Painting with the Kids

 When the lockdown started last year, my son suddenly developed high-grade fever followed by intense coughing. COVID tests were really scarce then and we were scared to go to a hospital. We gave him paracetamol every 4 hours but the fever kept coming back. We had no choice but to bring him to the ER where he was diagnosed with acute respiratory infection and sent home to continue meds. When he and hubby arrived home, he had watery poop. His former pedia said to treat him as if he had COVID. We had no yaya then and my senior citizen MIL was helping us out so we had to send her to my SIL's house so she won't catch what my son had. I became mommy, yaya, cook, lavandera and cleaning lady for 2 weeks so I didn't have the luxury of bingeing on Netflix, decluttering, or taking up a new hobby like the rest. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life and while we never found it if it was COVID, I am now grateful that we managed to survive it.

Alas, we are back on lockdown and mercifully, none of my kids are sick. I finally have the time and mental head space to open the big box of crafts my friend sent my kids last Christmas pa. We discovered that my kids like to paint. Well, more of my daughter, who has appropriated a big box of crayons and markers supposedly gifted to her brother.

Here are my son's works:

Philippine Airlines' Arroz Caldo

 I have not tasted the ubiquitos Philippine Airlines arroz caldo because I have never been to their Mabuhay Lounge. So when I saw on Instagram that they were now selling it in a box, I gave in.

I chose April 5 as the delivery date even if I ordered mid-March and it was already April 7 or 8 when I realized I have not received my order yet. I followed up on @FlyPALcafe and they said they will deliver on April 9.

It arrived at around 6:00 P.M. I ordered two boxes. In a box is a pack of cold arroz caldo, two wooden bowls, two wooden spoons, a salted egg, and small containers of calamansi, dulong (dilis?), green onion, and toasted garlic.

We reheated the arroz caldo for breakfast the next day.

As someone who sort of knows how to cook (naks!), I think the taste was sakto lang. Although the hubby, who is not fond of arroz caldo, said it was delicious. I love more the wooden bowls LOL! #

On Gumamelas

 

Whenever we walk around the condo compound, my son likes to pick gumamelas. So when one of our neighbors started selling plants from Tagaytay and I saw a gumamela plant, I immediately ordered one. 

 When it arrived, I think it had two flowers. Then for the looongest time, it did not grow any buds. My husband wanted to get rid of it because he said it was just taking up space. Its branches were growing but no flowers. 

 Then one day, it just started sprouting flowers...

 

Follow Me on Instagram

 

When you have sooo many plant photos and plant Instagram accounts want to follow your private personal profile, it's time to have a separate plant account LOL.

 Follow Plantita Mommy on Instagram! #

 

 

On Toothing

 If you are also a mommy, you are probably familiar with that "wiggle, wiggle, is it ready?" tooth song of Cocomelon. When my kids watched it for the first time, my 6 year old son was worried when I told him that he eventually lose his tooth like the boy in Cocomelon. He actually cried and asked me, "Pwede pag 7 (years old) na lang ako?" I had to say "okay" just so he will stop crying.

My kids and I brush our teeth together just so I can check if they're doing it right. Sometimes, my son would say that his tooth was wiggling but when I check, it isn't. Today after lunch, he again said that his tooth was wiggling. It wasn't but there's a budding tooth behind it!

 

I sent the photo to the hubby who said his teeth were like that and his baby tooth should be pulled by a dentist. Yegads. I'm scared of going to the dentist nowadays because hello, aerosols. However, I do need a trip to the dentist myself. Wish us luck! #

On Fittonias

Since I titled this blog “Plantita Mom”, it should probably have plant posts, right? Way before everyone started buying (or hoarding) plants, I had a mild interest in growing plants. We have a terrace which gets adequate morning sun so I dabbled in buying plants. However, most plants used to die on me. I managed to kill cacti and euphorbia plants (which are basically cacti also). 

When the pandemic started, my MIL was with us. She has a great green thumb and had a vast garden in the province. I knew she was bored in our tiny unit so I started buying plants, pots, seeds, and soil so she could start sprucing up our balcony. And she did! 

This was our balcony in June 2020:

 Of the (numerous) plants I bought, I was drawn to fittonias because I read they were diva-like: they hate the direct sun, they wilt when thirsty, and perk up when watered. They also have dark green leaves that have white, pink or red veins running through them. I was curious, and I was challenged to keep them alive.

 This was the very first fittonia I bought. I think it was around P650.00. 

 

On Korean Dramas

 I am so late to the Korean drama (Kdramas) frenzy. I was in law school when Koreanovelas first appeared in GMA. The Tagalized shows did not appeal to me. Some of my classmates would buy DVDs in nearby Quiapo but with the amount of reading we did in law school, I said I no longer wanted to read subtitles in my spare time. I did buy and watch "Love Story in Harvard" then but only because one of the characters went to Harvard Law School.

When I signed up to Netflix, I binge-watched the American series I failed to watch when I was younger - Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, Friends, and Modern Family. It was during the start of ECQ that I ran out of American series that I clicked on my first Kdrama - Descendants of the Sun. The leads were so good-looking that they even ended up together in real life but then divorced. The story was also interesting even if it seemed incredible at times.

So I started clicking on the Kdramas on Netflix. Here are some that I finished:

Reply 1997 - this was set at the same time that I was finishing high school so I could relate to their growing up angst and puppy love crushes.