We are Family!

The one with a party!

2014-03-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind, so sorry!

My daughter turned seven last March. wohoo! it was such a blast! i enjoyed everything and thanked God for all the blessings and provisions for the party. I still can't believe i have a seven year old already. where did the time go??? waaahhh!

I realize, even if i'm a party planner, when it comes to your kid, planning makes it a little more challenging. I asked for her choices, what she likes, what theme she wants (although we had a hard time with this) and what activities she wants to see at her party. I'm glad she was very excited planning for it, doing a countdown as the day got nearer.

We had jive, golden show, flooch, alex lagula, face painting, kiddie salon, personalized stamps and hairbow making activities. whoa! both adults and the kids had super fun! I even rented separate sound system and lights for the party, allen & heath zed 10fx used should have been an additional fun but we did'nt hire a band so no need for it already.

I will post pics and share more details soon.

The one with back up

2014-01-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

It's new year. and what a good way to save photos and special memories that to buy an online disk space. i've always wanted that for years and paying 200 pesos a month to make sure all your files are safe, i think that's not a bad thing. Like for music, you can save on protools 9 at Musicians Friend. you can save your work and assure yourself that it will be saved online until your future use of it.

Now i'm thinking if i want smugmug or flickr. hmmm...

The one with phone in the sink

2014-01-20T11:39:00.002-08:00

I got my phone sunk in a bowl...worst, a toilet bowl! waahhh!!! i feel so guilty and embarassed that i had to change phones almost every 6 months because either i lose them, or get them broken. Unlike my husband, he has a very good hand in taking care of his gadgets, even the crate guitar at Musicians Friend. I just hope i can do the same with my phones and laptop :)

The one with a new year itch

2014-01-17T03:37:00.002-08:00

Let me tell you a secret...i've been itching for something luxurious but i cannot and will not be allowed to buy one. Simone's 7th birthday is nearing and we need to set aside budget for that. I know I'm a party planner and planning her birthday should be a breeze. But if you have a husband who's as keen as an auditor, planning will be a challenge.

Anyway, i'm sure i'll be able to look for a Scott Kay jewelry collection in the future, not near but definitely in the future. hahaha.

The one with additional business

2014-01-17T03:23:00.001-08:00

I've been planning to start another small business so I can diversify and not get burnt out with my current business. Plus it also gives me a new excitement everytime I start something new :)

I started by purchasing a printing machine months ago. I have'nt tried making samples yet but I really want to start with it. Hopefully, early this year, I can make some samples and try to sell. Who knows? eventually, i might have a complete line of equipments including a bending machine, photo machine and others :)

Exciting!

The one with new year, new cookies!

2014-01-17T03:15:00.001-08:00

We recently bought a small electric oven so i can add another activity with Simone..baking. And I want to cook healthier meals (read: helper will cook, i will just instruct)

I'm so happy with the first batch of cookies i made.

I'll post the recipe on a separate entry. I'll try to prepare healthier meals for this year and bake goodies so Simone would bring this to school and brag about her mom baking cookies. hahaha.

The one with disneyland

2013-12-04T01:37:00.000-08:00

On top of the busy schedule for events, moving in to our new home, we are preparing for a hongkong trip next week. I'm looking forward to spending quality/vacation time with my husband and daughter, take a couple of days off and just bond with my family. I don't know though if we'll have time to shop since we alloted two days for disneyland and the other two days to stroll just around the city. We also hope we can buy a pearl boom box cajon at guitar center just like the last time we went there. :)

I'll post pics soon! :)

The one with studio

2013-12-04T01:25:00.004-08:00

since we are in the process of moving in to our new house, we decided to transform one of the rooms into our office/studio. My husband sorted out his instruments and decided to sell those he does'nt need that much. He found this excellent krank amps at musicians friend and asked if he can use it to put in his studio. It's really tiring but it's so much fun. I'm excited to see how it will turn out. :)

Thank you Lord for the blessings.

The one with Yolanda

2013-11-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

Visayas has been hit by super typhoon Yolanda and the aftermath is huge. I cannot describe it, cannot fathom how big the effect was but if we can help, let us do so in whatever way we can.

God is stronger and bigger than this.

The one with instrument furniture

2013-11-11T07:01:00.003-08:00

We don't have a specific theme for the house but since my husband is a musician, we want to make sure that our house can reflect that description and side of us. We upcycled our bass drum and made it to centertable. We also used a part of his first keyboard as part of the gallery. I hope we'd be able to keep up with our theme and decors around the house, maybe a flutophone next time? :)

Soo exciting!

