Friday, June 24, 2016

Staying Home

How do I do this again?

I now have a two-month old and a 6 year old who has just started first grade. Last night wasn't the best night; I had a lot on my mind. Everything is overwhelming and it feels like waves are crashing down on me.

I just started my extended leave just right after my maternity leave of 78 days and I've gone back to being a stay at home mom. All my heels and office clothes are now tucked away in the depths of our bedroom. I don't even remember what those look like anymore. Now it's just the comfiest, lightest house clothes with a ponytail or a hair bun to match. My face hasn't been this make-up free in a long while and the corporate look has definitely taken a back seat.

I'm having some help with my kids and I can't imagine how much - what's the best term - busier my life would be without support. I'm essentially pain-free now but I'm still very much in the recovery period and not having a nanny to do the little things sometimes take a toll. I still feel a little but of pain along my cut every now and then because I sometimes need to exert physical effort to get things done. The pain is negligible but noticeable.

I'm back to being a stay at home mom. It's familiar territory but I can't help but be overwhelmed with a ton of additional worries and responsibilities that goes with having more than one child. Motherhood has become a balancing act more than ever.

But on a lighter note, it's all challenging but rewarding. On top of these everything, I get to take care of my new born son and exclusively breastfeed him and I also get to experience more Iainisms first hand. That's a term I coined for my eldest's quirks and these started when she was just a baby. To recap a brand spankin new Iainism that happened today, here's my Facebook status a posted:

Iaine came to me crying, voice trembling.

Momma I'm going to tell you something...
What is it?
Later na lang...
What is it about?
*NAME* HAS A CRUSH ON ME BUT I DON'T WANT HIIIIIM! (more crying ensued)


Our conversation continued with her in my arms, and me telling her it was normal and she should stay nice to the boy but she doesn't need to like him back. She also told me the boy told her himself. Kids!

I just had a talk with my 6 year old about crushes. Shit just got real waaaaaaaaa.

Nothing could have prepared me for that conversation. 

This entry probably isn't the most cohesive and I was only able to do this today because I'm on a break. But another topic that popped into my head is to create another blog for another hobby. Nothing's laid out but it would be more time consuming than this motherhood blog. Would probably be a work in progress for a long time.

My eye lids are drooping. I need to catch some Z's before the little man wakes up. Bye!










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Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Junior Savers

Gotta start them young!

My son just got Baptized last Saturday, June 11th, and he received a lot of monetary gifts as per custom. I don't want his money lying around the house and I don't want his money saved together with mine, so I made the decision to open bank accounts for him and his big sister- their very own!
My babies' passbooks =)

If you plan to open a BDO Junior Savers account for your child (0-6 years old), this list of requirements might help you:
  • Just to be sure, make an initial deposit of 500Php
  • Photocopy of his birth certificate (bring the original for reference just in case)
  • If you're married, bring a copy of your marriage contract (bring the original too for reference just in case)
  • Some branches ask for yours and the child's 1x1 photos (my branch didn't) but just bring a couple anyway just to be sure
  • And this is very important: your 2 valid IDs with the same signature. My signature evolved over the years so my older ID got rejected. I had to get a barangay clearance just because my signature was different on my passport. They used my barangay clearance as a subsitute and it served as the 2nd valid ID.
  • Your child doesn't need to be present with you at the time of account opening if he is 6 years old or below.
  • On the phone they asked me to bring my child's school ID and school registration form (enrollment receipt perhaps?) but they didn't ask for it in the bank. Weird.


A few things to note:
  • If your child is 7 years old and above, you need to take them with you to the bank as he needs to sign the paperwork himself. Bring the same requirements above to be sure.
  • Only children who are 7 years old and above are granted an ATM card. 6 years and below are only given passbooks.
  • Unless the child is granted an ATM card (7 years old and above), there is no way for you to check their account balance unless you ask over the counter or if you have an account yourself with BDO. They might be able to connect your accounts together or something. That, I'm not sure, because I don't have an account with them.
  • I was told that there is a monthly interest of 500Php which I think is a tad too much for a Junior Savers account, but doing my research it's .25% annually. I don't know which to believe but I was in a hurry so I wasn't able to clarify with the teller.
  • The child needs to have a minimum balance of 100Php in his account.
Hope this helps out other moms who'd like to take the same step in teaching their kids the value of money.

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