CC: Why Are Bad Habits Hard To Break?

Now there's a good question that has got me really thinking hard. Why, indeed are bad habits hard to break? I do believe that it all depends on the individual's resolve to break such a bad habit. If you are really serious in changing that something that is not helpful and healthy in your relationship, then you would by all means rid it out of your system, by hook or by crook.

One of my bad habits is spending too much time in front of the computer and not really getting anything serious done. That's because there are lots of distractions. Facebook is one of them. So if I really have deadlines to meet, I do not open my Facebook account until I am done with my online tasks. And if I want to do something other than doing my online tasks, I try to keep away from the "office room".

Bad habits are hard to break because we do not look at them as bad in the first place. We always tend to find an excuse, petty excuses at that,  for doing them, like the reason "I just want to relax for a while so I want to connect with my friends online" or "It's just a treat for myself." Sometimes though, we forget the essentials like quality time, communicating in the real sense of the word, and prioritizing.  If we learn how to prioritize and know what's really important to us, then breaking bad habits won't be as hard as we thought it would be.

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CC: Our Old Bad Habits

It has been a while since I last joined Couple's Corner. Since I am still on vacation, I might as well make good use of my free by updating my blogs. I have been neglecting this one for some time now and have also been missing months posting for this lovely meme, Couple's Corner. Since it is also the New Year, I would like to do things right by regularly joining the memes hosted by my Marces and also updating my blogs on a regular basis (fingers crossed!)"

The Year 2010 is definitely over and as I still enjoy the first few days of the year  2011 in blissful rest and spending it with the family, I am also given the chance to look back to the year that was, thanks to this Wednesday's theme: Our Old Bad Habits. Indeed, it is the good old "bad" habits that are hard to break and me and Hubby have some of those that I hope will be corrected and turned into a strength.

You all know me as the OC type and one of my bad habits is that when I want something done, I want them done PRONTO! This has been a source of little LQs and I hope I could be more patient this year. I also have this tendency to forget what I am actually supposed to do and so I end up starting lots of things but never managing to finish even a single one. This leads to Hubby not finding his socks at the closet and his shirts still all crumpled. In other words, I am easily distracted and this is the reason why I am oftentimes late. While I take pride in myself for not being an impulsive buyer anymore, I still find it hard to say NO if my Hubby wants to buy something for the house. So we end up broke in the process.

What of my Hubby? I don't know if I should be publishing this but let't just say he is like any other husband who loves to leave things where they please, especially on top of the kitchen sink. He also has this tendency to not stop researching for something online, comparing prices and product features until he can reach a decision and he could not sleep for some days unless he has already bought it. He likes the house clean but he doesn't like to see me all busy cleaning the house when he is around. Which leaves me with the question, "how am I supposed to clean on days when he is not around especially now that I also have classes?" 

Oh well, I hope we could both work something out. After all, it will always be the two of us until the day Our Heavenly Father will take us away from this world.

Here's hoping that no matter what the differences we wives and our hubbies have, we will remain strong in love and will always try to work things out. Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous New Year!

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CC: What We Want From Each Other

My Hubby and I go way, way back. We have known each other for twelve years now so that we think that we know each other pretty well. But obviously, since we got married and lived together, surprises were always a possibility.

It is not easy to live together with someone especially if you have been living all by yourself for quite some time so that it could go either way: it could be that the they would embrace the fact that they are now finally together and can do things better together OR they would feel crowded and wish there were more space. It's the first case for us, luckily.

So, what do I want from my husband? I want... That he would always give us the feeling of security that he will always stand by us no matter what the circumstance. That he would continue to spend quality time with our little girl and have a close relationship with her. That he would also be sensitive of my needs because I too after all, am human and could also get tired and also needs care. That he would continue to be a loving and responsible husband and father and never tire supporting us. That he will continue to be honest with his feelings and say what he needs to say. That he would remain patient with me, especially if I can't speak my mind out. That he would know and be reassured of the fact that he has us, the two people in the world who loves him and thinks of him as someone who matters the most to us.

I haven't really asked my husband about what he want from me. But I think I can say that he wants me to continue to be strong for our family. To be my old self, the person who has always been patient and understanding. He wants me to initiate moves when it comes to certain family matters. He wants me to lose some weight so that he could carry me again. :D I know he wants to eat breakfast with me before he leaves for work. I also know that he wants the house in order when he comes home but he doesn't want to see me cleaning when he is around. He wants us to have another child now but he also knows that we couldn't have one just yet. He wants me to grow old with him and I want him to grow old with me.