The one with home ideas

2013-11-05T05:12:00.000-08:00

As i said before, we are getting busy and in full blast with our house finishing. We are now in the process of building the dirty kitchen. It's extra hard now because we don't have a foreman to help us. We buy the materials ourselves, go to the site everyday to make sure they finish on time. I just hope we can move in there before december. We are just so excited. I want to post some pics but i don't have them right now so let me post some pics i found nice. :) here are some space-saving ideas.

i want this at the back of the main door.

the husband drew this to transform our office cabinet to my office. im just so excited! yihee!

The one with hopefully for good

2013-11-05T05:00:00.003-08:00

I know, i know! i'm just so ashamed i have'nt been able to maintain this blog. I have a LOT of things on hand now, it feels like i'm moving like a robot, with everyday and unending list of things to do. it just doesn't stop. Anyway, just for a welcome back blog post, let me share a parenting tip on how we, as mothers, should talk to our daughters about her body. I got this from a blog, you can check her blog as well. How to talk to your daughter about her body. Step one: don’t talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works. Don’t say anything if she’s lost weight. Don’t say anything if she’s gained weight. If you think your daughter’s body looks amazing, don’t say that. Here are some things you can say instead: “you look healthy!” is a great one. Or how about, “you’re looking strong.” “I can see how happy you are – you’re glowing.” Better yet, compliment her on something that has nothing to do with her body. Don’t comment on other woman’s bodies either. Nope. Not a single comment, not a nice one or a mean one. Teach her about kindness towards others, but also kindness towards yourself. Don’t you dare talk about how much you hate your body in front of your daughter, or talk about your new diet. In fact, don’t go on a diet in front of your daughter. Buy healthy food. Cook healthy meals. But don’t say “I’m not eating carbs right now.” Your daughter should never think that carbs are evil, because shame over what you eat only leads to shame about yourself. Encourage your daughter to run because it makes her feel less stressed. Encourage your daughter to climb mountains because there is nowhere better to explore your spirituality than the peak of the universe. Encourage your daughter to surf, or rock climb, or mountain bike because it scares her and that’s a good thing sometimes. Help your daughter love soccer or rowing or hockey because sports make her a better leader and a more confident woman. Explain that no matter how old you get, you’ll never stop needing good teamwork. Never make her play a sport she isn’t absolutely in love with. Prove to your daughter that women don’t need men to move furniture. Teach your daughter how to cook kale. Teach your daughter how to bake chocolate cake made with six sticks of butter. Pass on your Mom’s recipe for Christmas morning coffee cake. Pass on your love being outside. Maybe you and your daughter both have thick thighs or wide ribcages. It’s easy to hate these non-size zero body parts. Don’t. Tell your daughter that with her legs she can run a marathon if she wants to, and her ribcage is nothing but a carrying case for strong lungs. She can scream and she can lift up the world, if she wants. Remind your daughter that the best thing she can do with her body is to use it to mobilize her beautiful soul.

The one with breastfeeding month

2013-08-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

August is breastfeeding month too! Yay! And since i have a lot of friends who are breastfeeding counselors/advocates, indulge me with promoting their event tomorrow.

see you there!!!

The one with music in our blood

2013-08-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

I'm so blessed that our family is a family of musicians, singers and artists...and they're not just musicians...they're good at what they do. They are gifted musicians (haha, got to love your own!) And so when i saw a bass clarinet at musicians friend, i wondered if any of my family members can play it. they can easily adapt to learning something new and i'm sure it will not give them a hard time. I wonder what musical instrument simone will learn in the future???

The one with birthday month and christmas feeling

2013-08-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday month this august!!! wohoo!!! I'll be changing the age on the left part of this blog again...ugh! haha. but i'm grateful for the 34 years of my life. i'm blessed. And after my birthday, Chrismas air is just around the corner. Wow, time flies really fast..as in! Before you know it, you'd be shopping again at radko from christmasplace and wrap some gifts again for family and friends. i love it! Sooo excited for my favorite season of the year! and super excited for our Hongkong trip too! wohoo!!!

The one with Simone's painting lessons

2013-08-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Simone has always been in love with crafts and paintings. So we decided to ask someone to go to our house once a week and teach simone the basic strokes and techniques in painting. I think it will be more beneficial for her as she will be guided accordingly as to what brushes to use or what to do when painting. If it's just me, nothing will happen as admittedly, im not good in painting. haha. Here are here pics from her first day with kuya marvin:

The one with dream vacation

2013-08-13T19:12:00.001-07:00

I was browsing online deals and was actually surprised at how affordable vacations are now. there are like P9k deals with airfare and hotel accommodations included. Soo sweet! But I really have to say that my most ambitious dream vacation will be a trip to europe. I'd love to stay on one of those luxury paris vacation rentals and just enjoy eiffel, strolling around the country and shop. I heard LV stores there are huge! Someday...somehow... :) in the meantime, asian travels are not bad at all. haha ;)

