The Big Shift - Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom

Just recently, I was visited by one of my BFFs who is a busy career woman and mom who works for the Australian embassy. She informed me that she was granted a one year indefinite leave. Whew! Talk about being one of the fortunate ones in the corporate world. She was about to resign but her boss decided to grant her a one year leave instead! :) And so I started reminiscing about my days working as a corporate slave before

Is Life fair?

Whoever told you that life was fair? The fact that we were born was proof enough that life isn’t fair and that our existence has nothing to do with our choice. I have yet to meet someone who can tell me that being born was his own choice.  And so, given this dilemma, life in itself is not a choice given to us but a gift given to us by our Creator. I say gift since we may do with it as we please.

The case of the snuffles...

Come hell or high waters, when the time comes for the flu season...we mommies are really praying hard that our little ones will be spared. Even a simple case of the snuffles sometimes causes us extreme worry especially at night when our wee ones are having a hard time sleeping. I've compiled a few of my personal tried and tested list of things to do in case your child has the cough and the snuffles...

My little Business Manager...JOHNSON’s My Kid’s Growing Up So Fast Contest.

My Beaboo lives a very toxic life. 

She wakes up, eats breakfast, 

takes a quick shower using Jhonson's baby milk bath, 

goes to school... 

and off to a short stint at our hardware. 

She manages the computer making sure that  christmas songs are played 

so that our customers would be encouraged to buy from our store. :)
Christmas songs makes them want to spend way way more **wink wink**

Oh and she mans the cash register too! 

Happily exchanging customer's money for candies.. 

Art Attack: Hand-made Mobiles

With the long weekend before us and the semestral break looming in the corner, I am sure mommies and their kiddos are looking for activities to take up most of their time. For the budget conscious, who can't squeeze a vacation or a trip to the beach in these long school breaks, I have a suggestion for you! Why not indulge

Beaboo Anecdotes...updates

Forgetfulness is a trait I am slowly getting accustomed to. Maybe due to aging...sigh! :) Still in my twenties and already becoming forgetful..hehe. So before this memory gap takes me on full force I am documenting my little girls latest antics... something to come back to once in a while. Please bear with me. :)

***
We were reviewing our lessons since the nursery class will be having their first quarter exams...
ME: bea tell me something about yourself...
BEA: my name is bea ga-wis gawi-neyo, i am foh yees owd... i am in gwow-sewy...
ME: sweetie.. you're not in the grocery...you're in nursery!
(it doesn't help that she hangs around her lola's grocery most of the time.. hehe)
***

Tips for Travelers with Kids in Tow

On my way to Singapore, I was seated behind a young couple with a 1year old who cried almost the entire way. The couple obviously first time parents seem to be clueless on how to pacify and comfort their little girl. The only time the toddler was quiet was when she fell asleep, tired from crying. 

I myself am a first time parent to a four year old little girl. We also had our share of the trouble that comes with traveling with an infant. Since I am originally from Manila, every time we go home for the holidays, we have to take 1.5 hours plane rides and an hour or so car ride from the airport to my mom’s house. Also, since hubby and I love to travel, there are times we had to endure long car drives with an infant in tow. Yep since my baby was eight months, we brought her along wherever we went. Her first trip abroad was also at Singapore (our favorite travel destination) when she was just a year and eight months old.

So during our travels, I’ve learned a few things here and there. Here are a few tips for all the new couples out there who have to go through traveling in airplanes with infants or toddlers in tow… 

Farewell Harry Potter!

Just last Thursday, I was already at the cinema lining up for the final installment in the Harry Potter series. I cleared up everything for the day and convinced a friend to come with me for the Deathly Hallows Part 2 3D movie. Too bad my little girl is still too small to take with me to the movies.. and since she only wanted a pet harry wizard (hairy lizard) and not Harry the Wizard to whom I have been following since JK Rowling published her very first novel.

I remember the first time the Sorcerer's Stone came out,

Mommyjournal's 2011 Top Emerging & Influential Blogs

Its my first time to nominate my Top Emerging and Influential Blogs and below are my favorites:

 The PINAY TRAVELOGUE is a blog about the various places 

 hubby and I have been blessed to have been to. 

It also showcases some of his prized photographs (with a few of mine :)

plus places in and around our beautiful Mindanao 

to somehow help erase the bad publicity about this

often misunderstood island.

Second on my list is:

In my Barbie world...

Documenting some of our latest beaboo anecdotes...

***

I was in the bathroom taking a shower when I heard singing (and probably dancing too) 

"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie wooorld.. imagination...life is my creation...c'mon Barbie lets go party..." 

Nope, it wasn't my little girl singing, it was the daddy. For daddy's sake, hoping we have a baby boy next.. LOL

Toddlermania...

hurry..before the bride sees us! :)

My four year old is always abuzz with her myriad of activities. She is a curious little soul that has an eye out for anything new and interesting (well, ordinary everyday stuff seems interesting to her). It is during these formative years of a child - the interesting five years -

To daddy with love...

