after 48 years

Finally I had a "me time"! I did regular visits to  spas and facial centers when I was single. It is my indulgence and at the same a form of rewarding myself. 

On the contrary, I haven't visited a spa and a facial center after I got pregnant!The last sessions I had was before my husband and I went on to our second honeymoon on April 2010 and that's when my daughter was conceived. 

I was glad to have found Metrodeal's offer way back in September, a Dermcare Diamond Peel session worth 900 and you get to pay only Php 250. I bought 2 vouchers, and was able to use them last November 30 at Dermcare SM City San Pablo. Apart from the Diamond Peel, I have paid additional Php 150 for anti ageing mask as shown in the picture below :

pardon me if I look like an old ghost!

the mummified look!

I was anxious before the treatment actually since I just left my daughter under the care of my 18-year old niece and 12-year old nephew strolling in the mall, but I took the risk because there's no better time to do it. I was imagining that they will just barge in the clinic with a wailing baby looking for her mommy and the session will be terminated (my daughter is not used of being separated from me for a long period of time, blame it to breastfeeding and being a stay at home mom!) I was sure lucky enough it didn't happen. I was able to survive not only the pricking (ouch!) but also my daughter's tantrum.

{Metrodeal had an offer again last week and I bought 2 vouchers again that I am planning to use early next year. Meanwhile, I am planning of when to use the other voucher I bought earlier, maybe before New Year.}

I had a great experience with the treatment-the exfoliation and the removal of my blackheads was simply amazing, after not having done it for more than a year. I am definitely looking forward for another session. Pink headband-courtesy of dermcare for Pink Fridays, white mask for Wednesday Whites and the entire experience is a Mommy Moment!

Sharing for 

mommy moments - Santa Experience

This is my entry for this week's

This is at National Bookstore where we bought some Christmas stuff (together with my niece and nephew). The atmosphere is so Christmas-sy! With lots of decorations and ornaments,including our loved Santa Claus.

My daughter was afraid of the big man with white beard  and everytime we try to put her near Santa to take a picture she would almost try to escape. I find it so cute!Simple delights of a mom indeed....

Mommy help!!!!

mommy moments - mommy's favorite photos

For this week's Mommy Moments, this is what I have to share. It was really difficult to choose my favorite photos, again there are lots of them...

So I carefully chose each one. Hope you enjoy  them!

I  love this magazine-page like shot of me in my wedding gown before heading to church...for this one I get to be a model in my own fashion spread...

I will always remember our Wedding Day, it is one day when all girls look their best . For one day  I get to be the star of my own show...this is the prelude....

I love this shot of mine in my wedding gown. I will always treasure this picture when I get to be  the queen even for just a day...

This is our first formal picture together after  being married

And now for the classics....

This is a classic!My mom in her own wedding gown (April 5th of 1964)..see how gorgeous she is...and  I hope years from now, my daughter will also show in her blog (or whatever it may be when that time comes) these same pictures I have here and will feel proud as I am now of her mom....

Mom and Dad...some 47 years ago and still keeping the fire burning...

Lately...

THIS IS THE PICTURE WHICH CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER, BECAUSE THIS DAY I BECAME  A MOM...01/06/2011

Our very first picture together, this is the first time I held my daughter in my arms...

Our first formal/studio family picture

this photo was taken yesterday, capturing our special times together...

Our precious times are captured by pictures but the best imprint is left deep down inside...in our heart and memory...

Happy Mommy Moments!

mommy moments - mommy's unforgettable stories

Unforgettable stories???Actually there are lots...too much  to share to the point that you can't remember them all anymore, that's actually the irony of it!

way back 2004...sana bumalik ang weighthehe

For me, maybe the one most unforgettable stories I'd tell even to my grandchildren is OUR LOVE STORY. (Corny?!I know, I know...) Well why not?I wouldn't be what I am now if haven't met a funny and persistent guy some 9 years ago...

Ours is a long distance relationship even at the start. My husband is based in the US because of a family sponsored petition. I was on the other hand working as a sales consultant in a company in Ortigas. The year was 2002 when a friend tagged him along to attend a celebration over at my cousin's house. And then it happened, my cousins (knowing I am single, and believing he also was-but actually was not!) gave my complete information to him including a $10 phone card for him to call me, and he did! I was shocked to receive a call from an unknown person miles away, but I have to admit I enjoyed talking to him that first time. We chattered about so many different things until the card has been all consumed (approximately 2 hours).

in March 2007

Before we hung up I apologized for my cousins's  intrusion of his private life (and the pressure they have put on him by giving the $10 phone card to call me,ahaha) and at the same time also thanked him for his time. He told me it's nothing and promised that he will still call me even if he would be the one to buy his card. Kilig namn ako! I tell you there was something in that first call that gave me a feeling, that something's different about him, I don't know, I just knew it. That night I was trying to shake off the idea of that "something" and kept on telling myself  'Hindi na sya tatawag, that's it folks!Hanggang dun lng yun!' But he did call again the next day and the day after and the day after that, and the rest is history...

We were married in 2009 after seven years (and a lot of phonecards). 

