31 Random Things About Me

On my 31st birth year, I thought of coming up with 31 things that would describe me as a person.

1. I am not married yet, but happily living together with MNJ.
2. I've been working in a call center for 8 years now and was never promoted.
3. I am OC. I want things in order, all the time.
4. I am an only child.
5. I get very upset when I see old friends and I'm not a part of the group anymore.
6. I gave up good friends for a quiet family life.
7. I was born and raised in Malabon.
8. I hate pets. Any animal, as in.
9. I am a graduate school undergraduate, is it grammatically correct?
10. I spent 5 years in college, only to graduate with an AB course. I wasted a year in taking up Nursing.
11. I love anything Pink!
12. I have a nice handwriting. (It's my bday, let me love myself much today!)
13. I love Mcdonald's Hot Fudge Sundae.
14. I am slow. Walking. Preparing. Eating. Slow.
15. I am an 'organizer' freak. I have a planner for work, one for home, one for the kids, one for me personally. I jot down every thought I have and everything that happened. So it's very hard for me to forget things of the past.
16. I only get a pedi every 2 weeks.
17. I am trying my best to grow my eyebrows back.
18. I am as brave and arrogant as my father, if you know him, you'll know what I mean.
19. If I can turn back the hands of time, I would continue teaching even after I got pregnant.
20. Teaching is my passion.
21. I blog when I'm stressed. It calms me down.
22. I am a frustrated writer.
23. I love reading stuff online, but I easily get bored with books. That's why I read my Twilight Saga through an Ebook.
24. I'm not good at taking pictures.
25. I'm good at fixing the home Internet connection.
26. I do not have plans of having more kids anytime soon.
27. I dream of being married to him, a simple exchange of vows. Period.
28. I use my teaching passion in reviewing for exams with my kids. haha!
29. I love my parents so much, I am willing to serve them as long as they are with me.
30. He is the one. I will not love any other man than the father of my children.
31. My children are my life. No more. No less.

Happy birthday Joyce! :)

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