31 July 2013

Rest, Not Quit

I said I won't quit; this time, I'm falling into my own trap of emotional mud puddle. Sigh. I closed my door to happiness yesterday. My daughter, ever the inquisitive, asked me why I was not smiling. I told her I'm tired because of housework: finished laundry, cleaned bathrooms and organized closets. You know what her innocent heart told me? "Don't do it, Nanay. You rest in the couch." I almost wanted to bawl out like a pig in slaughter house as I was so touched, but then - "Yesterday, I run and run in the playground and I was tired and I rest in the couch." OK. She did not do that the day before yesterday. Yesterday is her word for earlier or few days ago or once upon a time. But maybe she's right. Maybe I just need to rest. 

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Rest from what? From trying so hard to become a WAHM.

A Mom's Life: 27/48

Before I formally introduce who my 27th AML mom is, please watch this 41-seconder video first ---


Remember this TVC two years ago? OK, I'll make kwento. Last May, I was invited to attend Cif Philippines' pre-Mother's Day event at Abe Restaurant in Serendra. That's where I met the beautiful woman in the video. I was sure she's a blogger as she introduced herself. I was kinda kilig and OA pa nga (all the time OA naman lol) when she said she's Thammie Sy. I read her blog and meeting someone you read is really exciting. We had some chika in between our 'foodie moment' but she never mentioned a thing about this TVC. Until she introduced her husband, Dennis, to me. You know that feeling that you know you've met a person na before? I just said "you really look familiar". Later that day, I went to Thammie's blog and look for "signs" as to where I first saw her husband. It led me to her media page. This Coffee-mate commercial answered my question. Fast forward to Richard Poon and Maricar Reyes wedding --- I was surprised to see Dennis officiating the ceremony. Yes, Mr. Thammie Sy is a pastor. No wonder they are ever so humble. Really, kasi if I was the one who had a commercial and was in a celebrity wedding, I shall make kwento about it ng bongga. Hehe, no wonder I don't have and was not. So aside from what you can read in Thammie's blog, here are her answers to my AML slumbook.

29 July 2013

Hours Spent with Friends

Finally, a day with familiar people without having to call the attention of my active preschooler. See, I only get a day off when I attend bloggers events; and it's just a few hours, not totally a DAY off. Attending such also means you get to meet new faces. It's an exciting experience, I tell you. But sometimes, it can get pretty tiring, too --- putting your best non-fake smile, introducing yourself without brag and air and what, English galore. Hahahaha! It's not that I'm poor in speaking the language, it's just that there are times, I don't have much baon, you know. It expires. Hihi. 
My two sets of college friends: photo above was in 2010, photo below was shot April this year.
OK, just a backgrounder: I have 2 sets of college friends. The first set is an all-girl group --- 3 moms, 1 getting married and 1 single but attached. The second set consists of single boys, a single girl, two moms and a gay.

27 July 2013

The Man in Combat Boots

I suddenly miss my husband. Not because it's rainy outside and the weather's perfect to snuggle, cuddle and more, I just miss him. I wanna see him tonight, stare at his face until he sleeps on me. Yes, even without making love; but if he's up for it, why not. Haha!


Seriously, after we talked on the phone tonight, I realized how much time we've lost because of the distance. When we were still living with MIL, she always used to insinuate why I'm always on my phone. She's a military wife, too but no cellphones yet during her time so I guess it's useless to explain. I know my fellow modern military wives will understand how we always expect for a text message or when we're lucky, a call from our solja boys.

26 July 2013

The Kitchen Mistress

mis·tress (/ˈmistris/)
- woman in a position of authority or control: "mistress of the situation"
- woman who is skilled in a particular subject or activity: "a mistress of the sound bite".


I found this photo last night when I was trying to tidy up my laptop's folders, which was actually epic fail. This was during my husband's 27th birthday celebration at his camp last year. I was not mom-blogging yet. I was smoking, if you have noticed the cigarette. That's Marlboro Gold, feeling Carrie Bradshaw in distress. I was cooking Pancit Bihon for the troops' boodle fight. I also cooked my very first Kalderetang Kambing, which was the star of party, aside from the birthday boy and the two Lechong Baboy. My hair was still rebonded then. A lot has changed since this photo was taken. But one thing has not, apart from the extra pounds my wonderful body has, I still love cooking --- especially if it's for my Army kind of guy. ♔

Nanaygosyante of 2013: July

I know everyone's been dying (or have already died lol) to go to Boracay and I won't be a hypocrite to say I am not one of those. However, my husband and I have mutually agreed on this: Palawan first before Boracay. Well, not unless if we don't need to spend at least a cent for that Boracay trip no. Why Palawan? 1) It's a separate island if you will base it on the map, so it's like being isolated from the rest of the Filipinos, hehe. 2) All I thought it's in Visayas, but it's actually in Luzon (yes I'm dumb blonde like that hihi). 3) Judging from the photos I've seen from friends who have been there, it's so calm and peaceful there. Yeah, unlike in Boracay that most of the photos I've seen over the net are party photos of almost naked bikini-clad sexxxxxxy women. Hmm. I'm now a family woman with a daughter who would eventually be a dalaga. So we need to veer her away , as much as possible, from the bad stuff this world could offer. Palawan is also where this month's Nanaygosyante will take us.


