Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Yaya Horror Stories, Woes and TRIUMPHS!

So here it is that dreaded post about Yayas and the never ending hunt to find the perfect ONE! Almost all mom-owned blogs has at least one of this, if not a lot of Yaya related posts in their blogs.

Veegee and I have been very lucky to find great Yayas for Miguel and Jaime. But this does not mean we’ve been spared from hiring the worst ones too! I don’t want to dwell on those who failed us but I just want to share that we too have seen them all! We had a Yaya that never spoke a word, we had one that left in the middle of the night, we had another one that asked Yaya Flor what she thinks will happen if she covers the face of the baby with a pillow while he sleeps!! This made me freak out by the way and I never let her touch my boys after what she said. We hired a Yaya who after a few days confessed she wasn’t a Yaya but a lady guard, and finally we had a Yaya whom we already bought tickets for a trip abroad and she backed out a few days before the actual trip! She said her husband suddenly didn’t allow her to go, then I eventually found out she never had a passport when she told me she had one before I booked her ticket! Completely my fault since I believed her when she said she left her passport at home!
Our Heaven sent Yayas! Yaya Flor (right) took care of Miguel since he was six-months-old and Nanay Julie (left) took care of Jaime since he was three-months-old. I owe them a lot! :)
Have you seen the Sex and the City movie where Charlotte feared losing her Nanny more than losing her husband? That was a great take on how dependent mothers are to people who help raise and care for their children. I cannot imagine raising my boys without the help of my two wonderful Yayas, Yaya Flor and Nanay Julie. That's why I truly salute and I am very proud of my sister Maureen, who is abroad and is taking care of her three kids all by herself!

My sisters and I had a  wonderful Yaya, Ellen stayed with us for almost 40 years! All my friends know her, she went with me everywhere in my teens. She was more like a Tita that really took care of me. She was with me in all the proms and parties I attended. Veegee courted her too so he could court me! :) We've been through a lot and I love Ellen! She would visit up until now and give the best "hilot" ever. She took care of me when I was pregnant and she was in every special occasion and event of my life. She wore the same color dress as my Mama when I got married and she was beaming! We would still have our funny conversations when I would call her up on her cell to just say hey. I miss her! :)
Ellentot! My one and only Yaya who took care of ME till I was pregnant!! We love her! My kids call her Lola Ellen! :)
With Sam (left) my assistant, she's been with me for TEN years, she is the best too! Ellen (right) was so happy the day I got married! :)


Sunday, May 19, 2013

10 Random Facts About ME! :)


This is a challenge post I saw in one of the foreign blogs I follow, I gave it a MID30sMOM twist by making it my TEN Random Things I want my Sons to know about me. These are facts about me that I want my sons to know when they get older.  I feel these bits of information will help them understand me better and know who I really am. So here it goes:

1. When I took the qualifying exam for Bachelor of Arts major in Journalism I told myself that if I didn’t pass I wanted to shift to Commerce and major in Business Administration instead. Around 130-150 students took that qualifying test and only 34-37 of us got in! My last two years in college was amazing! I was doing what I loved best and learning from the best professors, writers and editors in the Journalism industry.

My College buddies!! Katleya, Joanna and Emily.  We all still get together up until now!

2. I have an intense fear of cockroaches! I really, truly believe they can smell fear and they go after those that fear them the most!! The crawling ones scare me but the flying ones possess the power to give me a heart attack on the spot.


My boys obviously did not inherit my fear! They love their fake" ipis" and they always use it against me!!

3. I have a tiny mole in my inner right arm that Miguel discovered, which he named “itchy-itchy” he would touch and kiss it at least ten times a day. He would sometimes reach out and look for it even when he is asleep.

A candid picture of Miguel reaching out and touching "itchy-itchy" :) 

4. Jaime is named after the son of an Ex -Presidential Candidate that I truly admired. I still believe that he could have made a huge difference if he was given a chance to lead our country.

Jaime's full name is: JAIME INIGO AUGUSTO, he is also named after Veegee's dad!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tried and Tested Kids Products We Love!! :)

My boys are super low maintenance! Jaime has normal skin while Miguel has mild skin asthma that come and goes but aside from that I Thank God they are normal boys with typical needs.
After five years of being a mom I have established a list of my kids "go to products" all of which I trust and love. I'd like to share them with you here :)

1. Suave Kids Shampoo- These Hair Smoothers shampoo are great! They smell so good and make my kids hair soft and shiny. I know this for a fact because when I tried other kids shampoo their hair became course and dry. Also the scent are so delicious smelling they last and last even if the boys sweat a lot :)

The best smelling and softening shampoo for kids!

2. Calmoseptine- This is the best diaper rash cream there is! I've tried them ALL and I keep coming back to this. It's not available locally in tubes but you can buy it in sachets over the counter in Mercury. If you have relatives in the US it's best you ask them to buy for you since it is way cheaper there.

You only need a tiny amount of it to work and once applied it makes your baby's bottom wet proof! Thinly coat your baby's butt with this and I'm sure you won't have to deal with diaper rash. When my boys were breastfed I had no problems with diaper rash but once they started drinking formula that's when we first saw how terrible it is for a baby to suffer from diaper rash. Jaime never had to deal with terrible and painful diaper rash because we used this on him. It was Miguel my eldest who tried multiple diaper rash creams that did not work before we discovered this.

The only diaper rash cream that TRULY worked for my boys! :)


Some of the creams we tried... they all failed and did not work for us :(

3. Aceite Manzanilla Oil - my Pedia does not agree with me on this but based on personal experience this really worked for us. This simple product helped us get through a lot of difficult times specially when the boys were still infants. Whenever they had gas, colic or tummy ache we'd just rub this on their bellies and they feel so much better after.

