It was a hot summer day in Paris when we found out that we were expecting our primier bébé (first baby)…just two months after I visited the Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse. We were pleasantly surprised with this blessing, but admittedly, we were not prepared for unimaginable French procedures and paperwork that we were about to face. As if standing for three hours outside the Prefécture de Police to apply for the Titre Sejour is not enough torture!

So, if you are pregnant in France, and with limited French at that… I hope this blog post will help you. I learned everything the hard way and it is not a pretty situation to be in when your morning sickness is in full swing. I will tell you upfront that there’s a lot to do…but all of them are manageable. I have outlined them below for you in sequence, as I know a pregnant mind is totally fuzzy sometimes and you can’t even understand why…hehehe! Here goes: …continue reading Pregnant in Paris, France

Posted: April 8th, 2010 under Paris.
Comments: 3

Thanks to digital photography, our laptop now holds almost a thousand pictures of our daughter, Maggie. My hubby even had to pay for an online storage system so these precious pictures are safely backed-up in case our lowly laptop conks out all of a sudden. :)

However, there was a week in Maggie’s life that we weren’t too eager to take her picture. I think this was when she was just a month old and have developed baby acne. Yup, you’ve read that right — acne! Whoever said that babies have perfect skin is exagerating. Hehehe! Baby acne are reddish, rash-like thingies that appear on your baby’s face and scares the hell out of you! When they appeared on Maggie’s face, I actually started to wonder what I’ve done wrong and if my genes were to blame! Yup, I’ve had all those silly thoughts that keep new moms awake at night. Haha! …continue reading Mommilies: Natural Remedy for Baby Acne

Posted: April 6th, 2010 under Mommilies.
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Today, the most important woman in my life turns 59 — my mom! I feel very blessed that I haven’t missed any one of her birthdays — even now that I live halfway across the world from her. What do you know, she had to come here in France to help me through the first bouts of motherhood and the timing is just right — she gets to spend her birthday here in Paris! But knowing mama, it’s not Paris that thrills her, but the fact that she’s spending her birthday with her first grandchild. :)

You see, my mom is the simplest person I know. She reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi, who owned only three things: a piece of cloth to wear, glasses for reading, and a notebook to write in. My mom doesn’t have much and has never wanted much. She doesn’t even wear earrings, nor does she wear a watch. She doesn’t have a make-up kit like all the other moms I know. She doesn’t even have a bank account on her name, nor a driver’s license. Thinking of how little she has does not make me sad for her. In fact, I envy her simplicity because it doesn’t take much to make her happy. It must be really liberating to be in such state. …continue reading Mama Turns 59!

Posted: March 20th, 2010 under Random Thoughts.
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Let me just blurt it out here once and for all — I miss blogging!!! So here I am, sneaking my maiden blog as a mom — and I assure you there will be more –which I want to aptly label as “mommilies”.

I realized that amidst the joys, chaos, and random demands of motherhood, I must make time to document my journey as a mom. Just so I’ll have something to look back on when my daughter is all grown-up and starts asking me stuff about her childhood. I certainly don’t want to tell her that I already forgot most of it! But I do want to forget the excruciating pain that came with the 23 hours of labor — all because nobody wants to give me an epidural! Oh, that’s another story…I’ll share more on my French-birth experience on another post…hehehe. :)

While I don’t think that I will always be writing about the good stuff of being a mom, I guess the challenging moments of it is still worth celebrating. You can therefore bet that there will be some rants here and there…hehehe! But I am crossing my fingers that they will be far in between. I don’t want to scare anybody…hihihi!

As it is, my daughter is barely two months-old and yet, she has already taught me a lot. And they are actually profound stuff, mind you! Just like those stuff that self-help gurus talk about at great length — oh yeah! Of course, the lessons did not come easy, and I had to learn them while I cry in exasperation and fatigue at the wee hours of the morning. But I want to thank her for teaching me these things anyway:

1. When somebody depends on you and trust you, you strive hard to make yourself dependable and trustworthy. …continue reading Mommilies: Maiden Post

Posted: March 18th, 2010 under Mommilies.
Comments: 1

The best thing about setting off to explore all the Padre Pio places in San Giovanni Rotondo is that each of them is just a few steps away from each other. Yep, you don’t have to consult your map every five minutes or so. This is the first thing I noticed because I am always, always, geographically-challenged! Take me to a mall, blindfold me, spin me around, and it will surely take me a lot of time to figure out where I am. Lol! I guess I should watch more of that Brainy Baby DVDs that help develop your brain and prepare you for things like this. Hehehe!

Ok, so back to our topic…all in all, there are five must-visit places in San Giovanni Rotondo. Each of these places has its own story to tell. If you go with a pilgrimage tour group, you usually just have half a day to visit all these…or maybe a day at most. But in my own humble opinion, you should take at least two days in this mountain to experience its wonder and the different vibe that it has. If you often wonder why a lot of people have decided to abandon their old lives and stay in this mountain for good, it would be really good to come at a time when you are giving yourself a spiritual recharge and not merely vacationing. That way, you can stay longer and experience this place fully. Their cuisine is something to enjoy as well! And mind you, this mountain is not lacking in souvenir shops. I must have spent hours going through all the nice items they have on display…hehehe!

Below is my attempt to give you a preview of the must-visit places in San Giovanni Rotondo. I have not indicated addresses because you’re not going to need them; trust me. When you get to one of these places, the others will be just a few steps away. And yeah…just follow the crowd! Padre Pio had always been a crowd drawer. Even now (year 2009), 40 years after he died, 7 million people visit his mountain every year…and the number continues to grow as the families of his faithful devotees continue to expand.

ONE: Santa Maria Delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace Church) …continue reading PADRE PIO PLACES: Exploring San Giovanni Rotondo

Posted: November 29th, 2009 under Italy, Travel.
Comments: 12