My Marvelous Mom

I found an old photo of my Mom with my Papa Lolo's jeep. She said Tito Ben taught her to drive in secret. They would use Papa Lolo's jeep without his knowledge. Growing up with five other siblings they'd always do secret stuff like turning back the clock so they can stay out later. And they always stuck together when they got in trouble. 

I did exactly the same, mostly on my own since my siblings are much older than me. I think Mom was strictest with me. I always got an earful when I had a wound or when I got home late. Well, I still did what all kids do haha. Eventually it was Daddy who became stricter in my late twenties. They were both very protective of me.

I learned diskarte from my Mom. I got my program management skills from her. There's nothing she cannot solve. Her secret weapon has always been prayer. Whenever I go to her room I always see her either praying or sewing (or telebabad with her amigas). She's always calm, but oh boy, don't make her angry. To this day she always prays for us.

One thing I wish I got from my Mom is her spine of steel. In times of disaster she's always on top of things. I've never seen her panic. I can't imagine how she was able to take care of her siblings when they got sick one after another. And she was in her mid-70s when she took care of me after heart surgery. She's a rockstar. 

My beautiful Mom at 85 yo.

And through this pandemic she always reassures us that she's okay and just staying home. She's still up to her tricks because she told me earlier she went to our church last January! Good thing Kuya kept her drivers license. I'm sure she'd go out more if she had it. I'm also sure she stays more than 20 minutes when she tends to her garden. That's fine since it's an enclosed area. I just always hope and pray she'd be healthy and safe. 

Love you Mom forever <3

CB///Yr2/29  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/56 #StayHome #BeKind   

Get Some Free Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for Mom

We were all so busy because of the elections and a number of you probably missed doing something special for your Mom (I almost did). I only managed to deliver my Mom our gift, I know though that she would've loved to sample Krispy Kreme's Mango Kreme Cake (my Mom is bananas over mango, pun intended).

Hopefully when my crazy schedule eases up I hope I can spend a lazy afternoon with my Mom with some Mango Kreme Chiller. Correction, I'll make the time when I get back from Cebu.

Well here's a chance to get your Mom a dozen doughnuts! Just do the following:

1. Add Chloe, the official Krispy Kreme girl on Facebook (just search for "Chloe Krispy Kreme").
2. Email Chloe a photo of you and your Mom having a magical moment with a brief description (2-3 sentences) on why it's magical. When emailing Chloe (hotlightgirl.chloe@gmail.com) please include the following:

Name:
Facebook name:
Age:
Blog where you saw the promo: An Apple a Day (http://aileenapolo.blogspot.com)
Date of submission:

I will be posting your photo here in my blog once Chloe sends it. The best photo will get a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts! There will be 2 winners: (1) May 17-21, 2010 and (2) May 24-28. If you win you can claim your doughnuts from May 24-31, 2010.

Here's my magical moment with my Mom:

One of the most important moments in our life is our wedding day. The moment you wear your wedding gown is a rite of passage which becomes complete when your Mom helps you wear your gown. This is a magical moment that you should pass through with your Mom.

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Update: Here are the photos from those who joined the promo. Enjoy!



May 24, Update: Sorry I haven't announced the winner for week 1 yet. Please bear with me, I am currently in the Visayas Region. Please tell your friends to submit their entries for week 2!

My Mom, the Adventurista

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I've learned so much from my Mom. Of course, she's my first teacher and I remember when I was a tiny kid she encouraged me to read and write a lot. She also did the same thing to Miguel since I left him with her during the day when I was in school and when I was already working. The summers that I spent playing with Lego also included dabbling on doing crafts. She would park me on the lawn in the afternoons on a banig with stuff to do - sewing dresses for my Barbie (it's still around somewhere), making pincushions which we sold in the parish bazaar, quilting or painting pots. She always kept me busy and I think that's why I can never sit still doing nothing.

I also think I got my adventurous, "lakwatsera" side from her. She started bringing me to the beach when I was just 8 months old and I we always had expeditions every year to Bicol with our neighbors. She's also into organizing events, especially fund raising activities (she still has that hatak). I don't really know how she does it, but everything she does is successful. She just does things to make it work. I don't think she'll blog though, she's not keen on writing (so that bit I got from my Dad), and you won't be able to get her to hold any high-ranking position in any organization, but she's an influencer nonetheless. She says she'd rather do things than lead. Oh and how can I forget how we both could magically make food appear on the table with our fingers. Her motto, "Let's your fingers do the walking!" (Ahhh that's probably why I dreamed of working for the yellow pages when I was a kid! And I did!).

Since most of the Mom bloggers were out of town last Friday for the Clara Ole event, I asked my Mom if she wanted to go with me and mentioned that she could bring her friends. I assumed she didn't want to go since she doesn't really like going to the mall and crowded places. I was really surprised when she asked me an hour before the event what time we should be there since she was going with her friends. Huwhaaaattt?!? LOL. She never fails to surprise me.

