MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan

MrC and the Bachelor Party

October 13, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 11 Comments

Last Saturday after a very long day, the kiddo and I dropped MrC off at a nearby McDonalds so that his high school buddies could pick him up on their way to an out of town bachelor party. Imagine that, a bachelor party, and an out of town one! I had no qualms about him going because I knew all the guys that he would be hanging out with, and their wives and girlfriends, too. These were friends that we grew up with, and I am actually really excited that another one of them is finally tying the knot. It’ll be fun having more married couples to hang out with!

So anyway, while MrC was off with the boys, I figured I would get a bit of writing done. I was gonna be home alone with a sleeping child on a Saturday, after all. So I picked up a coffee float at the drive through on our way home, tucked the kid in, and proceeded to work. I got some drafts out, plus a blog post. At close to midnight, I decided I should try to get some sleep. I knew I would be taking the kiddo to football in the morning, and I refused to be a zombie for that.

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@mcdo_ph #Coffee Float-ing on a Saturday night coz I have lotsa writing to do. MrC is off to an out of town bachelor party and the little boy is about to sleep. Work mode, on! #WAHMLife #NoGimikForMe

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Thing is, I couldn’t sleep. And, ironically, I found myself missing things that I would normally be complaining about. The bed suddenly seemed so spacious with just the kid and I. Normally I’d be cranky in the morning because I wouldn’t get much space to myself. My blanket was on, nice and snug. There wasn’t anyone at the other end, rolling himself into it like a piece of tuna in the middle of sushi, pulling it away from me. The room was cold and quiet, with no annoying teeth grinding or snoring. It was a completely ideal setup for sleeping but I just couldn’t sleep.

Siksik in bed at Taal Vista Hotel during our anniversary last year

I guess that MrC’s Saturday sleepover served as life’s little reminder that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Lucky for me, it wasn’t really gone. In fact, less than 12 hours after we had dropped him off, MrC showed up at our front door just in time to greet everyone good morning. He was home a lot earlier than we had expected, and it was a really pleasant surprise. Guess he must have missed us, too.

New Clients, New Challenges, and Plans for the Future #TheWeekThatWas

October 11, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 7 Comments

Technically, this post ought to be hashtagged “The Weeks That Were” because it covers this past week and the one before it. After going though a super active blogging week, I had a practically post-less one because October decided to start super strong. New clients mean new challenges, and new challenges mean schedule reshuffling. That’s just what I did over the first 10 days of October, and I’m happy to say that things feel “in place” for me now.

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Out of Alabang today for a series of meetings and errands. First stop, #StarbucksReserve in Makati. Reminds me of my time as a Valero working girl. #Breakfast muna.

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My busy week began here, at Starbucks Reserve in Makati

Today was spent with my Manila Workshops team, planning for 2015 and beyond. I’ve moved on from being one of the Workshop Directors of the team to becoming the Digital Marketing Manager. I’ve actually held this post for a few months now, but it’s only now that my duties and responsibilities are really clearer and more structured, at least in my mind. Lol.

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@mcdo_ph #Coffee Float-ing on a Saturday night coz I have lotsa writing to do. MrC is off to an out of town bachelor party and the little boy is about to sleep. Work mode, on! #WAHMLife #NoGimikForMe View on Instagram

Third coffee drink to cap off this insanely busy Saturday

I remember saying last year that I didn’t want to do social media jobs anymore, but lo and behold these are the ones that fate has been presenting me with lately. Guess it’s where I’m supposed to be headed. At the same time, I’m also aiming to pump up my own blog and brand’s (naks, brand!) social media, simply because I know it makes a real difference.

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2nd stop, #StarbucksReserve in BGC. First meeting with a new client. Yay for work. #StarbucksHopping #WAHMLife

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My first meeting with my new client (who has me thinking and writing like a suave, handsome man) took place here, at Starbucks Reserve in BGC

I also want to do better as far as blogging goes, and so I signed up for Jeff Goins’ Intentional Blogging Challenge, despite the chaos that is my daily life. Our first assignment was to create or update our About Me pages, and I want to ask you now to please visit mine and tell me what you think about it.

