Staying home is the new normal for everyone.  Are you loving it?  Or you still miss the old normal when you could go out freely just about anytime without wearing masks nor face shields?  I’m in between.  I am loving it because it’s practically saving me money from unnecessary expenses when I’m out of the house.  Plus, I get to stay with my children as I do my work at home.  Next, I don’t need to hurry and always dress to impress others.  If I do dress up and put make up on, I do it for myself and for my husband.

I’ve also had some brand or item discoveries that could help our lives become more convenient, improve my skills, and even sparked some ideas as I stay home more than ever in my entire working life.  Let me share them to you.

• Korean TV Series – I can’t believe I didn’t start binging on Korean TV series earlier!  Glad staying at home kind of forced me to sit down, relax and Netflix more.  Because of this, I developed my love for Korean series!  So far, I’ve watched more than 20 and my top 5 would be: Crash Landing On You, Descendants Of The Sun, Start Up, Something In The Rain, Itaewon Class, The Goblin/Guardian, Oh My Venus, Fight For My Way, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, and While You Were Sleeping.

• Drone – Because of watching too many series on Netflix, I began to notice the cinematography of each episode or movies.  I used to wonder how those long or top aerial shots are done so seamlessly that makes you want to fly with it.  When I watched some documentaries, I discovered there are many types of drones.  I also saw many vloggers use this such as Wil Devaugn and Erwan Heusaff in their videos.

• Cleaning and Santizing Technologies – There are many technologies and even services that are available in the market and here is my top list.  First, the UV Care Robot Cleaner that saves you a lot of time and energy making sure the floor is neat!  The SleekEZ, it’s originally a horse (or large pets) grooming brush which may also be used to grooming tool removes shedding hair, dirt, and dander not only from pets but also from furniture, pet bedding, saddle pads, autos and carpeting.

• How Dad Courted Mom – Oh yes, this makes it to my awesome list of discoveries!  My mom passed away six years ago.  But whenever my dad would talk about her, it’s as if she just had a vacation somewhere and hasn’t come back from that trip.  My dad revealed how he crossed regions without any travel experience just to ask my mom for marriage.  He also shared how they planned, should mom still be alive and we’re all off to living our own lives, to consider living in a quality nursing home for seniors such as here: https://spectrumhealthcare.com/services/seniors-for-seniors/.  For practicality’s purposes and so that they will be taken care of professionally and also meet new friends their age, that’s why they gave this a thought.  But since he’s by himself and I take care of him, he dismissed this thought.  Besides, I don’t think there’s any facility as good as Spectrum Health Care here in our country.

So these are my lock-out discoveries and I am so glad I discovered them.  How about you?  Care to share any?

One of our family’s goal this year is to finalize purchasing our own land and build our very own house.  I’ve shared in this post how every married couples and those starting a new family should have the mentality of leave and cleave.  I know it’s easy to say but hard to actually do it.  But with God’s grace, it can happen, if you pray for it.

We’ve been processing this since 2018 and we’ve had a number of challenges, but we didn’t lose hope.  There was one point during the negotiations that our seller changed his mind about selling the property.  I was shocked and heartbroken.  My husband and I both agreed that if it’s for us, God will make a way.  If it’s not, then we should accept His will and look for another property or maybe a house that will fit our family’s space needs and also budget.  Quickly, the seller came back to tell us that he decided to sell again and even apologized for the confusion.   I gave the deepest sigh of relief I could ever let out.

We continued to plan for our future house.  We also discussed how we should be moving our stuff from the current to the new house.  

Here were some ideas that came up:

• Moving trucks or services – We need to include in our projected moving in budget the services we’ll need from moving companies.  We are looking for the likes of moving companiesin Tampa that also offers packing of the items, big or small, to be moved.  That way, all items will be secured and safely arrive the destination.

• Portable Bridges – Wait, is there such a thing?  Yes!  Learn more about it on one of the websites I checked.  But first, why do we need this?  The property that we are going to purchase is at the end of a common alley that somehow needs some crossing to do from the main road going there.  For trucks or small services to move our stuff, this is a must need.  We’re still looking for some service providers here.

