TOPAZ HORIZON

The babies are asleep. I've put polish on my nails (OPI Glitzerland on my fingers, Dazzle Dry Evening Song on my toesies) and now I'm rushing this post because in an hour the fireworks will begin in earnest and the kids will wake up.

I'm happy. I want the kids to wake up because though they tire me out all day, I miss them when they're asleep. That's why I can't find the time to blog anymore. Blogging requires sitting down. I don't sit down. I lie down hehe. It's the pregnancy. I've been rendered useless. I'm so grateful that Vince is really doing everything (thanks, babe!). I know he has other more important things to do than cleaning the house—that's why we desperately need a kasambahay—but as of now, he's the main man of the house, doing absolutely everything except cook. I enter my second trimester this week so I am hoping I'd feel better. I'm oh so ready for 2014!

So the year in review:
1. We got to travel a lot! We went to Tagaytay often. We went to Batangas. We went to Hong Kong, and we're flying to Cebu this week. When I was working, I was so busy, I never went anywhere!

2. We lost our household help but this has resulted to so many wonders. I knew my husband has always been in love with his kids, but when the maids left, he's sooo good with kids pala! He's an expert diaper changer, babysitter, teacher, playmate.

Many moms tell me their husbands are useless when it comes to childcare. Well, let your husbands be fathers, too! Let them wipe the poop, mop up the pee, feed the kids, read to the kids, discipline the kids as well as play with them. Let your husband spend more than a few minutes with his kids! Don't allow him to give you the baby once the baby poops or cries. Most of us wives don't let our husbands get involved because we think our hubbies are already tired from work and should be spared from the less fun aspects of fatherhood. I say you're cheating them out of fatherhood when you do that!

3. We made our second investment. Financially, we're really okay, which strikes people as so strange since technically, both Vince and I are unemployed. Sound money decisions in the past years have led to our early retirement. Now, we're not rich at all. In fact, I know our families are worried for us (hehe) but we're working very hard on writing projects, which help with the daily expenses. Then we'll (maybe) look for jobs when the kids go to school because education can be expensive. But, for now, we're happy with what we have.

4. Because of the yaya/maid-less situation, I've had to put work in the back burner. I really thought I'd only rest for six months then look for work again by June. I've had many amazing job offers, too. But the lack of domestic help made a new career impossible.

Well, not really. My mommy blogging career took off. I was asked to be digital brand ambassador for Sangobion, Lotte Xylitol, Vicks, Pampers and Smart. I never thought that would happen, seriously. I'm, like, old and flabby. And I'm not a celebrity! So I'm grateful that I was asked to be a brand ambassador because I'm a mom that people trust, not because I'm gorgeous or hot or famous. I'm just me!

5. Our family is getting bigger! I got pregnant again! We're so thrilled really. I want four kids but Vince said three is good. He's hoping for a girl, I'm hoping for another boy, but we're both praying for a healthy kid who's as cute and as smart and as affectionate as Vito and Iñigo.

Our sons are really our source of joy, Vince and I. Our marriage has been immensely blessed by our two boys. Their wonder at life, the way they laugh and play, their funniness and playfulness, even drama sometimes, make every single day a joy to live. Today, the boys kept running to our arms to kiss and huggle. They loved it. We loved it. Vince said, "When my life flashes before my eyes, I want this to be one of the memories."


I'm so blessed. Some people say I shouldn't say I'm so blessed. In fact, on my birthday a few weeks ago, someone actually said he wished me less happiness because too much happiness makes people forget the important things in life. I was really upset with that "wish." I'm happy because my life is focused on what truly matters: my husband, my children, my relationships. My career isn't even important anymore, neither is my looks (I'm fat now!!!) nor my material possessions. I'm just happy to spend the days with my boys. Why would anyone wish me less of my boys? I immediately prayed that God will block the curse this person placed on me!

If there's anything this year has taught me, it's that letting go of many urgent things allows more of the important things to come in. In many ways, my life was emptied out this year, but my life has never been so full! My word for 2013 was "simplify" and when I simplified my life, it became more great. How amazing is that!

My God, I am in awe of Your goodness and grace! I deserve none of this goodness because I've been so evil for so long, and yet, because I asked You to be in my life, You have truly fulfilled Your promise to give me life and for me to live life abundantly!


This 2014, I resolved to let God use my writing to bless my readers with His Word as I have been blessed. Don't worry! My blogs will still be super fun. But I realize that I've been keeping my source of joy, comfort and strength from you all by not talking to you about my God. So all you see is the product (the happiness) but you don't see the fountain and the foundation (my Lord and Savior).

For 2014, my word will be "family." This year showed me that I am still so far away from being the wife and mother God wants me to be. I mean, I'm okay. I think I'm doing a good job. In fact, I've always thought I've been doing a good job, until I started studying "Power of a Praying Wife" and "Power of a Praying Parent," then my eyes were opened to all that I still need to do and be so that I can be a true servant to my family. So this 2014, I want to be a better wife and a better mother, a woman who is happy to be of service, to give all the love I could give every day of my life for as long as I live. And it starts today, January 1, 2014.

Happy New Year! God bless you all with abundance in love, friendship, laughter, good health and wealth!

My dear friend Kat Dy is getting married in exactly 3 weeks. Vince and I are ninong and ninang!!! We're just a few years older than Kat and Pat so we were really surprised haha, but the couple explained that they got people who are happily married. Besides, if they got old people, by the time they might need guidance in their marriage, the oldies would be dead!

