TOPAZ HORIZON

Colorful stools
My husband will disagree and of course he's right but I kinda want these stools. I want them for my kids because our dining chairs are so nice and comfy, the boys slouch and even lie down when they eat! It's so annoying! Yes, I'm a mean mama when it comes to teaching my boys good manners and right conduct. Since they can't seem to stop themselves from eating like Roman emperors, lounging about the dining table, stools suddenly seem like a great solution.


Rolling crate.
Also known as the f@cketbucket* in our family. It's where my husband and I throw in all the mess we find around the house, like Legos, plushies, crayons, homework. We don't organize our kids' stuff anymore. We just throw those things in that crate and when the kids go, "Mama, where's my...?", I just nod towards the crate and they'll know their stuff is in there.

We already have a crate obviously but at the end of the day, the kids still have to sort and organize their stuff and they walk to and fro from the living room to their bedroom and this can take forever! But if the crate were on wheels... Brilliant!

*We didn't invent this, by the way. It's a term that means you don't want to care anymore about something. Then we saw a Scary Mommy article about a mom who made a literal bucket of stuff she doesn't want to care about anymore and it was a lightbulb moment for us!


Laundry drying rack
Here's something else I super need! My Loyal Readers know I love doing the laundry. Well, my current clothes rack is almost at the end of its useful life. Which of the above drying racks do you recommend? I'm thinking of the one on wheels so I can drag it around the house and wherever the sun is (#condoproblems). What you think?


Hampers
Because mine are not pretty anymore. These are light but sturdy and super affordable! The small ones, by the way, are better as stuffed toy organizers or maybe a towel holder for your bathroom. They're too small for a hamper (unless you like doing the laundry daily!).


Art
I adore these little sculptures! I believe every home should have art. It doesn't matter if they're pricey paintings or clay sculptures your kids made in school. Your home needs a soul and the physical manifestation of that is art!

To find out more about these unique sculptures, check out the MY MC Home blog post about them.


For more home finds, visit the store! MY MC Home has 2 branches: Level 3 MET LIVE Mall, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, 1302 Pasay City, and at MC Home Depot San Fernando Interchange, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 2000 San Fernando, Pampanga. You may also find more furniture and promos at their Facebook page www.facebook.com/mymchome and Instagram www.instagram.com/mymchome.

*This post is brought to you by My MC Home.

I can't let August slip away without sharing with you the costumes my boys wore for Buwan ng Wika. Proud mama me is happy to report these were inexpensive and partly homemade. Also, blogger me is disclosing I'm blogging about this because so many people were saying they were Googling "Visayan costumes for boys" so - lightbulb moment! - nakakuha ako ng idea for an SEO-friendly post hehe!


August was super busy so I really wanted to buy a costume first kasi wala talaga akong time! But everything I found online were either Katipunero/farmer costumes or Igorot and Muslim costumes. For my older sons, their assigned costume was Visayan. When I asked a costume maker about that, she said, "Naku, ma'am, ang mga Bisaya, mga nakahubad ang mga yan. Example po, si Lapu-Lapu. Bale, bigyan ko na lang kayo ng bahag at pambalot sa ulo tapos hubad na lang yung mga bata." 

Is this true??? She sounded condescending.

But this is what I found on our hero, Datu Lapu-Lapu so baka nga totoo:

Anyway, Visayans are also known for their fierce tattooed bodies. From the islands of Panay to Leyte, there are people called Pintados. Even Lapu-Lapu had tattoos. So we Googled Pintados and a lot of fabulous photos from festivals came up! As in. Nakakatuwa sobra. But here's the one in Wikipedia:


My sons weren't so hot about going naked and wearing a diaper. But I figured since taga-Leyte mga magulang ko and the fact that Visayas were their assignment, we should just commit to it. By this time, our costume supplier was fully booked so hindi na raw siya available so off I went to Megamall because "Here at SM, we've got it all for you!"


At the tourist-favorite shop Kultura, there were lots of parents buying Filipino costumes. And grabe ha, hindi sila mura. Basically mga P1500 kada costume. Parang OA naman. So I figured I'd buy a nude shirt, make a Pintados design, buy tela na may traditional print (kahit hindi na strictly Bisaya) and gawan ko ng paraan yun.


Sa SM Department Store kiddie section, nakahanap ako ng nude undershirts. If you're looking for the same, sabihin niyo naghahanap kayo ng pang-barong. Mga P150 lang sila. Yey! Sa Kultura ko nabili yung tela. P800 siya. So lumabas na wala pang 1K per costume! Super kuripot me was so happy!!!


