Normally, I'd be doing the laundry on my own while my son is busy exploring our backyard.


This time, however, the washing machine broke so I had to do it by hand. It's one of those "Fuuuuuu-!!!" moments where you really need to get chores out of the way so you could work.

(Are you a work at home mom like me? Find out here!)

My husband just got home from work with hardly any sleep, so there goes my assistant. And since child labor is illegal in my country I had to come up with something else.


So what do you do when you can't "make" your child do the chores with you? And I though *POOF!* Turn it into playtime!

Yep, I found a loophole.


If course at first I scrubbed and washed the clothes with my own hands. It's just after two pairs of pants and a towel I got really tired.

My arms are so thin they'd snap if you jokingly chopped them. That's the sum of my physical strength, so I ended up using my feet. Not my head, dears.


I made sure to wash my feet really well before going in and did the same for my son. And wow, he really enjoyed it!


We each had our own buckets, a small one for a small guy and a bigger one for the lazy mom @_@. What's challenging is coming up with a way to make this Not Boring for my kid.

At first we did the Marching in place, obviously. Then we started "killing" the bubbles and then flattening the bloating clothes.


We did this for about 30 minutes, a good enough mimic of a washing machine cycle? Probably not, but what the heck, my arms already felt like jelly so I used what other limbs I had.


In the end he got bored and I decided to let him swim on his own Big bucket while I rinsed the laundry.

It was tiring, and took a while but at least my son and I got to do something together. I wasn't "too busy" for him and I was able to do my laundry at the same time!


Awesome, right? Who else feels like a winner today?

Most of my life was driven by fantasy.

As a child there's no better coping than a fantasy story that's more meaningful than mine. I loved the idea of tree nymphs, ancient gods bickering since the beginning of time and the demon inside my heart. A mountain of books and movies fed me; they formed my world of wonder and they fueled me.


What I imagined was infinitely better than what I had, at least that was my logic.



I wanted to see the world, you know, have and adventure like everyone else. But the world of wonder I chose was not tangible, they were shortcuts and although it's so easy to visit it simply isn't real. I wasn't grounded, my head was up in the clouds.

No matter how hard I dreamed of the greener pastures in New Zealand or the aurora it never grazed my feet or blessed my eyes. I'd never see the savanna or the pink lake, or the devil's kettle. I'd never walk into the forest and meet a stag, or see the sun rise up from the sea... Not in real life.


Philippine Airlines flies to Auckland, New Zealand starting December 2015.
Book now at www.philippineairlines.com.

I have not written anything for the past few weeks, and it's eating at me that my blog's content hasn't exactly been "meaty" or "relevant". Most of my posts are work-related or affiliate posts.

What I've Been Up To
Don't get me wrong, I value and am grateful for these people I've worked with my husband and I have just been busy the past weeks fixing paperwork, yah we're so getting divorced. (*sarcasm* because you can't hear my tone of voice)

@ the Commission of Higher Education (CHED)

That and being financially strained has limited my blogging, event-attending and shopping (huhuhu) capabilities for almost two months. I say almost because I hope everything goes back to being "breathable" this October. Today I want to write about my passions in life, because that's what I had been up to besides errands.

Re-igniting My Passions in Life
During our busy, energy-draining adventures I found time to think about my passions in life and what I'm doing now  about it. You'd think errands would make you busy but travelling through EDSA gives you A LOT OF TIME to reflect...too much in fact.


I realized that I haven't tended to my passion in art: painting. While I have been blogging (caring for my writing passion) I've almost forgotten about drawing and painting. I felt bad about that and had been trying to use my spare time to refurbish my skill.



My brother gave me a book for my birthday by Austin Klein, and the instagram link of MALL (May Ann Licudine) and that has inspired me to revive who I used to be as an artist, before all this happimess.

Motherhood and Art
Motherhood is awesome, it's joyous in it's own, loud, messy and random way but I do miss "quiet". I miss solace; being submerged in your work and not breathing until you get that clean brush stroke.


If you see my Instagram you'll find most of what I've been doing, besides mummyhood, the past two weeks without the blog-life. I needed to let go of blogging for a while so I could manage my time drawing and taking care of my son. Seeing other people's artworks, how they've evolved from when we were in college, I feel so left out and...really rusty. So I dove in and drew everyday.


While drawing and reading Austin Kleon, I realized I'm not being fair to my other passions. See, I also have a passion for sewing, and it's been a long time since I did anything creative with my sewing machine. Since I started blogging, a lot of my other hobbies and passions have suffered.

Sewing and Stuffed Toys

Realizing that, I halved my drawing time and use the other half for sewing. In a week I managed to finish Sharky the Pencil Case, Velveteen Rabbit, Sunny Cat and Starry Bat.


See my Instagram posts... or just the photos here, if you really don't want to visit my Instagram, which has 84 followers right now. If you want to be number 85.....hahaha! Follow me if you feel like it. And, yes the things I sew are for sale (made to order) so if you like them just send me a message and I'll be happy to answer your questions and take your order :)

Well, to be honest I nearly forgot about blogging, being caught up in all those errands and then suddenly getting pulled into these new projects. I missed a lot of events that I had listed and saved in my planner.

