Hustle Bustle...

oh there's the moon!!! (in case you're wondering)

To all the mothers out there who balance work and home, please tell me how you do it. A lot of days I feel like it's a go-go-go-go-go kind of day, with little things I have managed to keep together. The weekend seems to come and go just like that. I remember the first day I took Yllac to school, the same month I got offered a job, thinking how are we gonna do this? Jayson was working on a shifting schedule back then, I will be working too for full 8 hours. Sure! And I was - can i panic now? I was about to burst my brain when suddenly Jayson's boss took him out of shifting schedule and gave him a fine morning schedule for the rest of his life. Oh God hallelujah! we are indeed Jesus' babies here on earth! It was perfect. Easy and breezy. I would drop Yllac to school before 9am, and Jayson would pick him up at 3 in the afternoon. A whole two more hours of dad and son date before they pick me up at 5. This is our life here. The three of us. Go go go, busy and whirlwind. But things are about to change into caaaraaayzeeee territory before the year ends, because....hear this..- we are gonna move again to a new apartment! Yay!

MIA Park Weekend Bazaar (In Pictures)...

Hi folks! Our weekend was kind of awesome. The best! No, I mean, amazing!

The best,.. no no, the very very best time of the year has arrived here in the driest part of the world. When winter season comes, everybody is in the best of festive moods. There is no winter blues here. I think people are more happy and excited to get out and do more activities outside on winter months. Personally I felt the blues back in summer, when we couldn't go out at all because of the heat.

So anyyyyyway...let me show you some photos from our weekend. The Museum of Islamic Arts park holds a lot of activities every winter season from bazaars (like this one), to concerts and all kinds of festivals almost every weekend. Last weekend, the bazaar participants sold some clothes, accessories, arts, crafts and decor. All handmade. It was a feast for the eye.

I took a lot of pictures from the 150 participating local sellers. So if you'd like to see more photos, just click after the jump.

On Thursday Evening...

This is the day where I dream and relive the past Thursday evening of my life. I mean how could I not??? Strolling around in Souq Waqif is just the raddest thing I can think of. Especially in this perfect weather.  

Thank God It's Thursday...

Thursday! Thursday! It's the last day of the week here, so tonight after work we're going straight to Souq Waqif to catch these arabic sweets called awamat before it sold out. It was about three weeks ago when i first tried these. It was an accident really. If it wasn't for the Filipina lady who was offering me to taste test everything on their table, i would be deprived by this tastiest crunchy fried dough forever. For a moment there, I thought It changed my life. Weird and over dramatic but true. Every Thursday and Friday it was a fiesta in Souq Waqif. You'll see a lot of food stand pop-ups everywhere. But I especially go to these two Filipina ladies (who works for a Qatari family) who prepares and cooks all their goods. Maybe I am biased. But these Filipinas have the best arabic food at Souq Waqif. They only sell on the weekends so why not make a new family tradition to visit the Souq every weekend right? Makes sense. 

Happy weekend guys!   

Picnic Season Is Here!

Two weeks ago, it started to feel exciting around here. Guess what? It's the winter season without snow, middle east style! Yes it is. It's perfect. 

A couple of days ago, we packed our lunch for a picnic. Yllac fell asleep on the way to the park, which feels even more perfect because Jayson and I get to just sit still and enjoy our lunch without running in between bites for two whole hours. We talked about anything. The silly things, the stupid things, and nerdy plans for this season. It's not much. Basically, we plan to live outside for as long as we can. All we need is a blanket and we're all set.  

Yllac is a bona fide toddler now, complete with all sorts of tantrums and refusal to get ready for bed every night. Everyfaaaaareakingnight. Now, that's another blog post coming at yah.  

So, hi you! How's life? 

For us? My parents visited us a couple of weeks ago. It was three weeks of fun, food and a short trip to UAE. Id like to share some pictures if you would allow me on my next couple of post. And i really hope i can do that soon. 

So, that's it for now. See you around. 

Hi From Me + Yllac Says...