The kids helped with the design of their shirts and, armed with permanent markers, sila na ang gumawa ng sarili nilang tattoos. Ayaw nila ng bahag so binalot na lang namin yung tela around their waists and they wore shorts sa ilalim. Super happy sila sa costumes nila!!! These photos were taken at 5:30 in the morning and buhay na buhay sila sa excitement haha


Of course, my bunso also had his own Buwan ng Wika celebration sa school niya. With him, sabi ng teachers niya na okay na yung Katipunero costume that he wore when he was in Nursery last year. We just needed a bigger shirt and binaba namin sa hips niya yung pants para hindi bitin. We just used a straw fedora instead of the usual straw hat para mas cool siya haha He's sooooo cute, diba???

So, mga mamas, I've been super enjoying all the Pinoy costumes I've been seeing on social media. Medyo nakaka-stress maghanap ng costume but the results are always worth it. Parang motherhood lang!


*Lapu-Lapu monument photo from Country Within a City; Pintados photo from Wikipedia.

Last week, a video that Vito and I made for National Book Store debuted (naks, debut talaga haha) on Facebook.


I love working with my son. This is the second video we've done for National. Last year, Vito and I starred in a back-to-school marketing campaign where we hawked lunch bags.



I really like that lunch bag. I still have the pink and purple of it. Vito's blue and Iñigo's red were so well used and abused for an entire school year, nabutas na haha. I was really hoping National would sell them again this year.

Anyway, we also did an unboxing of our shopping.


So some moms who watched our video this month asked, "What did you buy po? Sana may unboxing din!" Oo nga naman! Well, it's not very exciting kasi we bought ball pens, Spider-Man pencils, highlighters, bond paper... you know, school supplies!

But Vito and I did find a very nice and affordable journal. As in sobra kaming tuwang-tuwa sa kanya. Are we mababaw to get all excited about a notebook? Maybe. Pero sa pamilya ko kasi, we are writers and artists. We love to write down everything. As in everything! The kids love to draw. They draw every single day! So notebooks are a HUGE deal here in our home. So, mamas, check out our favorite National Book Store find: Limelight Dotted Journals!

The blue has subtle gold flecks.

Love the cheerful color and lines!

The journal is really thick. I can do 12 months plus notes and drawings pa!

Pocket at the back cover.

Empty pages excite me!

Vito uses his as a planner, gaming notes, and writing his stories and comics.

Vito's dotted journal is already used but I'm saving mine for my 2020 bullet journal. Actually, we both want to buy more because there are more cover designs and P220 lang siya! Sobrang affordable!!!

We found this at the Glorietta 1 branch. The two branches near our house are small so very limited ang items available there so I think, if you want to buy this dotted journal, you'll have to go to a big branch like in Glorietta.

Now remember: Everything you need for school is at National Book Store. You can shop at their hundreds of branches nationwide or you can shop online at nationalbookstore.com. You can also call 8888-NBS (627) to order and have your shopping delivered! Follow @nationalbookstore on Instagram, and @nbsalert on Twitter, Viber, and YouTube.

*This post is brought to you by National Book Store.

PRESS RELEASE - Admit it, more often than not, what you have in your pantry would be hassle-free instant food. As any person who’s lived independently (ahem, alone) knows, instant food is pretty painless and requires minimal to no cooking. That means not only do you get to eat faster, but you also lessen the potential damage you can inflict on your kitchen. 

I spent one of the long weekends of this month at new home store MY MC Home, looking for stuff for my home office. I also went there with a special mission from my mommy readers: report on good sofas that are perfect for a small condo. Here's what I found for you! 


I especially like this living room set for your home office, if you have one. Its gray color recalls the professionalism of the corporate environment but that gingham print definitely puts a playful and homey feel, right?


Here's another option that will do well in your living room and also your home office. I like the Scandinavian design of sleek lines and simple wooden frames. They're quite comfy, too! But they're not long enough to accommodate your whole body so you won't be tempted to lie down and nap.


If you do like taking naps in between work deadlines (I indulge in power naps a lot!), then fold-out sofa beds are also available at MY MC Home. I found a streamlined piece that will fit into a small room and then fold out into a comfortable bed. Great for you and for guests!


Here's a multi-functional piece, mamas! It's a desk and a bed! It has tons of space for storage, too. Here is a closed one...


