At Home With MrsC

Help-less but not helpless

January 7, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 22 Comments

On December 31st, in the afternoon right before she left for home, Crazy Maid greeted us happy New Year and said she would be back on January 2. That was the last we ever saw of her. Through her son (who works here, too, cleaning outside and gardening), she informed my mom that she had to take time off to take care of her young pregnant daughter.

Kfine, how do you say no to that, right? I told my mom, though, that this is a good time to adjust to life without Crazy Maid, who has become pretty inefficient, and on some days doesn’t even show up at all (she goes home at the end of each work day, kasi).

So today is officially day 7 of help-lessness, and we’re doing okay. My mom and I are both home-based, and I have no doubts that between the two of us, we can totally manage. Still, I look forward to the day when we finally get a new replacement helper from the province. And promise, I will take it upon myself to train her well. No more Crazy Maids for me, thankyouverymuch.

Here's what we've been up to since Crazy Maid left. — Here’s what we’ve been up to since Crazy Maid left.

Over the last 7 days, we did and learned a lot. I think the most exciting of all was doing the laundry for the first time, ever. As in, EVER. The boys and I had been wanting to try out the Coin Laundry shop in BF, and we just went ahead and did it after lunch last Sunday.

I am now officially laundry-obsessed! That’s a good thing, of course, because it’s something that is gonna be part of my regular routine from now on. I’m extra excited about mixing and matching detergents and fabric conditioners til I find what works for us hahaha. Actually, I went a little nuts shopping for laundry soap at the supermarket the other day, and I now have enough to last me til next month.

I’ve also started experimenting with cleaning products, and am still fussing over our bathroom. I need that place to stay clean and nice-smelling all the time. I know that you guys who live with boys know how tough that can be. But so far, so good, our bathroom hasn’t been yucky since the start of the year.

Who would ever have thought that I would get excited over purchases like these? #cleaningproducts #TheDomesticationOfMrsC #RealHousewifeLife

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Jan 1, 2015 at 1:39am PST

Washing dishes, folding and putting away clean clothes, wiping tables and counter tops, and cooking – that’s basically what’s been up in my 2015 world so far. Lucky for me, MrC was trained well by his mom and dad, and is pretty handy when it comes to cleaning up around the house. Oh, and I’ve gotten the kiddo to start doing chores, too. He is in charge of refilling our empty water bottles and putting them back in the refrigerator. I told him that this would earn him 20 minutes of gadget time for every bottle, and he now has a tally of daily refills taped to our bathroom door.

The challenge for me is how I can manage my work schedule alongside all of the new chores I have on my list. So far this week, I think I’ve been doing fine. It’s really time for me to learn how to stick to a schedule. And to start using lotion. My hands are getting dryer by the day from all the dish washing.

Okay, off to the laundromat now!

Do you have helpers at home? Which chores do you do yourself?

15 things for 2015

January 1, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 5 Comments

Happy new year, everyone!

By @polcuyugs “Happy New Year from us to you! #2015” via @PhotoRepost_app

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:21am PST

It’s a lazy rainy day over here in Alabang, and the boys and I are spending it sitting around our dining table, each doing our own thing. I’m having my 2nd cup of coffee for the year, and my tummy is happily full from brunch, which was basically last night’s party leftovers. I really love slow days like today.

On the news a few nights ago, a Feng Shui expert said that 2015 is gonna be a good year for those born in the year of the pig. Yay for me! I thought I’d make the most out of the very promising forecast, and list my resolutions. I’ve not done this in a really long time, mostly because I didn’t feel like it. The super fun holidays have put me in a sunshiney optimistic mood, though. So yay, I’ve finally been able to make a list.

Here are my 15 things (aka resolutions, or promises to myself) for 2015, in no particular order.

In 2015, I promise myself I will…

1. Make time for exercise. I finally renewed my Gold’s Gym membership last December, after 3 years! I start on January 5, and I am nervous lol. Motivation and encouragement needed!

2. Work outside of home at least once a week. In 2014, I fell into that WAHM/SAHM hermit-mode trap where I wouldn’t leave the house for days on end, except to pick up and drop off my kid from school. I know, though, that a change of scenery makes a world of difference when I’m trying to write well. So this year I will make more of an effort to get out of the house, park my butt somewhere else, and write from there.

