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5 Quick Rules to Purging Your Closet

I'd been toying with the idea of a capsule wardrobe for four years now.  I loved the idea of a personal uniform.  The thought of never having to try on two or three tops or dresses before settling for a regular item in my wardrobe felt liberating.   After moving to our first apartment I had to let go of half of my clothes.  3 years later we bought a house which was even smaller (and had no closet) and I had to let go of 3 balikbayan boxes worth of clothes.  Purging became easier and easier each time partly because I now have the option to buy clothes I actually like since my income has improved over the years. So here are 5 quick rules that make purging easier: 1.)  You Don't Like It Why keep something that makes you crinkle your nose or roll your eyes or even snicker every time you see it?  There is no shame in getting rid of an unwanted gift even if it is from an in-law, your mom, your best friend or even your spouse.  This applies to bags and shoes too.  Sell it online to so
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So You're Pregnant.. Now What?

For the recently preggy out there, if there are any of you reading this, this is about being pregnant and some of those weird side effects it brings. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. The First Trimester: You may not know that you're pregnant until you realize you haven't had your period since.. maybe you can't remember.  Maybe a little test kit confirmed it for you with a faint pink line next to a clear pink line. What you might feel: -constant sleepiness, sluggishness and general laziness, this will probably show on your face too -a frequent need to pee -feeling bloated -weird mood swings, being weepy or irritable -"morning sickness" not necessarily in the morning.  This doesn't happen to everyone.  For some it lasts longer, for others its a vomiting episode or two, and some just feel obligated to feel vomity. -your boobs might be sensitive or achy -your sense of smell may be at par with your dog.  You smell everything and not everyth
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Working Mommy

I don't like going to work.  I don't like leaving my kids at home and spending only 3 waking hours a day with them but work I must so I trudge to work five days a week, 10.5 hours a day + roughly 3 hours in transit. I love my job.  It gives me some measure of independence, the people I work with are nice, and it pays good.  I just don't like leaving my kids at home.  To you stay at home mommies out there, I envy you.  I hope that one day I can find a source of income that will allow me to actually be a full time mom to my kids. Some days are tougher than others.  Some days I'm happy I have an excuse to be out of the house, dress up, and eat out.  Most days though I just miss my boys and think of how much time with them I'm missing or how much more advanced they would be if I had the time to teach them.
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The Mommy Hospital Bag

Happy New Year! It's a new year, everything feels fresh and before getting back into the daily grind, I would like to write.  My first topic this year: The Mommy Hospital Bag 2017 for me seemed to be the year of the buntis, with batchmates and friends popping up kids or announcing kids on the way, with twins and triplets even! One of my dearest and oldest friends asked me to text her what she should pack so here is my no frills hospital bag checklist/s with the "why's" for each item: For Mommy: ID, Philhealth card, MDR or Member Data Record from Philhealth (download then print), and your Admitting Orders from your doctor - have these ready in an envelope  Glasses if needed Phone and charger!!! (I'll post a separate blog on useful apps for moms-to-be)  pack your earphones too A light jacket - hospital air-conditioning is generally sleepy-cold temperature Hair ties / head bands - at least 3 hair ties since you might lose them, these are just to keep
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Its Okay to Take A Break.

Being a mom isn't easy.  I don't think it is whether you're a stay at home mom or a working mom, I've tried both and they both have challenges even with full time help. It's physically and emotionally exhausting and there are days when I alternate between feeling like I'm losing my sanity and wallowing in guilt.  Guilt for being short tempered, guilt for letting the house get messy, guilt for not pumping enough milk, guilt for not making more of an effort to stay connected with my friends, guilt for gaining weight or not painting my face, or not using hair conditioner-- oh the list goes on and on and on. It all comes down to not having enough time.  Say what you will about time management, and I will tell you this:  there are a finite number of hours in a day and there is only so much multi-tasking and hacks you can do to get the most out of them. 1.5 hours to get ready for work, eat, pump milk 1.5 hours travel time to work 10.5 hours of work 1.5 hours
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The Expanded Maternity Leave Bill

A month into maternity leave. My second child was born on July 19, 2017.  He's a healthy baby, large for me at 8 pounds and 60 centimeters.  Soon to be Pinay mommies must have heard about the new maternity bill approved by both congress and senate and are probably jumping for joy.. just like I was up until June this year. Sorry ladies, the bill still needs the president's approval and it doesn't seem to be a priority right now.  There hasn't been a relevant update on the bill's status and implementation since March 2017. Under the new bill, Senate Bill 1305, the Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017,  mothers can avail of 120 days maternity leave from the current 60 days regardless of civil status or the child's legitimacy.  30 days of these may be transferred as well to an alternate caregiver and fathers'paternity leave will go from 7 days to 30 days. Here is the proposed bill: Expanded Maternity Leave What is unclear under the new bill is the SSS
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Love at 88 Years Old

I work for one of the companies of a very wealthy family.  Today, I was called to the matriarch's office.  I didn't expect it was more for a short chat than it was to address a complaint or receive instructions. The lady is 88 years old.  Far from being a "sweet old granny" she holds a formidable reputation of having equally contributed to building their conglomerate alongside her husband.  Stern, sharp and frank, she's considered quite scary actually.  Our conversation was short, but what struck me was how warmly she spoke of her husband and how she missed him still a year after he passed.  The statement was simple, but it got me thinking, after 50 or more years of marriage, this lady missed her husband still.  I passed a glass enclosed jar with portraits of the husband on my way out and I presume those are his ashes. I love my husband.   We've been married for a little over a year but have been together for 5 years.  I don't feel any less in love, in
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We Got Married for 180k, This is How It Looked

  Marriage is a choice for a lifetime that we both made, but the wedding itself.. its my biggest project! I got married at a cost of 180k, 183k to be more exact. It was great wedding, with enough pouf and ceremony to mark it as an important day in our lives but it was low key enough that 1.) it didn't empty our bank account and 2.) we didn't need to solicit anything from anyone. We'd been living together for a year when we got married.  Out little boy had just turned 3 a few days before the wedding and was the cutest, most solemn ring bearer.  With the new expenses of maintaining our own house, a child, 2 cars and anticipating incoming school expenses, an expensive wedding just didn't seem practical to us. So how did we do it?  There are so many wedding blogs and magazines out there showcasing beautiful weddings, and I wanted that.  I was on Pinterest daily looking for inspiration and trying to firm up the details in my mind.  The thing with these featured
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