Happy Place: Mandaue Foam

This weekend has been a very productive one. We accomplished a lot and yet still manage to maximize rest by claiming the entire afternoon for siesta. Ain't that just the perfect weekend?

The highlights of this weekend were my date with the little miss yesterday and my furniture store date with the husband this morning.  I already documented about yesterday's highlight here, so let me rave about this morning this time.

Mandaue Foam has been in my list of must-visit-shops for sometime now. But the when it comes to shopping, my husband and I have this silent rule to never go to a must-visit-shop unless the necessity arises or unless there's an ongoing sale. Saves us the heartache brought about by either impulsive buying or not being able to buy anything because we can't effin' afford an item.

Today however fit both of our criteria so we made the trip even if we both hated going out of the house on a Sunday. We don't regret it because the trip was a success.

We've been saving up for a replacement to sofa for sometime now. And finally we found that replacement at 25% off. I don't know if it's because we were in the shop early so the staff had lots of energy to help us but I really like how helpful they were without being too pushy (if you know what I mean). And they seem to be very knowledgeable about their products which is another plus.

The husband and I found several items that we think we also need at home but we have yet to make room for those in our budget so we had to forego. But Mandaue Foam has now definitely found it's way to our list of happy places. We'll definitely go back. Hopefully, they do another one of this major sale soon!

Here's a list of MF branches here in Metro Manila:

RIZAL
Cainta, Rizal
KM 23, Ortigas Avenue Extension
Brgy. San Juan
(02) 660 6457 or (02) 656 6804

MANILA
Mandaluyong City
#489 Shaw Blvd.
Brgy. Addition Hills
(02) 721 0661 to 65

MANILA
Quezon City
Quezon Ave. corner BMA Street
Brgy. Dona Josefa
(02) 711 0801 to 03

MANILA
Las Piñas City
487 Alabang Zapote Road
Brgy. Almanza Uno
(02) 556 5621 or (02) 556 6086

The branch nearest to us is the one in Las Pinas and this was a 3-storey building filled with all the good stuff. And at first, I thought they were really expensive items but drop by during sale season like this and the catalog prices won't be as intimidating anymore.

Sharing photos I took from this morning's trip. Unfortunately, their sale ends tomorrow. But if you badly need a furniture fix, a trip to Mandaue Foam tomorrow might just be worth it.

Sale starting at 25% off and up to 40% off

everything just looks beautiful!

sofas for as low as P8000 (catalog price, no discount yet),
sets going for P15000 (no discount applied yet)

view from the second floor

throwpillows and cases starting at 250php

Define Happiness

After a recent petty fight with the husband, I decided to list down the things that make me happy. Well, basically as a reminder for me more than for him.

What really is happiness for me? These are the few things that immediately came to my mind:

• a healthy, nurturing marriage
• an improvement in the house (repaint? pwede! new furniture? pwede din!)
• good health for our entire family (and that includes the extensions most especially)
• new running gear (GEAR and NOT GADGET)
• a good camera (not necessarily expensive)
• new school/art supplies
• an oven or maybe even just new pots to use in the kitchen
• a big bar of dark chocolate (no particular brand, even Goya would do the trick)
• a positive balance on our bank account at the end of the month
• date nights
• lots of hugs and kisses

It's a mish-mash of both tangible and intangible stuff. But you would see really, how mababaw I am. Some days though, I do get swept by the materialism of this world and would wish for things that would probably fall under the category of WANT rather than NEED. And I guess this list can help me get back to my senses when I am overwhelmed by my material desires. 

BUT REALLY. THIS.IS.HAPPINESS.

What makes you happy? Please do share.

Mr. Clean, Mrs. Mess

"Okay, I've tidied up the kitchen. You can now make a mess"

This is Tibs' usual monologue especially on weekends when our helper takes her day off. When I get busy in the kitchen, I really make a huge mess. And since our dining area also serves as our kitchen/prep area, the sight would sometimes bother him to the point of irritability maybe that he'd start tidying up even before I get my menu done. Despite this, he rarely complains. I think he's just too proud to admit it but cleaning up is his therapy just as cooking is for me. And I guess that's where our yin-and-yang really lies: on me being the messy partner and him being the clean up guy. 

