Our Family Mobile Phone Policy

I love my iPhone.  Aside from checking and updating my social media accounts, my iPhone has made life a little more convenient for me.

• I rely on Calendar and Reminders for my daily schedule and to-dos.
• I check my account balance, transfer funds and pay my bills using my bank's app.
• Google Maps, Waze and Twitter help me plan my driving route, especially during weekends.
• I use the Holy Bible app for my quiet time and I can save my notes from the Sunday preaching.
• Because I love sharing Julia's photo's on IG, I use Moldiv, Typic, Photfy or Pomelo to edit photos.
• I use iWatermark, Scanner Pro, Drop Box, Evernote and Quick Office for work and blogging.
• I help my brother answer queries on the Facebook Page of Pacific Palm Suites.
• I stay connected with overseas friends and relatives using Face Time and Viber.

I pretty much rely on my iPhone for almost everything.  Obviously, I carry it with me often.  So often that I hold it more often than my daughter's hand.  Yup, sad.  Shameful, but it's the truth.  I wrote about the wake up call Don and I experienced a few months back.  It made such a huge impact on us that we talked about it over lunch the day it happened.  The objective is to minimize our use gadgets when we are spending time as a family.  So, this is our commitment:

Written on Amici's paper place mat

Dapat hanggang #3 lang but I had to negotiate for #4.  It is applicable when we are spending time with Julia or when we are out for our date night.

Let me explain.  Ang OA naman if hindi talaga pwede gamiting ang mobile phone di'ba?

Replying to emails can wait.  If it is urgent, the sender will call or send a text message.  Answering calls and text messages should be quick.  If it is work-related and not important, we should answer it at a later time. Checking social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram can easily use up 10-30 minutes.  So bawal yun.  However, posting on social media will not take as much time.  So for #4, we have the discretion to determine the acceptable time that we should spend on answering calls, texting and posting on social media.  For me, 1-3 minutes is acceptable.  If it will take longer than that, I tell Don that I need more time in answering a call or a text message.  For posting on Facebook or Instagram, I make sure I do it as quick as I can.

So far, we are doing well.  We sometimes need to remind each other because it is so easy to zone out when we are using our phone.  It is challenging but we are glad we made this a family policy.  Recently, we added a #5.  NEVER USE PHONE WHILE DRIVING.  No buts -- safety first.    

How about you?  Are you always online?  How much of your time is spent on the phone -- replying to your emails and checking your social media accounts?  Do you have rules at home on the use of mobile phones? Anything you want to suggest that we should add to our list?

Conversations with Julia: Dolls vs Basketball

Toffee Nut Latte and the Manong Guard Who Made Me Cry

During the holidays I was feeling down -- I was thinking about all that is "not enough" in my life.  I wish I had more money to support my parents, more money to buy clothes, appliances and other material things that I want.  I dream of having a savings account that will not make me worry about Julia's future.  I wish I can work less and have more vacation days to stay home and do nothing or to go out of the country for an adventure with Don and Julia.  You must think I am bad, selfish, mukhang pera.  I am not.  Really.  Sometimes I just wish for a better and more comfortable life.

We spent the holidays at Don's hometown.  It was the last day of the year and we went to the mall to celebrate the birthday of Don's nephews.  On our way back home around 8pm, we stopped at a bank to withdraw money.  Don waved at the security guard as he walked towards the ATM.  The security guard smiled.  A genuine smile.  My heart melted -- he will welcome 2014 alone, working and far from his family.  I thought about the kind of work he does -- protect the bank, risk his life and receive minimum wage for it.  And yet, he is happy.  I can see it in his eyes.  Without hesitation, I asked Julia to walk over to the guard with me and we gave him the Toffee Nut Latte I just bought from Starbucks.  He thanked us and said he needed it because his shift will end 6am the next day.  He is happy and it was not because I gave him coffee.

As we went on our way, I cried.  Really cried.  As in hagulgul.  God indeed speaks to us in mysterious ways.  I have so many blessings! So many! But I chose to spend my last days of 2013 focusing on what I don't have.  I failed to appreciate family and friends that I love and the people and experiences that made a positive impact in my life.

Here are SOME of the my blessings (Madami kasi so I chose a few that I want to share):

No Boss since June.  Yes, I am thankful.  It was difficult and tiring, but I learned a lot.  I was given the exposure that allowed me to work with the country leadership team and some colleagues from the Asia Pacific region.  I report directly to the Asia Pacific HR Lead and the Country Lead of the Philippines -- 2 of the great leaders in the organization.  What an opportunity!  I handled projects that I never thought I can accomplish without a boss.  The trust and confidence given to me by the leadership team fueled me to do more than what is expected from me.  I hope my new boss will be onboard next month and I look forward to the new challenges and new learning opportunities at work.

New Home in Las Pinas.  We are enjoying the quiet neighborhood that we have now.  Julia can run around and play with other kids in our street.  This environment is much better than the one we had in Quezon City.  I lived in my dad's house in QC since 1995 when I moved to Metro Manila for my college studies.  That house became my dad's wedding gift to Don and I.  We shared so many memories there, but we decided to move to a more safe location suitable to raise a family.  The decision to sell the house in QC -- the first house my father has ever bought -- is heartbreaking.  But my dad understood and we got his blessing after we had a long talk when I visited him in Davao. We are renting now and hopefully soon, buy a new house as soon as we are able to sell the house in QC. 