Our miracle cure for colic, gas and stomach pains!

4. Aveeno Lotion- Miguel has mild skin asthma, this is the only lotion that calms his skin and help lessen flare ups, it moisturizes and soothes his skin. Keeping it baby soft and rash-free. One bottle will last around two months if used by two kids.

The only lotion that heals and calms Miguel's troubled skin :)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

BEFORE I BECAME A MOTHER….

Before I had my sons I never knew it takes someone really brave to be a MOTHER, someone strong to raise a child and someone special willing to love another more than herself.

Before I became a mother I slept as late as I wanted, partied as much as I want and shopped till I dropped.

Before I became a mother I always had a clean and tidy room, I never worried this much about dust and allergens in the air, and I never felt the need to memorize where all electrical outlets are located. I never thought I'd spend so much thought and effort on how to kill ants, mosquitoes and other insects that can harm my kids.

Before I became a mother I never tripped this much becauseof toys that are scattered all over the floor. I’ve never been accidentally hit on the face this much, kicked in the groin countless times and my hair has never been stepped on and pulled on this much.

Before I became a mother I never imagined how it is to be puked on, spit on, chewed on, bitten, pood on and peed on. I never knew I could laugh and cry at the same time, and I never realized I could operate with just a few hours of sleep a week.

Before I became a mother I never knew that a single tear from my own child could result to buckets of tears from me. I didn’t think it was possible to feel so much pain and have my heart break into a million pieces every time you know your child is suffering or is hurt. I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body and I’ve never worried this much before I became a mother.

Before I became a mother I never thought a simple smile, an uttered word or the smallest steps could make me gloriously happy. I never knew then how something so small could provide so much love and happiness to an entire household.

Before I became a mother I never knew that a special bond existed between a mother and her child. I didn’t think I had something special so as I could nurse a hungry child and then watch him look at me satisfied and then slowly fall asleep in my arms. I never imagined something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I became a mother I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a MOM. I had never known the warmth, the happiness, the satisfaction, the heartache and pains of being a MOTHER. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I became amother.

Before I became a mother I NEVER KNEW I HAD NOT LIVED, I never knew that I had a purpose, a mission and a goal. I’m looking forward to learn more, do more and be the best that I can be for my boys! Being a mother truly is the most rewarding and most challenging job on the planet!

That's me with Miguel, Jaime and our doll model  :)

My boys!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Do you believe in PAGLILIHI? My Untold “LIHI” story!

I’ve been searching the web for the English translation of PAGLILIHI and I can’t seem to find it! The words that come up are CRAVING andAVERSION, which for me are not the correct but the closest translation of “PAGLILIHI.” Which got me thinking.. Pilipino lang ba ang NAGLILIHI? Is it a state of mind we created? Do you believe in PAGLILIHI?

I am writing my untold and semi-embarrassing PAGLILIHI story here so I can share with you, whoever is reading my humble blog and for my boys so they have an idea of how I was when I was pregnant with them. First off let me explain that I am not into “showbiz” and “showbiz personalities,” it is simply not my thing. BUT every time I’m pregnant I seem to gravitate towards a certain local showbiz personality and seeing their face simply makes me happy!

Let me explain further; when I was pregnant with Miguel, Marimar was a huge hit! Dingdong Dantes’ face was everywhere from TV ads, newspaper ads and road billboards, it was hard not to see him everywhere. During the early weeks of my pregnancy I found myself watching Marimar everyday simply because I wanted to see Dingdong Dantes! My assistant even gave me PLDT call cards with pictures of Dingdong in various poses. I loved those call cards and I used them as my bookmarks for all the pregnancy books I read. I didn’t go crazy and set out to collect lots of pictures, just watching him on TV made me happy. I guess I loved seeing him because I secretly wished that my baby would look like him.

It’s a good thing I have a very kind and understanding husband, because I would repeatedly tell him “sana kamukha ng baby si Dingdong noh?!” he would just smile and agree.

Dingdong my PINAGLIHIAN when I was pregnant with Miguel!

Jaime’s story: A few weeks before I knew I was pregnant again we had a big family affair where celebrities were invited. That’s when I saw Jolo Revilla he wasn’t astonishingly handsome but he had gorgeous eyes that sparkled! He had kind chinito eyes that smiled even if he wasn’t actually smiling. I remember telling Veegee, “ang pogi pala ng batang yan in person!” He was kind and charming too. I never did find a picture of him anywhere after the event but the whole time I was pregnant with Jaime I’d always think of how I liked his eyes and how I was wished my next child would have kind chinito eyes too!

I loved looking at Jolo's chinito eyes when I was pregnant with Jaime!
So that’s it, other pregnant moms ask for food and other weird stuff while I was happy just seeing Dingdong and Jolo. Below are pictures of my boys and my PINAGLIHIAN side by side. What do you think?? Not bad right ..I think I got what I wished for both times! :)

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The BEST Way to Cleanse and Care for your FACE :)


You need to watch these videos!! I never thought cleansing and caring for my skin can be this complex! Isabelle Bellis shows us how to clean and moisturize our face the correct way. I totally love her French accent and how she emphasize that our skin should be "loved" and that cleansing and caring for it should be a relaxing and pampering experience.

French-born Isabelle Bellis is an epidemiologist, facialist and a holistic nutritionist. With her enviable locks, skin, and a svelte physique, she is the perfect Parisian to shed light on which grooming tips and tools we all should know and follow.





I definitely learned a thing or two from her videos! "PIANOTAGE" I love that word! :) Now let's see if I have the actual time to follow her tips! :)