When we decided to get married, we never really sat down  and talk about how we can equally divide the tasks at home. But I guess Tibs has always known that I demanded equality even in marriage so the division of labor somehow just fell into place. He's the treasurer, I'm the spender. I shop for groceries, he carries them. I take care of arts and crafts time with Maia, he cleans after us. (Perfect lang, di ba????)

Tibs is really OC when it comes to cleanliness, tidiness and neatness. The guy takes at least 4 baths when he's at home fer cryin' out loud. If that isn't enough affirmation to his OC-ness then I don't know what is. Well I can probably list down several other weird ways of him expressing his being a neat-freak but I won't. Because I love him like that. Lolz. 

I now actually have no idea what drove to start writing this post but my subconscious was probably directing me to make another THANK YOU post for this wonderful guy that decided to marry me for messy or for worse (and even worst). He probably didn't expect it to be as worst as this but I know he already accepted me as me (with the mess and all), so sweetie I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE (and sometimes even the lack of it hehe), FOR YOUR LOVE AND FOR YOUR ABILITY TO TIDY THINGS UP NO MATTER HOW HUGE THE (MY) MESS IS.

50 Promises For Marriage

I cannot remember where I got this originally but I'm sure it came from the yahoogroup - WeddingsAtWork - that I used to be a member of when Tibs and I were still preparing for our wedding four years ago. That group was a tremendous help to me when I was planning our wedding. I gained friends and more from that group. But I will talk about that on a separate post.

Meanwhile, going back to the list. I had it printed and posted at the most conspicuous corner of my office cubicle so I always get a good glimpse of it. It serves as a guide and reminder to me. And to Tibs as well. We don't get to follow all of it but somehow it helps us especially when we're getting into each other's nerves already. I'm sharing it again here thinking it could/might benefit other married couples too.

50 Promises for Marriage
By Dr. Steve Stephens

1. Start each day with a kiss.
2. Wear your wedding ring at all times.
3. Date once a week.
4. Accept differences.
5. Be polite.
6. Be gentle.
7. Give gifts.
8. Smile often.
9. Touch.
10. Talk about dreams.
11. Select a song that can be "our song".
12. Give back rubs.
13. Laugh together.
14. Send a card for no reason.
15. Do what the other person wants before he or she asks.
16. Listen.
17. Encourage.
18. Do it his or her way.
19. Know his or her needs.
20. Fix the other person's breakfast.
21. Compliment twice a day.
22. Call during the day.
23. Slow down.
24. Hold hands.
25. Cuddle.
26. Ask for each other's opinion.
27. Show respect.
28. Welcome the other person home.
29. Look your best.
30. Wink at each other.
31. Celebrate birthdays in a big way.
32. Apologize.
33. Forgive.
34. Set up a romantic getaway.
35. Ask, "What can I do to make you happier?"
36. Be positive.
37. Be kind.
38. Be vulnerable.
39. Respond quickly to the other person's request.
40. Talk about your love.
41. Reminisce about your favorite times together.
42. Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy.
43. Send flowers every Valentine's day and anniversary.
44. Admit when wrong.
45. Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires.
46. Pray for each other daily.
47. Watch sunsets together.
48. Say, "I love you" frequently.
49. End the day with a hug.
50. Seek outside help when needed.

On The Road To Being The Wife I Never Dreamt To Be

Fresh from the 6am mass
in Ina Ng Laging Saklolo in Tagaytay during our 3rd Anniversary

Remember that cliche which goes like: "Don't look too far, what you're looking for might just be right in front of you"? Well, that sort of applied to me and my husband. You see, we were workstations buddies long before we became a couple. Well, I never thought it was a love story worth telling but come to think of it not a lot of women end up as a wife to their workstation buddy, don't they?

While we were not the best of friends we did share a love for indie/alternative music (I was floored by his CD collection) and were badminton buddies.  Apart from that and the workstation however that was all we shared. Our personalities are set on opposite sides of the pole. I was Ms. Congeniality and very outspoken while he was the uber-silent,  extremely shy and the I-only-get-close-to-a-limited-few you know what I mean kind of guy. He hated crowds and being around people while I constantly craved to be in the company of friends. You get the picture, I’m sure.

