Wordless Wednesday: Enjoying Nature's Gift

Hubby & baby enjoying the cool river of Baler, Aurora

My share for Wordless Wednesday

My Little Beauty Princess

Since my baby loves to imitate the little girls of the “Little Miss Philippines”, I let her join the Little Mutya ng Parokya (Little Miss Parish) in my hubby’s hometown. It was a beauty & talent contest for kids 4-8 years old. Although my baby was barely three, she was qualified because of her charm and she looks big at her age. I believe this contest will enhance her talent, boost her confidence and develop her social skills. Every weekday she’s left with her nanny, and she has no playmates since she’s our only child. Joining this contest is also an opportunity to meet other kids and socialize with them.

At first I was nervous because during the practices and rehearsals she doesn’t want to speak and ramp on the stage. She surprised us during the final contest when it was her turn. Even the other contestant’s moms were also surprised because they never expected that she will speak, ramp and do her talent portion. I have come to realize that it was only when she is dressed-up that she wants to be in action. Yes, I was really a proud mom when she blew kisses and impressed the audience with her cute smile, witty answers and entertaining dance portion. She really caught the crowd’s attention not only because she was the youngest among the contestants but also because of her cute innocent moves.

It was really an exhausting day because of mixed nervousness and excitement. But it’s all worth it; she brought home the 2^nd Runner-up title and People’s Choice Award.

You always make your mommy and daddy proud baby. Stay beautiful and I know you will grow with beautiful heart too. 

Sharing for Mellow Yellows

Terno Moments: Fashionable Way of Bonding with Baby

Who says we have to stop our fashion addiction once we gave birth? Becoming a mom is a great chance to enjoy fashion.  We are even luckier because we already had our partner in dressing-up- yes, our cute baby.

I started buying terno dress for mom & daughter since my baby is 7 months old, then when it was her 2^nd birthday. At first, we only wear terno moments occasionally. But when I discovered online sellers of affordable terno mom & daughter clothes, I became addicted that I order clothes almost every week. These online sellers are selling fashionable & comfortable outfits at an affordable price.

1st time to wear terno shirt (from Guess)

2nd time to wear terno outfit (Celine's 2nd B-day)- dress from Purple Candy

I enjoy our fashionable moments together wearing our terno outfits. Not only that I feel more attached to my baby, it’s also easier for me to think what clothes we should wear in every occasion. It was really fun to have mommy terno moments with my little one especially when I see how happy she is when we go out together wearing terno. Also, people can easily recognize that we are mother & daughter because of our matching outfits. 

Here are some of our terno moments together (^^)

Our kids are only young once, that is why I don’t want to miss the opportunity to bond with her thru fashion. Because once she grew-up, I am not sure if she still like to wear terno dress with me, haha (^^).

Sharing this post for Color Connection & Share the Joy Thursday

My dearest baby angel Justine,

We (Mommy, Daddy and ate Celine) are supposed to confirm your gender tomorrow. Unfortunately, we were devastated to know that we will no longer have the chance to be with you anymore this December. It was really heartbreaking not to hear your heartbeat anymore…and to see you as a sleeping angel instead of an active kicking tiny angel in the ultrasound monitor.

Mommy is very sad that I can no longer feel your little kicks. It was really hard for me to let you go because I love you so much. Your 19 weeks of existence in my tummy brought so much happiness, dreams and hopes to us. I can’t help but cry when your ate Celine kissed you in my tummy unaware that you are gone. Everything I do reminds me of you.

We took extra care of you and prayed for you because we are all excited to have you..and we love you so much…but Papa Jesus may have another plan for us. I love you so much my baby Justine. Someday, I will have the chance to hold you in arms and kiss you. Please tell Papa Jesus to give us enough strength to overcome the pain of losing you.

Love,

Mommy
July 13, 2012

Part Time Writer, Full Time Working Mom

Having a full time job as a bank account officer, part time article writer and a full time mom and wife is really hard. These three jobs has become part of my life, and losing one would make me feel incomplete. Among the three of course, my family is my priority. That is why I am trying to balance my full time job as an employee and my part time job as a freelancer. On the other hand, I am keeping my full time job because of the regular income and benefits that I receive.