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Let the staycation begin! Thank you for having us this weekend, #F1HotelManila! I love the cutie detail you put into our itinerary 🙂 View on Instagram

I’m so loving how this little blog has allowed me to do such nice things and build such wonderful memories with my boys. Our recent staycation at F1 Hotel in BGC was one of those amazing gifts that blogging has given our family

Like I said, these past two weeks have been eventful. In one day, I visited two different Starbucks Reserve stores. I’ve done back to back meetings in one morning to maximize my Makati trips. I’ve checked out two different co-working spaces and one virtual office site. I’ve taken another fun staycation with the boys. I’ve cooked and eaten an assortment of food. I’ve made future plans for myself, my family, my blog, and even my clients. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, and that is most definitely a good thing.

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My gorgeous office for the day. @O2space #WorkMode

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I really cannot wait to spend another Makati day at O2 Space

To be honest, this is a boring post with me just unloading my brain. It’s been a while since I’ve written such a random brainfart as this, and it kinda feels good. Blame it on all the coffee I’ve had today, and the cookies on my table that I am trying not to eat right now. And with that, I bid you all good night. Hope you guys have a great weekend.

Enjoying My Little Mommy Luxuries at Crimson Hotel Alabang

October 10, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 9 Comments

I’ve been dealing with a lot of domestic drama lately because our helper has been very un-helpful. I won’t get into details because just thinking about her makes me angry. She did something unacceptable again today, and this really made me wish that I could escape to one more staycation this weekend. But alas, we are going to be mostly home over the next couple of days, and so I will write about a past staycation instead to make myself feel better.

I love the look of Crimson Hotel’s reception desk

I love staying at hotels for one simple reason – I get to feel like a donya for 24 hours. I know that it sounds bratty, but it’s true. I have this list of mommy luxuries that I like to indulge in, and an overnight stay at a good hotel automatically gives me at least 5 of those things. Let me explain by showing you which of these indulgences I got to enjoy during our recent staycation at Crimson Hotel in Filinvest, Alabang.

A nice, clean, spacious space all to ourselves

As you know, we live in a really full house. As in, full of people and full of stuff. Our room is bursting at the seams with all of our things, and we even have stuff stored in the living room and outside the house. I get to leave all that clutter behind when we stay at a hotel. I know it doesn’t solve the clutter problem, but at least for a couple of days, we actually have our own space that is clean and quiet.

I especially loved this makeup mirror, and that it was placed in front of the window. Natural light FTW!

Long, uninterrupted (well, mostly) showers

Because the boys and I share a bathroom, we have this unspoken rule that we should leave the door unlocked in case someone needs to do something in there while we’re using it. Fortunately, ours is a big enough bathroom that we can all use it at the same time. One can shower while another uses the toilet, and the third person uses the sink. It works for us, especially on rushed mornings, but oh man do I miss my bathroom privacy. At Crimson, I got to indulge in a couple of long showers and other quiet moments in the super spacious bathroom. Oh what a treat!

This is what the boys look like while I take photos around the room

Drinks. Including alcoholic ones.

Just lounging around and enjoying the sorta view

We were given access to the Executive Lounge at Crimson during our stay. There, the boys and I happily cooled off with glasses of juice and cans of soda. I was hoping to stay there all the way through happy hour, but we were told that they don’t allow children to stay once they start serving alcoholic drinks. We had to forego the beer and cocktail buffet because there was no one who could watch the kiddo for us, and also because MrC and I didn’t feel right about leaving him somewhere so that we could drink. Yes, it was the responsible thing to do. Lol. I had a mojito with dinner instead. And speaking of dinner…

A delicious dinner that I didn’t have to prepare myself, complete with dessert!