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Is Sorry Enough?

As individuals, we are not perfect. When we married the one person that we love, we knew that life wouldn't be perfect either... but happy nonetheless. Disagreements, arguments and misunderstandings will always be a part of human relationships and married couples are not exempted from that reality.

Hubby and me, watching the paragliders in Scwarzwald (Black Forest).

We all make mistakes. As they say, "to err is human, to forgive is divine." I am a stubborn person, but not stubborn enough to not admit I was wrong or made a mistake. I say "I'm sorry" and ask for forgiveness when it is due, especially where Hubby is concerned. When there are arguments and misunderstanding between the two of us, I usually keep quiet and if I know that I am at fault, I would say sorry and would try to explain myself. But because I am so bad at explaining, I always end up crying! Toinks! 

Hubby and I always feel bad whenever we quarrel or when someone does something wrong so that we try to talk it out. I get scared when he begins raising his voice so that I would just hug him and say Sorry too, for my part in the argument. Once the heat of the argument is past, we would then talk about it in a calm manner. That is the case, most of the time. When we talk about it again, it allows us to better understand the situation and one another. And we try to not make the same mistake again to save us the heartaches afterward.

We try to not let pride get in the way of our relationship. Because we know that it will destroy everything that we have worked and hoped for.

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CC: When We Were Sick

I can say without any hesitation that I am as healthy as a horse because I am not a sickly person. And even if I am sick, I cannot afford to show weakness or be seen in bed unless I am totally ill because I have a little one who is dependent on me and a husband who does not need to go through more stress when he comes home from work. Even now that I have a toothache that seems to go on forever, I cannot afford to have a break. It is my personal choice. I am calling the dentist in 30 minutes to see if they can squeeze me in for a quick check up otherwise, I will have to tend to myself. But that doesn't mean that hubby doesn't take care of me. He does, when he really sees that I cannot bear the pain anymore. He would willingly look after our little girl and let me rest while he prepares food. After all, there's only the three of us here.

My hubby is asthmatic but we never really had problems with attacks when we were still in Japan. It came back full blast though when we moved here in Germany, especially in the winter season. When he is sick, I had to be strong for him. I don't know how it feels like when you have asthma but hearing his wheezing gives me goosebumps. We had to store up on his medication so that he could get fast relief when the attacks come. Although he could be a baby at times, he keeps to himself until he couldn't bear it any longer and asks for my help. I do take care of him and see to it that he is comfortable,and allow him ample time to rest.

It is very difficult to get sick when you have no one to turn to but yourselves so that it is important for us that we live a healthy lifestyle. I guess our only vice is not getting enough sleep because we watch movies or tv series until the wee hours of the morning. Our daily prayer - that we always be blessed with good health so that we can live our lives normally. And I am thankful because the Lord kept us away from sickness.

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Do First Impressions Last?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

I met my in-laws even way before we were engaged.You see, Hubby is my first and last boyfriend. :D I first met his Nanay when we were still in college. Then I met Tatay when I had my first job interview in General Santos City. Who would even expect that they were to become my in-laws nine years after right? I guess it was meant to be.

My first impressions of my in-laws? I thought they were all both nice. Nanay is approachable, soft-spoken, warm and is the kind of person that you easily warm up to. Tatay on the other hand is the type of person who loves to talk about politics and religion and his sons and will never fall short of giving his fatherly advice. He is always the one who is telling me to be patient with my Hubby.

As of this writing, both my PIL are on board Singapore Airlines bound for Frankfurt, Germany. Their plane will land tomorrow morning and we are very eager to see them after more than a year of not seeing one another. They will be here for three months for a vacation. I just hope that they will enjoy their stay here with us and they will also come to know and understand our life here abroad.

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Father's Day Plans

Father's Day here in Germany has come and gone. We celebrated it last May so that there's no Father's Day Plans. Lol! I will just relate to you how our Father's Day went though and when it is celebrated here.

