It was heaven and hell. The best of times and worst of times. Bliss and pain. This was my first pregnancy. I've always wanted to be a mother and bear my own children so it was never really a question of whether I wanted to be pregnant or not. I just didn't exactly understand what I was in for. No woman can ever claim to be completely ready for it after all. My mother, mother-in-law and every other mother I was friends with were generous in sharing with me their own experiences of pregnancy at the time. From their stories, I have come to see that it is a unique journey for every woman and Read More
Free Moms Day Cards!
Because her mere presence and the sound of her voice almost instantly sets our hearts at ease. Somehow when she's close, we know we're home... I know that's how I feel about my Mom. Specially during days when I'm frazzled and up to my neck with my own children (hahahuhu!). Thank goodness we have appointed a day in the year where all children around the world are reminded of just how precious Moms are. So in celebration of our Mothers and us Mothers, I've created these fun 3 x 4 inch Moms Day cards you can use as gift tags, note cards, giveaways and even as Project Life inserts! And Read More
Josephine Turns Two
I seem to have to constantly remind myself that my youngest, Jo, is not exactly a baby anymore. Sure, she's MY baby but she really is no longer a baby. I guess that's really a thing with youngest children. Because there's nobody after them they get to keep the "status" and the special treatment that goes with it. Well, Jo turned two exactly a month ago. And I really feel like that was so fast. Yes, I'm definitely ecstatic and thankful that Kayo and I are going this long without getting pregnant again, but at the same time, I'm wondering, where did all that time go? Then I look at Jo, watch Read More
Chilling Out With Summer
Summer turned five last month. I didn't make any plans for her birthday because Summer had made plans herself. The older this girl gets, the more she wants to take control of things. Of course, as much as she would like to, we don't just let her take charge of her life or let her have everything she wants. But we let her take over some things, like plan for her birthday celebration! Well...to an extent. She was pretty specific about her requests. She even drew them out so I would know exactly what she wanted and not forget. Thankfully, there wasn't anything in her list that was way Read More
No Fun Day
Our family of five has been having a streak of random days lately. Days spent doing random things not because we just feel like it but because whatever we had planned out did not quite work out. Sounds exciting, but when you're supposed to be getting things done and end up with nothing, it's no fun. Like the other week, we made plans of going to the National Museum to take advantage of the free entrance. We headed there and was greeted by a very long queu of people waiting to get inside. We stood in line for five minutes then decided to just come back another day even if we have to pay because Read More
I’m Sorry. I Forgive You.
There has been so much screaming, bickering and hair pulling between these two the last couple of days, way too much for my ears to take. It has been very difficult for me, of course, but I can just imagine how much worse it is for them, having to try to understand each other when it's already so difficult to properly express themselves, much less control their emotions. I do my best to keep them at peace with each other, which sometimes means having to keep them apart. But they always find themselves wanting to play together, so they do until the next squabble starts. I know these little Read More
By the Hospital Bed
Last week was a tough time for our family. It was Saturday, 2am when we we had to rush Summer to the ER because of an alarmingly high fever. She undertook some tests which, later on, revealed that she had dengue. She had to be admitted right away and when I heard those words, all I could really say was "okay." The next few hours seemed to have progressed so swiftly. Next thing I knew, it was 7am, Summer had an IV on her and I was cuddling her to sleep in a cold hospital bed. Turns out, there's no aggressive way to defeat dengue. There's no cure for it. So we spent the time trying to get Read More
Keep Shining, Momma!
I came across this quote the other night and thought it was so sweet and simple that I decided to quickly turn it into a little artwork. And it's dedicated to all Moms. Our families count on us to give off some light everyday — to guide, to clarify, to strengthen, to heal, to refresh, to nourish, to encourage. Most of the time it's difficult and and can get really overwhelming, but know that in the big things and the small things that we do, we make this world a little bit brighter each day. So we must. We must go on. Keep shining, Momma! Have a wonderful Mother's Day! Read More
Three Little Girls and A Sleepless Momma
The level of crazy at home has gone up a whole 'nother level since baby Jo arrived over three months ago. In case you are unaware, I have two other daughters, both under the age of four, and I am also a stay at home mom with no helper or nanny. With the new baby, I'm nursing round the clock, every three to four hours, on top of all the household chores, toddler activities and graphic design work. You probably think I'm crazy for getting myself into this but it was a decision my husband and I made from the very start. Aside from the fact that having a maid or yaya is expensive, we are Read More
Our Jo
Exactly three weeks ago, on October 16 at 4:44 am, I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. She wasn't expected to arrive for another week or two but she decided to come early! And I'm pretty glad she did because she turned out to be quite a big one! The biggest of my three, she weighed just a little over 7lbs and was 51cm long. If she had waited a few more weeks, I probably would have had a much more difficult time giving birth. But she did come and it was such a pleasant surprise! Kayo and I named her Frances Josephine. Kayo has always wanted to name one of his kids after a Read More