Yes, I had all of these (and more) for dinner

And it was a Mexican dinner, too! One of my favorite cuisines! I wrote about our Sabores de Mexico dinner experience a couple of weeks ago, and you can check it out here.

The ultimate cold air conditioning + comfy bed + fluffy pillow + thick blanket combo

If I had my way, my bed would be as lush as a hotel bed. Maybe someday, we can invest in a fluffy bed. (Hint, hint, MrC!)

Funny story, at Crimson the boys decided to have me sleep in the middle. Between the two of them and the blankets, I was sandwiched in warmth! I would wake up every once in a while when it got too hot and wiggle myself out of the blankets. Then when I’d get cold, I’d wake up again and squeeze back in. This went on a few times til morning. I still felt pretty rested, though, thank goodness.

Breakfast and coffee waiting for me when I woke up

Little MrC fixed his own plate, and made a happy face out of his pancakes and French toast

Happiness is waking up to a cup of good coffee and a yummy breakfast. On weekends, MrC sometimes takes care of this for me at home, and for that I am really grateful. That weekend at Crimson, though, was a super treat because their breakfast selections at the hotel are really, really good! I especially loved the cheeses and cold cuts that they served, and their breads too. The cheese ensaymada and the cream filled doughnut were super winners.

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My first (and favorite) plate at any breakfast buffet is filled with bread, cheese and fruit. This was the first of many plates from this morning’s breakfast at Cafe Eight. 7 hours later and I am still burping. The breakfast spread at @crimsonhotel_alabang is officially one of my faves in the south. #SouthEats #CrimsonHotel #FilinvestCityAlabang #BreakfastBuffet #InstaFood

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But wait, there’s more

Aside from my luxury list, there’s still so much more to do at Crimson. They have a really nice gym, which I probably should visit next time, especially after eating all that bread. They also have a really nice pool, which we were sadly unable to try out because it was so windy while we were there. That’s something to come back for next time. That, and happy hour at the Executive Lounge lol. Ah! And I also have to remember to take home some of that ensaymada from the pastry corner next time. So good, promise!

Crimson Hotel's gorgeous pool — Crimson Hotel’s gorgeous pool area

The best part about our Crimson staycation was that the boys and I were there with four of my favorite families – Michelle’s, Jane’s, Joei’s (yes, Joei and Timmy are counted as a family in my book) and Kaye’s. It’s always fun for all of us when they are around, and I love how we are starting to build such fun memories together as a group. Since Little Miss QC was with us that weekend, we were officially ABC+K! Cute, diba?

THANK YOU so very much (again) to our lovely hosts, Twinkle Lacsamana, Karina, and the wonderful staff at Crimson Hotel. The boys and I had the best time and we can’t wait to come back! And super duper thank you, Jane, for arranging this for our little sisterhood. We love you!

CRIMSON HOTEL FILINVEST ALABANG
Entrata Urban Complex,
2609 Civic Drive, Filinvest City,
Alabang 1781 Muntinlupa City
Phone (02) 863 2222
Email info.alabang@crimsonhotel.com
Website http://www.crimsonhotel.com/manila/

Do You DIY? Halloween Costume Ideas for Crafty Moms

October 9, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 6 Comments

My brother is the king of Halloween costume DIY. I’m serious. Over the years he has put in an insane amount of time and effort into his costumes. Just to prove my point, I’ve stolen some photos of his past costumes from his Facebook page so that I can show you. His usual partner in crime is his girlfriend, and together they’ve been (clockwise from upper left) Gold Dust and The Macho Man Randy Savage, Mary (not in photo) and her Little Lamb, Billy the Puppet from Saw and a victim in a trap, and Classic TV Batman and Robin. Yes, he made these all. From scratch. That lamb costume is made out of a hoodie and cotton balls!

