Tender Musings

When Rei started walking, friends and acquaintances started asking me when I was going to have another baby. I would jokingly avoid the topic, but in reality I really wasn't ready. I was terrified that I would get pregnant right away. It haunted my dreams (literally), and it made me really anxious. I researched about different ways to ease my worries, and finally I talked to Gian about getting birth control. As a Filipino member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the topic of birth control is NOT something we openly talk about. I guess it comes from our Filipino culture. Birth control is often considered "wrong" which gives the idea that using it is morally unacceptable. And I felt that way for a while until I decided to take it to the Lord in prayer.  Just to be clear, this is what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says about birth control: " Decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each ma

I'm currently reading a book and it has stirred some ideas that I have put aside for a while. The book is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear  by Elizabeth Gilbert. A friend had suggested it during a discussion about doing something that we love. I love being a mom and it's a very exciting life. But I would have to admit that after a whole day's work, there's not a lot of time at the end of the day to indulge in something creative. By the time my 3-year-old is in bed, I'm too tired tired (or lazy) to do something else. I usually just binge watch on Netflix or watch a bunch of random videos on YouTube. It's acceptable, right? I mean, I deserve the break after all...don't I?  But maybe, there is something more.  In the first chapter of  Big Magic,  Elizabeth Gilbert talked about how bravery and creative living are inseparable. She shared this thought from an author that she deeply admired. "Without bravery, [we] would never be able to realize the vault