24 July 2013

A Mom's Life: 26/48

I only have one child to take care of every day and I feel that I'm already a superwoman. So I know how moms of two or more feel like every.single.day of their life; most especially if they are SAHMs like me. But what people do not know is that more children means more love. I'm sure my 26th AML mom will agree. She has four wonderful children, including a pretty princess I met in person during the BlueWater Day Spa's promo launch last month. I know I don't need a very long introduction for this mom blogger extraordinaire as she was already blogging before it was cool. Her blog, Make or Break, bagged the Best Family and Living Blog award from The Philippine Blog Awards in 2009. 

NAME: Pehpot Pineda

AGE: 30ish

CHILDREN, AGE: Mahat 9, Marco 8, Chico 5, Princess Sati 3

OCCUPATION: MOM! 

FAVORITE OUTFIT: shorts and blouse or anything that won’t show my not yet 120lbs body hahaha

MUST-HAVE BEAUTY COSMETIC: lipstick! (waves at my lipstick blog,www.mypaintedlips.com)

HOBBIES: Screaming.. if you can call that a hobby haha but seriously, writing is what I considered my hobby and oh, arts and crafts too! 

CURRENT READ/WATCH: Fast 6 / current read>>> school text books!

FAVORITE DOMESTIC DUTY: washing and folding the laundry 

GUILTY PLEASURE: Wigs, cosmetics, ukay ukay and weird shoes haha.

23 July 2013

Sauteed String Beans

Here's another home cooked dish that is practical, healthy and easy on the budget. Some of my readers and friends have been bugging me for new recipe posts so I decided to share this with you. I had it with a little sabaw because I have a daughter who doesn't want her rice too dry. So here it is!


22 July 2013

Rhamboisms


I pretty much introduced to you who my husband is since I started this blog, right. I guess if you are a loyal reader, which means you follow me on all of my social media accounts, you most probably have an idea of how he is a person. Yes, he is a military officer. He can be stern and serious and a hell snob of a guy but he really is fun to be with. *it sounded like a sales pitch lol*. Well, I wouldn't marry a nerd rock, just so to convince you. Hehehe. OK, to "support" that statement, I have gathered some of his virtual/visual thoughts --- his isms on his own cyberlandia.

He is a 9Gag fanatic. One day he was home, LB and I started singing Rihanna's Diamonds, so he sung it with us, in this lyrics --- in repetition.


Annoying! Perfectly annoying. But when I saw that he posted this on Facebook, it got me laughing real hard. Bentang-benta. Here's another one. I think it finally dawned on him that his wife will never be as brave as those ladies he met in the Academy, that a single crawling creature can make my world go upside down.

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I scream to my diaphragm's delight whenever there's a flying roach. Enough said. Well, he's not all kalokohan all the time. There are times he can be senti or he makes fatherhood seems easy; because we both know he will have a hard time when LB starts entertaining suitors. 

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Is that too much? Sorry LB, we don't care if you will hate us but we have an additional rule: no movie dates until you finish college! Unless you will tag us along. Hehe. *high five, Tatay!* And because he's doing a good job despite being away most of the time, this was my Father's Day gift.


I don't know if he finished this already. I hope I can get to read it before the movie adaptation's premiere on cinemas. Hellooooo, isang jebs ko lang sa CR, tapos ko yan. Hehe. I also gave him this, because I know that he truly, madly, deeply likes this design when I told him about Threadless a year ago. 
Uhuh, Tito Rhambo in his late 20s is now wearing glasses with a double chin. Hahaha! 


There, that's Ser Chip, er --- Rhambo and his isms in photos. Next time, if there's really one topic that I'd like to share with you that involves something he's good at, I will make him write it. Naku, matindi kapalit nun. So I have to prepare. Hihi. I love you, my Army kind of guy. Come home and magpagulong-gulong tayo sa gabundok kong labahin. :*

21 July 2013

The Pimple Under the Skin (Plus Moringa-O2 Toner Review)

When I was younger, so much younger than today (yes, it's a song! lol), I never had problems with pimples. As in, I only get to have one once in a month when I'm PMS-ing. But hey, my hormones changed when I became a mom. I get my pimples one time big time! Sometimes, it's even too mysterious, it hides under my epidermis. I abhor the feeling as much as how it looks. It throbs so crazy like someone's drilling from the inside. On the outside, it looks horrible. It's a giant pus-filled red mountain of sorts. Sorry. Heehee. I just really need to describe. Hey, you want a picture? This.