Boyong's amazing Halloween costumes — Boyong’s amazing Halloween costumes

Guys, remember that stealing photos online is bad, and can get you into serious trouble. Don’t be like me. And sorry, brother, for taking your photos without asking for permission first.

Anyway… I have had my fair share of DIY costumes, though I must admit that the ones I’ve made are not as elaborate as my brother’s. For the most part, they weren’t even entirely made by me hehehe. Still, they were all created with love, and that’s what counts! On the left, I’m with my former team from my working mom days, and we were all crayons for Halloween. Next to it is Little MrC’s costume from last year, Ben10. The shirt was painted by MrC!

This year, the boys and I are going for Steven Universe as our theme. The kiddo will be Steven, I’ll be Amethyst and MrC will be Lion. We are DIY-ing, and I really hope we can pull it off!

How about you? Are you thinking about going the DIY way with your kids’ costumes this Halloween? We’ve come up with a great list of easy DIY costume ideas on The Asian Parent Philippines. Let me know if you end up trying any of these costumes. I’d love to see your photos, k?

1Halloween Cover — Click to view the article!

October is for Chasing Dreams

October 8, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 16 Comments

I feel I owe you guys an apology because I haven’t blogged in well over a week. October started off real strong for me as far as work goes. Lotsa new projects came in, and all at the same time, too! It’s taken a while for me to find my footing, but I think today is a lot better compared to my first few October days. And so I have found time to blog. This is just a short one, because I really just felt like touching base.

So, at the end of August a long-time dream of mine started coming true. MrC and I have finally chosen our first home! Yay! It’s gonna take a few more years for it to come to full completion, but the excitement and anticipation is enough to see me through til then. This is also something that we are both gonna have to work our butts off for, and that explains why I am suddenly super loaded this month. It’s a happy problem, and super worth it, too. Plus, if I’m smart about my time management, I won’t sacrifice any family time at all. So far so good, I’m happy to report. I only hope that I can keep up this structured schedule that has fallen into place just today.

And with that, I leave you with this afterthought, a small bit of inspiration that I picked up on my short first visit to O2 Space (which I will be writing about soon, along with a host of other things I’ve been up to). Nothing great ever came that easy.

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Words of wisdom on my work desk. #coworking #O2Space #WorkMode @o2_space

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Here’s to hard work and chasing dreams.

On Acceptance and Rejection

September 29, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 26 Comments

One of my fears as a mom is that my son might find himself rejected or disliked by other kids. It isn’t because I feel that my child is unlikable. It’s more because he is an only child, and for a long time he has been more comfortable interacting with adults than with other kids. I’m lucky with this kid, though. He’s friendly, outgoing and adaptable. Over the time he’s spent in school he has managed to make a lot of friends. We both have, actually, as I have also started enjoying my time chatting with the ladies these kids call mommy.

Who wouldn't want to hang out with this cool guy? — Who wouldn’t want to hang out with this cool guy?

Worrying about your child being rejected is normal for any parent, I think. It was something that I was preparing myself for, in case we had to deal with it. What I wasn’t expecting was the possibility of my child being on the other side of the situation. I didn’t realize that it was possible for other kids to feel rejected by my son. Not intentionally, of course. Kids will choose to hang out with the ones they feel are fun to be around, and not with the intention of leaving others out. But well, in forming these little groups, someone may inevitably be left out.

Lola was one of his best friends growing up

And again, I feel I am lucky with this one. He didn’t realize at first that he was unknowingly alienating another kid. Once we talked to him about it, though, and explained that the other child felt sad about not being included in their play group, he immediately decided to adjust. In fact, in his list of things to do for the week, he even added an extra space for that kid’s name on his playdate invite list. I am lucky with this one because he is friendly, outgoing and adaptable. He is understanding and compassionate, too. And so are the kids that he chooses to have around him in his circle of friends. I’m happy that he chose wisely, and I’m happy that they also have chosen to be his friend.

Have you had any issues on acceptance and rejection with your children? I’d love to read your stories.