3. Spend more time with friends. Hermit-mode for me meant missing out on a lot of social gatherings, too. I made an effort to change that already over the Christmas holidays, though, and I did a pretty good (and fun hehe) job of it. This year, I will really make time to see more friends more often. Promise yan!

I especially want to see these girls more often.

4. Eat less fast food. When I stress-eat, it usually involves french fries. This has been my thing every since high school, when we would convince our driver to take us to the drive through before bringing us home from school. It took a lot of nagging, kaya, because home is a lot closer to school than the drive through is! So anyway, I know that I will be sad if I have to say goodbye to my friends Ronald McDonald and Jollibee forever, so I promise to at least see them less frequently this year.

5. Stop drinking Coke. Coke gives me really bad gas, as in kabag galore! I keep telling myself to just stay away from the stuff, and I will be happier. So starting this year, bye bye Coke. And Royal also, coz the stuff gives me heartburn. At least I still have Sprite.

6. Consume less dairy. My uncle told me that it isn’t coffee with milk that I drink, it’s milk with coffee. This is ironic because too much dairy gives me gas, too. But still I eat cheese and ice cream to my heart’s content, and my morning coffee gets lighter and lighter colored by the day. Time to regulate. I will start cutting back on cheese after our Sofitel staycation na, though. Hello, cheese room!

7. Be more time conscious. I have always had issues with being on time. I don’t know why, but I simply lack the discipline for it. I promise myself year on year that I will change, but I still miss deadlines and leave the house an hour later than I say I will. Haynako. This year, I will really try harder.

8. Take more pictures. Instagram has really helped turn me into a life-documenting little big girl. The kiddo and I plan to take a photo together every day this year. I also want to do the same with MrC. I love having lots of photos to look back on, and I know that my old and grey self will thank my 30-something year old self for all the captured memories.

9. Blog regularly. I’m such a sporadic blogger. Some weeks you’ll see me post every day, then you won’t hear from me again for a week and a half. I know that I should be queuing and spacing out my posts better, so I will try to get my whole blog calendar straightened out and functioning better this year.

10. Read more. Since joining my book club, reading has become a lot more fun. This year I really hope to finish reading all of the assigned monthly books. I will also finish my carry over queue from last year, and get started on other books I’ve been meaning to read.

Book List — Books I want to go back to soon.

11. Crochet a little every day. Or at least a little every week. Just because it makes me happy.

12. Nag less. Little and big MrC will be happy.

13. Learn to cook new dishes. Because food is my love language.

14. Spend more time outdoors. I’ve been wanting to go on short walks with the kiddo so I can teach him how to make his way around our village. I also want to go with the boys when they spend time on the football field, even if I only end up sitting on a blanket in a corner. Dining alfresco counts, too. As long as it involves fresh air and sunlight, that qualifies as an outdoor activity.

15. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish. Because I know it’s good for me. Challenge accepted.

What are your 2015 resolutions? Make me kwento in the comments, and let’s help motivate each other to get them done!

Wishing you a Merry Cremas, plus Christmas parties galore!

December 26, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

For the first time in a long time, I made an effort to go to each and every Christmas party I was invited to. Not that there were so many, but it’s just remarkable how I managed to drag my butt out of the house past my usual bedtime more than once. It’s also a big deal that I stayed longer than I usually do at all of the parties I went to. Haha, yes, you now have an idea of how truly lazy I can be.

Today, the day after Christmas, I’m feeling the effects of my late nights. I have a slight headache, I’m lazy, my body hurts a little, and I don’t want to do anything but sit in bed and eat junk food. I figured that I should at least blog, though, because my writing queue really does get longer by the day. So, I’m gonna tell you how my Christmas went, and then you guys tell me about yours in the comments, okay?

My first party of the season was our Secret Book Club holiday get together. I love this group. I always tell my family that I couldn’t be happier about having found people who are the same kind of book nerd that I am. I enjoyed our kwentuhan so much that I ended up staying with the last batch of girls til almost 2 AM! The highlight of that evening for me was the exchange gift, where we picked books of authors that meant something to us to give away.