Hi you! Today I am grateful that summer is over. I can actually walk outside in the middle of the day without getting cooked. Summer here is brutal. Brrrrrruuuuutal!!! Ask my nose. Nothing biggie though. Just a couple of nose bleeding from time to time. And I don't go out that much. The only micro exposure I get everyday is getting out of the car to the apartment or building. That micro second when the blast of hot air fills your lungs, that's brutal. I tried not to talk about it while in the middle of summer because it's such a depressing thing to talk about. Since coming here, I promised not to complain (out loud). As long as I got a roof on my head, and I get to enjoy my life as a wife and mom to my boys, I have no right to complain. I am working on it. Because you know, most of the time it's easier to complain. Anyway summer is in the past now. My nose is rejoicing. Just hoping that my first summer here toughened my nose for the next summer. Think of this - Alpha nose. 

But the good thing about summer on this side of the world, this little boy of mine seems to have gotten bigger, and happier. His laughter fills my heart and raptures my ears. 

Just the other night he was praying...

He said something like, "Thank you Jesus for mommy's dumb".

Translation - Thank you Jesus for Mommy's job. 

He still thinks I am funny and cool. I treasure this boy.   

Yllac Says...

(singing Twinkle twinkle)

"twinkle twinkle little star

how I wonder what you are

up above the world so high

like a  diaper in the sky"

(when asked what's his name)

"Iyak Olenzo Ashara Talatha Zalada" 

translation: Yllac Lorenzo Ten Three Lozada 

On Top Of My Head...

It is good to have a husband who loves you no matter what. 
It is good to have a husband who listens.
It is good to have a kid . Especially a noisy one.
It is good to have a loving slash crazy friends.
It is good today for it is Thursday. To you it's Friday, in the Middle East, it's Thursday.

Yah know what I mean?

It is good to believe in God. 
It is good to know that God is real.
It is good to have peace in my heart.

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Happy Weekend. 

Two Days In The Office With Me...

Last week Yllac joined me in the office. And here's what happened...

Soon as he said hi to everyone, he went on to "work" immediately.

Everybody in the office went out for meetings, so it's just me and Yllac in the office. And when he's not working or making any calls, he's usually in front of me. Just walking back and forth. Eating snacks or stealing my pens and sticky pads.

The following day, he took on more responsibility. He attended his first meeting and did some major note taking that no one (even me) understood.

The only thing he needs to say is "superman" and up on the air he go. Second day was heaven for this boy.

Again, when he was not attending to phone calls...

..or assisting people...

...he was busting his moves to his own version of ABC and BINGO. Ladies and gentlemen, that is my child. I adore him so so so much.

And then after a couple of hours he got really really reallyyyyy bored. 

All of these happened four days ago, when his daycare was still closed for the Eid holiday, and while his Dad and i have to report back to work. I decided to take him with me because my workplace is a little relaxed as you can see. I really am thankful for this company that is very supportive of working Moms, where Yllac is always welcome to join. Going to work with a toddler and toys in tow can be challenging for all concerned, but sometimes parents don't have much of a choice. When a babysitter is not available, or the day care is closed or a sick child can leave parents without much option but to bring kids into the office or continue working from home. Thankfully it's not a problem here. Honestly I don't wanna do it much often. It's really challenging. I was praying the whole time Yllac never cries or that he won't max out his patience. Two days went by pretty fast without tears and not too much noise from my little one. But of course there was a lot of spills and crumbles to clean after. Other than that, I can say, It was a miracle. 

Hello fellow Moms! Have you tried to bring your kids to work? Was it fun? Or was it really FUN? Care to share some of your trusted tricks?

Sweeping Me Off My Achy Feet...

Sometimes, I wish I am that kind of girl who is okay with wearing flats to work. So i cheat and wear my kitten heels. But after eight hours, kitten heels is still a shoe with heels. You know what I mean right? So, after a long day I'd like to sit on the edge of my bed, and rub my foot. Especially my left foot (my left is chubbier and wider than the right one). Every night I let them relax and cool them off in warm water before going to bed. Most nights, Jayson would walked in on me and take pity on my poor feet. Next thing I knew I was on my back, heels up, and Jayson massaging those achy toes and sole. 

I don't think anything says "i love you" more than that. 

Thank you Jayson. I love you too. 

Yllac Says...

(it's close to midnight and we just gotten home, and while my eyes just want to shut down, I was on the floor putting Yllac on his pajamas. I don't know about you, but in times like these, I can only use my high-nagging-mama-voice, "Yllac please stay still!!!")

