I'm in Good Housekeeping talking about how I do it

I can't believe that I can just nonchalantly say, "Oh, motherhood, marriage and career? Sooo possible. Here's how I do it!" But Good Housekeeping seems to think I have all my ducks in a row and included me in their January-February issue of how mommies successfully juggle all the things that successful women are supposed to juggle.

See the part I encircled? I'm one of the Real Moms Who Do It!

Click here for the story on why I look like that.

Thank you, Good Housekeeping. I feel very honored and flattered you think quite highly of my abilities. Well, when I did this interview, I really did actually feel that everything was under my control. Then the bag business unraveled and other occupations started breathing heavily down my neck and... I am now feeling really weird when I see that feature. Funny how things can change just like that.

The other day I cried simply because the new maid can't cook the rice right. She puts too little water so the rice isn't fluffy and tender and soft. She's been with us since January 2 so it's been almost a month that we've been chewing hard on our hardly cooked rice. I keep reminding myself to show her how much water to put in the pot but every day I'm just too busy and too tired and too caught up with all the things I have to do that I forget. I only remember when I finally sit down to eat and then I see the rice and then I become unhappy.

So the other day I cried because I can't believe I'm so busy I can't even tell the maid how to cook rice properly. I don't even have to cook it myself, I just have to tell her how but it seems I can't even do that (I've told her today, by the way). And then I have the audacity to appear in a magazine and tell other moms how I juggle everything so well.

So I'm feeling out of sorts. Everything is usually under control but lately, things have been... Well, let's just say every day is a surprise and so every day I'm constantly adjusting. It's stressful. I was telling my friend Mariel that I am a duck, placidly floating on the water but underneath the surface, my feet are paddling away furiously.

Maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep. Because, in truth, I do juggle very well. Compared to other mommies who have to work a 9-to-5 job and have long commutes, my schedule's pretty darn flexible and I should be grateful. So maybe it's not that I can't juggle. Maybe I'm just wondering if the things I'm busy with right now make me happy.

And that's a scary thought.

Calling all mommies, lolas, titas and ninangs! It's Baby Company's Grand Baby Fair time!

This post is brought to you by Baby Company.

(I know I promised the next chapter of Vito's Car Saga but commercial muna.)

If you still have money left over from paying all the credit card bills from the holiday shopping, then Megamall is the place to go this weekend!
Beginning this Friday, Jan. 27, and ending on Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Megatrade Halls 2 and 3 is Baby Company's annual mega-sale for all things baby! There are more than a hundred participants that will sell their baby merchandise for as much as 70% off. That's a big discount on beloved baby brands like Johnson's Baby, Philips Avent, Pigeon, Chicco, Farlin, Huggies, and more!

Aside from the sale, there will also be exciting raffle prizes for shoppers and exclusive offers for Mom Card holders (which reminds me... my Mom Card is missing! I used it the last time I shopped at Baby Co. Power Plant and then I never saw it again!) .

The best thing about shopping at the Baby Fair is there's a swag bag for every shopper with a minimum single receipt purchase worth P2,000. Every shopper who spends at least 2K! Here's what a typical swag bag* will contain:

Parang nabawi mo na yung P2,000 mo with all the freebies, diba?

Vito's new car, Part 1

Exactly one month ago, Vito got a brand new car. And I'm only telling you about it now because it's such a loooong tale! This story is so epic, I have to break it down in parts! This part will be about how Vito was tormented by his Big Bad Mama who actually wasn't bad, just very worried that the expensive car will be unappreciated.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's the story:

Once upon a time, a little boy named Vito discovered cars. He was crazy about them. Absolutely bonkers. But no one could've predicted his reaction when he went to the supermarket one time and he saw a toy car that he could actually drive. That blew Vito's mind away!

So his Mama and Papa decided to buy him his very own toy car for Christmas. Mama Frances was very happy to find a great deal for a Little Tikes toy car in Deal Grocer (from 8K to 5K!). Papa Vince, always magnanimous, said, "Buy my son his car." But Mama Frances, always the cheapskate, said, "But it's sooo expensive! What if he doesn't play with it after a few days?"