As luck would have it, Mish pulled my name out of the bag, and I picked Joei! Hanggang book club, #ABCLove parin. Hehe. I’m so excited that I already have a book to open 2015 with. From what Mish shared, it sounds like the perfect new year book, too, so double yay!

Love, love, love hanging out with these two!

A few nights after that, we went to my annual high school girlfriends’ Christmas dinner. I love that we make a real effort to block off a December date for our group each year. What started out as a simple dinner get together has become an important yearly tradition for us, and is now filled with extra fun thanks to our children. I love this group of girls that I grew up with. Ours is the kind of friendship that just picks up where we left off, no matter how long it’s been since we last saw each other.

Friends through thick and thin! Missing one, but hopefully we’ll be complete soon.

Believe it or not, we braved the crazy holiday traffic the next day to spend time with a few of my favorite mommy blogger friends at Eastwood. My friend Sab, and her team over at The Asian Food Channel and The Food Network invited some members of Mommy Bloggers Philippines to come to the Alaska Merry Cremas Festival, and I was excited to be there. It isn’t often that I get to go to blogger events, and each time I do I have the best time chatting with my mommy friends.

I don’t have that many photos, but I was glad to have spent the day with Moomy Musings‘ Glaiza, and Homeschooler Kib‘s mommy Donna. I finally got to meet my online chika buddy, Roxy aka Mr. Jacob’s Mom, too. Sulit na sulit ang pag luwas! It was also funny that I ran into my other #ABCLove, Jane, at the Alaska event. We rarely get to see each other, and when we finally did, it was so far away from Alabang. Lol.

Donna and I, our little boys, and the cupcakes I liked the most out of all the sweet treats at the event.

The next Christmas dinner we went to was our batch PA party on the last day of school. The little guy and I went together, and he was a million times more excited about it than I was because the venue just happened to be the ultimate play house. One of my co-parents has a really decked out back yard, complete with play area for kids that features a huge trampoline. We were among the last to leave, and even then it was a struggle getting the kids to say goodbye to each other and to their play house.

Our last get-together with friends was with MrC’s high school barkada. I don’t usually come with him to their parties because they start well after dinner and end really late. I was smart this year though. I decided to take a nap after dinner, right when the kiddo went to bed, and I asked the husbandry to wake me up when it was time to go. It worked, I was up and about until close to 4 AM! We woke up at nearly noon the day after, though, but it was worth it. I had a nice time hanging out with our old batch mates, and it was really nice going out with MrC.

Christmas Eve was spent at home, as it always has been over the years. This time, though, there were a lot more of us, with my siblings’ partners joining in on the fun, too. For dinner, we ordered the most amazing turkey from Gourmets Palate by the family of Bamba Bistro’s super chef, Tina Legarda. SO, SO, SO GOOD. If you guys are ever in need of a turkey, order from them. You won’t regret it! Call 0917-5294208 or 0917-5286693 for inquiries.

TURKEY! Good enough for 10, with lots and lots of leftovers!

Christmas day is always busy for us, with lunch at one Lola’s house and dinner in the other’s. All in all it has been a full and fun holiday season for our family. I’m so happy I had the chance to catch up with old and new friends, to spend time with my boys, and to enjoy lazy days and lots of food with my relatives.

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

Okay, your turn to make me kwento. Tell me about your Christmas. I really hope that yours was merry, too. 🙂

A Pinteresting last-minute Christmas gift idea: Chocolate bar snowmen!

December 22, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 12 Comments

I panicked a little yesterday when I realized that I didn’t have any gifts for my nephews and nieces. Yikes. I figured it was okay to delay my presents for the adults, but not for the kids. Nope, that wouldn’t be okay at all. So I braved the traffic and ridiculous parking situation outside our village to make a quick Town Center run.

I'm serious about everyone's gifts being late, though. — I’m serious about everyone’s gifts being late, though.

I was actually unsure about what to get, and it was a good thing that I remembered something that I saw on Pinterest just as I was walking around the supermarket. I was supposed to make these candy bar snowmen for Little MrC’s classmates last year, but ended up doing something completely different. So I figured that this would be the year for them, and that I would have the little guy make them instead of doing it myself.

