I've read about the Cebeco I announcement only a day before its schedule. Power will be turned off on Sunday, September 10, from 7 to 5 pm. I have mentally planned what chores to finish a day ahead. I was already done with the laundry and later that Saturday afternoon, I made sure to iron the uniforms in advance. I had already thought of having a lazy Sunday with my son knowing that my major home chores are more than halfway done midday.
On Sunday morning, I woke up early to prepare our breakfast. It has been part of my daily routine to wake up between 4 to 5 in the morning to prepare our meal. I wish I could sleep in on weekends but I really have no choice as my brother has never been a morning person. Sometimes, my mother wakes up early and helps me. I don't usually ask her to do so because I want her to get enough rest. She will be retiring from work after almost 40 years of working. 🙏👏
So there I was, prepping breakfast on a Sunday morning, hoping I'd be done with it before 7 am. The scheduled brownout would have begun by then. I use a rice cooker everyday to make it more convenient for me to cook rice. Lately, I have also been using an airfryer to quickly prepare some breakfast meals. So, I really had to quickly finish using these appliances so that I'll be done before the brownout begins. 😓
I heaved a sigh of relief when I checked the time. I was done before 6 in the morning. I was still the only human awake in the house. We have five dogs who were already awake when I started cooking. As always, they wait for me to open the screen door so they can go out. We always let them sleep inside the house at night since their doghouse is designed only for daytime stay .
It was a little quiet in the house and I was still charging my phone. I didn't want to go back to sleep so I took the book I have recently started reading. The book is entitled "I Decided to Live as Me" written by Kim Soo Hyun. I have managed to read a lot of pages that quiet Sunday morning and I feel refreshed. I have always been interested in so many books but I came to several points in my life when I haven't given time for reading. Now, I was able to read again. I sometimes glance at my sleeping toddler in between reading in order to check if he is sweating or if a mosquito has managed to come too close.
I saw my mom bringing a basket full of clothes when she passed by the bedroom. She had decided to wash her clothes as early as she can. I decided prepare the table but the inevitable happened---the electricity was gone. So I decided to stay on the porch while waiting for my son to wake up.
When my son woke up, he played with me a bit. Then we had our breakfast. I also helped him in having a warm bath. He has always been fond of warm water for bathing so we had to heat up some water on a kettle to be mixed with the cold water. Our bathroom heater has been broken for more than a year now. The person who tried to fix it twice hasn't come back since his last visit. Now, we need to heat some water everyday so my son could avoid bathing with ice-cold water from our faucet. (A little info: Our water here gets really cold especially on early mornings and during cloudy and rainy days.)
Going back to what I was saying, my son was done with his bath and breakfast so I tried to use my phone less today. He asked me to play Fun Thinkers with him. I got this last year and he sometimes asks me to play this with him.
When my mom was finished with her laundry, she told me she will go to the market to buy meat and fruits for my grandmother. Upon hearing the word "market", my son quickly expressed his eagerness to go with his Nana (this is how he calls my mother). I noticed recently that my son acts like a cute puppy when he asks his Nana for favors.😆 When my mother agreed, my son quickly wore his slippers and asked me for his cap. Unfortunately...it suddenly rained. ☔️
My son was quite disappointed because he was really excited to go to the market. I know for a fact that everytime he goes there with Nana, he always comes home with a new toy. Meanwhile, the sudden rain was also a challenge for me as it is a bit dark inside the house. But I'm still thankful for the rain as it brought a fresh and soft breeze.
It was time for me to prepare lunch as it was already half past ten. I wanted to cook some soup because of the rain. Good thing, we had what I needed in order to cook misua ( a type of thin noodles) with fish flakes. 🤤
My son also asked for some snacks as he has, in a way, resigned to the idea that the rain won't stop any time soon. He had his favorite waffles and Mr. Milk yogurt drink. Lately, I had to stock up on snacks because he already goes to school. But he ends up eating his snacks at home as well. I often say, "It's fine as long as he is well",🙏 then I also tell myself, "Good luck with your budgeting skills".😂
The rain went on even during lunchtime so we had our meal and just listened to the downpour in between some small talk. My son ate a lot of food because of the misua. This boy loves anything with soup.
An hour later, I had to make sure my son gets his afternoon sleep. We planned to attend the 5 pm mass that day, rain or shine. The rain has slowed down a bit and I was able to put my little one to sleep. I fell asleep as well.😆 This has been a bit of a problem for me because almost every time I put my son to sleep, I also end up sleeping. I'm supposed to do a lot of things but I just can't help it no matter how many times I've tried. 🙃
Anyway, I woke up at around 3 pm and my son woke up 30 minutes later. My mother had just come back after taking some groceries to my grandma's house in another barangay.
We were able to attend the mass despite the rain (again). Thankful that we were able to be consistent lately. I often get emotional when I hear words of encouragement from our parish priest. I personally think his homily is clear, understandable, and at some point, the anecdotes are relatable.
The brownout and the rain definitely had a great part in setting my mood today. I was able to use my phone less today. This was one of my goals. I only used it for taking pictures. My service provider had no signal while the power was out. It would have made me cranky but surprisingly, I was thankful. Why? I was able to think of more things to do than just stare at my phone. This helped me bond with my son more. We had a lot of play time and cuddles today. I was also more patient with him, I noticed. Moreover, I was able to read a bit, do a lot of chores, and most importantly, attend the mass. The rain kept me calm, physically and mentally. And I didn't mind the brownout at all. It was all good. 😊
And then, we came home and my brother had prepared our dinner along with these fried Malabar spinach! Yum! It's a blessed Sunday, indeed! 💜
Thank you Hive friends for reading! Judging by the length of my posts, you must have realized by now that I am really talkative! Hahaha! Anyway, I wish you all a happy week! 😊
Note: All photos, except for one, were personally taken using my phone. The photo of the Cebeco announcement was a screenshot and the source has been properly cited.