Yllac: "Mama, calm down..."

Three-ish am...

Today was good. We didn't plan on sleeping at 7 in the evening but it just happened. Next thing I know I was punched in the face by no other than Yllac. He didn't mean it. He was asleep. And now, I had finished a bowl of instant vegetable noodle soup and just took out fresh warm blankets from the laundry machine. I just had to wrap my arms around those snugly warm sheets before folding them, because it felt good. 

Today is Friday and it's the start of the weekend. I am looking forward to a lot of sleep and getting more laundry done because it's eid holiday here and we get to have a week off. I hope to see our friends and send one particular officemate off - sort of a farewell-and-goodluck-ikea-meatballs-dinner tonight. Also, looking forward to Ikea. Because, it is the faaaareaking Ikea. 

So, to complete this blog post, here are some photos taken weeks ago, some humid nights ago. 

Happy weekend folks! 

 

Right Now...

There are so many little things in my life that i love about where I am right now. Nothing major. Just simple things. Good things. I know, some days are horrible and you just want that day to be over, but some days, it just feels so "perfect". It's like, I just want to pause everything and just stay here for a while. Just like these days.

For example, Yllac has become an absolute blabby hoot these couple of weeks. I love that he is talking now. Thank God. We've all been waiting for him to talk, and now that he is talking I am even more crazy about him. It was like, flicking a switch and he just goes on and on and on. Some I get, most, I just don't. It's like seeing a miracle, how our DNAs have made another human being, and this small human being that we get to mold. I don't know how to put it.... I guess it's an honor and a blessing to rule over somebody's life???! Okay, sounds crazy, but in real sense, it is overwhelming to be a parent. I can't speak for Jayson, but as a mom, I hope i don't break Yllac in any way. Or maybe I will. 

Two days ago, Yllac was taking a bath. After washing him I let him stay awhile inside the water bucket (half his size) while Jayson and I was also inside the bathroom and talking. Then suddenly Yllac called us, "mama, daddy, please get out..." and motions his hand to the door. It wasn't a command, it's more like a sweet plea. Jayson and I looked at each other, a bit shocked and about to laugh too. So I asked Yllac, why? He points to the door again and said the same thing, "pleeeeeease go out, out, out, out". So we rushed out, and closed the door a bit and I heard him say "thank you, see you later guys". Jayson and I was like, "what just happened there?", He is three and a half years old. Just three and a half!!!! So every other minute we would go and check him and everytime he sees us, "oh no!, close the door please."

So, anyway I am feeling a little rusty. My blogging mojo has not come back yet. There's a little spark of energy here and there, so let me take my time. So I hope to make it up to you by bombing this post with photos I've collected lately....

Here goes,

YUP! That is all for now. 

A Little Change...

Hi you. It's me again Denise. I know it's been too long. Soooo here goes...

I will start by saying, change is good. It's always scary at first, and riveting, sometimes you will lose a night's sleep or two. While I love being a mom and a wife, personally I needed change and growth, and I want some sort of change in my life now. For a while I felt like, the daily routine of chores and family activities came to feel very samey. I don't want a big change. I enjoy my life with my two boys just the way it is, but when things felt a little comfortable, too comfortable, with the small part of my world that I see everyday, the challenge is completely gone. Little did I know, my comfort-zone was slowly working against me.

I have been working at my home for the last couple of years. (some of you are aware of my two little on-line shop) It's a "glamorous job", working from home, mostly from my bed while doing all sorts of things of a stay at home mother. I get to be in my jammies all day. It was okay, but it could get painful in the back and could get lonely sometimes. And silent. So so silent. And those jammies needed to retire. But finally (yes FINALLY!), a couple of months ago, I was able to get a job here, just a couple of minutes from our home, also near where Yllac goes to school and Jayson's work too. Just like I told you, nothing of a big shift from where I am right now. But It's such a great change to work around people, especially such nice people. I feel really lucky here.

