Twinning

Call me crazy but I really find it so cute when the kids are wearing similar shirts.

When they were younger, I could get away with dressing them up so they would match.  As they grew older, each of them had their personal preferences.  Plus I promised I would not make them wear matching shirts once they were taller than me. (And they really didn't have to wait too long for that to happen.)  So I was thrilled to find these old photos.

I had green shirts that matched the ones the kids are wearing in the last two photos but the question is whether I've got pictures to prove it.  These days, the only chance for matching shirts would be if we all happen to be wearing black, white or grey.

Just Do It ...Correctly!

I got some t-shirts for the boys when I was in Manila a couple of years ago. They've been in storage since then because the boys considered them too sportsy.

When RD and I started our morning runs, I brought out one of the shirts for him. After he wore the shirt several times, I said I thought the bigger one would fit him better.  True enough, it did.  So I ended up with the smaller shirt.

I knew RD was wearing his shirt today so I put mine on and took a selfie with him while he was at his PC.

I looked at the picture and complained, "It's not right!"

"What are you trying to do anyway, Mom?" he asked. 

"I wanted to take a picture of us with matching shirts," I explained, showing him the shirt I was wearing.

"MOM, if you want to show the shirt, you have to stand up.  Here, I'll show you," he said as he positioned us by the stairs and took the shot.

He took a second picture with him leaning over so we could get the shirt logos in the shot.

Adulting

RD has been keen on learning how to be more independent.  He has been helping around the kitchen and doing the laundry.  Recently he mentioned that he would like to learn how to iron clothes, so  the other night I took the opportunity to teach him how to iron shirts.

In all honesty, I find ironing is the most difficult part of the cycle to getting clean clothes.  I mean really, doing the laundry is easy; it's the aftermath that gets you. 

Think about it, you stick a whole load of laundry in the washing machine, add some soap, and press START.  No sweat.  When the final rinse cycle finishes, you pull out the clean clothes and hang them out to dry.  That's a little bit harder because you would have to hang the clothes one at a time but essentially the sun does most of the work. Then comes the hard part, ironing the clothes that need to be ironed ONE by ONE.  

For most of my married life I didn't have to iron.  That's because we had household help in Manila to help with the chores.  When we moved to Australia, naturally I had to re-learn how to iron clothes.  Believe it or not, it was the MacGyver's brother that gave me my refresher course.  We stayed at their place for a month and a half before we found our own rental place and he was the one assigned to iron clothes.  His technique : COLLAR -- SLEEVES -- FRONT -- BACK.

Being the engineer, I needed a mnemonic to remember those steps.  Being a banker, the mnemonic was easy to choose.  CSFB which to a banker translates to CS First Boston.  That's a good code, I can remember that.

I was hoping RD would find that easy to remember as well but somehow it was still a struggle.

MyGirl captured his sentiment in a SnapChat message that evening where she quoted her brother. saying , "why is everything about being an adult so hard???"

There are a lot of different ways of ironing shirts and the link below is just one of them if you don't want your mother calling out after you, "baka habulin ka ng plantsa" ('you might be chased by an iron').

Ironing a Dress Shirt

1
Lay the collar out flat on the ironing board and press. Iron from the points of the collar inward to back of neck. Do the underside of the collar as well. 

2
Press the yoke and shoulders. Position your ironing board inside the shirt and into the arm. If your ironing board does not have a small board to insert into the sleeves, then put the sleeve on top of the ironing board, both sides together flat, and iron. Turn the shirt to iron the backside. Reposition for the opposite shoulder. Then turn the shirt, and do the rear side of the yoke and shoulders 

3
For a long-sleeved shirt, press the cuffs next, similar to the collar instructions. Turn the shirt to press the other side. 

4
Lay one sleeve out flat on the ironing board. Align the sleeve following the bottom seam as guide. Press carefully, moving both layers of fabric flat as the iron glides across front surface of sleeve. Repeat for the other sleeve. Turn the shirt to do the other side of sleeve. Ensure that you pull the iron across the fabric in one direction only, away from where you are holding it down so that the creases are mildly stretched out of the fabric. 

5
Position the body of the shirt on the square end of your ironing board, buttonhole panel first. Press from the bottom tail progressing upward to the collar. Do not allow puckers or folds to press into fabric. Turn the shirt to iron the inside of the body of shirt also. 

6
Move the shirt position to the next body panel, half of the back. Press from the tail progressing upward to the collar. 

7
Move the shirt position to next body panel, the other half of the back. Press as before. 

8
Move shirt position to the last body panel, other half of the front, the button panel. Press as before. 

9
Return pressed shirt to hanger, Button top button and third button.

God Knows Best

There are things that happen in one's life that often change you forever.   These can be things you take for granted, such as learning how to read or learning how to walk.  These can be happy and exciting things like falling in love, getting married, or having a new baby.  These can also involve sad and unexpected things like getting sick, being involved in an accident,  or losing a loved one.  

We lost Father a year ago today.  It was a Friday the 13th back in 2017.  As a result, Fridays have never been the same for me.   Nothing is the same.  

I have to accept that there is a new normal now.  