The one with Uniwide sale

2013-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since i last stepped on a Uniwide warehouse. Back then, there was a Uniwide branch near our place. I always remember going there with big smiles thinking that i'd be able to buy something with a very good deal. I've always loved good deals and I always enjoy doing it in this warehouse. So to cut the long story short, when i went there last weekend, I intentionally stopped myself from buying a lot of things. I needed to control my purchases as we are trying to declutter but going to Uniwide will not help in doing any of my plans. I was able to buy plates, ikea pot holders, coin banks, owl figurines, etc. :) Here are some pictures of the place

The one with small reunion

2013-08-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

My husband has a group of friends since childhood. These friends are musicians as well. One of his friends, Dino, migrated to Los Angeles ten years ago and he went home because his mom passed away and had to hold a service here in Manila as well. Dino accepted his mom's passing already that's why he did'nt have a hard time with it. They even scheduled a jamming session just like the last time he was here four years where they stayed at my brother in law's studio. The equipments here are really high end. You can't find any cheap audio technica microphones at musicians friend because everything is well chosen and of high quality. They recorded their jamming session. It was nice seeing you again Dino. :)

The one with almost done!

2013-07-14T19:48:00.004-07:00

Okay...what's up with our family??? A big development as we are soon moving to our new nest! yay! Praise God for all His provisions. We've been busy visiting the house and making sure that it will be done this month. We've suddenly been addicted to furnitures, interior design and appliances. I've been cheating on fashion for furniture. We love the details, even the wing knobs have to be well thought of. and hopefully we won't just settle for something just because we don't have budget anymore. hahaha. And i'm loving every moment of it. Here are some pics of our nest.

The one with branding of a work at home woman

2013-06-21T05:27:00.002-07:00

Saw this article. a good read :) 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman Tags: Brand, Branding, Business, Discovering Our Brand, Martine de Luna, Personal Brand, The Work at Home Woman, Work at Home Women Posted in Marketing & PR 2 Comments » By Martine de Luna Building a personal brand is something I sort of “fell into” or did “by accident.” It was sometime last year that I realized this, over lunch with a chic and acclaimed, couture bridal designer here in my country. Looking at my blog, she quipped, “You don’t just have a blog; you don’t just write; I can see you have built a brand.” By this, she meant two things: One, that I had grown my blog to a certain level of influence and that it became synonymous with certain qualities. Two, that I had developed enough of an online presence, so that people could identify me as a kind of “go-to girl” if they wanted to start a blog, or build a website, and my blog as a “hub” for women who loved working from home. We All Are Our Own Brands: Like I said: I did all this unintentionally; it sort of just happened. That’s the thing with being a brand: it’s who you already are, and the emotional connections people have with you when they think about you. You don’t fake it; it’s not a put-on. As work at home women, we each are our unique brand. The question is, do we know what our brand is? And if we do, how are we going to leverage our personal towards our business or freelancing? 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman: Your brand — the way your existing and potential customers see you — is directly aligned with what you are known for. It’s worth it to delve deeper into your brand, so that you can gain insight into the services you provide (like if you’re a virtual assistant) and the products you sell (if you’re a product-based business owner). Here’s how to know what your brand is, and how to leverage your brand towards your success. 1. Discover Your Brand, if You Haven’t Already. One of the best ways to find out more about your personal brand is to ask people: existing clients, potential customers, even friends or family. What do people say about you when you’re not around? What do people perceive about you? These findings are all related to your brand. You can use these to work on your brand, to improve your personality, and even make a few changes, if needed. You can use guide questions to help you along this act of discovery. For instance, ask yourself: What do people associate me with? What am I known for? What do I bring to the world? What comes to people’s minds when they hear my name? For instance, when someone hears “Holly Hanna”, they associate it with The Work at Home Woman, with Holly’s platform as an expert in the work-at-home lifestyle. In your case, what do people associate your name, your services, or your business with? Use this to help you understand your brand. 2. Create a Definition for Yourself. When you know a bit more about how people perceive you, as well as your work, your services, try to create a definition for it. This is much like a “company vision” or mission statement. Business coach Jess Lively (who helped me to further refine my brand) recommends that business owners or solopreneurs imbibe their “purpose equation.” This is essentially the result of two key elements: your unique gifts + helping people = your purpose equation. As work at home women, this is something we naturally imbibe, but have likely never clearly defined in our work or business. What is your purpose equation? For me, it’s “to provide creative business solutions that help small businesses thrive,” because that’s what I am known for and what I excel at. What could be yours? Define it, and let that give you clarity. 3. Craft a Brand Identity. Once you decide you want to establish and build your brand, it is wise to invest in a brand identity, or the visual elements of a brand. Many work at home women — especially those that offer professional services, or have a business — invest in a professional logo and photography. A great photo, even on your About page, is key to personal brand recognition. These visual elements of your brand should be seen across your website and social media profiles. Your photo should accompany everything from your author bio, even your email signatures. This way, your clients and potential customers easily recognize you, wherever your “brand” follows you. Investing in a brand identity, however, takes a lot of time and clarity. Spend time developing these visual elements of your brand, because they will represent you, your values, your brand promise. These are just some basic steps to discovering and defining your brand. Having a brand can really help give you clarity about your ideal customer or client, so that you can refine your offerings and really work with the people who are perfect for you. Finally, branding is never a “once-over” process. Your brand evolves as your offerings evolve, even as you evolve. Knowing and understanding your personal brand is really about bringing the heart and soul of who you are as a work at home woman into your business, into your unique work ethic. Most of all, it can give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are fulfilling a unique purpose, based on your natural gifts and skills. Have you started building your personal brand online yet? Have you ever even thought about what your brand is or might be? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Martine de Luna is the director of The WAHMderful Life, an inspirational business suite comprising a blog and live training events for work-at-homemakers. The WAHMderful Life blog and workshops are designed to inspire and equip mothers and married women to work from home, profitably and with intention. Martine began working from home as a freelance copywriter, and eventually ventured into blogging; her lifestyle blog, DaintyMom.com, has received accolades internationally, including an award for Best Home and Parenting Blog at the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards. Today, Martine runs a boutique consulting service, which offers mentoring for mom bloggers and work-at-home women. She also conducts writing workshops for women, writes marketing and communications copy for for small-to-medium businesses, and offers web design services for SMEs. Connect with her at Martine de Luna Creative Services and the WAHMderful Life website.

