My New Diaper Bag

I used to have a very nice diaper bag from Baby Couture. However, I don't think the people who go out with me appreciate its size. See, because I carry Y, they have to carry the diaper bag. And since it's as big as an overnight bag, it's really not the most convenient thing in the world.

Sad.

My beautiful but unfortunately oversized diaper bag

So I needed to find another diaper bag, one that would also double as my handbag. I knew I needed a satchel, but I couldn't find one that would fit my budget. Hello? Who am I to spend 2k on a bag when I barely go outside the house? For a while, I used my old Fossil bag and stuffed Y's things into it. But it was too cramped, so I borrowed my younger sister's VS toiletry bag. It did well, but I didn't like the pink color - too kikay for a baby boy's diaper bag! Also, my sister wanted it back. Hehehe.

Luckily, I found a cheap but pretty satchel in, where else, but SM Parisian. My mom was just looking for a pair of shoes to wear to a wedding (not mine, though. LOL), but we were informed that we would get a discount if the purchase reaches a certain amount. So my sister looked for a pair of shoes - pink, duh - and I went off to find my new diaper bag. Here it is:

Crooked photo showing the front details. Behind bag: My UP Sablay. ;-)

Opened bag: lots of pockets! And roomy, too!

It easily fits all of my and Y's things. And we still use the Baby Couture diaper mat, much to the old bag's dismay.

I love using it because it's so casual - nobody would ever suspect what's inside are diapers and baby food. And the best part? It only costs P500! So much for expensive satchels haha. I guess my Baby Couture would have to wait for our next long distance trip to get used. It would be my go-to travel bag! :-)

* Grainy photos courtesy of my LG phone. Where the heck is my camera?!

My Grown-up Christmas List

Image from http://waitingforourblessedhope.blogspot.com

A couple of weeks ago, typhoon Pablo devastated a lot of us in Mindanao. I can't help but think that the storm missed J and I by a narrow inch. See, I live in Davao City, which is just around 2 hours from DavOr and ComVal. But the only effect of the storm on us was the 2-hour power outage and the 2-days internet disconnection.

On the other hand, J, who resides in Surigao del Sur, is safe and sound. What's weird is that the entire province was placed under state of calamity. So many people lost their homes and livelihood in Surigao del Sur, too. But the town where J works, as well as his hometown where his family lives, were spared. They are two different places, miles away from each other, and devastation was felt in the towns between them, but the two towns were barely touched by the storm.

Amazing? Maybe. But God is faithful. I prayed really hard from the moment they announced a typhoon is coming to the country. I prayed hard for God to spare J, Y, and me, and both our families and loved ones. I was reminded how powerful a prayer can be.

One post ago, I wrote something that is very materialistic. I'm really a sucker for holidays and gift-giving, so I won't take my post back. But aside from giving and shopping, there are a lot more things I'd rather see and have - and will attain by praying. These will comprise my grown-up Christmas list.

5. Good (and better) relationship with my boys

I am so much in love with Y. Well, can you blame me? The boy has the charisma of his dad! Haha, no seriously, if you're a mom with a firstborn son, I think you can relate with me. Boys, they say, are much closer with their moms (bwahahaha!). On the other hand, my relationship with J is getting stronger and more mature - especially with Y, now. But we have our funny moments, too, and they keep the relationship interesting. Chos! So frankly, I could not ask for anything else, just for everything to grow and to be better.

4. Job and stability

I am very thankful for having a job that doesn't require me to be away from my son. As a new mom, I was able to witness all of Y's firsts - first smile, first laugh, first rollover, first sit-up, first attempt to crawl and even first fall (my bad!) - and nothing can ever replace the experience. Aside from that, my job allows me to buy not just our needs but also our wants. I can only pray that J will have his dream job, too. He earns enough, but if it requires him to be away from us, then it's not the one for us.

3. Renewed relationship with God

I once had a beautiful relationship with God. I belonged with (not "to") a church who felt like family. But I was unfaithful and wanted to be "free." Long story. Now that I'm a mom and look forward to having my own family, I pray that I can renew that beautiful relationship. I also hope to belong with the Christian church again. So why can't I do it now? Sadly, I still live with my parents, who are vehemently against it.

2. Hope for the devastated

First, there's Pablo, and now, there's the Connecticut shooting. And there are a lot of devastation in between that we don't see (because they are not in the media). I can only pray that the ones left behind can still find a reason to smile and be hopeful for the future.

1. A complete family

J and I have undergone many challenges, too many I sometimes think, but we have been faithful. The one thing that would make me really happy is for us to be together with Y. By then, surely, I will be the happiest woman - and mom - on earth.


By the way, Y fell from our bed last night. My little boy fell face-down to the floor while I was sleeping. I think he woke up, crawled to the bed's edge, and tried to stand up. Poor boy! Everyone ran upstairs because the "bang!" was loud! And Y kept crying then. Now, all's well already, but I have a nagging thought in my head the entire morning. I realized I just drifted off last night and forgot to pray - I usually pray over Y each night for protection. Of course, I'm not saying God made Y fall to punish me - it doesn't work like that. But it looks like I needed a little rough shaking to wake me up. Pray, child! 

Christmas Gift Guide

Gee, where did the time go? It seems like we were just getting ready to go to Cebu in time for Halloween; now it's already December 14th. Only 11 days to go before Christmas! Or if you're Pinoy - since we do the actual celebrations on the 24th - only 10! And I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet! Gaaah!

I was complaining how I won't be going to any Christmas party this year. Last year, I had parties left and right - seriously - and I didn't want to go then because I was already 6 months pregnant. It's so hard to move around. But now, zero, zilch, nada, nothing! This means I need to take charge - it's either I organize a party or just buy gifts to "feel" the season.

Try organizing a party with a hyperactive baby. So I decided I'd just buy gifts for my friends, family, and myself to feel Christmas-y. Because I haven't done any sort of shopping yet, I decided to make a gift guide to maximize whatever shopping trip I can do:

For mama:

I noticed that lately, I'm always giving gifts to my mom. Last month, I bought her some clothes from ForMe. It was her early birthday gift. When her birthday actually came, which was November 30, I also treated her to the salon. She spent 8 hours there. Now, it's Christmas, which means another gift! She has just bought a pair of high heels and a handbag, and my dad also bought her 3 pairs of pants. Now what? For the woman who has everything but makeup, I'm thinking of buying this:

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream (Image from www.loveshoppingholics.com)

I've been telling her to get a BB cream for herself, but somehow she's never found the time to do it. Either that or she's afraid to choose one. :P


For papa and kuya:

I seldom buy gifts for my dad and older brother. During their birthdays, I wasn't able to give them something because the days coincided with Y's baptism. So now, I need to at least buy something. How about this?

Code by Giorgio Armani (Image from tips.become.com)

Nah, just kidding. But I'll probably end up buying a bottle of perfume for the two.


For my sister:

For her birthday early this month, I gave her my old phone. But that doesn't really count as a gift because it was something of convenience; the phone wasn't something I intended to buy for her. And the little sister, who is beginning to "blossom" into a little lady, wants one of these:

Forever 21 Sparkling Bow Bracelet

And yes, she wants one specifically from Forever21. What's with that shop and teenage girls? And my sister's just 11!


For yaya:

I couldn't work without Y's yaya, so I need to buy her something she'll surely appreciate. My sister and she have almost the same birthdays. For her birthday, I bought something from Penshoppe. Since she's a teenager, I think she'll appreciate kikay stuff, like this:

Chic Laced Jumpsuit from aionlineshop.net

Or would she? Sorry, it's been quite a while since I've been a teenager. Hahaha. But if someone gives me this, I'll gladly wear it! :D


For ze boyfriend:

J actually told me I don't have to buy anything for him. Well, I won't buy him anything for now since it's too expensive to send something over LBC - I learned my lesson during his birthday last year. But I'll definitely give him something early next year, and since it's nice to plan, I wanted to have at least an idea. Scratch that. I know what exactly what I'll give him:

Mossimo Long Beach Watch

He seriously can't get enough of watches. They're his mistress! But I couldn't afford a Technomarine for now (I don't think I ever could!), but isn't this Mossimo watch handsome? Too bad it's out of stock in Zalora. :-(


For the little boy:

Of course, I would not forget the little boy. But there's no need for an idea for his first Christmas gift; it already arrived yesterday! J and I already ordered early this month. We were thinking of something to play with, but Y already has a lot of toys, most of which he can't appreciate yet. He's also not in need of any piece of furniture, since kumpleto naman. So in the end, we bought something he can surely use. More clothes! This is the parcel:

Photo made grainy by Instagram :|

What's inside? It's a secret for now. :-)


For friends:

I don't really know what I'll get, since I'm not sure whom I will run into this month. But I plan to keep some gifts prepared just in case I bump into someone. I'm thinking of chocolates? Or what about mini notepads? I really don't know; I hope I can find some cute things in Davao's novelty shops.