• CCTV cameras – This is for security and safety reasons.  We plan to install four to six cameras to cover the front and back and side of our house’s exterior, and the rest to be placed inside.

• A House Dedication – We will be dedicating our new house to the greatest provider of all.  This will be a Christian ceremony where the place of dwelling will be lifted up to God for protection.

• House-Warming Celebration – The celebration will be just a small gathering of people really close to our family.  Since we’re still living at a time when mass gatherings are prohibited, a small barbeque party at our roof top would be a great idea.  Of course, we’ll need a few bottles of wine and I’ll make sure I buy the type of wines best for barbeques.  Oh yes, there are wines for this, click here in that piece of information I found online.

I am really excited to turn this dream into a reality.  Right now, we’re finalizing requirements our bank needs from us.  Again, if this goes smoothly, then it’s meant to be, if not, we’ll accept God’s will too.  So help us pray for this dream!  Until my next update!

Hello loves!  If you’ve noticed, I’ve been updating my blog with fresh content on my thoughts about life in the pandemic.  I also talk about our family dreams and how to achieve them.  I just realized that I haven’t been blogging as much as I used to and I feel sad about that.  My 2020 had been busy with many campaigns that involved social media that I kind of neglected my blog.  I’m happy with those campaigns but not about how I parked writing on his space which I was first known for.

I remember when I was just starting, I used to invest my time in following other bloggers, researching about their success stories, doing what they said were effective to drive readers, and even reading a lot about SEO.  I even checked out IgniteDigital, an SEO company based in Toronto that offers services for digital content creators and website owners such as myself.  I learned a thing or two about optimizing my content, have a website analysis, and see self-check on areas I need to improve on.  Learning something new got me really excited.

That’s also the reason in less than a year, my blog rang a bell to brands and PRs who got me as their brand ambassador.  Everything was new to me then, being a beginner in the industry which only started as a passion for writing and sharing experiences that other moms could relate.

So why did I lay low on writing last year?  I know I shouldn’t.  But as a human being finding her way how to get through the pandemic, I got side-tracked and lost focus.  Then I was again reminded of my whys for doing this and being in this digital world.  What’s my purpose?  What again is my WHY for content creation.  I want to go back to the times I was starting when the zest and excitement for writing used to put me on fire!  I guess I need some kind of a force gauge that may be applied to digital assessment or measurement of push and pull into creating content.  So that when I see my force or efforts aren’t enough, it will signal me to find balance and exert more to be able to bring my writing dojo back.  But the good news is, it’s coming back and I am happy that you are here right now to read my thoughts about this.

But good news is, I plan to be more active again.  Go back to my whys, write about my experiences as a mom of boys, as a former single mom, and as a person who activates practical living.  I am sure if you’ve been a follower of my blog since I started in 2012, you’ll be guaranteed value-adding content.  Who knows I might have big brand clients again who’ll need my blog services like how it used to be in the glory days of blogging?  I’m excited to be signing contracts once more where I’ll need legal assistance such as Kazmi Law to notarize my MOAs!  Well, that’s cherry on top of my writing cake!  For now, let me ease back to my first love in the digital content creation, blogging.

Happy mid-week everyone!  

Every newly-wed couples dream of having their own homes for their family to live in.  Well, that’s the way it really should be.  But, living in the Philippines, where it’s culturally accepted that married couples still live with their parents, sometimes delays that plan or that dream.  And why not?  It’s practical, it’s convenient, and having your extended family around you makes it a livelier and safer environment to live in.

But personally, no matter how it’s more practical to just live with our parents, we still believe that every family unit should have their own place of dwelling.   That’s what we’re aiming for.  We still live with my dad, who’s widowed by my mom a few years ago.  I can’t just leave him because I look after my senior citizen father.  But as a Christian, I know that we have to leave and cleave.  This means, once married, we should leave our parents and cleave or live with our spouses.  Given that, we’ve prayed hard for this plan to happen, and though there’s still no finality (that’s why I still haven’t shared it publicly).

