Wifely Steps

Have you eaten anything interesting lately? Share, share, fellow foodies!

This week, I tried leche flan with ripe mangoes for the first time. I thought it was an odd combination at first, but it worked! For as long as the leche flan isn’t too sweet, the ripe mango’s slightly tart yet sweet taste will complement the creamy dessert perfectly. This wins Yummy Dish of the Week!

Crisostomo’s Quezo de Bola Cheesecake intrigued me. I love Quezo de Bola, I love cheesecake, so this seemed like a perfect marriage. Interesting eat, right? Well, I wish my cheesecake had more of a “quezo de bola-ness” to it — you know, the zip, the saltiness that only that ball of cheese has. It was just an okay dessert, but an interesting concept, nonetheless. I’d try it again if they’d up the QDB factor. And if I had someone to share it with. It was pricey — P200+ for a slice!

Another interesting eat: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate from Peanut Butter Company in SM North. It looks like Nutella but tastes like Peanut Butter with a hint of dark choco. I love it on toasted bread. Delish!

What interesting eats have you had lately? Share!

How are you celebrating your forever today?

My office desk used to be super cluttered. Piles of paper here, Post-Its there, a calendar here, pens everywhere. It was time to buy an office tray, but I couldn’t find a decent one!

I used a picture frame to organize my office supplies instead. It works pretty well, doesn’t it? I wanted a red tray, but office trays at the store I went to came in black or gray. BORING. When I came upon a shelf full of picture frames, the options became just a little more fun.

You can use picture frames as trays for other things too, like your accessories (bracelets, earrings, rings, etc.), personal care stuff (facial creams, toners, anti-perspirants, etc.), crafts (spools, buttons, stickers, etc.). The fun thing is you not only get to organize your things a bit more, you can also personalize the frame. For example, I’m thinking of a vintage-type, distressed gold frame for my accessories. Or get a plain wooden frame and decorate it with trinkets for your crafts tray.

If you have old picture frames lying around the house, give them a second life by using them as trays. You maximize their usage and organize your things a wee bit more!

Five months after I gave birth, I began noticing a lot of my hair falling out. There were stray strands in the shower, strands in my hair brush, strands on my clothes, strands on the bed! It was alarming. I have read that postpartum hair loss is normal, but I didn’t realize how much hair I’d be shedding. Eek!

My biggest concern was that my long stray hair could affect my baby. A strand of hair could get wrapped around a baby’s fingers, toes, wrists, ankles, even his penis. This tourniquet could cause him pain and may even cut off his circulation if it goes unnoticed for a long time.

How do you deal with postpartum hair loss? There’s a lot of advice in various baby websites, but here’s what’s working for me:

1. Be gentle with your hair. If you have to use products for your hair, go for mild ones. And brush or comb gently. If I run my fingers through my hair, I’ll end up with a handful of stray strands. Freaky. Careful strokes are the way to go.

2. Consider a much shorter hairstyle. With a wash-and-wear style, you save time scooping hair out of the drain or plucking them from your brush, so you get to spend more time on the baby.

And so I had my hair cut short! It took a bit of getting used to since I’ve worn my hair long for many years, but I like my hair better now. It’s quick to dry and style, and stray hair on pillows and sheets are easier to brush away.

Not all women experience hair fall after pregnancy. If you do experience it, do not that it’s just our hormones adjusting post-pregnancy. But if, however, you feel that there is an excessive amount of hair fall, do talk to your doctor. Better safe than sorry.

Did you experience hair fall post-pregnancy? How did you deal with it? Feel free to share your stories and tips on how to cope with post-pregnancy hair loss.

Have you seen Chef Jamie Oliver’s winning talk “Teach Every Child About Food” on TED Talks yet? Go see it and help change the food landscape of this generation.

“The Undomestic Goddess” will be made into a movie! Yipee! The story is about a highly-stressed lawyer who quits her job and accidentally becomes a housekeeper. Written by Sophie Kinsella (Confessions of a Shopaholic, Can You Keep A Secret?), this is one of my fave chick lit books.

All hail The Magic Bullet! Timmy has started on solids, and he’s started on potatoes. I love this device so much that it deserves it own entry. More on it soon!

Manila Fashion Observer talks about breastfeeding in style. A lot of breastfeeding tops I’ve seen are a bit boring, so here’s her take on how to nurse without sacrificing style.

Connie makes Kahlua Brownies. May I please have a serving?

Spanky talks Portable Bacon. So tempting!

Tintin shows us how she looks so fabulous in pictures! Posing lessons, anyone?

If I were to get a tattoo, it would be a line from one of my favorite books “The Perks of Being A Wallflower.” I’d put the line across my left wrist: “I feel infinite.” Have you read this book yet?

Hope you’re enjoying the weekend.

When the Oscar season comes along, my sister Patti always prints out the official ballots from the Oscars website.

Each member of our family gets a ballot each. We all have to submit our votes before the show. The prize? Well, there is no prize. Maybe a little “Wow! That was a good guess!” and a pat on the back but that’s all. I think we tried it with money some years back but I don’t remember how that turned out. It’s all for fun anyway.

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Hectic doesn’t even begin to describe this week. There wasn’t even time for a Monday picker-upper. I just had to start checking things off my to-do list ASAP. You know how ASAP works, and you know how to-do lists don’t really have an ending.

I stumbled upon this poem during a break, and I took it as a sign. A sign of what? Read it first, then I’ll tell you.

Let it enfold you
by Charles Bukowski

either peace or happiness,
let it enfold you

when I was a young man
I felt these things were
dumb, unsophisticated.
I had bad blood, a twisted
mind, a precarious
upbringing.

I was hard as granite, I
leered at the
sun.
I trusted no man and
especially no
woman.

I was living a hell in
small rooms, I broke
things, smashed things,
walked through glass,
cursed.
I challenged everything,
was continually being
evicted, jailed,in and
out of fights, in and out
of my mind.
women were something
to screw and rail
at, I had no male
friends,

I changed jobs and
cities, I hated holidays,
babies, history,
newspapers, museums,
grandmothers,
marriage, movies,
spiders, garbagemen,
english accents,spain,
france,italy,walnuts and
the color
orange.
algebra angered me,
opera sickened me,
charlie chaplin was a
fake
and flowers were for
pansies.
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I hope you never lose that childlike wonder, baby.

Timmy looks like he’s trying to see which part of my face to drool on first. Or trying to determine which part of his toy he wants to nibble on. Or reading his favorite book. Or awaiting his next spoonful of cereal. Or watching his Nonna play the piano (or Farmville). Or playing with his reflection in the mirror.

I just love the look of wonder on baby’s faces!

When was the last time YOU had a look of wonder on your face, you adult you?

Just a little bit more and it’s Saturday again. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

And in other news, don’t forget that when you want something (and if it is meant for you!), the whole universe conspires for you to achieve it. The wise men said that — Paulo Coelho, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Just have faith in yourself and in the universe.

You will fly.

Original image: D Sharon Pruitt

EXPO KID at the Rockwell Tent, March 6, 2010, 10am-8pm. It’s a one-day affair, so bring the kids with you and have lots of fun! Check out fun and interesting products that can bring out the creativity in your kids, explore potential summer activities for your children; it’ll surely be a fun day.

Entrance is P25.00, which will be donated to The Kids Ahoy Little Rescue Missions. You could also donate art materials, school supplies and books; these will be collected at the gate for the cause. Kids below 12 years of age get in free.

Exciting! Sayang naman it’s one day only. I’ll try to go because I’m interested in what will be showcased. I enjoyed Expo Mom a lot so I’m hoping this’ll be fun too.