So Mama Frances dragged Vito to a garage sale where there were used toy cars, just to see if Vito really did like toy cars and that joy at the supermarket one wasn't a fluke. Vito, quite predictably, went wild for a yellow battery-operated Hummer that could seat 2 kids. But since the Hummer owner was selling it for 8K (hello, used car for 8K!), Mama Frances said no. And poor Vito went home crying.

A few days later, Mama Frances dragged Papa Vince and Vito to a major toy chain to see how the little boy would react to the toy cars there. Secretly, she was hoping he'd go for a cheaper car. Papa Vince was very disapproving of Mama Frances's behavior but he went along with it (because he indulges his wife like that. Sometimes!).

Now, even after the Hummer episode, Vito didn't like the electric, battery-operated, remote-control cars. Whew! Good thing because those hideous contraptions were 10-15K each!

But he was very very very pleased with the Little Tikes car (even though the one in the toy store was very dirty. It was dusty and sticky with mysterious dried up liquids. Mama Frances didn't want Vito sitting in the car but, oh well, Vito had already climbed in!).

So, seeing how happy he was, Mama Frances and Papa Vince finally agreed that Vito should get the Little Tikes car from Deal Grocer. But when they tried to take their little boy home without the car, oh the heartbreak!

Oh no! Such a sad face! Will Vito ever find a happy ending? Will Vito ever get his very own toy car (hint: but of course!)? That's in the next post!

Black is slimming. Stripes make you look fat.

So say the style rules. But pregnancy, in its usual exasperating way, changed the rules yet again.

I looked like a stuffed sausage in black...

Zara shirt, Gingersnaps leggings, Anthology flats,
Kate Spade bag, Vita Fede gold-studded leather bangle,
plastic earrings from tiangge

... but I looked really cute in stripes!

Zara tee, Gingersnaps shorts, Anthology tweed flats.
Longchamp clutch, Vita Fede gold-studded leather bangle,
pearl necklace

Weird.

Will post more pregnant pics soon!

Where will Wiggle sleep?

I never thought I'd co-sleep with my baby. That is why I bought Vito a lovely crib that converts into a toddler bed. This was such a great find from Mothercare. It's simple and classic, larger than most cribs, doesn't have that dangerous drop-side feature, and grows with your baby. And it costs just P8,400! I love Mothercare!

Right now, however, that crib functions as a day bed for Vince and me (yes, it's very sturdy) and a dumping place for the ironing and extra pillows at night. Why? Because as soon as Vito arrived, I realized I had an easier time if he slept with us in our bed. Don't worry--the crib was useful! As an infant, Vito used it for naps (and it was so roomy, I climbed into it, too!), it was our changing table and bath counter, and his playpen since it's quite large. So no regrets even if Vito sleeps with us all the time now.

But there's a new little boy coming soon. And I want Wiggle to experience the co-sleeping benefits Vito had with me--the closeness, the warmth, the breastfeeding, the comfort.

For more benefits of co-sleeping with your baby, go to Dr. Sears. 

But if Wiggle stayed in the same bed as Vito... It's just not going to work since our sleeping Vito kicks and punches and moves about the bed like a breakdancer. A tiny infant and a super strong active toddler--even an asleep one!--just don't mix.

I guess this is when we train Vito to sleep in his toddler bed. But he likes it with us and we like it with him so what are we to do? Well, I figured I'd buy a Moses basket and put it by my side of the bed!

Mothercare is currently having a sale on their Moses baskets and Vince, Vito and I were at their spanking brand new Bonifacio High Street branch last week to see what choices were available. I'm really kinda in love with these:

It's called a Moses basket because of the Old Testament story of baby Moses being placed in a basket of reeds and then found by the Egyptian princess. So, s a Born-Again Christian, I love the Biblical reference!

Actually, I really like how cozy it looks. I can tell that Wiggle will feel snug as a bug in it. Vince likes that it's portable so we can bring the baby from room to room and to other houses. You see, Vito absolutely hated the stroller and baby carrier. We also didn't like those actually. So not stylish. But this basket is beyond adorable!

