No Yaya Club

No yaya? Watch my latest video to get some baby friendly tips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncJgjpefDC0&feature=youtu.be

People are surprised when they find out I choose not to have help around the house. But I managed to convince my husband that the privacy that comes with it during our honeymoon stage is worth it. 

I grew up in an extended family setup and my grandparents required constant househelp. There were issues here and there and most of my lola's dilemas sprung from the incompetence (or the boyfriend/tv addiction) of her current yaya/s.  I dunno, but somehow it seemed like it was more peaceful not to have one but her health deems it necessary to have someone watch over her and assist.

So when I got married and decided to move out, I wanted to try living like how they do in first world countries.  Not being accustomed to do household chores on a regular basis, I gifted myself with an automatic washing machine with a built-in spinner.  The ones I tried in Japan were more fun to use because they had built-in driers too, but I felt obligated to air dry for mother nature's sake.  Since we enjoy warmer temperatures here in the Philippines, we only professionally machine dry our jeans, beddings, and thick towels (to terminate possible bed bugs!)

Planning for meals was also quite tricky.  I'm fond of organic food items & even with proper storage techniques, they get spoiled even before we get to use them!  So I tried to let go of my "buy in bulk so it would be more economical" mentality and resorted to just getting what I need for the week each time I head to the grocery (yes, even when there's a sale).

Cleaning up the kitchen with a baby in tow is hard to do & it piles up (it grows by the minute even without adding fertilizer!) But when the food waste is disposed off properly before the dirty dishes are placed in the sink, washing plates and utensils is actually quite de-stressing.  I like the scent of antibacterial dishwashing liquid (when I was younger my lola said it was expensive; thank God now it's more economical!) 

I'm still learning and my husband still complains constantly that there's so much work to do around the house especially now that I'm pregnant again, but I think doing this helps strengthen our relationship and forces us to spend more time in the house.  My daughter also thinks we're amazing; she squeals "wow Dada!" everytime my husband manages to change the sheets.

We'll probably need helpers once I start working fulltime again or when we get older and have more responsibilities.  But for now, I really am enjoying this stage in our lives. Thank you Lord for all the comforts modern life brings!