Admit it, moms seem to have “unlucky days” most days when things don’t go the way we want and everything goes wrong. We’re stressed out. We’re beaten. We yell. What you need to know is there is the best #stress buster for moms which you have right under your nose…

Start of my Unlucky Day

I’m a stay-at-home mom blogger and my “#unlucky day” started when I couldn’t get the colors of the page I was creating right. Each time I would click “publish” or “update,” the colors would revert back to the original ones and not my choice colors.

In a span of 3 hours, I must have edited, tweaked, even re-created that page a hundred times! I sent a support ticket to my website theme developer but they didn’t answer. I was under time pressure because I had to publish that page within the day or lose new subscribers.

What did I do?

I walked away. I closed my laptop and stopped working. The frustration was killing me and I had to take a break or go crazy.

I decided to do our grocery shopping at Landmark to take my mind away from my frustration. My son, Joshua, was really excited to do that errand as we get to eat lunch and buy his favorite food items. Off we go!

2nd Unlucky Streak

We just got in the car and an alarm was going of, “Beep-beep-beep!” Thinking it was just a warning about an open car door, we sped off.

One block away from the house, now onto the main road, the “beeping” goes off again. I pulled over and checked the car.

We had a flat tire!

My stress levels escalated. It was close to lunch time and I was already hungry but now I had to deal with a flat tire. Waaah!

“We won’t go to Landmark anymore!” I announced back inside the car. Of course, this upset Joshua and he started bawling. Stress levels shot up some more…

Help!

Good thing there were two men having coffee at a store by the curb where I pulled over. I asked them nicely if they knew how to use the air compressor to inflate the flat tire. They did something better… They changed the flat tire!

Thank God for heroes such as these!

Finally on our Way!

Flat tire fixed, we were finally on our way again to Landmark! It was 1:00pm and I was really super hungry by this time, it was giving me a headache. I wanted to “eat my stress away” and decided to have lunch at my favorite restaurant, Abe.

Never mind if it was expensive and there was no occasion to justify eating there. Comfort food is a surefire #stress buster!

Stressful Tantrums

We had to cross through the Landmark department store to get to the garden area where Abe restaurant is located. We passed through the Toys Section and Joshua got excited seeing all the toys on sale.

“Mama, let’s buy some toys!” Joshua happily declared.

“No. Let’s eat first because it’s past lunch time and I’m really hungry,” I replied.

Of course, this brought on a full scale tantrum! I did not back down and kept walking. Joshua had no choice but to pipe down and follow. Haay!

Next tantrum…

We passed by Timezone, a popular video games place in the mall.

“Mama, let’s play!” Joshua happily invited.

“Joshua, we should eat first. Aren’t you hungry? Mama is really hungry. We’ll just come back here after we eat,” I explained.

“Waaaah!” Another full scale tantrum. I ignored it and kept walking. This time, Joshua lagged behind with his nanny, Ate Irene, trying to force me to give in. Nope, hunger horns was stronger so I kept walking.

3rd Unlucky Streak

We got lost.

I wasn’t used to crossing thru the department store to get to the garden area restaurants so we got on the wrong floor. I couldn’t find Abe restaurant, waaah!

One thing about me is that when I get really hungry, I grow horns, get really nasty and throw fits! Haha! Mom tantrums!

Imagine yourself super hungry (with horns) going around in circles trying to find your way to your favorite restaurant while your son is having a tantrum of his own… Waaah!

Finally, I figured out how to get to Abe and heaved a sigh of relief. I will get to eat my comfort food, all will be well…

4th Unlucky Streak

I immediately asked for a bowl of their free fish crackers to be sent to our table. Food!

Order time! I didn’t even have to look at the menu and ordered our favorite dishes.

“I’m sorry Ma’am, we don’t have Laing today,” the waitress informed me.

“Huwaaaat??? Miss, na-flat kami. Kaya kami kakain dito dahil sa laing tapos sasabihin mo wala?” I snapped at the poor waitress. (Miss, we just had a flat tire. That’s why we’re here, to eat laing, now you’re going to tell us there’s none?) Hunger horns at its peak, sorry.

She immediately went to their kitchen to check if the Laing was available. She apologetically declared the Laing was not cooked yet and cannot be served.

Imagine The Hulk… Hehe no, I didn’t turn green in anger! I just asked if we could leave and not eat there. Of course, the waitress agreed.

Ate Irene was worried that we already started eating their fish crackers but I knew it was free. We grabbed another handful of it to munch on before we left the restaurant. We needed something to tide us over for our next restaurant hunt.

Where Do We Eat?

