and melodic music.  But alas, that's not the case. So here I' am sleepless and exhausted with wired kids.   Anyway, the kids will do grow up. By then, I'd be snuggled up in my bed feeding on my much needed sleep but I'd be missing those sleepless nights, dark-eye circles and  bedraggled ugly hair because I've been living that kind of life for so long.  So moms, whoever said this would go on forever?  Babies will only be babies once.  Let's just embrace our sleep-deprived selves and dance to our raccoon eyes :)

Kliven's little accident

Last night, Kliven bumped into something HARD-a room furniture while we were getting ready for bed because he tripped!  Ryan tried to apply cold compress on his nose to lessen the throb and the possible bruise but it was,as always a fight. Kliven never liked cold things pressed on his face, so when we do apply cold compresses, we resort to restraining him.  He eventually fell asleep after a long moment of crying jag.  We felt so sorry seeing that red line on his button nose.  Luckily,it wasn't a major boo-boo. 

Although small accidents like these are extensive throughout a child's life, accidents can be prevented. Aside from having a vigilant eye, it pays to child proof your home if possible.  We tried soft cushions and rubber mats but sometimes,a home needs to be overhauled for child safety purposes.

Here's a product checklist designed for child safety:

• Cabinet and drawer locks and latches-to keep kitchen cabinets and drawers closed to prying little fingers 

• stove guards/knob protectors

• doorknob guards-to make it difficult for little ones to open doors

• door stops

• clear plastic corner cushions- to soften corners of tables

• edge cushions-to soften sharp edges

• venetian blinds shorteners

• outlet plugs or covers

• tub spout safety covers

• nonskid decorations for bath tub bottoms

• toilet latches-to keep seat lid down when not in use

• skid-resistant step stool

• door alarms (to signal when a door to the outside opens)

• child safety railings-to contain your child in a single spot,to prevent your child from going to restricted places and falling down stairs

There are so many child safety products out there in the market  but they don't replace constant parental vigilance. Keep safe everyone!