I have never seen a dad as affectionate with a daughter as you are with yours. You never seem to run out of hugs and kisses for your little angel..always a smile as you say "pag laki nya ayaw na nya ng hugs and kisses from daddy so habang baby, papakin ng hugs and kisses" :)

doldrums

**trying my hand at writing poems (sort of :).  I know its not as good as real poets go, but hope you like it. **

_________________________________________________________________________________

photo credits to: vladstudio.deviantart.com

I am a chameleon, i put on a myriad of faces,

happy face for the little hearts that look up to me

a ray of sunshine to those looking for inspiration

but deep inside, i am shattered, grieving

a sadness that contains me

Passion For Make-Up

I'm not much of an artist per se. I don't draw well, my handwriting oftentimes is only legible to me and I have yet to memorize the color wheel. :) But I've always had a passion for make-up - not so much the artsy, glamour aspect of make-up I seem to find myself being entangled in (due to hubby's photo shoots) but I'm interested in the enhancing effect of make-up.

So you can  just imagine my level of excitement when fellow blogger Ms. Ria Jose informed me of the "Basic Make-up Workshop" organized by FiDA (Fashion Institute of Design and Arts). The Basic Make-up Workshop is a three day workshop which tackles the origins of make-up, skin preparation and analysis, importance of make-up application, hygiene and sanitation among others. 

Mr. Archie Tolentino Chief MUA Maybelline NY

The workshop is conducted by Maybelline New York - Philippines Chief Make-up Artist Mr. Archie Tolentino. I was in awe that someone as good as him was the one to teach us the ropes of basic make-up. After all, I've seen his work and his name printed in most glamour and fashion magazines!

The Most Revered Mother and Intercessor of All

For most devout Catholics, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the most revered saint and intercessor of all weary souls, our direct line to Jesus. For me, the Blessed Virgin Mary has played a very significant role in my life and the life of my one and only daughter.

photo credits to: deacondance.com

I've always believed that the Blessed Virgin Mary has always played an important role in my life.

Letting go of mommy's hand...

My unica hija just discovered having play-dates. Early yesterday morning, she asked me to pack her extra clothes along with her favorite tattered rag doll "pwincess". And then she can't wait to get over at her cousin's house. So there I was bringing my little girl for the first time for a play-date outside the confines of our house or the store. Sure, you can call me overprotective and sorts but then, this is my one and only angel were talking about here, the one that took us forever to make (*wink*wink*).

Toddler Harness

Some may wonder what is a toddler harness... it is sort of like a leash you put on your curious little adventurer who just discovered the freedom that comes with walking on their own. There are different types of toddler harness available in the market. There are some you put on your child's wrists like a bracelet attached to a parent's wrist and there are some which goes around your kid's upper chest hugging your toddler sort of like a backpack (some styles even have backpack so you can re-use them when the kids outgrow the harness) .

Preparing a Survival Kit

With the recent disaster that struck Japan, it made me think of how powerless each of us can be in the midst of a calamity of this magnitude. We can only pray for God to even out the odds a little for us to survive. So my "praning" old self was suddenly thinking of the inevitable.. what if mt matutum, a supposed dormant volcano suddenly decides to wake up and join the current hoopla? what if the big one suddenly hit gensan?

In the event of the inevitable,

Beaboo Anecdotes Series 4

Sometimes, my little girl never fails to make me laugh. Her innocence is amusing most of the time. Sharing with you some of her recent kalokohans..

***

At a local mall, we were invited to sit down so bea can take puzzles and IQ tests by people selling educational DVDs and book sets.

So sitting down, all three of us were listening to the sales lady prattle on about the benefits of the book. She was talking non-stop so I was just nodding my head from now and then uttering "uh-huh" from time to time with my hands folded on the table.

when imaginations run wild...

Last night, I was working on something in my computer at home. In goes my little girl telling me that she just saved a kitty cat -- a pretend kitty cat -- from a tree. She was pretending to be a firefighter. :)

So I said: "let the kitty sit on mommy's table.". 

But she goes: "here mommy the kitty cat." She wants me to pretend cuddling it.

Life's Silver Lining...

Life has its shares of ups and downs. Often it happens you find yourself swimming in a sea full of sharks, with the constant worry of how to keep yourself afloat while thinking about how to defend yourself with no crude weapon but your own hands.

Life is filled with problems from just worrying about a teenage crush who never seems to notice you to more serious ones like how to make ends meet at the end of a grueling day at work to grieving over the loss of a loved one.

And then you start to wonder…

Daddy the Photographer

My four year old can't really understand when I often tell her that daddy has a photo shoot or that daddy has to go to the studio to make people smile with his camera. She doesn't get the "photographer" kind of work. All she knows is when daddy goes to the city to shoot, he is at a mall 'naglalakwatsa' and it makes her sad since daddy didn't take her and mommy along. :)

Daddy off to a photoshoot with his gears and camera bag..

So it was a nice surprise for her when one Sunday, after our day at the mall,

Mommy and Baby Day Offs

After years of waiting for my little one, it has been a special time for me when my little girl and I can finally go on our mommy-daughter dates. Maybe because I had years of planning it, waiting for my little one to appear. And I have not mistaken the happy feeling I have every time we are on these dates. --given of course that my little girl is not having a tantrum. :)

La Familia

Families are people who are bound to you by blood whether they like it or not. These are supposedly people who will stick by you when you are at the lowest point of your life and will understand you when you are at your worst behavior....Ha! tough luck! The truth is, since they have no choice being affiliated with you by blood, makes them both ways -- either the strongest ally you can have or the strongest enemy.

A Clutter-Free 2011

For this year, I think I would like to free myself from all the clutter in my life. Now when I say clutter, I meant not just the physical mess I get myself swamped in but the non-physical clutter in my life as well. Meaning, all the people and negative emotions otherwise referred to most of the time as "excess baggage" that make you feel bad about yourself.

First, let me analyze the physical clutter one at a time: