Welcome to LuvBuv! My name is Theresa and I hope you enjoy my blog about life and all the little things that make life interesting. This blog covers a variety of topics including relationships, well-being, family life, and juicy lil' tidbits.
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By Theresa
I used to cringe and get annoyed at babies, toddlers and pretty much all children in general who made a loud fuss in public. It’s safe to say that I was not a “kid” person. That was before I became a mom. Now when I see little people who are acting out and making a scene, I feel sorry for the parents. I give them empathetic looks to convey the message, “I feel your pain and I’m not judging you.”
Toddlers especially are unpredictable little bundles of energy. Last week I went out to dinner at a somewhat fancy Vietnamese restaurant with my parents, husband, and 17 month old daughter. I almost dread going to sit-down dinners with Ayla now because she can sit still for about 30 minutes max before she gets ants in her pants and demands to be released from her high chair.
Now the real “fun” begins.
By Theresa
When I recently returned to work full-time after taking a year’s maternity leave, my husband became the primary caregiver for our bubbly 12 month daughter between the hours of 7am and 5:30pm when I am out. He’s a Professional House Husband (PHH) as he not only is a full-time ‘manny’ during the day, but also balances his professional life in the evenings.
By Theresa
A couple of months ago I was browsing through a book sale selling proofs and stumbled upon Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict by Irene Vilar. As my busy-body 12 month old would have it, I just finished reading this book last night. I’ve heard of a lot of different addictions, but an abortion addict is something that’s never crossed my existence.
I began reading this book and was fascinated and a little bit horrified about the prospect of reading about the type of woman who could have “fifteen abortions in fifteen years.” My critical side instantly thought, “Wouldn’t you have learned to be more careful after the first or second abortion?”
By Theresa
As a twentysomething woman, girls in my generation were raised with high expectations: you can work and have a family—you can have it all! Before I had a child, I really, truly believed this. However, having a baby has changed my perspective and priorities. Call me what you want, but the reality is that I have a hard time seeing how I can work full-time and be able to spend enough quality time with my husband and daughter once all the daily chores are done.
By Theresa
The modern woman in many developed nations can have a fulfilling career, raise a family, and enjoy a fun social life. We are having our “cake” and feasting on it. So why are women less happy than men?
A study (2009) conducted by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers called “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness”, describes this phenomenon:
“By many objective measures the lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women’s happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men. The paradox of women’s declining relative well-being is found across various datasets, measures of subjective well-being, and is pervasive across demographic groups and industrialized countries. Relative declines in female happiness have eroded a gender gap in happiness in which women in the 1970s typically reported higher subjective well-being than did men. These declines have continued and a new gender gap is emerging—one with higher subjective well-being for men.”
The study brings up a good point about who carries the “emotional burden” of running a household. While men tend to help out more nowadays compared to a generation ago, women still carry the emotional burden of keeping an orderly home and raising the kids, on top of managing their career. (The average man I know doesn’t feel too guilty about going to work and leaving their kids behind or having a messy house.)
By Theresa
Last week I took Ayla to one of those sing-along/nursery rhyme groups for babies. It happened to take place at a senior’s residence and moms, babies, and seniors all had a good time together. After the session, a kind old lady came up to me and said, “Now who does this little sweetheart belong to?”
“Oh…she’s
Continue reading My Biological Baby Doesn’t Look Like Me
By Theresa
There are two types of mothers: those who have been “mothers” all their lives (the type that rescues kittens and takes friends under her wing), and the type that slowly become a mother by necessity. I fall under the latter category. My daughter’s diaper was the very first diaper I’ve ever changed.
By Theresa
Somewhere along the way I’ve come to dread and perhaps fear the five-letter word: GERMS. While I am not the tidiest person (my messy home is a testament to this), I noticed that in the past few years hand-sanitizer has become part of my daily regime. When using public restrooms I am the person grabbing a paper towel to avoid touching the door handles.
Maybe it’s the media’s coverage of the recent H1N1 breakout, or the avian flu of years past that has made me afraid of germs. Or maybe I’m just getting soft and paranoid as a parent.
By Theresa
The first thought that came to my head was, “Oh, crap.” I was sitting at my doctor’s office when my MD burst through the doors and confirmed what I wasn’t ready to hear—that I was “most definitely” pregnant. Denial is something that comes naturally when you know the truth deep down but think that by refusing to admit it, it will somehow go away. That’s why it took three pregnancy tests (all with positive results) to finally force me to face the truth that a baby was on the way.
You may wonder why, as a twenty-something, newly-married woman who was actually planning on having kids “someday,” I was not thrilled with the news. Well, I guess I was not done being selfish yet. I still wanted to focus on my career, eat and drink whatever I pleased (*ahem* sashimi and lattes), not have to worry about finding a baby-sitter every time I went out, and most of all, travel.
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