Sharing today some of the nice to haves in our very own home someday:

• Swimming pool – I am a water baby and I love swimming.  It’s the only sport I know I am quite good at.  It would be really nice to have your own pool where I could do my daily lapses and even teach my younger kids how to swim.  Especially these past few months when we’re staying home most of the time due to the pandemic.  Having our own pool could most probably help me keep a fitter body.

• Multi-media studio – For those of you who still don’t know, my husband and I are bandmates since 2006.  We used to perform in bars, hotel lounges, and private events.  My husband is a musician and I am a vocalist.  We’d love to have a small multimedia room where we could record songs, do our vlog filming, record voice overs, and teach our kids to play the instrument.

• A basketball court – My eldest is a basketball player and dreams to be a professional player someday.  A basketball court that has a Calhoun Cover-All so he could play with his dad or his teammates rain or shine.  This cover-all on our court could also have many uses such as when gathering is permitted, we could hold parties for families and friends during special occasions.

• Bath Tub – It may be hard to maintain, but I still want a tub in our master’s bedroom!  That tub should of course have a heating system that’s useful especially on colder days.  I saw that it’s possible to equip existing water pipelines with this technology here: https://heatline.com/product/retro-line/. 

• Solar panels – We go inspired by the house of #TeamKramer where they used solar panel technology to power their lighting and home appliances.  I also wish the same for our own home.  I also researched that there’s another technology where hydro solar air can turn to water heat pump.  How cool is that?  Now that’s what my swimming pool and bath tub needs!

I’ll be sharing our house pegs in the blog soon.  Meanwhile, how nice it really is to plan for your very own dwelling right?  If you’ve experienced day dreaming and wish listing like this, please do share! 

Happy 2021!  Wow I can’t believe that 2020 flew by so fast.  This year my ultimate priority is to ensure that my family and I have good health.  With all the health scare that’s happening around the globe, I realized that we only need the essentials in our lives, nothing more, nothing less.

What am I talking about?  I’m sure it’s the same with you all, first is to have a strong faith, maintain beautiful relationship with my family, and last but not least, family.  With this, I learned to live simply and be grateful for every little blessing that our family receives.

Made me think, wow, my priorities and what I perceived to be needs, adjusted to the changing times. Speaking of those perceived needs, they have something to do with luxuries which I really thought we needed.  I remember I was asking my husband to please buy espresso machine immediately, since we are both coffee lovers!  Every time there were sale activities via Lazada or Shopee or Amazon, and even other international e-commerce sites, I would excitedly let him take a look at those what I added to my cart.  I don’t know why it kept on delaying, then BOOM.  Towards the end of 2020, I was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital nearby.  It was my first time to palpitate due to too much caffeine in my system.  It was a life scare for me because it was a first for me.  So that espresso machine in my cart that kept on delaying, I let it go.  I was told to stop drinking coffee and other colored drinks for the time being while I was experiencing palpitations.

My husband also had a realization on his perceived needs and what truly are the essentials.  He actually wanted to purchase a new family vehicle after having been fully paid with our first family car.  But then 2020 happened and we all know what that meant.  It was as if the world took a pause for all of us to recalibrate, reset, and reflect on our lives.  Because of the pandemic, we set that plan aside, even if we were already set to purchase one complete with comprehensive insurance, and even found a really good motor deal here now, we didn’t press that plan.  We thought, there’s a right timing for everything, and besides, we still have a service we could use in case we need to go somewhere.  Funny thing, last year, the car wasn’t fully utilized because we didn’t go out unless really needed.

You see, even if we plan ahead, if God says it’s not what He wants for you, things will not go our way.  And that’s okay.  That made us consider to always have an analytical balance (if only that can be scientifically measured like how scientists do) on everything in our lives.  That balance applies to all our priorities, our needs, wants, the essentials, and also in human relationships we have with everyone we know.

How about you?  What were some of your realizations of priorities, needs, and wants?  Share them on the comments below.