Many of us have full time job while at the same time we earn extra income thru freelancing. I started joining Odesk in October 2011, luckily got my first contract within that month and now I get some of the jobs that I applied and earn from it. My 6 months of work experience in Odesk has been fulfilling. That is why I want to pursue my writing career until I get old.

Managing time for full time and part time jobs is not that easy. I am sharing my strategies on how I was able to cope with the situation considering that my little toddler needs quality time from her working mom. Hope the following tips might help you and I am willing to receive any comments or opinions so I can use them also in managing my time.

•     The first thing that I learned is to focus. Committing ourselves to our jobs is very important. Never try to do articles while working for the full time job. It will affect your job performance and you cannot concentrate on what you are doing. Give what is due for each job. Sometimes, when there is no much work in office or during break time, I write articles instead of checking my Facebook account. Also, as much as possible, do not accept jobs beyond your available time. I usually take jobs one at a time to build good reputation with my employers. I have my regular one article everyday job and batch articles which I only accept if I am already done with the other batch.

•    Have a time schedule. Set a consistent time each day to allow yourself to work without any interruptions. Make this a habit. It is better if you chose the time that you feel productive. One of my strategies also is applying for jobs with one week deadlines. These are usually in batches. I have more time during weekend and jobs in batches have bigger earnings. 

•     Choose your employers. Some contractors do not choose their employers and just try to apply all the jobs posted in Odesk. Choosing your employer is important. By checking their feedback rating, and their instructions, you can judge if they are professional, considerate and not spammers. Make sure also that their payment method is verified and make sure you already have a contract before writing for them.

•    Choose the job that is right for you. By knowing your strength, you can decide what articles you can write. Applying for jobs in Odesk for the first time is really hard because you don’t have the experience yet and you don’t have the feedback rating that employers can rely on. But by relying on your specialized areas, you are confident that you can accomplish the job successfully. If you will look at my Odesk profile, you will observe that I have more jobs pertaining to parenting, pregnancy and blogging. That is because, with these topics where I have first-hand experience, I can deliver quality output because I can share my own experiences without relying too much on research.

•    Have quality time for yourself and family. My full time job is 8AM to 4:30PM. Before sitting in my computer desk, I make sure that I already played with my little one and conversation with my hubby. Having quality time with your loved ones will give you inspiration in writing and at the same time you can have time to relax.

We are Three!

We started the day of our 3^rd year anniversary by attending the 9AM mass at a mall. I thank God for giving us the chance to know Him more and to love Him more after the 40 days love dare. Compared to our previous wedding anniversaries, this one is the happiest since I and hubby had finally put God in the center of our marriage.

After the mass, we let our daughter enjoy the rides in the mall. Then, we had our 2012 family picture. Our family picture speaks a thousand words. The picture speaks so much of our family’s love, happiness, dreams, hopes and commitment. Our second year of marriage has been full of trials and problems that have tested our marriage, our commitment to each other. But now that we let God guide us in our journey of marriage and parenting, we are full of hope that we can surpass everything.

After the pictorial, we had our lunch at the Rack’s. We were not able to take pictures since our little one is fussy because she had not yet taken her daytime nap.

Another Mommy Moments, Color Connection

3rd Wedding Anniversry: Sweetest Love

They say “Love is sweeter the second time around”,
But for me, love is sweetest when we have God in the center of our marriage..
I want to thank God for guiding us through the 40 days of love dare..
A journey that made us realized what true love is all about..
God has made us realized how much He loves us that He gave us the gift of loving each other unconditionally..
And I am glad that we learned to love Him more after the 40 days love dare..
May God continually guide us as we take the journey of love, respect, happiness, faith and commitment to love each other till the end..

I know as human we are imperfect individuals
But with the love of God, I believe we can surpass any trials, storms or problems that may shake us..
Because the house that we are building together in the rock of God, will never be shattered. No more giving up. Just holding on...
It is like I am holding to God’s hand as He holds you in His other hand..
To grow old with you is one of my greatest dreams..
I am glad that I had spent 3 years of my life with you and I am looking forward to spend the rest of my life with you..
Happy 3rd anniversary Bhi-mine.
I love you. Period.