The one with open letter to my gradeschooler

2013-06-21T03:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Simone, I could not believe that time is like a bullet train with you. Cliche but true. And now that you're in grade school already, i thought i'd handle it well and think that it's just grade school...I was wrong. I can say the first six years with you was really an adventure. You were not high maintenance as a baby but i vividly remember how cute your cheeks were, how hard it was for you at times to poop, and how much you loved to sleep on my chest. I thought it was the hardest part of my life, having to give birth to you but since i had no choice, (i had to do it anyway) I realized what harder challenge can i get after this. I found the answer the first time you got sick. We were in puerto galera. it was the first time i had to leave you for 2 days. your dad and i felt we needed a breather but we were hesitant to tag you along since you were just over a year old. When i found out you got a fever that same night, i knew i was'nt meant to leave you alone. I went back first thing in the morning and rushed you to the hospital. It was the biggest mistake i made, having to leave you just so i could relax for a while. after that anak, i never left you. wherever i go, I can only have peace of mind if you're with me. Six years forward, I'm sending you to your school. First day was a breeze since you were just out for 3 hours. 2nd day, i found myself crying having to see you looking for your assignment notebook in your big, big bag. and i thought to myself if i should go inside and help you find it. When after a few seconds, you found it, that was my moment. You're really trying to do things on your own...without me :( when i told the story to my husband, i cried. I cried because it's just too fast. I hope there's a slow motion button so i could cherish each day with you. Thank you anak for everything. thank you for being you. thank you that we've come to know faith and love because of you. :)

The one with officially missing you

2013-06-21T03:05:00.000-07:00

I'm officially missing my blog and i never realized how much i do up until i started scanning my previous posts and thought that this blog is really my life journal of events and it would be such a waste if i stop updating it. So from now on, i'd be more serious in blogging again. Highlights of my life for 2013 ~ Simone is a gradeschooler already. a separate post on that one ~ Really enjoyed summer vacation with the grannies. went back to canyon cove :) love love love! ~ My brother in law, Jayson, left for Riyadh already. super heartbreaking but i salute them for the sacrifice they had to do. ~ Got a new car for simon, hehe. A Mirage. so prooud of you beh. you deserve it :) ~ Underwent D and C last Feb. It was not yet time.. All in God's time. promise to post more pics and stories soon. see you around!

The one with online shopping

2013-06-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

My new hobby -- online shopping! Got hooked with the online buying sites but i make sure that i check their seller's official website first to know more about their deals, if it's really on sale or not. There's this store of swimwears, profile by gottex swimsuits, where i can purchase any size or color but the thing though since im not base in US i can't buy it but the items would have been really great on me. :)

The one with business requirements

2013-05-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

When handling businesses, one thing that eats time from my schedule is getting requirements done, specially logistics-wise. I'm due for replenishing items in Partyboosters. I also wanted to check if i can start on making carpentry and crafty items for the business like the letter stands i so wanted to do for the longest time, and also the wooden fence i so wanted to start with. I also need to finish printing business cards or maybe just order some again. hahaha, have lots of things to do, have'nt started with anything yet.