A WAHM's Confession

Oh my, the first half of the year just...breezed by. How could that be possible? It was summer, and then, it was summer no more. I did have that summer hurrah I was wanting to have on the last day of May - like I was waving goodbye to sunny days and swimming pools. :) It was a quick weekend escapade to Wilson's Tagaytay, but it was a very refreshing experience. Will make kwento soon.
 
Anyway, July is starting (and getting ready to leave again. So soon!), and I just want to applaud and at the same time let go of the experiences of the past six months.

This WAHMmy has a few things to confess: 

K's Summer Dance Workshop at DLA Molino

My little girl joined ballet classes at Lea De Castro last year, and enjoyed every minute of it. This summer, we originally planned to have her go back there for another round of ballet, but when we learned that her school was also offering summer dance classes, we opted for the latter. I enrolled K for all five dances that were open, which are Ballet, Hawaiian, Jazz, Belly Dancing, and Modern for a fee of 3000 pesos (recital expenses not included). According to the teachers, they have been doing it for years, and they can attest to how the little girls really come out of their 'shells' and shed of the shyness once they get onstage. 

The sessions were held in their audiovisual room (which was air conditioned, yey!) and was scheduled for two hours daily. Though I didn't have to worry about her getting bored anymore, I was afraid she might tire herself out (dancing for two hours, imagine), and not want to go back the next day.

What A Work-from-Home Momma Should Surround Herself With

Nothing but happy thoughts from this photo.  :)

When I was just starting off, my online work was all pretty much part-time (Still is. By choice. More on that later.), and I even saw myself moving on to another office job sometime in the future. 

Fast forward to four years later, I can still imagine myself having a corporate career, maybe in ten years? Hehe. So yes, it's not something I would personally choose to have in the near future. Not just yet. I am thoroughly enjoying my kid's sweet nagging to be the customer in her little made-up cafe, or the architect of her pillow fort. Every single day. 

I have reiterated in a previous post just how crazy being a WAHMmy is, and it doesn't really get any easier as the years go by. New challenges every single time. How do you survive without losing your sanity? Make these a part of your life:

Hello There Summer!

It's summer time again! Don't even have to stress that out because you can literally feel its presence now. I honestly do not want to leave the refreshing embrace of the cool water from our shower. Gusto ko nang tumira sa CR at maligo the entire day. I wish I can use the air conditioner 24/7 while this exasperating heat is around, but that would mean a crazy high electric bill. So, tiis-tiis muna sa electric fan.

So what are we doing this summer?

What I learned in K's Nursery Year

K had some summer schooling stints, and was in a barangay day care program for a couple of months back in 2012. She also completed her English sessions in the Galileo program. But, SY 2013-2014 was her first year in formal schooling. And I have to admit, I was more nervous than K was on her first day of school. I was afraid that the traditional method may not be the right fit for her, I was afraid that she will be difficult to manage in the classroom setting, I was afraid... of a lot of things.

But since Day One, K was not afraid of anything. She made friends right away, she was focused in class, she did her homework, she aced her tests... She was amazing.

I on the other hand, well, let's just say I merely passed this 'test'. I almost didn't...But I'm glad to say I did. For a hands-on mom like me, this has to be one major milestone I'm glad I was able to achieve. And here are the lessons I picked up along the way:

Why Women Nag, and Why It Means They Love You

I was listening to a drama show on radio today, and a caller said her husband left her because she nagged 

too much. I started to reflect on the many times I think nagged my husband, and it dawned on me 

that at the time I  was having my way with words, I actually had good intentions. And yet, there he was, 

probably having second thoughts of staying married. Hehe.

I have read and heard quite a lot about why women should NOT nag their boyfriends and hubbies, why it's not a good thing, and why it can destroy relationships. 

Is nagging that bad that boyfriends and husbands leave their beloved damsels just because of it?

Hmmm... Let me try to offer a different perspective, and then maybe we can all look at nagging in a new light.

Keni Po Tagaytay: Get Your Money's Worth and More

Last week, I was putting together a simple itinerary for our 7th anniversary getaway. We wanted to go to 

Tagaytay, and I figured staying for the night will be our best bet so that we can enjoy every hour of our time 

there.  

Now that was where I stumbled upon a bit of a dilemma - Tagaytay hotels aren't known to be cheap. 

In fact, even the smaller ones charge somewhere at 3000 to 4000 a night, and that wasn't cutting it for our 

limited budget. So I browsed forums online and the name Keni Po kept on cropping up as a touted 

'affordable and comfortable' hotel. Maybe my search wasn't very comprehensive, but I actually did not find a 

single bad remark about the place, except for, well, when somebody said "Don't expect much." 

So I didn't. 

WAHM-hood 101: 3 Reasons Why You Should Be Choosy

photo from: pushupsandcarrots.wordpress.com

Being a newbie freelancer is quite a challenge. There's the matter of getting used to the payment scheme, the flexible hours, the lack of the usual corporate benefits, the competitiveness - and then there's the job-hunting part, which, by far is one of the first and biggest hurls you must overcome.

So why then do I say that you SHOULD be choosy when it comes to applying for jobs online? Well for a number of justifiable reasons! Here are some of them:

Daughter Diaries 2014, January: K, The Thrifty Little Shopper

We mommies know how grandparents are with their apos (grandkids) - they are the ones who give in to their little whims while we have to do the holding back. My parents are no different, although they are (thankfully) not the all-out kind. We were raised with 'just enough' toys to enjoy, but we didn't really have all the uso stuff back then. In short 'sakto lang'. And that's how they are with my little one too, though with her, they are willing to spend more. Hehe.

To 2014 --- and Beyoooond!

Well, well, well, look at that. It felt just like yesterday when I blogged about celebrating Christmas, and what do you know... it's all part of 2013 history now! It's quite overwhelming really, to note how fast time passes - it's as if I haven't even caught up with things yet, and here comes another year. More coping and challenge-overcoming to do.

Here are the milestones and challenges of the past year, and how I plan to move forward with them this 2014: