What's Up with Apples & Dumplings....

Wow, it's been more than a month since my last blog entry! I took a mini break from all the stress that has been piling up from my work-at-home job. I took a break from that job and I'm lucky my boss is very understanding. It's also getting busier at Paper Chic as well, it's always this time of the year when everything is all about the holidays. It's less than 40 days away from Christmas! You can feel at the malls with all the decors and TRAFFIC at the parking as well... so I'm trying to finish all my shopping online and before November ends so I can focus on Paper Chic Studio.

I have so many ideas for products and I never really got to execute them or really develop my ideas into something tangible. I always have reasons and excuses for delaying them: kids, no yaya, house chores, my job... then I ended up seeing regretting not doing it before and now others are doing it as well. Nauna na sana ako diba? Kulang pa ako sa push! Now, I have a few products in line and I really have to push myself to finish it before this week so I can put it out on my shelves for Christmas. I have so much hope for Paper Chic every year and I really hope and wish 2018 will be the year I can get to revive the brand.

As for the future of this blog... hmm... I have a lot of entries lined up and I haven't written all about them yet. Our trip to Cebu, Hong Kong.. brands Biolane and Bobble Art... I hope I get to find the time to sit down and write. The no helper situation isn't really helping! While this blog is an on-and-off hiatus, I made a new IG account just for my current skincare obsession... I made a promise a few years ago to take care of my skin because I'm not getting younger and so I guess the obsession went full force this year after I fell in love with Korean skincare and now skincare in shapes and forms!

Follow me at @glowbycai

That's it for now! It's the kids' exam week as well so I will be really busy for the next few weeks! For now, hope to see you at my new IG!

My 7th Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day this coming Sunday... my eldest Y has been asking her papa when Mother's Day is. She has been very curious about dates, events and what day it is since learning it in school. Seeing how she has grown up so much and turning 7 this year, it always gets me emotional. I still cannot believe I am a MOM!

Eversince becoming a mom, I think I've experience all kinds of emotions. Anger, sadness, happiness... it's really a rollercoaster of emotions. There are days when I feel guilty for being not there for them even when I work at home. Then I saw this #KalidadNaAlaga video by Fern-C on Facebook and it really tug a heart string. 

The first time I felt guilt was when R was still a baby, he was 6 months old and starting to eat solids. I wasn't able to pay attention or prepare food for him because I was always tired from work. Not being physically there to feed him pains me even more and that was when I decided to quit my day job and become a full time mom.

It's not the easiest job but it's a very rewarding one. Y is turning 7 in September. She has matured and grown into a little lady. I am still in denial that my baby girl is no longer a baby. I get surprised at how she knows me so well, my expressions, my quips and sometimes I just stop and stare at her. I love how she tells me she loves my cooking even though I'm not a good cook at all. I appreciate that she appreciates my effort.

There's nothing I want more but to give the best to my kids. I want to be the Ideal Mom my kids deserve because really I owe it to them. I am what I am because of my kids and they are what they are because of me and their papa. And I wouldn't be the mom that I am today if not for my mom who I look up to and my Ideal Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all mommies out there!

Expo Mom 2016: The Motherhood Journey + a Giveaway!

When I was a new mom, I'm grateful there's Mommy Mundo and Expo Mom. I discovered new brands, met mompreneurs who now are my friends, joined Pregnant Pause and even became a mompreneur who sells at Expo Mom because I really believed in Mommy Mundo's advocacy. Now on its ninth year, Mommy Mundo brings you Expo Mom 2016 on April 29-30 at the Glorietta Activity Center!

This year's theme is The Motherhood Journey. Being a mom is very challenging, whether you are pregnant, a new mom, a mom with a toddler, a mom raising a child/ren or even a mom to teens, you'll find both enlightenment and encouragement at this year's Expo Mom. This year, Expo Mom: The Motherhood Journey has four badges that represents what stage you are in this exciting journey of motherhood!

I'm a mom of two pre-schoolers! I still can't believe that R will be in big school already this coming school year. I no longer have a baby at home. Haha! I'm excited but at the same time very emotional about this new milestone. He'll be celebrating his first birthday in school and there will be a lot of firsts for him this year! With the two of them now at this stage, I already know the dynamics. Being yaya-less on/off for a year made me a more independent mom, sometimes it's still hard to handle situations when the both of them are being difficult! Haha! It's really a journey, a challenging but exciting one!

Share your #themotherhoodjourney stories and you might just win a prize! Check the prizes and mechanics below! See you at the Expo Mom!!!

Expectant moms can win a Snug-a-hug pillow, Blanqi supportwear, and Mother-K gift box worth P8,950.

Moms with babies get a chance to win a Georgia Sleigh Cot worth P28,000

Moms with toddlers may win an Aprica Stroller Luxuna Light worth P24,999.75

Moms of kids get to win an ETL Learning Book Set worth P49,915

Consolation prizes from our sponsors are also up for grabs!!

Contest Mechanics: 

1. Follow Mommy Mundo on FB, Twitter, and IG

2. (1 pt) Share what stage you are in your motherhood by reporting the (stage) icon  or using it as your profile picture. For all posts, use the appropriate hashtags as follows:

a. Stork: #bellyblessedmama #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

b. Carriage: #momwithababy #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

c. Sock: #momwithatot #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

d. Pinwheel: #lovemykid #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

3. (1 pt) Share your motherhood story by posting a personal photo and telling us about your motherhood journey. Tag @mommymundo and use these hashtags #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

Make sure to tag @mommymundo and @expomom and set your account to public until April 30

4. (1 pt) Share the Expo Mom 2016 official poster and say that you are going to @expomom

5. Posts may be on Facebook, twitter, or instagram

6. Posts that are published until April 30 will be counted

7. Posts will be monitored and counted manually and winner will be drawn based on  accumulated points via Rafflecopter.

**Full terms and conditions for this contest may be found on: http://mommymundo.com/2016/04/the-expo-mom-the-motherhood-journey-giveaway/#.VwzGGLSFOfQ

Expo Mom: The Motherhood Journey is co-presented by Caltrate Plus, Pampers, and Belo Baby and supported by Sun Life, Clearascar, Mott’s 100% Apple Juice, Downy Baby Gentle, Fuji/Instax, Waters Philippines, and Stanley Ong Photography with Celebrity Mom, Working Mom, Diva Universal and Crossover as media sponsors, Glorietta and Ayala Malls as venue sponsor, and Creative Juice Communications as logistics partner. 

Entrance at Expo Mom is free of charge but a donation of any amount will be accepted for the Mommy Mundo MOMSHARE fund. Proceeds of the fund goes to literacy projects for the street children of Childhope Asia and public School kids under the Alpabasa programs.  MomShare also supports needs of underprivileged moms and kids. Mommy Mundo Passport holders get an Expo Mom tote bag.

Expo Mom is the banner event of Mommy Mundo, an organization dedicated to educating,  inspiring, and empowering moms with useful, relevant, and up-to-date information.

Mothers Who Brunch: Cook. Snap. Eat. Chat.

Life can't get any busier nowadays, with no yaya (for a month na), I do everything! But thank God for extra help, my SIL stayed with us for two weeks and now my mom's help is staying with us until I find a new help. But still, I need my me time that I immediately said YES! when Mish invited me to Mothers Who Brunch Part Deux and also because we will be taught home-based food styling and photography tips for Instagram! I envy those who take and post great food photos on Instagram

Mothers Who Brunch is a vision of two moms, Mish of Momma 'N Manila and Sabrina of Sinfully Sabrina, bringing fellow moms together to share, inspire and feast. Brunch being their favorite meal, is versatile in the same way that mothers adapt to meet their families' needs.

Say hello to Mish and Sab! It was my first time to meet Sab and she was lovely. Loved everything they cooked and prepared for us that day.

I told Mish I would come a little extra early because I was coming from school. I came in my "school" get up and brought clothes for changing, make up kit and my ever trusty hair iron! Heehee! 

Changed into my new Mosaic Maxi, Suelas Andorra Espradilles and my ever favorite R2R Mini Buslo!

The Mothers Who Brunch event was held at the Viking Range Showroom at Westgate Commercial Center in Filinvest City.

I am truly amazed of Viking Range after this event!

Mish and Sam were still cooking when I arrived. Heehee!

Boqueria Lifestyle Market did an awesome job styling and sprucing up the place and the tables. I've been a fan of them for so long and I'm so kilig that I got to finally meet them in person! This is one of my frustrations, since I cannot style something as pretty as this, I will just admire and be inspired by the ladies of Boqueria!

Tablescape made with fresh blooms. Love that pink goblet!

Mish and Sab came up with six dishes and one refreshment and we all got to take home recipes of them. And while waiting for everybody to arrive, the early birds got to help a little with the prepping and we took turns having our head shot by the official photographer that day, Jay Santos.

Ang serious namin ni Tina! We're cracking eggs and putting them inside the bacon cup. While Mia is busy taking our photos. Heehee!

 The Mommas who lunched! From left to right, top to bottom: Mish, Me, Tina, Joey, Sab, Cat, Nicole, Mia and Michelle.

We were asked to share a kitchen/cooking tip. I cook because if I don't, my kids will go hungry haha! I like cooking naman but this last month that I don't have a help, it's really a challenge to cook and think of what to serve my kids next so it's all easy and quick recipes to the rescue, also my crock pot/slow cooker has been my best friend. I just throw everything in it in the morning or after lunch and it's ready by the next meal and the flavor is full and the meat is oh so tender!

After everything was prepared, it was time for our food styling and photography class by Hazel Dizon (@clari88e_8 on Instagram) and Ezra Antonio (@ezgasm on Instagram). Make sure to follow them for their drool-worthy food photos!

The ladies of MWB with Ezra and Hazel!

We had five styling stations. All the props were from Boqueria. I secretly wanted to take home everything! Heehee! And that Shorbs from Shorts Gourmet Manila makes the perfect subject, don't you think?

Ezra giving us tips on how to compose/style your food, create drama, and shoot it. He made it sounds so easy! Learned a lot from him and I've been trying to apply it every time I take photos!

This is me taking a photo of the Mixed Greens with Walnuts and Seared Goat Cheese with Citrus Basil Vinaigrette. It was already styled by Ezra and Clarisse so all I did was edit my photo on Instagram!

This was what I posted on my Instagram. One of Ezra's tip was it is best to have odd number of items inside your square. These are the big items like the bowls and wooden salad spoons. Small items like the lemons and napkin are not counted. If items exceed the count of 10,  item quantity doesn't matter anymore.

Pulled Chicken Tacos. Styled by Ezra and Clarisse. Props by Boqueria Lifestyle Market. Photo by Cai Sio! Heehee!

 For colorful subjects, best to have a plain background.

And this what they called inception! Picture within a picture! Sab and Mish here were the "willing victims" as what Ezra likes to call his models. Heehee!

Here's one of the many photos I took. This cake is divine! Those are fresh flowers! Cake by The Flour Girl.

After all the snapping, the mommas were all hungry and it was the perfect timing as the Prime Rib Roast just came out of the oven! It was roasted for three hours! This was a recipe of Mish's husband, Nino, who would make his famous Prime Rib Roast for his family on special occasions and he was generous enough to share the recipe to all of us. Yay!

Oh what beauty. This is why I will never be a vegetarian. Heehee!

I had two servings. Ssshhhh....

After all the cooking and snapping, now it was time eat and chat! Great food + great company + great conversation is the best combination. I always enjoy the company of other mommas.

This was my first plate. Now this photo is making me hungry!

One of the things I love about Mothers Who Brunch is I get to spend my morning with fellow moms. It's nice to have a group of moms who share the same things/hobbies as you! It's one of those events that I don't want to be the first one to leave because I'm with such great company and I don't want to miss anything. Heehee! Being with other moms keeps me inspired and energized knowing what I am not alone in this.

But before everyone got to leave, Mish demonstrated to us how amazingly safe a Viking Range is.

I know a lot of people I know are not too keen on using a gas range and Mish showed us that even at the lowest heat, the paper didn't burn but the choco chips above it melted. Galing noh? And it's only one of the many reasons why a Viking Range costs how much it costs.

And it must be my lucky day because I won the raffle prize! Joey won too! She's the famous 80breakfast, I'm so happy I got to finally meet her in person!

It was a Hydration Nation Eco Vessel water bottle! Another one to add to my growing collection heehee! Thank you Hydration Nation and Mothers Who Brunch! This would be a perfect partner to the gym!

Everybody got to take home a bag full of goodies! And what I love the most was the wooden board we got to take home to practice our food shots!

Congratulations Mish and Sabrina for this very successful second series of Mothers Who Brunch. It was a much deserved time for myself. Definitely worth the trip down to the south! Looking forward to your next Mothers Who Brunch series and hopefully I'll be a part of it again!

The mommas of Mothers Who Brunch Part Deux. Lovely meeting everyone!

 And here's my headshot. Heehee! I wished my hair was more "maayos". Thank you Jay Santos!

And you can check out this video for more the actions and behind the scenes that day!

MothersWhoBrunch - June 27 2015 from Jay Santos on Vimeo.

To know more about Mothers Who Brunch, check out the following:

Mothers Who Brunch Facebook Page

Mothers Who Brunch Instagram

And thank you to the sponsors who made Mothers Who Brunch possible:

Viking Range
Boqueria Lifestyle Market

The Flour Girl
Glad Kitchen
Shorts Gourmet Manila
Lemons and Greens
Fotogra Books

A Slice of K

Motherhood: My Life's Greatest Teacher

When I was in my 20's, I've always said I wanted to be married by 26 and be pregnant and have babies before I turn 30 and it indeed came true. I was married by 24, pregnant at 26 with Y, gave birth to R when I was 28, I really really wanted to be a mom and I thought I giving birth was the hardest part! Wrong. Haha!

Becoming a mom is one my life's greatest teachers. Having kids has expanded my capability to love, to understand, and to be patient with my kids. All of these and more are tested by them everyday. Raizo is at the tail-end of his Terrible Two's while Yukie is at her "why" and curious stage, there's no dull moment in our house! Motherhood has given more roles than I've ever had: teacher, entertainer, driver, referee (whenever they fight), carpenter, chef, photographer and anything my kids want me to be. It is amazing how my kids see me through their eyes. It really is the best job in the world!

These two are total opposites. They have their own personalities and they often fight and I always tell them, at the end of the day, no matter what, you two are brothers and sisters and should always have each other's back.

Having the best the job in the world doesn't mean it's the easiest one too. That's why I have regular me time even it is just a trip to the grocery. 15 minutes can do so much for a mom's soul! Happy mom, happy kids, right? I've also learn to value and take care of myself not only for me but also my husband and kids. I take my kids on a mom-daughter and mom-son dates to spend quality time with each of them and I get to know them more.

Motherhood is full of surprises and uncertainties. Embrace it all! Kids grow up so fast and we all always wish that the time can stop so they can stay babies forever. But here's one thing I've realized, spend as much time as we can our kids, raise them to be the best person they can be, and every minute we invest in our kids will come back a thousand fold. Happy Mother's Day to all of us!

Yes Mommy! Workshop

Parenting is tricky. Sometimes, well, most of time now, it's hard to get my toddler to understand, listen or follow what I say. It's either she'll ignore me or smile at me, it's frustrating sometimes.

Manila Workshops together with Optimommy are holding a workshop this December 15 called Yes Mommy! Workshop.

Yes Mommy: How to Talk so your Child will Listen and Understand
DETAILS Date: Saturday, December 15, 2012 Time: 9:00 am to 4:45 pm Venue: COWO - Ground Floor, Suntree Tower, #27 Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Rates: - Regular rate of Php 1,400 / participant - Early bird rate of Php 1,200 / participant (PAID before Dec. 1, 2012 or via Okayokay.com until Dec. 10) - Group discount of Php 1,000 for 3 or more participants *Lunch and afternoon snack are included *Payment may be via Okayokay.com or deposit to a UnionBank or BPI Account or via Paypal (Please add Php 50 for Paypal charges). About the Yes Mommy Workshop At "Yes Mommy" we'll talk about practical tips and tools to build a foundation of good communication with our young children.