I had to think fast where else we could eat as our tummies grumbled. I remembered Joshua’s favorite ramen house, Santouka, was in the area! So we headed across the garden towards that resto when I spotted Joshua’s other favorite Asian resto, Banana Leaf.

“Yay! Banana Leaf!” Joshua squeal of excitement was answer enough for me so Banana Leaf it was.

Finally, at almost 2:00pm, we were eating our yummy Roti, spring rolls and chili clams lunch! Comfort food!

5th Unlucky Streak

Except… The chili clams were toooo spicy! I was sweating like a pig as a reaction to the spiciness, I used up 5 tissue papers to mop up my head and consumed 3 glasses of water.

“Masyado atang na-excite sa sili ang chef ninyo,” I remarked to the waiter. (Your chef got too excited with the chili.)

Good thing they were very attentive to pleasing customers, they immediately took the dish away to their kitchen to have the spiciness toned down. It came back nice and just right.

Play Time!

I decided to just let Ate Irene do the grocery while Joshua and I played at Timezone. I did promise him we would go back after lunch. Tummy happy, mommy happy hehe!

It was my first time to play at Timezone (really!) but was fully determined to let Joshua have a great time. What I didn’t know was that you keep swiping your play card during the video game and you end up losing all your money haha! But you do get “tickets” for each game which you can exchange for a game prize. Cool!

We had fun playing the Jurassic World video game… That’s where we finished off our play card load haha! I had to go back and purchase more load. My, Timezone is a money sucker!

We played more video games, “killed” dragons using a water gun (it really spews off water!), “killed” zombies with a pea shooter (it really spews out tiny green balls like peas!), rode on a motorcycle, “hit” monkeys off of coconut trees with balls, “hit” birds off their perch, threw bowling balls on a virtual bowling alley, and shot some basket balls.

Each game, tickets would spew out of the machines, we were so excited! We “submitted” them in this “ticket eating machine” to replace as credits. We didn’t get enough credits to win a prize but we can always come back for more next time.

It was all fun! We had a blast!

Stress begone!

Going Home!

We picked up Ate Irene and the groceries and headed home. It was already 4:00pm and I started to get hungry again. Maybe it’s just my brain telling me it’s merienda time (snack time). Or it could be all the fun and excitement from playing at Timezone. I needed food.

6th Unlucky Streak

Aha! We would buy our favorite white mais (corn) from a vendor along one of the streets near our house.

No mais.

Just when I thought my unlucky streak was over, it hit me once again haaay!

I just ate whatever was at home. Tummy happy once again.

Best Stress Buster For Moms!

I decided to call it a day and didn’t go back to working on my blog problem. I just had more bonding time with Joshua and we watched a movie in bed. Nice!

I thanked Joshua for giving me a great time today and making me forget all about my stress.

“Yehey! I am Mama’s stress buster!” Joshua shouts out.

He really got that right!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. When you feel frustrated, walk away.
There’s no point “banging away at the same part of the wall when it won’t even crack. Do something else that is more productive.

2. When things get tough, there is always help around.
You’ll be surprised at the kind of help you will see around you. All you need to do is ask.

3. When you don’t get your way, take another way.
Don’t get frustrated. You can always change your mind and try other things that could still give you the same satisfaction.

4. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
This age old saying is so true. When you experience the worst from your kids, maybe it’s just a sign of something deeper that they want. Try to acknowledge it and try something new with them. You just might enjoy it.

5. When life gives you challenges, it is to change your way of thinking.
Start with a new perspective, look at things with fresh eyes.

6. No such thing as “Unlucky Day,” only “Fresh chances to change ourselves”
When things go wrong, it is a chance to make other things in your life right.

• Make things simpler – I went back to work on my blog and made things simpler. It turned out better and still effective.
• Face challenges without drama – A flat tire doesn’t have to be catastrophic.
• Try new things – When you don’t like the food, go to another restaurant.
• Pick your battles – My son’t tantrums and drama would probably have escalated if I responded with my own mom tantrum.

7. #Best stress buster for moms… 
The ones that cause much of our stress is actually also the cure for stress… our kids!

• Spend time with them – Do something new and fun together.
• Call them – When you’re at work, take a break and call them. When you hear their voice, your stress melts away.
• Ask about their day – Their simple way of looking at life is the best way to beat stress.
• Kiss and hug them – This simple act eases all your troubles.

P.S.

When you know you sprout horns when you’re hungry, keep a snack in your bag!
If you’re like me who becomes a monster when hungry, keep a snack handy when you go out. This will ensure you don’t get nasty unnecessarily especially towards your kids. Being prepared keeps the hungry monster at bay.