Moms like us tend to do more for others and forget about rewarding ourselves.  We either lack time or we remember and actually go out, but feel guilty afterwards.  

Isn't that true for you?  If it is, you're not alone.  But mommas, we deserve a break and some pampering time - and we shouldn't feel any mom guilt for it.  Especially these past few months when we've been locked down at home.  Our skin have become drier, duller, and look more haggard than ever before.  I admit to having bad skin lately that's why I'm thankful for the break I took recently to have a Revitalite Facial at Skin Station PH.

It is the newest facial service of SkinStation that uses a combination of facial, diamond peel and Nd-Yag laser to refresh and rejuvenate tired, dull skin.  It revitalizes our skin in an instant to make it more youthful looking.  It also rejuvenates our skin to turn it from dull to glowing.  Since the laser's heat penetrates within, it promotes collagen formation.  Collagen is the one responsible for making our skin supple and having good elasticity.  Plus, for more mature individuals like me, it helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles and minimizes pore size.

The Procedure.

Before visiting any SkinStation branch for the treatment, you have to first book your appointment.  You may contact Ms. Marga of SkinStation Marketing via their Instagram account.  Ms Marga is very responsive and also so nice to talk to.  Once you've booked an appointment, you'll receive an email confirmation/reminder of your schedule.  Be sure to reply with your health declaration form.  Be sure to also show up on your scheduled appointment day and time.

FACIAL - This is the very fist step of the Revitalite Facial treatment.  Every procedure should start with a clean face.  This is what facials do.  Cleansing is like how you do it when you apply facial soap or foam on your face, but in facials, of course a skin professional does it for you.   What I love about facials is the facial massage!  It relaxes my tensed facial muscles that usually are flexed during online learning and reviewing of the lessons or when you have to fix a messy room multiple times a day, like 100 times.  Pricking is part of facial.  I used to be traumatized just hearing that word because I had a bad experience in my 20s.  But I've come fat since, and now I know my acne, whiteheads, and blackheads are in good hands with SkinStation.  After extraction of the unwanted extras caused by our facial sebum seated in our pores, a procedure to close the pores will be done.

DIAMOND PEEL - Diamond peel works wonders for our skin especially when done regularly.  It is level up cleansing and clearing of our faces because it removes dead skin cells, deep-seated dirt, and also excess oil on our faces.  The motion I felt was like every centimeter of my face was being sucked by a small hole or pipe.  It felt good knowing that the other unwanted elements of my face are taken away.  This step is necessary before the laser treatment which is up next.

ND-YAG LASER - This is the last step of the whole Revitalite Facial treatment.  It uses a machine that has adjustable frequency or strength of the intense beam of light energy being emitted and directed at the skin. The laser beam heats the underlying skin (dermis), which stimulates collagen production over time, resulting in better skin tone and texture.  This is the reason for glowing of the skin, tightening feeling, and minimized pores of the face after the treatment.

If you're new to laser facial treatment, you may feel a little shock but you'll get used to it. I've had more than five laser facial treatments before this, so my face quite knows what type of shock it should expect, so to speak.  But overall, the laser treatment went smoothly, no discomforts and no pain.

Instant Effects, after-treatment care, and Q/A

After the whole treatment, there was an instant lift or tightness of my skin.  It felt really clean and bright.  It's important not to wash the face for 6 hours after the treatment.  No application of make-up or creams after the treatment.  It's also important to apply sunblock every time you'd be going out.  As usual, do your skincare routine especially these three: Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturize.

I'll be answering some questions you may have: 

Overall, I had a pleasant experience during my very first visit at SkinStation.  I chose their Greenhills because it's one of the nearest branches to me.  The clinic was divinely clean.  The clinic practices strict health protocols to comply with the city's regulations. Ate Belle, my skin specialist was such an expert, she's so courteous, and you know she knows what she's doing.  Promos are available in the clinic as well as their website and social media accounts.  