Ouch, right?

20 July 2013

Her First Film in the Movie House: Despicable Me 2


Technically, my preschooler's first movie on a big screen was Barbie in the Pink Shoes at SM Skydome few months ago. For those who haven't been to Skydome, it's a venue for events; it's not a dark movie theater with comfortable seats. The special movie screening happened in the middle of the afternoon so the daylight roofs of the place didn't make the ambiance dark and we only sat on monobloc chairs. But the girl enjoyed it. She was focused on the dancing Kristin Farraday the whole duration of the film. She only got a little finicky when she was asking for food and I got none. My bad. So, when I told my husband there were two movies coming out at the theaters apt for our daughter, we decided that it's time for us to make her experience the real thing.

19 July 2013

My Chic Chick Got Chicken Pox

Yup, you read that right. LB got it at this early. My siblings had it during their gradeschool years. As for me, well, I'm one of those very unfortunate adults who never had. La-dee-dah. So... I'm waiting to have it anytime... or not! Waaaaaah. I'm still hoping I won't have it anymore. Say, like a mutant who could never get sick. What a horror to see fine lines around my late 20s eyes and a scar brought by the pox. What the pox. Anywaaaaay, curious as where she got it? I was dumbfounded at first. I even blamed her pop for bringing some bad virus at home. Felt better (not really, actually) when her teacher, TS, told me that one of her classmates recently had. The boy went to school last Monday, no traces of pox blisters. But according to the the pediatrician we consulted earlier, it's more contagious when the blisters had dried up. Sigh. I wish the parents of the boy knew about that and had not allowed their son to go to school yet. 'Cause you know what? All his 7 classmates got it, as of today! Including my one and only. Oh, poor momma's heart. *cry with me now* 

So this is how she looked like last Tuesday, on the way home. She was slightly feverish with colds; hence, the beanie. It's a Dora kind of day. Yuhh, we're Ghetto like that.


18 July 2013

A Mom's Life: 25/48

There's more to her than being The Pickiest Eater's wife. Read her blog and you'll find out why. She writes no-nonsense posts that most newbie bloggers do. Well, when I was a newbie blogger (newer for that matter, 'cause I feel I'm still new on this), I write too personal things that I'm sure some people won't care about (not that I care about what they will say hehe). But this mom knows what a blogger should do:  inform, inspire and entertain. Perhaps, the husband trained her well. A plus point for her, as a blogger, is that she takes good pictures. And her subjects are always pleasant. One of those is her cutiepie Elmo-lover Rain, her curious toddler who had an accident by the time of this interview. I will leave the story-telling to the mom. Let me just lead you to my 25th mom's answers to my AML "slumbook". Royalties, meet this sweet and sassy mom blogger behind Rina's Rainbow.

NAME: Rina Barbero Zamora

AGE: 31

CHILD, AGE: Rain, 21 months. Turning 2 years old in October! Yikes!

OCCUPATION: WAHM (Part-time content writer for an online company)

FAVORITE OUTFIT: Nowadays, I like wearing oversized shirts. Something that doesn't hug my body to show my built-in lifesavers (salbabida) but at the same time is flattering.

MUST-HAVE BEAUTY COSMETIC: My Maybelline New York Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation (phew! That's a mouthful!)and Cherry Maybelline lip gloss. I’m not into make-ups so much simply because I don’t know how to haha! A simple foundation and lip gloss is fine with me.

HOBBIES: Hmmm... aside from playing with Rain and taking people shots, I actually like hanging out at a coffee shop to blog. Sounds mainstream, I know. But I actually quite enjoy the combination of a yummy cold frap and writing.

15 July 2013

Make Time for Your Blog

This is an official entry to Dainty Mom's guest post challenge, on "How to Find the Time to Write or Blog."

~ ♔ ~

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*clears throat* That's Bebengisms, the cyber palace, insinuating I should make time for her. Haha! I've been on intentional hiatus because I got a bit busy preparing the real-life leased palace for my king's 2 1/2-day homecoming. Oh well, I am now doing my best to make it up to her; hence, this post. 

