TOPAZ HORIZON

Good morning! This is me this morning right before I got up from bed, sent the boys to school and the playground, and had breakfast and devotions alone and in peace.

After my devotions, it was impressed on my heart that I should really blog with a higher purpose. Aside from sharing my life honestly and aside from earning money from it, I also ought to meet the desires of my readers (I'm calling you Loyal Readers from now on!), and that is they want to leave my blog with nuggets of wisdom and inspiration. I struggled with this request before, but I realized shortly thereafter that your request isn't a bad thing. It could possibly help me become a better wife, parent, human being! So let's do it!

Thing is, I'm struggling with blogging. Period.

First, two blogs. Keep both? Keep one? Make an entirely new one? I'm not updating Topaz Horizon regularly anymore. With my life now more focused on motherhood, it's my parenting blog Topaz Mommy that gets updated. It also gets more visits, obviously, and this blog's stats are on the decline. It's still high enough to attract sponsors but the numbers are definitely not up there anymore. I feel sad about this but I don't know what to do.

Second, my life is consumed by parenting so Topaz Mommy is what I enjoy updating. Should I just focus on parenting then and give up lifestyle blogging altogether?

Third, I also used to turn on my computer and just blog here when the writing bug hits me, but now that I'm older, I feel that that isn't wise anymore. I don't want to react to news anymore, to say my opinions while issues are developing. I've realized that many times I don't actually have an opinion because the issue doesn't affect me but because everyone is talking about it on Facebook, I'm forced to think about issues that seriously do not matter to me. What a waste of time and brain cells! And if I blog about my knee-jerk opinions (for page views since what's current will always attract more readers), then what a waste of time and energy, too!

So what does this mean? I don't know haha. I still like writing about current events, especially about entertainment! But then there's also a lot of concern now about images, and that putting credit and linking to source just isn't good enough. (In fact, I am slowly going through both blogs deleting pictures, even posts!, that have images I just grabbed from Google searches.) So if I can't afford to buy images of celebrities, then it's so corny of me if I talk about them and there are no nice photos!

So anyway, a few months ago, I asked on my Topaz Horizon Facebook page what I should do, and my readers said I should just keep one blog. Easier to maintain for me, easier for them to follow. Everyone said to ditch Topaz Mommy and blog about motherhood on Topaz Horizon because motherhood is on my horizon anyway. I'd do that except Topaz Mommy is so high up in the stats game so it doesn't make sense to me to give up the blog with the high stats! My friend, blog coach Martine de Luna, says that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, she says I can even start a new blog—new name, new look, new brand—and trust my Loyal Readers to follow.

I love my Loyal Readers!

Will you follow me when I create a new blog? Yes, when not if. The only thing stopping me is I can't come up with a name!

Then again, I'm so scared!

Anyway, I'm working on it. I'm thinking of a new name, a new look, a logo. I'm talking to someone about migrating all the content of Topaz Horizon and Topaz Mommy to that new blog. I'm also still setting aside money for the great migration and I don't exactly have a budget for that right now.

So no budget means I shouldn't do it haha.

Maybe I can just keep Topaz Horizon and move the Topaz Mommy content here, right?

I can't decide! But definitely I want a new look. Something cleaner yet happier. Wish me luck, Loyal Readers!

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Because I announced the new Lotus Biscoff Speculoos flavor of Dairy Queen last weekend, I'm getting free Biscoff for me and free Biscoff for... MY READERS!!!


Here's how to win:

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This lazy Saturday morning, I was absently browsing my emails and I got this in my inbox today and I immediately sat up and napaluwa ang mata ko from their sockets. Two of my favorite things just got married!!!

Well, having an affair lang pala because this pairing is only available for a limited time!!!

My favorite bread spread of all time (my husband Vince calls it my drugs) Lotus Biscoff and my sentimental dessert (there's a Dairy Queen in St. Luke's Global City so my prenatal visits, our pedia visits and every time I gave birth, we all enjoyed a DQ!) joined together to create two delicious desserts:

The Dairy Queen Blizzard Cake in Lotus Biscoff flavor
To celebrate Father's Day, the Lotus Biscoff caramelized biscuit was combined with Dairy Queen’s Blizzard Cake for a cool (pun intended!) cake that will go perfectly with his coffee. Surprise the fathers of your life (well, the ones without diabetes! My father and my father-in-law both have diabetes so nope, they won't get this cake. Sorry, Papa Jules and Daddy Mon!) with this limited edition treat. The Dairy Queen’s Father's Day Speculoos Blizzard Cake is only available till tomorrow, June 21, 2015!

The Lotus Speculoos Blizzard
Until July 2, you can get to taste the special flavor of Lotus Speculoos Blizzard. It features the caramel taste and crunchy texture of Biscoff cookies together with the sweet and creamy Lotus Biscoff Spread. And just like all Blizzards, this flavor will also be super thick and creamy that it will be served upside-down and it will still defy gravity!

Both are available in your favorite Dairy Queen stores nationwide! We're definitely getting a Lotus Speculoos Blizzard this week with the boys. Hope to bump into you, dear readers!

The last 15 minutes of Game of Thrones this week was the most stressful 15 minutes of my life this week. I think I almost died.

So watching the behind-the-scenes clip kinda takes out the horror.



"Row faster!!!" Vince told Jon Snow.

"They're not even rowing!!!" I yelled in terror.

I can't even. I think I'll have nightmares forever.

I can't wait for the next episode!!!

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When I had sons, I felt a little relieved that I won't have to become a gajillionaire to buy them clothes. I mean, they're boys. I don't need them to be fashionistas. I mean, it would be different if I had girls. I'd be buying my little girl a new outfit with matching shoes every week!!!

Boys are less pressure, style-wise. Boys are easy. And then I found Mango Kids. And then I decided I want to be mother-and-son cute with my boys! And then you have to check out these outfits I put together!!!
Vito is all about Batman these days, so he super loved this shirt. He also likes the black shorts because Batman equals black and so Vito loves everything black now, too.
We're both in gray tees and black bottoms! I like the tuxedo trousers. Very slimming! The formality of it strikes a balance with the message tee.

And I matched the coral handbag with the orange border of Vito's "Batman Crime Fighter" shirt.

On me: Message shirt with "I want to be your favorite hello, and hardest goodbye" design, Mango Basics Denims & Tees, P795; Black slim trousers, Mango Basics, P1,250; Pearl and studs necklace, Mango, P995; Coral handbag, Mango, P2,950. On Vito: Batman Crime Fighter shirt, Mango Kids x Batman, P795; Black shorts, Mango Kids, P1,450