My 1 TV/House Rule

My 1 TV/House Rule
AND OTHER THINGS I REALIZED WHEN I BECAME A HOMEMAKER

1. Having a TV in the room will make you stay cooped up in the room reducing opportunities for interaction in the household.
2. Watching TV while eating distracts not only from the meal but from opportunity to catch up with each other.
3. Always have spaghetti in stock - it's a quick and affordable way to feed surprise guests.
4. Doing the grocery with the hubby can be an alternate version of a date.
5. Full Cream Milk can substitute for All Purpose Cream.
6. Dishwashing Liquid can substitute for Baby Bottle Liquid Wash.
7. Honey can substitute for Maple Syrup but not vice versa.
8. An ugly view will not transform itself – take drastic measures if necessary.
9. You only have two feet so you should be able to live by a pair of slippers. Other pairs should be kept out of sight.
10. Plan your weekly menu lest you end up eating fried food until cooking oil starts coming out of your ears.
11. A filthy house for a day will not kill you.
12. Using commercial food sauces and mixes does not make you a lesser person.
13. If both husband and wife earn money for the household then they are equally responsible for running it.
14. If you want to be Queen then you should have your own kingdom.
15. If you want to be Queen then you should let your husband be King.

My Little Kitchen

It was only after we bought a refrigerator and a gas range that we declared our place to be livable. It has been six months since we moved in and our house still needs fixtures for the livingroom, bedroom and bathrooms… but my 2sqm kitchen is pretty much complete.

Tats and I have been married for four years but most of our wedding presents just saw the light of day and found their places in the kitchen like the non-stick pots and pans, electric grill, storage containers, spice rack etc. Cooking has become a task I actually enjoy doing even without househelp around. My culinary knowledge is very limited but I’m quite particular about certain stuff like having only freshly ground pepper (really, what’s the point when the aroma is lost), brown instead of refined sugar and whole wheat instead of white bread.

For a first time homemaker we have pretty decent meals especially when Riza joined our family. She’s a good babysitter and housekeeper but as a cook, she’s quite fantastic! After gorging on her exceptional takes on the classic tinola, nilaga, mechado, adobo, pochero, lumpia and arroz caldo, I just gave her instructions for curries, pastas, omelets and she often hit the bullseye. Riza’s sinaing na isda made by cooking fish over kamias and pork fat on hot coals for at least eight hours until the bones are soft enough to eat, is a much anticipated event which gets costly when we give to everybody asking for some… and so we’ve stopped making announcements and now share our prized treat in batches (in laws this week, friends next week etc).

Following our expanding guts, we started moving out of our comfort zones thus our “pacham” (pachamba = experimental) recipes that we can eat without rice like buffalo chicken wings, fajitas, salads and tortilla wraps. We’re on our first month now and it’s not at all torturous as I expected.

Big sistah, Anne, suggested I come up with a revolving 5-week menu for more efficient planning and budgeting – I did just that and it saves me time, money and tons of neurons. Food prepping has become fun that even Tats has taken to cooking once in a while.

I love my little kitchen not only because it’s where we whip up the food we take so much pleasure in, but also because of the nifty treasures I didn’t know I needed but now wonder how I ever got by without ‘em - gifts from friends who’ve been in the homemaking business longer than I have.

It's Finished!

Renovations to our humble home is done and ready for occupancy!
Tita Evelyn, our Ninang/Contractor surpassed expectations from our very modest budget - in this case, leaving things to the expert was a very wise decision.
Now if only we can afford to furnish the house already... but that's another challenge!

Wilcon Tile Shopping

I LOVE WILCON!I've actually never been in one until recently with our home-renovation project and I was blown away by the choices of fixtures especially the tiles and the seemingly endless combination you can come up with!

We can't afford to change the house's faux-marble flooring yet, but it's actually not so bad and we might not have to until maybe after a long time. Thus we have to work with a color scheme that goes with it. First we took pictures of the different rooms then off to Wilcon, but we were mostly overwhelmed with everything that we didn't get to decide on anything!

Accompanied by our ninang/contractor Tita Evelyn (whose house is simply divine!) the second time, we had a clearer picture of what we wanted and will be able to afford. So we picked wood-panel-looking tiles for the Master's Bathroom and black-&-white ones for the bathroom downstairs.

Over the weeks we were agonizing over the cost of granite for the kitchen counter which will require 2 slabs at over P6k each. I asked Tita Evelyn if tiles will do and she suggested the plain-porcelain type for the counter with mosaic ones for the splashboard. Armed with measurements and our trusty digicam, Tats and I were off to Wilcon on our own.

After sweeping the expansive array we got dizzy and decided to break by selecting a sink which was easy enough considering the available sizes and especially the prices! After making a choice, we boldly went back to the tiles. We found the perfect semi porcelain base at barely P300 each for a 60cmx60cm. The quest for the ultimate mosaic was harder as most were either too psychedelic or too country (fruits, veggies..) I ventured off to the ceramic floor tiles and found 2 potentials except they're made in China and thus too porous said the attendant. But the guy at the Mariwasa section assured us that the local ones are ok so we picked the Brown-brick ones at P32 each for 30cm x 30cm to go with our base.

With an accomplished grin, off we went to deliver the goods to the house. After laying them down - I realized to my horror that they clash with the floor! Thank goodness both the base and mosaic come in Gray-based scheme which goes perfectly with the floor as well as the bathroom!

Back we went to Wilcon with little trouble coz the exchange items were of the same price but took a long wait nevertheless. The carpenters already left when we got back so poor Tats hauled everything himself. We got home at 7pm, tired and hungry for an entire day has gone by and we never got to eat lunch. Tats probably lost 10lbs but we're happy - including the sink we spent only around P6k total equivalent to the price of one granite slab.

Can't wait to show you the before and after pics! =)

A Hive of Our Own – Finally!

It was supposedly the natural order of things – you get married, have a house then kids. But nothing came easy to Tats and me.

We were both part of middle management me for a small company and him for a medium-sized company. I supported my mom while he provided for his parents and three siblings. There was no way I’m ending up with this guy – or so I thought. After two years of dating we decided to get married. It helped that his brothers started working and my mom decided to move to the province with my sister. And so a modest yet chic wedding by the beach we had, everything paid for in cash from our very own pockets followed by a sponsored honeymoon to Boracay.

Afterwards, we stayed in the apartment I shared with my mom on weekdays and their house on weekends. We explored the real estate market but there was simply nothing good within what we could afford.

We decided to be practical and moved in with his family in his expanded bedroom with bathroom. Life is convenient with good food on the table (his dad was Kapampangan and his mom Cavitena), trusty househelp and respectful privacy. We didn’t have to pay rent so we got a car on a 3-year loan. We did our own laundry and contributed to the house budget. I had less responsibilities than when I was single and I almost forgot the difference… then I got pregnant.

As my tummy got bigger the more I realized that our little world won’t be enough. As luck would have it, my mother-in-law’s friend was selling her townhouse at a good price. Tats and I applied for a loan right away and since we’re done paying off the car with the same bank, we got approved!

Again, the forces seem to be on our side that our ninang from the wedding is in the build-and-sell business. With her contacts and resources, she’s personally overseeing that our small renovations budget goes a long way.

Our little house will be ready for occupancy in a few months, perfect timing with the baby. Modest as it may be, I love it coz it’s our very own =)