This photo was from last April because we just didn't get around to picking up the camera the past few months since moving here. (my hair is short now too) But you know, one less instagram of photo here and there ;) Can't help it really. These days we were just so grateful to spend each day with each other. I cannot imagine myself going through another year without Jayson with me even for just a couple of months. Those six months away from him feels like a decade. I am just happy now, so so happy to be together as a family of three, enjoying every little thing we have, but always so big on celebration for days of togetherness, and late night drive around this little city, a trip to the playground, and our silly toddler literally growing everyday before our eyes. Sometimes we just couldn't help but look around and think, gosh is this the best or what? I treasure this life we've been given to live. Its ups and downs, and the joy that can be found in the smallest moments of everyday.

This blog is on radio silence for the longest time until now. I guess I just needed to take a long pause to actually live life. That makes a lot of sense for me these days. 

Today, I mostly wanted to say thank you so much for being here and letting me share this small portion of my life with you. You've always been kind to me in countless ways. 

Cheers!  

ps, I cannot believe how nervous I am to press the "publish" button. Oh, gosh, who have I become? 

What's Next? He's Off To College?

first day of school. Nailed it! 

Two weeks ago, Yllac started daycare school. (he is 3 years and 4 months next week) I woke him up earlier than the usual. I dragged him to the bathroom with his arms and legs wrapped on me. And with his eyes closed he whispered, "mama, toohbash pleaseee.". I put him down on his step stool, i gave him his toothbrush and started brushing is teeth, still his eyes half open the whole time. And the yawning, oh the yawning! And I think to myself, he is soooo cute. Sometimes I look at him and cannot believe how much he has grown. Starting school means, he's in fact starting to have a little life of his own, a life for a couple of hours without daddy and mama. It's a little scary if i think about it that way, but as we all know, the ultimate goal of parenting is separation. Oh the irony! Being a good parent is like, unleashing a great human being into the world. So, you see, it's a very difficult job. It's very conflicting when you love someone so bad, all you wanna do is protect them, bottle them up, away from any harm. But you also want them to be healthy, independent, confident, loving and well-adjusted person. As much as we want to protect them, we need to keep pushing them ever so lovingly and gently out of our nest to figure out things for themselves, do thing on their own, and to let them develop attachment to other people outside our homes.

Yesterday when Jayson and me dropped him to school early in the morning, he never let go of my hand and asked me to come with him. He pulled me down and said, "mama come". So i let him lead me as he take me to see his classroom. As his teacher greeted us a good morning, he let go of my hand and ran to hug and kissed his teacher. She hugged him back, looked at me and said, "he is the sweetest boy." Whenever I talk to his teacher, my only question is, - is he happy?. Because if he's happy, then he can do anything. He will dance, play, and sing and will do all kinds of kid stuff. I figure, if he's happy, then learning would be so much easy. Sure enough, everyday, he comes home with an empty snack and lunch box, a note from his teacher, that he was indeed in a happy mood and different colored stars on his hands.  And by 8pm, he is out! Snoring, drooling, dreaming. W O W!!!! Schooling is cool am a tell yah!   

While I am not seasoned enough to talk about parenting, the ins and outs of this gig, right now, I'm like this mama bird, letting my baby bird stretch his baby wings for a little flying practice. I want my boy to soar someday, but I don't have any idea how to do that, so Im giving him a little push now. Start practicing those little wings.... 

And, life lately...

a little sandstorm

oh these two!

whoever said, you cannot play with your food anymore when you grow up, doesn't know the fun on making this egg in a hole sandwich. So you make a bread-hole using a small cup. Butter the pan a little, toast both sides of the bread and pour the egg. Season with salt and eat them good. yum!

We love this little shawarma place near our home. We just park in-front of it, wave to whoever is on the window, and these cute guys ran to us, to ask for our orders. And just like that, two shawarmas to go. One chicken, one beef. No onion for me, but lots and lots of yoghurt sauce. 7 riyas for one shawarma and I am as happy as a beef-eating-clam.

Do not throw away your cereal boxes just yet. They make the best drawing pad ever! 

"art" collaboration project of Yllac and his Daddy.

-the end- 

ps,

I know I haven't been spending much time here on the blog, but I want you to know that I miss you.  I wish you an awesome day!

Last Thursday Evening...

So, where's Yllac? Can you find him?