Always Game

So, off we went to Taste Asia for the Clara Ole event. I felt kinda pressured since I had my Mom and 3 Titas! So I felt like I had 4 moms yesterday since all of them have been my Mom's friends since I was a baby. Anyway, I was quite apprehensive since I didn't know how they'd react about the event. We first sat in the workshop on fashion. I know my Mom and my Titas weren't really into fixing themselves up, but I was again surprised when they were game about mixing and matching clothing.


Blessed

It's my Dad who's very lucky when it comes to raffle games. He always brings home the grand prize whenever he attends parties. Me and my Mom rarely win anything, but yesterday was a lucky, lucky day. The whole Sun Valley contingent (that's us) won several times in the raffle! One of my titas won thrice (a saucepan, a MNG cologne and a one-year magazine subscription). My Mom also won a MNG lotion which I promptly confiscated from her hehehe. [In the photo is my Mom with the event host, Dominic Ochoa (don't worry Dom I'm not going to blog about the stuff we chatted about!).] My Mom always reminds me to count my blessings and to thank God for it.

I had to leave my Mom and my Titas at Taste Asia since I had another appointment to attend. My apprehensions were actually shushed when my Tita said, "Huwag ka mag-alala okay kami dito kasi masaya!" My Mom reported during dinner last night that they actually finished the event (I was shocked!) since they had a grand time attending the stress management and make-over session. My Mom said that she even volunteered to be made-over (I'm having a heart-attack now...) and that they loved the food that was served and enjoyed the cooking demo.

I was really, really surprised my Mom finished the whole event and she said that my Titas want to attend more events of that kind. Thanks Clara Ole and SM!

Clara Ole

If you're wondering who Clara Ole is, you've probably encountered their products inserted as samples in some of the local women's magazines. I love eating salads and Clara Ole has a number of salad dressings available in supermarkets now. I love the honey mustard and asian dressing! I can imagine myself opening a can of tuna in brine and then tossing it with the Clara Ole salad dressing. Ulam na siya! Wasabi was quite interesting too. I can't wait to try out the loot my Mom managed to bring home. I was surprised to see a number of new stuff in the kitchen cabinet, including chocolate syrup! Ahhh... chocolate marble hotcakes for merienda!

Love you Mom. Mwah.

My Mom, My Strength

Me with my Mom, circa 19-secret!!!

The other I was discussing profusely parenthood with a friend. Well, he started it and it felt quite weird coz I never really had that kind of discussion on parenthood ever in my life.

These were the things he asked me:

Do parents shape the full personality of a child?
If the child grows up to be a delinquent member of society should we blame the parents fully for it?
Would you bring up your children the same way your parents did?

The upbringing of a person depends a lot on one’s parents. Francis Kong in his book, “What Don’t You Grow Up Dad?” shared that "Our children simply reflect the kind of learning they pick up from their parents". An apple tree wouldn’t bear oranges would it?

But should we blame parents fully for the delinquencies of their children? Yes and no. I think parents factor in a lot on one’s personality, but they do not control your choices. God gave each one of us a mind and a soul and the freedom of choice. Our parents will not always be there when we do judgment calls. And we shouldn’t blame them for all the crimes/indiscretions in the world.

I am sure each and everyone of us rant about our parents. Remember the time when you were a teenager and you felt that your parents don’t understand you at all? Me against the world? Yeah, I went through that as well. My friend who I was talking with said he’d definitely not bring up his children the same way his parents raised him.

I said the same thing before. When I had Miguel I said I’d bring him up differently. But, ya know, there is no such thing as a parent manual and when you are a first time parent you can’t help but refer to how your parents raised you. But, of course, I’m “editing” along the way and I try to avoid doing the stuff I thought annoyed me a lot. It’s not easy being a parent, much less being Mom and Dad at the same time, but I think with lots of love and prayers I’ll manage to bring up Miguel with the right values and spirituality and strength.

My Mom, she never panics. You won’t even see her flinch over a wound, cry over a problem. Put her in a crisis situation and she’ll tell you how to solve it matter of factly. That strength is what I am thankful for because it’s an important survival tool and I will forever be grateful for that. I hope that I’ll be able to teach Miguel the same thing.

And to my friend, I'm no expert at parenting, I just try to be hip about it with a lot of TLC. I asked Miguel this afternoon when was the last time I scolded him and he couldn't even remember. I guess I'm just so lucky I have a really great, sweet kid. Check out what he gave me for Mother's Day below.

Miguel knows best.

And to my Mom... I love you Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

Express your gratitude to your moms by sending them a special gift. Whoopsies! I forgot to buy a gift!