I missed an event at the Enchanted Kingdom, the WAH Expo and two other events in the South, just because I didn't have the money. I have not written swack about motherhood (not even this post) because my son and I haven't done anything new, due to almost daily errands. Truth be told, I slightly blamed my blog for not being able to nurture my other passions in life, even motherhood at some point.

Then I got an email.

When I'm stressed, busy with a project or with my son, I don't check my e-mail. At some point last week I got brave and sneaked a peek at my phone and something caught my eye. I received a message saying my blog has been nominated at the Bloggys 2015 under Family & Parenting category. 

Surprised, but secretly blaming my cousin who voted my blog (that's right Heyna I'm talking about you), a wave of guilt swept over me. I mean, Cripes! Nominated for an award and I haven't even written anything relevant this month! I mean, the last parenting-related thing I wrote was the WAH Expo and it's not even all me!


So here I am writing again, because of the Bloggys Awards, which by the way is being organized by Essays.ph my writing career lifesaver. If you're looking for a way to earn money online through writing, without needing to be a graduate (but are fluent in English and has excellent grammar) visit their site and give it a try.
When my husband and I didn't have a job and I suffered from baby blues Essays.ph was my source of income and it kept me sane enough, and my writing passion has been well-nurtured. And yes, I still freelance for them :) Here's a Tumblr post of mine about my experience at Essays.ph, give it a read if you're interested.

So, anyway... I know being nominated at the Bloggys isn't such an impossible thing especially with so many blogs nominated right now. Seriously, and winning is a long shot, like a billion light years long, and I'm not expecting but it's heartwarming to know that some people read my posts and actually thought it's worth being nominated.



Ano Ba Talaga? Passions in Life
So I reassessed myself and reflected again while sewing. I've always believed that motherhood doesn't really get in the way of your career or anything you normally do when you were single. I know that because I can still play badminton twice a week, write, draw and sew and work from home.


I shouldn't give up or just forget about one passion for the other. Not writing for drawing, not sewing for blogging and definitely not motherhood for anything. If I have more than two real passions in life, it's my responsibility to work it out nurture them one at a time or all together. Just like the talents in the bible.


If I draw everyday, write every week, sew every week and be a mom and wife everyday, will it hurt me? No... will I be any different? Yes. Any better? Of course. One project at a time may not seem much but if I keep at it, like this blog that posts once a week, something good can happen: Bloggys 2015 (read more about Bloggys here and don't forget to Vote for me!)

Happier and Surely Messier Future Up Ahead
I am imagining ruined drawings, splattered paint on the carpet and more tantrums while I'm trying to sew something. I'm not a pessimist, just realistic, but knowing this gives me strength. At least I know what's ahead, and won't be surprised anymore and besides...

I learn this way: messy, unplanned leaps and taking deep breaths with eyes closed. I wouldn't learn better any other way, as Mommy Ginger said and continues to advocate: "Love the Leap".

If my blog managed to get nominated at the Bloggys in a year, then my art can get noticed in just the same amount of time as long as I nurture it too. My sewing projects are no different... and motherhood? I think that my entire being and identity shifted overnight when my son was born.

It rained twice today and the drops are fat enough to make me wipe off the wet on my arm. Even though it's still mostly hot this month, I think the rainy season has decided it's time to shine...which is a contradictory thing to say. 
To cap off the summer, and since I don't think we'll be hitting the beach soon, I'm posting all of Miggy's summer pictures. It's also my way of backing up his photos so that when this darn laptop crashes down at least it's here, and I'm supposed to post weekly so... yaaaay!

Went to a Playgroup
Miggy has a lot of energy to spare and I have a lot of work to finish, so 2 hours of free time benefits us well. My husbun and I enrolled him to a playgroup which gave me some breathing space and Miggy some social experience.
It's great that we enrolled him because he's getting used to other kids now and not so shy around other adults anymore. Read about our experience with the Mind Planet here!

Yelled at The Neighbors to Come Out and Play With Him
We have a habit of going out in the afternoon to take walks. Of course, that lessened this summer since the intense heat makes people lazy. Not Miggy, though.

Whenever we give in to his pleas of going outside he'd run next door, grab the gate bars and just shout, "Kurayeeeen! Ditona si Miggy pePlay tayo sa car, kurayeeeeen!" Our neighbor has two kids aged 8 and 3, named Ren and Sephi. Kurayen roughly translates to Kuya Ren.

Built a Record-Breaking Tower with his Papa
One of the best things my husbun and I bought for Miggy is his wooden building blocks set. He keeps stacking the wooden shapes to make a very tall "binnding" (building). It's a wonderful and more affordable alternative to LEGO.
The dad enjoys it too, and manages to make impressive towers while the little toddler tries to bring it down through intense blowing and  powerful "Rarrrs". The tower topples over, eventually, much to Miggy's delight.

