a true wahmy

When an opportunity came for me to work at home, the decision came quickly. I did not even consider the fact that there would be a lot of employee benefits that I would not be able to enjoy anymore, but one thing made it easy for me to be a work-at-home mommy - being able to work at home and take care of my family, especially Joaqui. He was almost 1-1/2 years old at that time and today he is 4 years old. I cannot fully say that being a wahmy is easy, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the time I spend with Joaqui and now he is in school, being able to attend every school activity he had is priceless.

Sometimes I get the opportunity to be able to return to the workplace and although the financial security it brings is tempting, it is very hard for me to go back to the workplace again. I can't imagine leaving Joaqui behind and not being able to attend to his needs like I used to when I'm at home.

If I had to choose now, to continue working from home or to go back to working in the office, I would probably consider the former but I would still choose the latter.

It was a tiring day, like the days I usually have. It's late and I'm still working not because I was asked to, but because bedtime stories have to be read first and I had to answer a lot of questions before a little boy decides to go to sleep, and finally with his little hands clasping my face, looks into my eyes and says, "Good night mommy. I love you mommy!"

Mommy Moments - White

Today's theme reminds me that it is the last Friday of the month and next Friday it will be April already. Gosh, days go by so fast! Here are my entries for the color white:

This was during the Buwan ng Wika program, in which Joaqui was wearing a white camisa de chino.


Joaqui in white barong tagalog when he served as a coin bearer for his Ninong Jasper and Tita Jinkee's wedding.


I'm sure you will enjoy looking at other Mommy Moments entries here.

off to where?

It's summer here already and everybody I know is thinking about one thing - where to spend their summer vacation. With the numerous promos offered by airlines and travel agencies, it is quite difficult to decide where to go. And after deciding on the best destination, one essential thing that will complete an unforgettable get away is finding an accommodation. There are a lot of hotels out there, especially when you try to search one via internet, but how do you really know if you will be getting what you will pay for just by hitting that search button?

For me, I try to look for great hotel tips that can help me narrow my search for whatever accommodation I am looking for. It can be from personal experiences of travelers, trusted websites or travel blogs. The only set back I have with this is that most often than not, I drool over the hotel deals from my dream destinations! Like for instance, Hawaii hotel deals are so irresistible that I just want to pack away our bags and go to Hawaii. If we could only afford to go to Hawaii that is. But if I have the means, I would not let those deals pass.

The world is full of wonderful destinations to explore, and I was thinking of starting to explore our own islands first. Besides, the Philippines is known for its pristine beaches and I want Joaqui to know how beautiful our country is by spending our summer vacations beach hopping. How about you, where are you off to?

Mommy Moments - Purple

Today is the second Friday of Lent and in the Catholic Liturgy, the color purple is used in the Catholic Church during this time. Purple is used for two reasons: firstly because it is associated with mourning and so anticipates the pain and suffering of the crucifixion, and secondly because purple is the color associated with royalty, and celebrates Christ's resurrection and sovereignty.

I find the color purple a sad color, and so this is not a color that we usually wear, unless it is paired with a brighter, happier color like pink. But since I have a son, I don't think purple and pink is a good combination of colors for his clothes. : )

This was when Joaqui received an award for being "Most Courteous" during the 1st Trimester Reading of Honors for the Preschool Division.

More of the color purple here. Have a blessed weekend!

it's closing time

It is Joaqui's final exams week and the school year will come to a close and it is officially the start of summer vacation for my preschooler. I can't deny that he is really looking forward to summer vacation and would often ask me, "Is it vacation yet?" It's not that he doesn't like to go to school, it's just that he likes playing more. : )

I sometimes can't believe that it was one school year already. When I look at his books, the worksheets he had and the numerous pad papers we used for writing practice, it was very apparent how he had slowly but gradually improved physically, emotionally and intellectually. I was even telling hubby that since Joaqui finished nursery, it will be 17 years to go before he can finish paying for his education. Ha!ha!

Now me being as excited as Joaqui for the summer vacation to start is not somehow correlated. I must think of ways to keep him preoccupied so he will not get bored. Boredom equals tantrums and tantrums mean mommy can't focus on her work at home. We are thinking of enrolling him in swimming classes - not only for him to learn how to swim but to preserve a little of my sanity as well.

I have one project this vacation and that is to make a scrapbook for Joaqui's 1st year in preschool. I was not planning on a digital scrapbook, but the free credits I get from artscow is tempting. I had three scrapbooks made from artscow and I'm very pleased with its quality. I hope I can finish it before another school year starts.

Joaqui is in school and it's very quiet here in our house, and I spent this quiet hour by blogging, make me write faster when it's quiet. Not for long - until I hear the loud footsteps outside our door and a little boy shouting, "Mooommmmyyyy! I'm home!"

Mommy Moments - Green

When I ask Joaqui what is his favorite color, he would answer green. I think it's a refreshing color and they say that if your eyes are tired from reading or working in front of the computer, take a minute or two to look at something green and your eyes will feel rested. Anyway, here's my entry for this week's theme.