Methinks Wiggle can use it only for a few months, most definitely not when he can sit up. I don't mind. I can reuse the basket as a cute place for the kids' stuffed toys or for rolled up towels in the bath!

Now this is a swinging crib. It's just as narrow and snugly as the Moses basket. I like how it matches Vito's crib perfectly. I also like how I can reach through the slats and touch the baby when we're sleeping or look at him while I'm lying in bed--something I won't be able to do with the tightly woven basket. Oh, and it swings! So I can rock Wiggle to sleep. When Wiggle outgrows it, I can use it as the storage/display case for the boys' toys and books.

This baby bed is really cool. It attaches to the side of the bed so that there's absolutely nothing between the baby and me! Easy to comfort him, check on him, maybe even breastfeed him. Plus, this fabulous bedside cot eventually converts to a bench for the kids' room and a desk, too! How clever is that!

Which do you think I should get? I just can't decide!

*product photos from Mothercare website.

It's a great time for the family to own a computer!

This post is brought to you by Microsoft.

Microsoft sent me materials for their new campaign, "It's a Great Time to be a Family," and I just have to agree with it. The computer age may be appreciated by people who work--oh the productivity! oh how easier my job is!--but really, a computer is one of the best inventions for the family.

In my house, there are two laptops, three phones that connect to the Internet, a tablet, and a game console that can be a word processor and connect to the Web, too. That's 7 devices. And how many people actually use these things? Three: me, Vince and Vito!

I don't think it's excessive. After all, almost every mobile device now is a family computer. There's no escaping it. My day starts and ends and is spent in front of the computer. That's because I'm a writer and an editor and I'm also a blogger.

How we spent our holidays

I have lots of photos and stories to share (like Vito's priceless reaction to his brand new car!) but it's been an extremely busy first week of 2012 so I have a ton of posts, half-baked but must be shared, which means I'll be talking about Christmas till summer!

Let me start by telling you how Vince, Vito and I spent the holidays. Well, it was very quiet--it was just the three of us. Or four of us, as Vince keeps correcting me, with a pointed look at my ever burgeoning pregnant belly. We had no yaya and maid, which was amazing. It felt like a honeymoon! So Vito's every day was just play and school and fun with Mama and Papa.

While we did the requisite rounds to the respective families, we mostly spent the last three weeks indoors and at the playground. This is how fun our days had been...

Morning playtime:

Afternoon school with Papa:

Bath time with Mama:

And I have Car Time, Eating Time, Baby TV Time, Vito's Cute Visitors, and Out of the House pics, too! But then this post is already too picture heavy!

It's been a blast! I think the last three weeks of December were the happiest (and most exhausting) weeks of my life!

But now there's a new yaya and life's gone back to dealing with strangers in the house, going back to work and real life. It's not that bad, though. Vince and I have adjusted our schedules to make sure we both have lots of face time with Vito still. In fact, the new yaya is so confused because she ends up just cleaning the house or sometimes doing nothing because Vince and I are so hands on!

So that's our parenting resolution: Be a present parent!

How was your holidays and what's your parenting resolution? Please share!

Red? Blue? Green? Or white? Kids' bedrooms are on my mind!

Been looking at kiddie bedrooms for a week now. With soon-to-be-two babies in the Sales home, the room that is now Vince's office and Vito's playroom will have to be converted to the kids' bedroom. I can't decide on the color theme, however. All of these rooms look so adorable!

I like!

I like!

I like!

I super like!

I like!

One color the kids' room won't be is pink. Make a wild guess why!

Yes, we're having another baby boy and we're both so thrilled and happy, especially for Vito. He'll soon have a wrestling partner and leave me and his Papa in peace!


Images from here: Hooked on Houses, Plotos, HGTV (1), HGTV (2), Bedroom Ideas For, Design Dazzle, Babyology, Talk Interior, Bedroom Design, Child Mode, Home Decor Concept, Digs Digs