Yup, these were so easy to make that my 8-year old was able to really help me out. It was idea for us to do an arts and crafts activity, too, since he is already starting to get cabin fever just 4 days into the Christmas break. All you need are:

Chocolate bars
White paper – I used the blank back part of a printed note pad that I wasn’t using. It was just the right size so no more cutting.
Sticky tape
Crayons, colored pens or markers
Yarn

You basically draw and color the snowman features onto the paper, making sure of course that you measure it against the chocolate bar first so that it fits well when wrapped. Then you wrap the snowman paper over the chocolate bar. I taped the white paper onto the chocolate bar’s wrapper so it wouldn’t slide around.

Tie a “scarf” around the “neck area” of the snowman using colorful yarn. I also secured the yearn with tape at the back so that the scarf would stay in place. That’s it! I did all the paper folding and taping, and my kiddo did everything else. After 12 candy bars and about an hour of drawing and writing, he said he was tired, and had a new found appreciation for all the gift wrapping I do for him and his dad during the holidays.

Aren't they super cute? :) — Aren’t they super cute? 🙂

I’m excited to give these to the kids, and to Little MrC’s godparents. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our world, and I couldn’t be happier.

Do you guys have any good last minute gift suggestions? Do share, I always need those! 🙂

I know it’s late, but here are a few Christmas gift ideas

December 19, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

I have not done any Christmas shopping! As in wala. Okay, no, I just realized I bought presents for my family (mom, dad, siblings) at the Cuenca bazaar last weekend, but that’s it. No gift yet for MrC, no gift yet for the kiddo. December has been crazy! But it’s a happy kind of crazy that I’m grateful for, so that’s okay.

I now know how I can fix my schedule better next year, but alas that is another 12 months away. Guess I will just have to make the most out of these last 6 days before Christmas, and see what I can buy and make, super duper last minute.

If you guys are as delayed as I am this holiday season, you should check out these gift guides that we’ve put up on The Asian Parent Philippines. They’re helpful, I promise! Click on each photo and they will take you to the articles.

Ideas for everyone in the family, all below P500 – great for the budget conscious!

Gift ideas for babies and toddlers – for all your *inaanak* needs!

Something for the most important woman in your life.

Gifts for foodies (Kalookies will be in Alabang this weekend, Dec 20-21 at TUFC!)

Thoughtful gifts that don’t cost any money at all!

So, what are you giving as gifts this Christmas? Happy holidays, you guys! Don’t let traffic bring you down!

Filipino Moms Create Excellent Lifestyles at Home with Taiwan Excellence

December 17, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 1 Comment

It’s not easy being a multi-tasking, responsibility-juggling, stress-eating mom. Believe me, I know. My schedule revolves around my own my son’s, MrC’s, and our household’s. It can get very challenging figuring out what to do, when to do it, and how to do it best. At the end of the day, all of us moms just want what’s best for our loved ones, and for ourselves, too. As in, the best food, the best service, the best products. Why should we settle for anything less after all?

Like I said before, I really go for quality over anything else when I shop for a product. This is why I appreciate the Taiwan Excellence campaign, which was organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade of Taiwan together with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), a non-profit, semi-governmental trade promotion organization in Taiwan.

The entire campaign provides a symbol of quality that guarantees the superior value of Taiwanese lifestyle brands across Asia. With this seal of quality, us Moms have an easier time identifying which products are really superior, and therefore good for the family.

It also gives us an idea of which products we can really rely on for ourselves, to help us get our jobs done. After all, just as our family relies on us for a lot of things, we also rely heavily on things like our kitchen equipment, our cleaning tools, and even our laptops, to make sure that we are able to keep our households running smoothly and efficiently.

Some examples of brands with the Taiwan Excellence seal

The campaign presently carries 56 different brands for home and living, sports, transportation, and personal care. We already use some of these brands at home, like HCG, ASUS, KingCom and Transcend. After reading up on this campaign, it really made me feel good to know that we’ve chosen our stuff wisely.

To learn more about the Taiwan Excellence campaign, visit http://taiwanexcellence.ph and #/TaiwanExcellence.ph.