Mother's Day 2015

Hi guys! Let me begin with this month's first post with the Mother's Day celebration I shared with my mom. This year's gathering for the moms in our family was the simplest in all our years that we've celebrated. Well, to share some good news, both me and my brother just bought our new homes, so we're kinda in the process of fixing, managing and adjusting to the new life we have now. 

My brother and I with our families went to our hometown to honor our Mom.

With my sisters and our mom

My dad prepared turbo- broiled liempo, shrimps, grilled tuna with pako salad, and then we ordered our favorite pancit from Isaw Haus. The evening went on with talks on our new homes, future plans and of  course the grandchildren, who are growing so fast.

As always, events such as this, is a moment when we can bond together so we try to come up with something where we can all see each other even with our busy schedules.

As for my own mother's day celebration, my husband got an advance gift.

Starting The Year with A Prayer

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen.

Another Rewarding Performance

From the last weeks of October to the first weeks of November, we have been very busy with school practices for the foundation day presentation of my son. Every 2 years, the school prepares for a huge musical play and of course, the guests of honour were us, the proud parents. 

This year, they performed an adaptation of Ibong Adarna. It was nice to watch and refresh my mind of the story which I last read when I was still in high school.  At the same time, seeing my son perform once again is joy to my heart. His performance in this adaptation has leveled up. He led the group to a dance interpretation of a certain role from the story.

The show was held at the Meralco Theater. The production was bigger than the last show 2 years ago. This time around, Frankie's younger brother was present to enjoy and appreciate this colorful and lively performance on stage. He was dancing as he watched which was clearly a sign that he is ready for school this coming year. 

Here's to another milestone! I guess, the next celebration is going to be hectic but more fun and memorable simply because both my boys will be performing on stage together.

A Wonderful Journey 2014

As for my wishlist for 2014... all I ask for are continuous blessings: Good health for the whole family, more milestones as an individual and as a parent, a stronger form of protection against harmful elements, lots and lots of laughter and love...

2013 was a productive year for me. I learned a lot of new things. Though I kept on saying that starting a business is way away from my thoughts, it seems like opportunity itself keeps on knocking. A business may work but not in the near future. I see 2014 as a year for improvement, still a lot of things to learn and to experience, as I also need to establish knowledge and my foundation as an entrepreneur. The important thing right now is that I have my family's blessings. From my husband, my parents, my siblings, my in-laws and even our friends. The shower of support is just overwhelming.

It's really hard to point out what I want in terms of material or monetary blessing because time keeps on changing and so these things. For me, the best option for now is to work hard then later on reward myself with something I really want. It doesn't have to be in an instant, but the thought that I'm able to save up for something is already rewarding enough that maybe later on, will make me decide to keep it and save some more.

To sum things up, all I want is a continuous happiness and contentment. With these two around, life with surely grant one of a kind experiences as I grow for the next year/s to come. A wonderful journey worth remembering and meant to be shared.  Whatever is in store for me, I will love it and welcome it with open arms.

4 Things I Juggle Everyday

25% Chores- Everything I do to have a clean house and a healthy environment

25% Blogging- Online activities

-photo source-

25% Playing World of Warcraft- my ultimate de-stresser

25% Relaxing- Meditation. Detaching both body and mind from the world of WORK

-photo source-

What happens to family life (which is obviously not included above). Family is on a different level. When it comes to my 2 boys, I always give 100% of my time, whether work around the house is finished or not. Prioritizing the most important to the very least. Family comes first, the rest follows.

For some, socializing might probably be considered as part of the 100%. Others, their hobbies and work. Travel may also take a position. It may sound and look easy but it's not, because I am a busy mother. My life is spent inside the house 24/7 and without a helper. So far, after taking my everyday life on a different perspective, everything is working out pretty well not only for me, but also for my family. A person once told me that there is no such thing as time management, it's Life per se that we need to manage in order to achieve our goals everyday. Believe it? I do. Result? After a busy day for a regular housewife, I still manage to give that 50% of the day to myself. It's great! Oh! make that 75%.

