Kitchen Talk: Tips on how to organize the kitchen sink.

I have been househelper-less for a month now. 

I am happy.

For some, living without a maid with 2 kids is difficult. I also thought the same when our house helper of 4 years left all of a sudden. I was scared of not being able to do all the chores. But I was wrong.

Now that I am the one organizing everything, I am at peace. I know where things are and I am sure that kitchen stuff are clean. Though it is hard balancing a full time job, kids in school, parents who needs to be served and a house to maintain...I was able to make it. A little time management, giving up extra time for myself, making a checklist, dedication and commitment...I am proud to say that I am a full time mother, daughter, house keeper and office mom all in one.

And since these chores are all done by moi, I would like to share a few things that I practice. This goes out to all mothers who wants a clean kitchen sink. I am OC. And I want things done in order.

The sink is very important. It needs to be clean all the time. 

1st Rule: Never leave dirty dishes on the sink. If there is water, and if you can do it right away, wash it. We eat using these utensils. It will not take more than 20 minutes of your time to wash the dishes. So before starting another chore, finish washing the dishes after meals. It saves you time and effort of washing and removing food stains. And it is hygienic to do so.

2nd Rule: Have a separate sponge for utensils that are greasy, apart from the sponge that you use for utensils that do not have contact with grease. Examples of these are glasses, coffee mugs, water bottles, pitchers and the like. In that way, the grease-less utensils are easier to clean too. It will make washing faster, trust me. So make sure that you have separate sponges for greasy and non-greasy utensils.

3rd Rule: Have a drying rack for the utensils. After washing the dishes, you can let them drip and dry first on a rack near the sink. This will save you time from wiping all of them right after washing. After several minutes, or after doing another chore, you can go back to the dishes. They will dry up, and you can put them in the cabinets without the hassle of wiping it dry. Saves time, huh?

4th Rule: Always have 2 hand towels. One hand towel is for the kitchen worker. This is used by the person cooking, preparing or serving the food. Grease and food spills can be wiped using this towel. Second hand towel is strictly for people who have just washed their hands. This is before or after meals. In this way, the second towel is only used to dry clean hands. Hygienic? Yes.

5th Rule: Separate the spoon from the fork holder. You will notice that it will be easier for you to get only what you need from the utensil cabinet. If spoons and forks are jammed together, when you only need a spoon, you need to jumble them all to get what you need. But if they have their own holders, it will be easier to grab only a spoon or a fork. No hassle. Promise.

These are just some of the things that I practice. I suggest you give it a try. The routine of keeping things in order and cleanliness is on top of my list. And I am sure these things will help save a little time.

I hope this have helped. I will be sharing more of my kitchen and home secret OCness soon. Happy house keeping!

Ciao,

Joyce

Life After Dengue.

As I was watching the late news tonight, I learned that a number of areas in the country are now experiencing Dengue Outbreaks. This is when my Dengue experience all flashed back.

It was February of 2005, it was an ordinary work day. My shift starts at 5 in the morning so I had to leave early for work. Since our area have limited public transport options early in the morning, I had no other choice but to ride ordinary buses to get to work. So I went to work with my usual routine. Tricycle ride, ordinary bus ride to Ortigas, then walk the Poveda street and then work.

I was not feeling sick at all. Lunch time came and I was feeling a buzzing sound in my ear. I went to the office clinic and found out I have 39 degree fever. I was sent home.

Upon reaching home, I rested. I was chilling. Everything happened so fast, I ended up taking a cold bath to tame the fever down. Luckily, it went down. Later at night, chilling and fever came back. I was not worried though, perhaps, I said to myself, this is flu.

3 days passed, fever still on and off. I requested my husband to bring me to the hospital. I was scared then. I was rushed to the emergency room of the FEU Hospital in Fairview. I was admitted, with a platelet count of 156. Acceptable for Dengue fever. That time, stages for dengue were not 'invented' yet. I didn't know what stage or category that platelet count was at.

 Beware of this female mosquito

Days 1 and 2 in the hospital are the hardest. My little one, then less than a year old, needed to be brought together with us in the hospital room. We had no yaya, so he had to stay in the hospital with us and just head home once my mom comes home from work. Sad but we had no choice. It was still the normal on and off fever. Platelet count: 125.

Days 3 and 4, I started getting visitors. I was still feeling normal, despite the fevers. My husband stays at night with me, while our son sleeps at home with my parents. He comes home in the morning to look after the little one, then comes back for me to the hospital once mom gets home. At this stage, I was getting weak. I needed to get well. Platelet count: 64.

Days 5 and 6, my platelet count is now in critical level. They had to count the platelets every hour because it may drop and kill me anytime. I was scared then. Who would ever think that despite my weight, a tiny mosquito will bring me down. My arms are bruised from needle marks because of the blood extractions. They had to take the blood samples from my veins in the hands because that will be the ONLY way now to be able to get blood sample. All exposed points of blood extraction are all bruised. It was very difficult. I can't sleep or rest well anymore because every hour, I have to wake up and find another vein where blood can be taken out from. It was hard. I have to live.

Day 7, it was a weekend and it was my hospital-phobic mom's turn to stay with me at the hospital. I was calm and just wanted to rest to get well. Upon blood check, I asked the nurse what was the lowest platelet count ever recorded in the entire hospital. She answered 18. I said I was thankful mine counted 64 the last time. She wished me well and said that she will be back to tell me my platelet count asap. I felt better.

30 minutes later, the doctor came in. He tagged along another doctor and introduced him to us as a specialist for blood related diseases. I asked if there was something wrong, he said that the platelet count from 64 now DROPPED to 18. Record holder it is! He advised that I needed a platelet transfusion right away, but the supply may not be enough for me. One wrong move, and I'm out of platelets completely. My mom was very scared. I was too, but I had to be strong. I was advised not to brush my teeth, pick my nose and the like, any wrong move may cause bleeding and I do not have enough platelets for blood clot.

I was stubborn. My nose was as hard as hell because of the air-conditioned room. I had to touch it for me to be able to breathe better. And I did. It started to bleed, endlessly. Rolls and rolls of tissue were used but it won't stop. Nurses and doctors were called. After almost an hour, it stopped. Now I am not allowed to move anymore. Nurses came with bags and bags of platelets. They continuously explained to use that each bag of platelet was taken from 4 bags of fresh blood. They said they will do everything they can, for me to survive. After continuous transfusion,  a total of 16 bags of platelets were consumed. Each bag taken from 4 bags of fresh blood. I can't thank the Lord enough for all those 64 people who donated blood for people like me who needs it the most.

After a couple of days, platelet count went up. I was allowed to be sent home eventually. I survived.

It is not an easy struggle to fight something that you are not aware of. It is just like being in a battle unprepared. So we need to take Dengue seriously. I didn't and it took almost my life before I realized, it is serious. I could have lost all the wonderful things in my life because of negligence.

So let us be vigilant in fighting Dengue. Specially for our children, we need to be very careful. If I was a victim, it took all 180 lbs of me to overcome the disease. The little ones will not be able to take that.

Be very careful. Practice cleanliness. Clean the house and surroundings often. Make sure the house and rooms are well lit. Use insect repellents to make sure that your skin is free from mosquito bites. Eat well and maintain a healthy body.

I almost lost my life to Dengue. Learn as you read, and NEVER let this happen to you or your loved ones.

Ciao,
Joyce :)