So mommas, invest in yourselves.  Make sure you pamper yourselves and not feel any amount of guilt at all.  You deserve this!  For more information and inquiries, visit SkinStation's website: https://skinstation.ph/ or follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/skinstationph/and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/skinstationph

What? Potatoes come in different forms? The answer is, YES!  But first let me tell you about the time I fell in love with potatoes.

When I was a toddler, the potato is the first vegetable I ever ate and actually loved!  It was an introduction to the wonderful healthy veggie world.  I loved it because it didn’t taste bitter nor smelled funky.  And that’s what I did for my children, too!  I started their veggie journey with the simple yet super nutritious potatoes!

The humble spud is essentially a super food. Did you know that the nutrients in potatoes help boost our energy and strengthen our immune system? They are a good source of complex carbohydrates, vitamins like Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, and minerals such as protein and iron. All of which help keep us strong and protect us from common illnesses.  Yummy and healthy. That’s what the entire family needs!

And speaking of taters, make sure you’re consuming top-quality U.S. potatoes. They are delicious, versatile, easily available, and affordable. U.S. potatoes can be used in all types of dishes and cuisines. It’s your all-around kitchen partner.

Potatoes can be enjoyed fried, boiled, baked, steamed, grilled, and many other ways! This brings us to the initial question… Did you know that potatoes come in different forms?  I also was not aware of this. Then I read up more about this veggie I consume almost every day. Here’s what I found out.

U.S. Fresh / Table-stock Potatoes – these are the potatoes most of us are familiar with.  This is what we see in stores everywhere.  Did you know that there are more than a hundred U.S fresh potato varieties, but they fall under these seven categories: russet, red, white, yellow, blue-purple, fingerling, and petite. Now, U.S. fresh potatoes are not always available in the Philippines. Good news is they’re currently in stock in supermarkets in Manila and Cebu! Check them out in the produce section of the store nearest you.

Suggested Recipe: Porkchop with U.S. Potatoes in Gravy

U.S. Frozen Potatoes – these come in different varieties and are easily available in leading supermarkets nationwide. U.S. frozen potatoes use state-of-the-art technology to meet high industry standards and are instantly quick-frozen to lock in the flavor and nutrients. Some of the cuts available are frozen half shells, wedges, slices, straight cuts, crinkle cuts, loop/curly or popularly known as twister fries, lattice/basket weave, tater tots, and hash browns. We usually buy straight-cut fries and hash browns.  I am more comfortable cooking them at home because I know exactly what kind of cooking oil and how much salt I use. 

Good old-fashion Fries with Catsup or Mayo

U.S. Dehydrated Potatoes – I also didn’t know about this type until I read about them!  When you hear the word dehydrated it automatically means lack of water, right?  Dehydrated potatoes are real potatoes just with all the water removed.  U.S. dehydrated potato products deliver all the flavor, nutrition, and versatility of potatoes in a more convenient package – and are the perfect ingredient for everything from soups and salads to main dishes and desserts.  If you’re a newbie, like me, try making the basic mashed potato. It’ so quick and easy, you’d be done in minutes! Here in the Philippines, you can usually find them in baking supply stores. 

Suggested Recipe: Quick and Easy Mashed Potato

As a mom who loves to cook, knowing that one of my favorite veggies has this much to offer makes me giddy with excitement! U.S. potatoes truly present a world of POTATOBILITIES in the kitchen.

Make sure to include U.S. potatoes in your next grocery run! Find more information on U.S. potatoes by visiting their website. Like and follow Potatoes USA-Philippines on Facebook and Instagram for more potato trivia and recipes.

Needless to say, the pandemic and the consequent quarantines it has caused are nothing short of stressful. Aside from having to adjust to working from home, most moms also have to take on the responsibility of being their kids’ primary educator on top of being the main manager of their homes. All these, and more, make it incredibly important for moms to take the time to care for themselves. After all, self-care is a necessary practice that promises benefits -- not just to the person doing it but also for the people around him or her.

