mum musings

of homes for sale + children

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I was in third grade when my parents decided to move to Bulacan. In the wake of my parents’ making one of the most major decisions that would affect our lives, all my thoughts are on my elementary school friends + the fun we had together + the book that I will not be able to return to the school library! Or whether I’d get along with the children in my new school. What can I say, I am just being a kid, I guess.

I will always have fond memories of our old home in Taguig. It was a two-storey old house with concrete/cement first floor, whilst the second floor is made entirely of wood. We even had capiz windows upstairs + during the night my siblings + I would love to look at the reflections of lights from cars + other vehicles on the road on those capiz. They made this awesome kaleidoscope of colors that we enjoy watching so much.

It has huge + spacious room where we run around + play all day, especially when school’s over. There is plenty of room for all five of us to fool around. Heck, we can bike around the second floor. That area is very spacious! The house have a soft spot in my heart since it housed all of my very early memories of family + Christmases + other occasions.

I am sure my parents did not put up one of those kansas city homes for sale signs when they sold our old house. In fact, I am not sure whether they put up a sign at all. I bet they contacted + talked to a lot of different people and prospective buyers to negotiate and finally, seal the deal. My parents are also simply folks so I don’t think they even hired an agent to assist them in that endeavor. I was really too young to know + too oblivious then, to remember it now.

I actually have very little recollection given the fact that I was barely 8 years old when it happened. But if my mum where alive today + I’d ask her for tips on how to break it gently to children that you are selling the old house + moving to a new one, I bet she’d tell me these:

  • Tell them straight away that you are selling the house + are moving into a new one
  • Include the children in the discussion about the details on the sell + the move – you may just leave out the delicate + complicated details that are too much for them to digest
  • You can make leaving the old family house a memorable experience by making a scrapbook to remember it by. take photos of the family in different areas in your house + make a scrapbook out of it. Fill it with captions + detailed descriptions of where’s this + that. This will serve as a very effective tool when your little one suddenly misses the old house. You can look at the pictures together while reliving the memories you had in it.
  • Remind the little one that the new house will be just as pretty as the old one, but in different ways to prevent him from expecting to see the same things he is used to at the old house.
  • Get him ready for the move by including him in the packing + moving preparations. You can probably ask him to help pack his toys together in a box.  That way he will realize that moving to a new house might just be an interesting + exciting activity after all.

I am participating in a blogger campaign for a Kansas real estate company by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are 100% my own.

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jared's nook, mum musings

doctor!doctor! my son is sick!

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What’s the first thing you do when your child falls sick? Call the doctor or ask your mom for a home remedy?

I wish I can enjoy the luxury of bugging my Mama whenever my son fell ill, am sure she has loads of home remedy to recommend, but, alas, I can only do that in my mind + in my prayers, which I think works just fine since Jared has never really fallen ill + I only hope it’s an ordeal I will never have to go through!

Almost all the time, when my little man gets sick, I will call or SMS his pedia immediately. I try hard not to bug her a lot but for my own peace of mind (+ better heath, now that you’ve mentioned it!) I keep her updated whenever I noticed something unusual or whenever Jared is not feeling fine.

Of course, I try not to be a maniacal worry wart most of the time (which is always the case whenever my son is feeling unwell) + try not to lose my head. It was a good thing the worse we’ve had to deal with so far is the almost-asthma-like episodes (I was so relieved when his pedia declared it as an isolated case, the experience is so horrible + Jared was so terrified of the nebulizer, I’d have to force the thing on him, + it was very heart-breaking on my part :()

What is the first thing you do when your child get’s sick? Share it with us at When SAHM-one Speaks

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jared's nook

calculate your child's risk at allergy

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kids, babies, allergies

It is best to be aware of your child’s risk at allergies so you would know how to manage it + deal with it properly. That is why when I saw this ad about KIDS Allergy-O-Meter in  my Facebook’s sidebar, I did not hesitate to check it out. Knowing that my son is a little sensitive (not to mention more susceptible to allergies as most babies born via C-section), I can use all the help I can get about allergies, alleviating them + preventing them altogether (if it were possible).

The link directed me to the MomCenter site + this is what appeared when I clicked the Begin button:

kids, babies, allergiesIt is a well-known fact that a child’s risk to allergies can very well be connected with his parent’s very own allergic reactions. Using this tab, I was prompted to enter my + Jared’s dad’s (+ in some other cases, you will also be prompted to include allergies experienced by your other children) experience with different types of allergies. I had a few on several occasions + Jared’s dad has his share, too.

Here is the result:

kids, babies, allergies

Jared has about 60-80% risk at allergy. Somehow, I expected it, as his allergies actually manifested earlier on in his infant days which resulted to him taking a lactose-free formula until he was a year old.  We have also delayed giving him solids so as to prevent further allergies from manifesting earlier than necessary, as per his pedia’s advice. We’ve also purchased a nebulizer to be on the ready in case coughs + colds as severe as he experienced in May happens again, which I hope will never happen again 🙁

It was no good news, but at least I am now aware of it + can take some necessary precautions to prevent him from having allergies.

Go ahead + check out your child’s risk at allergy. Simply visit Momcenter + look for the KIDS Allergy-O-Meter’s tab.

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