Cursory Notes from Quirks.ph

And finally, for me:

It's the season for giving, but forgive me for wanting to buy some stuff for myself. After all, I already resigned myself to the idea of not receiving gifts this year! So I'll just go out and treat myself to these:

Front-zip dresses (Image from thebigsale.blogspot.com)

A pair of classic skinny jeans (Image from aninebing.com)

I'd like to think I'm a techy person, but I don't find myself lusting for gadgets nowadays. I have my laptop, my camera, and my phone - that's it! Now, all I want is something decent to wear. No kidding!

I want to have as many front-zip dresses as I can, for breastfeeding purpose. And it doesn't hurt that they look cute, too! Don't you think the zippers add a nice detail?

As for the denim skinny jeans, I think it's finally time for me to invest on one. See, for the longest time, I wore leggings, shorts, skirts, and dresses - for fear that I will develop curly hair on my legs. Whoever told me that? But now that I want to wear shirts again, I am in dire need of a sturdy pair of skinny jeans. :-)

How about you? What are you buying for Christmas?

Neglect!

I have been neglecting this blog. I do try to blog, but somehow, I always get caught up with something else. Last week, it was Pablo. This week, it's Manny. And more often than not, it's either a man named J or a boy named Y. So many boys, so little time!

Aside from negligence, I clearly have delusional issues as well. LOL!

Anyway, the truth is, I have been rather busy. I'm currently killing myself with work (OA!) because our cut-off is already this Saturday. See, we usually have only one cutoff, which means we only get paid once a month. However, because it's Christmas, we get to have two cutoffs. Since I need to do some Christmas shopping this weekend, I need to make sure I have at least something to spend!

Aside from work, I also have a lot of duties at home. Since Y has begun solid-feeding, it seems as if half of my day is spent on preparing food for him! Well, of course not, but it seems as if I spend too much time steaming food, mashing food, letting it cool, etcetera, etcetera. That's why I resorted to buying bottled baby food (Gerber and Earth's Best); it saves me time and a jar is easy enough to bring to the mall. I'm pretty sure you already have raised brows reading this, but it's not as bad as you may think.

Lastly, I haven't bought any gifts yet! I know this doesn't make sense. If I don't have gifts yet, then that means I haven't shopped yet. That means I should have had time to blog. But even though I haven't gone to the malls to shop, I can't stop scouring online shopping websites for ideas. I seriously don't know what to buy! It's a good thing I don't have to buy 750 gifts, like celebrities have to. :P

Well, the point is that I shouldn't neglect this blog. It's not big, but it's mine. And since it's 12-12-12 today, I solemnly promise to myself and my 3 readers that I will blog more seriously. I'll be back with a vengeance. Bow.

On Pacman's Fight and Christianity

We all know that earlier today, Manny Pacquiao was defeated by his opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez. It's actually funny because I wasn't watching the fight; I was working. (Can you spell no-life Sunday?) However, I knew when exactly Pacman came down because of a collective yell of dismay, obviously from different houses, within the subdivision, which was usually quiet.

As a boxing non-fanatic, I wasn't really affected by the event. I had a few laughs though, reading the status messages of my peers in Facebook. I even posted a couple of funny (?) ones. Hehe.

But I wasn't amused when the words "God," "Christian," and "religion" began to be tossed around in the web. He was doing very well until he changed "religions."

First and foremost, at the risk of sounding as if I knew him personally, Pacman did not change religions. He doesn't even have religion now! I believe he found God and developed a personal relation with him.

Second, being godly did not cause him to "lose." No, on the contrary, I believe God wanted Pacman to win his battle by losing that game. I believe God is preparing him for a greater victory - maybe not in boxing. Who knows? God knows.

Third, perhaps it's a lesson. That money isn't everything. Fame, too!
See, God did not promise us that we'll never lose our fights. God did not say we'll win all the time. But the promise is that whether we win or lose, God is with us. And that knowledge is what keeps us strong, and maybe that's what kept Pacman's goofy smile. :-)

At the end of the day, isn't God's grace and promise the ultimate, guaranteed victory?