Father's Day is always a national holiday here because it is celebrated every Himmerfahrt (The Ascension). And because it was a holiday last May 13, the family along with a good friend went to Switzerland to visit friends. I was not the one who rendered service to Hubby but the other way around on that day. He didn't mind driving though because he loves it. A week before that, I ordered something for him online and it arrived the day before Fatehr's Day. It was supposed to be a surprise but since he was the one who received the package, it was no longer a secret. So much for my surprise plans. But I am glad he liked my little gift. It was a Lacoste shirt, to add to his short-sleeved shirt collection because it was getting warmer.

The next day, we visited Zürich for a post-Father's Day celebration. We didn't really plan much for our outing in Zürich and just went with the flow. We just walked to where our feet took us and found lots of interesting sights. It was a stress-free one too because there was no need to rush.

Then we went back to our friend's house and met more new friends there.

I guess Father's Day need not really be a grand celebration. For as long as you appreciate what your father / husband for your family and let them know about it, I guess that is what counts the most.

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Meet Our Fathers

This week's theme for Couple's Corner is Meet Our Fathers in honor of our fathers.

I will start off with my Papa: Marcial Pahimalan

My Papa was born to a poor family. He lost his father when he was only a kid and never had the chance to finish primary school. Determined to have a better life, he left his hometown in Liloan, Southern Leyte and headed South in the island of Mindanao. He worked as a laborer in various companies until luck smiled down on him and he got hired in a multi-national beverage company in Davao. While we were growing up, my Papa worked very hard just to send all four of us to school. He was the disciplinarian type and when we were smaller, he would discipline us when he can. A very responsible father who wants to provide for his family, I can say that he has really done his best. I am very thankful for everything that he has done for us although I miss the times that he could have been there but he cannot because he has to work. Now, he just retired from work. I hope that he will be able to enjoy his time with my mother, now that all of us are grown-ups and have families of our own too. I miss my Papa. I hope that we will be able to see him again one of these days.

Meet Hubby's Tatay: Vergilio Pera

Tatay hails from Calauag Quezon and migrated to Davao City to find his luck there. Tatay is a very responsible father too and he loves to talk about politics and religion. He is a big fan of Erap and he would always defend on our various conversations. He also loves to share his advice. Like my Papa, he also came from a poor family but was able to send his two sons to school. I am excited to see him and Nanay soon. I hope that he will enjoy staying with us for three months.

Both of my fathers are now old. I regularly pray that they will always stay healthy. And that we will still have the time to enjoy each other's company.

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Hubby As A Father

I have decided to officially write my Couple's Corner entries in this blog beginning this month. And I know that I am late yet again so I will get the ball rolling.

They say that there will always be a first for everything... and like all firsts, they are more often than not, turning points in our lives. I knew that my Hubby would fare well when it comes to raising a family and a child for the first time, and so it is no surprise when the first time he became a father, he became exactly like one.

Although he grew up in a normal family, he spent most of his childhood with his grandparents because he was sickly and his parents had to work. He was surrounded with cousins and relatives so that he was close to them and a fond affection for his aunts and uncles.

Because of the environment that he grew up in as a child, I knew then that family would always be a priority for him. I am blessed because whenever he can, he would spend time with Samantha. He sees to it that we spend weekends together as a family. He also tries to vacate his schedule whenever I ask him to accompany us somewhere. Although work is important, he would request for a day off to be with us for let's say, Samantha's regular check-up at the pedia. I am just happy though that Hubby's company work hours here are very flexible so that he can always adjust.

Although I find it odd that Hubby hasn't ever given Samantha a bath because he is afraid he might do her harm, he would happily change her diapers. And while I am usually the one sending her off to sleep, he would happily wash and sterilize her feeding bottles and change her clothes. Hubby knows when to give in to Sam and when to be firm with her. He sees to it that he is there especially when Samantha and I have our moments. And he speaks to her like an adult, explaining to her what she did wrong when I get mad at her. Yes, he knows how to handle her daughter most of the time and I am happy with it.

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WFW: Psalm 9:18

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God's Word Is Forever

This bible verse from Isaiah 40:8 tells us that even if all things fade from this world, His word remains. It reminds us that all the material things in this world are temporary so that when all else is gone, our loving God remains for us and with us.

Lord, may I never be too occupied of the things of this world that it takes up all of my time. Grant me the grace to seek you in the things that I do and to find the time to pray and read your Holy Bible. Grant me the understanding as I read each word so that I may share your Light to others. Amen.

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