Mommy Moments - Motherhood

If you look inside a mother's heart
You will see that it is full of love
It is really what sets them apart
For the joy that is theirs to have.

If you look inside a mother's heart
You will see the sacrifices she made
For every child's pain and sorrow
Her devotion never falter nor fade.

If you look inside a mother's heart
You will see her faith that is deep
And the prayer she utters in her lips
Are a child's prayers for God to keep.

If you look inside a mother's heart
You will find her true unfading beauty
As she is God's tender guiding hand
For the world's miracle to see.

This is a poem I made that somehow expresses how I feel about motherhood. Not all of us will be given a chance to become a mother, but we are all witness to a mother's love and sacrifices. I became a better person when I became a wife and a mother. It is never easy, especially for a WAHM like me, but the rewards are priceless. Motherhood is a gift that needs to be nurtured, a responsibility and a lifelong learning experience - and I am happy to be part of all of this in my lifetime.

Bon Voyage Lizette and Tristan!

It was not our usual get together, but the laughter and the fun was the same. We always pick up where we left off. We had fun - we always do. We cried a little - like we used to, over a few buckets of beer and roast chicken. Heartaches, failures, love, family, charity - one way or the other, we have shared them all. And as we all go into different directions, goodbyes are always bittersweet.


To Lizette and Tristan, we are very happy for you because this is a realization of your dreams. We will miss you terribly and we hope that you do well in your future endeavors. Good luck and Bon Voyage! We love you!



"Don't be dismayed by good byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." - Richard Bach

PBW 6: Garden and Adian

We spent a quiet weekend at our home in Cainta and then we went to visit my mother-in-law in Valenzuela. Saturday, Joaqui helped his Sassy (that's what he calls my mom - it was supposed to be Momsy, but he can't quite pronounced it when he was a baby, so the name stuck) in her garden. He already knows how to use the garden tools and shows interest in gardening.


Sunday, we had a great time at my in-laws. Here's a picture of Kuya Joaqui with Baby Adian, his cousin. I really like this picture. Joaqui is a sweet kuya and plays with Adian a lot.

Looks like they're talking about something here. Cute!

I hope your weekend was well spent with love all around you. ; ) For Pixel Bug Weekend, just click the badge above.

Mommy Moments - Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day will always be a special day for me because it was Mother's Day when I found out that I was going to be a Mom to Joaqui. I can't quite remember how we celebrated the past two Mother's Day, but my husband never fails to make me feel special during this day. This year we celebrated it as a family and instead of just going out to eat, we spent an afternoon at Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna. It was a refreshing Sunday afternoon as we strolled around the area, did fish feeding and had a water taxi ride, which was Joaqui's first time.


We had a lot of fun and it was worth the travel. I did not receive any fancy gift this Mother's Day except for a book (which I love) from hubby, but every time I look at these pictures, my heart bursts with joy as how simply being a Mom makes me feel so special.

frugal shopaholic

If you have been reading this blog or just happened to read the little description I had of myself here, it says that I'm a shopaholic. Yes, it's very true. What's not to love in shopping anyway? Shopping is therapeutic as it enables me to release my tension and gets me excited for new finds. But ever since I have been married, I became a different shopaholic. I still shop but I'm now more frugal in my shopping. How? I am always on the lookout for sales, discounts, bargains, freebies and coupons.

I did not know that coupons are a great way to save, as what my friends from Savings.com tell me. They must really know a lot about savings as they have coupons for thousands of online stores, including Savings Car Rental Coupons. Now not all car rental coupons are created equal because the best deals come from Enterprise Car Rental. Savings here are from $25 to $75 for long-term car rentals and with that amount of savings, I can shop for other things. I have stopped searching for other car rental coupons as the Enterprise Coupons are just what I need.

It's really just a matter of controlling my habit of impulsive shopping because by taking the time to surf the internet, read magazines and newspapers, I can always get the things I want at a better deal. I'm a certified shopaholic - I shop more because I save more.

