Why We Named Our Son Freedom

I take a lot of positive and surprise comments from people every time I share my son's name. There is a complex answer as to why we named our son Freedom.

I am as Free as I can be.

One of the more complex answers to this question is the real meaning of freedom itself. We wanted our son to be free from unnecessary burden of social norms when it comes to social status and beliefs.

We wanted him to love himself for who he really is and to go live feeling as free as possible without having to prove anything to others. We wanted to raise him feeling free mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Aside from the long explanation, I usually opt choosing the simplest one but even the simplest one comes out to be also complex! The simplest answer to this question -- it was from a song by Devendra Banhart titled "Freely". And then it is usually seconded by another question -- who is Devendra Banhart?

Devendra Banhart is a Venezuelan folk singer. I knew him way back when he was still dating Natalie Portman just because I so love everything about Natalie Portman! When I chanced upon his website where you can listen to his songs free, I was hooked! Hi song "Freely" is just so calming that I play it to de-stress day in and out. Listen and see it for yourself.

House Turnover. Finally!

When the developer informed us of the date of our house turnover, we felt a mix of emotions. We are happy, of course, that finally, all paper works are done and we can start moving in. On the other hand, we also feel a teeny weeny bit of loneliness leaving our old neighborhood with people all friendly and helpful. We hope we will have friendly neighbors here. We are also hoping there will be lots of kids in the neighborhood for Freedom to play with.

Freedom was more than happy to help mommy with signing!

The Mister with the house keys.

A giveaway from Amaia for good luck!

There are still a lot to do with the new house though. There is the home improvement, the works in the garden, the adjustment. But the Mister and I are so happy with what we've accomplished so far. We will plan them one day at a time. We will build our lives here one day at a time with our Freedom.

After the turnover, we had our lunch at The District Ayala Mall. This mall is the nearest to the subdivision and I can already gather this is where we will spend most of our free time as a family. There are a lot of nice places near our place to see and one of them is Tagaytay! 

Here comes makulit!

One happy kid ever! 

                                 It is more than apparent that he already feels at home!

Can't buy that smile!

Loving Tita Olive

I'd like to say a million thanks to my bestfriend of 14 years. Our beautiful, sexy official photographer from wedding day down to house turnover and on years to come. Thanks, Gang! We love you!

Say A Prayer and Do Your Share

After typhoon Haiyan's impact especially in the Visayas region of our country, hearts are heavy and tears are flowing. Please take a moment to say a prayer for the victims and do your share to help rebuild the affected communities. Be smart on where to send your donations.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:1-51

Blogging Is My Therapy

source

The story behind why I started a blog was because I needed a therapy -- mind therapy. As a new mom, I've had my fair share of challenges like all others I suppose. I was literally going insane. One of them was my difficulty to maintain meaningful friendship. Put it simply -- I had no one to talk to. I am a very talkative person. I love to talk and to share. It came to a point where I had no one to share my musings about motherhood, how my son loved what I cooked for him, how cute he was while taking a bath and so on and so forth. And I'm not getting any satisfaction from mere posting on Facebook and Instagram about my every mommyhood milestone. And so I decided to blog.

A friend recently asked me. "Good thing you still find the time to write? I gave up writing even before I started."

So here are some ideas on finding time to write the IlonggaMommy way.

WRITE BY HEART

Let your heart do the talking. Very simple but most effective. You write only by heart. Your heart only knows you. What you feel at the moment is what you are. It doesn't matter what you talk or write about. As long as you write by heart, you'll never get wrong. Ten meaningful posts are way better than a thousand insincere posts.

CHOOSE THE ONE THAT STOOD UP

I don't believe in getting out of your way to find something to write. Choose topics based on your own experience. Choose one that really matters to you that week or that day. You need not look elsewhere. What to write is always in front of you. This will save you time.