If you are a busy mom who is at a loss as to how she can start engaging in self-care activities, here are some ideas that can help you get started:

Regulating your news intake 

While staying on top of things and of current events is of utmost importance during these trying times, exposing yourself to an unhealthy amount of bad news on a daily basis can be detrimental to your mental health. This practice can exacerbate feelings of vulnerability, fear and danger. Furthermore, it can also generate a sense of hopelessness, helplessness and feelings of not being enough. To keep such unfavorable emotions at bay, learn how to filter what you read. As highlighted in our previous post ‘How to Stay Positive While in Quarantine’, it would also be in your best interest to subscribe to positive and inspiring content that will either make you laugh or encourage you to do good things. Besides unplugging, Medical News Today noted that you can also try shifting your focus to the things that you can solve. For instance, you can put up small food drives that can help your immediate community or offer additional support to frontliners.

Establishing a skincare routine

There are many reasons why skincare is among one of the most popular activities that encourage self-care. As explained in an article published by Everyday Health, a skincare routine can provide stability, inhibit intrusive thoughts, boost self-esteem and trigger the release of feel-good hormones. If you are new to this activity, the best option for you would be to build a basic routine that includes the most important products like a gentle cleanser, a light moisturizer with SPF, a serum and a toner. It would also be a good idea to not limit yourself to just products that improve skin health from just the outside. Try to invest in items that can improve your skin from within such as supplements. Case in point: the Frozen Collagen Supplements on PrettyMe are said to tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines, the size of your pores and the likelihood of acne breakouts.

Engaging your sense of smell while meditating

Meditating as a way of engaging in self-care offers a myriad of physiological and psychological advantages. Healthline mentioned how this tried and tested activity can aid in reducing stress and age-related memory loss, controlling anxiety, enhancing self-awareness and lengthening attention span. Moreover, meditation in whatever form can also help fight addiction, improve sleep, regulate pain and decrease blood pressure. To make meditative sessions even more relaxing, you can accompany it with aromatherapy. Depending on the kind you want to use, essential oils can induce calm and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. For instance, Plant Therapy's set of essential oils featured on Elle calm the mind and the body, reduce anxiety, fight seasonal allergies and boost energy.

Although it may seem like things are slowly turning out for the better and the fear that people have over the pandemic is finally subsiding, those are not enough reasons for busy moms like you to slack off on caring for themselves. Try out some of the ideas we presented and take the time to look for a self-care activity that works best for you.

2020 is just around the corner, and yet we are still in quarantine plus a lot of unfortunate events happened all throughout the year.  Covid-19 hit us hard, typhoons Rolly and Ulysses devastated a number of cities and contributed to a number of homeless and hungry kababayans, a huge fire in our neighborhood displaced some 500 families, and a good friend passed away recently.

I could go on but still I am grateful for the gift of family and true friends, for God's provisions, for good health, for roof over our heads, for a stable job for my husband, projects here and there, and capability to help others in need.  

Thinking about it, there are still a lot to be thankful for and worth celebrating lalo na sa dadating na Pasko.  Kaya naman #TuloyPaRinAngPasko and what better way to celebrate it than to have the star of the Christmas table, ang Virginia Festive Hams and samahan na rin natin ng Virginia Noche Buena treats!

Virginia Food, Inc. helps us all be reminded that no matter what circumstances we may be in, this season is worth celebrating.  For me, the real reason for the season is the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.  Even if 2020 wasn't that too good (for how can I feel good if others don't), I am still grateful that we're still alive.

Tuloy na tuloy pa rin ang Pasko.  Though we cannot celebrate the way we used to like family gatherings and reunions, we can still celebrate safely at home or give gifts to our loved ones.  A good idea would be giving them one of these delectable Virginia Festive Hams:

• Virginia Pear-Shaped Ham
• Virginia Chicken Pear-Shaped Ham
• Virginia Hamon de Bola
• Virginia Black Forest Ham
• Virginia Season's Delight Ham
• Virginia Pineapple Ball Ham
• Virginia Brick Ham
• Virginia Chinese Fortune Ham

Imagine for as low as Pho150 you can already enjoy a feast with your family.  This is also an excellent gift idea this Christmas.