4.18.09

It was a triumph over distance. In fact my friends and the people who knew about our love story said that ours is a non-conventional one, a proof for them to believe that love crosses all borders and disprove the cliche that "long distance relationships doesn't work". It does. BUT (and that's a BIG but) it is not easy and it will never be easy. It was twice the effort until now. The seven years away from eachother before we got married has not been an easy ride, it was full of bumps and blows, ups and downs, of right, left and U-turns (most came from him, hehe). 

sa haba man ng prusisyon sa simbahan din ang tuloy...

In the end, as they say LOVE prevailed. It was a concerted effort to make it work and for us, a lot of sacrifices. I must admit that there were times before when I nearly quit and thought maybe it was not meant-that all was just a learning experience. But one thing I can say, of all the quarrels and fights we had before we got married, I have never ever heard Mark (hubby) call for a time off/cool off or even a break up. And maybe that's one factor, never ever giving up.

After almost 10 years, here we are at a new phase of our lives as parents. Though I am raising our daughter now single-handedly, 69+we are on high hopes that we will be together very soon. And when that time comes, that's the only chance we can make up for the past years that we were not together. Yes indeed, those were lost times but we shouldn't cry over spilled milk. What we can do instead is to look forward to greater and happier moments ahead. 

April 2011

And that's my most unforgettable story...

Written for : 

mommy moments - mommy's favorite products

I discovered these products in 2009, I wasn't really aware of all the 'bad and harmful' chemicals in the everyday products that we use until I found out about Human Nature.  Since then I became more conscious of the ingredients a product contains and has also started to READ the LABELS. 

For Mommy Moments this week, which features Mommy's Favorite Products, I am sharing various Human nature products. These products are staples in my everyday ritual. I really do not have a beauty regimen, and they say that women should start caring for their skin during their mid-twenties(sigh!). All I do is clean, exfoliate 3-4 times a week and that's it, no toner, no moisturizer (yeah I know I should!), that is why I am planning to improve my so called rituals. Before we move on, here are my personal favorites...

1.) Human Nature Hydrating Facial Wash (with moringa and aloe vera- I use for cleansing, though the scent isn't much of a winner but the effects are great for me)

2.) Human Nature Exfoliating Facial Scrub ( uses coffee as exfoliating beads, as compared to commercial scrubs, it has no yummy sweet scent that makes it more natural)

3.) Human Nature Natural Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner ( this one has a citrus scent that makes your hair smell so fresh)

I will share some more about Human Nature in future posts and why I decided to become an organic/natural product advocate. Well, there you go for my favorite things...

written for :

mommy moments - techie tip

"When I was a kid, I didn't have a laptop, iPod, Blackberry, PS3 or iPad. I played outside with friends, bruised my knees, made up adventurous fantasies and played hide and seek. I ate what my mom made and Jollibee was a treat. I would think twice before I said "no" to my parents. Life wasn't hard, it was great and I survived. Kids these days are spoiled. Re-post this if you appreciate the way you were raised. I think we were happier kids. :) Kids these days lost something... Appreciation" 

Does this seem familiar to you? It is a wall post/status update that circulated in Facebook not so long ago, and perhaps one of the few posts that I can really relate to most especially the first part which pertains to gadgets.     I am part of the generation they called the "baby boomers", I was born during the last years of the 70's (there goes my age!hehe) I still remember how I wished for a Game N' Watch ( this now evolved into a Nintendo DSi, I think) as a "pasalubong" from uncles working in Saudi, but of course I never got it! I also remember how my Mom limits my time watching television to the point of shutting down the fuse of our entire house and telling  me, "It's brown out!" 

Those were the days! Looking back sometimes I cannot comprehend the way we were brought up back then, deprived not of the basic need but of the extra needs like toys, gadgets and other recreational materials. We just resorted to make believe toys and games like "bahay-bahayan" or paper dolls to replace Barbie just to name a few. 

But I don't have any remorse over the lack of material things to play with, because if not, I wouldn't have resorted to books as my companion and I wouldn't have loved reading. Thus, my childhood is still happy, with fun-filled memories, of sun-kissed days  with my cousins and playmates smelling of sweat. 

Children nowadays are very fortunate with getting almost all the latest toys and gadgets. Parents who have experienced the "deprivation" in their childhood before have the tendency to provide and shower their children now with the things they have not experienced and/or acquired before. As a new parent, I cannot blame those parents because what we all want is to give our kids the best things possible. I know it's too early to tell, I really don't know yet since my daughter is just 8 1/2months old, I may also turn into a spoiler sometime soon, but we (my husband and I) have managed to provide her with what's right and enough, not too much and I planned it to be that way. 

I have nothing against parents who provide modern and advanced toys and gadgets to their kids but maybe we need to limit their use and still expose our kids to other forms of recreation. We should still bring them to the outdoors-park,zoos, museums, etc. rather than just letting them confined to their computer games or the internet.  I still believe in the power of technology and we used still expose our kids to the internet and other techie things but with maximum supervision. 

Nonetheless,we should still introduce them to reading and books, playing board and fun games and the likes so as to minimize television watching . As parents, we should also set examples, that is by minimizing our television and internet time and spending more time interacting with our kids. 

Everything in excess is not good, so I should say it should be in moderation. Childhood comes only once and let our children enjoy it or better yet enjoy it with them!

*post made in participation to