DAYDREAMING IS BLOGGING
If I don't find the time to start something to write, I daydream about what to write. It's like a meditation for me. It can be while I'm lying in bed beside my kid putting him to sleep. It can be while I'm cooking. It can be while I'm taking a shower. List them in your mind and put them in writing on your downtime. Believe me. Daydreaming is very powerful. Meditate.

CAPTURE AS MANY MOMENTS AS YOU CAN
A picture paints a thousand words. This is very true. I make it a habit to take as many photos as I can. I take photos of my baby in whatever activity he's in. I take photos of whatever I prepare every day. I take photos of anything that interests me. From these photos, you can create a topic that's very sincere and very personal. Share them away with a sprinkling of your magical words.

LIVE LIKE WATER
Blogging is a journey. It is a journey of your life. Live life like how the river flows. In short, just go with it! Live away from pressure and norms. Go with what you think is fun and is best. You don't have to set yourself a deadline. To live freely is to live meaningfully.

OWN YOUR BRAND
There are a lot of bloggers who are copycats. I must apologize for the word but this is true. Owning your brand will make you stand out. So go out there and show 'em what you really got. Show 'em the real you. Be real. Be your own.

My 16th Letter to Freedom

Dearest Son,

You'll be 21 months in a matter of days and you just continue to amaze us. First, your Tatay and I are very happy that God healed you as you haven't had any asthma attacks in the last 10 months. We thank God every day for that. Mommy and Tatay are faced with some big problems lately but we are starting to get through of those because you continue to inspire and strengthen us.

There is no bigger problem than God, Anak. That's what Mamita taught me. I hope I could be as good as a mom as your Mamita. Mommy always tells herself that whatever problem may come our way, as long as you are healthy and happy, I'm all good. Do you know that you just learned saying "I love you" to us? It is just awesome to hear you reply "I love you". I was so happy about it I tell you "I love you" a hundred times a day and you reply a hundred times back, it really melts my heart, Anak. Your Mamita just loves to hear you say "I Love You" over the phone.

I am also happy to report that you are already toilet trained! You are so cool! Even with nappies on, you keep on telling Mommy that you got to go. So cute! Another thing that really amazes us now is that whenever we ask you "Free, are you happy?" You always answer, "Happy!" I am so glad you are one happy kid. I'll make sure you'll have a happy and memorable childhood, my son. I promise you that.

Always remember, Mommy and Tatay are always here to make you happy. Can't wait till morning when I can hear you say "I Love You" to us again. Sleep tight my dearest. Mommy will be just by your side all throughout the night, saying a thankful prayer to God for He has given you to us.

Love,
Mommy

A Dozen Years

This goes to my one and only love:

Thank you for a dozen years of love.

Thank you for always being by my side.
Thank you for always lifting my spirits up.

Thank you for the positive vibes.

Thank you for being there for me.

Thank you for being Freedom's greatest dad.

Thank you for being his ultimate funny playmate.

Looking forward for more years with you. I love you.

The Challenges Of Entertaining Your Toddler On Rainy Days

Moms like me know it really is hard entertaining a toddler on a rainy day. So what about on a rainy week? This is one challenge my husband and I are facing this rainy season.

While stuck inside the house, watching TV is inevitable. My son loves Disney Junior especially Hi 5 but would die for TV commercials. He cries when commercials are over. He's so funny when he does this. So we resort to watching TV commercials and Hi 5 songs on YouTubeRepeater. But you won't expect my kid glued on TV or videos all day. So we also try playing with him with all the toys on the floor. This saved us an hour or two.

And when all resources are exhausted, I turn to learning and was surprised at his speech and comprehension level! My son is only 18 months. Another hour or two well spent!



Don't get me wrong. I don't wish for a genius child.I just want a street smart kid.

Here's hoping for a ray of sunshine tomorrow and the days ahead.

Don't forget to at least donate to victims of typhoon Maring. Little things will matter. We got to share love and compassion. Prayers are powerful too.