Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Life Lately: Blog Update


You've probably read in some of my Instagram posts that I will be blogging about that, reviewing this yadda yadda yadda. But still ended up with nothing. I can't think of a better excuse as to why I am not blogging other than the truth which is, I am demotivated and yes a little bit lazy. Hehe.

You see, since I went back to work in 2017, I also started slacking off in terms of blogging. I stopped blogging unless it was for a project. And then, there came a time when I wasn't able to fulfill some responsibilities. I tried squeezing in a few hours of my free time to attend events but eventually stopped. Juggling work and the many hats I wear as a mom was already a little too much for me. 

2018 came, I had to quit my job. I came back to being a stay at home mom again, no helper no yaya. Despite not being active on my website, I was, on Instagram. I somehow missed blogging, but it was not the same way as before. There were several event invites, to which I can't attend at all given our setup. There were no blog opportunities. Being away in the blogging scene for quite some time made me feel like I'm starting from scratch again. Truth be told, it demotivated me. I pressured myself to catch up with everyone else, to become relevant. I even thought of quitting.

It took a while before I finally realized why I started blogging in the first place. And that changed everything.

I blogged to tell our story, to share our experiences, it's having something to look back to in the future. I blogged because it was cathartic and hopefully be able to relate to other mommies out there, earning from it was just a bonus. 

So I continued blogging for myself. However, being a full-time-mom was too taxing. I don't get to use the computer anymore which means, no blog posts. Also, I partly blame Netflix! Haha! So yes,  I am mostly on my phone during my free time so I just make up for it by being active on social media especially on Instagram. My feed isn't curated at all, I post anything I like, I post about the kids, our family.  

Somehow, my presence in social media landed me some projects. I'd be lying if I tell you it doesn't make me happy. Why wouldn't I be happy when I get to do something I love and find out that there are still people who believe in me and trust in my capabilities, right? 

I have had this blog for 6 years in total (I just changed the name 3 times) and I would like to commit more to it. But also, reminding myself to not take it too seriously and always remember my reason for blogging. No pressure, no competition just purely working for passion. 

So in the next few days, I will be writing about all the things that I've been meaning to write about in the past few months even years. That’s a lot! Haha. This is definitely a challenge for me since given that my hands are full, literally and figuratively. But I’d gladly take the challenge!


Good luck to me! ❤

It is not selfish to take care of yourself!



As cliche, as it may sound, being a mom, is hard work. Whether you are a stay-at-home or a working mom, having to juggle multiple responsibilities and knowing that your offspring’s life highly depends on you can absolutely be dreary. Most of the time, moms need to make personal adjustments too just to cope with such a situation. Once you become a mom, you tend to put your little one’s needs first before yours. And that’s where it gets a little too overwhelming. 

But when you stop caring for yourself, your ability to care for your child will also be affected. “I am a mom of four and as far as I remember, I spent most of my adulthood caring for my children,” shares Tina, a 43-year-old mom. “I start my day at 5:00am, fixing my kids’ baon and preparing them for school. Once they leave the house, I go on with my usual routine- clean the house, do the laundry, check their assignments, prepare dinner, wash the dishes and then put them to bed. Sometimes my husband jokes that I don’t time for him anymore as I am too focused on being a good mom! But funnily though, that is true. We don’t get to spend quality time anymore,” she quips. “Don’t get me wrong but I love being a mom because it is really fulfilling. It’s just that by being too focused on being a good mom, I have neglected other important things as well” she added.

Rose, a 45-year-old working mom of 3, shares the same dilemma as Tina. “I think have mastered the art of juggling!” she jokes. “But on a serious note, nothing feels more awful than the mom guilt. When I am at work, I keep on saying to myself that I am doing so good at my job but am I being a great mom as well? Sure, my husband and I can provide all of our kids’ needs but is that enough? Do my kids know I love them? Do I spend enough quality time with them? Am I giving them attention? The pressure of being a good mom is just too much that I forget to look after myself too. I am too busy working and caring for my children that I had to put my needs aside. And honestly, that doesn’t feel ok,” she says. 

“I began contemplating and realized that with all the years that I have dedicated as a mom, it’s about time to think of myself now. With all the myriad of responsibilities that I have juggled and successfully carried out; I feel empowered. So empowered that I am ready to choose what’s best for me, aside from being a mom, of course,” Tina says.

“It is not selfish to take care of yourself!” affirms Tina. “That’s why I made a choice to try something new that I know would make me feel better about myself. After all, I know I truly deserve this.” Rose adds, “I totally agree with Tina! You can’t be a good mom if you don’t do yourself good. After providing the needs of my children, it’s about time that I give importance to myself too. It’s time to work on my best self ever because I deserve it!” For Tina and Rose, trying SvelT’i’s Femilift has given them brand-new confidence in themselves. Femilift is a laser treatment that is 100% safe and is being used globally. It is non-invasive and it only takes 30 minutes for the procedure to be done. This is for women who want to have an improvement in stress urinary incontinence. It also enhances lubrication because when women age, they experience dryness and it becomes painful during sexual intercourse. For others, it is for tightening because, during normal delivery in childbirth, the vagina never comes back to its pre-pregnant state. While for other women, it is for better sexual pleasure.

“Now, I feel much better about myself and so does my husband! Thanks to SvelT’i, treatments are now available for women who are facing the same condition as mine and help them restore their confidence,” shares Tina. “Now that I feel better about myself, there is no amount of work or mommy responsibilities that I can’t do. I know that I am in my best self ever and I know I’ve got this!” muses Rose.

Mother’s Day is only celebrated once a year but with all the hard work our moms do every day, they
deserve a whole year of appreciation and gratification. Visit SvelT’i now and give your moms a treat they deserve!

To know more about Femilift, head on now to SvelT’i or call (02)332-7546 / 0918-878-3584 or you may log on to their website, www.svelti.com.ph or follow their social media pages, FB: SvelT'i and IG: @svelti_ph.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Lamudi Kicks Off Housing Fair 2019 at TriNoma

Early last month, Lamudi has once again hosted another successful housing fair. This year, the number one real estate platform kicked the series off at the TriNoma Activity Center. It was a 2-day event which was held on April 6-7, I dropped by during the second day. 


Like previous housing fairs, the Lamudi Housing Fair in Trinoma offered an extensive selection of property offerings from some of the country’s biggest industry players and a lot more.

Online Real Estate Marketing Seminars


More than property selling, the housing fair also aimed to educate and help real estate professionals
boost their businesses. As such, those who were in attendance were treated to free online real
estate marketing training conducted by Lamudi Academy’s learning development coaches. Some of
the topics discussed during the two-day event were Top Online Lead Generation Channels,
Conversion of Online Leads to Sales and The Power of Lamudi.

Property Discounts and Foreclosure Auction


Exclusive property discounts were also given away to aspiring property seekers. Similarly,
Unionbank also hosted a property auction at affordable price points.

Homebuying Seminars


For first time homebuyers, the Lamudi Housing Fair at TriNoma also gave prospective property
buyers the lowdown into how to approach this important but otherwise challenging undertaking.

Representatives from Pag-IBIG Fund talked about the agency’s End-User Financing Program while
the Land Registration Authority was also present in the event to guide property seekers in their
land titling concerns and questions.

Several experts in various facets of real estate also imparted their knowledge to property seekers
and sellers. For instance, a talk on Property Photography was discussed, as well as Interior Design
Essentials, especially for small spaces.

The Lamudi Housing Fair is the perfect venue for those actively and passively looking to invest in a
property. Each one of our housing fairs has a goal to connect buyers to the right people so they can
make the right decision. By bringing together property seekers and property sellers, we are helping
them understand the steps involved in the decision-making process and learn from each other.
 ”-Lamudi CEO Bhavna Suresh said of the Lamudi Housing Fair.

We had hoped that TriNoma would set the tone positively for this year’s run and needless to say,
we were not disappointed by the turnout. The following ones will offer the same benefits, if not
more, to attendees as we really want our housing fairs to provide value and worth their time.


The next Lamudi Housing Fair will be happening on July 20 to 21 at Glorietta, followed by SM Cebu
in September, and lastly, SM Mall of Asia in December.

The exhibitors at the Lamudi Housing Fair in TriNoma were SMDC, Aspire by Filinvest, Futura byFilinvest, Prestige by Filinvest, The Hauslands, Amiya Raya, Taft Properties, Robinsons Communities, BPI Family Housing Loan, Grand Monaco, Ortigas & Company, Phinma Properties, Pag-IBIG Fund, Sandari Batulao, and Suntrust. And it was sponsored by DMCI Homes, Aboitiz Land, Land Bank of the Philippines, Land Registration Authority, Food Panda, and Red Doors, also, in partnership with Philippine Daily Inquirer Property, Business Mirror, Business World, Malaya Business Insight, The Philippine Star and ThinkBIT as official registration partner.