The day Yllac came into my life was the real game changer for me. I don't understand parks and playgrounds before. I never went to one. It bores me. But now, i am this close to living in the playground. We go there seven days a week. Three hours a day. No matter what the circumstances are, or time, we go there! I remember the first time i put Yllac on the swing with me, he was barely 6 months old. The first time he felt that swing, he giggled, he closed his eyes feeling the wind on his face. I remember this pure joy i felt seeing him so happy like he would die from laughing. And I knew I have found a cure to "everything".

While we love our first park in the Philippines, we were just a bit surprised at what playgrounds here in Doha are like. They are like your average parks alright, complete with everything, swings and see saws.... only on STEROIDS! (I will share more photos soon)

Last Thursday night I managed to take a snap on some playground actions of Yllac sliding like a little daredevil on this skate park with other kids twice or trice his age. There was a lot of panic from me each time I thought i lost him. Jayson and I was eying him from a safe distance, but this boy was fast. One blink  he could be anywhere. He could be climbing up, or sliding down head first. Sometimes in a solo number, but mostly sandwiched with other kids. I lost count the number of times i screamed to Jayson "can you see him, can you see him?" He was there alright. Alive. We may not see him, but I can hear his scream. I can hear his Yays and Woooooohs a bunch of times. He was even throwing some "yala! yala! yala! ( go go go) in between yays and wooohs. He's happy. I am happy. After a good two hours of rolling and sliding on dirt he was ready to bike again and go home. He was covered in dirt when he hugged and kissed me and asked for his juice. He is my brave boy. He smelled a little too. 

And as a Mom, I'm just glad he didn't wore white last Thursday night.

Outfits - March...

Dress: Max

Blazer : from Mom

Heels : Gojane

Bag : Zara

Necklace : thanks Abhie!

 

Qatar International Food Festival 2014 Photo Diary...

I must have busted all my marbles last weekend I couldn't get up, couldn't think... I mean, the Qataris know how to throw an awesome food fest. I am very glad Jayson's schedule from work permit us to attend three out of four-hallelujah-days of chow down partaaaay held at Museum of Islamic Arts park. It was one of the most glorious experience of my life. My whole family was nourished to the bones! 

So anyway, the photos, the photos...

Yummy Weekend!

Hi guys! What are you up to this weekend?

Us? We're going back to Qatar International Food Festival. In fact, it already started yesterday (i shared it on instagram) and we already sampled some awesome food. Cannot wait to go back tomorrow and stuff our faces with all kinds of cuisine. We're hungry hippos! I love the diversity of food here in Qatar and extra, extra, extra lovin' that Yllac is exposed to it at an early stage of his life where his palette hasn't been tied to a few, particular taste. He loves bukhari and biriyani. I mean, it's a joy to see him eat anything we give him. It's every mamas dream! I'm amazed how he can handle spicy food and puffs air through his mouth just before he drinks water. That's spicy-food-eating-101 to you. 

I wish you all a yummy weekend folks! Have fun!

Best Part Of My Day...

Yllac loves his bike. He rode it everyday and that made me glad. I'm really really glad because it means brisk walking for me too. I haven't had any form of exercise since I gave birth to him. I've only been in the gym once or twice for the past 3 years, and I don't like it. I felt like rushed, and wanting to go back home. Being away from him worries me that something might happen. So forget about gym. And now that he's attached to his bike anywhere we go, it sort of making me feel good inside. I'm fit. I'm feeling light. Lotsa energy. Zero mood swings. I haven't felt tired the past few weeks even though much of our activities revolves around playgrounds, parks and lots of biking.

This is our favorite park , - The Museum Of Islamic Arts park. It's like an endless road to walk on. You can see the whole city from where you are. Breezy. Lots of shades. 

I know. Must get myself a real shoes.

Speaking of shoes...  that husband of mine. 

Anyway, me and my shoes four years ago.

The end.

34...

me - the baby, together with my aunts and my late grandpa

I was once a baby yah know? Shout out to my son - Yllac, I am your mother.

Two days ago i turned 34. Two days ago I was simply thankful. Thankful to God for bringing me this far. The past year have been a mixed bag, I've been happier than I've ever been, and I've been in my saddest than ever too. But in all things I am grateful, knowing every year of my life is a journey and I'm still on the road, just going and going. Wherever life leads me.