... and here's what it looks like when opened! The desk is specially designed to stay level so that even when you pull down the bed, you can leave your laptop or notebooks on the desk and they won't fall off. Love it!


Speaking of desks, we all need organizers to make sense of the mess that inevitably piles up when work gets crazy. Here's a desk organizer I found. Lots of compartments for pens, highlighters, folders, paper clips, et al. I was hoping for more feminine variants, though, like florals or pink.


There are other desk organizers that aren't black, don't worry! They come in different materials, too, like faux leather, wood, and wicker.


Another fantastic find for the office (or your living room and bedroom) is this corner shelf. Definitely a great space filler and perfect for books, picture frames, and scented candles to calm your frazzled nerves.


Last but definitely will be the pièce de résistance of your home office—this unique bookshelf!

For more home and office finds, visit the store! MY MC Home has 2 branches: Level 3 MET LIVE Mall, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, 1302 Pasay City, and at MC Home Depot San Fernando Interchange, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 2000 San Fernando, Pampanga. You may also find more furniture and promos at their Facebook page www.facebook.com/mymchome and Instagram www.instagram.com/mymchome.

*This post is brought to you by My MC Home.

Everyone says Piero is my favorite. He's not. He's just my last. My last baby. That's really what it is. You push the first two out into the world. You hold back the last. It's a selfishness I relish while I still can. Sooner than I want, this littlest one will be launched into the world, too. And I'll be left behind. As I should. 


I mean, he just turned 5 last month! And in the one month since, he already thinks he's some hotshot conquering the world! This kid. Always hurrying up. Always thinks he's the biggest person in the room. Always thinks he knows best.


For his birthday, he wanted it at home. I insisted, "Don't you want to have a party at your preschool like your kuyas did?"

"Nope," he answered with derision. "Why would I spend my birthday with people I don't know?"

Why indeed.


He said he wanted an all-Oreo party because that's his name. "Don't you know my name, Mama?"

"I think I should know it given the fact that your Papa and I gave it to you."

"Well, it's not Piero. It's Pi-OREO!" Then he laughed at how clever he is. "I'm an Oreo Monster!"

So we had an Oreo ice cream cake, Oreos to eat with the cake, and Oreo ice cream sandwiches after! We had Oreos all frikkin' July because the Oreo Monster said so. And because he's my baby ("I'm not your baby anymore, Mama. I am FIVE!"), I buy him all the Oreos he wants. Every week.

(Send us Oreos please!)

For gifts, he didn't want a lot. Just some play clay and raccoon plushies. "That's also my name, Mama. Piero RACCOON Sales. Didn't you know?"

I didn't! What kind of a mother am I, I muse, as I take note that I have a wild animal as a son now. And just like a raccoon, Piero raids the ref and the cookie box all day long, he's aggressive, and he loves holing up in the dark like in his closet or in his pillow fortress with all his plushies.


Piero is, in many ways, the son who's exactly like his parents. It's fascinating—and worrying—how he has all our stubbornness, moodiness, and bad temper. But of course, right? He's our son. (How come the first two are also ours but aren't like us then?) I'm so glad Piero came to Vince and me because we know exactly how to deal with stubbornness, moodiness, and bad temper. Imagine if the stork had brought him to sweet and innocent parents??? He'd eat them alive. 

Well, to be honest, there were a couple of years back then when Vince and I also thought we wouldn't get out of this alive. This Piero! Our feral child! With our first two boys, they loved us immediately. With this littlest one, I always felt we had to earn his love and approval. How weird is that!

But we did it. We became better at parenting and now we have the sweetest little boy—just like his kuyas! Happy, loving, affectionate. We survived!!! Four is actually my most favorite age. And last year was wonderful! That was when we finally knew how to dance around each other and when I said to myself, "After 4 years, I think we've finally earned his respect!"

So 5 is fantastic! Piero still has a lot of moments when he'd say, "Why are you in my room? I want to be alone, Mama." Darling, you're 5! Why do you want to be alone? But because Vince and I are also loners ourselves, we understand and back off. He's the one most like Vince and me! 

Happy birthday, my wild one. You are the one who humbled me, who keeps me on my toes! You are exactly what our family needed and I wish I could keep you little forever because one day I will need to unleash you into the big wide world and they will think you are too much. Too honest with your words and emotions, too brave, too smart, too independent, too self-assured. And that's you at 5! Imagine that. What will you be like at 10, 15, 20 and beyond? We are already so proud of what you'll become!