11 July 2013

A Mom's Life: 24/48

When I started to breathe blogging, I have started to introduce myself to the world (naks, as if ang dami kong readers hehe). Kidding aside, I really did let the blogosphere learned a thing or two about me. I even bragged about who my husband is (why ba, for me he's the hottest aside from Channing eh lol) and yes, I'm such a freaking stage mother of my preschooler. One day, I got a private message asking if I know a certain woman whose last name is Rayala. Ooh, I got excited so I immediately asked my husband about it but unfortunately, my Army kind of guy didn't know. And, I didn't know, too that the person who asked me is a mom blogger as well. It was Peachy, the architect mom behind she.is.also.an.architect. It was in Mommy Fleur's blog that I got to know a bit about her. They are besties; used to be office colleagues now BFFs. She was one of the reasons why I got jealous/sad that I didn't make it to TSN's first anniversary sparty. She and Em of Akira and Everything Nice were there. I wanted to meet them in person. But yeah I was sick then, I guess in future events, I will. Or perhaps, when I need some mommy advice for my kikay girl (as she has two pretty teeners already), we can have coffee in Starbucks in Marquinton. Lol. The nearest I could go to. Sahree. Anywaaaay, here are the quick fun facts about our 24th AML

09 July 2013

3rd Babypalooza Bazaar

Hey mommas and poppas who have been here on my blog since Babypalooza Bazaar 1, it's their 3rd wave already! Yes, same thing --- pre-loved and brand-new baby items. But this time, more and more sellers have signed up, and it will only happen on ONE DAY. So make sure you're early to catch the biggest worms --- er --- best strollers and stuff parents like us would love to see on super discounted amount.


The good thing about Babypalooza is they have what they call as Babypalooza Vendor Protection Program or VPP. This is to ensure that no two vendors of brand new items will be selling the exact same thing. It also has Special Function Areas that will be designated for the following: breastfeeding & diaper changing area, children’s play zone and the Daddy Lounge. Isn't that awesome? Here's more to love about this bazaar --- FREE parking and entrance! ♥

I'll be posting the giveaway sponsored by My Study Partner's Play and Learn Center for Toddlers around July 25th so kindly stay tuned. ♔

For more info:

No One's to Blame, Not Even the Sharpie

Remember the hardwood dining table I bragged showed off shared with you here and here? I was so happy when my husband told me about it. I think it's the most expensive thing (and the heaviest!) inside our house. Look at what my artistic daughter did...

After Cif, toothpaste and prayers.
Not just one. Huhu, chest pain. I need CPR.
Ooh. I'm sure you were thinking: I scolded her, yelled at her and got really mad. Wrong. I wept; not too much but too painful I can't release it. It sounded shallow and materialistic but I longed for this furniture. I love food and cooking that I really, really wished to have a nice dining table to pair it with (aside from wishing to have a spacious airy kitchen with island counter). A table that would be the witness of endless chikahan over the dishes I cooked for my family.


04 July 2013

A Mom's Life: 23/48

I know, I know. Some of you might be wondering why I am not actually updating this portion on a Wednesday lately. Well, this is the second time pa lang naman that I am posting it late. And today kasi, my daughter's not feeling that well. But I am still up for the challenge I made for myself --- feature fabulous moms each week. So here's my 23rd AML issue.

~ ♔ ~

I chose this vibrant mom because her contagious smile (though I haven't seen personally) has been changed with tears and sorrowful sobs the past week. Her grandmother died. From my speculations (I was not nosy enough to ask about it though), she was very close to her "Nanay". And I thought this quark of a blog in the cyber space might lift her spirits up. This won't guarantee that she would move on from bereavement, but like what my mission is for AML, I hope this would give her that special something she needs when a hug or a pat in the back isn't enough.

Em and her Nanay's hand. (grabbed from her Facebook with her permission)
Mommy Myra or Em, as she is fondly called by many fellow bloggers, and I virtually met through Mommy Fleur or TSN's blog. I was not sure when but she started commenting on my blog and I eventually found her blog, too. But it was on Instagram and Facebook that we usually have exchange of comments (or chikas). I actually invited her to come with me when the organizers behind CCM International Philippines' Champs Vitamins invited me to their exclusive mommy bloggers' event. Unfortunately, we both didn't make it. But I hope there will be more events that I could finally meet all my cyber mommy friends, including her!

Rayala Dialogues: Remote Control 101

So it's LB's first absence from school today. She has colds; she slept so late and when I leaned over to kiss her, I felt her warm body. Uh-oh, the preschool diva has a fever. I felt sad because I didn't see it coming. Oh well, she's taking new vitamins and she actually has turned to have better appetite because of it, but colds are colds. I haven't make her take meds yet because I don't feel like she needs it. Fluids galore and fresh OJ were her fever warriors. 

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What makes her fever ironically helpful to me was she's not all over the house and she's extra cuddly. We were on the couch, snuggled, when she wanted to switch channels. I told her she has to switch it on her own 'cause my hands are hugging her. This is how our conversation went ---