Add to that long list of personality differences, I just really could not imagine us being attracted to each other. As far as I knew then, the attraction merely zeroed in on the CD collection and that was all to it. But a common friend did us a favor and made the move for us. What started as a dare (no make it a command from our friend - ligawan mo na nga tong babaeng to!) turned out to be a test of resilience on his part and a test of compassion on mine. It was a long courtship riddled with countless rejections but he eventually proved it – PAG MAY TIYAGA, MAY NILAGA.

In  the next 3 years we would prove that opposites do attract. Our personalities eventually worked out for us. I was the talker, he was the listener. I made friends; he chose which ones are worth keeping. We complemented each other. That was probably the reason why in the 3 years that we were dating, we never fought big time. We embraced that because even with our differences we both abhor fighting and arguing.

But I guess, when you become husband and wife it's an entirely different story. I guess being too secured for comfort has its disadvantages. So you could say that it was whole new world for us when we jumped into married life. We fought (albeit not the physical kind, thank God) like kids. There were a lot of disagreements and nights when one of us had to move out of the room and sleep on the couch. Even with 3 years of dating to back us up and a year of that spent together in one apartment we were not spared. We had a rocky start.

Having a non-sociable (for the lack of better term) husband could mean a week or (*gasp*) sometimes a month going by without me knowing what’s going on with his life outside of the house. Even with the constant prodding from me for him to talk about how his day went, he’d only share bits and pieces but never the kind that would engage us in a conversation. He also has this obsession with gadgets that would sometimes have him create this wall/barrier around him that nobody can put down except him. It seemed like there’s this DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging on his head all the time. I eventually felt alienated.

In spite of this, I still consider myself lucky for having a husband who listens. I was never the nagging kind but when something bothers me, I have to let that out. Otherwise I'd feel like I'm going to explode. So he listens, keeps silent and gives me space. And later he would woo me into bringing my old cheery self back by either playing stupid or buying me sweets (which I really have a soft spot for).

Every time I'm asked to give a newly wedded couple friend a message only these two things come to mind - constant communication and prayer. It was probably because those are the two things that kept me and my husband together despite of our differences. In our relationship, I already took the responsibility of initiating conversations having realized that I could never really demand that from my husband. Prayers make us stay rooted to our faith and make us realize that we are merely humans who can commit mistakes and should be willing to forgive when forgiveness is sought.

Yes I know at 4 years, our marriage is far from stable. But I think, this somehow gives me a preview of the years to come. Yes there will be constant disagreements and dead air which I really, really hate. And I know that I will have to pray for more patience to withstand those nights when he'd heed off my call and choose to sit in front of the computer till the wee hours of the morning instead of sharing to me how his day was.  But nobody forced me to sign up for this. So I will carry on the commitment I made when I said my wedding vows. I am confident too that despite my husband’s personality he will somehow deliver his part of the bargain.

I never dreamt I'd be a wife. I thought I had a shot at being a career woman and marriage was just not my thing. But somehow when that time came, I was very sure it was something I really want. I just knew that committing to being married to this guy was my destiny. I was and am still happy I took that plunge.

The smile says it all.

The smile says it all. 

I am far from being the perfect wife. But I really do not wish to be. There are days when I had to be nudged big time to remember that I was a wife first before I became a mom. I do tend to go overboard with my dream of becoming a super momma. I realized that I too sometimes alienate my husband. I also build my own wall when I assume the role of being the mommy. But it is clearer to me now why my husband and I decided to marry in the first place. We balance each other. 

To me and my husband, one thing is essential - that despite our ups and downs we remain HAPPY. So we made a promise to always ask each other – are you happy? and how can I make you happier today? Happiness might be vague but to us that embodies our ultimate dream. And when we answer that question we define our needs at that moment. We do not discount the fact that one day one of us might have a No for an answer. We also promised to work it out first and not give up at the onset.

The road that I will travel towards being the ideal wife is long and I’m sure bumpy. I have yet to realize what I really want so I can be better at serving my role as the wife. Most days I’d probably still have my hands full I can hardly breathe but I will hopefully remember to call and ask for help because that’s what husbands are for. And each time I feel like picking a fight, I will remember to remind myself how lucky I was I never had to search far to find what I was looking for. At least I was able to save up some energy to fuel me for the remaining part of my road trip.

Together We Can Do It!

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This is my entry to a blog carnival called It's A Wife's Life hosted by Toni of Wifely Steps