Topics include:

• Self Talk for Mommies: Why positive communication begins with you
• How to understand your child's personality
• How to adjust your communication style based on your child's personality
• The Three Elements of Positive Communication: Crucial factors to encourage your children to listen and understand
• How to say "no" by saying "yes"

"Yes Mommy" is called a workshop. But I'd rather call it a sharing session where we can connect with other moms, we can feel safe to share what we know and don't know, and we can have comfort knowing that we are not alone in this parenting journey. I cannot give you expert advice nor can I guarantee that you'll have perfect kids or you'll be a perfect mom after this workshop. But I do intend that you抣l pick up information, encouragement and even inspiration that will help make this lifetime commitment of mothering just a little bit easier for you. You'll gain:

• Tools to start your day with calmness and intention
• Patience in dealing with your children
• Resources to communicate persuasively
• A network of like minded moms who can give encouragement and support

When you find this helpful for you, do join us and sign up through this form. I look forward to meeting you and learning from you. Much love, Jayme Chief Inspiration Officer | Mom in training Optimommy.com 

About Jayme Jayme Gatbonton is the mom behind Optimommy, a blog about positive parenting and intentional motherhood. She is blessed to be called "Mommy" by two girls, 5 - year old Jamaine and 4 - year old Kalia. After working in TV production for 9 years, she gave up her dream to be a newscaster so she can devote more time to her lifetime career: being mom. She underwent training in Neuro Linguistic Programming and became a freelance workshop facilitator. She is now a Mass Communications teacher, blogger and part time work at home mom. Jayme is passionate about raising children with love, patience and positivity. Her "heart work" lies in encouraging and empowering moms to fulfill their life's passions while raising a loving family. 
 
And as a Christmas treat for my dear readers, I'm giving you 50% discount off on the workshop fee, so that means you'll only pay Php500! Fee includes positive parenting insights + mommy bonding + food + goodies! You can sign up now and use this code "Optimommy AD" on this form: http://optimommy.com/workshops/#signup/

*There's a box there before the Payment method section where you'll type in the discount code

Wish I can join this workshop but our schedule for December is full to the brim! Hope you can join, this is a very good deal!

From Pregnancy To Playground

Philips Avent is inviting us mom and expecting moms once again to another leg of From Pregnancy to Playground. Celebrate the stages of motherhood with your family this Saturday, October 6, 2012, at the Grand Atrium of Shangri-La Mall. The event will have three areas featuring the stages of motherhood: Baby Bump for pregnant moms, New Baby for moms with young children up to 18 months, and Growing Baby for mothers with toddlers.

Just like in the first leg in Trinoma, the Baby Bump area is where the exhibits will be held. A belly cast exhibit, the first in the Philippines, by birth artist Mimsy Sermonia-Jundis featuring mommy blogger Neva Santos of manilamommy.com, celebrity chef Barni Alejandro of The Sexy Chef, chess coach Chiara Datu, events planner Belle Camacho, birth photographer Polly Fong of Oh Happy Day Birth Photography, and Ayse Trifyllis, owner of Baby Bash. There's also the exhibit of Stanley Ong, renowned pregnancy portraitist where he captured each of the moms' unique experiences.

Here's Mimsy Jundis demonstrating how to do a cast

Neva of manilamommy.com

Sexy Chef Barni Alejandro beside her portrait

Expectant moms will have a chance to capture this most wonderful phase of their lives with pregnancy portraits by professional photographers, which Philips Avent will be offering for free during the event. If mom is not ready for her camera moment, then she can write a letter to her unborn baby at Mommy Mailbox in the comforts of a nursery room with soothing classical music. The letters will be published online in the Mommy Steps website.

The New Baby area will feature a breastfeeding lounge. Moms and their kids may also enjoy special bonding moments as they create wonderful bib art.

Lastly, there is the Growing Baby area which gives families a lot of opportunities for fun while being served fruit and vegetable smoothies from the juice bar. They can either make scrapbook pages or color Truman the rabbit. As a special treat, moms can get lovely makeovers from Goody's beauty experts.

There will also be a Mom's Best Choice Exhibit where Philips Avent products will be displayed throughout the day. Enjoy a 20% discount on regular items!

Making this event even more informative for moms are talks by childbirth educator Lin Fernando of Philippine Association for Childbirth Education, baby sign language instructor Jaymie Pizarro, breastfeeding consultant Dra. Pat Kho, and Philips Avent Brand Ambassador Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.

I wish I could go to this one but unfortunately I can't because I'm out of the country but you can! So please do visit! This event promises to be a day filled with joy and learning as families celebrate the many facets of motherhood.

Below is the program details for that day!

Visit www.ljs.com.ph/avent/ to know more about Philips AVENT and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhilipsAventPH.