An Ode To This New Type of Woman

I have been on a blogging hiatus for the longest time. My mom turned 60 last December and this post was for that. I am glad though that the words have flowed in the same earnest way I was hoping for even if this is a very delayed post.... 

Growing up, I have fond memories of my mom and how she was always present in all our moments. She was a stay-at-home mom that drove us to school and extracurriculars, joined school committees and was very good in the kitchen - cooking and even baking for us her yummy treats.  If you would think that we were brought up to be domestic goddesses.. well you will be mistaken. It was so important to my mom that we, her daughters earn a degree and have great careers. So lo and behold my sister became a lawyer and I pursued International Relations in college. There were no cooking lessons happening in our household that goes beyond the normal frying and my mom's pasta. I was exposed to baking and handled that department well but really did not think of excelling.  Never mind the household chores. I can handwash and iron if I have too but I have never been the expert. I can only tell you to separate your whites and your delicates and that is it! We stumbled when we, my sister and I started living separate from home. I think she fared way better than I did as I am still trying to grasp how to run my household. 

Funny how our lives have turned out now. Both my sister and I have careers that would allow us to be at home with flexible schedules, allowing us to be on top of our household, husband and kids' lives. I am also happy to observe that our generation now have embraced a different type of womanly strength. The one that no longer aims to only be at par with men at work but really the one that balances career and family life. We already have proven to the world what we are capable of! Now I see my friends raising their children with no yayas or very minimal help. We are a new breed of women that embraces our womanhood fully - that have accepted that we are mothers and wives and there is nothing wrong with being good in just that. Our careers are now the plus.

So mom I know how you say you are so proud of us, but let me thank you for being the example that we needed. We may have missed a few opportunities that could have propelled us in our careers. What we did not miss instead, are the milestones our children made that can no longer be replayed. Thank you for that. Now I think it is not too late to get you to teach me how to cook yeah?  =)

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much love

A Baby Shower for our Matteo!

We are so excited to welcome our Christmas baby boy Matteo! We threw a simple and intimate shower for our friend Kelly who is about to pop soon! She requested for blues and creams and that's just what I decided to play with for her decors =)

I am so happy to have come across these pretty wrapping paper that I found from Regina's in Shoppesville. Now I can execute these paper fans more nicely rather than just resorting to cartolina!

Simple and easy elements for our table setting! I just grabbed my Lantern from Regalong Pambahay, this owl from Dapitan and DIY'd paper pinwheels on baby food jar filled with buttons. 

For our dessert table, I placed the remaining paper fans, a teddy bear for that kiddie touch and a complimentary picture frame that announces "Matteo is coming to town!". An ode to a Christmas carol since he is a December baby.  Kelly's due date is actually on the 24th of December!!!

Of course we need to include the decor staple!!! Paper poofs in blues and teal! I added a different shade just to add dimension. 

My sister of THE SUCRERIE was the one who made this beautiful lemon cake! It was scrumptious as it was beautiful!

All the girls together for gift opening session!

We are getting pretty good at throwing showers haha Next one up is for our other dear friend Mara who we just found out is also having a BOY!!! Woot! To recycle decors or not??? HAHAHA

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much love

Pastels and Florals

Gingersnaps peach and coral printed shirts, Zara floral jeggings and White Tiange sandals

For their 2nd official OOTD post, the girls already know what to do once I say "pose for outfit shot"! They would stand in front of this wall, miraculously standing still. However, they have adapted these facial expressions that I can't seem to change! Lila (left) would automatically frown with her eyebrows  once I whip the camera out and Sandra (right) will have this stoic expression on her face! So yes we will be working on that! haha

I love how with kids you can go ahead and explore! Mixing of prints have been on trend for awhile and I was so excited to apply these with my girls. Keeping in mind though that I still want them to look put together, I picked out their shirt that has the same color scheme as their floral bottoms =)

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much love

Gray Matter

The CROPPED TOP and the TIGHT FIT grey COTTON maxi have been  stuck in my closet and been deemed UNWEARABLE. They have been hanging out in the corner of my closet together with anything that shows off my flabby midsection that no amount of girdle-ing can control. However in a stroke of genius or maybe just frustration - I was able to piece together this look. It was one of those days that the weather was rubbing me the wrong way and cotton just seems to be the only answer. I was looking for something that is comfy and really resisting the urge to don my usual Hanes white shirts and shorts combo since we are after all going to Mass.  Lo and behold  by combining the TWO I was able to get what I was looking for. It is not some striking outfit BUT seriously ain't it something for us mommas? 

I again however apologize for the lack of colors in my outfit lately. I seriously do not know what is going on with that . Hoping the holiday  spirit will inject some color soon enough!

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much love

Dance to Breathe

Such a long overdue post! I have again to thank my friend Chesa for inviting me to a workshop she organized for Treston International College Advance Program. Looking back, I just realized this helped the shift in my frame of mind that got me to where I am now. I said yes to this thinking that might as well get some free exercise that I badly need not knowing the full extent of what the said workshop entailed. Funny how upon reading the invite and seeing there that it will be a therapy of sorts, I right away made sure that there will be no sharing of emotions involved. I was assured that there won't be any of that. It would just be a morning filled with dancing. OH HOW I WAS FOOLED!!! Each "dance" session was actually followed by a group discussion! However this was actually what I needed and more.

We started warming up with Zumba, which was apt as our speaker, Ms. Dinghy Kristine Shama is a licensed Zumba instructor in the US.  To add to that, she is also a psychologist. The best part was she was able to merge both of her passions that gave birth to Dance/Movement Therapy Session that she advocates.

Zumba all the way! 

My defenses were down as we started our Zumba. I was in my element anyway as I've always loved dancing. However, of course there was a twist to this! We were each called randomly to show a dance step that will be followed by everyone ala following the leader or sagidi sagidi sapopo!!! I hate being put on a spotlight in front of strangers, but gladly each turn lasts for like 8 counts and the torture was over before I can freak out. 

It was explained to us that the point of this was to compel us to stop thinking too much. Wherein we are not given a chance to plan ahead what steps we will act out but to go with the flow on what our bodies dictate us to do. We live in a highly cognitive world where putting our brains first over our emotions are seen as a strength. We over analyze everything and multi-tasking is seen as a norm. What we need to do is balance the two in order to avoid having our anxieties reach a boiling point that causes a breakdown that can manifest through physical illness. 

I actually want to note that women often compensate for this more than men, don't you think? We so do not want to be seen as weak so we push our emotions aside even if we are genetically built that way. We are also the ones that multi-task effectively right? And this is just not applicable in the work place. Even as stay at home moms, we tackle too many things at once. I actually had a conversation with a fellow mom about this. I was complaining that I am getting too forgetful and sometimes I find myself unable to finish a sentence since I cannot supply the proper term or word. Of course we are quick to blame the anesthesia we all had when we gave birth. That is why there are those that opt to do everything naturally. However, can't we also attribute it to the fact that we are always lacking on sleep and  we OVERBURDEN our brains for multi-tasking too much. So really something just got to give. In my case it was to speak not even eloquently but just like a normal sane person. My mind need the rest badly. 

Funny how I was worried about the sharing part but ended up pouring my heart out.

The next step to our session was explained to have something to do with empathy. Oh finally something I am good at. I pride myself for being in tuned with what the other is feeling and acting accordingly. Turns out I am emphatic to a fault.  We were paired up wherein one was the Mirror (leader) while the other was the follower.  I was assigned to be the mirror. My task was to start dancing once we've heard the music playing. It was free style and you can do whatever. My partner would follow my moves once she is ready. You would think it easy but I was too conscious of the others and of myself.  Made me realize what was wrong with me! In contrast with others who completely allowed themselves be swayed with the music, I was constantly looking around. Maybe others were watching me! Or was assessing my partner and what she was thinking of the things that I was doing. So on and so forth. I have known this fault of mine for awhile now. But this exercise was such a slap in the face of how hindering this attitude is. I did not enjoy at all. It was torture how it the music stretched on.  It was such a great wake up call to me! That I vowed by the end of the session that I will be more in touch with what's going on in me rather that focusing on what other people think. 

This activity also led me to push myself to be more accepting of opportunities that arises. I am always quick to say no to invitations that tests my comfort level. I always need my safety net. I have let go of that now. As I write this, I have took on more challenges and welcomed change that I would not normally deal with. So far so good. I actually think that the universe is encouraging this new mind set of mine by blessing me with more good juju. I love it! I feel so different and light and all in all positive. 

All pumped after the Zumba warm up!

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much love

A Twist On A Classic

White Gap blouse/dress,  denim Gingersnaps shorts and white tiangge bought sandals,  Mommy's F21 floral clip ons

We can never have enough of the classic white and denim pairing! It instantly spells chic and refreshing. However it can take a different turn to boring - something I really do not want to do for my pretty ones. Balancing is the key. Unless we are really opting to look disheveled, pair a basic cut denim shorts with a blouse that has interesting details or shape or the other way around! I am keen to applying this trick when dressing myself too. A quick, no fuss approach when we are in a hurry! 

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much love

Raising Socially Aware Kids

In lieu of the events that have devastated our nation I have come to think about how I will raise my kids to be socially aware individuals.  I have discussed how generosity is a very important trait that I have been trying to ingrain to my children. With the twins, I feel that this is so crucial since they will be living their lives tied together in many ways that sharing is a necessity. As for my eldest he was spoiled with attention and material things for so long that the test is just coming now as he learns to share not just toys and food but also the spotlight. However, there must be a deeper rooted understanding in them that I want to impose that goes beyond the self and the people that surrounds them. 

I have often said that I have been blunt in raising C. I never thought that he is too young to understand issues I just go on and explain. Because of this I have a very curious child that seeks answers to questions that always amuse  and surprise me. Recently, he again did not fail to put me in awe. We saw a wishing well and he asked for 2 coins from me. We were just watching him, keen to hear what he will wish for. Nothing prepared me for it though. Here are his wishes: 1. That the earth be safe and 2. For poor people not to be poor anymore. OK I was so shocked! I am actually starting to question my parenting skills, that maybe I have gone too far. Why is my kid not wishing for a toy or candy??! So moms what do you think? I for one am very proud of my son and really a bit of myself (and those that influence him) too but maybe I am making him too mature for his age.  But who am I to complain. Seriously. I have the best kid. 

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much love