Photography Where Do I Stand After 2 Years

1. Learning  never stops

Some people asked if I will be upgrading to another camera. Yes, I will be upgrading but not yet. One reason why I want to enroll for Photography lessons is because I want to become knowledgeable of the things that works around in this field.

I want to go through the process. Study, Learn, Experience and get Certified. From there, it's going to be managed well. They say it's the eye and the imagination working. True. I strongly believe in that. Because for the past 2 years I have been using the cheapest gadgets you'll find in the market today, and I'm proud to say that my work has been getting credits. They may not be great, but seeing the fruits of my imagination in a picture  is something. Using a basic kit will put you to the test. 

• Maximize the user manual, the cds that came with the kit. 
• Everything is going to be useful and always take your time. 
• Don't pressure yourself with what's hot and what's not. 
• Join forums, buy readings (magazines, books), subscribe to Photography lessons online,
• Don't be shy to ask fellow enthusiast
• Learn from criticisms
• Look beyond the usual and
• Practice, practice, practice.

2. Photography is not yet a passion for me. I define passion as something that our hearts truly desire. Something that  we wouldn't miss in a day not talking about it or even not thinking about it. Passion is something that makes us feel complete. 

Dictionary meaning: Boundless enthusiasm

As for me, I stop when I don't feel like it. I know it contradicts the whole fact that I want to take lessons. (which will lead you to point #3 if you'll read further) I'm still  in the process of making discoveries. Photography is not going anywhere. And as time goes by, even a non- professional knows that new tips and tricks will just add and add and add, it will never die out.

I discovered my interest for taking pictures 5 years ago when I already have my own family. The idea : is loving to capture moments and milestones.

Just last Sunday, my Dad gave me a new backdrop for my portraits. Actually with that sweet gesture, it made me realize that I've  pulled-off from taking pictures for a very long time.  That's why I'm blogging about it right now, it made me think again.

3. Only time can tell

I used to have the luxury of time. Now, I still have the time but very limited. I'm kinda stuck in the middle right now. I thought that I will be able to achieve a goal this summer. Too bad, I wasn't able to... I was looking forward to summer because I was hoping to enroll in Basic to Advance Photography.

With one event, everything changed. After Typhoon Ondoy's wrath, my husband and I immediately grabbed the opportunity to transfer to a safer location. That sudden move made a deep impact to our line of priorities and goals.

The turn of events from moving out to moving in, adjusting my son's travel to and from school, following up refund of deposits made, and to add the heat summer has brought us, at the end of the day, all I want to do is to go straight to our room and rest with the Ac on full blast.With these activities, I was even caught unaware that in a few weeks, it's time to enroll Franky for school again. Where do I stand now? when is the best time to study Photography? As a mother, I always give way for my family's sake. You know what, time will tell. As of now, all I wanna do is concentrate on my family first. I want to open myself to whatever life has in store for me. "In Life's own time, not mine"  Besides, even if I'm old I can still take pictures. I just want to take it step by step and make sure that I will not miss a thing  with Motherhood, which is very important It works best for me this way.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners.

Little Green Thumb

We all had our Monggo seed planting moment right? I planted mine in a soft layer of cotton with water. And it drew out my curious side and eventually, led me to confusion. It was weird thinking why my seed grew from a piece of wet cotton.

Well, my son's experience was far different from mine. Thank God they got rid of that cotton theory and Franky was asked to bring a cup of good soil for planting.

Looking at my son's heartful work from planting a seed to growing a plant, was another moment for me to cherish.

I didn't even recognize that he planted monggo seeds, I thought it was peanut.
Smiley Face

His mission, to keep the plant alive by watering it everyday. Next, I'll teach him to plant vegetables that we can also use for cooking.

Happy Tuesday to you guys!