Welch’s is 150 years old this 2019 and we celebrated with a purple party last weekend! I'm so happy to tell you all that Welch's has partnered with my blog to help in their mission to "Share What’s Good." So that means you can expect me to write about healthier nutritional choices from now on, mamas!


The Philippine distributor of Welch's is Fly Ace Corporation—another company close to my heart! Remember when I was a Jolly Mommy a few years ago? So happy to see Fly Ace President Lucio 'Jun' Cochanco Jr. again at the Welch's party! Sir Jun said that they're proud to carry Welch’s as it's not only a heritage brand but also one that is popular among Filipino families. He said, "We celebrate with Welch’s as it marks 150 years. It is a product that we are proud of since it is well-loved because of its nutritional values and the natural goodness that it gives to consumers. Moving forward, we want more Filipinos to share in the joy of drinking Welch's together especially during special occasions and family moments."


At the event, I shared the stage with gorgeous and super fit and healthy mommy Aliza Apostol a.k.a. @mustlovemom on Instagram. She's really been drinking Welch's since she was a child, and since her husband is a chef, their meals are always fresh and healthy. She's such a good example to me! I was so inspired to work out after being in her presence!

Anyway, one concern of health-conscious mommies that Aliza raised was the sweetness of Welch's. Well, we need not worry at all. Unlike other beverages that contain huge amounts of sugar and artificial coloring, Welch’s is vitamin-packed and 100% natural. Scientific studies show that grape juice made from Concord grapes contain natural sugars but compared with other forms of sugar, sugars in grapes are considered to be low in the glycemic index. Thus, grape (or grape juice in this case) is unlikely to raise one’s blood sugar significantly.

Erika says, "Each bottle of Welch’s is made from Concord grapes, assuring moms that they give their kids a large, concentrated amount of polyphenols which a natural plant nutrient that plays a key role in supporting a healthy heart. These same polyphenols contribute to the antioxidant power of 100% grape juice."

Another thing Aliza and I love about Welch's is it's not owned by a conglomerate. It's lovingly harvested from over 900 family farmer-owned vineyards across America. They then use the entire Concord grape – skin, seeds and all – to release the plant’s true polyphenol power. In fact, at least 20 grapes are squeezed into each 4-ounce glass. Imagine the vitamins and minerals in each glass of Welch’s that has nurtured generations of families not only in the Philippines but all over the world!

Speaking of families, here are a few of my favorite mom influencers that attended the Welch's event:

The Casa Mamas

April of Daily Dose of Brie and Feliz of Today with the Lucas

Louise of Mommy Practicality and Ina of The Asian Parent

Of course, since we were talking about good nutrition, there was a cooking demo!


Chefs Peachy Mathay and Trisha Ocampo shared delicious recipes with us, all of which had Welch's 100% Grape Juice as an ingredient! We had an appetizer, salad, dessert, and sangria! But the recipe below is my favorite:


Grape Salsa with Goat Cheese Crostini

Yield: 6-8

Ingredients:

I woke up today yelling this: "Holy shit!"

Sounds like a bad day but it wasn't haha I just forgot to set my alarm clock last night because it's a Saturday today and I always sleep in on weekends. But today was a busy day! One of my boys had a math competition at 8am (I woke up at 7 hence the panic!), then we had to pick up tons of toys from my sister-in-law who moved to Canada, then I had a parent-teacher conference at 11, and all of that on top of the neverending chores!

Just a typical day in my chaotic life! Now before you all go, "Oh, how cute. She's trying to be authentic," haha that's not the point of my kwento today. I was just thinking while I was doing the laundry that kahit na parang sobrang nakakapagod ng life ko, for me and for my husband, it is so perfect.

Well, sana mas marami kaming pera! And sana we had a cleaner house. And sana I can sleep 8 hours every night. And sana someone else cooked and cleaned. And sana Vince and I had more time for sex hahaha But seriously, hindi man the dictionary definition of perfection, it's really a wonderful life as is. And I want to declare that here because I complain a lot about my life. Vince even said last year that if people were to judge what I keep posting on Facebook, parang hindi ako masaya because I keep saying, "I'M SO TIRED!!!"

Well, I'm tired talaga but it's a good tired, you know? Yung kahit puyat ako, alam ko naman masarap ang baon ng mga anak ko. Yung kahit hindi ako nakalaan ng oras for self-care, alam ko naman na ready ang mga anak ko sa mga tests nila. Yung kahit I wanted sana to nap, okay lang kasi malinis at mabango ang labada ko. Gets???