This was during their Nutrition Month Parade at school. The nursery students wore costumes from the "Go" Food Group. He was a pizza guy with matching pizza box as hat.


In his green swimwear making silly poses during a family reunion at Club Balai Isabel in Batangas.


More entries for Mommy Moments here. Have a happy Friday!

unsung heroes

The recent events in the Middle East had made a significant impact in a lot of the lives of our fellow Filipinos who are working there. Although it was not as widespread as in the Gulf War, still the livelihood of our OFWs is once again at risk. I know some people who work in Saudi Arabia, Libya and Bahrain - all of them are nurses and as I keep a close watch on the unfolding events that continue to torment their safety, I feel for their families.

In the past few years, there was an increase in the demand for nurses and even other professionals took up a nursing course in order to go to other countries and provide for their families. I for one considered going back to school to take up nursing, oftentimes imagining myself in a nursing uniform. But the timing was not favorable for me at that time as I was getting married, so I just concentrated on my chosen career.

Now when I see someone here in a hospital scrub uniform, I can't help but wonder what made them stay and work here instead. I have great respect for the nurses who made a sacrifice to be away from their families to give them a better life, but I even have greater respect for the nurses, and for other medical workers for that matter, who choose to serve their fellow countrymen who need them more.

Being in the medical field is no easy task because it entails grave responsibility to be given the opportunity to take care of the life of another person you don't know. To the men and women in their medical scrubs and uniform - wear them proudly - for in the midst of the world's uncertainties, you remain a hero not only to your country but most especially to your family.

you're a firework

When Joaqui was a little younger, attending birthday parties was a little stressful for us because
Joaqui would cry just at the sight of the birthday party itself. What I would do was brief him a few days before the party on what to expect, where were we going, what we would do at the party, etc. and although it does not work all the time, somehow it lessened his anxiety. Up until he was about 2 or 3 years old, he would not really participate in games and sometimes cry when the party host's voice is too loud or when there is a lot of shouting going on, but still I would patiently assure him that it's just a party and people are happy and excited that is why they shout.

We kept on attending birthday parties, encouraging him to participate and I really noticed the improvement in his behavior, especially on the last two parties we attended. Now he loves to dance and show his dance moves to others.

He participates in games, listens to instructions well and really have fun - whether he wins or lose.


He is more responsive to other activities such as a magic show, even volunteering to be a magician's assistant one time.

Although I sometimes could not contain the stage mom in me and prods him to join games, I am just as proud when he dances and says to me, "Look at me Mommy!" or when he would ask me if he could join the party games.

As a parent, I realized how important it is to encourage our children to be who they are and let them know how special they can be. A child can be like a firework - we just got to ignite the light and let them shine. Make them know their worth as they shoot across the sky.

Mommy Moments - Orange

It has been a long while since I last joined Mommy Moments and I really missed sharing pictures of precious mommy moments with fellow mommy bloggers. This week is about the color orange. I was looking through my photos and I just realized that Joaqui does not wear much orange. He only has one orange shirt, so maybe I need to buy him more clothes of this color.

Here is Joaqui in his orange shirt when we went to the Philippine Air Force Museum.


Wearing his school PE uniform with an orange-painted wall as his background.


See more of this week's theme here. Have a wonderful Friday!

condo living

For a little over seven months now, we have been living in our condominium unit and a lot of our family and friends ask me how is it to be living in a condo. I would say that since there is just the three of us and I work at home, it is a lot more practical and convenient because we maintain a more manageable space. We also get to enjoy amenities like a 24-hour security, guarded parking space and a swimming pool.

Although owning a condo unit is more affordable than buying a conventional home, condo living is not for everyone. By choosing to live in a condominium, you are choosing to live within a community of other condo unit owners who become your instant neighbors. Each condominium complex is a community in itself and each owner should accept and follow the standard rules and regulations unique to condo living.

As with buying a house and lot, we also considered the pros and cons of living in a condo, and considering our lifestyle and financial capacity, we have been very satisfied with condo living so far. I guess it really depends on how willing are you to share common spaces with other people and of course, how patient you are and tolerable of other people's manners. One thing for sure, I have observed that respect for other people's privacy is very important if you want to live harmoniously within the community of other unit owners.

up, up and away

We recently celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary and Valentine's Day by going to the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta last February 11-13 and the event was really quite impressive. Joaqui had so much fun watching the balloons being inflated and finally taking flight. We stayed at Oasis Hotel in Clark, Pampanga because we wanted to be really early for Saturday, but we got there at about 4 a.m., there was already a long queue for the entrance tickets.


Once inside the venue, we waited for about 1-1/2 hours before the balloons started to be inflated. Good thing that Joaqui was a real trooper because he just patiently waited for everything to start. No tantrums whatsoever. Finally when the paragliders hovered above us for the start of the event, the different shapes of the hot air balloons were quite a sight.


It was a day of seeing a lot of things that fly - hot air balloons, airplanes, kites, ultralights, parachutes, helicopters - and for a little boy who loves everything that flies, it was one totally awesome experience for him - and for us too.