Hallo Monday!

 

I used to dread Mondays but now I look forward to it every single week. Maybe because I don't rush to work anymore, since we all work from home now. 

I also did something new and something changed, completely. Let me share here eight things I do, without fail, every Monday.

First. Have a restful Sunday. I make sure that I pause, I stay away from social media. I nourish myself with family love and care. If you can do a total social media detox, much better. It makes a whole lot of difference, believe me!  

 

Second. Start your devotion and worship. As soon as I wake up, I talk to the Lord. I spend my first hours of the day with him. Then I hum, listen and sing along to worship songs. 

Third. Read 1-2 chapters of a book and write down your thoughts. As of the moment, I am alternating from All That Matters of Francis Kong, The Leader's Greatest Return by John Maxwell, and The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman.  

 

Fourth. Take a walk quietly, meaning no music is plugged in your ears. I know some do some exercise while listening to their favorite music. In my case, I prefer quiet and focus on nature or on the surroundings, and be lost in my thoughts. I find it more therapeautic. 

Fifth. Take a long(er) shower. Another therapeuatic activity for me. This time, I can sing in the shower. Ha ha! 

Sixth. Dress up a bit more. To set my mood better, I pay attention to what I will wear. I also put on chunkier accessories and bolder lipstick. A very good mood pick-upper is to dress up, or even overdress. 

Seventh. Have a good breakfast with excellently brewed coffee. I do this more leisurely during Mondays. I'm happier now because my elder son is a budding barista, and he makes sure we have good coffee, milk, syrup, etc to make a good cup of coffee. We also have 3 different coffeemakers, coffee press, Dolce Gusto caps, and Krups brewer. I don't really get it but my son uses all to make just one cup of coffee. Ha ha!  

Eighth. Get excited about your work or business at hand. I am loving these new technology: Google Meet, Google Meet, Skype for Business, and Zoom because it's much easier to connect now with my partners--both local and overseas.  

So there! I hope you can do a thing or two from this list, and help you get through your Monday as well.

Day 13 Minimalism challenge, Make a gratitude log. I love this! If you go through life grateful, you will be in a much better place. And in this pandemic, I  know it's hard to be optimistic or to look at things more hopefully, but if we focus on being grateful, we can better cope.   

 

Ⓒ 13 September 2021

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Ⓒ 20 April 2021

I remember when Wizheart asked me to marry him, my father said to me, "I hope he doesn't mind if you continue working. I don't see you happy to be at home and manage your household." My father knows me so well, you see. Ha ha!

So, even after I got married and had kids, I continue to work. You know what they say about raising kids that it takes a village. It's true, and I thank God for sending reliable people as my support system.

Because I was armed with good credentials, finding a good job was never a problem. I climbed the corporate ladder, and let's just say I reached the top, handling operations for an American-owned company. I am proud to say that that was the most meaningful work that I had handled so far because I was able to improve operations and had the employees find reason to do their work well. I felt really accomplished, especially since my admin team was able to set up an annual salary increase based on performance.

While I felt accomplished in my career, I didn't feel satisfied financially. I was earning higher than most, yes, but it was never enough. Little did I know that I was already in the rat race cycle. 

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Because there was quite enough, I felt so free to spend as much as I could. It didn't help that every day after work, I got to pass by 11 malls! Ha ha! And because of my position in the company, COO and Chair of the Board, the banks perhaps got wind of that info so they would send me pre-approved credit cards. Would you believe I had seven credit cards with high credit limits? Imagine my buying, which in truth, is my lending capacity! It was crazy!

When that life got abruptly interrupted and I found myself working from home, that was when realizations slowly came. My finances dipped more than 50%, but my financial obligations remained high! I didn't see it coming. My husband and I had to make a major adjustment. I am just thankful that my husband was ever supportive. We NEVER fought about money. And thanks to his very good financial management, I am now down to one credit card, and we are almost debt-free. Our major expenses these days are the home mortgage and the kids' education. Wohoo!

Right now, we are living a less toxic life, thanks to the Lord. We may not be earning as much as we used to, but what is important is that we are healthy and we are no longer paying off big debts. Indeed, it doesn't matter how much you make; it's how much you save. 

If you, my dear readers, are still living in that myth of a corporate maverick, think again! You may be paid big, and that is because you are exchanging your time--and even your life--for your company's success. Yes, it's fulfilling to be handling big responsibilities, accomplishing somebody else's dreams, and to be fully made up and wearing nice business clothes... but with empty pockets? 

Is that the way you want to live?

Well, I don't like that kind of life. So, now I am continuing with my life, building my own finances, and fulfilling my own dreams.

Who knew I would dress up like this to attend Havana Nights Party in Okada?

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And before the year ended, my business partners and I headed for La Union for some R&R.

Meanwhile, in the home front, my elder son finished senior high and was headed for university to take up Civil Engineering.