---o0o---

The other day I was looking at old videos and came across one that I'd seen many times before.  It was one with the three kids playing in the study room at Cebu Avenue.  The  kids had placed the cushions from our living room chairs on the floor and were running around playing "Following the Leader."   In this clip, RD was often frustrated because he kept running so fast that he'd end up at the tail, instead of being the leader.  GI and MyGirl just kept running happily at their own pace with MyGirl singing, "da leader, da leader..."  She was about 2 years old in this video and there were times she seemed at risk of being knocked down by one or both of her brothers.  You could hear the voice of Father in the background so you could tell he was nearby. 

In the past, watching the video, I wasn't looking for Father as I was focused on the kids.  When I viewed the video the other night, I was wishing so hard that I'd turned the camera just a bit to catch Father.  The video ran for over five minutes capturing the three kids in action and nobody else. Thankfully towards the end, I re-positioned myself to another spot and caught Father on camera.  There he was, sitting on a chair, watching the children.   

The very last shot was MyGirl tripping and Father reaching down to pick her up.  

It was good to see Father again, if only for those few seconds in the video. 

---o0o---

I came across this poem today.  It is true... God knows best.   We miss you everyday, Father.

God Knows Best

by Helen Steiner Rice

Our Father knows what's best for us

So why should we complain

We always want the sunshine

But He knows there must be rain

We love the sound of laughter

And the merriment of cheer

But our hearts would lose their tenderness

If we never shed a tear

Our Father tests us often

With suffering and with sorrow

He tests us, not to punish us

But to help us meet "tomorrow"

For growing trees are strengthened

When they withstand the storm

And the sharp cut of the chisel

Give the marble grace and form

God never hurts us needlessly

And he never wastes our pain

For every loss He sends to us

Is followed by rich gain

And when we count the blessings

That God has so freely sent

We will find no cause for murmuring 

And no time to lament

For our Father loves His children

And to Him all things are plain

So He never send us pleasure

When the soul's deep need is pain

So whenever we are troubled

And when everything goes wrong

It is just God working in us

To make our spirit's strong

The Birds and the Bees

RD and I have been trying to get some exercise into our lives so we would typically wake up early and jog around a nearby park.  This morning, it was quite warm and RD was feeling a bit tired, so we decided to walk instead.  Walking enabled us to talk.  

RD has been known to ask question related to the birds and the bees, but this morning, his question was even more intriguing.  "Mom, why do they even call it 'the birds and the bees'?"

I suddenly realised that I have used that term so many times without really knowing where it came from or why it was called such.  RD said the flowers and the bees might have been more appropriate.  After some thought I remembered that "the birds and the bees" came from a song.  I promised RD I'd look it up so that we could get to the bottom of this mystery.

So let me tell you about the birds and the bees...


The Birds and the Bees ... and the Spiders -- 22 August 2008

RD posed an interesting question last night. He asked, "Mom, can a spider give birth on its own?"

I paused to think of the right answer to that question then said, "Of course, sweetheart.  A spider can give birth on its own.  A spider doesn't need a doctor to have a baby, not like people."

"No, Mom,"  he shook his head and started over.  "What I meant was -- can a spider give birth on its own or does it need two spiders to have a baby spider?"

(Ahh ... the plot thickens.)

"Why do you ask?"

"Because yesterday there was only one spider over the sink.  And now, there are two."

"Oh, RD"  I said, "I think that other spider was already there before but you just didn't see it.  You need two spiders to make a baby spider."

You'd think that was the end of that ... but NOOOOO. 

This evening, he comes up to me and reports, "Mom, I think those two spiders are mad and don't want to talk to each other.  It's either that or they are sleeping."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Mom, they are far away from each other and they are not moving."

(This is what I get for allowing spiders to spin their webs over the sink -- a 10-year old relational psychoanalyst for arachnids.)

(Too Early for Comfort) Birds and Bees Conversation – 17 December 2006

RD came up with a question the other morning that threw me off a bit.  He asked, “Mom, is it possible for a baby to come if the mom is not married?”

Hard question.

As always, I answered truthfully. I replied, “Yes, sweetheart.  It’s possible for a baby to come if the mom is not married.” 

“How does it happen, Mom?  Magic?”

I had to smile.  Of course there is magic when a child is born, but I don’t think that is what RD REALLY meant.

I cautiously answered, “For a baby to come, the mom doesn’t HAVE to be married.  But of course it’s better if the mom is married so that she and the dad can take care of the baby.  What is needed, RD is the mom and the dad.”

If I thought everything would end there, I would have been dreaming, right?

True enough, RD asked the hard follow up question.  He asked, “Why?”

“Well … “ I started, “that’s the …”

I got off the hook easy this time because RD ventured to complete my sentence.  He said, “… that’s the proper procedure?”

“Yes, sweetheart, you’re right.  That’s the proper procedure.”

[End of discussion.]

THE BIRDS AND THE BEES 

Let me tell you about the birds, and the bees the flowers and the trees
The moon up above and a thing called love

When I look into your big brown eyes it's very plain to see
That it's time you learned about the facts of life startin' from A to Z 

Let me tell you about the birds, and the bees the flowers and the trees
The moon up above, and a thing called love 

Let me tell you about the birds, and the bees the flowers, and the trees The stars in the sky a girl, and a guy 

The birds, and the bees the flowers, and the treesThe stars in the sky

a girl and a guy ....the birds, and the bees ...