For more information, please visit the official website.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

30 Years of “Pabaong Pagmamahal”



When leaving the house, whether with kids or not, I always make sure to bring "baon". With the crazy traffic and me and my kids' appetite, it's always better to be prepared. And, one of our go-to snacks is Lemon Square Cheese Cake. It has been a classic favorite of mine and I am happy that Tristan, Athena, and Brianna love it too!

About 2 weeks ago, we received a special lunch box filled with lots of Lemon Square Cheese Cake.



Look, it even came with a photo of me and the kids!




It came just in time for our La Union holiday so we decided to bring it with us. It was a practical decision because it saved us from unnecessary buying of snacks during our travel.

 

We also took it to the beach with us!


30 Years of “Pabaong Pagmamahal”

Lemon Square Cheese Cake has been in the market for 30 years now. And, as every recipe has a story to tell, for Nina Vergel de Dios or “Mommy Nina”, the woman behind the all-time favorite pabaon snack, the tale of her signature product was inspired by a mom’s love.

Mommy Nina’s love for baking was sparked by the bond she and her mother had when she was young. She recalls helping out her mother in the kitchen to bake at the age of nine.

For quite some time, Mommy Nina distanced herself from baking to take a different career path. But with the encouragement and support of her husband Errol, she left her corporate job to pursue her first love, baking.

In 1985, Mommy Nina returned to her small home kitchen in Valenzuela and began selling her cheesecakes in the wet markets of Malabon and Navotas. Through the positive comments of resellers, word spread about her cheese cake until it reached other markets.

Three decades later, Lemon Square Cheese Cake became a household name that answers the need of Moms to provide filling, delicious and nutritious pabaon for their children.

Love Lemon Square Cheese Cake too? For more information, visit www.lemonsquare.com.ph or LIKE Lemon Square on Facebook.

Friday, April 12, 2019

Sundate at the Johnson's Play Days 2019: Sa Laro Natuto


A couple of weeks ago, I posted on Instagram about Johnson's Play Days 2019: Sa Laro Natuto event that we attended. This is the first-ever event that I've attended this year. Since it was already Tristan, Athena and Brianna's summer break and the event falls on a Sunday, we decided to go. Also to show our support to Johnson's Play Day's program that acknowledges the importance of play and how it can benefit our children. This is actually an annual program that was created in 2012.

This year's Play days event, Play Days 2019: Sa Laro Natuto event was held last March 24, 2019, in the Mall of Asia Music Hall.

There were four different play zones at the event, the Blue Think Tub, Pink Showdance Zone, Yellow Imagiland and the Flower Zone. These four zones made any learning experience into an entertaining adventure for any wide-eyed-toddler. It also highlighted how a child can learn different skills like problem-solving, self-expression, communication and flexibility. 




Blue Think Tub



Pink Showdance Zone which they enjoyed the most because of the bubbles! 


Yellow Imagiland


Flower Zone. 


Melai Cantiveros also was there together with her daughter, Mela.


Johnson’s Play Days Sa Laro Natututo is a call for all parents to recognize the importance of your little one to be outside experiencing life actively instead of being confined to a world they only see through any digital screen. Active play allows your children to learn firsthand about the everchanging world and gives them the opportunity to have a multi-sensory understanding of the beautiful planet they live in.

Johnson's highly encourage every parent to allot enough play time with their kids to promote their cognitive, language, physical, social and emotional development.

And, being the leader in baby care and as a company that understands the needs of every parent in giving the best care for their babies and kids, Johsnon's incorporated their Johnson's Baby Powder Blooms. It is Johnson's most fragrant powder that will be every mommy's hero especially this summer when the heat comes creeping in. This powder can keep kids fresh up to 8 hours as they stay out to play. Johnson’s Powder Blooms along with Johnson’s Shiny Drops Shampoo levels up the fragrance for a long lasting, refreshing no tears play day! Johnson's Baby Active Kids Range are available in leading supermarkets, drug stores and department stores nationwide.

So mommies and daddies, if you believe in Johnson's movement, sound off by posting a photo of yourself and your children during your happy playtime moments and how Johnson's Baby is  the best Presko Bango partner. Don't forget to use the hashtag #SaLaroNatuto #JohnsonsActiveKids #PlayDays2019 and tag @johnsonsbabph.