Then, last October, I turned 50 years old. I haven't made a post about it because well, I just didn't have the the time to put my thoughts together. I know it deserves a separate blog post, so I will write about it one of these days. But to reach 50 years, wow! It has not been an easy ride. There was only one major roadblock that I needed to do a detour. Looking back, though, that mouth that I fed but had eaten my hand, I had to finally shut up. Karma is a bitch, baby! 

Another life cycle happened and my husband and I just reached 20 years of being together. This, I praise God, has been a smooth ride. And it deserves another separate blog post, ha ha!  

I say that with all that I have right now, and where I am, I am truly blessed.     

Who knew I would be recognized in SM MOA Arena for a promotion in my business? 

So, my word for 2019 is ready. 

Stay tuned!

I have an 18-year-old, and don't I feel old? Not at all! In fact, I feel small! LOL

My elder son, Gabo, whom I nicknamed after the Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, has always been our source of pride and joy. From the time he started school (at 4 years old), he has always enjoyed going to school. I can't remember a time that he expressed boredom or any desire to be absent. He never even wanted to be late!

He always wants to be in school and not just being there but actively present in all academic and exrta-curricular activities. And every day since, till to this day, he always has stories to tell. 

Gabo and I (including his first and second nanny and the whole household) didn't have an easy start though.  When he was only a few days' old, he would be crying all the time. He wouldn't want to be laid down. I  had to sit and hold him in my arms from midnight till morning because if I would lay him down to the bed or his crib, he would wail! That crying and wailing lasted till he was two years old, I think. Ha ha!

When he was about two years old, he was not very friendly as well. Several times, he bit his playmates and quarreled with them. That started me worried about his social skills. But, we just observed his behavior.

Thankfully, when he got a little older and wiser, he changed for the better. He became the most friendly and loving child to all of us. I observed that the change in behavior began when he was able to appreciate his birthday parties. Every year till his seventh year, we would throw a big party for him (and his younger brother) with all the party paraphernalia. In fact, his friends in the neighborhood look forward to his parties every year. Only then did he become more sociable.

I think that's the purpose of birthday parties---they teach us to socialize, make and keep friends.

In his early years, Gabo would easily get cough which would often end up as asthma. Being an active young boy, he would be running around the neighborhood with his friends, and when he would fall or trip, for sure the next day, he would be coughing. So, we would bring him to his pediatrician every time.

Then one day, we learned that swimming is a good and effective cure for asthma. So, we would let his nanny take him to the villas clubhouse and let him play and swim. That went on for sometime until we noticed that they had stopped going. When we asked, we found out that Gabo almost drowned or felt that he was drowning when the nanny failed to hold him tightly.

Oh no! Phobia will not have a day in the life of my kid!

We immediately enrolled him at Lozada's Swimming Classes. By doing so, we would be hitting two birds (be cured from his asthma and get over his phobia) with one stone so to speak. At first, Gabo was hesitant even to go to the pool. But slowly, he conquered his fears and survived his phobia, and no longer suffers from asthma! He has become a good swimmer, even winning medals in his school swimming competition. See him in action here when he was learning to swim and play basketball.

It really pays to be attuned to your child's day-to-day struggles and triumphs, and help him deal with  it early on.

For the past 18 years, Gabo has kept on conquering challenges both in academics and sports. He has it easy, in fact. He may not be number one in his classes though he has good grades, but he occupies a comfortable niche that he won't go unnoticed or be forgotten by his classmates and teachers, and even by his friends. He is quite popular among his peers and a favorite of his teachers! He he!

Our relationship is not without bumps. We disagree on some things and agree on other things. He has a tendency to insist and stand by his decision even if it's a bit off. We would put our foot down, of course, after showing him the pros and cons of his decision. I for one would always end the argument by telling him, "You take a long hard look, Gab, if what you are going for will be good or bad for you. I think you already know what is good and bad." He would go quiet for a few hours, go to his room or any other spot in the house, and then would come back to me and hug me and say sorry. Even now in his senior high school and he stays in a condo near his university, we would deal with him the same way, and the ending would always be him acquiescing and seeing the value of what we are trying to tell him.

It is not easy, as we are aware of kids rebelling or getting depressed from being reprimanded. So, we strike a balance of being strict and loose, but always making him feel that we are here ready to listen to him, see his side of the story, and that he is welcome to decide for himself  but with our guidance still. 

Gabo will be entering college in five months' time and will be pursuing an engineering course just like his father. He will be taking civil engineering.

I pray to the Lord Almighty that He will guide him in all his undertakings and keep him away from temptations that would hinder him from fulfilling his dreams.

I can see that he is a good man; a loving son, brother, grandson, and friend.

As for me and my husband and family, we will be here supporting him 101%!  We love him dearly!     

Finally, my sked opens up for the Mommy Mundo's Mindful Mom Re-Treat. I will be attending Session 1 tomorrow, and I can't wait!

Stay tuned for my takeaways!