So the motif colors are gold, blush pink, navy and cream. I don't have dresses yet (there are two ceremonies). I'm putting off shopping because my pregnant shape is changing. I'm always heavily bloated during my first trimester, then weirdly enough, when I hit the 4th month, my body becomes nice and shapely. The bloat goes, the boobs come, the fat transfers to where curves should go. So weird.

While I may not be getting a dress yet, I'm definitely buying my gowns from Karimadon. I've always shopped at Karimadon for special occasions, beginning with my high school graduation 19 years ago. Thank goodness for online shopping, I've checked out Karimadon's online shop and narrowed down my choices to these lovelies:
Say hello to Felicity. This is my top pick! It's so goddess! Of course, I don't look anything like Marian Rivera but this is just so gorgeous! It comes in many colors but of course I'll get royal blue for the wedding. Only P2,499!

My second choice is Rose. I love the soft drape, the simple embellished belt, the exposed shoulder. Available in red and black, too, for only P2,999.

If I'm not too big by next week and if I can squeeze into this corset gown, maybe I'll get Juliet. But this one I actually want to check in the store first. Kat wants gold or cream. I have to see the color in person to see if it's just what the bride wants. This is also available in teal for P4,999.

I love this! This is Alexia. I need to see this in the store, too, because this is actually violet (the other colors are black and red). If it's a blue violet, I think I'll get this. It's just P3,299! Plus, the V-neckline will make it easy to breastfeed Iñigo.

Thanks, Marian, for modeling these lovely gowns. You are quite fetching yourself!

Go check out Karimadon's online shop to see more fab dresses. Just please don't buy all the ones I like! I'm shopping next week!

Proud daddy Vince said, "Why are you still keeping it a secret?"

Why indeed? So here goes:

We're pregnant again! We are so thrilled and happy and so excited!

We've known since my birthday a little over a month ago so that was the best birthday gift. Then we waited for a new ultrasound to check if Baby Chicken has a heartbeat and, hooray, the baby's heart is beating strong so the baby is the best Christmas gift, too!

Baby Chicken is the nickname of the baby now. We named our baby-in-the-tummy after candy (Vito was Jelly Bean, Iñigo was Wiggle, you know, like the sour worms) so this third baby was supposed to be Gummi Bear. But Vito took one look at this, saw the egg shape, and promptly said, "Hi, Baby Chicken!"

Hi, Baby Chicken! We can't wait to meet you! Be strong and healthy in Mama's tummy! We love you!

Have you watched Frozen? We watched it last week and now the whole house is reverberating with the soundtrack with everyone singing, "For the first time in forever," "Love is an open door," and of course, "Let it go! Let it go!"

Between Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, I relate to Elsa more. Maybe because I'm the eldest sister, maybe because we also have a family secret, maybe because I ran away from home, too.

Yes, I ran away. But it didn't start with me. The situation at home was so bad that my parents were the first to abandon ship. One day, they just packed up their clothes and our 10-year-old sister and they left. They left me, my younger brother, and my older brother and his wife and three kids. Yes, my parents left first but that's okay since we were all adults. I can't explain how bad things were but if it scared off my parents from their own house, then you must believe me when I say it was bad. I actually wish they had stayed away. Maybe my mother would still be alive today if she hadn't come back.

Anyway, I was left to carry the burden of that household. My sister-in-law helped but she had four other mouths to feed. She left soon after, too, but while I understand why she left, I do not and will never agree with parents abandoning their young children, and that's all I'll say about that.

Vince saw how my soul was slowly being crushed and he told me repeatedly, "You have to leave that place," but I was scared. "What would people say? I have no money. How would I live? Don't bad things happen to girls living on their own? My parents always said good girls only leave home if they have a husband. I don't have a husband. What would people say?" But the situation at home was getting worse and finally, one dark and terrible day, I packed up and left, too.

It was so sudden. There was no plan, no place to move into, no nothing! I had no money when I left and I took just a bag of clothes, shoes and books. Funny how when you need to leave, you suddenly realize you only really need a few things. I had no money at all but I had a job that paid just P8,000 a month (and my rent was 4K!), friends who helped me look for a place to stay (and it was actually a really nice place, too!), and of course my lifesaver Vince.

I lived hand-to-mouth for a while, often the electricity was cut off, sometimes I relied on my friends to feed me, sometimes my roommate and I scraped the sauce from a tin of tuna and laughed at how poor we were, and sometimes (not all the time!) when Vince and I ate out, I stuffed all the tissue paper in my bag because I couldn't afford to buy toilet paper! Haha! But I was finally having the time of my life. There was no money but, wow, I was alive! No fear, no guilt, no shackles, no pretense. I was free, I was happy, I was finally me.

Whew! Funny how a Disney movie brought me back to more than a decade ago! I'd actually forgotten that I ran away from home! But when Queen Elsa unleashed her power finally, I was just transported to that 24-year-old me, afraid at first then getting stronger with each day of freedom!



Not a Demi Lovato fan but I think this song is perfect for her and vice versa. She also broke out of that "perfect girl" image and I think she's much much happier now. Like me! Go watch the movie and tell me who you are: Elsa? Anna? Neither? Both? Have fun at Frozen this weekend!