What I Love About Being a Mom: #LoveMommyHood with Milna

Motherhood has its own rewards but there are rare moments where you literally get rewarded for all your hard work. A few weeks ago is one of those moments, which I hope will not be the last or only one in my entire mommy life.

* Love Mommyhood with Milna *
Together with Kalbe International, and the help of Mommy Ginger, Milna PH held an even for mummy bloggers that I orginially thought would be an intimate meet and greet. It turned out to be a fun and touching experience.

As a blogger, I've only attended a few events that are not exactly related spot-on with my blog theme but am able to make a connection there somehow. Milna Philippines' Love Mommyhood Event didn't just fit into my blog's theme, it fit perfectly with what I want for my toddler. And their activities, courtesy of Memory Crafters hit my heart like a bubble I felt I'd melt with so much warmth.

You Are Your Kid's Friend, and He is Yours
Hello Stacy's! A cute, and very pink, restaurant at Rizal Drive, BGC in Taguig that reminds me of cafes illustrated in mangas. The first thing Miggy and I noticed on entering is a small area by the window.

There was a small table with small chairs and small fake bread on small plates; obviously meant for small people, and a hoard of toys in small boxes. Kid-companion solved! But I admit, I wasn't comfortable leaving Miggy there and go upstairs.

I wasn't worried about him looking for me or getting into a toddler fight. I didn't want to leave him there because I wanted to share seeing everything with him' kinda like how you want your best friend to accompany you just about anywhere, even in the restroom. Personally, I'm looking forward to make a driver out of my son.

I love that in being a mom, having a child, it's like having your own friend. Sure, the kid suffers from separation anxiety, can be a real bust or is just too demanding, but... at the end of the day you're his first choice when things go wrong, or right. When he accomplishes something, anything, you're the first to see it.

It's not one-sided, you also have a friend in your child. Sometimes I get depressed and cry for way too many reasons and when my 2 year old saw me he pouted and asked, "Bakit Mama? Bakit iiyak?" and although it's just an innocent question, it comforted me. Those tiny arms hugging around my neck got me through the night.

It Can Be Real Messy, But It's Fun
There was a small contest during Milna's #LoveMommyhood Event, which was to design a tote using art material provided by Memory Crafters. No, we didn't win, but how we made our tote was unforgettable.

Miggy loves to paint, he loves the brush and I knew that designing a tote with a tot won't produce anything awe-inspiring. So I decided to just let my son be and unleash his creativity with the brush. I did use some tape so we could create this:

As a mom, I go through a lot of mess on a regular basis: emotional, physical and psychological. Emotionally, motherhood can throw you off, blow up your cap, challenge your patience and turn you into a Momster. No typo there, there's nothing worse than a mom and monster combined.

Trust me, I have a mom, my husband has a mom, our parents have moms and when the moms say Pick up the damn clothes off the floor, we pick the damn clothes off the floor.  So yes, it breaks your limits and it makes your house messy and your mind so disheveled you wish there's a brush that could comb your thoughts straight.

It's no walk in the park, but motherhood can be fun anyway. When Miggy and I make clay or place with ice cubes, it gets messy and I know I'll have to clean it all up on my own but I try to enjoy it anyway. I try to do the same with his tantrums, his poop accidents and that one time he fell into the fish pond.

It's really hard but when I look back at them, they're actually funny. As messy as they are it's fun to go through anyway, because the little human you're with has no idea he has "chocolate" stuck to his thigh and these messy moments are priceless.

The Demand Brings Out Your Best
Miggy had a tiny tantrum during the event because I made him stop playing so that he could eat upstairs with me. I wanted to take him away from the play area because he's getting into a "toy-grabbing" fight with another kid and I needed not to have to go through another fight scene.

He raged, he kicked and punched (yep, my face is a suki) and I had to go out and let him cry it out. Although Miggy's tantrum irritated me and I didn't have any sleep prior to the event, I willed myself not to turn into a Momster. Although his demands can be "reallllyyyy uuuurrrgghh!!!" sometimes it pushes me to extend my patience, make my limits flexible and me more composed.

Before I became a mom I had a fuse as short as a candle's wicker. I'd snap at just about anybody during my period, and it's impossible to talk to me while I'm on a movie/series marathon, definitely not when I'm reading a book.

Now...Wow.... I'd still snap, but that's only when I haven't slept in two days, has a deadline in an hour and am hangry like the wolf with Miggy trying to get what he wants with a tantrum.

There Are Perks & Privileges
Funnily enough, because you put so much love and effort for your kid somehow other people seem to think they should treat you or help you out sometimes. At Milna's Love Mommyhood Event we, the mommies, were treated with... *drum roll please* .... a hairstyle! hihihi...

It was surprising since Mommy Ginger didn't say anything about it earlier and when she did say there was a surprise waiting for us there were no hints given. We were herded out of Stacy's and I though it was a kidnap at some point but *whew* we were just taken to Flair. 

It was fun, people there were really professional (had to assess my hair and make my curls so they don't fall: it's too soft they said). I chose the Marilyn form their Lookbook! Their products smell nice too. Sadly though, my curly hairstyle only lasted for an hour. Miggy had a tantrum and the struggle simply took effort.

 I'm not a girly kind of girl, sometimes I don't even bother to comb my hair after showering... I don't spend time in a salon, I do my own nails and I cut my own bangs and if I need a trim, well..that's when I pay my Ateng Kuya 70 pesos + tip.

Eating is a Battle
Believe me, sometimes it's War when I'm not in the mood to put up with pickyness. Thankfully, Miggy doesn't always do that. There are days, like during the Mommyhood Event.. he wouldn't eat anything. Not chicken, not the pasta not even the damn juice. 

Sorry, got carried away with that. Milna's Baby Food on the other hand is a real hit with Miggy. He loved the Banana flavored biscuit. He's too old for the cereal mixes but I managed to sneak it in to his rice (told him it was soup) and he enjoyed it...a lot, like three extra servings.

Miggy got knocked out after the Love Mommyhood event at BGC, the moment I carried him on the bus he fell asleep and on and on until we reached home and I settled him down to bed. It was fun, difficult to carry a 13 kilo kid but you know, I got to elbow insensitive jerks who kept pushing and bumping me aside. All that just to get ahead of me to get on the bus. People.

Milna's Baby Food did taste good, I took a bit hehe, I even gave some to my nieces because it's difficult to find healthy alternatives to the usual chocolate snacks kids lay their hands on these days. When Miggy woke up he nearly tore the bag open, just to get his hands on his bisweet.

I'm so glad I got a Milna biscuit, my son enjoyed nibbling at them at night, while playing and well...almost every hour actually. It gave me some assurance that even though he won't eat his meals at least he's getting some nutrients out of his snacking habit. Thanks Milna!

some photos, like this, were grabbed from Milna's FB page

Everything is Random: New, Familiar...All a Surprise
At the LoveMommyhood Event I experienced almost all kinds of emotions, and I'm sure my son did too. He met playmates, I met other mommy bloggers and although we've both been to situations where Miggy screams and I carry him out, it all feels new and...surprisingly fun.

Back then, I had no idea how to even carry a newborn. I was so scared when my husband first made me carry Miggy in my arms; I feared I'd drop him, cramp his neck or just make him uncomfortable in my arms. I didn't feel I was ever going to be a good mom, I never even think I'd ever be a mom... but here we are.

Surprised and unaware as always but Smiling.