Started Riding His Bike for the First Time
Miggy only just recently learned how to work his bike. He hasn't made full pedal rounds yet and travels across Macaria Village with one foot pushing down on the pedal repeatedly. It doesn't affect his enthusiasm in any way. He even keeps shouting about how fast his "motorcycle" is and speeds up so quickly I have to brisk walk to keep up. Gad, I feel old for saying that.
This week I accompanied him on his training for a possible cross-country sometime this year. He'd take his bike out to travel to the farthest corner store to buy a Pinipig Ice Cream before doubling back to the opposite corner store to buy a "Triangle". It's the flat triangle bread with a violet stripe that has some ube flavor in it. Having had his fill, Miggy would return home, park his bike and ask the dogs how they're doing before bothering the fish at the pond.

Beat the Heat
He swam, he got wet, he sprayed the dogs with water and practically washed his feet in the fish pond. Miggy drank lots of water this summer and was not shy about swimming around and getting himself wet.
He enjoys water and he even partied at Ayala Alabang Town Center's fountain beside the kids' playground. Yes, we let him and we always bring clothes for changing. You can read about what Miggy did to keep cool this summer in my post: A Toddler's Guide to Beating the Heat.

Here it is! Our first playgroup experience at, and also review of, The Mind Planet. So I mentioned the Mind Planet twice in my blog, once in my First-Timer Bazaar Experience and again in my Quick Guide About Playgroups post. We enrolled Miggy, 2.5 year old son, at the Mind Planet for a playgroup class last month; March 2015. Here's our experience and what we thought about it:



First Impression
The class schedule for the playgroup was 2 hours a day, 3 times a week. We picked the M-W-F morning schedule, since it helped us become more disciplined in making Miggy sleep early, and therefore wake up early. My husband and I didn't have a problem with the 2 hour schedule because we are well aware that toddlers have a limited attention span who also tend to be grumpy when you pull them out of playing too early. So two hours is the perfect amount for our son.


On the first week of the playgroup we, the parents, were allowed to accompany our children in the classroom. The room was rather small, but big enough for 12 kids and 3 teachers to fit in. It's immediately understandable that the room is meant for kids only (besides the teachers). The Mind Planet made it clear with vocal reminders and signage that parents are not allowed in the classroom during class hours. We can peek or stay by the stairs (the classroom is upstairs) but we can't interfere.

Child-Proof! and I Appreciate it Very Much!
The room is definitely child-proof for me. The tables don't have hard edges and the shelves are tightly stuck to the walls. The door is as high as the average hip and has two locks, one on the inside and one on the outside so even witty tots can't get out. Regarding the room's design or appeall; let's just say our son, Miggy, said, "Wuaww! It's Ossam!" (translation: It's Awesome!)



The toys at the Mind Planet are the kind of toys I dreamed of giving Miggy. These are the constructive kind of toys where kids can freely build and tear their creation down. Let's just say that there are Lego-like toys everywhere and wooden blocks that look reaaallly colorful and enticing.

Teaching Strategy and Method

The main objective of the Mind Planet, I think, is to help the children develop good social skills, brain and muscle development and also... a bit of independence from mommy and daddy. All of this is in preparation for pre-school so that the separation anxiety can be lessened and kids can experience some positive discipline.

The Teachers
During the first week where the parents were allowed to accompany their kids in class, I noticed that the teachers rarely use the time-out method but rely on distraction to solve disputes among toddlers. Wow, that sounded too serious. I meant to say, they did not raise their voices at all, said "that's bad" to a kid or completely ignored someone crying. Let's just say, they seemed to really care about the kids. They also emit an aura of... homeyness, it's obvious that they love what they do and will not trade it for the world.



Their decisions in handling each child were perfectly well-balanced, there were no favorites, no underdogs or left-outs. But they do tend to the neediest the most, while equally paying attention to the other kids. It's amazing how their tolerance and patience remained firm even though the other kids were practically wailing at their ears. I thanked God one day I didn't have to be a teacher.

Kids' Awwwctivities
The playgroup provided a lot of activities, around three to four plus snack time and singing and reading. It's heartwarming and "nakakataba ng puso" when we saw our son do arts and crafts and play on his own. Here are a few examples of the activities that our son and his classmates did in the playgroup:


Yes, they have art activities, lots of it, and I must say it always gives me the "kilig" each time Miggy shows us his work at school, like this one:
They have lots of activities that practice their motor skills which I am sure will help them to hold their pencils for writing in the near future. This simple coloring activity itself helped my son take control of his wrists. I swear after three weeks at his playgroup he's coloring more within the lines than all over the drawing book.



My son is the one wearing a Woodstock shirt who is staring blankly at some photo coach somewhere. I guess, in conclusion, I feel that the Mind Planet has exposed my son to situations he would never have experienced if we stayed at home instead. I'm not a sociable person and that makes finding kids to play with difficult for Miggy. I am glad my husband and I decided to enroll him in a playgroup, Miggy is now able to approach other children with some confidence and learning to have "favorites."

Thank You Mind Planet!



We are enrolling him again this June for a 6-month program, hoping that he can overcome his hitting habits and learn how to say Hi in a healthy way. Just in case a teacher or staff from the mind planet comes by this post, I want to say thanks for taking care of my son during his time there. I'm not really good at being sociable but I do know how to appreciate authenticity. I'm glad I inquired about your playgroup, it is the best educational decision I made for Miggy so far.