Presidential Parenting

I found this article by Sara Kugler very interesting.

It seems that Sasha and Malia Obama are not exempted from doing chores even in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Being the presidential daughters (and having access to all kinds of household help) does not give them the license to neglect fixing their beds or cleaning up. And with the hunt for the new presidential dog, walking the dog and scooping the poop would be on the to-do list soon.

Apparently, First Lady Michelle Obama is trying to work out a plan with the White House staff to get the kids to do their chores.

This is a great day for parents, especially the moms. Hooray! This is what I call presidential parenting.

Now, I can safely say this to Kuya and Kowi: If the leader of the free world can get his daughters to clean up and fix their beds..."

Channeling Martha

I’ve been holding on to quite a few Christmas brooches for three years. My pack rat grandmother finally decided to get rid of her personal storage unit and sent them over in several batches of balikbayan boxes. I kept the brooches for no apparent reason.

While decorating the house for the holidays, I found them in a Tupperware container. The time has arrived to put them to good use. To be honest, I haven’t a clue what to do with them.

I spent several days leafing over my Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping and Southern Living magazines. If I could just find some sort of inspiration -- just one picture to copy from. Haha. And I did.

Voila! Introducing my first DIY Christmas wreath. Most of the materials I already had at hand, the straw wreath, green garland, ribbons, twist wire, small disco balls and the Christmas brooches. I just hot glued the garland and disco balls together and stuck the brooches into the straw wreath and pinned a red ribbon on it.

I am officially announcing my Christmas wreath will grace the front door starting December 1st. (And rightfully so, don’t you think?)

Hubby was delighted that I am, at last, channeling my inner Martha Stewart. And he’s expecting a few more DIY projects for the holidays. Oh no!

Cafe Living Room

Hubby stayed home for eight days after his three-month stint. It was just in time for Kuya's school vacation. Being the November holidays, family schedules were jammed. We tried to fit everything we could in a few days day to spend more time at home and with each other. It was really mission: impossible.

I wanted him to stay home to do a couple of home maintenance projects with me. But more than that, I just missed having him home and being with the kids. I gladly took a back seat for a couple of days and let him be in charge of everything.

Night times are my favorite. I think we may have even developed a ritual. We'll put the kids to sleep before 9 pm. I'll make a cup of coffee for him and a cup of tea for me. We'll sit in the living room with only the Tiffany lamp as light. And we'll talk about the kids, the house, our plans or reminisce about the past. He jokingly refers to this as, "Cafe Living Room." It sure beats Starbucks even if he's just having instant coffee.

Now, he's back at work. And we're back to the original routine which is seeing him one night a week and on the weekends he's off duty. I suddenly realize that eight days is short. I had hoped to do more home projects with him or just to do more stuff with the kids. It ended too soon.

Three days a week isn't too bad. I think it makes us appreciate our family even more. The kids are excited when they know he's coming home. "Yay, Dad's coming!" Kuya will bring out stuff he made in school. Kowi will show off the new nursery rhyme she learned.

But I especially look forward to the opening of the Cafe Living Room. When he has plans to come home, he calls to ask if there's coffee. Instant coffee or not, Cafe Living Room will be brewing--something. Somehow having only the Tiffany lamp for company is not the same.

Yes, I'll gladly take those couple of days a week that he's home any day.