And I know I could have all the stuff I mentioned and also get to nap and spend time for myself if I have a kasambahay but we decided na ayaw na namin ng mga issues na dala ng may ibang tao sa bahay. It's okay. Our exhaustion is the price we pay for having precious privacy and letting our kids learn how to be independent. Some people don't want that price and that's okay, too.

Which made me think about what we have to do to have the life we want. Yes, yun talaga ang point ng post na ito and sorry sa mahabang intro haha.

Mommying in the time of Instagram. If it looks too good to be true, just remember: It took a lot to make it look that good!

Yesterday, I was chatting with a mommy and she was upset because a relative told her she has to be more hands-on with her baby. I replied that her cousin is just reacting to all her posts on Facebook: She's at the gym, out shopping, lunching with friends, on a late dinner date with her husband. Parang wala nga naman siyang anak! And the mommy replied that she was going through really bad post-partum depression (don't worry, she agreed that I can share this). So she was just following her doctors' orders—get a lot of exercise, get out of the house, don't be alone with the baby, be around people. And to us who are just looking on, we don't see the whole situation. We see maybe na wow ang saya naman ng nanay na ito, nasa gym at mall palagi! But we don't see the deep reasons why she has to do all those "shallow" things. She wasn't saying the real reason because no one understands PPD anyway and she'll just get flack if she shares her situation.

So parang baliktad kami. On social media, I'm always like, "I'm so tired!" but I'm actually really happy. And siya naman, she seems like, "My life is so carefree!" when in truth, she's going through a very serious problem. And we ended our chat with her saying, "I'd rather people think I'm this shallow person than put myself and my baby in harm's way by ignoring my depression."

So that's the price she's willing to pay.

We all imagine someone else is living a better life than we are. Oh wow, she's so sexy. Oh wow, she doesn't look losyang. Oh wow, she has so many businesses. Oh wow, her kids are in so many enrichment classes. What we don't see is the hours she has to spend at the gym and the calories she counts. We don't see the hours and money she spends at the salon and the spa. We don't see the stress of managing businesses and people. We don't see that she has no time for herself anymore because she's the one shuttling her kids to this class and that sport and that activity.

The perfect life we imagine varies. I don't envy gorgeous and sexy mommies because I know what it takes for them to look that amazing and I'm just not willing to spend my time at the gym and deprive myself of rice! I don't envy mommies who travel a lot either because my family and I love chilling at home lang. Kakapagod umalis ng bahay potek. Gagastos ka pa! Stay home and read na lang. We've traveled farther than anyone who's jumped on a plane! We've gone inside the earth, the bottom of the sea, to space, and other worlds and dimensions!

You know whose lives look so amazing to me? Moms who have businesses kasi yun talaga ang gusto ko. I have my own writing business naman and it's thriving, but I'm aware I can earn more if I devote more time to it. But ayaw talaga namin ng kasambahay so eto ako, biding my time. I also want to start more businesses but yun nga, walang time pa talaga so when I see other mompreneurs, I get envious—but also inspired! But because I have many mompreneur friends, even though they look so amazing on social media, they tell me it's kind of hellish also.

So there. May perfect life ba? Wala. But we pursue what we want and sacrifices are made. Are we willing to give up so much to have the life we want? Of course! Are we willing to give up so much to have the life others have? Not so much. So when we see perfect lives, let's remember they have to go through a lot of shit to get there. Me, I seem to have this penchant of just showing the bad parts of my life but it's pretty perfect to me. I think I mentioned somewhere here before that I have this secret fear that if the Universe sniffs out how wonderful my life is, baka may bawiin kasi life has to be unfair.

Well, life is unfair. Even the amazing lives we see come with a price. All of us are willing to pay it as long as we get the perfect dream life. Our own version of perfect, of course, so when we see what others are doing to look great or do what they do or go where they go, let's just appreciate what we see kasi marami silang pinagdaanan or sinakripisyo para makuha yan (kahit ba hindi natin type yung ginawa nila or yung buhay nila haha). Ika nga ng isang napaka-wise na Pinoy saying, "Walang basagan ng trip!"

What we see online isn't the whole story. And while I would really really REALLY want everyone to just talk about how hard life is so that we can all fully appreciate what it takes for dreams to come true, I also know that many of us aren't comfortable with the ugly, the raw, the pain. So when people show their curated life, let's not say it's fake. Let's just be happy that what they show the world is their version of perfect!