Being a New Mom, Having a New Lifestyle

**I began to write this post a week when I was still a full time homemaker, before I got hired from my new job.  But I finished this a week after I started my new work.  Therefore, to avoid confusion, I maintain the persona of a housewife as I continue and finish this entry.**

My baby now turned 8 months, and this stage is really different from her early months.  When she was 1-3 months old, she barely keeps awake and therefore I could do other household chores that needs to be done.  When she was 4-6 months old, our sleeping nights were quiet (unlike when she was 1-3 months old wherein she would always wake up at night because she was hungry).  She had learned to sleep throughout the night.  But when she turned 7 months old, she started to wake up again in the night, not because she's hungry, but because she wanted company.  She also now has longer time being awake...which means she always look forward to play with me...and because of it, I couldn't do other chores (and even finish this blog!).  Being a mom really is a new lifestyle for me!

My new lifestyle of being a full-time mom of an 8 month old baby girl (with no helpers around):

1.  Having only a 5 minute brunch meal break.  But if I want it longer, I eat my meal while my baby is sleeping at 11:00 am, which would take an hour, if I'm lucky.

2.  But having my meal breaks while she's sleeping would mean moving my bath time at her afternoon nap, which is around 4:00pm.  This nap time of hers usually takes only 30 minutes.  So I would just splash my whole body with the liquid bath soap, put some shampoo on my hair, and rinse myself as fast as I can.  Scrubbing is reserved for weekends, wherein my husband could babysit for our baby longer while I do my things.  Sometimes if I'm unlucky (means my baby would just sleep for a few minutes), I would have my bath time at night before I go to sleep.

Food Safety in the House

My husband is the one who cooks meals while I am the one who wash the dishes.  He practically owns the kitchen, while I practically own the rest of the house (haha!).  Yup, he's the cook...but I'm his trainer.  I was the one who taught him to cook--- adobo, sinigang, and his favorite tinola.  And since he has found a passion for cooking, I just let him do the kitchen thing.  Now, he prepares meals other than what I taught to him (his favorite dish to prepare is Japanese!).  Of course, he searches recipes from the internet.  But the recipe is just the thing he learns.  I believe there's much more to learn about being a chef/cook other than the recipe itself.  One must also be informed about food safety to prevent foodborne illnesses.

I became an employee of a food service company, and I trained its service crew on Food Safety.  That's why I was very particular in that aspect.  As my husband's "trainer", I always remind him the right way to handle foods so that the meals he would prepare would not just be delicious, but also safe to eat.  He follows my advice...but only for a while.  Probably because he wants his food to be done as fast as he can.  I just tell myself that someday, I would make him attend cooking classes so that he would learn the importance of food safety rules.

Here is the list of some Do's and Don'ts in handling foods:

1. First rule in cooking: wash your hands!

2. To lessen bacteria in thawing meats, do not soak meat in water.  It's better if you just leave it in a container for few hours at room temperature (but not overnight!) or better yet, place the meat in the refrigerator/chiller overnight.

Home Sweetest Home

By next week, my family will leave our home here at Batangas, and we'll move in with my husband's family at Alabang, Muntinlupa City.  A move from a quiet fresh town to a fast paced city.  A move from a place overseeing the green mountains of Mt. Makiling to a place near malls and big buildings.  Well, it's nothing new for my husband because he had lived there for 28 years...until we got married.  But then, it will be something new for me because I would be getting along with some new people in my life.  Of course, I had already stayed with my in-laws but only for quite a while, 2 weeks were the longest time I stayed with them.  But living with them for a longer time would be a challenge for me, especially with my erratic moods and sanguine temperament. 

We decided to live with them because I finally got a job at Manila.  My in-law's house is nearer to my new workplace (as well as my husband's office), and they are very open to take care of my baby while I'm at work, since they are already retired and available.\