.png) |
| I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 |
Aside from reading the book What to Expect When your Expecting, I read parenting and mommy blogs while I was pregnant. I was on Google looking for tips on what to bring on that D-Day and I came across Neva's blog. She provided a detailed list, not just for the mom-to-be but for daddy and baby too. Manila Mommy was one of the few blogs I read at that time. Ever since I started reading Neva's blog, I instantly felt a connection. And it's not just because we are both working moms. I'll tell you a secret. Not too many people know this, not even my closest friends. Like Neva, I watch Sharon Cuneta movies! Sharon Cuneta was my local Julia Roberts. (Okay, not comparable, I know, but I'm just saying that I am a fan of Sharon as much as I am a fan of Julia.)
Seriously, Neva is truly an inspiration to first time working moms me. Needless to say (but I will anyway), her blog is very helpful, inspiring and encouraging. She works more than eight hours a day, a loving wife and mother, takes care of her household and the family business but still manages to write blogs about her experiences with the objective of helping other moms and moms-to-be. Now, that is a Super Mom!
Belle
Describe your schedule. What is your daily routine?
Neva
I wake up at 7,
take a shower and go through my morning rituals. DW [David] is still
asleep at this time. If there is time, I eat breakfast, if not, we rush to Makati and go to the McDo
greenbelt drive-thru for my usual egg muffin and hot chocolate :)
I spend at least 10
hours in the office, but in between all those hours, I draft blog posts, answer
queries from our shop and go on twitter…and yeah, work din hahaha. I go on a
lot of twitter breaks to break the monotony of my day so I engage with fellow mommy
bloggers and friends online all the time. Email is a godsend and makes
all things possible. I coordinate with our partners and customers for
ManilaBaby Shop, my co-bloggers and all other things while I’m just
sitting here at my workstation.
BDW [Dan] and I
live in QC and work in Makati .
We spend at least 3 hours in traffic everyday so we use that time to bond, talk
about us, our family and our business. By the time we get home, we spend the
few hours before DW’s bedtime reading to him, asking him about his day and
playing with him. We all sleep in the same room (actually on the same bed) so
we all just lie there and rest together. I sleep later though because as soon
as DW falls asleep, I turn on my laptop to answer emails, publish and/or
schedule blog posts and book shipments for our shop. I usually sleep at
around 1 or 2. Sometimes though my brain gets so wired with ideas that I sleep
at 3 :P I wake up at 7 and the traffic going to Makati affords me the chance to sneak in a
few ZZZs before heading to the
office to start another day yet again.
Belle
How did Manila Mommy and ManilaBaby Shop start?
Neva
I've actually been blogging since the early 2000s and
have tried out different blogging platforms even deleting a blog that caused a
major fight between me and BDW while we were still dating :P When I tried out
multiply (my blog was the Girl is Gone) I figured I'd use the site's blog feature and to write again. By that time BDW
and I were already planning our wedding and I listed all the stuff we were
going through, including tips, our suppliers, our mood board, everything! It
was really the encouraging comments that made me continue because a lot have
thanked me for sharing our experiences. The realization that my blabber was
actually helping out other couples made me want to do more and write more. Then
of course, DW came and I just kept writing about my pregnancy up to his
birth. DW and being a mom
gave my online life focus and relevance. I
made the switch to Manila Mommy when I enrolled in Anton Diaz's
internet marketing class at AIM. I knew I wanted to take my blogging to the
next level and for me to do that, I needed the right resources. Taking Anton's
class gave me the extra push to buy my domain, switch to wordpress and to host
my own site. The critique and of course my batchmates in that class provided me
with insight and constructive critiques that allowed me to finally launch
Manila Mommy :)
ManilaBaby Shop began as an accident. BDW and I were looking for diaper bags that he could carry (ergo no cartoon, no flowers) [that] was functional while still being affordable. We knew the owners of FabManila so I emailed them and asked them if they'd be doing diaper bags soon because I could give them a few ideas. They emailed back and asked if I wanted to partner with them and launch a new line just for kids. I said yes right away. It was an opportunity that I didn't want to miss. So I invested and BDW and I designed the first collection and the rest is history :D Our 3rd collection is coming up soon by the way :D Our guiding principle is to make fun, functional and fashionable bags for kids and moms that won't break the bank. We keep our prices reasonable and the designs original. We test our bags ourselves too and won't release products that we won't use ourselves.
Belle
Your blog talks about your discoveries and (mis)adventures as a mom. What is your best discovery so far? What is your favorite (mis)adventure with your family?
Neva
The discovery I can probably say that I'm most proud of is finding my voice and the courage to do this post. It took me a long time to finally come out and say the things I said in that post but it allowed me to connect to other moms and to let them know that everything's going to be alright (even if it doesn't seem like it at first). If we're going by things we found in
Travelling with the DWs have always been great learning experiences so DW's first plane ride was a really memorable experience for all of us. I think we were more anxious than DW who rode the plane like a seasoned traveller :D
Belle
What time management tips can you give to working moms?
Neva
I wrote about some tips here. If I could choose one from the five, it would be the last one which is to "simplify and see the bigger picture" One of my writer heroes, Erma Bombeck said it perfectly: “No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick.” It's really about letting go of the small stuff that stand in the way of time with your loved ones :)
Belle
Who is your role model? How has your role model influenced the way you are as a parent?
Neva
My mom is my role model. She was able to balance her corporate life with raising three kids while running the household.She was selfless but never forgot to take care of herself. And she always laughed at herself too. The last part I've perfected but it's the balancing the career with family time that I have yet to master :)