35 Humps.  Yes, there is a total of 35 road humps on my way to work.  This means 70 humps every day going to and from work.  Annoying but I am still thankful.  These humps replaced approximately 80 kilometers in distance and roughly 3-5 hours of travel time from Quezon City to Alabang to Quezon City every day.  Should I also mention the stress that goes with driving in Metro Manila? 

Reconnected with good friends.  Moving to Las Pinas allowed us to reconnect with Don's best friend and his family.  They are our neighbors now and I am happy that Don is finally able to spend time with his BFF :).  

High occupancy of Pacific Palm Suites.  This year, my family embarked on a business managed by my brother and his wife.  They worked on EVERYTHING -- concept, design, construction and management.  Since it opened, we have been blessed with high occupancy and loyal clients. 

Kindermusik and Teacher Jeannie Castillo.  Our Sundays are never complete without Kindermusik and Teacher Jeannie.  She is part of our family and we will forever be grateful for all her help and love.  We have not been attending our classes lately because of the distance but soon, we will enroll in Kindermusik with Teacher Jeannie and Company, Fort Bonifacio branch.

SoMoms.  To be part of this mommy support group is a great privilege.  More than the events we attended together that you read in our blogs, we have a special bond that our blog readers don't read about.  I learned a lot from our #BetterMe sessions with Coach Pia.  Our candid and honest conversations in our FB group gives me tips and keeps me sane.  I learn a lot from the SoMoms and I am so blessed to be part of it.

Don's employer.  If you follow me on FB and IG, you can probably guess where Don works.  They are family oriented -- you can tell by the kind of benefits they provide.  Don has been working there for 13 years (14 next month) and I am forever grateful to the company.  Sana dumami pa ang tulad nyo!

Weekends - Saturday AND Sunday.  Since I transferred to my new employer, I have been enjoying my weekends with Don and Julia.  Swimming lessons on Saturdays and Kindermusik classes on Sundays.  Malling or visiting parks in between.  Though work is stressful and tiring, my weekends with Julia and Don help me recharge for another work week.

Yaya Lani.  I may be unlucky with an all-around helper but I am SO BLESSED to have Yaya Lani.  She has been with us for 3 years.  Julia loves her and she loves Julia too.  I hope she will not change and will stay with us for a long time.  During our last #BetterMe session with Coach Pia, she said if the tenure of the helper is 3 years and more, it will be a good time to help them improve their way of life.  We plan to send Yaya Lani to school... a vocational course or any course that she is interested in as long as the schedule is manageable and we can afford the tuition.

Mama Cita, Papa Toto and Mama Lulu.  We are happy that our parents are as in love with Julia as we are.  My MIL lives with us and oversees the management of our house.  She cooks and makes sure Yaya Lani takes care of Julia well.  She keeps me sane because after a long day at work, I do not worry about stressful household concerns.  Also, I appreaciate that my parents take time to visit us from Davao to see Julia.  They look forward to my FB posts of Julia's photos and anecdotes.  I can hear the joy in their voices whenever they laugh and ask me for more stories about Julia.  Don and I are so lucky to have great parents!

Don and Julia - A lot has happened in 2013.  Good and bad.  They inspire me and give me strength.  They provide meaning to my life.  I am a better person because of them.  No words.  Now I'm crying!

I turned 35 last month and Don.. well he celebrated his birthday too (baka magalit pag binanggit ko ang age niya).  Yesterday, we celebrated our 10th Anniversary (Isang dekada na!) and next month, it will be Julia's 3rd birthday.  So many celebrations, so much to be thankful for!  I look forward to a more challenging but more meaningful 2014.  So many plans and activities to prepare for.  It will not be an easy ride I know.  I look forward to all the learning opportunities, after all, I am in control of my own definition of happiness. How about you?  What are you thankful for?

Every Day should be Sunday

I was on sick leave last Friday because I was not feeling well.  Julia is sick too so we went to the clinic for check up.  Because of this, we decided to skip swim class yesterday (Saturday) but had to go to an event with the #SoMoms.  It tuned out to be a fun-filled lunch!  I will blog about that soon :)

Still sick, we decided to stay home today.    We felt bad about missing our Kindermusik class but Julia's pedia said we should rest.  We spent most of the morning sleeping but dahil tiki tiki kami ni Julia, we decided to make our afternoon awesome!

We created our own Kindermusik class -- in bed!  Thanks to Kindermusik @ Home :)

My Embarrassing Little Secret

The airport is my new hang out.  If you follow my blog and other social media accounts, I have been traveling more often lately for work.  I love and hate traveling.  I am excited to visit different places, catch up with friends and meet new people. But, I hate sleeping alone. And it is not just because I am not with Don or Julia. I am literally scared of staying inside a hotel room and sleeping alone.

When I was young, I like "hugging the wall" when sleeping.  I would position half of my face in between the wall and the bed.  I'm not sure if you can visualize that correctly but it just means I face the wall when sleeping.  One night, I had a scary experience. I woke up late at night (or past midnight, I'm not really sure) and when I looked behind my back, I saw 3 tall people (i can't tell if male or female) at my bedside. I immediately faced the wall again.  Then, I felt the pressure of their hands on my shoulder, forcing me to face them.  It was like they wanted me to go with them.  It all seemed so real.  I remember being awake all night not moving, I was just crying and praying until I heard my mom's door squeak open early morning.  I jumped out of bed and went to her, still crying and since then, sleeping has never been the same for me.

This Commercial Made Me Cry!

This made me cry.  I miss my mom.  She as really happy when Don, Julia and I visited her last June.  But what made me really cry is the thought of Julia being far away from us.  That feeling of happiness that she will be pursuing her dreams but at the same time being heart broken because I will miss her everyday.  Sigh.  OA ko diba?!  I have 16-18 years ahead of me before that time will come.  So, I will enjoy every minute before she leaves home to fulfill her dreams.

{Terrific Two} Hide!

{Terrific Two} Lesson from Julia's Diaper

Go! Go! Go! Kindermusik

I just got a text reminder from Kindermusik with Teacher Jeannie and Company.  It's Julia's 1st day tomorrow and we are so excited to start another Kindermusik Our Time semester!  After weeks of hearing Julia ask about Teacher Jeannie, we are back to our regular Sunday routine. 

We completed Our Time - Go! Go! Go! last month.  It was one of our favorites.  Julia likes vehicles more than dolls (That is Don's fault! Ha!), so she loved every minute of this transportation adventure with Teacher Jeannie and Teacher Maya.

{Terrific Two} Chicken!

Saturday Fun at the Belly Blessed Fest 2013

I love Saturdays!  It was Julia's 1st swimming class session this morning and we had so much fun.  I will tell you more about our experience on a separate blog post.

Today after Julia's nap, we will get together with some friends.  We have been planning this for months already.  Work has been crazy busy the past few weeks and will continue to be busy so I am glad my friends   and I can meet up today to catch up and eat.

After, we will be dropping by the Podium Mall for the 2013 Belly Blessed Fest.  Belly Blessed Fest is a 3-day event where we celebrate the magic of motherhood and wonders of womanhood.  This is not only for expectant moms and dads-to-be.  This event is for the whole family!

Today, there will be an all-day program of informative talks and fun activities.  I am looking forward to visiting my favorite mompreneur booths and products.  I hope to see my fellow SoMoms there too.

Belly Blessed Fest will be at The Podium until tomorrow so see you there!

What are your plans this weekend?

{Terrific Two} Hapiberday Daddy

{Road Trip} Back at Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago is still our favorite park.  A couple of weeks back (x10 ata... this is a super late post!), we ordered our favorite McDonald's Happy Meal and visited Jose Rizal again.

Now that Julia is two, she is exploring her surroundings more.  While walking around, we heard her say "Wow!" several times.  So cute, I swear!  She giggled non-stop!  She enjoyed looking at the flowers and birds around the park.  She asked us a million times, "Mommy, what's this?"  "Daddy, what's that?".  So annoying yet so adorable.

She won't stop saying "ride horse" until we ageed to ride the Kalesa with her.  It was a bit expensive but when we saw Julia so happy, it was the best P150.00 we ever spent on!

I always visit The Dungeon when we are there.  I cannot imagine how 600 Filipinos fit inside that hole... it's heartbreaking I tell you.  It feels weird sometimes when I see Japanese tourists visit this place.  I often wonder how they feel after reading this:

Julia is scared of these priests. 

I noticed that there are now a lot of people visiting the park.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I am happy that people take time to visit a national treasure such as Fort Santiago.  It makes me smile when I hear parents explain to their kids Fort Santiago's rich history or when students proudly tell their parents they know who Jose Rizal is. 



The park is well-maintained and clean.  I hope they keep it that way. 

We will be back soon, that's for sure. 

{Terrific Two} Wahappend?

{Terrific Two} Safety First

{Terrific Two} Future Librarian Ito

{Terrific Two} Mag-Impok Ay Di Biro!

{Terrific Two} Wait!

{Terrific Two} It's Mine!

Julia's 2nd Birthday Celebration

I plan to document Julia's birthday celebrations every year.  I was not able to post her first birthday celebration in my blog so I was glad Neva invited me to share some details and photos at Manila Mommy. Like the same time last year, I was too busy at work so this birthday post is 3 months late.  I hope you don't mind, I will still share Julia's 2nd birthday celebration.

I promised Don last year that we will have a simple celebration when Julia turns 2.  Don wants to invite family and Julia's godparents only.  Well, that was the plan.  We started listing down names, we added a few close friends and the final count of guests was 30.  We looked for a restaurant with a private function room but the price seem expensive for a "simple dinner" gathering.  So Don finally agreed to celebrate Julia's birthday with a party.  We will not only celebrate our little princess' special day, we also want to take the opportunity to catch up with our family and friends.  Don was very pleased about the "new plan" but until this day, he believes I set him up.