Livin high and takin it easy

Now that I finally got my hands on that villa, I have been farming feverishly the past weeks to get to it, I have relegated myself to farming only once a day instead of every four hours as I have been doing and… I am now moving on!

Villa at Level 34

I can’t believe I spent so much time on Farmville. All for that villa on level 34. Tsk tsk! *laugh laugh laugh*

Farming every 4 hours!

Cottage One - in Black!

The Farmhouse

The Barn

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Now I have so much more time on my hands. I have my hands on pdf copies of Charlaine Harris‘s The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, on which the series True Blood is based on and will resolve to at least read a chapter from it everyday. Ryan and I have been eyeing a complete set of it on Amazon for only $40 but my brother-in-law told me to read the soft copies first and only make up my mind about buying the actual books if I decide that I like it enough.

True Blood - Paperback

I do know I like it enough. What I do not know is whether I will be able to keep books. I always dreamed of having this wonderful, big library at my own house – not necessarily first editions or even hardbound copies, just the books that I really, really like and do not mind reading again and again. I keep thinking though that if we keep moving from one place to the next, it’s really quite hard to keep a library. Or worse, getting flooded at the place we move to. I remember being very glad that I have not moved my books at all from the condo to the apartment when we moved last January.

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Now perhaps I can have more time to study. I have yet to learn how to use the Photoshop. Or have more time to post my photos on my Flickr. Or maybe even take little trips to the nearby mall, even for just an hour or two. I’d love to buy Lia cute little dresses and shirts. I feel like she does not have enough. Though on the other hand, I feel like it’s a waste of time to buy infants too many clothes as they outgrow the clothes really really fast. I’d like for her to be able to wear these pieces of clothing more than just once.

Gosh, I am finally done with farming! Can’t believe it! Hahahaha! I am soooo silly. I can be sooo silly sometimes. Or maybe like most times…

So far, though it’s only been six months, I am satisfied with how we are raising our child. Though over coffee some nights back, we realized that we have never really talked about it, I and my husband agree over how we think we should raise our child.

We always thought that we should not spoil our would-be children. Growing up, I came to realize that my own parents raised me and my siblings in the philosophy “We should give our children the things that we never had,” and thought, what is wrong with how they grew up or what they had? We as, though new, parents now think that we will try to give our children the things we had, the experiences we had, simply because these are things we are familiar with and know best. There is nothing wrong with not buying the most expensive clothes, toys or milk in the supermarket. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with making a child cry because you would not give in to what he or she wants. There is, though, something wrong with spoiling your child.

Sometimes I fear that other parents will not look too kindly on how I raise my child. Having two sisters who have their own children, I have people to look to for advise or inspiration, on how to raise my own child. I realize that we are not the same people and will have different approaches to parenting. I have come early on to accept that “there are as many different kinds of parenting styles as there are many different kinds of parents,” and as such, I do not meddle with how my sisters raise theirs or make comments on how I think they should. Their children are theirs and as such, I believe they know best. I will observe on how they parent, I will look to them for and listen to advice but in the end, I will do what I think is best for me, my husband, my child and my family as a whole.

Between me and my child, I am the boss. I insist on what should be done. I do not hesitate to make my child cry if I think it is best.

But as with any other thing, one cannot control everything, no matter how much one tries. I can make a parent-led schedule and insist that my child follow it and it will result to some days where my child will cry unnecessarily for an hour just because I insist it is nap time even when she wants to play. As a parent and as a completely human being, I make mistakes too. I have come to realize that with as with any other thing, most especially in parenting, you can lose control and you will. When you do, the best thing to do is to go along with it and make the best out of it.

Now I still try to stick to a parent-led schedule but I will not allow the baby to cry for hours simply because I think she needs to sleep more. I will, instead, make the most out of her awake-hours by letting her play in a manner which would allow her to develop such skills as dexterity or socialization.

I will not be too harsh on her or myself. I will go along with the flow. Such are the hard lessons parents obsessed with control learn every now and then.