K, My Li'l Ballerina

When I was a little kid, I really loved singing. I belted out Whitney Houston songs, and in all fairness, nasa tono naman ako (may matching kulot-kulot pa nga sa notes ah!). But, I never got to take voice lessons - to my disappointment. :( I don't think it was because we couldn't afford it, but my parents just weren't the kind of people who thought 'enriching a talent' is essential. I grew up shy, and never really 'got out of the closet' even until now that I'm already a mom, I still find it hard to initiate conversations with otherwise friendly strangers. I love my parents, I really do, but there's a part of me wishing they had me take some kind of enrichment lesson when I was a kid - I'm sure it would have helped me ease out of my shyness.

Anyways, now that I have my own little girl, who also happens to be quite shy (like Mama), I am taking all the little steps that I can to coax her out of shell. And I'm so thankful to observe that my efforts are so far, successful! :)

Active Fun - Unli-Enjoyment! :)

When I was a kid, I remember going to Glico's in Megamall - it was a wonderland of sparkling lights, rides, and game stations! Hindi ko maalala kung may Star City na noon, but that trip to Glico's is what really got embedded in my mind for some reason. We didn't really go to play places that much when I was a kid, so I guess when we did go to one, my brain made sure to 'record' the rare moment for future reference. :)

With my little girl though, I make sure that we get to regularly visit play areas. She doesn't have playmates here who are her age, so we see it as an opportunity to get to socialize with other kids. In the malls we usually go to, the play places are normally really kid-friendly, with lots of toys, a ball pool, and a slide - prerequisites of any kid for a place of enjoyment. :)

WAHM-hood: The Great Expectations

Quote picked up from tumblr. Don't let the picture in your head block your view of reality! :)

There's this awesome book I used to read when I was pregnant - it was entitled "What to Expect When You're Expecting". It provided me in amazing detail, and in easy-to-understand terms what to look forward to in all aspects of pregnancy.

How I wish there's such a book for those who are planning to embark on the WAHM-hood journey...  Because I remember, about 3 years ago, I was literally groping my way in the dark when I started my 'quest' to becoming a work-at-home-mom.

A Week's Encounter with UTI

Our family had a superb time last weekend. We went to Active Fun the Friday before for unli-play, the next day we went malling, and the next day we headed out to get some milk tea. I was planning to blog all about that superb weekend in the next few days. Who would have thought that we would be spending the rest of the following week in the hospital?

Hay, hindi ko din naisip ever. But we did. And sadly, it was because my daughter was the one who was going through the sickness. Sana nga ako na lang. :(

Mobile blogging is worth a try

The wonders of technology has so easily transformed how people do things.

Back in the day, photo sharing meant showing off your fresh-from-the-bookstore photo albums. And sending a message was all about writing letters in scented or cute stationeries and sending them via snail mail. Oh yeah, I lived in a generation that did all that. I think it's such an enriching experience to have known and been in a time when words were not mere digital letters.

Swimming In Deadlines and Dreaming of Milk Tea

This week is 'hell week' - one of the few in this month that I'm actually swamped with writing work. It's actually a Yey! kind of situation because it means more kaching-kaching for this naloloka-na-sa-bills-to-pay mom. But I'm on edge often because my brains are fried, more of stir-fried from having to produce articles for like 16 hours every day since the weekend. Still love my job though. <3

So while I'm contemplating how to 'attack' the next set of 400 words to work on, I'm here (blogging.hehe, ano pa nga ba?), and dreaming of going back to this local milk tea place we've been frequenting - ProsperiTea. 

ProsperiTea along Covelandia Road in Binakayan, Kawit Cavite. Photo is from their FB page.

Summer Na Talaga!!!

For those who live in the Philippines, I'm sure I don't even need to reiterate this - ANG INIIIIIT!!!

From what I heard in the news, for the past couple of weeks, the temperature has peaked to the highs of 40 degrees centigrade - 40 degrees!!! That's already a very high fever - it's crazy. But since we can't actually put Kool-Fever on the weather to help it simmer down to a more hospitable temperature, we all have to find ways to keep ourselves fresh.

Easter Egg Hunt and Why Family Events Are Best Shared

I had such a sad night yesterday, I actually broke down in tears. It's been a long time since I've had a major 'crayola' moment... But as always, tears, sadness, frustration - they are cathartic emotions for me, they motivate me to do something good and productive to take my mind off the nega feelings.

...and they make me want to look back at good times and happy moments, just like the previous Sunday's Easter Egg Hunt and Hat Decorating Contest at Island Cove. 

10 Tips On How To Keep The Kids Happy During Summer Season the Tipid Way

I miss my 'old school' anticipation of the summer season. Yung feeling ng isang estudyante na mapapahinga ng 2 1/2 months - that was pure excitement, if not definite relief.

Now that I'm a work-from-home mom, summer has become a 'must-fill-the-calendar-with-activities' kind of season. With K going to school in June, I want to pack her summer with things she can enjoy 'while it lasts' - stuff she wouldn't be able to do as much when she starts regular schooling.

I'm pretty sure moms all over the Philippine archipelago are also racking their brains for summer activities that their kids can enjoy. Here are some ideas I've gathered from the web, and some I just came up with out of personal innovation aka boredom (hehe).

Diabetes and Smoking: How It Jolted Me Out of My Passive State

Last Palm Sunday, we were getting ready to go to my hubby's relative's house in Mandaluyong. They have this yearly tradition called Pabasa that's been going on for decades. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I didn't grew up in a family where local Catholic traditions are practiced, so the first time my then-BF now-hubby brought me to the Pabasa, naaliw ako dahil para syang church event/reunion.

This year's Palm Sunday was different though - and it wasn't due to the fact that the Pabasa was actually catered (as in with tables and chairs galore). It was because instead of spending the day at the Pabasa, we had to head to Lourdes Hospital to visit my Dad who had to be rushed there that morning.