Mommy Checklist: Baby-proofing a House

No house is entirely baby-proof. But as my son Jairus grows up, he's now more curious on things. He's not yet inclined to playing a real toy. He has a ball and lots of stuffed toys but he still likes playing with some things he sees in the house. As it's better to be safe than sorry, I exert an effort to keep our house child-friendly. Here are alternatives I do on baby-proofing a house.

Buy covers for electrical sockets. This is to prevent babies from inserting their fingers on it. But since we are using an extension, I place it underneath the TV rack so Jairus won't reach it when he tries to pull himself over. 

Block the way to the staircase. Place a safety gate at the top and bottom of the staircase. Climbing up is as harmful as falling from the top. But Jairus walks using his walker and his usual target is the telephone, so a safety gate won't be appropriate to use. Instead, I use a high chair that he can't easily move.

Install non-slip mats on bathroom, if you bathe your little one in the bathroom. What I do is bathe Jairus outside to avoid accidents on slippery floor.

Keep cords like window blinds and drapes out of reach. This is to prevent strangulation. He likes playing with cords, and he'll cry if I get it. So I just look after him to make sure he won't eat it or get caught with it.

Small kids like prying open drawers. Put a safety lock on kitchen cabinets. There you can keep all the cleaning agents as well as other hazardous chemicals. 

Add safety locks on drawers. Instead of screws, try using a strong adhesive to hold the safety locks in place. It’s also a good idea to secure latches on sliding doors to prevent young children from opening it. To prevent accidental burns, you may put a barrier on kitchen stoves. Though it's still best not to let baby go in the kitchen.

Tip:
No matter what safety measure you put in place, it’s still best to supervise a baby

my nine-month old son on his walker

Pregnant Again

For the first time, I'm sharing a big secret here on my blog. I'm honest about the things I write here but most of the things I've shared so far are not so secret at all. I want my blog to be a happy place so I usually write about my son, his father, my freelance career, and all other little stuff that matter to me.

Recently, I've been writing a book about Oprah's formula to success. While I'm writing this Ebook, I learned about Oprah's self-therapy. The queen of talk likes sharing what she's going through even if it sounds difficult to share to others. Oprah was brave for saying that she was raped, got pregnant at 14, and dated older boys as a teen. But look at her right now. She's one of the woman I look up to! Inspired by Oprah's mantra to finally breathe and let go of this feeling, I'd like to break the news that I am pregnant, again. It was only me and Jhe who knew about this.

My son is only turning nine months this Tuesday. We found out about my pregnancy last week of August, so we count that I am on my second month now. I had my last period on July, and due to my husband's comment on my growing belly and missed period, we did the home pregnancy test.

The first test was confusing. The other line was not clearly seen. We tried another kit. And in just a minute, it showed two lines. We're positive! Silence filled the room for several minutes. Jhe's face was blank but I was sure he's nervous. I could feel tension and a roller-coaster of emotions between the two of us. I, on the other hand, was dramatic and awkward that moment. I cried. Jhe let me cry then comforted me afterwards while cheering me up.

In the end, we wanted this. It's just that it's not meant to have another child again. My mom could be angry, as well as my family. I knew they were just thinking about my good. But here in my belly is a life and a blessing. No matter what people will say, I'll love this baby as much as I love my first born.

A glowing, preggy me with my first baby

Getting Over Insecurities

Let me be honest about one thing I hate with myself. I am insecure. Ever since I gave birth, I started to feel losyang. Then when my husband talks about other ladies being beautiful, I start to become mad at myself. Mad that I cant be beautiful like them, sexy like them, or desirable like them. But after so many unwanted thoughts about my own self-esteem, I started to realize why...why I am feeling like this. What are missing? Why in the first place I became so insecure?

photo from nuttytimes.com

photo from Zaki Reza

Then I imagined how I like to compare things. This is better than that...this is worse than this and alas! I found the magic word. COMPARE. My insecurities came from too much comparing. Maybe those pretty girls my husband is seeing are truly more beautiful and sexier than reality. Wait let's revise. Those pretty girls are beautiful, and I am beautiful too in my own ways! If I am so ugly then in the first place he wouldn't want me to be his wife. I could remember him saying, "Kahit pangit ang ugali at katawan mo, mahal pa rin kita." (Even if you do have an ugly personality and ugly body I still love you.) That's hard! I understand him for saying this and I am sorry for all the hurting words I ever said to him. But these words are true, they might not be so sweet to hear. But he's just being true and that's what I like about him.

Top Five Things I Learned As A Call Center Agent

Health is wealth. That is the main reason why I left my previous job. My blood pressure went down to 70 over 50 from my normal 90/60 BP. Then I did have some serious issues with my cervix too. If only I haven't had all those complications, I won't leave. I enjoyed my call center experience but more than that, I am proud to say that I learned a lot of things. Here are some of them that I want to share to you guys.

photo from kalibrr.com

1. Multitasking is a sine qua non. A usual call center scenario? Queueing! I used to handle inbound calls wherein I just wait for a customer to call. It's way easier than outbound where you have to call an existing customer and mainly sell your product. But hey, I used to sell too! That's twice the stress. I was a technical support representative obliged to sell an extended warranty for the product I was handling.

photo from braingainmag.com

2. Accent is not that important. What matters most is what you say, obviously. Some call centers may be too strict when it comes to diction. But mind you, your slang might sound too good for you, but sounds like an alien to your customer. Not all customers are natives. They are in America but it does not mean that they speak pure American. Some of my customers were Indians, British, Japanese, and Filipinos. Too much accent will only have your customers asking to repeat what you've said. That makes the call longer and more complicated. Just speak naturally.

photo from 123rf.com

3. Befriend your team leader. Your team leader will be your saving grace from a million-dollar call. It means he will be there to help you if the call gets too hard to handle or if the customer simply wants a supervisor. But it does not mean that you just ignore your team mates. They can be your good friends too, in and outside the work premises.

photo from drlaman.com

4. Patience is a virtue, no matter what. Cliche right? But in the end, patience will save you from a bad call. When we say bad call, it's not just about a rude customer. It can be a very challenging call or nature's wrong timing (you're in the middle of a call when you feel your stomach gnawing or you feel like farting, etc.).

photo from rhresumes.com

5. Leave work-related issues in the work place. My break schedules were often inconstant. I used to have fifteen minute breaks wherein I would still go out and enjoy a cup of coffee. Then I was also given two days of rest a week. I spend that time enjoying my bed and dream land once in a while and of course bonding with my son.