Everyday Life

28 Grateful Days: Feeling the Birthday Vibe

February 4, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 19 Comments

In 21 days, I will stop being 30 and officially turn into a 30-something year old.

Birthdays are a huge deal in our family, and to be honest, this year’s birth month has not failed me yet as far as awesomeness goes. The first of the month found us in the gorgeous Las Casas in Bataan, and day two was family-fun-filled too. Yesterday, I received a box of happiness from Boracay, courtesy of my brother’s girlfriend – Six calamansi muffins from Real Coffee, something I’d been craving for, for a while now. Today, one of my favorite restaurants, Yabu, sent me an early present – a gift certificate for a free katsu set that I can claim any time within February. Amazeballs. [Read more…] about 28 Grateful Days: Feeling the Birthday Vibe

I’ve Been Taken Over By E-Books and Virtual Bookshelves

February 1, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 4 Comments

I once said (forcefully, I might add), that I would never go for e-books, that I would only read books made out of real paper. I found myself eating those words when MrC got me a Kindle for Mother’s Day two years ago. Honestly, I have never been happier. I have so many books stored in this single device! I no longer need to worry about pages getting ripped or folded in my bag. It’s light, easy to carry, and ever so convenient. I am completely hooked. Oh how amazing it would have been if I had one of these back in the day when Sweet Valley was an obsession!

Yes, I have always loved reading, but for the most part, I’m a fiction reader. I am challenging myself to read classics and more non-fiction this year, and so I have been filling my virtual bookshelf with both. I also started on a Good Reads reading challenge, and I’ve committed to reading 24 books in 2014. To tell you the truth, I’m a little behind on my reading. January is ending, and I’m not done with my first book yet. But I know I can catch up. [Read more…] about I’ve Been Taken Over By E-Books and Virtual Bookshelves

A is for Ambitious

January 24, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 25 Comments

I literally just glanced at the calendar and realized that in about a week, it will be February. Wow. Didn’t it feel like January just whizzed by so quickly? My days have been super full, and I guess that’s why time seems to have flown by so fast. Between taking care of the kiddo, spending as much time as I can with MrC while he’s home, my WAHM projects, and all the other things I’ve decided to take on, my plate is really quite full. In a good way, of course.

A is for Ambitious [Read more…] about A is for Ambitious

My Sugarcoated Week on Instagram (02/52)

January 12, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

This past week turned out to be a lot more fun and exciting than I thought it would. The boys went back to school and work, so there was a bit of an adjustment in all of our schedules. Bedtimes were moved earlier,alarm clocks were set for 5am, and I had a lot of time to spend any way I wanted to during the day.

Sunday, January 5
Sunday found me fixing my kiddo’s school bag, sharpening pencils, replacing a missing eraser and adjusting the hem of his pants because he has grown taller since the beginning of the school year.

Ready for tomorrow. #BackToSchool #MommyMode

New Year, New Routines

January 7, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 8 Comments

The philosopher, Heraclitus, said that nothing endures but change. He was right. At the end of 2013, after two long years of twists and turns, surprise bumps, starts, stops and one very big loop de loop, life shifted once again, and we were left facing more change. Vague? Yes, I know. That’s what I get for quoting a philosopher.

If you’ve been following my posts from the start of the year (this one and this one), the changes have already begun to take place. First it was my hair, which I dyed from a dark, dark, dark black to a dark, dark, dark brown. Then yesterday MrC went back to work and Little MrC went back to school. That meant that I had to shift from holiday mode back to 5am Iron Chef mode. It also meant that I would be faced with a long, quiet day at home by myself, for the first time in a long time. I was wrong, of course, because the rest of the family was home all day yesterday, and today too, for that matter. But in general, it means that I have several hours of me-time in the middle of the day, while the boys are away.

That means that I can now concentrate on completing my work tasks during the day, and finally impose a strict computer curfew on myself. I have to say, though, that when the urge to watch Homeland hits, that curfew will be totally ignored. I am absolutely obsessed with Sgt. Brody right now. Oh, and I’m only halfway done with Season 2, so if any of you comment with spoilers, know that you will make me cry.

Anyway, going back, the computer curfew is a good thing, considering I need to jump out of bed – literally – at 5am so that I can have breakfast and packed lunches ready by 5:45. If not, MrC won’t get to eat before he leaves, and of course I don’t want that. I also need the early morning jump start so that I can keep the momentum going and make sure that the kiddo and I leave for school before 7:20, in order to avoid the nasty traffic that usually starts between then and 7:30. After that, I’ve got myself all to, well, myself, for a good 8 hours, except on Tuesdays, when it’s shortened period in school. But even then, I still get 6 whole hours to myself.

I haven’t had this much free time in a long time. When I was a new WAHM, the kiddo was only in school for 3.5 hours. Then, when he started staying in school all day, I had MrC with me at home. And now, it’s just me. Me and all of this free time. Oh, the fun things I could do!

The last two days have been about re-adjusting to my early mornings, getting on with work, and making a list of chores that I need to accomplish on my own again, now that my boy wonder partner in crime is back to being an office worker. Tomorrow, though, I am going to spend the morning at the mall. There will be errands, there will be shopping, and there will also be a hair treatment. One of these days, I think I might just go back to sleep after completing my morning routine. Sounds heavenly. I can’t wait! These, my friends, are the perks that come with having a big kid who goes to big school and an ever-so supportive husband who works out of home.

For the record, I know it sounds like I’m really looking forward to my me-time, and I am, but I must admit, the house is a whole lot happier when those two are home, creating chaos in our room and calling me silly names like Jackfruit and Momma the Hutt. That’s the funny thing about being a wife and a mom. For the most part, your husband and kids may drive you nuts, but it just feels incomplete when they aren’t around. Know what I mean?

My Sugarcoated Week on Instagram (01/52)

January 5, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

It’s a new year, and I am in the process of tweaking things on the blog in preparation for an exciting and fun new blogging year for us. I say us because I want you, as my readers, to enjoy reading whatever it is that I write here. And as the one writing the posts, I want to enjoy sharing my stories with you, and, more importantly, the entire process of making memories and doing other fun stuff that will give me material to write about as well. In the beginning of 2013, I promised myself that I would blog my best year, and I was able to do just that with the help of my friend, Martine, and her oh-so-helpful Write On Workshops. Now, at the start of 2014, I’m claiming another great year of blogging, and I know I can do it!

One of my blog projects for the year is a “The Week That Was” series, which will feature day-to-day posts from my Instagram feed. I remember how much I didn’t want to be on Instagram when it first came out. Then I gave in, and the next thing I knew I was hooked. Once in a while, when I have nothing to do, I browse through my past posts and reminisce on the stuff that went on over the past week or month. I thought I could turn my muni-muni time into something useful, and so the idea for this blog project was born. I bet I will have so much fun at the end of the year going through my past week-that-was posts and remembering the milestones and the mundane moments.

So, with much excitement, I bring to you the first My Sugarcoated Week on Instagram post! Now I’m thinking that it might be time to upgrade my Instagram-capable phone to one with a better camera. [Read more…] about My Sugarcoated Week on Instagram (01/52)