And ever since my birthday I've been sort of feeling a lot of ..... feelings. I guess that happens to all of us every year on our birthdays. You're all upbeat simply because It's your day. You get to treat yourself a little special because, ehem, it's your day. You also get to eat more than you usually do. You get pampered. You feel extra loved. But our birthdays wouldn't feel special without our special someones. My someone this year, who is physically with me, yah know, that someone you love who is in a couple of radius from where you are, happen to be my husband and my son. The night before my birthday Yllac sang me "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. He nailed all the last word of each phrase of the song.  But when he held my cheeks with his hands along with the lines "when I see your face".. man I choked up. And when Jayson surprised me 5 times within the last two days, my heart and my vocal pipes almost burst. He is getting pretty good at lying surprise this year. For a person to make that effort to the point of almost killing you, it must have been love. You know I mean??? Our birthdays remind us of all the things we have that we may sometimes take for granted. Sometimes I forget to thank the people who make my life so happy in so many ways, and I forget to tell them how much I do appreciate them being a huge part of my life. This is the first time in my entire life to celebrate my birthday in a foreign country, and for that, it's not that hard to miss a lot of people. And for the first time in my life I remember each one of them and how much I love them.

I love them this BIG! 

This high! 

Up to my scalp! 

So i thank every single one of them, to you who loved and cared, you made my heart go fonder when I'm sad.  You made me feel important, on days i feel like I'm a blah. You showed me true friendship. And most of all, you made me feel like i was worth it. So so worth it.

So 34 huh? All I wanted for my birthday is another birthday next year, and maybe a year after that, and after that. Could be really fatal in the long run, but I love having birthdays. Who doesn't? Every year I get to have new hopes and new dreams. Some of them may come true, and some don't. But that's the great thing about birthdays, you get to have new wish every year. Your faith becomes stronger, and there's always something to look forward to. 

I have a feeling that 34 is a great number.   

Outfits - February

polka dot top, denim button downs and pants - thrifted

boots - schutz (75% sale)

bag - zara

I figure this is the best way to share all my oufits with you dear fellas.. Trust me, you'll like it too. I know Ill sound whinny again, but time has been a little too short on me to blog each look. Anyway, my looks lately haven't been OMG-so-HIFASHUN (not that i was before..)...So to save you some valuable clicks, ill just create an ootd photo dump once or twice a month. What do you say my friends??? Are we good? are we good?

ootd of February coming at yah! 

Spinach and Eggs...plus Life Lately

Hi folks. I've been trying my best to sit down and write a post for several days now but life lately has been really busy. It's a good kind of busy. Some of you may know it's only been a month since we moved here. Moving is a lot of work. Especially to another country.  You start from scratch. Again. But one of the fun part is, you get to shop a lot. You know, life essentials...bed, cabinets, tables and chairs. Our bite-sized flat still needs a lot of work. A LOT! My point of attack is to not think about it, all those things we need but we still don't have...I've been trying to have a positive attitude about it. Yah know, play it cool. And when I'm starting to think again...ill think of food. And puff, .... 

....food makes you think better, calmer. Remember guys, never ever think on an empty stomach.

so, this spinach huh? This is the easiest "glam" breakfast i can make. Yah know what I mean.... We all know how to throw some eggs in a pan and call it a breakfast, and most of the time it's a pretty good breakfast too. But there are better days, Like, saute the spinach with garlic and onion in olive oil. Crack two eggs on top of it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It's yum and way waaaay healthier.

Happy midweek folks!

Kite...

A few days ago, we took our kite flying talents for public viewing. Turns out, we have none. Maybe the kite was broken??? Nope! Let's put it this way, we are these drooling idiots thinking kite flying is a piece of cake. Truth is, we've never flown a kite before, both Jayson and me. Are you appalled? So this kite flying adventure is a childhood-dream-come-true for us. A lot of times, when the kite was almost 8 feet high, suddenly it dives back to us, like it's gonna kill us. But we survived. We managed to make it fly for some minutes. I mean, it was fun! All that was needed was some wind, a kite, some energy to run back and forth like headless chickens bumping into each other and of course a lung full of air for all that screaming. No need to pay to play. It's just good, clean fun. 

Have a great Wednesday everybody. What's your plan for today? We're going out again to fly our kite. Wish us luck.