Sharing my Blessings

Today, I am a year older.  My life is not perfect, but my blessings from the Lord are beyond measure!

To celebrate my birthday and to spread the love and happiness, I am sharing my blessings by giving away some of my favorite things :-)

• Sassy Haisies Headband

Donna  (1 winner)

Jill (1 winner)

Surprise  Design (1 winner) 

•  3M Post-It Gift Pack

Various Post-Its (3 winners)

• Starbucks Gift Certificate

Starbucks Gift Certificate worth P200.00 (1 winner)

• Nail Spa Gift Certificate

Express Hand and Feet Gift Certificate (1 winner)

You have until January 29, 2012 to join.  Just follow the instructions from Rafflecopter below.  I will announce the winners on Julia's 1st Birthday, February 4, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Death and Christmas

In 2009, my aunt was diagnosed with triple negative breastcancer.  After more than 2 years oftreatment, she died last December 11, 2011.  Six days after, my lola died in her sleep.

We are a close-knit family that’s why the sadness and pain thatwe feel is beyond measure.  There aretimes that I wonder what Christmas will be like for us after this.  

By listening to Pastor Jun Aguilar’s preaching last Sundayat Victory Fort Podcast, I was reminded that the celebration of Christmas isbeyond the family gatherings, the Noche Buena or the gifts we give and receive. It is also beyond our current situationor emotional state.  Christmas is acelebration of the birth of Jesus, God’s son, whom He sent for our salvation.

Whatever our situation is this Christmas, let us rejoice becauseJesus is with us!

Listen to the podcast here.

Lessons From My Dad #1

"Ikaw ang nagpatino sa akin," my dad said to me.


Confused and intrigued, I waited for my dad to continue.  He laughed at the fact that I, the one responsible for the major turning point in his life, couldn't remember the details.

My dad just got back from Russia.  Even at age 67, he was still requested by a shipping company to work for 4 months.  My dad is a seafarer, a Master Mariner, since the 1970s.  I can barely remember a time that I spent with him as a child.  My dad is soft-spoken, funny and sometimes reserved.

He started his story by telling me that whenever he was home with us, he would almost always be in a bad mood.  He couldn't really remember why he would get mad easily.  Maybe because of pressure from work or he was unfamiliar with our household routines or maybe because my brother and I were disobedient and unruly.   

One day, while he was angry at something (again), he heard me tell my mom, "Pabalikin mo na siya sa ship niya.  Lagi na lang siya galit dito.  Ayaw ko sa kanya."  

He couldn't recall how young I was at that time, but he can clearly remember what I said.  I was begging my mom to tell him to leave home and go back to "his ship".   He couldn't believe I actually told my mom that I don't like him because he's always angry.  From that day on, he never shouted at us again.

Lessons from my Dad #1:  It's not easy to earn a decent living.  Nevertheless, whatever your job is, it should never be an excuse not be happy and delightful toward our family.

Live in harmony with one another; love, be sympathetic, compassionate and humble...bless one another so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Quality Time

The most common dilemma of new working moms like me is how to manage time properly.  Things will not “just fall into place,” like what some people expect.  We need to make deliberate decisions to give time for what is important in our life.  You will have time if you allot time for it. 

Here are some activities we do to make sure we spend quality time with the family:

1.      Instead of driving separately, Don and I go to and from work together at least 4x a week.  The travel time from Quezon City to Bonifacio Global City (and vice versa) gives us enough opportunity to talk, argue, fight, laugh, etc.     

2.      No Cable TV inside our room.  We talk, argue, fight and laugh some more before going to sleep.  The TV and DVD is for Julia’s educational videos (oh but we sometimes sneak Modern Family and HIMYM re-runs into the DVD when Julia is asleepJ).  During early mornings and Sundays, we spend time reading and playing with Julia inside our room.

3.      Date night is a must and it’s not all about eating dinner or watching a movie.  It can be as simple as going to a grocery to buy household supplies, paying bills, (window) shopping, drinking coffee, attending a party, Bliss Hand and Feet Treatment, etc.  It doesn't matter how you spend it as long as you’re together.

4.      We share the bed with Julia.  She wakes up at 3-5am to drink her milk.  Luckily, most of the time, she sleeps again after.  If not, we make sure that either of us will spend time with her by playing with her toys or reading a book.

5.      Sunday is Julia’s day with Mommy and Daddy.  We take care of her and do some activities together.  This is also an opportunity for yaya and her grandmother to take some time off.

6.      Time-apart is as valuable as date night and Sundays with Julia.  We have activities that we do on our own.  I spend my me-time at Nail Spa, The Spa or I dine with my close friends.

Quality time is not just being together physically.  Sadly, I have seen families who dine together but are busy with their iPad, PSP, or phones.  No matter what the activities are, remember, communication builds relationships.  God-centered relationships build a happy home.

What other activities can you add to the list?

The Stork Studio: Super Like!

I was so excited to receive in my email the thumbnails of Julia's photo shoot last November 27 at The Stork Studio. It was our third time this year.

The first time was for my maternity photo shoot.  I was 34 weeks pregnant and it was our 7th wedding anniversary.  I usually shy away from the camera so kudos to Sophia Genato for making me feel comfortable.  She was so good that she was able to convince Don to pose with me for a few shots!

Julia was almost 2 months old when we scheduled our 2nd photo session at The Stork Studio.  It was a challenge but we had fun with Stanley Ong, who patiently adjusted to Julia's mood that day.
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Remember this outfit?  This was Julia's Halloween Costume at the Gymboree Trick or Treat Activity.  This is one of the great shots from last weekend's photo session.

This is my personal favorite.  Julia was wearing a beanie made by her Aunt Michelle.  She was giggling, laughing and clapping her hands.  It was a perfect ending to a fun-filled photo session.   

Beanies for Sweaties by Michelle Osman.