Cheers to Precious Memories

Roughly three months before my 24th birthday, I gave birth to a baby boy. He unexpectedly became the center of my world and I found myself getting excited with every waking moment.

After 4 years, we received another blessing and we called him ‘marshmallow face’. He has touched our hearts since then.

My children are my everything. Yes, as cliche as it may sound, they are my EVERYTHING. And I will never forget the feeling of overwhelming joy when I first held them in my arms.

I am a better person because of them, and for it, I will be forever grateful.

Cheers to precious gifts from above. 🙂

A memorable photo right after I gave birth to my eldest, Zaiel. ♥ DigiScrap kit source: Unknown

One of the first few photos of my second baby. ♥
Baby kit from ScrappyNat

Cheers to Challenges & Heartbreaks

I have always been a naturally melancholy person but motherhood helped me see through the bright side of life. I must admit that searching for the rainbow after every storm is much easier to do now that I have my wonderful children to inspire me and cheer me up. 🙂

In 2012, the day of our 3rd wedding anniversary, Z (my eldest) was diagnosed with a rare illness. I got worried sick about his high fever not going down for days and how the doctors carefully revealed to me that he has Kawasaki Disease.

I can still remember how confusion and panic consumed me that fateful day.. How I walked out of my son’s hospital room to keep what’s left of my sanity and cried while strolling nervously up and down the corridors. I knew then that KD is a life-threatening illness and I couldn’t help but ask the universe WHY, of all people, does it have to be my son.

To learn more about Kawasaki Disease, read my blog entry Kawasaki Disease & My Son.

Right after his IVIG treatment

Yearly 2D Echo

Fast forward 2 years and I found myself lost in the same black hole again. I cried myself to sleep almost every night thinking about my bunso. The truth hit me just as hard — our marshmallow face has Autism.

You know, a mother’s heart can only take so much. 🙁

EEG test

I wouldn’t want to view the diagnosis as a life sentence, but it seemed like darker days are looming ahead of us.

Meltdowns and aggressive behaviors, sleepless nights, therapy appointments, medical tests & medications, additional expenses leading to financial difficulties, and an endless list of growing frustrations. We are all caught up in this whirlwind of chaos with no knowledge of how to break free.

But every time I look at my children, I see a glimmer hope.. a slight chance that something good, something positive might happen .

“We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in.” – Ernest Hemingway

Becoming a MOM is more than just giving birth and being called a mother for life. It is ‘learning about the strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you never knew existed.’

Nobody can ever prepare for motherhood, especially to the pains and hardships that come with it. But one thing’s for sure.. I am more than willing to deal with and endure all the difficulties that I am about to face.

Wine please. Let’s cheers to that! 🙂

Cheers to Winning Moments

Now let me take you to that happy, sunny side of my life — my cheers moments with my children. There are a lot actually, but I’ll just share with you the best of the best winning moments I’ve had with them.

Z has always been a consistent honor student but this year, he surprised us when he became #1. Cheers to hard work and discipline!

I’m also happy that Z excels not only in academics but also in almost every aspect of his early childhood life. He’s slowly becoming the man I’ve always envisioned him to be – kind, smart, and responsible. In fact, he already knows how to take care of his younger brother. 🙂

With N, everything is unpredictable. But he’s slowly getting there, showing small yet significant improvements. We are working on his [social, intellectual, and behavioral] problems during his therapy sessions and I can’t thank them enough (his teachers) for guiding us through N’s journey.

Autism is #Ausome!

Moving forward and not holding back, I always try to introduce him to various toddler activities. I want to help him better connect with the world and to the people around him.

I vowed to do everything I can to help him cope with his limitations and I’m not wasting a single day because every day is an opportunity for him to grow and learn.

Cheers to baby steps and small wins! 🙂

Cheers to Making Mealtimes Fun

As a mother who has went through a lot, I’ve realized how important it is to celebrate life on a daily basis. And since I am a stay at home mom, I want to make the most out of my time at home and make everyday a special occasion. In other words, mag-party araw-araw! 🙂

That’s why I started making bento boxes. I love food and cooking and the crumbs in between so bento-making, I thought, was a perfect addition to my absurdly long list of interests and hobbies.

I knew that it will take more than sheer effort to make each meal interesting and special, but I’m still up for it simply because the smile on my kids’ faces [after seeing their bento meals] are priceless.

Here are some of my bento creations featuring their favorite cartoon characters, Pikachu of Pokemon, Raphael of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Finn & Jake of Adventure Time.

Packed with love and care, Z’s bento baon is not complete without a sweet note, spoon & fork, and of course, table napkins so he can clean himself up after eating. You know, it’s never too early to teach kids about hygiene.

Cheers Table Napkins

I use Cheers table napkins like ALL.THE.TIME. Table napkins are considered kitchen staples so for a busy momma like me, I’d like to have them always within arm’s reach. 

Kids are most likely to get messy without warning (spilled milk, crushed biscuits, and smeared sauces), so we need instant solutions to these messy situations — one wipe, one swipe, and DONE. 🙂 And these table napkins mean more to me than just accessories for cleaning.

For me, the act of wiping my children’s mouth is an ACT OF LOVE. It shows how I care about them, how I want them to look and feel clean & presentable at all times. And best of all, it creates special memories and cheers moments that are worthy to look back on.    

Did you also know that Cheers is SAFE and kid-friendly? Read on.

Cheers is a product line of paper towels, kitchen towels and table napkins. It’s made of 100% Virgin Pulp and contains no artificial whiteners and elemental chlorine, which makes it truly hygienic and helps you avoid paper wastage.

Recycled Pulp Vs. Virgin Pulp (from tree farms)

Cheers is a brand by Sanitary Care Products Asia, Inc. (SCPA Solutions). SCPA is first and foremost a Filipino company that believes that every Filipino deserves access to quality hygienic paper products at very reasonable prices.

Providing careers to Filipino workers, the company was able to deliver quality products and superior service and meet the different needs of the local market through strict standards of excellence and integrity.

I keep a pack of Cheers table napkins together with my bento tools so I never forget to sneak a few folds inside Z’s lunchbox.

A regular in my grocery list, Cheers is a must-buy. ‘Nuff said. 🙂

If your family is into outings and picnics naman, Cheers provides the perfect picnic companion — the Cheers Picnic Set. I noticed it on the shelves just recently and it makes your cleaning job hassle-free. Each Cheers Picnic set contains pull napkins, cutlery, and trash bags — all in one box.

Do you agree that most memorable moments are often shared with food? Cheers to simple yet satisfying meals! 🙂

As much as I want to WIPE AWAY all my mommy dilemmas in one go, I know it’s impossible to do. But despite the struggle, MOTHERHOOD is still my greatest adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. Cheers to all loving mothers out there! 🙂

Cheers to Life. Cheers to Everyday!

Thank you CHEERS for making our lives easier, more joyful, and dirt-free. 🙂 O diba, packaging palang, nakaka-happy na! Cheers!

What’s your CHEERS MOMENT? 🙂

Disclaimer: This is my entry to Nuffnang’s ‘Cheers To Life. Cheers To Everyday.’ Blog Contest. All opinions are my own.

Cheers Kitchen Towels and Table Napkins
www.scpa.com.ph
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Published: 2016-10-31 09:10:19