PBW 6: Ultimate Taste Test 4.0 and more

Our weekend was filled with a taste of different foods. First was the Ultimate Taste Test 4.0 by Our Awesome Planet held at NBC Tent in Taguig. This is Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet.


There were 50 suppliers who provided a sample of their products to almost 1,000 foodies. Foodies including us will rate their products from 1 to 5. We were not able to sample all the 50 suppliers, but we chose what interested us the most.We love the lechon from Pepita's Kitchen and the meringue pie from Savoury Pies. Even if we were just served small portion sizes, we were so full after.


Saturday my Mom went to Lucban, Quezon for the Pahiyas Festival. When she got home, she brought with her specialties from that province. There were suman, kiping, tamales, longganiza Lucban, pineapple and the biggest mamon we've ever seen. What a yummy weekend!


If you want to share your weekend with us, join Pixelbug Weekend.

In My Shelf: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I have always been a Nicholas Sparks fan because he is a great storyteller. He has this way of making his readers wanting more and more at each turn of the page, always igniting the imagination of a reader.

The Last Song at first may sound like a boy-girl relationship story, but as you go along, it also expound on a father-daughter relationship which has been marred and the discovery of love and forgiveness. It may not be as moving as The Notebook or Message in a Bottle, but it did tug the strings in my heart.

The Last Song is now a major motion picture with the main character played by Miley Cyrus. I have not yet seen the film, but I am planning to watch it hoping that it would be as good as the book itself.

fundraising ideas

Since the elections are almost over and we are just waiting for the formal proclamation of winners, I can now focus on some fundraising projects for our community for the beautification of our surroundings and another one for our church in helping to build the formation center.

Now the fundraising for the church has slowed down since it has always been focused on raffles and donations. I was thinking of doing a candle fundraiser that I saw from a non-government organization who raised money for the typhoon victims. Even if money is tight these days, a fundraising event for a good cause will definitely succeed. We just need to be more creative to come up with fundraising ideas for non-profits. I asked a fellow twitterer for some ideas because of the posts she made on their own fundraising event, and she said that they raised a lot of money because they sought the help of counselors who specialized in fundraising. If we could only have their services, I bet we could easily come up with the funds to finish the formation center. She also said that the US government is supportive of nonprofits as can be seen with the list of grants, loans and assistance for nonprofits on USA.gov.

If my fundraising ideas could be as many as my Facebook friends, then I wouldn't run out of them. The one for the beautification of our community needed the money we could raise so that the other communities would also get involve and start their own beautification project as well. It may seem trivial, but the funds we could raise may go a long, long way.

PBW 5: Wedding and Nuvali

We had a blast this weekend as we attended the wedding of hubby's cousin on Saturday and celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday.The wedding was five years in the making, because after five years and three daughters, they've finally had a church wedding. Joaqui was the coin bearer and we were so proud of him as he walked to the altar alone and was well behaved during the ceremony. Here are some of the pictures from the wedding:

We even won this cake at a game during the reception. It was the "how well you know your wife/husband" game. This is not the first time we've won this kind of game during a wedding. ; )


To celebrate Mother's Day, we first heard mass at the Holy Family Chapel in Eastwood and then we went to Solenad and Evoliving Center in Nuvali at Sta. Rosa, Laguna. We were supposed to go to Tagaytay, but after I read this post from Our Awesome Planet, I thought that this looks like a great place to spend an afternoon.

Joaqui enjoyed the fish feeding activity as well as the water taxi ride.


As all the other restaurants in the Nuvali complex are also found in Manila, we decided to try Pig Out, which only has this branch for now in Nuvali.


It was really fun and I'm glad that we went here. To all the mommies of Pixel Bug Weekend, Happy Mother's Day!

Philippine National Elections 2010

On May 10, 2010, the world will be watching as we Filipinos once again exercise our rights to elect the government officials whom we hope would bring change to our country - a much needed change from Macapagal-Arroyo's regime. I can't help but wonder if the Filipinos really have awakened from a deep slumber when we ousted the Marcoses by holding a People Power. How have we changed since then? Are we wiser in choosing our government officials? Or the Philippine Elections have just become a vicious cycle of more "good-looking" politicians, more money-making political schemes and the same old faces of "trapos"?

Yes, we all want change - but are we doing our part to achieve that change? Did we become more responsible with our votes, are we now aware of the platforms of the candidates, and do we know the characters of each and every candidate, whether they are running for a city councilor or the president of the Philippines? Our vote matters, but more importantly, what happens after the elections matters more. After they've proclaimed their promises and exhausted all possible means of getting our votes - what will happen to us as a nation for the next three years will depend on how the Filipino will exercise his rights on May 10.

I fervently pray that God intercedes for us this coming elections, that we as a nation may be enlightened as to who will be our next leader. It is also my prayer that the elections will be peaceful and honest, and that the people responsible for safeguarding our ballots will remain true to their responsibility and commitment in achieving our first step to change.

Mommy Moments - Motherly Advice

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” - Washington Irving

A mother encompasses many different roles - a teacher, caregiver, nurse, a storyteller, a scientist, an artist, a soccer coach, and sometimes even a father. In between the many different roles we tackle, sometimes we forget about ourselves. If there is one advice I could give to mothers, it would be love yourself because you can take better care of your family if you take care of yourself. Laugh often. Pursue your passion. Daydream. Meditate. Feel good about yourself because it will make you a happier mom.

And that's my piece of motherly advice. Happy Mother's Day!

the insurance marketplace

Despite the high cost of living and the economic regression the world is experiencing at this time, it is a fact that an insurance is something that is indispensable, still a worthwhile investment, and still relied upon in case of unforeseen events - death, accidents or business loss. Although shopping for the best insurance is like looking for a needle in a haystack, if you study your options and find the best possible match for your insurance needs, a local insurance may be your best bet.

And since employees now also enjoy the benefit of a health insurance, a high-quality business health insurance from a business owner can affect the quality of health care the employer and his employees can receive. More than 60% of people in the US with medical coverage receive their health care plans through an employer sponsored group health insurance plan. The key to finding the affordable health insurance for the employer and his employees is discussing with a licensed insurance agent the coverage that will meet their needs, someone who also go beyond reviewing and planning company benefits. For example, a Utah business insurance may have a different set of requirements and benefits compared to business insurance in other States. In this setting, a big help would be an online insurance quote marketplace that allows a consumer to apply and comparison shop for quotes from a variety of major providers of auto, home, health, life and business insurance.

Even a work at home parent like me needs an insurance, in fact, aren't work at home parents entrepreneurs themselves. In case of an unfortunate event, it is comforting to know that we have something to rely on and keep us afloat while we are recovering from our losses.

PBW 3: Safari

It was our schedule to visit my mother-in-law and hubby's siblings and nephew, and it was a lazy Saturday afternoon so we decided to go to SM North Edsa to check out the Sky Garden Safari Adventure. Being Saturday and Labor Day holiday, of course there were a lot of people in the mall. The Sky Garden Safari Adventure features mechanized safari animals or life-sized stuffed animals. There were 16 wild animals featured in the Safari Garden, but we have only just seen a few because Joaqui was a little afraid of them and besides it was hard to appreciate it with so many people walking and also taking pictures. We might come back here on a different day as it is ongoing until May 31.


After a quick tour of the Safari Adventure, the little boy enjoyed eating Icebreaker Scrambles.


I hope you all enjoyed your weekend ; )

Mini Awarding Ceremonies

Yesterday was a very important day for Joaqui as it was the last day of the Readiness Transition Camp, and the teachers had a mini awarding ceremonies to give out certificates of accomplishment. They also gave us a brown envelope which contained all their outputs during the two-week summer camp. The parents were more excited than the children themselves ; )

At the end of their class, the parents were called inside the classroom and the children had sang two songs which they learned in the camp. After that, they presented one of their artworks as each one of them got in front, said their name and said, "This is my work." They were also called one by one to receive their certificate.

Some of Joaqui's outputs:

The teacher's comment was that he needs to improve on his motor skills, but he is very cheerful inside the classroom. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you Joaqui! We love you so much!